Bluescreen

by Dan Wells
335 pgs  (Mirador series #1)

In the year 2050, everyone is constantly connected to the Internet via their djinni, a smart device implanted directly in their head. The djinni serves as a communication device, computer, GPS, house key, bankcard, and a host of other functions all at once. People are able to plug devices and drives directly into their djinni and download new software, games, and anything else they want 24/7. Marisa and her friends Anja, Sahara, Fang, and Java, who call themselves the Cherry Dogs, spend most of their time immersed in virtual-reality games and plan to eventually become professional "Overworld" players.

One day, Anja buys a new "plug-in" on the street called Bluescreen and brings it back to the Cherry Dogs to try. It's supposed to have a drug-like effect on users, but when Anja takes it, her behavior is alarming. She behaves as if she's in a trance for a period before eventually losing consciousness. Marisa and the group start investigating who's behind Bluescreen and what it's intended to do to those who use it, but their investigation puts their lives in danger.

Bluescreen is a smart, tech-savvy science-fiction thriller that was written for a slightly younger audience, but it should appeal to anyone who enjoys the genre. It's the start of a series that has two follow-up books already out.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

On This, the Day of the Pig

by Josh Malerman
286 pgs

I have not watched Bird Box, nor have I read Josh Malerman's book, which it was based on. But unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, it's impossible not to know the basic premise of the story, or to be aware of the hype it generated. That being said, when I came across Malerman's On This, the Day of the Pig, I initially didn't give it much consideration. It wasn't until I made the connection and realized who Malerman was, that I decided to give it a try.

In a nutshell, consider how Animal Farm would have been different had Stephen King written it instead of George Orwell. That gives you a general idea of what you're in for with this one.

Pearl is a pig. He's an old and slightly deformed pig, and he's avoided farmer Kopple's slaughtering axe longer than any pig that's ever been on the farm before. But that's not just a coincidence. There's something different about Pearl, something not quite right. And anyone who has ever been around him has sensed it. It's not just that one of his eyes is so dark it looks like he has a gaping hole where the eye should be. It's the thoughts that come into your mind when you're around Pearl...almost as if the pig could communicate directly with and control your mind.

On This, the Day of the Pig feels a little bit like a throwback to the horror books written in the 80s, and on the surface, it sounds a little campy. But Malerman does a great job of infusing real creepiness into the story, and I found myself struggling to put it down.

I'll definitely be reading more by him, and sooner rather than later.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Calypso

by David Sedaris
259 pgs

Calypso is the latest collection of essays by humorist David Sedaris. I would have thought that after nine books, in which he gives merciless insight into his own and his family members' lives, he'd be out of things to say by now. Thankfully, he isn't.

Sedaris has a wry, caustic sense of humor and it's firing on all cylinders as he describes his family life as well as his interactions with the general population. I can't help but feel a little bit of a kinship with him, which is why I think I enjoy his stories as much as I do. He's a gifted story teller who holds nothing back, and is willing to share things most of us would keep deeply hidden, if there's a chance others will find some humor in it.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The Cutting Edge

by Jeffery Deaver
430 pgs  (Lincoln Rhyme series #14)

In this most recent Lincoln Rhyme book, Rhyme and Sachs are up against a deranged killer obsessed with diamonds. His first victims are an engaged couple whom he follows into a jewelry store and brutally kills. He also tortures and kills the store owner. The police believe they were all simply victims of a violent robbery. But when the case is put before Lincoln, it's soon realized that something far deeper is going on.

The victims begin adding up, and as Lincoln and Sachs pursue him, they begin to learn the killer's profile. They surmise his obsession is with rough diamonds and he seems to be punishing people for "defiling" them by buying cut stones. The media dubs him "The Promiser," and people all over New York are on edge wondering who his next victim will be.

The Cutting Edge is a great example of why I'm still reading Jeffery Deaver's books. This is the 30th of his I've read now, and while some of them are better than others, I've enjoyed all of them. I know there will be twists in the plot, and I try to anticipate the surprises and misdirection I know are coming. But I'm rarely able to guess where they'll come from or how the book will end. This one was another very satisfying story.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Iron Gold

by Pierce Brown
596 pgs  (Red Rising series #4)

It's been ten years since the uprising and rebellion of the Red slaves on Mars against the Gold ruling caste. Darrow, the slave who led the revolution and took on the persona of the Reaper, has become a legend during those years, as he's continued to lead the new Solar Republic in battles against the Ash Lord in an effort to liberate the rest of the solar system. But there is a faction at work within the Republic, one that wants to undermine Darrow, the war he's fighting, and the millions of lives that have been lost in his quest to provide that freedom.

In this, the fourth book in his "Red Rising" series, Pierce Brown does something unexpected with the series. Instead of continuing to focus primarily on his main character and follow him as he continues to fight for those unable to fight for themselves, he instead shifts the focus to others in the series and removes Darrow from the pedestal he and others have put him on.

I've heard this series referred to as a "space opera," and that label is deserved. The story and the action are often over the top, and the characters tend to be more caricatures with extreme personalities than fully fleshed out characters with complex personalities. But in this case, I'm okay with that. The series is fun. And I think it's exactly what Pierce Brown wants it to be.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆