Ration by Cody T. Luff, Apex Publications, #backcatalogblogtour
20 September 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #backcatalogublogtour, Apex Publications, Cody T Luff, Ration
Ration is a book that I requested as part of the Apex Back Catalog Blog Tour. I am so happy to be taking part in this tour to bring focus to some of their back catalogue and would just mention that Apex are currently running a promotion the details of which are below.
This book took me by surprise I have to admit. I’ve become a little bit of a softie in recent times and don’t really have the stomach for anything too dark and so whilst I liked the sound of Ration with it’s far future setting and dystopian feel the hard hitting nature of the story made me feel a little bit daunted.
So. Okay, I’m not gonna lie, this book doesn’t pull any punches but it’s positively addictive. I couldn’t stop reading and even though there are a few scenes that are a little bit stomach churning – that’s probably too strong a phrase really, lets say instead uncomfortable – I couldn’t tear myself away from this book. I was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it and when I put it down I wanted to pick it back up as soon as possible, in fact I went to bed one evening and tossed and turned so much that I simply decided to get up and read to the end. Yes, that compelling.
Ration is set in the future – something very bad has gone amiss. An event known as the ‘clearing’ has eliminated all the men and some sort of apocalypse has scorched the earth and darkened the sky. Plants no longer grow, animals have long since died or been eaten and the survivors are slowly starving to death (for the most part). The whys and wherefores are not discussed but to be honest there’s no reason why they should be, particularly as we start the story in the Apartments where a number of girls live, surviving on rations that are strictly monitored and the penalties for eating more are severe. Of course there’s no talk of ‘what came before’. This is a bunch of girls being kept in impossible conditions, brutalised – by each other on occasion – and so hungry that they can hardly function, they’re barely educated and there lives are dull and full of fear. Now, let me just point out – and this is something that won’t become apparent until later in the story – but at the moment, these girls are living the easy life comparatively speaking. That’s all I’ll say on that score
In the Apartments there is a person in control, Miss Tuttle in this particular situation, and also a supervisor of sorts, Ms Glennoc. The girls are allotted daily duties and during the course of the week may request food rations from A to C. The difference between the rations is that C is the lowest calorific value and therefore the least satisfying and A is the most nutritional and dare I say tasty. Unfortunately, requesting an A ration comes with severe penalties that involve a randomly chosen girl being taken to the dreaded ‘Wet Room’. There is so much that I can’t talk about here without giving away massive spoilers. The girls themselves, as mentioned above, are sometimes responsible for a strict policing system of their own if they discover who requested an A Ration and their punishments are severe and horrific.
In terms of characters. Two of the girls in the Apartment have developed a strong bond, Cynthia and Imeld and this friendship serves as the catalyst and driver for a good deal of the story. We don’t get to read too much of Imeld but Cynthia is a very good character to read, not afraid to stand up for herself when push comes to shove and very determined. Ms Tuttle is not the nicest people in many respects but is also a product of her own upbringing and a great example of somebody declining into addiction and madness. Glennoc is an out and out bully, a former member of a different ‘Apartment’ herself, she’s learnt the hard way how to stand up for herself and has no qualms about doling out punishments and causing fear.
I can’t really tell you too much more. This is a story about survival and the lengths that people will go to when push comes to shove. An absolutely brutal world of dog eat dog where politics play a surprising part and the gap between the haves and have nots has burgeoned to ridiculous new heights. Everything is for sale in this world and the measure of a girl or woman’s worth is little more than her calorific value.
This probably sounds incredibly bleak and to an extent it is. Think The Road, think Max Max, add in a dash of the Unwinding but then come to the realisation that as bleak as this is, as base as these women have become, there is still a small thread of hope in this story. You have to dig around for it but it’s there like a tiny ray trying to break through the clouds, a seedling pushing up through all the despair and that’s what lifts this book slightly. The will to survive and the tiny glimmer of hope, be it ever so humble, that tries to shine a light in all the dark.
I have to say this is an impressive debut. The writing is just excellent and the author absolutely succeeds in creating a tense and powerful story and in holding you captive until he’s finished telling his tale.
I have no criticisms as such. This is a dark story but it’s also totally absorbing.
I would rate this between a 4. and 4.5 out of 5 star read. But, to be absolutely clear, this is not a light or airy read. There is some dark material going on right here – totally absorbing though.
I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.
The above is my own opinion.
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As mentioned above Apex Publications are offering a 25% discount for the month of September so there’s still time to grab yourself some goodies using the code SEPTEMBER and just because I’m nice here’s the link to the store. Happy shopping.
Friday Face Off : “Your hair is winter fire, January embers.”
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout. This week’s theme:
“Your hair is winter fire, January embers.” – A cover featuring hair
When I really think about it this theme is an odd one because if you simply choose a cover with a person then you’d pretty much have ‘hair’ (in all but a few cases) – but there we go. Hopefully this week is easier than last. The book I’ve chosen this week is Dreamer’s Pool (Blackthorn & Grim #1) by Juliet Marillier. I absolutely love the covers for this series.
Not many covers for this book and two of them very similar with just a slight colour change – for me though, this is a no brainer. My favourite:
And in fact, all three of the books in this series fit this week’s theme:
Like last week I’ve added a Mr Linky here so that you can leave a link if you wish or please leave me a link in the comments so we can all visit and check out each others covers. Thanks
I’ve updated the list and included themes through to the end of 2019 – I’ve also included events that I’m aware of so that you can perhaps link your themes up where possible (if you know of an event you’d like to share that let me know in the comments). I also have a list prepared for 2020 and so will set up a separate page soon for forthcoming themes. As always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment.
Next week – Freebie
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ or one of your favourite covers)
2019
27th September – Freebie
4th October – “Feed me Seymour” – A cover that is 60s horror
11th October – ““And, though there should be a world of difference between the smile of a man and the bared fangs of a wolf, with Joss Merlyn they were one and the same.” – a cover featuring an Inn/Hotel
18th October – “It’s your favorite scary movie, remember? He had on the white mask, he stalked the babysitters.” – A cover featuring a scream
25th October – for Halloween – pick any scary cover you like
(I’m hoping that November will once again bring to us SciFiMonth – Twitter @SciFiMonth)
1st November – A cover that is predominantly grey
8th November – “big badda boom” – a cover that features an explosion
15th November – “No thinking thing should be another thing’s property, to be turned on and off when it is convenient.” – a cover featuring a robot
22nd November – A cover that is Futuristic
29th November – “When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.” – a cover that is 60s sci fi
6th December – Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York” – a cover that puts you in mind of winter
13th December – A cover that features a temple/or religious icon
20th December – Longest Night – a dark and foreboding cover
27th December – the festive season – a cover that is glittery or sparkling
(2020 – January is Vintage SciFi month so I’ll be including possible themes to take that on board.
#SPFBO Half Way Point : Feedback
So, a little later than planned, here is my ‘halfway through the SPFBO’ feedback post.
I’m on my third batch of books and have read the first chapters (up to 30%) of the first three which takes me exactly to the halfway point. This is my third batch of books and my feedback on the first three of those books,
To date I’ve now read at least the first 30% of 15 books.
Today I’m going to give my feedback on three more books. I’m also going to decide which books will be semi-finalists up to this point.
Without further ado here are my thoughts on my next three reads.
From the Shadows of the Owl Queen’s Court by Benedict Patrick
I’ve read just over 31% of From the Shadows of the Owl Queen’s Court and I’m enjoying it so far so intend to read further so won’t at this point be providing a review. To be rolled forward.
Living in Times of Dragons by John A Pretorius
This is a contemporary story that gets off to a very quick start. Roger is returning to his homeland of South Africa with his son when things start to go horribly wrong. Roger has been in a sort of self imposed exile, I’m not totally sure why, and is returning to take part in a court case for which he may be in grave danger. As it happens the danger is much worse than Roger could ever imagine. Dragons exist, they live hidden from humans but they’re about to break their secrecy and wreak havoc upon the world and it appears that they’re coming for Roger.
To be totally honest this one didn’t quite work for me, which may be just an ‘it’s me not you’ thing. There are lots of dragons, some good, some not so good – although at this stage I don’t understand their motivations so I could be wrong about the good and bad ones.
I think my main issue with this was that it got off to a very dramatic start but then slowed down considerably with lots of dialogue and constant questions that didn’t really feel like they moved the plot along. I also felt like there were quite a number of typos in this which started to feel like they were pulling me out of the story a little. This one didn’t quite work for me but then I’ve only read the first third of the book.
To be cut.
The Shadow Watch by S.A Klopfenstein
The Shadow Watch was a good read. Well, it took me a little to get into but then I did become invested and this is a book that I would like to return to if I get the time just to see how it develops
This is a world where magic has been eliminated – or so it is believed. We begin the story with a young girl being sold by her mother for her own protection. We then move on to the Oshan Empire where slaves live in wait to see whether they will be selected to go to war. Terrifying times and Tori and Darien are on the eve of such a selection process and about to be separated.
I enjoyed this but it did take a little time to get into. As it is, I feel like I was becoming quite invested and interested by my 30% cut off zone. I would like to return to this but for the purpose of the competition it’s being cut for now.
To be cut.
For the purpose of this feedback I’ve cut two books and decided to continue reading one of them.
At the current point I would say I have one semi -finalist to date and one book still waiting to be completed and reviewed and therefore still in the running to be a semi finalist. The Lore of Prometheus is my current semi finalist. For the purpose of the competition I am now cutting the other books that I have read apart from the one book that I still intend to read. I will provide a further update at the end of the month for the other three books from batch 3.
My current semi finalist is the Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King
My book being carried over is From the Shadows of the Owl Queen’s Court by Benedict Patrick
I have three more books to check out by the end of the month and a further feedback post.
My apologies to all the authors cut so far, I realise this is really tough and my thanks to you all for entering the competition. Good luck to the remaining authors.
My Process My 3 covers for the cover competition Author Interview - Elise Kova My First Batch of Books Feedback on My First Batch of Books My Second Batch of Books Review: Cry Havoc by Mike Morris feedback on my Second Batch of Books Review: Healer's Rune by Chris O'Mara Review: The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King My Third Batch of Books
Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Assistant by S.K. Tremayne
18 September 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Can't wait Wednesday, SK Tremayne, The Assistant, Wishful Endings
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine. Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for. If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week my book is : The Assistant by S.K. Tremayne – read the Ice Twins and really loved it so can’t wait to read something else by this author.
She’s in your house. She controls your life. Now she’s going to destroy it.
A terrifying and timely new psychological thriller, from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Ice Twins.
She watches you constantly.
Newly divorced Jo is delighted to move into her best friend’s spare room almost rent-free. The high-tech luxury Camden flat is managed by a meticulous Home Assistant, called Electra, that takes care of the heating, the lights – and sometimes Jo even turns to her for company.
She knows all your secrets.
Until, late one night, Electra says one sentence that rips Jo’s fragile world in two: ‘I know what you did.’ And Jo is horrified. Because in her past she did do something terrible. Something unforgivable.
Now she wants to destroy you.
Only two other people in the whole world know Jo’s secret. And they would never tell anyone. Would they? As a fierce winter brings London to a standstill, Jo begins to understand that the Assistant on the shelf doesn’t just want to control Jo; it wants to destroy her.
Expected Publication : December 2019
TTT – Fictional and not so fictional food
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic is:
Favorite Things to Eat/Drink While Reading Food Inspired by Novels
This is an interesting topic. It depends on the time of day. I often find myself reading at lunchtime so that would be whatever I’ve taken for lunch. Usually nothing very inspiring to be honest. Instead I’ve changed the topic slightly to books/authors that inspire you to eat or drink certain foods:
Scott Lynch. His world building is amazing and he thinks of just about everything. His Gentlemen Bastard books are filled with unusual foods that frankly sound delicious and all manner of interesting alcoholic drinks – for example, a ginger scald. I’m not sure what it is but I’d give it a whirl.
Joanne Harris – Chocolat – it really doesn’t need any explanation. Reading this book will make you at the very least long for a cup of chocolate with cream and a dash of fresh chilli.
Jacqueline Carey – another author who excels at world building. Her Kushiel’s series tends to have a focus on mediterranean style food with olives, goat’s cheese, almonds, fresh bread and honey. Nom.
JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books – that banquet hall. I really don’t need to elaborate. I’m kind of relieved that Hogwarts isn’t real – I would definitely want to go, muddle or not.
Game of Thrones, GRRM – wine,, give me all the wine. Everyone seems to spend the entire day drinking wine and yet never suffering for it!
Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings – Lambas bread – it doesn’t sound particularly delicious to me but any bread that keeps you fulfilled enough to walk across Morder can’t be that bad! Chuck in the odd poh-tay-toe and you’ve got yourself a nice chip buttie!
The Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris – definitely made me hanker after a cold beer and a burger and fries – or a homemade pecan pie. Sookie was either serving food or making herself something to eat and it definitely works on your appetite when you’re reading.
Patricia Briggs, Mercy Thompson series – Mercy stress bakes. I need a stres baker in my life, all the cookies. Not that I want someone to have stress, but those cookies did sound good.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley – it’s been a while since reading this book but I still recall that Sunshine worked in a bakery and made frequent mention of cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. Yes please.
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding – wine and ice cream. All the naughtiness and loads of calories.
Books and travelling with Lynn 