There’s a little novel that has been out for over a year now. People like me continue to discover it, each one of us certain that we’ve have found a hidden gem that defies description. That is to say, it doesn’t exactly fit into any tidy categorization or cubbyhole. Much like its author. What am I talking about? Never Ceese, the debut offering of Sue Dent. This week, the first full week of April, CFRB has decided to make Never Ceese their feature novel. A list of some participating bloggers will appear at the bottom of this article.
Is it a horror story, fantasy, science fiction, adventure, thriller, or what? Yes! While the story begins in the forest in Wales and a medieval castle in England, this vampire and werewolf are not typical of Gothic horror. Much of the traditional legend is present, but Sue Dent has added quite a few of her own twists in a modern-day setting. As a result you find a neighbor shooting silver bullets, a vampire with no reflection, but also a scientist gathering DNA and experimenting with genetic engineering, New York gangers at night, and University politics. For once the vampire and werewolf are the good guys, not monsters, and the reader will be rooting for them as they look for a way to remove their curses. Unlike any such creatures I have known before (and granted, I am not that familiar with lycanthropy or vampirism as a whole), Ceese and Richard have controlled the monster-curse in that neither of them has ever “cursed another” by biting or killing any other person. Richard is cynical, but Ceese holds to a hope of redemption The characters have plenty of tension, but a lot of humor is written into the tale, situational as well as in the conversations.
I’m not saying very much in the article today, but I intend to delve further into the characters and some issues later on in the week. I hope you get the idea, though, that I like the story. Action, humor, and spiritual matter; it’s a great story and more. If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you will soon. The sequel, Forever Richard, is due to be released in 2008, so you will want to read the first book in order to get the most out of the second one. I am extremely anxious myself to read the further adventures of Ceese, Richard and their friends (and nemesis).
Never Ceese
Author Sue Dent
Young Adult Fantasy
ISBN: 978-159958-017-3
Publisher: Journey Stone Creations
2006; 300 pgs; hardcover; $17.95
You can find more about Sue Dent and Never Ceese at http://www.suedent.com/ , www.shoutlife.com/suedent, and http://www.neverceese.com/
CFRB will be running blogs about Never Ceese all week at http://cfrblog.blogspot.com/
Other bloggers include the following:
A Frank Review
Back to the Mountains (Stephen Rice)—by the way, at least one of Stephen’s blogs is guaranteed to be hilarious.
Bibliophile’s Retreat
The Time Mistress (I’ve heard rumor of some unusual interviews that involve characters from a couple of stories. Should be interesting.) At least some of these blogs will also be posted on Geralyn Beauchamp’s Shoutlife page.
The Queen of Convolution
I will add more as the week progresses.
You can purchase Never Ceese at Amazon.com (price $12.73), and Barnes and Noble ($12.99).
Is it a horror story, fantasy, science fiction, adventure, thriller, or what? Yes! While the story begins in the forest in Wales and a medieval castle in England, this vampire and werewolf are not typical of Gothic horror. Much of the traditional legend is present, but Sue Dent has added quite a few of her own twists in a modern-day setting. As a result you find a neighbor shooting silver bullets, a vampire with no reflection, but also a scientist gathering DNA and experimenting with genetic engineering, New York gangers at night, and University politics. For once the vampire and werewolf are the good guys, not monsters, and the reader will be rooting for them as they look for a way to remove their curses. Unlike any such creatures I have known before (and granted, I am not that familiar with lycanthropy or vampirism as a whole), Ceese and Richard have controlled the monster-curse in that neither of them has ever “cursed another” by biting or killing any other person. Richard is cynical, but Ceese holds to a hope of redemption The characters have plenty of tension, but a lot of humor is written into the tale, situational as well as in the conversations.
I’m not saying very much in the article today, but I intend to delve further into the characters and some issues later on in the week. I hope you get the idea, though, that I like the story. Action, humor, and spiritual matter; it’s a great story and more. If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you will soon. The sequel, Forever Richard, is due to be released in 2008, so you will want to read the first book in order to get the most out of the second one. I am extremely anxious myself to read the further adventures of Ceese, Richard and their friends (and nemesis).
Never Ceese
Author Sue Dent
Young Adult Fantasy
ISBN: 978-159958-017-3
Publisher: Journey Stone Creations
2006; 300 pgs; hardcover; $17.95
You can find more about Sue Dent and Never Ceese at http://www.suedent.com/ , www.shoutlife.com/suedent, and http://www.neverceese.com/
CFRB will be running blogs about Never Ceese all week at http://cfrblog.blogspot.com/
Other bloggers include the following:
A Frank Review
Back to the Mountains (Stephen Rice)—by the way, at least one of Stephen’s blogs is guaranteed to be hilarious.
Bibliophile’s Retreat
The Time Mistress (I’ve heard rumor of some unusual interviews that involve characters from a couple of stories. Should be interesting.) At least some of these blogs will also be posted on Geralyn Beauchamp’s Shoutlife page.
The Queen of Convolution
I will add more as the week progresses.
You can purchase Never Ceese at Amazon.com (price $12.73), and Barnes and Noble ($12.99).
No comments:
Post a Comment