Author Catch Up: GX Todd

It's taken me a while to get to Defender and Hunted by GX Todd. I read the first book in January 2018 and have only just read the second book, which is being published later this month. It made sense to read them reasonably close together, as they are the first two books in a planned quartet. Here's my Author Catch up with a double review.

Defender and Hunted are the first two books in The Voices series. My suggestion is to read them as I have done - buy both and read them in succession, so then you don't need to recap on the story of the first one before you read the second. Obviously I then have to wait to read books three and four, as this is a quartet. BUT there is no way I could have waited until all four books were published to start reading this series!

Defender: Publisher's description

In a world where long drinks are in short supply, it's dangerous to listen to your inner voice.

Those who do, keep it quiet.

But one man listens to the voice in his head telling him to buy a lemonade from the girl sitting on a dusty road.

There is a reason why Pilgrim and Lacey must cross paths.

They just don't know it yet . . . 

#HearTheVoices 

Hunted: Publisher's description

The birds are flying. The birds are flocking. The birds sense the red skies are coming.

One man is driven by an inner voice that isn't his - this Other is chewing at his sanity like a jackal with a bone and has one purpose.

To find the voice hiding in the girl. 

She has no one to defend her now. 

But in an inn by the sea, a boy with no tongue and no voice gathers his warriors. Albus must find the girl, Lacey . . . before the Other does. 

And finish the work his sister Ruby began.

My verdict of both books
I enjoyed both Defender and Hunted, though they did provide a slightly different reading experience each time. The writing in both books is stunning, with descriptions that made me startle, grimace, laugh and cry. Author GX Todd left me feeling, tasting, hearing and seeing everything she described, vividly in my own head as if I had a voice in there too. The books are graphic, violent and bloody - so they are not always an easy read - but also compelling, gripping and heartbreaking. They are filled with hope and emotion, as people begin to build relationships, forge friendships and develop communities. The characters are real and convincing - ordinary people pitted against the dangers of a broken society, with an unknown force (or voices) in control.

In Defender, we're pulled into a world where some people can hear (and even talk to) their inner voice. We're introduced to Lacey, a girl on the cusp of adulthood, and Pilgrim, a mysterious man with a mysterious past and an inner voice with attitude. The book looks at the worst (and sometimes best) side of human nature, as people fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic setting. The world has been destroyed by human behaviour, triggered by voices in people's heads, leaving no leadership, authority figures or even organised society. The voices in The Defender are far more than a conscience - they are independent, with the power to lead you to kill yourself and others. Niggling at you, urging you, driving you crazy - with no escape. But it seems that not all voices are bad - and not all voices are equal.

Defender is compelling and addictive, with definite reminders of The Walking Dead, of which I am a huge fan. Straight away, we're introduced to the main characters through vivid descriptions, not just of their outward appearances but their inner thoughts too. I guess it helps when there's someone else inside their head for them to talk to - though not everyone has an inner voice. Defender is certainly an action-packed thriller, with each chapter reading like an episode of a TV series. And it left me hungry for more, so it was just as well I had Hunted waiting patiently on my Kindle.

Hunted follows on from Defender, with tension mounting as some of the original characters continue along their journey, running from danger and trying to keep those around them safe. They are being hunted by new characters, some good and some bad - though it's not actually clear which are which until later on in the book. No one knows where the voices have come from, why they exist or what they want. But it's clear that some, if not all, have their own agenda, leading the characters along a twisty, and often dangerous, path until they all converge.

Hunted wasn't what I expected at first, I'm not going to lie. It starts off with different characters to Defender, which left me somewhat confused, trying to keep track of them. It also started off at a slower pace, setting the scene and introducing each of the character groups in turn. Yet despite feeling a little lost, I ploughed on and eventually couldn't put this book down either, as the tension and action reached full throttle. As with Defender, Hunted is filled with amazing descriptive writing, with plenty of sadness, humour, shocks and surprises amid the darkness. Eventually old and new characters collided, with plenty of sparks and an explosive ending. While Hunted doesn't necessarily answer many questions or tie up many loose ends, some things started to make sense, though this then led to more questions circulating around in my head.

Defender and Hunted have definitely left me wanting more, and I could certainly hear my own 'inner voices' by the time I turned the final page! I can't wait for the next instalment in The Voices series!

Defender was published by Headline on 12 January 2017.
Hunted is being published by Headline on 31 May 2018.

The Memory Chamber by Holly Cave

The Memory Chamber
By Holly Cave
Published by Quercus (22 February 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Publisher's description

True death is a thing of the past. Now you can spend the rest of eternity re-living your happiest memories: that first kiss, falling in love, the birth of your children, enjoyed on loop for ever and ever.

Isobel is a Heaven Architect, and she helps dying people create afterlives from these memories. So when she falls for Jarek, one of her terminal - and married - clients, she knows that while she cannot save him, she can create the most beautiful of heavens, just for him.

But when Jarek's wife is found dead, Isobel uncovers a darker side of the world she works within, and she can trust no one with what she finds...

My verdict
The Memory Chamber is an innovative combination of science, murder-mystery and thriller set in an alternative world that's not that different from our own.

It features an interesting and thought-provoking concept - the creation of an artificial afterlife. Following the extraction of certain cells after death, clients can exist within their selected memories forever, inside a heaven that's been tailor-made just for them. The controversial technology is mainly for those who can afford it and choose to have one, but it isn't just for the wealthy. There's a global war going on, and soldiers are able to plan their own heavens, and contemplate their own deaths, before they head to the frontline.

Heaven Architect Isobel combines her knowledge of science and creativity to create amazing heavens for her clients, discussing their needs in advance. She's dedicated to her job, but breaks her professional and ethical code when she falls for a terminally ill married client, Jarek, who becomes a prime suspect in a murder investigation after his death. If Jarek is guilty of murder, his cells will be destroyed, which means he won't live forever in the heaven Isobel created just for him. So she agrees to explore his memories inside his heaven for clues that will prove he wasn't the killer. But that science is still untested, and soon Isobel no longer knows who she can trust.

I raced through The Memory Chamber. It kept me on the edge of my seat, with twists and turns, suspense and thrills, and some tender moments too. With a background in science writing, Holly Cave has explained the scientific concepts well. It all seemed very believable, as she has also explored the ethical and legal issues involved.

The Memory Chamber is a book that will make you question and think - a perfect book club read. Would you want to exist in your own tailor-made afterlife or would you prefer oblivion? Would you want to be part of someone else's afterlife, even if you know little about them? And which of your own memories would you choose to remember for eternity?

The Fireman by Joe Hill

The Fireman
By Joe Hill
Published by Gollancz
Paperback - 19 January 2017

Publisher's description
Nobody knew where the virus came from. FOX News said it had been set loose by ISIS, using spores that had been invented by the Russians in the 1980s. MSNBC said sources indicated it might've been created by engineers at Halliburton and stolen by culty Christian types fixated on the Book of Revelation. CNN reported both sides. And while every TV station debated the cause, the world burnt.  Pregnant school nurse, HARPER GRAYSON, has seen lots of people burn on TV, but the first person she saw burn for real was in the playground behind her school. But when she realises she has become infected, she is determined to find a way to survive - at least long enough to see her child born. No matter what is left of the world for them to live in.

My verdict
Joe Hill is certainly a talented writer with plenty of imagination - not surprising when you realise his father is Stephen King.

The Fireman features great writing, sharp dialogue and a complex page-turning plot. A powerful fungal infection, causing people to burst into flames, is devastating the world. At the heart of the story is Harper Grayson, a pregnant nurse who is now infected and wants to keep living for the sake of her unborn child.

The book is a mix of horror, action, science fiction, dystopian thriller, mystery and romance, with more than a hint of zombie fiction (although the infected retain their sense of self). The author has put ordinary people in an extraordinary situation - and you, as the reader, see how they survive, cope and pull together as the world burns around them.

At 765 pages, The Fireman isn't a quick read - and it's also heavy in your hands. I did feel that there was some 'overwriting' here, slowing down the pace at times - some of the background narrative and irrelevant conversations could have been cut. I guessed certain twists too, although this didn't detract from my enjoyment.

Overall though, the book is emotionally charged, action-packed and filled with depth. There are many themes running through it, including hope, acceptance, fear, shame, love and a sense of belonging. Highly enjoyable - just make sure you give yourself plenty of reading time for this epic journey.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through Lovereading.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Dark Matter
By Blake Crouch
Published by Macmillan (11 August 2016)
ISBN: 978-1447297567

Publisher's description
Are you happy in your life?'

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he wakes to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before the man he's never met smiles down at him and says, 'Welcome back, my friend.'

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined - one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

My verdict
It wasn't wise to finish reading Dark Matter in the early hours of the morning. This book totally plays with your mind. I couldn't sleep afterwards, as I struggled to comprehend what I had just read - and what could possibly have happened after that final page.

I'm not going to give away any of the story (as you can read the blurb above) - but Dark Matter is compelling, thought provoking and sheer brilliance. For much of the book, I couldn't breathe, I was exhausted and in a daze. This is a true rollercoaster ride of a page turner. It's hard hitting with a constant flow of action, thoughts, ideas and theories. There's plenty of physics in there - it is a science fiction thriller, after all - but Blake Crouch explains everything carefully in simple terms so that the story continues to flow.

At the heart of Dark Matter is the sliding doors concept mixed with time travel. The 'what ifs' in life. And 'what would you sacrifice for love?' But with sinister, terrifying undertones and a fight for survival. There's a film in the making - and that doesn't surprise me at all.

I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.