Cranium - Lee Scarratt

Cranium - Lee Scarratt

Author:

Lee Scarratt

Published:

2013

Blurb on the Back:

Ever wondered what it’s like to be in someone else’s head? Dive into the deep depths of my adventurous dreams, vivid and sometimes frightening imagination and the unusual workings of my brain. 

Wander inquisitively through the first half of this book with short stories involving a curious silhouetted man drenched in rain, a malicious warlock that transforms a woodsman, and a mysterious vintage word processor with deadly consequences. Meanwhile, a ghostly house with a mysterious atmosphere gets shaken down to its very foundations….and exposes its hidden depth. 

Then prepare in the second half to be thrown head first into the whirlwind story where two strangers who are unaware but inexplicably linked try to beat the trepidation, overcome the terrifying truth and escape plunging into the abyss of insanity. The darkness is upon them, but are they willing to make that final decision, take that final step and walk into the unknown? 

Join me now and see where your imagination takes you.

Review:

This was read as part of my 2014 Goodreads.com reading challenge.

I also received this copy for free from the author,  in a Goodreads.com give-away and had promised a fair and honest review.

This book is rather different from anything I have read previously. Written in almost blog style, it is a series of short stories, poems and musings. Some are a lot darker than others. Personal favourites are "No Knowledge Needed" about a computer that changes the world around you depending on what you type into its word processor, "The Butterfly Complex" a short one page poem about a dream of being a butterfly and "The Ascension" the books outstanding short novel about two people intertwined in a dark tale of the afterlife.

I sat and read this book in one sitting. To be honest I had started it, stopped after 2 or 3 pages and headed up to my local library as I didn't want any distractions and it seemed the place I would get the most peace. It is a wonderful collection of different stories and I cannot recommend it enough.

It's not a book I would have normally picked up to read as my experience with short stories ended with the casebooks of Sherlock Holmes, however, since reading this I have been looking for more books with short stories. 

10 out of 10.

Off to be the Wizard - Scott Meyer

Off to be the Wizard - Scott Meyer

Author:

Scott Meyer

Published:

2013

Blurb on the Back:

Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.

What could possibly go wrong?

An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.

Review:

This was read as part of my 2014 reading challenge on Goodreads.com

Pop-Culture meets the middle ages in an excellent comedic fashion. The story centres around Martin a geek in a dead end job who enjoys hacking. One day when fooling about within a website he comes across a file which seems to contain all his personal data in real-time. After messing about with his personal stats he finds that it in fact can control the world around him. 

Obviously he does what anyone else would do and starts by adding money to his bank account. This sets the US treasury on his trail for bank fraud and he uses the program to escape their grasp to medieval England.

This sets off a sequence of events which at time is hilarious and at times juvenile in its humour, As Martin struggles to become a wizard in the past all the while returning to the exact point he left the present to confuse both the Government Officials and his own parents. 

This was a highly charged, fast paced book and has left the world open so if he so desired it could easily form a sequel or even a whole series. Personally I'd like to learn about the Atlantis mentioned frequently throughout the plot.

8.5 out of 10.

Peace 

Deejay