Raising a little hell with... Hellfighters by Alexander Gordon Smith

Hi guys and gals!

Welcome back to the FRIDAY edition of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Whew!  What a week!  Can I get an amen? ^-^  Seriously though, world wise and work wise, it's been pretty intense; so glad I have books to disappear into and forget it all for a while.  Take today's pick for instance...though not anything along the lines of a light or fluffy read, it will definitely take your mind off your troubles (or the possible one taking charge of our nation) and put you square in the middle of a fight too keep the world from turning into the devil's playground without supervision. 

Two warnings first though...

One...it's not for the faint of heart, but then again, NONE of his books really are.  You don't get compared to Stephen King and write about singing daisies.

Second...it IS a sequel and though others may say otherwise, I personally think you have to read the first one in order to understand what's really going on, the depth of the situation, and the characters connections along the way. 

Anywho, let the fanfare play because as this motley crew would tell you...

"If you want to fight the devil, you have to raise a little hell..."

Today's book of choice has arrived...

Hellfighters

The Devil's Engine, Book 2

by

Alexander Gordon Smith

9780374301729

Farrar Straus Giroux

About the book...

Thrown into a relentless war against the forces of darkness, fifteen-year-old Marlow Green and his squad of secret soldiers must fight for control of the Devil’s Engines―ancient, infernal machines that can make any wish come true, as long as you are willing to put your life on the line. But after a monstrous betrayal, Marlow, Pan and the other Hellraisers find themselves on the run from an enemy with horrific powers and limitless resources―an enemy that wants them dead at all costs. Failure doesn’t just mean a fate worse than death for Marlow, it means the total annihilation of the world. And when all looks lost and the stakes couldn’t be higher, just how far is he willing to go?

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My first experience with this author's work was the fascinating, dark, uber-scary-yet-oh-so-good Young Adult series, Escape from Furnace.  It featured a world on the brink of an apocalypse like nothing you could fathom and a cast of would-be-heroes that you weren't likely to forget...and I haven't.  I can still shed a tear for Donovan.  I can still feel the angst of Alex as he tries to hold everything together while it's crumbling in his hands.  I can still hear Zeke making a crack when all seems lost beyond reason.  Ahh, good times...but while those memories are grand, I was craving some new blood, I mean reading material, and with the release of The Devil's Engine:  Hellraisers last year, my reading prayers were answered.

I dove into the new series like a dolphin to water...wait, that's not nearly dark enough, how about a leech to a blood bath?  (~shudders~)  It was hard hitting, heavy and layered with complexity you didn't see coming and yet was as easy to follow as the bloody footprints of an inept serial killer.  (You can read my review right here on SFIR.)  In this second installment, it only gets better...and by better I mean, darker, more complex, building tangible webs that breathe with the life Mr. Smith has written into being with his powerful imagination and yet, there's still heart.  I know, I know.  HOW CAN THAT BE WITH EVERYTHING I'VE SAID?  You don't have to scream...I heard you.  (*wink*) 

The heart isn't on anyone's sleeve (well, it is literally to some degree with a particular character, but not in the "tender hearted" sense you're thinking), or pouring from someone's lips in bouts of poetry (again, yes to the pouring, but not in this way).  The heart in these works beats strong and true in his characters.  There is genuine feeling in each and every one of them, for better or worse.  It's in every breath they take, every task they undertake, every misstep and loses, every move forward or triumph.  Their hearts may be buried under so much muck that you'd need to bathe everyday for twelve years to attempt to remove the first layer, but they are there and the hope that lives in them is what drives them through the depths of hades to try and save a world that may not even give them a second thought.

In closing, I will leave you with my final thoughts as posted on GoodReads upon finishing the book...

Wait, what?! No! It can't end there, it can't! But, but, so much has happened, so much may still happen and we're just left to wonder what was there, who survived, the truth of EVERYTHING?!?! Aaaaaarghhhh!

Yes, my friends, it was a FANTASTIC read.  Glorious in it's darkness but with oh so much hidden light just waiting to burst through.  I can't recommend it and its predecessor enough.

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About the author...

Alexander Gordon Smith is the author of the Escape from Furnace series, including Lockdown and Solitary. Born in 1979 in Norwich, England, he always wanted to be a writer. After experimenting in the service and retail trades for a few years, Smith decided to go to University. He studied English and American Literature at the University of East Anglia, and it was here that he first explored his love of publishing. Along with poet Luke Wright, he founded Egg Box Publishing, a groundbreaking magazine and press that promotes talented new authors. He also started writing literally hundreds of articles, short stories and books ranging from Scooby Doo comic strips to world atlases, Midsomer Murders to X-Files. The endless research for these projects led to countless book ideas germinating in his head. His first book, The Inventors, written with his nine-year-old brother Jamie, was published in the U.K. in 2007. He lives in England.

SITE  |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER

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Special thanks to the marketing team at MacMillan for the ARC for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the series, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title just celebrated it's book birthday November 1st, 2016 via Farrar Straus Giroux, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

BOOK BIRTHDAY: The Devil's Engine: Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon Smith

Hi guys and gals!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the site run by the girl that never did know when to say NO to a good book.
^-^

We're coming to you a little late today due to life delays (work, work, and umm, let's see...more work), but I simply couldn't let the day pass entirely.  Why?  Because!  Because today is the BOOK BIRTHDAY of author Alexander Gordon Smith's latest release!  You may recognize his name from me gushing over his Escape from Furnace series so many odd years ago; if you haven't indulged, please do!  Perhaps you recollect mention of him from his slightly more recent release that went by the title of The Fury; it was a bit more twisted and puzzling, but definitely worth the read.  If not, well then...prepare to make his acquaintance and ready a spot on your "wish" or "to read" list for today's book of choice...

The Devil's Engine:  Hellraisers

by

Alexander Gordon Smith

9780374301699

Farrar Straus Giroux

About the book...
When a sixteen-year-old troublemaker named Marlow Green is trapped in a surreal firefight against nightmarish creatures in the middle of his New York City neighborhood, he unwittingly finds himself amid a squad of secret soldiers dedicated to battling the legions of the devil himself.

Powering this army of young misfits is an ancient machine from the darkest parts of history. Known as the devil’s engine, it can make any wish come true-as long as you are willing to put your life on the line. Promised powers beyond belief, and facing monstrous apparitions straight out of the netherworld, Marlow must decide if he’s going to submit to a demonic deal with the infernal machine that will enable him to join the crusade-if it doesn’t kill him first.

From the author of the Escape from Furnace series, here is the opening salvo in an explosive new horror trilogy about an ordinary American kid caught up in an invisible war against the very worst enemy imaginable.

AMAZON   |   B&N

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This is a story out of place with all the holiday reads flying our way but it deserves the spotlight nonetheless.  It whisks us away to a world much like our own, in fact it really IS our own, but with something very sinister unfolding in the background that affects us all.  You see, good and bad, right and wrong, aren't so black and white when it comes to the Engineers.  Who are they?  Simply put, they are outcasts, lost causes, and orphans; those the world has forgotten about (some with somewhat good reasons) or cast aside because they are TROUBLE.  Here, trouble is a GOOD thing and making it is a normal day at the office, all in the name of stopping the demons and unearthly creatures from tearing through the veil that separates us from them and claiming the world as their own.  Why is that bad?  Well, let's just say you and I wouldn't make it...or at least in any way that is conceivably agreeable to a happy, healthy life.  *gulp*

The plot here is VERY thick.  We're dealing with unearthly machines that aren't just gears and sprockets, churning out "enhanced" people based off of what their inner desires are.  Best go in with a plan because the moment you're caught off guard, you may make a deal you won't live to regret. The "truth" of it all unfolds at a slower pace but the action taking its place is more than enough to satisfy.  Speaking of which, let's talk characters.  First up, our friend Pan who happened to make a deal somewhere along the lines mentioned.  She's part of the gang that Marlow stumbles upon when the world is literally shaking apart at the seams.  News blames it on terrors from abroad, reality is they are from below....DEEP BELOW...and they were collecting on a contract that met its deadline; emphasis on DEAD.  She's a spitfire though and hardhearted to the core...or so it seems...but push comes to shove and she'll keep you alive if it kills her, literally.  Then we have the muscle of the group, Truck and Herc...though they both have fairly big hearts too.  The latter is pretty much their leader and never met a stray he didn't want to help...hence the new addition.  Don't let him fool you though, he's still taking orders from higher up and I'm not so sure about THAT fellow.  Night, or super speedy friend, rounds out the group, at least until Marlow comes aboard, leaving us to wonder at their combined strength and yet worry that it just may not be enough.  *dun dun dunnnn*

I can't help but wonder who is LYING and about what?  It's a repeated line throughout the book from several characters usually when at death's door...or as close as one can get to that door when they've sold their soul.  *ahem*  I have this feeling that we won't learn the answer to this question in the next book either...which is ALRIGHT by me!  Why?  Because...that means there are MORE BOOKS TO COME!  In my mind, the next installment delves into the lives and stories of the other Engineers; those proposed to be working for the WRONG side...or are they?  All we REALLY know right now is what everyone has been telling us.  We're the good guys.  We're keeping H*** on Earth at bay.  I mean, it's a lot to process and far fetched for certain but how do we REALLY know that's the case?  There's still all these shadows and shady dealings.  Sorry, we could go on for days trying to sort out which team is really in the right seeing as they both have GINORMOUS living (sorta) machines that grant wishes in exchange for your soul and so many odd days later if you've not a good "Lawyer" on your side, there is LITERALLY h*** to pay....for ETERNITY.  So really, what's to question?  *gulp*

In the end, a dark and twisted start to what promises to be a thrilling trilogy (TWO MORE BOOKS TO COME!  *fist pump*) from an author who's shown us before, he knows how to write YA horror with the best of them.  Though I admit, I knew who or what the weakest link was going to be and force the story to center around, but I didn't know exactly how so it kept me on my toes...and it looks like I have to stay there until book two at the very least. (*switches for good toe shoes*) Recommended read for guys and gals of the older teen persuasion as there is DARKNESS, DEATH, DEVILS, and dealings that may be a bit too powerful for the youngest set.  Don't worry kiddos....something to look forward to as you progress in years.  ^_-

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About the author...

Alexander Gordon Smith, 36, is best known as the author of the Escape From Furnace Series, made up of Lockdown, Solitary, Death Sentence, Fugitives and Execution. He is is also the author of The Fury, and, with his eleven-year-old brother Jamie, The Inventors books. His new series, The Devil’s Engine, has just been released in the US, starting with Hellraisers.

He is the author of two creative writing handbooks, Inspired Creative Writing and Writing Bestselling Children’s Books, a number of screenplays that are currently in development, several non-fiction books and hundreds of short stories and articles.

Gordon is the founder of Egg Box Publishing, an independent, non-profit imprint designed to publish and promote talented new writers and poets, and is the co-owner of Fear Driven Films, a production company filming its first feature.

He actively encourages people of all ages to read and write, and runs creative writing talks and workshops across the world. In 2009 he was named by the Courvoisier Future 500 as one of the most promising young entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom.

He is called Gordon, rather than Alexander, because his Mum and Dad liked the name Gordon but didn’t want his initials to spell GAS, so called him by his middle name!

SITE   |   FACEBOOK   |   TWITTER

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Special thanks to the publicity team at MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC (!) for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is IN STORES NOW via Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of MacMillan Children's Publishing Group, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!



SUMMER READING: Everywhere to run, but NOWHERE to hide...

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers…the place to be when you’re in the mood for food of the bookish variety.  Something to satiate the imagination, perplex the palette or tantalize your curiosity, perhaps?  Ah, then today’s post is right up your alley…you dark, twisted, spooky-creepy-something’s-going-to-jump-out-and-get-you alley.  *-*

Today’s post is going is to be interesting if I do say so myself.  Why?  Well, you see I’m sporting bright colors today, right down to my pink plaid deck shoes (love deck shoes!  You know the ones with the shorter front and the little laces?  ^_^) and the book I’ll be discussing is a Young Adult title that’s certainly not rainbows and sunshine…but it IS really good and from an author that is becoming a staple in my personal library.  It’ll be a balancing act on my part as to sides of my multi-faceted reading personality work together to form a cohesive (and readable) post.  Let’s see where it goes, shall we?

The book I made mention of comes to us today from across the pond…as in it just released last month in the UK but doesn’t have a US release date at this point in time (at least as I’m typing this post, that I’m aware of).  Not to worry!  You too can fall in love (hmm, too sunshiny for the book…perhaps fall in strict attention?) with this new work of terror-ific Young Adult fiction…you’ll just have to seek it out online for purchase at this time.  Anywho, allow me to introduce you to the latest from one of the masterminds of the darker side of YA lit and today’s book of choice…

The Fury

By

Alexander Gordon Smith

From the publisher…

Imagine if one day, without warning, the entire human race turns against you.

Every person you meet becomes a bloodthirsty, mindless savage, hell-bent on killing you - and only you.

Friends, family, even your mum and dad, will turn on you. They will murder you. And when they have, they will go back to their lives as if nothing has happened.

The world has the Fury. It will not rest until you are dead.

This is an incredible rush considering it comes in at over 500+ pages.  That’s right…another chunkster of a book but really, when an author can hold your attention (let alone that of some teen readers) for that long and you still be on the edge of your seat, salivating for the next book…they’re definitely doing something right. 

From the moment we step into this new adventure, we are greeted with murder, mayhem and a whole lot of confusion.  No really, Benny Millston doesn’t last very long, so don’t get too attached.  He’s not a main character to say the least (especially since main characters usually last longer than the first chapter… *-*) but he is used to illustrate a point…the fury, long before its christened with that name, has begun and just how to stop it is anybody’s guess.  It begins with a thump-thump inside the brain, carries on as those around you somehow overlook you, and carries on til it reaches full blown chaosis.

I think that’s part of the “terror” that is imparted to readers…that not knowing how to deal with it because what it is exactly is hard to pinpoint.  Does it come from a place of grace or pure evil?  Is the cause righteous and the effects the anomaly or vice versa?   Don’t think you’re getting a cut and dry answer to that one either because your opinion of the matter will change five times over throughout the course of the story.  I mean, even as I’m typing this I had to go back and reread the last chapter to wrap my mind around my final impressions of what’s to come…it’s just that intense.  The same goes without saying for the extensive cast of characters…

Some you’ll love, some you’ll…not-so-love; some are just downright hated.  Yes, there is a difference between the two and the later comes from determining not only their moral code but their goodness in the end.  Every “starring” character we meet face to face…from how the Fury presented itself to them, what they had to do to escape a fate worse than death and how they are coping with things now that the world has gone all topsy-turvy on them.  There is a chapter at least devoted to each of their tales, so the back story is built just so.  Of the many faces we meet, my favorites have to be Cal, Daisy, and Brick. 

Cal was a super star amongst his group, athletic, leader of his mates, and yet still a nice guy to know…these traits carry on now that all heck is breaking lose, and he shares his good natured self with those in his inner circle as well as those still coming forth to join their motley crew.  With kindness in his heart, an able body, and strength to defend those in need, he’s an asset on all fronts to their cause.  Daisy was a well loved little girl, the apple of her parent’s eyes, so much so in fact that in lieu of causing harm…well, let’s just say that they pay a great sacrifice in order to keep her safe just a little while longer.  Her story begins differently in this way but it also plays right into the abilities she shows as the story moves on. 

Her vision is crystal clear (pun totally intended for those of you that have read the book) and despite the world crumbling around them, she still tries to see the good in all; something that will serve her well when her own transformation comes.  Last but not least is Brick…nice name, right?  Just blame it on his hair, build and mindset (sorry, he’s a tough nut to crack!).  Despite initial outward appearances though, he does have quite a bit of heart and is the lifeline that begins to help others connect the dots on what’s going on.  He’s had a bit of a hard life compared to some of the others but it did manage to show him how to be tough when need be, to handle bad situations that happen to good people, and to carry on when the going seems too tough to manage.  Yes indeed…character building is one of the things this author has in the bag…but not just of the possible good guys…

On the “are-they-bad-evil-or-misunderstood” front, we have the “man in the storm” …this swirling abyss of nothingness akin to the creature of a similar name from The Neverending Story and yet oh-so-much darker.  *-*  Can’t spoil this introduction for you guys but just be sure you’re reading it in the daytime…or with your fur baby close by to scare away the lingering thoughts.  There’s no doubt in my mind this thing is evil but what it is and why it’s here is the bigger mystery and one that will be pursued further in book two I’d imagine.  We’re given some clues here but not quite enough to unravel everything.  Also on the questionable front is Rilke and Schiller…a sister brother duo that show up out of the blue at their little camp site (okay, not a camp site…but an old amusement park they’ve holed up in). 

They seem to have been through the same trials as the others and yet only more so…speeding up a process of some sort that seems to be changing them into something more.  The interesting part is that Schiller is comatose for most of the story and yet plays a vital role in the final fourth of the book.  Rilke is awake and trying to find her footing in this strange new world, but always tends to be drawn to the darker side of things.  What’s that?  Someone needs killing?  She’ll do it!  What’s this?  Someone is being held hostage until they can sort out how to stop people’s reactions to them because they are a loved one and deep down one of them knows they are not gone but merely lost?  Pfft!  Nope…dead again.  Yeah, she’s a pistol with OR without one (not a good idea to have her around firearms…just saying)…and one that will be interesting to watch as things unfold.

All in all, an edge of your seat thrill ride filled with enough emotions to stop you dead in your tracks.  You’re all over the board with this one from happiness and mirth to fear and loathing to downright scared out of your mind and run for cover, there’s no way to anticipate the deadly drops in this tale…but why would you want to?  That anticipation, that not knowing is what keeps you coming back for more as you try to unravel what’s really going on at the heart of things and in the end, discover more truths about the world around us than you may be ready to admit.  We see the best of humanity and the absolute worst as the story develops and it’s that connection to the here and now that makes you devour this tale THAT much faster.  Just who will conquer all?  I’ll be waiting with baited breath to answer that question right alongside many of you…

Review copy courtesy of Laura at Faber & Faber.  (THANKS!)  For more information on their great list of titles as well as this book (and its sequel, The Storm, coming soon!), be sure to visit them online, like them on Facebook, or follow one of their feeds on Twitter. To discover more about author Alexander Gordon Smith’s literary worlds (remember Furnace?  This is the same author!), find him online, or follow along on Twitter.  This book is available now in the UK…seek thee out a copy online should your desire to embark on this adventure be to great to ignore (I know mine was).

Until next time…happy reading!