Book Of The Half: Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1! - #Writing #Blog #Book #Review

Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1... Definitely worthy of being the book of the half!

Now with Star Trek finally starting to settle in to it's own routine, I thought that I would recommend another Star Trek saga that may have had it's start in the 1990s, but definitely is one that is extremely well worth mentioning here... That is Star Trek: New Frontier Book 1 (1997)! 

You see this awesome story tells the tale of how after an alien empire that was huge collapses, Starfleet sends in one lone ship that is Captain's by a former freedom fighter and his crew to do the best they can to maintain the peace as old rivalries begin to flare! 

This book for all you Star Trek fans is definitely worthy of  being the best book of the first half of 2016!

The Dark Half (1989) - Stephen King - #Book #Review

An image from the movie. 

You know, Stephen King truly is a great author...  He truly is, there is not a lot of the masters of horror out there that can write like Stephen King can, (there are a ton of great written works by true, 'masters' out there... But Stephen King... At least when it comes to horror novels maybe one of the best.)

With that said though, at this point I think it is fairly safe to say that the majority of his works, 'if not all of them,' have been turned in to movies, 'with some of those movies being remade.'

Well the reason that I mention this is the fact that one of the first movies I ever saw of his was a movie that I truly love, but I would later find out was better in book form... A movie starring: Timothy Hutton (Secret Window) That movie being, a The Dark Half (1993)!

The Dark Half... A great movie, an even better book! 

Well this isn't a review for the movie, I will get in to it, but later... Anyway as for the novel, this novel tells the story of a writer, a writer whom for whatever reason only seemed to be able to write well under the name, 'George Stark'.

But when he decides to put George Stark in the grave, something strange starts to happen! You see, murders seem to start happening around him that seem to be straight out of a, 'Geotrge Stark' novel!

Is some one out to get him? Or has some one more insidious, and closer to him been committing these murders is it, well... A Dead Name?

All I can say is that this is a pretty apt description! 

Anyway, the movie was good, but the book was so much more engrossing... I mean besides the gruesome nature of the novel itself, Stephen King weaves you through this suspense filled maze that you just can't help but stay entranced with!

If you haven't read this one yet... Read it... But let it be known, you may not be able to put this one down, no matter how hard you try!
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Star Trek: Invasion! - Book 4: The Final Fury (1996) - Dafydd ab Hugh - Book Review

I'm back baby! That's right... The first review I have done for the new site! And boy does it feel great! Don't get me wrong... I did love the old site, but it was time for a massive overhaul, and well I have to say that... So far so good! I know it is a work in progress... But I hope you love being here as much as I have loved making it! 

Anyway... On with the show, eh? 

And speaking of shows... Star Trek has been a TV Show/Movie/Book series, etc... That has been known for literally decades for being a science fiction series that has tried to give man an element of hope in the fear ridden world that we live in today, that something will be done about it! 

Well as I have mentioned in previous posts that there is at least one particular book series in the Star Trek universe that I have read that was an interesting turn in to the world of horror... 

That being the, 'Invasion!' series! 

This maybe one of the greatest battles in Star Trek on TV, but the, 'Invasion' series maybe the best in book form! 

Now before I begin with this last final book in the series, let me say this, rather you are just getting in to the, 'Star Trek' novels... Or have been reading them for years... You are going to come across an author at some point that is just a stellar writer... That is: Dafydd ab Hugh!

This person rocks... Now I have only read his Star Trek novels, but they are engaging in the way this person describes his settings, as well as guides the reader through out a story that is so well crafted that most of the time I feel as if I am watching an episode of Star Trek in and of itself! 

Unfortunately that is both one of the reasons that this novel rocks, and why it sucks... It's not the only reason why... but it is certainly one of them! 

Well I will get in to that in a minute... 

A book that only sucks because it is the last in an amazing series!

As for the story, this story tells of how after running in to a Star Fleet distress call, The Starship Voyager (which is so far outside of the Federation that it will take them several decades to get home,) goes to investigate the call as quick as they can... What they find is something that could not only get them home, but also save the Federation, or destroy the Federation and Voyager and her crew along with her! 

You see, they have come across the Furies base of operations from which they have been working on invading the Federation! 

Is this a way home? Or is this the death of everything mankind and the races that have united with, care about... Including themselves! 

Now I will be honest and say that I was so engrossed in this novel that the only real problem I had with this was the fact that it truly was the end... And I think this novel, along with it's direct  predecessors in the series would make for a great movie series in and of itself! 

So check it out... You might find you really like it... I know I did! 

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Congo (1980) - Michael Crichton - Book Review

Man... Michael Crichton, what can I say about the man... I mean when I was a kid and just getting in to reading books for more then just for School, I found his novels to be like movies... Fun, exciting, and frankly they kept me on the edge of my seat! And you know what else, just about all the books he has ever written that were adapted in to movies, well I have to say were just plain better in book form then they were in movie form!

And when I discovered that he passed away, and that there wouldn't be anymore novels, well I have to say that it was pretty heart breaking!

And speaking of movies that were adapted from his books being not as good as the books 'Congo' (1980) was a sterling example of this!

Not like his other page turners... But still a fun book!

You see this book tells the story of how when an exploratory mission is sent out in to the Congo, and ends ups being massacred by a group of weird looking Gorillas... Another mission is sent out to investigate what happened to the first expedition, and to continue there original expedition!

Now as I mentioned above, the book is certainly better then the movie... I mean I maybe one of the 5 or 6 people on Earth that actually liked the big screen adaption, but the book I do have to admit was a lot more fun... Now the only thing is that this one for me was not like, 'Jurassic Park' (1990), or even, 'The Lost World' (1995)... But still... It was enough to keep me interested!
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Book Of The Month: A Game Of Thrones, By: George R. R. Martin

Sean Bean in season 1 of: 'Game Of Thrones'!

We all know the classic story of the, 'Seven Kingdoms', and the civil war, and the lives of the lead characters from HBO's classic acclaimed TV series, 'A Game Of Thrones'... (Man I can't wait for the series to come back on!) But before this show became so popular, it was originally a book series called, 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' by writer: George R. R. Martin!

Now the interesting thing about this series... (I haven't read all the books, but I was told this,) but I was told that the TV seasons each year follow the books on a slightly differing level... I,e... Season 1 essentially follows book 1, season 2 is a slightly different version of book 2, etc...

And for the month of February I thought that I would recommend the first book in the series, A Game Of Thrones!

A Game Of Thrones... A great TV series is an even better book!

This amazing book, like the first seasons, follows the setup of the series real nice, with, 'Jon Snow' going off to, 'The Wall', the final stages of the plan to bring a, 'Lannister' to the Throne of, 'Westeros', and the beginning of the journey of Daenerys Targaryen, etc...

And the way it is done, the detail makes you feel like you are actually living in the moment, and almost like you are reliving the series for the first time, (even if you haven.t seen the series!)

So check this book out, I think you might like it! And stay tuned for the book of the month for: March!

The Gunslinger - The Dark Tower Series (1982) - Stephen King Book Review

Official Score = 1 Devil

I have been a fan of Stephen King's works for literally decades, I read most of his works, and have watched a large cross section of the movies that have been made based on his books, and I have to say that not only do I love almost all of them, but that more then a few of them have been my inspiration in becoming a writer!

There is one book though that he did, that well... I have to say that I was fairly unimpressed with... That novel being, 'The Gunslinger' from the, 'Dark Tower series'...

One of the few fairly unimpressive novels that Stephen King has ever done!

Now don't hate me for saying this, but it is true... I mean I did like the surrealist aspect of the story, and the setting in which Stephen King had the story revolve around... But I found the fact that there is a, 'Cowboy' in some seeming alternate dimension, to be an odd selection, and for me, I have to admit that I was pretty unimpressed with the overall story of the novel...

Now I know there are a lot of people that do seem to be fans of this novel and the series as a whole, and for those that do like the series, you may want to just skip this review, but I can't recommend this book, or the series, but don't let that be an attack on the author!...  Stephen King is a great author... I reckon that you just can't win them all!

Journey To The Center Of The Earth (1864) - Jules Verne - Book Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

Alright guys, I will be honest here and say this... When I was a kid... I was a little bit of a geek... Well not entirely, but sort of, I mean I did a lot of the same things that the cool people did, such as playing sports, playing video games, hanging out with friends... You know a lot of the stuff that the cool kids did... But the one thing that I did a lot that set me apart from the cool people... And I reckon the geeks as well, is the fact that I was a jock that loved to read and write stories!

And long before I reckon I was supposed to, I got in to reading a lot of the classic! And one of them that I found to be rather engrossing, and a lot of fun was the novel, 'Journey To The Center Of The Earth' (1864) by Jules Verne!

An awesome rocket ride!

 Now the book, which was originally published in French, and was published in English in 1871, told a fascinating tale of how A German Professor by the name of, 'Otto Lidenbrock', who believes that there are volcanic tubes that stretch all the way to the center of the Earth sets out on an expedition with his team to prove his theory correct and journey to the center of the Earth!

In the end... The best thing about this novel is not so much the science fiction aspect of this novel, but the adventure aspect... It is a fun book, and if you are in to the classics, then you might check this one out... It is more then well worth it!

Merrick (2000) - Anne Rice - Book Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

Anne Rice's, 'Vampire Chronicles', have now taken us all over the world, and through out time, we have gotten to know characters from the two movies in a more deeper and personal level, and I don't know about you, but reading these novels, I have to say that I really enjoyed these novels a fair amount!

Now I hope that I have given you guys a fair and fun, and accurate depiction of what these books are all about, and I hope that at least with some of you, that you have been able to jump in to the series with as much interest as I had when I was still going through the novels... One of the reasons that I mention this is because this next review is for an installment in the series that is a little bit different, yet very fun!

I still don't get why this story was never turned in to a movie!

That is the crossover between, 'The Vampire Chronicles' and another of Anne Rice's famous novel series (a series that I am particularly surprised never made it to the big screen,) that being, 'The Mayfair Witches' series.

You see, this novel tells the story of how when Louis enlists the help of one of the Mayfair witches, (a family of witches, that have an old and illustrious history,) to try to resurrect his vampire daughter, 'Claudia', the novel dives in to the world of Merrick Mayfair (the witch that was summoned), but in the end, Merrick has an ulterior motive, and we will find out once and for all what happened to Louis's Vampire child!

Kirsten Dunst as, 'Claudia' and Brad Pitt as, 'Louis' in the movie that would make bring them together as vampiric father and daughter, as well as tear them apart!

In the end, this book is a lot of fun, and it does help arc Claudia's role in the series, but if you are looking for a strictly, 'Vampire Chronicles' novel... This one is not that... As a matter of fact, if you are strictly looking for a, 'Vampire Chronicles' novel, this is one that is only important in that context because it does finally allow us fans to put Claudia to rest... But if you are just looking for a fun story either way... This one is definitely one worth checking out!

HELLSDEPOT IS BACK

That's right folks after a long wait and a lot of requests to bring it back, our official store at, HellsDepot.com is not only back with the same great product that the world has come to love during our time on Amazon... But we are embarking on a new realm of expansion!

So set back, and relax, and prepare for some great product at prices so low that you would think you had to sell your soul for them!

HAVE A SPOOKTACULAR CHRISTMAS FROM THE HELLINSPACE TEAM

With Christmas coming up tomorrow we are closing our doors for the rest of the week...

But from everyone here at Hellinspace to all you awesome fiends out there, we would like to wish you a very, 'MERRY CHRISTMAS,' and we look forward to giving you guys the same great reviews and blogs when we come back next week!

Gerald's Game (1992) - Stephen King - Book Review

Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils 

Now this review is for a book that Stephen King did that I thought might be a kind of a fun one that I still feel applies to the basic horror nature of this site, one that I have always thought was a little odd that it never got the play that it really truly deserved!

That book being, 'Gerald's Game' (1992)!

Now you might not have heard about this book... So let me say this, this book tells the story of how a rough sex game turns really wrong, when Gerald and Jesse Burlingame head off to a cabin for the weekend for an off the books romantic weekend... But when they are about to have sex, Gerald handcuffs her to the bed and forces himself on to her...

When she fights him off though, she ends up killing him... And being locked to the bed and no one expecting either of them... She may have sent Gerald to hell... But Jesse will also end up in her own personal hell being cuffed to the bed!

An interesting one to say the least...

In the end, this book is a very engaging thriller, and well, I can honestly say that this one may not be the best one he has done... It is a truly fun book... I have always been a little surprised that this book didn't get as much play as his other works has gotten, but with Gerald's Game being turned in to a movie... Finally... It does look like it will get it's time in the spot light!

Happy Halloween From The Crew At Hellinspace

Michael and his sister are in attendance for this!

We here at Hellinspace.com would like to wish all of you fiends out there a very scary and Happy Halloween! With 2 years under our belt, the crew at Hellinspace are taking off and partying! But check back with us for more of that great content you guys know you love, when we come back on November 1st!

Dune (1965) - Frank Herbert - Book Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

One of the things that I used to like to do with my Dad when I was younger was to watch Sci-fi movies... One of our favorites that me my dad and my sister used to watch is the movie series, 'Alien'!

Now as it turns out, this was not the only series my Dad introduced me to, you see one of the movies I saw more then a couple of times that to this day I still absolutely love is the movie, Dune (1984)... Don't  worry guys, that review is coming soon!

Well the reason that I mention all of this is that a bunch of years later when I was in about 5th grade I was in School looking for something to read, and I came across the epic novel, 'Dune' in my School's casual reading shelf, (Yeah I know... But that School shared that shelf with a lot of different grades,) but you know what? When all is said and done I decided to pick it up and dive in to it and I haven't regretted it ever since!

A good one!

I am sure I have probably said this before in other blogs or what ever, but the thing that has most interested me about this book is this... Getting to imagine it for myself! Don't get me wrong, the movie was truly amazing, but getting to use my imagination, and let Mr. Herbert guide me through out the epic saga is one that I will never forget!

In the end, rather you have seen the movie or not, if you are a sci-fi fan, check this one out, I think you might find you really enjoy it!

A Game Of Thrones (1996) - George R. R. Martin - Book Review

Official Score = 4 Devils

 Now here is a different one, you see I generally do try to avoid doing a review outside of the realm of either Horror or Science Fiction, but I could not resist, and considering the fact that even though, 'A Game Of Thrones' is primarily a fantasy epic, this Book/TV series had enough of an element of, 'Horror' to it that I figured what the hell... You know?

With that in mind folks, there is something that I must confess, I first got in to this series through the hit TV series when my wife got in to it... And well I have to admit that the TV series really intrigued me, so when she decided to get the book series, well forget it, of course I had to read them!

A great show, but a better book!

And like the TV series, the first book in the series was truly amazing, I mean this book, which tells the story of how the, 'Seven Kingdoms' has begun it's decent in to chaos with the death of King Robert and the rise of the wrongful heir, 'Prince Joffrey', as well as the threat from beyond, 'The Wall', and the beginning of the rise of, 'Daenerys', was beautifully shown on TV, but was just truly amazingly well put together and expanded upon in the book!

The truth is folks, is that this book truly does follow the old saying, 'The book is better then the movie'... (Well in this case the TV show,) and well, the show is good to, but if you are looking for a novel that has some great history, and some great creepy crawlies (like Zombish stuff,) then this one is a must, and if you check it out, well... I think you will find out why!

Star Trek: New Frontier - Book 2: In To The Void (1997) - Peter David -Book Review

Official Score = 2 Devils

Over the years, since Gene Roddenberry (Earth: Final Conflict) first wrote, 'Star Trek', there has been a lot of new additions to the world of, 'Star Trek', to the point where over 50 years later it can almost be said that, 'Star Trek' is literally a different setup from what was originally produced back in the 60s (Considering the remake series, this can be said to be a very true statement...)

Well with all of this in mind, there is one series that should have gotten the coverage in both the world of movies, as well as it's own TV series, and that being... Star Trek: New Frontier!

Captain Mackenzie Calhoun with his crew!

Now this series is an awesome book series, and in the second novel, 'In To The Void', Peter David pretty expertly crafts the various stories of the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur as she makes her way out in to the world for her first mission out in to the former, 'Thallonian Empire', including how the characters that had their start on Star Trek: The Next Generation begin to act as part of this new crew, 'Namely: Dr. Selar & Robin Lefler' begin to re-act as members of this new crew!

In the end, this new crew will have to figure out how to jell well together, because in the end... The fall of the Thallonion Empire will be a new Frontier for this crew, and well... This book in my opinion is not the most memorable one out there, it is definitely one worth checking out as you the reader goes through the series!

Needful Things (1991) - Stephen King - Book Review

Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils

Alright, so so far I have done a lot of work on reviewing Stephen King's amazing body of horror/science fiction novels that are out there right now... There is one novel that he did that was of particular interest... Now this novel was not the best of the series, but... Well you could say that in a lot of respects that it is a culmination of at least a few of the novels that he did that took place in, 'Castle Rock' in Maine...

That novel of course being: Needful Things (1991)!

Maybe not the best novel, but a must for fans!

You see this novel (which was said to be the last Castle Rock story,) tells the story of how a small store owner makes his way in to town to set up shop... The idea is that this store owner is going to be selling objects that people desire most... And the way that the people of this small town are going to be able to get these interesting objects that they most desire, is to do a few little odd jobs for the owner!

But what the town doesn't realize, is that these favors will ultimately turn out to be something worse then any of them could ever expect... And in the end, each one of these townsfolk are going to end up finding out the true price of, 'making a deal with the devil'!

A scene with Max von Sydow and Shane Meier in the movie: Needful Things... This movie is based on the book!

In the end, this story may not have been the best that he wrote (you could say that it is like a Saturday afternoon movie... Not bad, but you can certainly see why it would be a Saturday Afternoon movie!) One of the things though that this book does have going for it is the fact that... Well let's be honest... This novel is certainly going to be one that fans should read to get closure on the town of Castle Rock!

Contact (1985) - Carl Sagan - Book Review

Official Score = 3 Devils 

It is just to true, the fact that novels generally tend to be better then the movies that they are based off of... Don't get me wrong, I kind of think that the main reason for this maybe the fact that most stories generally tend to be very involved, and could span weeks, or even years... But with that said, still some have come close to equaling the books that they are based off of... And there is even less that are actually better!

With that said, in the late 90s, when I completely had my Sci-fi nerd thing heading quickly toward it's end phase, and I was starting to seriously head in to being a, 'Goth'... (Yeah I know, but what can I, teenagers right?) Anyway there was a movie that I saw that I enjoyed a fair amount with: Jodie Foster (Silence Of The Lambs) & Matthew McConaughey (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation)... That movie being: Contact (1997)!

Well a few years later, I came to discover that this movie, was actually originally a book by (well lets put it this way... Basically the guru of mankind going in to outer space, 'Carl Sagan'!)

A classic science fiction book, that was made in to a fun science fiction movie!

The fact is, is this book is a blast and actually did the one thing that I thought would have made the movie better, and that is, 'expand on the story'! What I mean by this, is that this book basically tells the story of how mankind is sent a message from outer space, and this message basically tells humanity how to meet them... And what happens when mankind goes to building that path!

In the end, the only problem I had with this novel is sort of the reverse of the movie... The book seemed to me to be a bit long... I know I just got done saying it was a perk in this book, and it is... But at some point all good things must come to an end... And this one went a bit farther then I would have liked...

Still, it is a fun one, and definitely worth checking out!

A Moment Of Silence In Memory Of September 11, 2001

In memory of the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, Hellinspace, will not be posting today.

September 11th 2001... A day that no one in America will ever forget...

With that said, we here at Hellinspace will be taking a moment of silence to honor the memory of those that were lost on that day, and to honor the memory of those brave heroes that risked their lives at the crash sites by ending our posting for the day.

We will be back tomorrow though.

The Vampire Armand (1998) - Anne Rice - Book Review

Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Alright, so fortunately after the dud that was, 'The Tale Of The Body Thief', I imagine you guys probably were thinking that well this is it, right? Well fortunately Anne Rice came back with, 'Memnoch: The Devil' (1995), a book that brought, (in my opinion), the, 'Vampire Chronicles' back to prominence...  Well she didn't stop there!

She went ahead and did it... She actually made a book that even surpassed that one! She went and created: The Vampire Armand (1998)!

The Vampire Armand... A classic tale!

Now for those of you who don't remember the character, or have never heard of the character, Armand was a character that was first introduced in: Interview With The Vampire (1976), as a European Vampire, who is a potential would be new companion to the American Vampires, 'Louis', and, 'Claudia'... Of course like all great tragedies, this doesn't really occur...

Never the less, through the rest of the novels, he pops up from time to time, but other then that, he is not really seen... (I don't think he has a very sizable role in the second Vampire Chronicles movie...)

Either way, Anne Rice ended up doing a fascinating tale of the back story behind, 'Armand', that leads a rich tapestry of Armand's life, starting in Kiev, going through when he would meet, 'Marius' (One of the more powerful Vampires), and on up through out the ages!

"I wish mercy for any man."

- Marius, Quote from: The Vampire Armand.

In the end, I have found that when Anne Rice does these back story books of the various major players, they are very engrossing... So much so, that most of the time they are hard to put down... And this one is no different! If you are starting off the series with this book, then this one might not make a whole lot of sense... But if you have been following the series and are up to this one... Well I think you might find this one to be most fascinating!

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Invasion (Book 3) - Time's Enemy (1996) -L.A. Graf - Book Review

Official Score = 4 Devils 

Okay, so far I know that I covered a lot of the Star Trek (Invasion) mini-series... The truth is, is this series is truly spectacular!  It has the usual technical innovation, that I will say is awesome, as well as the potential for humanity to put there differences aside for the common good, and all of this wrapped in a story... That in the case of this series, and being a fan of Horror & Science Fiction, I have to say is a truly thrilling, and chilling good read, (I know... cheesy as hell, right? But it is true!

Now the first two of these books were pretty spectacular, and the truth is, is that it is pretty much a toss up between the Deep Space Nine version of this series and the original series version of this series (I mean both of these books are truly something that a Trekkie/Horror fan like myself has always hoped for!) But the thing that I did find to be fascinating about, 'Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Invasion (Book 3) - Time's Enemy (1996)' Is an aspect of the story that I almost never see in any media format (in movies, in books, or on TV,) but when I do... Man it is an amazing good time!

This book... I am going to say is truly a toss up between the first and this one as to which is the best of the series!

What I mean by this is the fact that this story has similar connections to the, 'Furies' that the previous books had, but in this edition we find out that the, 'Defiant' may have played a role in the battle to, 'oust' the Furies out of the Alpha Quadrant! This is found out when an ancient version of the Defiant is found adrift, and Captain Sisko and his crew are sent in to discover what it all means, and find out not only how this is possible, but what part that Sisko and his crew play, and when they play it!

In the end, this novel is blast for Trekkies, and I think if you are a Horror or Science Fiction fan, that you might like it as well!