Book Review: The Electric Church

This book is right down my alley. Besides sci-fi movies, my next favorite genre is gangster flicks, such as Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Layer Cake, Goodfellas, etc. This story covers both bases and does it in a very entertaining manner. Jeff Somers dialogue is pitch perfect for this type of narrative. This is a highly engrossing novel that will appeal to all sci-fi and crime drama readers.

Avery Cates is your classic anti-hero, an assassin with a morale code. I like the fact that he is not written as some type of superman who can take loads of punishment without any consequences. This makes the character seem more realistic and appealing. Cates is forced to use his head to get out of bad circumstances instead of always falling back on gun play.

The world that Avery Cates lives in is bleak and depressing. All of the world governments have been swept away by an event known as Unification. There are no jobs for the average person, consequently you learn to live life as a criminal or you’re dyin’. But the strangest of all is the Electric Church and their creepy monks. Jeff Somers has definitely created a dark and strange future.

But the strength of this novel is the characters and the dialogue. The cast of characters that Avery Cates puts together for his job are best described as the “Merry Pranksters”. The dark humor that reverberates through out the story is hilarious and worth the price of admission alone.

At times, especially in the first third of the book there is a tendency to repeat certain points.

Gritty sci-fi noir at its finest and just plain fun. I really look forward to the further exploits of the Avery Cates in The Digital Plague and the upcoming The Eternal Prison.

Awesome Batman art

Video Game Review: Walking Dead (Game of the Year Edition)

The Game of the Year edition includes all 5 main story episodes which lasts approximately 2-3 hours each.  The "Special Episode-400 Days", previously available only as downloadable content, follows the stories of 5 different post-apocalyptic survivors that last 20-30 minute each.

If I had to come up with one word to describe this game, it would have to be brutal.  I don't mean brutal in bad way, it's just a very emotionally draining game.  You may have watched the TV series or read the comics but they do not come close to the level of emotions that this game puts you through.  Instead of being a passive viewer or reader you are responsible for the life and death decisions.  You have to chose the fate of friends and like life, you just do the best you can.       

The main story line involves your character, Lee Everett, becoming a surrogate parent / protector of a young girl named Clementine (Clem).  Clem is your constant companion and you will want to sacrifice everything just to keep her safe.  It reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's The Road in the way the tension is always present due to the fear of the unknown and danger is always lurking around the corner.  Good luck at not shedding a tear during the final act. 

If there are some criticisms it would be the limited character mobility and the "point and click" aspect.  But, make no mistake this is a cinematic experience first and foremost so this format works efficiently well.  Also, there is a time limit on the dialog options that force you to make decisions in a hurry which puts stress on the player to make the right call.  I was mentally exhausted after each episode.

In the end, Telltale Games has produced a deep atmospheric game that will live with you for some time after the credits roll.