Max China

The Crane Wife by Max China

Drawn to read this book due to the reference to it not being a fairy tale, I had to read it. I loved fairy tales when young and many retellings of them that I have read have provided nice escapes. Once finished with the last page of this book, I looked up the myth-fairytale this story referred to and read what it was about. There are some similarities between this and the Japanese tale that include a crane, a beautiful woman, weaving, sacrifice, love, and loss. That said, this is and is not like the original though it might be likened to a rather dark and grim modernized Grimm’s fairytale.

Dream, nightmare, illusion, imagined or real…what happens in the telling of this story has Jericho Mathers dealing with and eventually working his way through a heavy load he has been carrying. His military missions sounded difficult and psychologically traumatizing to the point that he suffered PTSD, closed himself off from those he loved, and isolated himself after his wife’s death. I felt sorry for him as it felt reality at times eluded him or became something else entirely while at the same time illusion seemed all too tangible and real. I wondered at the end of the book how much was and was not real and yet in Jericho’s mind…all of it was exactly as he experienced it.

There were a few times the thread of the story switched characters without notice but I was quickly able to follow what was happening. I might have liked a bit more at the end to let me know who the man on the mountain was that Jack met and a hint of how the lives of Jericho and his children would be in the future.

This was a sometimes dark and gritty intriguing story that had me wondering what would happen next and hoping that all would work out positively for Jericho and his family.

Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (plus d'informations)

I gave up on this mess at 12% of the way through (according to my Kindle). The story meandered all over the place, the timeline made absolutely no sense, and the typos were ridiculous. I can understand and forgive minor proofreading mistakes, but spelling a main character’s name two different ways is beyond my powers of acceptance. The premise of this book sounded great, and I love a good serial killer story, but this most definitely is not that. The best thing I can say about it is that it was free so I only wasted time, not money, on this.… (plus d'informations)

This is a Kindle Unlimited book and I read it for free. OK, I pay for the subscription to Kindle Unlimited, but you get the idea. It was on my TBR shelf for a while because I was in my genre switching mode.

An additional, secondary title of A Gripping Psychological Thriller attracted me to this book. I expect the author to make me think as I consider the more twisted part of a mind bent away from the norm of societal codes. There is a fast start with two young people, Timmy and Sarah, escaping from what might be a house of horror, compounded by an accident that leaves one dead and the other mute as a result of trauma. Right away, I want to know what went on in that house, ostensibly an orphanage, that caused one of its staff members help the kids escape.

We immediately jump from 1987 to a 2014 (we know this because dates serve as chapter titles) mental hospital where a cannibalistic patient is scheduled for transfer to another facility. His penchant for eating the hospital staff as well as his gigantic size dictate a ten-person guard detail while the giant cannibal is in transit. Psychological thriller and mental hospital, OK, that tracks.

Now we go to a guy living alone who just wants to read a book he discovered inadvertently in a second hand book shop. No author recognition, but the book is about the work of a former colleague/mentor of his who worked with gifted patients, those with seemingly paranormal abilities. Then our reader gets bitten or stung by an abnormally large sized mosquito, or at least a relative of a mosquito. OK, a nod to the psychological thriller idea, but I really want to see China (the author) tie this mosquito into anything.

Back to Timmy, twenty-seven years after the escape, still mute, working as a caretaker at the same orphanage he escaped from. He really just wanted to be near where his sister’s physical body was buried. There are hints her ghost is still active. OK, supports a possible psychological angle. Timmy may be more disturbed than we think.

Meanwhile, back at the transfer facility that is awaiting the giant cannibal patient known as Wolfe, a new doctor arrives. Dr. Kotlas is new to the facility but has a history in the treatment of Wolfe; that is why the new facility wanted to hire Kotlas. New boss Dr. Rubenstein has some issues of medical ethics with Kotlas, but is glad to have his experience. Everything still tracking for a psychological thriller.

Then chaos as an environmental event happens that has the effect of an electromagnetic pulse disruption of all communication and other computer powered devices, to include cars. Wolfe escapes while in transit. Lots of the guards accompanying Wolfe die, some to become lunch for Wolfe. Doctors at copse Hall are expecting Wolfe and escorts, but events there degenerate rapidly due to a riot. It seems some of the patients there also desire human meat; some even begin having sex with their food before proceeding to the main course.

Scenes now shift from town to mental health facility to wherever Wolfe is hiding. The novel takes a more dystopian theme; how are we going to survive this? A wise, all knowing professor appears who calms panic stricken crowds with science lessons.

The novel proceeds at a steady pace. It seems that as characters meet Wolfe, they take turns dying. This goes on from about the middle of the novel to the end. The methods of death inflicted by Wolfe become more gruesome and graphic. Sex becomes a bit more graphic.

Without revealing the end, some of the not-to-be-named characters reappear; they come back to life. This is reincarnation by author, not some paranormal force. Not all of them return, but some. The last few lines are cloying sentiment.

In the authors notes at the end, China says this is a mixture of crime, mystery, and psychological thriller. Crime, yes, mystery, yes, psychological thriller, no. The character Ryan is never developed and that is where the psychological thriller possibilities reside. This is an interesting action thriller with lots of unrealized possibilities.… (plus d'informations)

This was downloaded as a free short read on my kindle and is a good example of how to write a short story with a memorable snappy storyline good characters and perhaps more importantly a great conclusion.

Frank and Shelley and their two children have moved into a big old rambling house. Surprisingly their offer was successful and now is the time to become acquainted with their new surroundings. The structure includes a rusty old radio transmission tower "The structure soared upwards of one hundred feet; the aerial on top seemed to disappear into infinity." There is also a mysterious locked basement where a noisy dynamo emits a light that appears to communicate with the radio tower. Frank decides to investigate the source of noise/light in the hope that he can solve the problem and this means entering the locked basement....

This is certainly the recipe for a good horror story as our hero heads into the dark unknown to discover the mysterious light source and there he encounters "Edward Sparkes and his Amazing Magnetic Magic Show" The author does not disappoint and the ending is quite unexpected concluding what is a fun little horror story and a great way to spend an idle 30 minutes but remember do not go into the basement!… (plus d'informations)