The Grendel's Shadow

The Grendel's Shadow
by Andrew Mayne

When an unknown animal starts killing off settlers on a backwater planet run on coal and steam power, there's only person who can help stop the slaughter; T.R. Westwood. A distinguished professor of biology and the galaxy's greatest hunter, he's the man to go to when the local wildlife needs to be reminded who is the galaxy's top predator.

In a galaxy filled with millions of worlds, his specialty is evening the odds for the ones with technological restrictions. Rocks and spears or shotguns and canons, he'll use whatever is allowed to get the job done.

Another book review for a digital book by a podcaster! You may remember Andrew Mayne (co-host of the Weird Things podcast) from my review of Public Enemy Zero. The Grendel's Shadow is actually the first book I was introduced to by him. He and Justin Robert Young (another podcaster – also of the Weird Things podcast) produced a free podcast audiobook version of this story during the promotion of the publication of it. Being the podcast junkie that I am, I had to download that and plug it into my ears immediately.

The story was interesting in an audio medium and Justin Robert Young is a good narrator, but it didn't hold my attention as well as I thought it would. I relistened to parts of it while I drove around for errands on the weekend, but I just wasted compelled to sit down and read the actual published book until I had chewed my way through Public Enemy Zero.

The Grendel's Shadow is a good book. It's an adventure story in an alien frontier as one man tries to save the human settlers from a monster that has been picking them off. It mirrors Beowulf in its plot and its straightforward-ness. I know that sounds crazy after plowing through a few paragraphs of “sons of this guy and married to the daughter of that other guy” when Beowulf sets up who is doing what, but the two stories basically boil down to Dude Fights Monster That Is Crazy Monstrous And Saves The Day. And I do enjoy Dude Fighting Monster stories. It didn't “wow” me, but I had a good time with it.

The only criticism I might make would be related to focal character voice. There were times when the focus would shift from Allan, the reporter following Westwood who was completely inexperienced in the whole frontier survival thing, to Westwood, an experienced hunter and biologist burying personal tragedy in dangerous work, and I wasn't sure who was supposed to be the focus. While it did keep me on my toes, it was a little confusing when I was trying to figure out whose perspective I should be seeing the events through.

But I wouldn't consider this some huge glaring flaw. It's a fun book for an afternoon of adventure and I'd definitely recommend it if that is what you are looking for.


You can find more about this book over at andrewmaynebooks.com

Public Enemy Zero

Public Enemy Zero
by Andrew Mayne

The world is out to kill Mitchell Roberts. A strange virus is on the loose sending everyone he comes in contact with into a homicidal rage. From narrowly avoiding getting murdered at his ex-girlfriend’s front door, to a crowded shopping mall turned one-man zombie apocalypse, he’s got to stay a step ahead of everyone around him if he doesn’t want to get ripped apart alive. He’ll need to use every resource he has, from the advice of a paranoid late night radio host, to his Twitter account and find out why he’s become Public Enemy Zero.

This is one of two books I’ve bought from this self-published author on the Amazon Kindle store. I have been listening to an audiobook podcast of his first book, The Grendel’s Shadow, but this is the first book of his that I’ve read in print. Andrew Mayne is another podcaster (the first podcaster author I reviewed was Boiling Point by Tom Merritt) as one third of the hosts for the Weird Things podcast. From what I’ve heard by him on the podcast, and what I’ve heard from the The Grendel’s Shadow podcast, I had some high expectations for his writing, but I also had my reservations because of on the high expectations I had for Tom Merritt’s book.

Public Enemy Zero did not disappoint. First of all, Mayne’s premise for this book is one of the most interesting I’ve heard in a long time. He describes this book as a reverse zombie outbreak book. There is a virus exposed to the US population, but it only changes one man, who thinks nothing of being sick for a few days until people start madly attacking him wherever he goes.

He’s confronted with murderous mobs, running from the law, and the media frenzy created by his unusual condition. He’s faced with allegations of terrorism and government conspiracies and the ever increasing panic of not knowing how this could have happened to him. It’s a thrilling chase from start to finish that had me anxious to learn how he was going to survive this bizarre chain of events.

And I won’t spoil you, but his solution had me cheering at the end of this book. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s a brilliant idea and one I’ve never seen in a book before. My hat is off to Andrew Mayne.

I’d definitely recommend this one to folks who like a good thriller or near-future science fiction. My brain immediately likened this book to something between Shawn of the Dead and The Island. If that is your cup of tea, I’d definitely recommend this book.

It’s $0.99 on the Amazon Kindle store if you consume books that way, but if not and you are interested in possible reading this book, please check andrewmaynebooks.com.