Alan Baxter (1) (1970–)

I hate it when I see a book on GR that's virtually 4 and 5 stars across the board, so I go off to Amazon and buy it, and then I can't even get through the damn thing. That really burns my ass.

I truly don't understand the glowing reviews for this one. I made it just a hair over a third of the way through this muck before giving up. Why did I give up?

Well, supposedly, the protagonist, Eli Carver—who's completely unlikeable—keeps suffering from psychotic breaks. So, we'll be treated to him show more waking up and basically wringing his hands over stuff he doesn't know happened. Then Carly (whom I'll get to in a bit), will mention something, and we're treated to two things...

1-First we get an "oh yeah! Now I remember!" bit where a name pops out of the ether, and Carver goes on a long, incredibly detailed trip down memory lane about this character. Typically someone he's killed. Then...

2-That dead person then shows up as a ghost or phantom or memory or whatever the hell, in the back seat of his car, and they talk to him. Hell, there's even a point where he's got so many of these memory-ghosts, that two of them tussle in the back seat.

And that's about 80% of the story up to the point where I dropped it in disgust.

And then there's the only other main character, the aforementioned Carly. What we find out very quickly about her is, she's on the run with Eli, not necessarily of her own choosing. He's locked her in the trunk for two days at one point. When he's on his breaks, he apparently beats her. And yet, just about when I tossed the book down, we find out that, during one of his breaks, he robbed a place of several thousand dollars, then drove to a car dealership, threw the money at her and, without him saying a word, she divined that he wanted her to buy a car.

So, she's been abused to shit by the guy, but when he hands her a bunch of money and a way out, she buys a car and willingly gets back in with him. Instead of, you know, in the words of Steve Miller, whoa-oh take the money and run, woo-hoo-hoo!

I gave up when I was treated to the by now creaky, far-too-overused trope of creepy stepdad having his way with his far-too-underage daughter.

This entire story stretches the suspension of disbelief way too far. To the point where I began to feel insulted.

I will say, however, after having just read [b:Galveston|8262337|Galveston|Nic Pizzolatto|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411926722l/8262337._SX50_.jpg|7904929] by [a:Nic Pizzolatto|603698|Nic Pizzolatto|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1392138501p2/603698.jpg] (a much more capable author), which is a book with a similar feel—a bad guy on the run from his mob boss with a much younger woman in tow—that this book doesn't just pale in comparison, it essentially disappears in a puff of embarrassed smoke.

Needless to say, I won't be reading the second book in the Eli Carver chronicles.

And today's lesson kids? Don't believe all the glowing reviews. Hell, don't believe mine. It's all just personal opinion. show less

Real Rating: 3.5* of five

Good, violent fun from an Aussie horrorista with a Twitter cadre of loyalists who all have excellent credentials as writers. I hadn't considered one of Author Baxter's tales for my own entertainment before chancing on a well-loved writer's tweet encouraging all and sundry to do so. I did; I'm glad.

Quite a ride! Curses, death wishes, and a lot of rage. Gore galore and the weirdest monster yet. But all in all, a sad take on the prevalence of hatred in the world. Roots show more go deep, cures don't. Author Baxter wrote a touching Afterword, one that says more in fewer words than any sermon ever could.

The cover of this story is just about the coolest thing on my Kindle. Elderlemon Design (aka horror biggie Kealan Patrick Burke, who appears in the text as a publican) made it; what I love about that is the origin story that Author Baxter tells us...a joke, a cover, a story, and now a fictional exploration of the ungovernability of hate let loose.

Plenty of gore, lots of rage, and throughout the proceedings, a steady heartbeat of caring, kindness, and acceptance. Not what I expected, in the best possible way. show less

Bound by Alan Baxter is the first novel I've read by the author, although I have read short stories in the (recent) past. I have to admit I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book (aside from accurate fight scenes) and I don't think I could've predicted what I did get.

Alex Caine is a martial artist fighting in illegal cage matches. His powerful secret weapon is an unnatural vision that allows him to see his opponents’ moves before they know their intentions themselves.

An show more enigmatic Englishman, Patrick Welby, approaches Alex after a fight and reveals, ‘I know your secret.’ Welby shows Alex how to unleash a breathtaking realm of magic and power, drawing him into a mind-bending adventure beyond his control. And control is something Alex values above all else…

A cursed grimoire binds Alex to Uthentia, a chaotic Fey godling, who leads him towards chaos and murder, an urge Alex finds harder and harder to resist. Befriended by Silhouette, a monstrous Kin beauty, Alex sets out to recover the only things that will free him - the shards of the Darak. But that powerful stone also has the potential to unleash a catastrophe which could mean the end of the world as we know it.

Probably the simplest way to describe Bound is as an origin story for Alex. At least, that's how it felt when I got to the end. I'm probably getting ahead of myself saying that, though. Let me go back to the beginning.

Alex has a small talent for magic and is discovered by a more experienced magic user after using his magical intuition to win a cage match. After that, he picks up magic pretty quickly. Too quickly I thought, until the main thrust of the novel revealed itself. There were two really interesting aspects to the story, I thought. First, there's the effect the cursed grimoire has on him. Being cursed, it is inherently evil and its magic insinuates its way into Alex's mind. It doesn't exactly control him, but it has a negative influence. I found Alex's struggle with what's inside of him fascinating. He wonders, during the book, whether he is becoming evil himself and I found myself asking the same questions. I really wasn't sure how it was going to go, which made it a more exciting read.

I can't not mention the main antagonists (aside from the cursed grimoire, that is). We are exposed to the magic relic dealer, Hood, through the eyes of his PA, Sparks. Hood has no scruples and spends the book trying to get his hands on whatever it is that Alex and Silhouette have (he doesn't actually know). Sparks is a more difficult and interesting character. At first, I thought she was another of Hood's victims under some sort of spell. That may have been just misinterpretation on my part because later on it becomes clear that she does actually care about him and stays with him by choice. On the one hand, this did make the character feel a bit inconsistent, but on the other hand I quite liked reading about her (I won't go so far as to say I liked her as a person...). It's unclear whether she will appear in the next book (my guess is not, but who knows), but I certainly wouldn't object if she did make an appearance.

Until the end, I was expecting Hood and Sparks to be the antagonists in subsequent books, but it looks like their storyline has been resolved. That's part of what makes me say that I see Bound as an origin story for Alex. The other things is... I feel silly for not noticing until the very end that Hood and Sparks were named for certain friends of the author's. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or headdesk (or headiPad, as the case may have been), when I realised.

Bound was an action-packed and fast-paced read with elements of moral ambiguity and horror. You could also call it a dark urban fantasy, if you were so inclined. If you are looking for a darkish and violent read, then Bound is the book for you. It's also self-contained if sequels aren't your thing. Mind you, I think I remember reading that books 2 and 3 will be out soon (like months, rather than years, apart), so there won't be a long wait until we get more of Alex and Silhouette's story, if long waits aren't your thing. I have no idea where the story might go next, but I want to find out.

3.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. show less

This collection of five novellas is full of excellent writing. I read very little "horror" and though I heartily disliked the gore-factor (the second story is particularly difficult to read), the skill of the writer is evident in all of these pieces. Its one thing to say an author is good when he's writing in a genre you love. But when you read a genre you dislike AND you are still admitting that the author has great skills, you know its really true. I liked his characters. I liked how the show more stories that take place in The Gulp (a town named Gulpepper) are eventually woven together. I liked how the storylines are very unique and interesting and yet so slice-of-life. Recommended to readers who like good fiction, but who also have strong, strong stomachs for gore. show less