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Obres de Keith Melton

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In this action-packed horror novel, a soldier who fights the supernatural baddies must take a stand against flesh-eating ghouls, face betrayal within his own unit, and save a young boy’s life.

Though Keith Melton has several published works in the general genre I read, this is the first book of his I've picked up. Originally, I was attracted to the professional cover (aren't we all?). Shiny lights and astrological symbols, a military guy carrying both an automatic weapon and a sword? And, of course, the pretty blues and purples. Ooooh, ahhh. :) Sure got my attention!

Despite the pretty, pretty cover, 9mm Blues is not the typical kind of book I read. My preference tends to be toward 1st person urban fantasy with lots of world building, lots of internal and emotional struggle, and lots of kick-ass vengeance wreaking. I also know squat about military stuff and tend to get lost and bored with a lot of military detail. This story is all military and primarily action-oriented with very little world-building. There is not much vengeance-wreaking at a personal level -- the bad guy is just a bad guy. I know many people for whom this is the preferred type of reading, so no judgement here; just that it's not what usually appeals to me.

And still, I really enjoyed this book! Though the POV is 3rd person limited, we see the story solely through the eyes of the protagonist. Melton does a good job of conveying both the action and the protagonist's thoughts and emotions. It's a good balance -- Chris Hill is a good guy, but not terribly self-aware, so there isn't a lot of navel-gazing going on. ;) There isn't a lot of world-building, but I don't think it's neccessary. The world is very similar to ours with just a few supernatural elements that we're probably familiar with from pop-culture, so there's no need for a lot of explanation. Not to say it's boring or totally unoriginal -- that's not true at all! But if you're familiar with the supernatural from movies, TV, or books, you'll catch on quick.

And the kicker... there is a dog. Yeah, I'm a sucker for animals. Not only is there a dog, but everyone is nice to the dog and the dog doesn't die! Keith, thank you for that. Oh, and I'm going to give you a little spoiler here -- the dog is a basenji, and basenji's don't bark. So if you're wondering how in the world a dog could survive in this story and not get everyone killed, that's why. I was so tickled to have that piece of knowledge while reading the story.

So, yeah, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and how much I'm looking forward to the next one. I think it really hits that sweet spot between action-oriented and introspective and so will appeal to fans of both types of stories. I can't wait for Agent Annie and her husband to read it; not only are they both ex-military, but they also own a basenji. ;)

Purchased. Review courtesy of onebooktwo | one book, two reviews.
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InvestedIvana | Mar 8, 2016 |
I can't tell you how many times I giggled or snorted with laughter reading this book. A lot. It's very geeky, crazy and fun.

Everything is exaggerated, blown out of proportions and brimming with snark. The Zero Dog War is a parody on urban fantasy books and superhero comics, and a very well done one at that.

Take for example our supervillain necromancer who had to advertize for a minion because all his workforce consisted of zombies. His plan of world domination is to make gelatin with the help of zombies, which would reduce his expenses to a minimum and potentially destroy gelatin market in US. Mwahaha! Don't say it wasn't funny!

Andrea's team is a riot. A sex and health food obsessed werewolf, a healer who fancies himself ninja, a tech guy who writes novels and games all the time, a conjurer who likes to play with hell bunnies from other dimensions... and so on.

Andrea herself is a tough gal who loves her team and tries to protect them no matter what, so when a commando guy is encroaching on her territory and her government contract makes him a team adviser, tempers fly and both have to learn to respect each other and work as partners.

It's violent, full of action, explosions, gadgetry and silly humour. If you liked Austin Powers and Kick Ass you will love this book.
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kara-karina | Hi ha 7 ressenyes més | Nov 20, 2015 |
4 ½ Stars

The description of the book already gives a lot away, so I won’t contribute with that. But I can tell you that after reading it you'd know what to expect from it and I guarantee you, you will find everything you were expecting and more.

This book had me cracking up page after page. And if I get wrinkles in my flawless face for laughing I’ll blame Mr. Melton. (He will receive the bill for my botox treatment.)

I love the characters, they are all different and unique in their sordid kind of way but together they make this perfect dysfunctional mercenary “family”. They are always pushing each other’s buttons but when the need arise they always look for each other.

Mr. Melton creativity has no limits and this book is a proof of that. There were some parts in which my normal human brain (not small by the way) was in completely awe with his imagination.

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that I won’t be able to enjoy Jell-o or oatmeal for at least couple of weeks… or months. (Thank you Ms. Melton.)

My final thought: This book is an EBOAFACS (Exploding Bomb of Awesome Fun And Crazy Stuff). As Capitan Andrea Walker said, the use of acronyms is as addicting as popping bubble wrap.

Can’t wait to read the next installment.
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BookaholicCat | Hi ha 7 ressenyes més | Mar 4, 2015 |
Great read! It had been quite a while since I read the first book, (The Zero Dog Wars) but I was able to jump right back in and catch up with the gang. From page one you are pulled into the high-octane action. I loved it. It was fun revisiting all the different characters. It has something for everyone. The group is made up of a succubus, vampire, werewolf, magic users, demon, empath and leading the pack is pyromancer Andrea Walker. Dark Ride Dogs is a fast paced, gitty and exciting read. I recommend this one, especially if you love Urban Fantasy.

Dark Ride Dogs can be read as a stand along story.
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vampiregirl76 | May 7, 2014 |

Estadístiques

Obres
11
Membres
93
Popularitat
#200,859
Valoració
½ 3.6
Ressenyes
20
ISBN
13
Llengües
1
Preferit
1

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