Ketchup

I have in my hot little hands an advance copy of the August issue of Romantic Times Book Reviews. Yes, I write manly end-of-the-world thrillers… and, yes, I’m excited to be included in their round-up again (last summer they gave a big thumbs-up to Plague Year.) They’re a nice big national publication with a nice big national audience.

Plague War does in fact have a romance as a subplot, a romance that becomes a triangle! Sordid and hot! And here’s the review:

Carlson’s nightmarish landscape presents a chilling albeit believable picture of a post-apocalyptic world devastated by a nanotech plague. This is the second of his trilogy, but it can still be enjoyed as a stand-alone. The carefully crafted plot is a mix of sci-fi, military adventure, and political intrigue. Strong, dynamic characters brng the story to a conclusion you won’t see coming.

Holy crap on the stick! That is AWESOME!!!!

I'm especially excited that the reviewer felt that War works as a stand-alone novel, which is something that I worked at very hard. If you've read Year, you know that a LOT of stuff happens. It was a real trick to pick up the story afterwards, get the new book moving quickly, and still have it make sense to new readers without bogging down in the history of this fractured world and its characters. You know, the ones who are still alive. Bwah ha HA ha ha ha.

Plague War is also given four out of five stars… and I see that only John Scalzi’s Zoe’s Tale garnered more in their science fiction round-up, with four and a half. Man, is that guy like the Beatles or what! :)

Labels: Romantic Times Book Review of PLAGUE WAR