1. Cavern of the Damned by Russell James
Why I wanted to read this one: I read (and enjoyed!) James' second novel with Dr. Grant Coleman, Monsters in the Clouds, last summer, which then made me want to go back and read this first one.
The premise: A park ranger, a paleontologist, an untrustworthy spelunker, an actress, a film director and his two-man crew enter a cavern that's been sealed up for over 13,000 years. When the entrance of the cave collapses, they're trapped inside with a slew of monstrous prehistoric creatures. (And not everyone is going to make it out alive.)
The upshot: This one's a short, fast-paced, fun adventure. It's humorous, too. And while there's not enough time for a lot of character development, I did really like the three main protagonists. And the creatures in the cave were kind of awesome. All in all, Cavern of the Damned, was a very entertaining read.
My rating: 4/5 stars.
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2. Island in the Mist by C. G. Mosley
Why I bought this one: The awesome cover! (I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to dinosaurs.)
The premise: Angus Wedgeworth is a self-made millionaire; he's arrogant, selfish ... and aging. When he hears a rumor of an island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle with its own fountain of youth, he hires a crew to help him find it. There's just one problem. The island is full of dinosaurs. And they're not exactly friendly.
The upshot: I hated Angus and his bodyguards; liked several of the other characters, especially Silas, the big game hunter, and the two paleontologists; and loved all the dinosaurs. The dialogue feels stilted and artificial at times, but the action scenes are fun. And it's another book off my TBR shelf. One that counts for the 2019 Backlist Reader Challenge.
My rating: 3/5 stars.
Happy Reading!
Both books seem to have an interesting line-up of characters!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh when I saw that list of characters in James' novel; it felt like the first line of a joke. I wish I knew the punchline. ;D
DeleteThat cover for Cavern of the Damned is absolutely terrifying! Eek! It sounds like a really exciting and fun read though. Glad to hear it was a good one! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's like a roller coaster ride: short, a bit wild, and lots of fun.
DeleteInteresting. Neither one of these really sounds like my kind of thing, but I'm glad you enjoyed them overall!
ReplyDeleteI can't read a steady diet of these books, but every once in awhile I really like them!
DeleteThese look fun! Especially that first one. :)
ReplyDeleteRussell James writes some fun adventures.
DeleteBoth sound like fun, adventurous reads! I said it about Monsters in the Clouds and I'll repeat it for Cavern of the Damned, that needs to be filmed! :D
ReplyDeleteI would watch those movies! :)
DeleteThe island in the mist cover is striking and since I'll be reading about dinosaurs this year this novel would be a good book to include as well. But of the two Cavern of the Damned sounds better and very frightening. Imagine being trapped in a cave with prehistoric creatures!
ReplyDeleteCavern of the Damned is better written. And his second book, Monsters in the Sky has actual dinosaurs in it, so you could read that one, too. :)
DeleteCavern of the Damned sounds like a lot of fun. I could use humorous right now.
ReplyDeleteDr. Grant Coleman's a great character.
DeleteBoth books look good; but I'm leaning more towards the first one. :D
ReplyDeleteThe first one is better.
DeleteI got Island in the Mist ages ago but still haven't read it! I really need to get on with some of these books. I did think Cavern was a decent read.
ReplyDeleteI like Russell James's books. Well, the two of them that I've read, anyway. :)
DeleteNeither of the books sound like my type of book, but it is my type of the movie though)) Glad you liked the first one, it sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these would make fun popcorn movies. :)
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