Review: Goodbye Nothing by Beck Sherman

Title: Goodbye Nothing
Series: No
Author: Beck Sherman
Published: TBA
Format: Ebook provided for review

Since the night of the accident, Cain Emmerick has felt different. Empty. What was important to him—family, friends, his job—doesn't matter anymore. His new life revolves around that Nothing inside of him and the extraordinary highs he gets from committing random acts of violence.

Seventeen-year-old Joey Morgan is blind, but that doesn't stop her from seeing. Something bad is about to happen. Something that could tear her world apart. For Joey, college life isn't quite turning out like she planned, because before good grades, fitting in, and love, comes survival.

I’d read Beck Sherman before, and I thought there was something special there. Now I know for sure. Are you a horror fan? I am. And Goodbye Nothing is a spectacular and horrifying treat. Seriously, Stephen King better look out – it’s that good.



Goodbye Nothing is about Cain. Cain is a good guy with a good family and a good job. Cain has a good life, by all counts. You get a small glimpse of that - just enough to foreshadow the positively evil that’s about to take over. Cain gets into an accident and everything changes. EVERYTHING. And then “holy-fuck-oh-no-he-didn’t!!!” happens and your brain is thrown into a tailspin as you try to grasp and come to terms with what happens right out of the gate.

“Hello Nothing. Let’s make plans.”

This book is eerie, creepy, and crazy. Beck Sherman went all out and gave us actual horror!! This isn’t sexy time mixed with some sexy-scary villain, wrapped up in a nice bow. Nope, it’s actual OMG horror. Goodbye Nothing made my skin crawl, it made me uncomfortable, it even made me think I wouldn’t be able to finish at one point. There was gore galore; blood and guts and rot – and the villain, Cain, enjoyed it. It was bloody fantastic to get lost in it.

Ok, so about the book? Cain changes. He’s filled with the Nothing. So nothing matters to him, and Nothing seemingly protects him. He can do whatever the piss he wants, and no one says a word. In fact, it’s like people are blind to it. And then Cain comes in contact with the man who hit him that fateful night, and he realizes life is about to change again. Cain transforms from a hunter into a hunter on a timeclock.

But while we are going along with Cain, we also get to meet a young lady named Joey. Joey is blind, but she is just the sweetest thing. You want to like her; you want her to be happy. She’s got a best friend, Ren, who I just fell in love with. He was just a wonderful guy and such a great friend. But everything with Joey was just a bit…off. Joey is like the calm before the storm, and you wonder if she is going to survive the hurricane coming.

Zombies and vampires don’t scare me (yet). What does scare me, and scares the life out of me, are actual people who kill for sport and for fun. The things that could actually happen in real life, right in front of you, scare me. This book touched on some things I normally stay away from in books. But I kept reading because I just enjoyed the author’s writing style so much. And I am so glad I stuck with it. What I got in return was a whirlwind of a story filled with so many things I was just in awe. Cain is a smart ass sociopath. He is evil (or is he just the absence of all evil and good…Nothing) And he is like something sparkly that I just want to grab and turn round and round until I see every facet.

“The athame has a dull edge because it’s for ceremonial use only. Sir, may I suggest you go home and rest. Rethink your plans.”

“By the way, have you heard what they say?”

“What?”

“Have you heard what they say?”

“I don’t know. What?”

“There’s no rest for the wicked!” Cain stuck out his tongue and shook his head.

He grabbed the athame, jumped on top of the counter, and drove the blade through the saleswoman’s right cheek, veering it upward at the last second.

This book is brutal. It’s not for everyone. You have to really enjoy authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz. But if you like horror, I promise you will like Goodbye Nothing. All of the characters are so colorful and varied. You get to meet a few people in this book, and they are all written beautifully. I really felt like they were right there in front of me. The whole concept of the book is great too. The Nothing is something that is a character in itself. There is some snark and even some dark comedic moments. But the shining star is Cain, and the insane look you get to see into Nothing.

Goodbye Nothing isn't on Amazon YET.  As soon as it is, I will update this review.  Until then, here is Beck's page on Amazon

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Review - Revamp

Review: Goodbye Nothing by Beck Sherman

Title: Goodbye Nothing
Series: No
Author: Beck Sherman
Published: TBA
Format: Ebook provided for review

Since the night of the accident, Cain Emmerick has felt different. Empty. What was important to him—family, friends, his job—doesn't matter anymore. His new life revolves around that Nothing inside of him and the extraordinary highs he gets from committing random acts of violence.

Seventeen-year-old Joey Morgan is blind, but that doesn't stop her from seeing. Something bad is about to happen. Something that could tear her world apart. For Joey, college life isn't quite turning out like she planned, because before good grades, fitting in, and love, comes survival.

I’d read Beck Sherman before, and I thought there was something special there. Now I know for sure. Are you a horror fan? I am. And Goodbye Nothing is a spectacular and horrifying treat. Seriously, Stephen King better look out – it’s that good.

Review/Giveaway: Revamp by Beck Sherman

Title: Revamp
Author: Beck Sherman
Published: March 2012
Format: Ebook provided by author and Bewitching Book Tours for review

FOR THREE DAYS, IT WAS DARK.
News reporters scrambled. This was the biggest story to come along in weeks. 

They called it a blackout. 

The last one was in New York City in 2003, but this one was different, special, because the grids in six major cities across the country had been fried, kaput, see-you-next-Sunday. Everyone with some jurisdiction blamed each other, and when there was no one left to blame, terrorism rode in on its gallant steed. 

It was the media’s fault. They were so busy stuffing fanatical Muslims with a penchant for Allah and decapitations down the American citizen’s throat, that they never saw it coming. I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them. 

They were partially right. 

It was terror after all, but a whole new kind. And when the lights came back on, things had changed. 

The dark had brought us visitors.

"Life doesn't always give us a choice" - Cooper to Emma 

I haven't completely finished this book by the time of posting, although I will have it finished later in the day.  But I wanted to get the post up, and I felt like I've read enough so far that I could give an honest review without blowing sunshine.

This is absolutely a crazy story.  It's like Dawn Of The Dead meets Slumber Party Massacre meets Night of the Comet.  It is a bit apocalyptic, and a bit dark.  The lead female, Emma, is an independent and strong young woman.  She's got a sharp wit and a bit of snark, my favorite combination.

If you woke up and it appeared that everyone was gone, what would you do?  That dilemma happens pretty quick in this story, and it was pretty eerie how it all went down for Emma.  But she is surprisingly tough and she gets herself out of a couple sticky situations, and finally she is "rescued" by Cooper.  And she also picks up a canine companion along the way, naming him Schizo.  These three, while not the only characters in the story, are the ones making it interesting for me.  Of course, Emma has a lot of qualities I like to see in my heroines.  But Cooper definitely carries the hero qualities that I look for too.  My only real complaint about Cooper is that any description I saw of him seemed to fly by, and I have a hard time picturing him in my head.  So the picture I've built of him probably isn't accurate, but it works for me haha.  And then of course Schizo provides some comic relief at some points, and even being a dog, he adds a bit of humanity and gives faith when needed.

"I wanted to go home.  I was drugged, I was hungry, I was angry, I had just committed my first murder, and I was covered in other people's bodily fluids.  California was not at all what I expected."

It is writing like that which will make me snatch a book up.  I love the horror, wit and snark, all rolled into one.  And it is all plentiful in this book.  On top of that, this book isn't about zombies, its about vampires.  That is very different in and of itself.  Usually, as readers, we run to vampires as our sexy and dark heroes.  But in Revamp running to these blood suckers is going to get you killed, and in a bad way.  In the beginning things seem a little off.  People act a bit odd, and some things don't add up.

The thing I like about dystopian and apocalyptic books is that the survivors usually find eachother and rebuild some semblance of past lives.  Revamp does this also, and in a place I've never seen it done.  A storage unit facility.  I love this idea!  Actually, I love it so much that I had to email an apocalypse planner that I know and suggest the idea to her.  Beck Sherman definitely has an original idea here, one that I am definitely going to keep in mind when the times comes!

I'm really enjoying this book on several levels, and I wish that I had picked it up a bit sooner.  It's a longer story, coming in at over 400 pages (although I think I saw 650 somewhere online, but that would depend on ereader formatting, I'm sure)  It definitely doesn't feel like it is that long, it goes quick.  But it is something I didn't realize in the beginning (the length).  But I find that is a good thing (not knowing), because I might have not picked it up at all.  This book won't be in any race for cover love, as far as my opinion goes.  But once you read it, the cover kind of fits the quirky nature of the book. Beck Sherman has a terrific writing style, and things flow well.

So yes, I recommend this book.  If you want a unique storyline, and you want to read about vampires that aren't the object of our desire, then this is a good place to start.  There are some grotesque parts in this book, but hey, that's what makes it better.  The horror element is fantastic, and there is a lot of action. This book works for me with its style, funny quips and comebacks, and there are definitely some touching scenes.  It works for me on every level, actually.  Just consider me a new fan.

Smashwords       Amazon           BN

Please note that this giveaway is tourwide.  Fictional Candy is not responsible for notification or delivery of prize

Prize: Two Print copies of REVAMP, open to US Shipping only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio:

Beck Sherman was born and raised in Massachusetts, studied undergrad at Syracuse University, has a master’s degree in photojournalism from the University of Westminster, London, and when not writing, enjoys exploring abandoned insane asylums and photo-documenting the things that go bump in the night, when they’re kind enough to pose.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13581365-revamp

http://www.becksherman.com/

http://www.facebook.com/revampnovel

http://www.facebook.com/becksherman

https://twitter.com/BeckSherman

Review/Giveaway: Revamp by Beck Sherman

Title: Revamp
Author: Beck Sherman
Published: March 2012
Format: Ebook provided by author and Bewitching Book Tours for review

FOR THREE DAYS, IT WAS DARK.
News reporters scrambled. This was the biggest story to come along in weeks. 

They called it a blackout. 

The last one was in New York City in 2003, but this one was different, special, because the grids in six major cities across the country had been fried, kaput, see-you-next-Sunday. Everyone with some jurisdiction blamed each other, and when there was no one left to blame, terrorism rode in on its gallant steed. 

It was the media’s fault. They were so busy stuffing fanatical Muslims with a penchant for Allah and decapitations down the American citizen’s throat, that they never saw it coming. I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them. 

They were partially right. 

It was terror after all, but a whole new kind. And when the lights came back on, things had changed. 

The dark had brought us visitors.

"Life doesn't always give us a choice" - Cooper to Emma 

I haven't completely finished this book by the time of posting, although I will have it finished later in the day.  But I wanted to get the post up, and I felt like I've read enough so far that I could give an honest review without blowing sunshine.

This is absolutely a crazy story.  It's like Dawn Of The Dead meets Slumber Party Massacre meets Night of the Comet.  It is a bit apocalyptic, and a bit dark.  The lead female, Emma, is an independent and strong young woman.  She's got a sharp wit and a bit of snark, my favorite combination.

If you woke up and it appeared that everyone was gone, what would you do?  That dilemma happens pretty quick in this story, and it was pretty eerie how it all went down for Emma.  But she is surprisingly tough and she gets herself out of a couple sticky situations, and finally she is "rescued" by Cooper.  And she also picks up a canine companion along the way, naming him Schizo.  These three, while not the only characters in the story, are the ones making it interesting for me.  Of course, Emma has a lot of qualities I like to see in my heroines.  But Cooper definitely carries the hero qualities that I look for too.  My only real complaint about Cooper is that any description I saw of him seemed to fly by, and I have a hard time picturing him in my head.  So the picture I've built of him probably isn't accurate, but it works for me haha.  And then of course Schizo provides some comic relief at some points, and even being a dog, he adds a bit of humanity and gives faith when needed.

"I wanted to go home.  I was drugged, I was hungry, I was angry, I had just committed my first murder, and I was covered in other people's bodily fluids.  California was not at all what I expected."

It is writing like that which will make me snatch a book up.  I love the horror, wit and snark, all rolled into one.  And it is all plentiful in this book.  On top of that, this book isn't about zombies, its about vampires.  That is very different in and of itself.  Usually, as readers, we run to vampires as our sexy and dark heroes.  But in Revamp running to these blood suckers is going to get you killed, and in a bad way.  In the beginning things seem a little off.  People act a bit odd, and some things don't add up.

The thing I like about dystopian and apocalyptic books is that the survivors usually find eachother and rebuild some semblance of past lives.  Revamp does this also, and in a place I've never seen it done.  A storage unit facility.  I love this idea!  Actually, I love it so much that I had to email an apocalypse planner that I know and suggest the idea to her.  Beck Sherman definitely has an original idea here, one that I am definitely going to keep in mind when the times comes!

I'm really enjoying this book on several levels, and I wish that I had picked it up a bit sooner.  It's a longer story, coming in at over 400 pages (although I think I saw 650 somewhere online, but that would depend on ereader formatting, I'm sure)  It definitely doesn't feel like it is that long, it goes quick.  But it is something I didn't realize in the beginning (the length).  But I find that is a good thing (not knowing), because I might have not picked it up at all.  This book won't be in any race for cover love, as far as my opinion goes.  But once you read it, the cover kind of fits the quirky nature of the book. Beck Sherman has a terrific writing style, and things flow well.

So yes, I recommend this book.  If you want a unique storyline, and you want to read about vampires that aren't the object of our desire, then this is a good place to start.  There are some grotesque parts in this book, but hey, that's what makes it better.  The horror element is fantastic, and there is a lot of action. This book works for me with its style, funny quips and comebacks, and there are definitely some touching scenes.  It works for me on every level, actually.  Just consider me a new fan.

Smashwords       Amazon           BN

Please note that this giveaway is tourwide.  Fictional Candy is not responsible for notification or delivery of prize

Prize: Two Print copies of REVAMP, open to US Shipping only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio:

Beck Sherman was born and raised in Massachusetts, studied undergrad at Syracuse University, has a master’s degree in photojournalism from the University of Westminster, London, and when not writing, enjoys exploring abandoned insane asylums and photo-documenting the things that go bump in the night, when they’re kind enough to pose.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13581365-revamp

http://www.becksherman.com/

http://www.facebook.com/revampnovel

http://www.facebook.com/becksherman

https://twitter.com/BeckSherman