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There was a Man-Booker nominee from Iraq, Frankenstein in Baghdad. Reviews said it's more philosophical than straight on horror (though there is a Frankenstein-like monster in it). I haven't read it yet, but it does give you Iraq!Cambodia setting in a mystery series, starting with this (imo) solid novel: The Coroner's Lunch And I love the Giles Blunt Ontario mystery series, which has such a strong sense of place; brilliant title, Forty Words for Sorrow, but I think I felt even more immersed in Canada in Black Fly Season. Similarly powerful in putting me in the setting, this time in dry Australia: The Lost Man
Good luck getting the 80!
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Thanks Zora. I actually have The Coroners Lunch somewhere; so that might be an option. I have not heard of Frankenstein in Baghdad, but I am wondering if it is like Albert Camus' The Plague, which was more philosophical, as well.
Thanks for your ideas, I will definitely look into those. Thanks, Zora!
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Cape Town (South Africa)
Review 3.5-4 Stars
Entertaining, YA-dystopian world full of zombies(??). Our MC Lele is full of teen angst and bitterness as life hands her lemons; from the death of her beloved grandmother, to changing schools and living wih her distant father and the stepmother (fill in your own adjective). I ended liking this character, which helps; because she is not some moonstruck teenager with a debilitating crush on every guy she sees. It seems as if the romance is kind of an afterthought and just thrown in the mix, and that is okay by me.
The crux of the story is that Lily is "chosen" as an offering to the ruling group, for basically keeping humans safe in this zombiefied world. When she decides that this will not be her fate, is when the story actually picks up a bit. At first, you wonder how these young folk can fight so well?? Sure, they practice, but what else is going on?? We find out towards the end, who and what the guardians are..... kinda.
This book is not like the Hunger Games, as the blurb states on the front of the book and damn sure not like Twilight, as some lame reviewer states on the back of the book (that was just weird). I think this is more like the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Take from that what you will.
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Completed: Appointment with Death
3 Stars.
I did not guess "whodunit"... typical Hercule Poirot.
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Completed: The Midwich Cuckoos
Review 4 Stars
There is nothing more I can say, that hasn't already been said.
This was a wonderfully written, early science fiction novel of a different kind of invasion. Imagine an alien ship lands/crashes/passes your town. Even before you can register its existence, you pass out, along with your entire town. You all wake up uninjured, but all women of child-bearing age; are pregnant!?? What the fluff, man!!?? The children born are alien, but not in a traditional sense. They are born bearing identical likeness and mannerisms (there is a political and moral issue being told here; not the least being eugenics). They also possess unworldly eyes; gold in color... and they have power. Brute physical force is not used, but the mental, which is even scarier. Imagine harming yourself, but not wanting to, but due to no will of your own; completing the task??
This book progressively ramps up in tone, but not the pacing, and the children's power, will and actual plan come about. I mean, much of the book is what we presume is supposition and conjecture on the behalf of MC Zellaby (we are wrong, somewhat). He likes to hear himself talk; but truth be told, he makes compelling arguments about the children and their true selves (motives). In the end, he "gets" it.
I highly recommend this reading; and no; it is not like The Day of the Triffids. This is a different world and a different type of monster. Enjoyable, nonetheless
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England (UK)
Review 4 Stars
There is nothing more I can say, that hasn't already been said.
This was a wond..."
Another of my Wyndham favorites.
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..and now, one of mine. So far, I have enjoyed everything i've read. Woot!
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Roadside Picnic
3 Stars
Meh. Many have given this 4 and 5 stars; and I really don't care. At best; when I was actually engaged; it was 3.5 Stars.
This place, this zone; has a dystopian feel and meanders through a story told by a thief(??). Red goes to alien drop zones, grabs items and sells them on the black market. For the most part, this world has no idea how these alien items work, and everyone is just flying by the seat of their pants trying to find some human use for them. That's all I got. I was glad when it was over. I cannot believe I pushed myself to finish it; but it wasn't horrible. 🤔😐
This is only my opinion. I still would recommend, because I can see why some might like it. Not really, but it's nice to say. .......
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Completed: On the Beach
4 Stars
As frustrating as the beginning of this book was, I can now see the beauty of it. I see why this is a love it or hate book. We can't get past the decency and complacency of people who know the time of their deaths. We don't understand why no one is angry, violent, or thoughtless. We believe that acting inhuman a la Walking Dead is the way to go out. It is not.
This is a simple story of life at it's end. When humans have dealt out all the aforementioned violence it could muster, and we are left with rot and ruin. The only thing you have left is your humanity. Love, and love hard. Be normal; til it hurts. Drink wine on the porch and play with the baby.
This was expertly written, and the story from beginning to end is tender, thoughtful and sweet.
Highly recommended. Do not read if you want action, violence and brutality.
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3 Stars
Meh. Many have given this 4 and 5 stars; and I really don't care. At best; when I was actually engaged; it was..."
I bought this last year. Thanks for your comments.
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LOL; I really tried, Bill. I think my expectations were not what this book needed. I should have read more reviews before reading. I usually don't read reviews prior to reading a book, just so I don't go in biased; but I think reviews were needed. 😐
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Completed: I Remember You
4.5 Stars
A story that starts off simple enough, and ends in a quagmire of lies, deceit, trauma and things long forgotten.
3 friends purchase an old home in a remote village, hoping to turn a profit and create memories. Too bad the house has memories of its' own. These memories and unsettling spirit that roams free, makes sweet memories impossible to create. So, we are left in the cold and dark, just like these 'friends.' (take note)
On a separate, but is it really; plot line, we have a psychiatrist dealing with his own loss. His son went missing and was never found. He moves through life like a ghostly apparition, never confronting the truth (take note) and dealing with the consequences. A 3rd (maybe) plot-line is the deaths of elderly folk who went to school together after another child went missing. Of course, this was 45+ years ago, so what does that have to do with anything?? Everything.
The author weaves these missing children, the deaths and this old house across the water with ease. It is all very unsettling, because the truth is right there. You can almost see it. It unsettles and then frightens you in its horror. When you learn the truth, it gives you answers, but not peace. The end pissed me off. Like what? Hence, the 1/2 star loss.
This book actually creeped me out and I had to stop reading it at night before bed. This was a great ghost story. Highly recommended
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Moon
3 Stars
There is a serial killer on the lose, and the moon calls to "it." Our MC Childes has telepathy and can see/feel what the killer feels. Sounds good, right?
The main character is a typical 80s f**k-boy. He was a married man with a child, worked corporate, some issues pop up and he can't deal, so he runs from his issues, family and makes another life with another woman; AND, no one holds him accountable; not even the ex-wife. I found the murderer more fascinating. Now; that I think about it, 3 stars is a better rating.
This book was written in '85, so the sexist and idiocy of the plot as it deals with women; is par for the course, as I expect nothing less. The 80s was forging ahead with more women in the workplace, unlike the 70s, where women were just trying to exist as human and not just a walking womb. So, if you go in understanding the times and the author, then this is like an 80s b-movie on the mild horror side. Stereotypical, misogyny-light, but not really. It is what it is.
I don't get offended very easily; so, I enjoyed it for what it was as a horror novel; but if you took the horror or supernatural element out; the book would suck and piss me off more than just making me irritated.
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Snow Angels
3.5 Stars
Mood: Meh
Nordic Noir. A brutal murder of a rising star. Then things get very complicated.
This was brutal in more ways than one. The reader is left in the dark about specifics in the case; just a lot of jaw-jacking by the MC Vaara. Of course, Kaamos has started, which is total darkness in Finland; we are also dealing with brutal cold, brutal and old ways of thinking by Finnish as it relates to black people and POCs; and how they deal with each other. It doesn't help that the first victim is Ethiopian.
The MC is likable enough and his wife is.... I don't know. She's american, doesn't know the language, AT ALL, and is pregnant. *sigh* I refuse to explain how she came to be in Finland or how they got into a relationship. I will say that most of the interpersonal relationships are so dysfunctional, that they turned me off.
Now, the actual murder mystery and the many twists and turns; saved the story for me. Trying to figure out who, what, and for pete's sake; why; kept me reading. All the dysfunction of these people and their relationships with themselves and each other, is why the initial murder happened. Crazy sh**.
As I have stated many times before, I don't offend easily. Folks get real bothered by racism, as do I; but as an actual black person, the use of the N-Word in the novel, is light-weight compared to actually living with racism daily. Take from that what you want.
If the use of the word is a complete turn-off, then do not read. If you are able to look past ignorance, then this can be a decent read so we can move on to the next.
This is NOT like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!!
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Falling Down Books 1-6.
(Cover for complete set, even though I read them individually - eBook)4 Stars overall
Mercenaries stranded on an isolated mountain range after a plane crash. The find sanctuary (LOL) in an ancient ruin that even wolves won't enter.... Yeah, what could go wrong??
Mmm, one of the soldiers finds a chamber with too skeletal guards holding watch. Over a pit. With an iron box. I don't think its treasure. All hell breaks loose when whatever is in the box, is set free.
Horror, Vampires
On The Same Page
Books mentioned in this topic
The Garden of Burning Sand (other topics)Swimming with the Dead (other topics)
Privateers (other topics)
Jamaica Rum (other topics)
The Ashgabat Verdict (other topics)
More...
Only 1 rule; the books take place in other countries; doesn't matter where the author is from, but would hopefully be from the same place. **This will take years to complete, as I am trying 80 books from 80 countries... yikes! Great mention; most of these are mystery or horror. If you have suggestions or know of horror from other countries, let me know!!
Websites I am using: http://itsallaboutbooks.de/2015/12/ch...
Mystery Readers International http://mysteryreaders.org/journal-index/
Mysteries by world setting
http://momssmallvictories.com/around-...
PEN Atlas http://www.englishpen.org/pen-atlas-h...
Showcases international authors
Politics & Prose: http://www.politics-prose.com/fiction...
List of fiction books by country
https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/th...
From Bill - http://bighugelabs.com/map.php (Thanks!)
From Ann - www.nationsonline.org (Thanks, Ann!!!)
This is a working list. I will try to list country/continent first.
ATW Challenge:
Afghanistan - And the Mountains Echoed OR The Drifter
✅Algeria -
The Plague✅Antarctica -
Beneath the Dark Ice✅Argentina -
Fever Dream5 Stars✅Australia -
On the Beach4 StarsAustria - A Death in Vienna OR The Third Man OR Blackout: A Techno-Thriller
Azerbaijan (Former USSR) - The Colonel's Mistake OR Siro (Thriller) OR Fantastic Voyage: Microcosm (Sci-Fi)
Baltics - (Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania) - Time Heals No Wounds OR The Last Book Smuggler
✅Bankok, Thailand -
Bangkok 8✅Barcelona, Spain -
The Shadow of the WindBelgium - Styx OR The Square of Revenge
Benin, W. Africa - Instruments of Darkness OR Will Do Magic for Small Change OR Dubaku
Brazil - And Still the Earth (Sci-Fi) OR The Silence of the Rain (Mystery, Thriller)
Brunei - The Last Bastion of Ingei: Imminent - Thriller, Environmental (1st in series) OR Flash Factor (Thriller)
Bolivia - Turing's Delirium OR You Glow in the Dark - Horror, SS
Bosnia - The Unquiet Dead (Mystery) OR Mars (Sci-Fi)
Botswana - A Carrion Death *Owned* OR The Living Blood *Owned*
✅British Columbia (CA) -
The RiverBulgaria - The Historian OR The Mask of Dimitrios (Thriller, Espionage)
Cameroon - The Informationist OR The Crystal World (Sci-Fi)
Cambodia - The Killing Fields OR The Cambodian Book of the Dead OR The Honourable Schoolboy (#7)
✅ Canary Islands - Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
Caribbean - Hawke OR On Stranger Tides 3.5 Stars
✅Channel Islands -
Moon3 StarsChina - Valley of Terror (horror) OR She Who Became the Sun (Fantasy)
✅Columbia -
Fever Dream4 Stars✅Czech Republic -
Daughter of Smoke & BoneDenmark - Three Dog Night OR The Library of Shadows (Mystery, Books-about-Books)
Easter Island - Murder on Easter Island: A Daniel "Hawk" Fishinghawk Mystery
✅Egypt -
Death on the Nile✅England -
The Midwich Cuckoos✅Ethiopia -
The Living Blood✅France -
Scarlet✅Finland -
Snow Angels3.5 Stars✅Germany -
The Hangman's DaughterGreece - Deadline in Athens OR Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach Horror
Greenland - The Girl Without Skin OR Seven Graves One Winter - (crime, thriller/#1 in series) OR Lemuria (Sci-Fi, Thriller #1)
Honduras - The Codex OR The Last Crypt
Hungary - Solaris (Also Poland) OR Budapest noir Mystery, Noir (1st in series)
✅Iceland -
I Remember YouIndia - Sacred Games OR River of Gods Sci-Fi
✅Indonesia -
The Island of Dr. MoreauIraq - The Fist of God - Espionage (1st in series) OR They Came to Baghdad - Mystery
Iran - Dark Rising OR The Wrath and the Dawn YA, Fantasy
Ireland - The Ghosts of Belfast OR The Cold Cold Ground (Mystery)
✅Israel -
Appointment with Death✅Italy -
The Shape of WaterJapan - The Honjin Murders OR Orbital Cloud
Kazakhstan - Time of the Twins - Fantasy (#1) OR A Shadow Intelligence
Kenya - Kirinyaga (Sci-Fi/SS) OR Bait OR Ghosts of Tsavo (Para/Ghosts, Mystery)
✅Kolyma, Russia -
The Secret SpeechKorea - The Vegetarian OR The Plotters (Thriller)
✅ Kyrgyzstan/Turkistan -
Falling Down (series)4 Stars OverallLaos - The Coroner's Lunch OR Laos File
✅La Paz, Mexico -
The Pearl✅London -
NeverwhereMorocco - The Jinn OR The Serpent's Daughter (#3)
✅Moscow -
Night WatchNew Zealand - Cloud Atlas OR Old School Tie OR The Luminaries
✅Nigeria -
The Visit✅North Korea -
A Corpse in the Koryo✅Norway -
The RedbreastOntario - Forty Words for Sorrow OR Delicious Monsters YA, Horror
Pakistan - Fire Boy OR Exit West
Panama - Origin (horror) OR Gunshot Straight (Thriller)
✅Poland -
The Last Wish✅Portugal -
Death With Interruptions✅Puerto Rico, V.I. -
Precinct Puerto RicoQuebec, Canada - Still Life(mystery) OR Children of the Black Sabbath (horror)
✅Romania -
Children of the NightRussia - The Kill Switch OR Shadow and Bone
✅Scotland -
The Black Book✅Singapore -
Inspector Zhang Gets His WishSlovakia - Siren of the Waters OR Death City YA, Dystopian
✅South Africa -
DeadlandsSudan - Who Fears Death
✅Sweden -
Faceless KillersTaiwan - The Uninvited (Horror) OR Natural Beauty (Horror)
Thailand - The Windup Girl (Sci-Fi) OR Spirit House (Mystery)
✅Toronto, ON -
Station ElevenTrinidad/Tobago - Veterans of the Psychic Wars OR Kaya Abaniah and the Father of the Forest (Both Sci-fi/Fantasy)
Turkey - Ararat (Horror) OR Sailing to Sarantium - Fantasy, HF
Turkmenistan - The Expendable Man OR The Ashgabat Verdict (Thriller)
Venezuela - The Lost World (Sci-Fi) OR Privateers (Sci-Fi)(1st in series) OR Jamaica Rum (Pirates)
Virgin Islands - Sea Hunter (Thriller) OR Swimming with the Dead (Cozy mystery)
Zambia - The Old Drift OR The Garden of Burning Sand Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Need to add West African Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.