Massimo Marino

This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.


Many thanks to the author for gifting me this book in exchange for a review.

DAIMONES is unusual because it’s a thinking man’s science fiction story. The plot is familiar; aliens annhilating the population of Earth, save a few chosen ones. The difference here is that the main characters realize the implications of why it occurred and understand that they need to adapt.

Marino’s writing style is descriptive and puts you directly into the deserted world. Familiar landmarks such as the CERN building fall silent as they are devoid of human life. Nature slowly takes over, as weeds and animal life proliferate, even as Dan and his family despair of ever coming in contact with another human.

This strength is also his weakness. In Book One, most of the first half is taken up by more of the same: empty malls, stores, roads without traffic, and many conversations between the survivors about “why did this happen” and “what can we do”. I grew weary of the minimal action and navel gazing. Yes, it is an apocalyptic event, but the pace was quite slow until Laura was discovered and welcomed into the family. Perhaps Marino spent so much detail on the abandoned Earth because he really wanted to drive the point home of how it would be if everyone vanished. He firmly establishes the POV of the novel as a lonely, eerie, and hushed place to be. The world struck dumb is not an easy thing to imagine, especially if you live in a crowded area. As I read, I certainly felt the sense of alone-ness growing around me, as I simultaneously felt cut off from the planet yet annoyed that the book wasn’t moving forward fast enough for me.

When things do start happening, everything speeds up all at once. Dan and his wife encounter a moral dilemma, daughter Annah is going through her young adult years realizing she may never have someone to love, and Dan starts to experience vague “feelings” that they are not alone anymore. Annah’s plight resonated deeply with me; I can’t even imagine being a teen, cut off from friends and Facebook, wondering if the future holds anything promising. Excellent touch by the author!

The final section of the book is where Marino uses his alien characters to wax poetic about the future of the Earth and its population. One speech in particular is a kind of soapbox that will resonate with those who care about the prevalence of man’s hubris and over-reaching grasp. The cause of the mass kill off is explained, with the caveat that it can be prevented again with the proper actions. I liked how history was tied in with the narrative; it made it believeable and relevant.

DAIMONES is not a book to quickly read and put aside. The author wants to call attention to man’s actions and reactions, and the effects they have upon our life. Those readers who like a little brain stimulation with their sci-fi will have something to ponder as they get through this book.… (mais)

I’ll get this out upfront, if you’re looking for an ‘end of life as we know it’ book that checks the blocks by featuring zombies and all their accompanying mayhem, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking for a novel in this genre that makes the possibility of such things happens you need to read this.
Having read all three books in this trilogy, and actually delaying my review until I had not only read them but owned them, I am only going to be featuring book one, as this is a good place to start. I may at some point in the future review the other two. I’m also going explain my reasoning behind giving this book a 4 thumbs review, even though it could have quite easily gained that extra thumb; it was the main protagonist and his actions well into the book, he disappointed me so much that I felt he was the cause that I could not award this novel 5 thumbs.

The main protagonist in this book is a man such as any you may meet in the place you live; he has a job that he promptly loses in the first few pages, a loving wife and an adoring daughter. His only knowledge of the events that happen in the course of the book are gleaned from movies he’s watched, this in itself makes him and his family real. Most people reading this book will only have Hollywood to pull from when it comes to dealing with events such as these, and actually having the character in a book state this makes them, and their subsequent actions (to a point) believable and acceptable. The main character is written well and given all the traits we find in those we come into contact with on a daily basis. I felt a connection with this man and his family, but that all changed after his misdeed and I found myself wondering if his previous actions had been based on deception and insincerity too. His spouse, although as well written and detailed as the main character became, at times, very wearing on my nerves and I felt that I really wanted to give her a good shake to make her wake up to what was happening. The daughter of the family was written to portray perfectly that resilience children seems to have in the most difficult of situations; after her initial shock over events she quickly became an integral part of the survival of her family, more than her Mother did in some cases.

This book started out with events that we read about in the newspapers each day, and set the tone for a thoughtful look at what is rapidly becoming a worn out genre. Setting the book in an area other than North America was refreshing and also an indication that should terrible things happen, they are not just going to affect the residents of the continental United States. I thoroughly enjoyed the locations and reading about them took me back to the time we spent in this area, so much so that I felt an ache over the devastation described to some of these beautiful places.

If you are looking for an ‘intelligent’ take on the end of humanity, this is definitely a book that you will want to read. It is not fast paced and full of gory action, but lays things out as it could be. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, if not for the bad life choices made by the main character, if would definitely have made a 5 thumbs rating. If you want to find out whether he redeems himself, you will have to read all three books.



Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2015/09/14/review-daimones-daimones-trilogy-1-massimo...





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… (mais)

No, sorry, Sig. Marino, I wasn’t very keen on this collection of five short (very, very short) stories. They were dark, violent, creepy and unsettling. They left a rather bad taste in my mouth.

The aim, I think, was to show that love isn’t always expressed conventionally; you know, with roses, champagne and diamonds. That expression can sometimes take a hideously twisted, murderous route. Psychopaths don’t usually have intentions with good outcomes.

I thought the stories just a tad too short. No sooner had they got going, they ended. They were rather bumpy…didn’t flow at all well. I found myself checking I was still in the same story and hadn't moved on to the next.

I think I need a very corny, clichéd chick lit now to restore my mind to its former pure and angelic state.… (mais)