I Am Not a Serial Killer

I Am Not a Serial Killer: John Cleaver, Book 1 by Dan Wells

After meeting somebody that knew they author, I decided to check out his first book. It is a book involving supernatural horror, which is usually something that I don't care much for. However, this is well grounded in reality and psychological exploration which makes it good. The protagonist, John Wayne Cleaver is obsessed with serial killers. He also has difficulty relating with people and has been diagnosed with psychological conditions. His family owns a mortuary in the small town, so they are familiar with deaths. After mysterious deaths take place in the town, he becomes intrigued. He chases things down and discovers that their peaceful next door neighbor is actually some sort of demon that can replace parts of his body with parts from other people. (The neighbor could also consume others in their entirety. However, he has fallen in love with his current wife and wants to continue it.) John regular does chores for the neighbors, and thus sees their peaceful existence. However, he also tracks down his activities to see the neighbor's demon behavior. Eventually, he helps to defeat the neighbor, but not after many people have died. It is an intriguing story as he finds out more about himself as he works to stop the crime.

Dark One: Forgotten

Forgotten is told in the podcast format. It works great as an audiobook. (It is currently an audiobook only release - I only added some of the narrators to the tags) An NYU student tries to trace the case of a forgotten virtuoso musician that everybody forgot about. Even her own mother can't remember her. As they dig into the case, the discover other artists that have died in LA and been totally forgotten. Eventually they discover the killer and music box of forgetting. Alas, they become forgotten also, yet not dead. This actually gives them special abilities. (What could you do if people would not recall your existence as soon as you left their sight?) 

Ruins: Partials, Book 3

The battle between the partials and the humans heats up. They discover what can allow each other to live together, but don't want to make the change. It turns out that a well-meaning plan to "protect" the new species has actually led to the current apocalypse. We also learn more about the "blood man" who cuts off people's fingers and takes their blood. (It turns out he has some grand intentions, and some history with the female protagonist.) The novel includes plenty of action (including a battle in a bombed out mall.) However, the conclusion feels very rushed. What does become of the world?

Fragments: Partials, Book 2

Partials were a genetically engineered species, initially focussed on military prowess. They were similar to humans, but were treated as machines. Alas, things didn't turn out so well. A giant virus swept through humanity that made it impossible for infants to leave beyond birth. Most of the human population were wiped out. Partials also faced an imminent "expiration" that would lead to their destruction. And the two sides hated each other.

In this second book, partials and humans are both working together and trying to kill each other. The narrative centers on a hybrid girl who is on the human side. She has lived with humans, but has partial characteristics. She tries to find the "cure" by searching the office of the biotech company that helped launch the partials. She finds the IT director who believes himself to be the last human. He has gone a little bit crazy after living alone for a dozen years. However, when talking about work, he suddenly "wakes up" and becomes more fluent.

They go on a quest to find more information. It takes then from New York to Chicago to the west. They eventually find a human population that is living safely alone. They have knowledge of the cause and the cure. Alas, it was not want they desire to here.

There is a message of unintended consequences. A few rogue people with power can cause extreme issues for the remainder of the population.

Partials

Partials is yet another YA post apocalyptic novel. Humans created "partials" to help fight wars. These part-human/part robot creatures eventually turned on their human overlords. They unleashed a virus that wiped out much of the population. The novel centers on a society based in Long Island that thinks of itself as the last remnant of human civilization. They require every woman over the age of 18 to be perpetually pregnant in hopes of birthing a baby immune to the virus. Alas, the babies rarely live more than a few days. We follow the trail of a young medic and her friends who seek to find a partial in order to discover a cure. They eventually get the partial. She studies it and she (of course) becomes friends with him. However, they discover that they were pawns in a power grab by the controlling Senate. They see this as a great opportunity to declare martial law. Our heroes then escape and team with the partial to cure the virus. Only they discover a few more things in the process. The novel ties things up with peace, but leaves a large number of open threads for the sequel.

Here it is a virus connected to androids that were released for a war. In Maze Runner, it was a virus unleashed by the government after a climate catastrophe. It looks like there is a lot of concern with man manipulating viruses. This novel does seem to have a somewhat more idealistic version of the "last man standing". People just occupy whatever building they find convenient, and scavenge from the resources available. They seem to have some bits of technology remaining, and have coerced into a civilization. Though, alas, it is one that veered into totalitarianism and spawned a resistance. The resistance, however, ends up being much different than expected.