One Hundred Days is a partially fictionalised account of how Australians were part of winning World War One.

While I found the story to be intriguing and providing some new concepts and ideas about how the Australians were involved with the war, the writing lends itself to a war strategy book, more than a fictional story. 

The characters felt stilted and unnatural. Less like characters and more like people represented by a number of pieces of factual information. For example, each person is introduced by their name, then their physical attributes rattled off in a list-like manner. Hair, eye colour, height and weight (especially when it came to the soldiers). And all the women had meaty/fleshy arses - which annoyed me too.

It was obvious to me, from the writing style that Mark has spent a lot of time working in the IT field, the way sentences were structured and the story flowed, was like a simplified and basic version of something far more complex. Like an IT person trying to write an 'IT for dummies' version of some complex IT issue. This is how the story of One Hundred Days felt. All facts, little emotion, simply written - almost in bullet point (pun not intended). 

This withdrew me, as a reader, from this story. It presented the tale in a clinical and unemotional way, which meant that I felt nothing for the characters. There were points in this story that should have come across as harrowing and highly emotionally charged, but alas, I felt little for the characters and had no emotional connection. 

The writing style aside, this book needs a serious edit. There were a large number of easily fixable issues (a lot listed below), but the one thing that annoyed me the most, was the overuse of the word 'and' to link two otherwise separate ideas together. This was done a lot in dialogue, but it also happened in the other text too. This was most annoying because it made the writing feel strange. People just don't talk like that.

An example from 9% through:
They reached the steps of Flinders Street Station and Alec kissed Dorothy's cheek. "Goodbye sweetheart and thank you for coming out with me."
"Goodbye sweetheart," she said. "Thank you for the evening and I really enjoyed being with you."
Alec stood at the base of the steps and watched until Dorothy disappeared out of sight. It was truly wonderful to have her as part of his life, and maybe one day they could marry. Alec was sure that would happen, and then he would be the luckiest man in the world.

Overall, this was an interesting look at how Australia played its role in WW1, but with little emotional connection with the characters and fundamentally flawed writing, I just can't give this any more than 2 stars. With a good edit, this could be a good addition to war history books, but as it is, it needs a lot of work.

The things I noticed:
9% - ...the war will be over before your (you're twenty-one.
- Then he was then free to go. (Excessive overwriting including dialogue with excessive use of 'and' instead of shorter sentences.
19% - After a week of fine of (delete of) weather....
24% - behind the (delete the) Billy still holding the...
25% - and he was (too) embarrassed (to) recount...
- Repetition of parade ground training came to some use.
30% - ...identifiable (by) their untidy clothing, Random lines and paragraphs from here are bolded text.
32% - ...you seem to be over (t)he worst...
34% - ...eyed the pile (in) his locker...
44% - ...that was bad lack(luck) for Charlie...
46% - ...Martin wondered (what) he was going to do...
68% - The(y) picked him up...
71% - ...cripples/. (Remove /)
81% - the text is italicised for a number of pages when Simone and Martin talk of their histories.
- ...I lived there for four yea(r)s...
89% - I didn't understand." He said in French. (")I really speak English." 
91%- ...the front net(not) yet tested...

**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review**

While the finish of the story on the whole was a little rough around the edges (see things I noticed at the end of the review), the pace was fast enough that the issues didn't detract from the story being told.

Some seriously messed up people in this book, none more so than that creepy little mistress of murder. She's enough to seed nightmares for months.

Horrific in some of its simplicity, Rape Van offers a twisted view into the lives of serial killers. It included some imaginative ideas and sadistic scenes. One wicked little ride that will likely scare the bejesus out of readers and turn stomachs of all but a hardened few gore veterans.

I would have liked more time spent with the victims, it felt a little rushed at times, which detracted from the impact of some of the scenes.

An easy read in one sitting, if you dare.

The first Tim Miller read for me, but it won't be the last.

A few things I noticed:

Pg 9 - ...Why did you do that?" Mar(t)in screamed.
Pg 21 - Mar(t)in had gone completely hysterical...
Pg 56 - ...I'll get in(it) in the oven...
Pg 61 - chapter 6 needs to be on a new page.
Pg 189 - The(y) did pull back some, at least.

My first Shane McKenzie book and while not as disturbing as I was expecting, still enough gore and violence to keep me reading.

I didn't love nor hate this, but I can't really fault it either because it is what it is. Graphic horrific content. I felt a little removed from the action in this, almost as if I were a spectator behind glass. It might have been the character and my inability to relate to him, more than any writing style or technique.

Certainly not for those with weak stomachs or sympathetic vomiters, Fat off sex and violence should intrigue as much as it disturbs with its graphic content and explosive conclusion.

I'm keen to see what else Shane has on offer, this will not be the last of his I read.

Looking for a night time tale to put you off to sleep? Well don't pick this one up
You'll be in for nightmares.

Full of short stories and poetry of the darkest nature I've read in a long time, Cupid in Bondage will not fail to deliver if you want gore and erotica in the same breath.

My favourite (if you could call it that), was by far Larger than God, despite the gruesome occurrences, the writing was divine (pun totally intended). Some of the poetry also was a glorious look at the macabre. Sickening was my favourite poem. Sexxxy was an interesting idea, despite the rather lurid descriptions.

I was extremely pleased to see a raft of different types of characters, including age, body type, sex, race, and kinks. And the varying POV from top to bottom, male and female was a delightful mix.

The further into the book you go, the further down the rabbit hole you go, the more grotesque and extreme the stories. It got to the point where I wasn't enjoying the reading, merely observing it as I read. The actions of the characters so far outside of the realm of my reality it placed it into the realm of complete fantasy.

Definitely not for those who are squeamish or value keeping their lunch down. Cupid in Bondage should only be read by adults who want to experience erotic gore and horror at fever pitch.

After trying to slog through Fantastes, and only succeeding to get to 30% because of the heaviness of the old language, switching to Jagannath was a fantastic relief. Especially when I realised that the writing style was light and playful, with loads of action that was to the point and active.

I liked the characters, Kimi and Lily, and I especially liked the importance of the canine friends too. The male cast was lacking in substance as far as I was concerned. There were plenty of them, but they played far smaller roles in the story and this became a problem when it came to characters to kill off.

The plot was engaging and while the characters dragged themselves from crisis to crisis, I found myself cheering them on. The down side to all this turmoil was that there wasn't really enough down time to get to know the characters all that well. When partners and loved ones died, I wasn't really sad because of this. It lacked the emotional connection with the reader.

If fast-paced sci-fi is your thing, then certainly try this one on for size. The tone and light conversation made it easy to read. The age of Lily (one of the main characters) really dictated the tone and voice of the piece, with some sex scenes lightly brushed over, not graphic or detailed.

Some readers have marked this as horror, but in the grand scheme of things, I found it neither horrifying nor thrilling. Perhaps this is due to the adult horror books I've read. I wouldn't consider this horror, though there was some slightly graphic descriptions of death scenes. I didn't find it overly graphic, nor too far past what is depicted in computer games these days. I believe this means it'd be suitable for most teen readers.

I didn't find any typos or errors, which is a big plus, but ultimately I felt the lack of emotional connection with the characters let this book down. It was enjoyable and engaging, but didn't allow enough reader connection.

**Note: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review**