Apr 13

Apr 13 {Book Matchmaker} Matt Wants Books with Action, Sex and Violence

Okay, okay… so that headline is a tad inflammatory, but since I’ve known our latest Book Matchmakervictim volunteer since we were freshmen at good ol’ Canby High School, I’m going to take the opportunity to embarrass Matt, a fan of urban fantasy, adventure and Star Wars, just a bit.

Side note: when we were in high school I knew that Matt was nerdy, but I had no idea how incredibly nerdy he was until he filled out our Extremely Scientific Questionnaire. I mean, we were both in the Advanced Nerding Classes, but still… ;-)

Matt’s responses:

YA or Adult: Surprise Me

Genres: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller, Magical Realism

Narrator/Style: First Person, Third Person, Multiple POV, Graphic Novel or Graphic Elements, Present Tense, Past Tense, Male POV, Main Character or Narrator, Female POV, Main Character or Narrator

Swoon Factor: 2

Gross Out Factor: 4

Smut Factor: 4

Fluff Factor: 4

Fave Authors: Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, Vicki Pettersson: Sign of the Zodiac, Hunger Games, The Call of the Wild, Harry Potter, the Star Wars novels. I am a guy: I like action, sex and some violence in my stories. I am also a tad whimsical, and like to believe there is more out there than what we see in our everyday life.

Dislikes: Victorian, Elizabethan, anything that doesn’t use common language; I don’t care much about nonfiction; I read to be entertained and “turn my brain off.” Twilight makes me want to throw up because it’s too teenage-girl-angsty. No horror, please.

The Results:

Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts Series (Adult Urban Fantasy)

Dude. This series. It’s completely effed up and awesome, as it follows drug-addicted witch and ghost hunter Chess during the Ghost Apocalypse. This is a rough series, with Serious Consequences™ around every corner.

{Buy at Amazon | Kindle (only $.99 right now!) | BN}

Holly Black’s Curseworkers Series (YA Urban Fantasy)

The final book, Black Heart, in this phenomenal trilogy was just released, so Matt won’t be left waiting for the next installment. Cassiel, the narrator and main character is fascinating—he comes from a family of grifters with magical powers. This YA series is very mature, so I never hesitate in recommending it to adults.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

Yes, this is the German cover—the only one acknowledged on this blog.

Meljean Brook’s Heart of Steel

I checked with Matt to make sure he owns an ereader before including this on the list—the American cover is just that bad. The second in Meljean Brook’s Iron Seas series is heaps of fun, but it suffers from Horrifically Bad and Colossally Embarrassing Cover Syndrome. So, yeah… Anyway, this is great escapist reading with a fabulous caper plot that will appeal to both men and women. (Laura and I both suggest avoiding the first in this series, however.)

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (YA Fantasy-ish)

You want whimsy and magic? Check! Action and adventure? Check! Killer water horses? Check! Oh, wait… that wasn’t on the list, was it? Anyway, The Scorpio Races was one of my favorite books of 2010 and it’s absolutely unique.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

Arcadia Bell Series by Jenn Bennett

Kindling the Moon was one of my favorite urban fantasy releases of 2010 and I just finished an ARC of the sequel (out later this month) of the sequel, Summoning the Night. Think urban fantasy with a whole lot of heart, plus an interesting magical world of wizards and demons and a healthy dash of good humor. It’s fun combination.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

Unbound Series by Rachel Vincent (Adult Urban Fantasy)

I’ve recommended this one a lot, but regardless, this is one ticks a lot of Matt’s boxes: gritty, magical, ass-kicking and some sexytimes. The sequel’s out soon, too and I’m sure it’ll be as twisted and unputdownable as the first.

{Buy at Amazon | Kindle (under $5!) | BN}

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (Steampunk)

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t like this book, but I am really not a steampunk fan. However, my husband really, really liked this steampunk adventure set in an alternate 19th century Seattle and I think Matt will enjoy it as well. Also: You can’t go wrong with zombies.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

Unwind by Neal Shusterman (YA Futuristic/Dystopian)

Oh, boy… this book is messed up. Set in a totalitarian world in the aftermath of the Second Civil War which was waged over reproductive rights, this is a bit of a heavy book. However, the writing is extremely concise and the journey the characters take to escape their terrifying circumstances is as engaging as any road trip novel.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

Eric Garcia’s Anonymous Rex Series (Adult Crime/Dectective Fiction)

This is a crazyass series about a private investigator who gets tangled up with the Mafia. Oh, except the PI is actually a dinosaur and so are the mobsters—and they’re all addicted to basil. Yep, this trilogy is that awesome.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

George Pelecanos’ Nick Stefanos Series (Adult Crime/Mystery/Detective)

All of Pelecanos’ novels—set in Washington, DC, but not the political DC, the real DC—are fantastic, but I suspect that Matt would really enjoy Pelecanos’ earliest books about Nick Stefanos, an electronics salesman-turned reluctant investigator. I actually prefer the second novel, Nick’s Trip, but you’ve got to read this series in order.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

The Tomorrow Series by John Marsden (YA Action/Adventure)

This is one of my favorite series ever, in any genre. Marsden is an Australian author and this seven book series about a group of teenage friends out in the Outback during a foreign invasion is fabulous—there are explosions, fighting and more explosions. It’s also got great, long story-arc about friendship that is incredibly compelling and makes it stand out.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Adult Fantasy)

Laura highly recommends The Magicians for Matt, as it is a coming of age story with lots of magic (obviously, given the name) and plenty of angst.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

Blackbirds by Chuck Wending (Adult Urban Fantasy)

Laura is reading an ARC of this one right now (it comes out in a couple weeks) and she says, “It’d be right up Matt’s alley. Sex! Violence! Profanity! Woooooo!”

{Preorder Blackbirds: Amazon}

The first three Emberverse Books by S.M. Stirling [Dies the Fire, The Protector’s War, & A Meeting at Corvallis] (Adult SciFi/Fantasy)

Laura also thinks that Matt would enjoy reading these novels as a trilogy (though the series suffers from Never Ending Series Syndrome). These first three books deal with the immediate aftermath of an unexplained event the renders technology useless. Plus, it’s set in the Willamette Valley!

{Buy at Amazon | BN}

Blood & Bullets by James Tuck (Adult Urban Fantasy)

I’ll admit it: none of us at CEFS have gotten around to reading this one yet (though it’s wasting away on both Laura’s and my Kindles). However, it’s about an occult bounty hunter who owns a strip club. So, I’m going to go ahead a say it’ll be a win for Matt.

{Buy at Amazon | BN}