Review written: Sunday 15th January 2012

Working Stiff by Rachel Caine

I’ve put a read more thing as I don’t want to spoil anything. I also touch on the Morganville Vampires & Weather Warden series.

You have been warned.
I apologise for advance for any grammar/spelling mistakes. I’m supposed to be reading about Jefferson for American Studies right now….

I’ve read Morganville Vampires.
I stand by the fact that they are the greatest vampire books I have ever read.
I also stand by the fact that Shane Collins is the greatest fictional male I’ve ever come across - and I have come across a great many in the young adult genre as well as in the other random books I’ve read. [Second place goes to Maxim De Winter, from Du Maurier’s Rebecca and joint third gets given to Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights fame & Charlotte Bronte’s Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre. - dark brooding men, they get my vote]

I’ve read the Weather Warden series.
The whole concept of the books is nothing I’ve read before and when picking up the first novel, it was refreshing not to read about vampires/angels/fairies/werewolves/other paranormal creatures even if I do enjoy books about them greatly.
I also found David remarkably amazing/attractive/wonderful/yum (Wait a second, there is a theme here….)

Now, I can say I’ve started to read the Revivalist series, a new twist on the zombie genre.
One thing I find remarkably amazing about Caine is that she can take an idea and make it entirely her own. Her MV novels are based on more than just romance, her WW novels are based on more than anything I’ve come across and yes, you guessed if, her Revivalist series, so far, appears to be more than ‘I zombie. I eat brains.’

I’ve not read many zombie novels - the only series I’ve read is Daniel Water’s Generation Dead series which is fantastic. Seriously. My zombie apocolypse plan is based on this book. Water’s books also differ from the original zombie genre.
But wait a second, what is the original zombie genre I hear you cry! Well, my understanding is that they eat brains and start from either rising from the dead or being a mutation due to some disease or scientific experiement gone wrong. Think Shaun of the Dead, think The Walking Dead.

Revivalist zombies are different. They are simply people who have been brought back to life by injection thoughtfully provided by the Pharmadene Pharmaceuticals. Or not so thoughtfully. You see, nasty things happen if you do not get a daily injection as seen on page 311 (not for the weak stomached, this is your warning). And our heroine, Bryn Davis has had the fortune to give life another shot….with a two week deadline, sinister goings on and a company to bring down. It was a case of wrong place, wrong time - first day working in a mortuary, her boss was selling these injections for lots of monies, really creepy co-worker who I feel needs a good shower, you get the idea.

Now, Caine writes a very good female main character. And I mean very good. My feminist self often shudders at female characters, especially in teen books where they ALWAYS SEEM TO NEED A BOYFRIEND. Yes, her characters are in relationships but that doesn’t make them any less independent. Claire Danvers is an intelligent teen who saves the Morganville town from vampires, Joanne Baldwin is a fashion conscious woman who uses the power of controlling the weather to save America and now Bryn Davis is thrust into the heroine role and I’m hoping she can stand the test of the sequels.

Of course no woman would be complete without their circle of friends who help them with everything including saving the world. No detail is ever spared on secondary characters and I find myself warming to them as much as the main, in this instance Joe Fideli wins this prize. Also, this is the part where I talk about the men. It is no secret that I enjoy a decent bit of ‘yummyness’ in my book - unfortunately, I’m not surrounded by attractiveness in my every day life so I read instead. MV’s Shane Collins, as said previously, is my favourite male in a book, and the main male here, Patrick McCallister is just as brooding. Just as wonderful. I look forward to more of him in the sequel.

Which brings me to my conclusion. I’ve not given much away, I’ve found myself to be comparing this to every other book I’ve read instead of walking through the novel page by page but you should read this book yourself. The conclusion to this book appears to lead directly on to the sequel after a few shocking revelations. I don’t have much to worry about. Rachel Caine is yet to write a sequel I dislike. I find the greatest thing that lets down a good original book is a bad sequel. It has happened, unfortunately. BUT, I am very much looking forward to more on Bryn, McCallister, their starting relationship and of course Joe. He made me laugh.

And of course, 2012 brings not only the sequel to this….but Morganville book 12 :D