Customer Reviews

Durham Red #1: The Unquiet Grave

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Quite what the first reviewer was expecting I don't know, but for what it is, the Unquiet Grave is quite a good book. Unfortunately for him, that makes it an adaptation from a comic book (2000 AD) based on comic book tradition and form, in which the main character runs around engaging in spectacular violence and generally entertaining escapades. Not literature, not as good as the original comic (The Vermin Stars has much to recommend it), but an enjoyable read.

As a side note, fans of Warhammer 40,000 may find themselves with a sense of déjà vu throughout as far as the setting and the human Iconoclasts are concerned, but this is hardly surprising considering either the publisher or the writer for the comic is is based upon (Dan Abnett).

The Unquiet Grave brings back to life the toothy bounty hunter babe from Bad Timing, Durham Red. After years of bounty hunting and endless strife have taken their toll, Durham decides to take a nap for a few years in a cryotube. 1200 years and many wars later she awakes to find everyone and everything she has ever known is gone.

On the good side, in her absence she has been declared a saint! Well it would be good if the humans, who still hate mutants, and her own followers weren't both trying to kill her.
Before she knows it Durham finds herself on the remains of a blasted planet forming alliances with her bitter enemies against an even deadlier foe.

If you like anything from the warhammer realm you will also like Durham Red and the other cast of characters to be found in the explosive new collection from Black Flame Publishing.

Red decides she needs a break way from it all for a while. However, the immense length of time she spends in suspended animation wasn't really what she had in mind.

Upon awakening it seems she has been canonised for her role with the Strontium Dogs and mutants, and a lot of carnage has been carried out in her name.

She also has to deal with the pretty horrific problem of a planet-sized brain sucker, or Mindfeeder if you want to be more polite, as well as a high up rat in the ranks.

Not much thought went into the science part of this fictional story, but the quick pace and akward social encounters kept my interest throughout the book. I was a great brake from reading longer and more in-depth novels and I will be looking for more from Durham Red.

This garbage was supposed to be science fiction. If your knowledge of genetics lets you believe a "mutation" could cause human offspring to become a superstrong vampire, with no defects, in one generation, this may be the book for you -- I couldn't hack it. The setting was like a jungle filled with tigers -- no other animals. Serious SF does not have battlefleets without civilizations and industry supporting them -- economics have to be considered. If the characters have no constraints as to where they go or what they do, it's a fantasy, not science fiction.