BOOK REPORT-Gillian Flynn Special

Gone are the days this girl needs to look for work after being let go from her job as film reviewer and feature writer for magazine Entertainment Weekly. Now she is the main feature presentation herself, drawing in rave reviews. Oh how things go around. Last year E.W. even ran a cover feature on the movie adaptation of her brutally brilliant bestseller 'Gone Girl'. Irony? Karma? Just imagine if they asked her to write it!? I'm sorry but I think she's busy. Last year we reviewed one of 2014's best movies and her bold book that literally scripted it. Now Flynn is reuniting with director David Fincher and star Ben Affleck, penning the script for their rail twist on 'Strangers On A Train', whilst her other two books 'Sharp Objects' and 'Dark Places' are being respectively adapted into a T.V. serial and Charlize Theron and Chloe Grace-Moretz movie this year. Sure 'Gone Girl' is Gillian's million dollar, bread and butter, mansion mortgage acquiring bestseller but boy should you check out this girls other two books like we did this week to complete a terrific trilogy. One swimming in the deceptive darkness of modern murder incorporated into the human condition. Her debut 'Sharp Objects' is on machete point. Cutting, unflinching and critically cold. The object of horror legend Stephen King's reading desire gives us something so unsettling, your skin will crawl as you try to do the same through the pages you just can't leave alone like itched scars. Someone tell King there's a new queen for the librarian throne. The maddening murder mystery continues on 'Dark Places' the book that blew her up before 'Gone Girl' went nuclear across the world, invading every home, coffee shop and table. Practically as important a decoration as the cups and cloths like this one should be. Her darkest scribe takes us to places are most nauseating nightmares couldn't take us to, as Gillian sheds light on just how terrifying the psychological thriller genre of horror can get. Sure its all doom and gloom reading in this sweet Summer, but man this woman is on fire. She's so far gone. You may not find her behind the newsprint, but you will in every stand and book store. She's here. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

BOOK REPORT

STAR TREK-THE THREE MINUTE UNIVERSE: Boldly going through the collection of 'Star Trek' books you should pocket this gem of decades gone by based on the original series. Original when it was William Shanter and the late, great Leonard Nimoy instead of Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as Kirk and Spock. As good as any Trekkie book we've explored this one visits a race of 'Sackers'. No not alien experts in making American Football tackles, but rather creatures without face or real form. Which in book terms is a useful and literally possible way of representing actual 'Trek" aliens that don't just look like regular humans with funny noses, cheek bone structures and big ears. Someone better check Will Smith out. Here these non-humanoid Sackers look so bad they induce nausea on sight if their sonically high pitched language hasn't deafened your drums already. But lets face it, you've probably dated worse. These sacks of crap want to steal a critical device that could rip a hole in the very universe Kirk and crew are trying to protect and preserve. Yet this exploration of new life brings new civilisations to the franchise and its science fiction genre. Sure you could read this all in about three minutes, but that doesn't mean its not out of this universe.

LONE SURVIVOR: Inspiration doesn't come much stronger than this. This survival of the fittest inspired the hit Mark Wahlberg film last year that was truly a great shot of battling with the harsh realities of modern warfare. In his call of duty, Mark did real life 'Lone Survivor' Marcus Luttrell proud with honour. Still just like with Bradley Cooper's depiction of real life friend and 'American Sniper' subject Chris Kyle, you just have to read the real story behind the subject of a star powered movie. The real story of against the cruelest of odds survival is what is really worthy of award and commendation. After losing his team to the violence of Taliban rebels after letting go what was thought to be goat farmers, Luttrell found himself in the middle of his own personal, hell war zone all by himself, until he was helped out by some incredible villagers. This story is inspiring in more ways than one just like it is enlightening. Showing that there is more to just one side of war and grey areas to the black and white nature of how the media or popular consensus treats the conflict between countries. Even if you haven't seen this film you need to take a look at this book for the sake of Marcus, for all he sacrificed and survived. This is the brave. The proud. You may have been through a lot in your life, but not this much in one day. So lets take a moment. For the man. For his men.