RABBIT: Not Your TYPICAL Vampire TALE! (Book review)

 

BOOK REVIEW by ANGELA GREENLIEF   2/22/10

 

When I first saw this book, I had to wonder--What association can there be between a rabbit and a vampire? What is a Rakum? And, of all things, why are there "cows" in this book? 

 

But Ellen C. Maze cleverly ties all these things together in her novel RABBIT: CHASING BETH RIDER. This unique and spiritual novel takes the reader on a fast-paced, page-turning adventure as author Beth Rider finds herself thrust into a world she thought was only a myth to become a prophet of hope for creatures who, by their very nature, believed they were doomed from birth.

 

Maze's novel has no lull. From the very first page the action begins, and it does not stop until the last. The family of 100,000 known as the Rakum have lived along the same guidelines, the same ideals, for thousands of years. Until one unseeming author writes a fictional, and inspirational, novel about a priest, turned vampire, and the power of redemption. As this best-selling novel falls into the hands of members of the Rakum, they being to question their very existence, as well as the possibility of hope for the darkest of creatures.

 

Of course, not all feel this way. Just as some journey to find Ms. Rider to find hope, others are determined to destroy her...hence, she is marked as a "Rabbit". A rabbit is a person who carries the mark of the Rakum, a signal for others that she has been set loose for a delightful chase, and eventually--kill.

 

But Beth Rider is not your typical rabbit. She does not cower in fear of the Rakum, because she knows that through the power of prayer, the spirit of God, and in the end--her own special guardian angel, she can face any battle with the faith that she will be protected.

 

Ellen C. Maze does an incredible job of delving into the feelings of her characters--their temptations, their doubts, their motivations, and their fears. 

 

A typical vampire story? Far from it. This unique novel has a new twist of vampires that you haven't read before, and from the very first page you will find yourself engrossed in the world of Beth Rider and the obstacles she must face to help the darkest of all creatures.

 

By Angela Greenlief   Author of novel in progress THE WATCHER'S DAUGHTER.

Please visit her blog and check out her awesome novel in the works!

Seagal Fans Against 'Against the Dark' Vampire Film

What is the opposite of Bravo? (Insert answer here).

Steven Seagal brings us a vampire slasher film that has more holes than Swiss cheese--and I'm not talking about puncture wounds. Disjointed action sequences, nonsensical character development, minimalist and repetitive dialogue, as well as illogical plot advancement will make every viewer wish they'd rented the vampire movie that sat next to this one on the Blockbuster shelf.

I'm a Seagal fan--a HUGE one--so I trusted New Orleans Reserve Chief Deputy Sheriff Seagal to bring me some entertainment this fine evening. After all, he not only starred in the show, but produced it as well. But, to my sad chagrin, our `star' had maybe sixty seconds of face time the first 60 minutes of the movie. Later, the last thirty agonizing ticks of the clock, we saw him more often, but he was forced (by the script I hope) to deliver the same lines over and over.

Uttered at least four times each: "Make a clean sweep of the place." and "Let's go."

Fifty minutes in, he told us his name.
Little girl, Charlie: "Who are you?"
Seagal, "My name is Tao."
End scene.

The dialogue gods were no better to the protagonist Dorothy. She was forced to say ridiculous things like, "all these hallways lead to the same place..." and "all these tunnels lead to the same place..." (which I found incredibly odd unless the building was round, which according to the many aerial shots, it was not.)

And on and on.

Vampire fans, a word for you. There was a ton of neck-biting in this film, but you also have to put up with zombies-eating-flesh sequences (equipped with up close shots of intestines-for-dinner more than a dozen times) which are not sexy at all. In fact none of the vampire shots are even the least bit alluring. The vampires are actually simply mutants that fell victim to a virus that plagued the entire globe (I am Legend, anyone?). This movie will thrill those people who like bloody, gory, dripping-red internal organs zombie movies, not those who enjoy Twilight, The Lost Boys or Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula.

The obviously generous with his time Keith David stopped over for the afternoon to shoot his few scenes. He played a hard-nosed military general of uncertain personality and conviction who was forced to utter silly and trite lines throughout the show. And his decisions made no sense (which fit right in to the rest of the movie, now that I mention it). The director cut David's scenes into the rest of the vampire-hunting footage in such a way hoping to build suspense but unfortunately they all came off irritating and distracting to the flow of the film. (There was a flow???)

Long story short (too late), Against the Dark was only pretending to be a movie. It's really just a video game that you cannot stop playing until you get every last survivor and hunter out of the hospital. So crack your knuckles and grab up your game controller. We gots us some vampire's to chop up! Whoo-hoo!

My advice...watch the movie. Just don't expect too much.

Ellen C Maze, author Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider
24 5-Star Reviews the first 10 weeks. A Brand New Look at the Vampire Mythos!

Rabbit BETH RIDER Tweets and Facebooks

Fictional character Beth L Rider, from Ellen C Maze's smash new vampire hit, Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider is now Tweeting and reporting her status on Facebook! As events from the novel unfold, Beth will report her adventures from her point of view. A clever new way to enjoy a novel, and a provocative look into the lead character's psyche as she battles creatures she never believed in before.

From Beth's Profile on Facebook and Twitter: "I am a fictional character, being chased by real-life vampires in the new novel sensation, Rabbit:Chasing Beth Rider. I will share my adventures in novel time!"

Beth Rider Tweets on Twitter
Beth Rider reports on Facebook


Video Book Trailer for Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider

Let's go catch us some Rabbits people!
Ellen C Maze, author Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider

NEWEST BOOK REVIEW of Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider !!

Hello Rabbit Chasers!

I am very excited about this terrific review of Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider. I want to share it with you! And please follow the link to the reviewers blog and check out all of her reviews.

~Ellen

Curling Up By The Fire -- Book reviews by Stephanie
My Thoughts 4.5/5 Stars
When I first started reading this novel, I had absolutely no idea what it was about. To my surprise, it had a supernatural element to it, and was about vampires. Then I thought it would be another stereotypical novel about vampires, glorifying their race (not that there's anything wrong with that, but I was looking to read something different at that time). I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns of this novel and how different it was from the normal take on the vampire themes we have seen lately.

I love it when an author can take a legend or mythological idea and twist it so it becomes something new and interesting. This is definitely what happens in Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider. Ms. Maze creates her own unique vampire race, the Rakum, with Fathers, Elders, clans, always keeping the amount limited to 100 000 in the world. Vampires in the novel are not created from humans, but are born from the Fathers with a human mother and are raised in one of the Elder clans. Their gifts are nurtured and developed and they are educated in their beliefs from the time they are small; each Rakum have to pass a series of difficult tests in order to be initiated as full adult Rakum. Interestingly, there are no female Rakum. Their world is ordered, civilized, and controlled.

Beth turns all this on its feet with her new book. She is converting hundreds of Rakum over to her cause just by the Rakum having read her book and beginning to question their existence and asking questions about God. Jack Dawn, worried and anxious about his race, tracks Beth down and marks her as his Rabbit, believing her to be a traitor to his race. Beth is shocked when she discovers from Michael why this has been done to her and Michael is astounded when he discovers that Beth is the Rabbit he is sensing. He senses something wrong about the whole thing and becomes her protector. The relationship between Michael and Beth develops slowly and as events throw them together, they are forced to depend on one another more and more. Michael especially begins to question why he is going against his brethren and everything he believes in to protect a human woman who is about to turn his world upside down. As we are led down Michael's path, we learn many truths about the Rakum and about Michael himself. Michael becomes Beth's 'Knight in Shining Armour' and I loved watching him take that path to enlightment and watching their relationship develop.

The many other characters in this novel were interesting and quirky, to say the least. I enjoyed the interaction between Elder Roman and Javier, and how they became more affectionate towards each other towards the end. As many of the characters became more 'human', they acted more human-like whereas the characters who didn't believe in Beth's books, became more evil and did more evil things. There was almost this yang-yang effect; as some people grew nicer and more forgiving, others grew more evil and attempted more desperate acts.

Despite the lightning-fast plot, with many twists, the novel gave you a lot to ponder. While it was a page turner, and had me hooked right from the very beginning, there were some deep philosophical ideas present in this novel. It dealt with faith, mythology, philosophy, evil and goodness, redemption, and belief in God. While it didn't go indepth onto these topics, they were certainly present, and I had to stop reading at several points so I could ponder some of the points that were made. I had to admire Beth's deep faith in God as it helped to keep her calm throughout many difficult situations that I'm sure I could not have faced with the same stoicism she displayed. Many of the Rakum questioned their own belief system and their own reasons for existence and it was interesting following their paths to redemption.

Verdict
This novel had a great plot, definite thrills, chills, and suspense to satisfy anyone, fantastic characters, and mythological elements. It hooked me right from the beginning and didn't let go, even after I finished reading it. It's a fantastic debut novel from an author whom I hope to read more about soon.

CHASING RABBITS on FILM? It could happen!

 

RABBIT: CHASING BETH RIDER..... THE MOVIE??????

Thursday, February 11, 2010, I met with Bradley Farris (Director, Cinematographer) of Magnolialand Entertainment to discuss Rabbit being made into a movie. They now have the novel and are going to work on a screen play. I’ll let you know as things develop. We're very excited at the possibility of working with this terrific company! Thanks for being there, guys! ~ Ellen http://www.magnolialandentertainment.com

To learn more about this exciting 5-STAR novel, go to www.rabbitnovel.com. 

Regarding RABBIT, Chasers have said: 

"CHALLENGES FAITH…

"Gives us A BELIEVABLE LOOK at vampires…

"CHARACTERS are SOLID and WELL DRAWN…

"The kind of story that COULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN…

"A REALLY NEW IDEA which intrigues the "vampire" enthusiast and CHALLENGES …THE RELIGIOUS CROWD.

"Rabbit will SHAKE YOUR WORLD.

"GOT LOST IN IT...can't wait for the sequel!

"A TRUE PHENOMENON.

"One of the BEST NOVELS I HAVE EVER READ…

"Lightning paced plot THAT RIVALS the works of DAN BROWN or STEPHEN KING.

"Part LOVE STORY, part MYTHOLOGY, part VAMPIRE TALE and all heat, Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider is the very definition of PAGE TURNER….

"The story will HOOK YOU, HAUNT YOU and STAY WITH YOU well after you’ve turned the last page…  

"A FRESH and EXCITING rendition of the VAMPIRE mythos

"Ellen C. Maze spins a SUPERB and UNIQUE vampire thriller.

The Garden Key A PRECIOUS GIFT wrapped up in this DEBUT NOVEL

(Recently, I read an awesome book by first-time author Angela Dolbear. I have been changed by it and want to share it with all of you. As a matter of fact, I want to shout about it from the rooftops! But for now...this blog wili suffice! Love, Ellen)

The Garden Key, by Angela Dolbear, is a book that could literally change the world. I can say with all honesty that if every man and woman on the planet read this book and let its words sink deep into their souls; when they opened their eyes the following day, they would be transformed. Changed into people who love. Really love. And in a real sense, The Garden Key is about real love.

Told in first person, in a voice that I fell in love with immediately, The Garden Key sweeps you into the protagonist’s life; so much so, you feel like part of her story. You experience her joy, her triumph, her failures and her desire for redemption. And because the author walks so closely with God, it is impossible to not be encouraged in your own faith as you travel through novel-time with the main character.

Promos for The Garden Key entice the reader with comical, tongue-in-cheek, real-life phrases, dialogue and emotions. Honestly, I was convinced by one line from the web site which said something about ‘lust and cheeseburgers.’ But rest assured, the promises on the back cover can be trusted absolutely. As I read this book, I did indeed laugh often, and I cried with joy aplenty. I wept most when I reached the last page—do you know why? Because the novel ended.

Selfishly, I wanted it to go on and on and never conclude. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed this book so much (it was literally un-put-down-able), that when I got to the last 30 pages, I forced myself to stop reading. I would not pick it up for fear of finishing it. For over a week, I peeked at it next to my desk, carried it to my room to peek at it as I went to sleep—but I would not read on. I was terrified to see the last page. I was horrified that this wonderful, sweet, delightful, insightful and encouraging book was about to be finished. I have never read a book like this and I thank God that he led me to read it now. I have no doubt in my mind that I will read it over again many times.

And thankfully, the author hinted that she would write another. Praise the Lord.

Ellen C Maze, author Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider