It's Getting Freaky In Here

 Today (May 3rd) is National Paranormal Day.  How do you celebrate National Paranormal Day?  You can go hunting for ghosts.  You can go to visit a physic.  You can send signals into space looking for aliens.  You can post a YouTube video of poltergeist activity (real or staged) in your home.  But if you are like me you are going to choose something you can do from your sofa.  Like watch all the Ghostbuster movies.  Or perhaps read a book.  Maybe something like No Hero by Jonathan Wood.

No Hero by Jonathan Wood

(from the back of the book)

What would Kurt Russell do?  British police detective Arthur Wallace asks himself that question a lot.  While he's a good cop, he prefers his action on the big screen.  But when he sees tentacles sprouting from the neck if a fresh corpse, the secret government agency MI37 comes to recruit Arthur in its struggle against a threat from another dimension known as the Progeny.  But Arthur is NO HERO!  Can an everyman stand against sanity-ripping cosmic horrors?

Poor Arthur Wallace, no amount of detective training could have prepared him for work with the MI37.  But maybe by following Kurt Russell's example he can make it through.  Creepy, mind eating parasitic, aliens from another dimension?  Cool.  A (no) hero who loves Kurt Russell?  Cool.  Arthur is relatable for someone who is fighting interdimensional aliens.  He is someone who has been thrown into a situation he is incapable of understanding and is just trying to do the best he can.  The story is filled with humor, scary aliens, interesting characters, and some cool fights.  I like Arthur's attitude in his crazy situation.  I like the interesting concept of the magic/science way the aliens are invading and are being fought off.  I didn't like the way MI37 was unbelievably unreasonable when they sent him into the field without telling him anything and then blamed him for not knowing anything.  And Arthur was more indecisive than even this unusual situation warranted sometimes.  But the plot was interesting, and the alien threat was menacing, and I liked the characters (well, most of them).  I was amused and entertained and will probably get the next book in the series to see what happens to Arthur next.