Sift Book Reviews

Division By Zero: 1 (Post Mortem) by MiFiWriters

2013-05-09T18:29:00.001-04:00

Division By Zero is an anthology of short stories with works from five different authors. The stories include elements of urban fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, and young adult and each instalment offers a new voice and perspective on the anthology's central theme: after death.

Each writer brought their individual style to the anthology. My personal favorite, Strange Aeons, focused more on character development and emotional investment, and really drew me into the work.

Along with death, religion is a major theme and I enjoyed the various portrayals of religions/gods, both current and ancient, throughout the short stories.

Overall, the writing is crisp and well edited and each self-contained story offers a unique voice and a suspenseful build-up: 4.5 stars out of 5.

Amazon (2.99)
B&N (Paperback) (14.95)

The authors: MiFi Writers

Cratchit & Company by Garrett Gilchrist

2013-03-26T20:06:00.000-04:00

Summary: Bob Cratchit, a poor, underpaid clerk at the counting-house of Scrooge and Marley, has lost his youngest son. He is alone and freezing to death on a cold Christmas Eve, when he is visited by three spirits ...
Garrett Gilchrist brings you a new perspective on the classic characters from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Cratchit & Company is a retelling of A Christmas Carol from the perspective of Bob Cratchit—with a twist: Ebenezer is the same miserable Scrooge he was before his ghost-induced change of heart. For any lover of Dickens or the beloved Christmas tale, this novella is a great tear-jerking read; 4.5 stars out of 5.

In the opening of the story, the author acknowledges that the reader has probably heard the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and that Bob Cratchit was simply a tool in telling Scrooge's story. The story begins with the death of Tiny Tim and a death-like figure discussing how history only remembers the mighty—and hence will not remember Bob Cratchit. Cratchit's story that follows is emotional and follows in the descriptive vein of Dickens; the writing is polished and a more contemporary version of Dickens' style.

Cratchit & Company is a lovely and new retelling of A Christmas Carol, and would compliment any readers Christmas-time book-list.

Paperback: Lulu (7.82)
Kindle: Amazon (0.97)

Goldfish Tears by Curtis Ackie

2013-03-17T11:42:00.000-04:00

Summary: A perturbed bachelor is beleaguered by his misbehaving shadow; a reclusive alchemist builds a machine to right his wife’s disfigurement; the sun forgets to rise over a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere. Equal parts haunting and outlandish, Goldfish Tears is an enchanting collection of short stories from the author of The Door to Freedom.

Goldfish Tears is a collection of 14 short stories. While each story had moments of brilliance, and the illustrations that accompanied each story were wonderful, the writing suffered from an excess of description; 3.5 stars out of 5.

The narrative was often too descriptive (scenery/background wise) for the short amount of plot that occurred. The overuse of adjectives dampened the poetic style needed for this sort of collection. I understand that creating the atmosphere of each piece is important, but I feel like the plotline and intensity of each story suffered. In terms of plot, the writing was often too vague, and appeared to be building up to something bigger that the reader was not privy too; each story appears to be missing something that makes it its own stand alone story.

Overall, the collection of short stories is enjoyable, but could benefit from some polishing. With some refining of the description and added plot, it would be an engaging read.

Smashwords (12.38)
Lulu (12.38)

The Midget's House by Anita Bartholomew

2013-02-22T21:29:00.000-05:00

Summary: The Midget's House is a tale of two women (one alive, and the other long dead), each mourning lost love and struggling for control of the one place that feels like home.

Marisa Delano is thrilled when she unexpectedly inherits the fairy tale-like cottage on the bay--until she learns that Lucinda Lacey, a sideshow midget who died on the property in 1924, still inhabits it. As Marisa searches for answers about the unwelcome presence in her new home, all the clues lead to one conclusion: on the day Lucinda died, she murdered her lover, circus owner Cyrus Parker.

Alternating between Lucinda's and Marisa's perspectives, The Midget's House takes readers from the carnivals, circuses, and freak shows of the early twentieth century, to the boom-and-bust of today's Florida.

Haunting in every sense of the word, this genre-blending tale will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

The Midget's House is an enjoyable story of love, loss, and deceit. The overall plotline is unique and memorable, however the novel is in need of streamlining; the opening is plagued by an over-usage of adjectives and a misuse/absence of commas. Overall, the narrative is easy to read and the multiple points of view weave together quite well, but the clutter of adjectives detracts from the narrative flow. 3.5 stars out of 5.

The story is told from multiple points of view. The retelling of the circus and the present day points of view interacted nicely, however Lucinda's small sections as a ghost did not quite fit with the rest of the story. The fact that Lucinda was a ghost might have worked better if revealed at the end (or not at all: the reader could decide for themselves whether Lucinda's ghost was real or if it was Marisa's imagination).

There is also a noticeable lack of suspense/drama at the beginning of the book. There needs to be more of a catalyst to get the reader invested in the story. Similarly, Lucinda's backstory would benefit from a more dramatic/emotional telling; there was too much description of the circus, not enough solid plotline and character development.

Overall, the narrative flows nicely, but adjectives need to be trimmed. With another round of edits, and perhaps a more dramatic/suspenseful retelling of events, The Midget's House could be a great romantic read.

Amazon (2.97)

The Hunting of the Bubblenuff: A Fabian Vermeer Adventure by Joshua Goldfond

2013-02-07T21:12:00.000-05:00

Summary: The Hunting of the Bubblenuff follows the adventures of Fabian Vermeer, an eccentric 19-year-old who lives in the fictional world of Lornholm. He is both a Priest and Inquisitor by profession, acting in the service of the Church of Solomn, god of Justice and Fluffy Clouds. Yet Fabian’s true, lifelong passion is “Cryptonaturalism”: the study of hidden, mythical beasts like the Sugar Moose (a rare but friendly creature whose candy cane antlers are treasured by hunters), the Solardillo (a bioluminescent armadillo used to replace campfires), the Hamsterdon (a 40-foot high hamster that runs around in a giant bamboo ball and is used to clear brush), and the dreaded Bubblenuff (which can only be slain with a sharpened yam).

Fearful of proving his own theories wrong, he drags his feet until the arrival of his new bodyguard: the massively tall, awkward, and kind-hearted female teenage soldier, Wilhelmina Turkle. Together, the two venture out, seeking to locate Fabian’s monsters.

The Hunting of the Bubblenuff is a fun fantasy novel that follows the adventures of the ever offbeat Fabian. The writing is crisp and clear, and the voice is whimsical and wandering in the vein of Terry Pratchett. 4 stars out of 5.

The narrative is consistently quirky, filled with eccentric characters, religions, spirit animals, and mythology. The only possible improvement could be to quicken the plot and build more suspense, especially at the beginning of the book; but this is, at its core, a book crafted for style and voice.

The Hunting of the Bubblenuff has a unique and quirky style, humourous enough to entice most readers, however fans of Terry Pratchett (and the like) are guaranteed to enjoy. Overall, a fun and funny read.

Amazon (0.99)

iTunes (1.99)

Lulu (1.99)

Bound by Fire (The Twin Flames #1) by Ronald Craft

2013-02-02T18:48:00.000-05:00

An ancient promise.
A forgotten treachery.
Seven souls, bound by fire, will begin their quest for the truth.

Ilian, an apprentice blacksmith, has the heart of a god sealed within him. When Karena, the beautiful red-haired assassin, kills his father and rips his soul from his body Ilian becomes entangled in a rivalry that has spanned over hundreds of years.

However, even with his life turned upside down, and treachery at every turn, Ilian soon learns that there are worse people he can have at his side than a woman proficient in the art of assassination.

Bound by Fire opens with Ilian and his father surrounded by Ilian's nervous peers as they all await the start of the ceremony to become adults—essentially, to be branded by fire. Ilian seems a relatable enough character but his conversation with his father is stifling—either a more dramatic event or a more intriguing conversation between father and son would have benefited the introduction greatly. 2.5 stars out of 5.

At two pages in, multiple grammatical errors have occured and the remainder of the book continues to be plagued with misspellings and word confusion/misplacement. Similarly, the style from one sentence to the next does not quite mesh; the narrative jumps back and forth between a more formal/traditional fantasy voice and a more modern day voice. The use of fantasy-style rhetoric could have been better used if assigned to certain characters or if only used when describing the various gods and old religion.

The book would have also benefited from better pacing: a more dramatic event needs to occur earlier in the story to invest the reader, and more information about the characters and major plotlines needs to be revealed sooner.

The overarching plot of Bound by Fire is good and has all of the makings of an intriguing fantasy book. With additional edits to quicken the pace, smooth out the voice, fix the grammatical errors, and give the story a more cohesive feel, it could be a fun fantasy read.

Amazon ($0.99)

B & N Paperback ($7.19)

Zero Sight (Book 1) by B. Justin Shier

2013-01-20T19:41:00.000-05:00

Summary: Meet Dieter Resnick. Dieter is the sole child of an abusive single father, a perennial schoolyard brawler, and Ted Binion High's number one academic prospect. Dieter is terrified of staying poor. He has few friends and is absolutely obsessed with earning a college scholarship. He's also a latent mage--one of the few humans left that can bend the manaflows to their will.

Too bad no one told him. Now a boy is dead.

Meet Rei Acerba Bathory. Rei is a second year student at Elliot College, the premiere magical training academy in North America. She's also on an all-liquid diet. Rei acquired her odd speech and mannerisms living among her centuries-old kin--strange vampiric creatures that have carved out the Midwest as their playground. She can kill a man without blinking, but has a serious weakness for puppies. Thanks to a childhood spent living cloistered from the public, Rei knows little of modern society. She'd do well to make some friends, but her fellow trainees despise her. Rei is the first of her kind to be admitted, and many hope to make her the last.

Dieter was raised in the grimy outskirts of Las Vegas. Rei was homeschooled in a Chicago mansion. Both are on their way to Elliot College. Both believe the other is a creature of idle fantasy. In ten hours, they're going to be at the center of a war fought by shadow actors. In eleven hours, they're going to become a weft-pair, bound together by the most sacred spell in the magic canon. And in twelve hours? Well, in twelve hours, they've got to get to class...

Zero Sight is a solid foray into the fantasy world: there are some good ideas, fantastical and otherwise, however the book would benefit from better pacing and a balancing between description and action. 3 stars out of 5

The interesting, somewhat unconventional, opening to the story caught by attention, however the discussion/description that followed continued for too long. In the beginning, there is a lot of description followed by a lot of fighting—all without knowing why. Some deeper knowledge of the characters is needed earlier in the first chapter.

Overall, there is a lot of fighting, which could have worked except that the reader is too far into the book before any major plot points are revealed and the character personalities/back-stories developed. It was difficult to care about the fights and their outcome when I did not really know the characters or any of the overarching storyline.

Dieter is not an easy character to become attached to which also made becoming invested in the novel difficult. A better balance between plot development and action (fighting) would have helped.

There are a lot of interesting elements in this book but it needs better pacing and better balancing. In some sections there was nothing but description and in other sections nothing but action: it needs to be woven together more.

Also for a fantasy book, the fantasy aspect is delayed too long. I lost interest in the fighting at school extremely quickly, although once the magical university was introduced, it functioned much too similarly to the world of Harry Potter. The magical university idea could work but needs to be revamped. Rowling does not have a patent on magical schools, but further separation from what has already been established by Rowling would have benefitted the book greatly.

Amazon ($4.00)

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble by D. Robert Pease

2013-01-18T21:51:00.000-05:00

Summary: Noah lives for piloting spaceships through time, dodging killer robots and saving Earth's animals from extinction. Life couldn't be better. But the twelve-year-old time traveler learns it could be a whole lot worse. His mom is kidnapped and taken to Mars; his dad is stranded in the Ice Age; and Noah is attacked at every turn by a foe bent on destroying Earth... for the second time.

Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble is a fun science fiction book with well developed, inspiring characters. The dialogue is witty and amusing, and while I do not feel that the book translates well to an older reader, it is a good fit for its middle grade target audience. 4 stars out of 5.

In the beginning of the book, I felt that the vocabulary was rather high for middle-grade; while it is always good to build a young readers vocabulary, there were a fair number of high level words per page. The vocabulary did level out as the story progressed.

The book has relatable themes such as dealing with older siblings and parents, and I can definitely see Noah Zarc being enjoyable for a younger reader, especially one that is interested in space, astronauts, and the idea of time travel.

I particularly liked Noah: he is great character for a younger audience, and has a very in-depth, layered persona. There are a lot of sci-fi elements—time travel, people living on Mars and Venus, earth has all but been destroyed—to keep young minds intrigued.

The suspense and mystery of the story is again appropriate for a middle grade level book, but I do not feel that it successfully crosses over into the world of young adult and adult readers—which is fine as this is not the novel's target audience.

Overall, Noah Zarc is a cute and funny sci-fi novel with relatable pre-teen struggles, and would be an enjoyable read for any young science fiction enthusiast.

Amazon ($3.03)

The Solstice Treaty by David Belltower

2013-01-17T19:37:00.000-05:00

Summary: Welcome to the Shade.

In the small town of Beaver Hollow, West Virginia, forester Mark Steele has experienced the same reoccurring vision since he was a boy − one that foreshadows a towering tree, menacing premonitions and his own suffocating demise. Tess McCoy is a former captain in the United States Army, harbors a debilitating secret and can't get far enough from her mountain roots to save her life.

When a mystifying accident takes the life of Tess' younger brother, a series of preternatural events are set into motion, propelling the former lovers from the oak-lined streets of the sleepy West Virginia town to an impenetrable hidden fortress within German-occupied France to the ever-changing seasons of an aberrant land − a wondrous otherworld called the Shade. Here, within this tethered realm, they discover an ageless war between two fabled brothers and the terrifying pact made in the closing days of World War II − a pact that will ultimately bring destruction to modern day America.

The Solstice Treaty has some great fantastical elements however its rotating points of view suffered from a lack of information and cohesion. 3.5 stars out of 5.

The story opened with Mark witnessing some sort of apocalyptic explosion, however I felt that the epicness of the event was impeded by the wordiness of the narrative; the wordiness impeded the shock/suspense that should have come with such a dramatic moment.

Chapter 1 switched to Bobby in a heat wave in West Virginia. I was not keen on the mining aspect until a bit of the paranormal was dropped into the chapter. But then it ended and chapter 2 opened with a different character in a different setting again. The story then moves to Japan and Germany, and it was not so much that the plot points were uninteresting, as that the reader needed to be invested in either a character of a major plot point before the story started to move between initially unrelated points of view.

The rotating points of view could work, but each was too short to really becoming invested in the characters and their story, and there was not enough of an overarching thread. While I knew from the prologue that the world was ending, my lack of information about this world and the characters in it, made the dramatic event not enough of a catalyst to keep reading.

The story returns to Mark in chapter 5. Once Tess was introduced and the reader learns of Mark's visions, I became intrigued. Ideally, I needed to be invested in Mark and care about his predicament in the earlier chapters/prologue. In the beginning of the book, up to this point, the character development was lacking; there was too much description, and not enough character/emotion/voice. Chapter 5/6 invested me in the story as well because it was something easy to relate to. Even if I did not have all the details, the death of Tess' brother was relatable especially as I saw her and Mark's reaction to it and to each other. I know it ties in with chapter one, and while this is a nice touch, it was too little, too late.

From here the story rotated around Mark for awhile, and I finally could see a cohesive storyline developing. The jumping around at the beginning was too chaotic, especially with the dearth of character development and overarching plotline.

The story would have also benefitted from more supernatural/fantastical elements earlier. I realize that the story was working up to them, but the fantasy part of this story was delayed too long, especially in what sounds like (from the summary) an epic apocalyptic fantasy book.

The Solstice Treaty has many great events and ideas and with some work to interconnect the earlier chapters and to introduce the supernatural/fantasy storyline earlier, it could be a great read.

Amazon (2.99)

Life Descending (The Cry of Havoc) by John Hennessy

2013-01-17T18:25:00.002-05:00

Summary: War, plague, and fanatical extremists promise to rip a world asunder. In the midst of this divide dwells Tom Navo, a loyal Scout for the Northern Army, who seeks to live out a peaceful life with his family. As chaos threatens the continent, Tom's imagined life becomes more of a fanciful illusion. A journey home soon becomes a fight for his life, a search for a mysterious and powerful relic only rumored to exist, and a firsthand account of how greed and delusion can make humans do the unspeakable. He must now face challenges that he never could have conceived even in his most twisted nightmares, not just for his own sake, but for the survival of all . . .

In a realm full of deception and disloyalty, lust and malice, corruption and tragedy, stands a story of lords and servants, assassins and soldiers, and extraordinary beings aplenty, whose future teeters perilously on the brink of doom, as all life descends into shadow.

Life Descending opens with a great, suspenseful scene: one of the main characters, Tom Navo, is about to kill himself after he has murdered his boss. I loved the hidden "voices" that spoke to him and the overall feel of this event, however pacing problems plagued the majority of the novel from this point forward. 3.5 stars out of 5.

Overall, the book would benefit from better pacing and more in-depth/developed characters, especially in the first half of the book. While the opening is engaging, the initial struggle continues for too long. After such a dramatic first two pages, I needed more plot development to move the story along; focusing on the same event made it feel stagnant. I also needed to know more about Tom's life and personality—something to keep me interested in him and to keep reading.

The story moves slowly after the initial intrigue and takes a very long time for it to resemble the plotline of the summary.

Chapter three begins with a new story and while guesswork can add an element of mystery, at this point perhaps a little more substance would have been better. It was fine that Tom was not the focus, but I wasn't invested enough to keep reading to see this new person—especially as I wasn't quite sold on Tom by this point either.

Life Descending has an interesting back story with some great plot points, but it needs better pacing, connectedness, and a stronger voice: for me to maintain interest in the story I needed to really know the characters better: more of what was happening inside of their heads, their motivations and emotions. Overall the plot points were interesting, however they needed better pacing: there were sections of high drama followed by lulls that were too long. Also a dearth of background information regarding the characters made it hard to be interested in the less dramatic moments.

There are great fantastical elements in this book, however it sometimes felt like I wasn't reading the same novel; the story would benefit from more cohesion between the opening reincarnation/murder type story and the more hardcore fantasy elements.

Life Descending has some intriguing fantastical secondary characters and an interesting epic fantasy plotline, however in order for the reader to stay intrigued to get to the fantasy element, the characters (Tom in particular), and the pacing, would benefit from refinement.

Amazon (FREE!)
Smashwords (FREE!)

Book 2 Smashwords (2.99)

Infinite Sacrifice by L. E. Waters

2012-12-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

Maya’s shocked to discover it’s not the heaven she imagined;in fact, a life of adventure begins the moment you die.

Zachariah, her faithful spirit guide, explains the rules of the dead: in order to regain complete awareness and reunite with loved ones all souls must review their previous lives.

Maya plunges warily into her turbulent pasts as a sociopathic High Priest in ancient Egypt; an independent mother protecting a dangerous secret in glorious Sparta; an Irish boy kidnapped and enslaved by Vikings; and a doctor’s wife forced to make an ethical stand in plague-ridden England.

All the while, Maya yearns to be with those she cares about most and worries that she hasn’t learned all of heaven’s most vital lessons. Will she be forced to leave the tranquility of heaven to survive yet another painful and tumultuous life? Or worse, accept the bitter reality of having to go back alone?

Infinite Sacrifice is teeming with historical detail and has a great overarching plot line, however it lacks voice and suspense in its execution. 3 stars out of 5.

My concerns start in the prologue. The description of why Maya must go on this journey (and really the Prologue in general) removes an element of suspense from the story. I knew the outcome before the story had begun. Perhaps, if I learnt of all the characters separate lives, and then discovered they were all a part of Maya's life/reincarnation, it would have added a new layer and element of surprise to the book.

Also the Prologue gave too much explanation and pedagogical type description of reincarnation up front. Perhaps it could have been interspersed throughout the story at a point where my interest in Maya's lives had already been piqued.

Each of Maya's lives occur in an alternate historical period which I loved. However, while the setting of each story was refreshing, the characters shared far too similar a voice. Their stories also needed a sense of urgency; each of Maya's lives was essentially a mini-narrative however each episode lacked voice and substantial conflict to invest the reader.

The framing narrative of reincarnation and the concept of the different time periods in Infinite Sacrifice is intriguing, however the voice and style fall flat. With a greater differentiation of voice and some work on creating suspense, it could it be an exciting read.

Amazon (FREE)

Tears of Min Brock by J. E. Lowder

2012-12-12T21:17:00.002-05:00

Areall crept toward the parchment as if an evil spirit possessed it. “Its beauty is its deception,” she whispered. “Burn it, child. Destroy it or you will curse us. The Cauldron will know. The Cauldron will see. They will come.”

Elabea calmly lifted the parchment from the coals, where it had refused to burn. “How can something so beautiful be evil?”

The Dark War is over. Betrayal, defeat and death forever accompany any mention of the battlefield known as Min Brock. The shining kingdom of Claire is no more. Any hint of rebellion is supressed by the constant drone that echoes throughout the land. The Oracles of the Council of Ebon, the dark lords who feed the perpetual flames of the Cauldron, forbid even mentioning the name of the Only, the King of Claire, on pain of death.

Yet in the night... a whisper comes to Elabea, a girl of 14 summers, who hears and dares to believe there might be more to life than the drone. Accompanied by her lifelong friend, Galadin, Elabea embarks on a dangerous journey to become one of the most powerful creatures in the land - a storyteller. Along the way she must learn to discern the true whisper of Claire from the counterfeit whisper of Ebon. One might lead her to restore light and life to a world ruled by darkness. The other leads to certain death.

The War of Whispers has begun.

Tears of Min Brock is a heartfelt story of epic proportions that follows two loveable main characters, Elabea and Galadin. While a great book for any high fantasy reader, the prologue and a few other areas suffered from a lack of voice. 4 stars out of 5.

Fourteen year old Elabea and her family are subjected to terrifying raids and a regimented existence and I was instantly sympathetic to her cause and intrigued by the subtle hints of mysticism. I loved her curious heart and the plight of her nation could easily be compared to any war torn country. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful friendship between her and her best friend Galadin and the great supernatural undertones which propelled the story quite quickly.

While the beginning of the story was good, it became much more interesting, at least for me, in Chapter 4. Once the philosophical/religious events came out into the forefront, the mystical layer wove the different events/stories together nicely.

My only real concern with the story was the prologue: the voice was stagnant and too stylized and this also plagued other parts of the book, though not many. While writing in a very formal structured way is often a part of high fantasy, it's a difficult line to tread and at times the verboseness detracted from the story. The wordiness caused the sentence structure to feel clunky and hindered suspense.

Overall, Tears of Min Brock is a heartfelt story of epic proportions with two loveable characters. It is an epic in every sense: a myriad of characters, a war of worlds, and a healthy dose of mysticism.

Smashwords (0.99)
Amazon (0.99)

A Titan for Christmas by Aria Kane

2012-11-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

Title: A Titan for Christmas
Author: Aria Kane
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance
Length: 52 pages

Summary (from Amazon):

When Jenna's job as an engineer makes her miss her flight home from the mining colony on Titan, she's heartbroken she won't be able to make it back to Earth in time for Christmas with her family. Until a coworker gives her another option: private cargo pilots sometimes take on passengers.

Grayson pilots the only ship leaving Titan in time to make it back to Earth before Christmas. He doesn't want any passengers, but Jenna convinces him to take her on the three-day trip. Neither of them had planned for the passion that erupts between the two of them on the tiny cargo ship.

Then Jenna realizes Grayson is transporting extremely dangerous cargo. When she discovers why a man like Grayson would take such a risk, she has to decide whether she'll turn him in or help him.

Review:

I’m not normally a fan of romance, but maybe Sci-Fi romance is that sweet spot for me? After reading A Titan for Christmas. I will read more SF romance because I really enjoyed this book!

Jenna, the heroine, is truly a strong female character. This is one of my big problems with most romances so I think this is what sold me on the book. She’s independent, self-sufficient and just the right amount of pig-headed. When things break, she fixes them – in the engine room and in her life. She doesn’t need a man to complete her – but that doesn’t mean she can’t want and enjoy one in her life!

Grayson, the hero, is a jerk at first (of course, this is romance) but it turns out he has a really good reason for acting the way he does when they first meet. To tell you more would be a big spoiler, but it’s believable and he turns out to be very sweet. This short novella is only told from Jenna’s POV, so we don’t get to know him as well as her.

I was worried about the plot sagging considering there are only two characters in a small space, but I thought the plot moved along nicely. The pacing was excellent, though I did feel the end was slightly rushed. At around 13,000 words, this can easily be read in one sitting.

Readers should be aware there is one “on-screen” sex scene (which was well-done), though there is a lot of sexual tension throughout the story.

All in all, it was a fun, quick read with only a few flaws. I look forward to reading more from Aria Kane!

Purchase:

Amazon Kindle ($0.99)

Smashwords ($0.99)

An Inconvenient Amish Zombie Left Behind The Da Vinci Diet Code Truth by Tom Smucker

2012-10-16T19:06:00.003-04:00

Summary: Goya? Bad Diets? Mud Hens? The Rapture? The War of 1812? Global Warming? Til Eulenspiegel? Political Conspiracy? Violence on USA borders? The lost history of Soft Rock? Follow the non-stop action from the museums and cafes of Paris to the fast food rest stops and motels on the highways of Ohio, as past and future collide and create an apocalyptical present that determines the fate of the planet.

An Inconvenient Amish Zombie is a mystery book saturated in satire. It has a myriad of characters, and as far as I can tell, it most closely satirizes The DaVinci Code and Left Behind. While the book's quirkiness made for a fun read, there were simply too many characters and too many plotlines for me to become invested in the book; 3.5 stars out of 5.

The novel lacked connectedness, especially at the beginning; too many characters were introduced without any concrete anchor into the story. I did enjoy the references to pop culture and these aspects were well written, however it felt a little too all over the place. That being said, it is very witty and I could easily see this book finding a niche among apocalypse/satire loving readers.

Smashwords (4.99)

Amazon (6.99)

Pale Queen's Courtyard by Marcin Wrona

2012-10-16T18:02:00.004-04:00

Summary: Kamvar, a soldier, has lost his way. Leonine, a thief and sorcerer, has forgotten that he had one to lose.

When the daughter of a High Priest finds herself exiled and hunted across the entirety of conquered Ekka, both men will remember who they are, and the country's invaders will learn that memories, unlike temples, are not so easily torn down.

Pale Queen's Courtyard is a superbly written tale of sorcery, betrayal, and friendship. Its artful incorporations of sorcery into ancient Persia and Babylon coupled with its fast paced plotlines, made for a fantastic read: 5 stars out of 5.

The novel alternates between two main characters. The first chapter instantly intrigues; with not-so-common thief Leonine, the hints of war, and the mystery surrounding Leonine's object of thievery and how sorcery works in this universe. In the first chapter alone, there is great conflict resolution and the author does a masterful job of subtly dropping clues to entice the reader.

The second storyline introduces Kamvar, who is on the hunt for an eight year old girl. The suspense builds naturally as the two plotlines quickly intersect and the two main characters are at odds with each other. The whole book was well paced with a consistent level of suspense. It had a polished writing style, elegant descriptions, and great similes. I really don't want to give away any of the plotline, because I highly recommend reading it, but I will say that what looks to be the predictable conclusion to the novel is anything but; expect some compelling twists towards the end.

The writing style reminded me of Guy Gavriel Kay, extraordinarily so! I would recommend Pale Queen's Courtyard to any fantasy fan, especially fans of GGK's work.

Amazon (2.99)
Smashwords (Free!)

Fey Girl by Kevin Newman

2012-09-29T18:18:00.000-04:00

Summary: Jude Pender has troubles managing his emotions. Case in point: Cecile. He thinks he can bury his thoughts and that the rest of his neurons will naturally grow around them, leaving an obelisk that he can visit as if in a dream. And since he doesn't know when to give up, the result will be an explosive release after a series of betrayals.

Fey Girl was a difficult book for me to review: the parts I loved I loved, and the parts I disliked, let's just say I really disliked. The characterization and mundane (non-supernatural) plotline are great and written in a voice I would go as far as to compare to John Green. However, in places where the story branches into philosophy, or the paranormal, it falls apart. 3.5 stars.

Chapter one was, for lack of a better description, off-putting. It is a detailed discussion of bird feeders and ecology, with no anchor (character, plotline) established. Unless ecology is of personal interest, I can not see most readers making it through. The beginning reads like a textbook existential crisis (but blatantly spelled out, instead of hid behind a storyline): stuff happens, people forget said stuff happened, soon all concrete evidence that said stuff happened is gone, and then your dead and said stuff is gone forever.

Chapter one: zero plot, zero real emotion. However for my dislike of chapter one, chapter two is much much better. It follows two boys and their girlfriends and the angst and drama that comes with falling in love. The writing is much smoother, and it is when writing the interactions between characters that the author really shines. The character descriptions (their personalities and nuances) are extremely well done and I finally saw the great lyrical style and voice I raved about in my previous Kevin Newman review.

The main character Jude falls in love with his friend's girlfriend and I really enjoyed the authors way of making you feel like you're there and of sympathy towards the characters. It's almost halfway through the book before anything paranormal happens, and I found that the author's description of any supernatural events lacked voice; it was more of an advancing of events.

The highlight of Fey Girl is the stylish portrayal of everyday events and conflicts. It was in these moments that the authors voice broke through. The supernatural and philosophical parts of the book felt too forced; politics/philosophy that the author wanted to work into the story were too thinly veiled and left the story feeling preachy.

If the same level of detail and emotion that described the non-supernatural events were worked into the paranormal parts of the book, and the first chapter revised or omitted, Fey Girl would be a great read.

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In Wilder Lands & Into the Desert Wilds by Jim Galford

2012-08-28T11:50:00.001-04:00

Summary: The wilding Estin just wanted to be left alone, find shelter and food, and live to a nice old age. With war escalating around him, these may be beyond his reach. Instead, survival becomes his only goal as he flees civilization to pursue the chance at a better life by following a fox wildling into the mountains, far from the war's conflicts.

The war might still be raging elsewhere, but Estin will find the mountains are far from safe. Estin must decide what he is willing to do and become, as well as who to trust if he is to survive, no matter where he lives.

The format for this review is a bit different as I am reviewing two books in one. In Wilder Lands was a difficult book for me to rate: the parts that are well done are superbly well done, however the rest would have benefited from some tightening/streamlining—3.5 stars out of 5. The plot/conflict moves along better in the second book Into the Desert Wilds (4 stars out of 5) however it is still plagued with too many inconsequential players. Both books offer a great commentary on survival and how ones own struggles take precedence over what is happening in the larger world.

In the first book, Estin is instantly a sympathetic character. He is living on the street and his people (Wildlings) are often imprisoned or made slaves. The opening is powerful and the way Estin compares himself to a rat is well done. The remainder of the book is filled with artful comparisons and similes.

The story opens with a high amount of drama with Estin trying to escape the guards who want to capture him. This was a great way to show the disparity among the classes/races and set up this new world. Feanne, another main character, tries to negotiate peace/freedom for the wildlings. She is very brave and stubborn, a real heroine.

Once Estin becomes involved in taking the job for the human Varra, it would have been beneficial to have an idea as to what the overarching conflict of the story would be. I was fine with getting to know Estin and the world up to this point, but the action needed to be more gripping here.

From there, minor events are dragged on too long (for example, Varra and Estin trying to steal from the Duke) and I needed more on an idea of the ultimate impending struggle. The first quarter of the novel is okay but would benefit from some serious suspense building. The action starts once the reader finds out about the wildlings being hunted and killed and then raised from the dead as a kind of zombie soldiers. This is very interesting, but if less time was spent on Estin and Varra in the beginning and we found this out from Feanne sooner, it would help quicken the pace of the story.

The second book, Into the Desert Wilds, starts off from where the first book ends. This book suffers a similar fate as the first: unique character types, and a relatable sympathetic cast, but needs a more solid overarching conflict. It's a lot of the day to day struggle, which is fine, but the reader needs to feel like they're working towards an end goal.

The young wildlings (Feanne's kids) added a familiar element to the story; despite the obvious differences, teenage emotions ensue. The going back and forth between Estin and Oria's points of view was good: Oria is an interesting character and added a coming-of-age element to the story.

Estin going off on his own and Feanne and the kids being left alone was too reminiscent of the first book. Oria's viewpoint was a highpoint for me, along with the sibling rivalry with her brother Atall. I like these parts because they were easily accessible. Too many other parts of the fantasy world/grand scheme had too many gaps: there were too many questions about the mist and undead army. More information was needed.

Overall, for both books, the world creation and loveable characters make them worth reading, however they could benefit from streamlining to focus on the main characters and plotlines.

Book 1 Amazon (2.99)

Book 2 Amazon (2.99)

String of Pearls by Michael McGee

2012-08-28T10:15:00.000-04:00

Summary: A troubled adventurer, Dayson Snow, who’s taken much of his life for granted, dies in a mysterious accident, only to awaken in an Afterlife that’s even more of a mess than the world he left behind. Desperate to return to his old life and his one true love, Dayson descends into Hell to find answers to a crisis that has the Afterlife reeling—a crisis in which the existence of every soul that’s ever lived now hangs by a thread.

String of Pearls opens with an assassin receiving his latest hit and I was instantly intrigued by what was happening to this character (and the end of the Prologue certainly doesn't disappoint!). The writing is clear and concise, and author deserves serious praise for his creative/amazing similes. 4 stars out of 5.

Once Dayson is introduced, I found myself interested in his story but at the same time felt like I was kept at an arms length from him as a character. The beginning could have been a bit more relatable (more an idea of the overall conflict that's driving the story), especially as the reader is primed for a supernatural/paranormal experience and for a substantial period of time the novel feels very much like old school colonialism (there were some serious Lord Jim/Heart of Darkness vibes).

The plot follows multiple characters, perhaps too many, and it detracted from the events of Jean and Dayson, at least for me. For such a novel concept, and the fact that once you find out Dayson is dead you are launched into a new world in chaos (which the reader isn't quite privy to), there were too many things up in the air.

String of Pearls offers something unique to the fantasy world, and the ending, while not without questions, resolves the story nicely (there are an additional two books that continue from where the first left off). In a way, purgatory, heaven, and hell are treated much like a new fantasy universe: they have their own rules, religious system, citizens, cities. It's best not to read the book thinking of heaven and hell in the Judeo-Christian sense: it's more of a new fantasy world that has been created.

Smashwords (0.99)

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Volumes 1–3 Amazon (6.49)

Book Trailer:

Last Man Through The Gate by Tim C. Taylor

2012-08-22T19:53:00.000-04:00

Last Man Through The Gate is one of the weirdest books I've read in a while. It is somewhat deceiving, though, because it starts off pretty straight forward. Last Man Through The Gate is about man going though some sort of portal to find a better life in another world only to have the portal shut off just after he completes his transit. Somewhere in the middle of the story, though, things take a gradual change towards the weird, and by the end I felt like character was on some sort of drug trip.

As weird as the story turned out to be, it did have some redeeming qualities. For example, the differences between the societies on both sides of the gate were interesting to explore. There is one society of lower classed, but ever hopeful proletariats and another of an overly cocky ruling class, not quite prepared to defend an uprising. I was also fascinated by the time dialation between sides of the gate. Similar to travel at the speed of light, some times many years would pass in one side of the gate while only days had passed on the other. While interesting, the timeline differences only played a minor role while taking a back seat to the larger, overreaching theme.

Through most of the story, I really cared about the struggles facing the main character. There was so much potential in the plot line, but then it ultimately fell flat and ended in a strange and confusing way. Some of the characters including the main one were quite interesting, but others were unfortunately boring with seemingly little purpose. The author's notes say this is a story about isolation. I guess that means I shouldn't be surprised by the shallow, minor characters, but they left me unfulfilled.

Tragically this story shows lots of potential early on which got me pretty excited, but it quickly turned around and left me feeling confused and disappointed. The author claims his indie publishing company values writing clarity, plots that move, and leaving readers satisfied. I really hope their other published books adhere to this, because this one definitely didn't. As much as I hate to say it, I can't in good conscious recommend this book. Since it did show some potential and was mostly devoid of gamar and spelling errors, I give Last Man Through The Gate 2 stars.

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The Vanguard Society by Eathen White

2012-08-07T19:54:00.000-04:00

I was a little worried when I first opened The Vanguard Society and discovered it is told in second person. I had flash backs to the create your own adventure books I read as a child. However, I was pleasantly surprised as I read on to realize that the story actually pulls off the second person quite well. A quick, simple read with a compelling story line, The Vanguard Society will please almost any reader.

The story begins with almost instant action as Gabriel is purposefully hit by a truck during his morning run. We quickly find out he is being targeted in attempts to reveal his secret immortality. Teaming up with other immortals, they discover the growing plot to reveal their existence. With twists and turns along the way, the story comes together with an exciting and fulfilling ending.

The characters were genuine and interesting; their personalities evolved nicely. The plot line was interesting, engaging, and had a good flow. Besides a number of typos, I have nothing very bad to say about the book. However, it ultimately didn't leave me with a lasting impression. Besides being told in second person, there wasn't really anything else unique, and there certainly weren't any profound take aways. I liked it while reading it, but feel no need to read it again. If you've read everything else and are looking for something new this book will surely entertain, but if you're searching for that lasting gem, you're not going to find it in this book. I give The Vanguard Society 3.5 stars.

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Book of the Nine Ides by Benjamin Goshko

2012-08-02T09:58:00.000-04:00

Summary: After spending four years in a juvenile psychiatric facility, Ashley Minden, a sixteen-year-old gender dysphoric, has been released into her family's custody. While the transition to home life and high school would be difficult for any teenager, Ashley has the added burden of being a conduit of Qualkhoikhom, a mad god, who gives her the eyes to see a terrifying, hidden world. Now, Ashley must either find a way to escape Qualkhoikhom and live a normal life, or succumb to her delirium, becoming the mad god's final sacrifice.

The Book of the Nine Ides is dark, twisted, and a unique paranormal read. 4.5 stars out of 5.

It is very well written, clear and fast paced. The main character Ashley can shift between worlds, and so can those unlucky enough to be with her when she shifts—except they come back dead or not at all.

I especially liked the parasitic demons associated with different emotions, and the author's skill at exploring the emotional/social/familial consequences of gender dysphoria in the midst of the paranormal.

It is also neat that you can read the story as a supernatural/paranormal story or as hallucinations. The book contains typical high school conflicts—parties, first kisses, meddling siblings, strict step-father—all while demons are feeding off of the characters.

My only issue with the story, was the quick resolution and its lack of foreshadowing. For me, the ending didn't really resolve the whole story.

The Book of the Nine Ides is a fast paced novella that's sure to be read in one sitting—a must for any dark paranormal fans.

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Wolf's-head (Rogues of Bindar) by Chris Turner

2012-08-02T09:19:00.001-04:00

Summary: Welcome to Bindar: a world of scoundrels, opportunists and glib talkers. A conniving fisherman discovers a new meaning for the words mischief and scandal when he falls on the wrong side of a macabre magician, propelling him and his jokester poet friend into outlandish adventures, shattering all illusions of a just and fair world.

First it is prison, then it is the precarious life of outlaws. To meet a dazzling shapeshifter, shrunken and imprisoned in the magician’s bottle of brine, and then liberate her is not enough. Harried across the land, accompanied by a rebellious sea captain, they encounter the formidable Dakkaw, an ogreish creature of questionable repute. Can they win free of 'Bisiguth', and the Dakkaw’s sinister agenda?

Journey to new reaches of faraway Bindar with these unlikely heroes who must trust their instincts, survive by wits and bravado against lords, lawgivers, enchanting damsels and fey creatures . . .

Book I of the epic 3-book saga.

Wolf's-head: Rogues of Bindar is an ambitious foray into the epic fantasy world, however it is plagued by a verbose narrative and an underdeveloped plot. 3 stars out of 5

Epic fantasy often contains loftier story-telling and more complex sentences than other genres, however in the case of Wolf's-head it is too much; the wordiness slows the plot and prevents a distinctive voice from forming. There is nothing wrong with challenging the vocabulary of the reader, or being descriptive, but not to the point where it stifles/slows the narrative.

Baus is the main character, however for most of the story he appears too far removed from the piece. The beginning of the book needs something to hook the reader; some reason to care about Baus: a conflict, a character flaw, anything to humanize him. Then, once the reader is drawn into Baus' world, the high level of description would not seem so out of place: I need a reason for wanting to know what the city looks like, what the people look/talk/smell like. I need an investment in their world. Even Baus' eventual capture wasn't enough: I didn't care for Baus' well-being.

In terms of conflict, the reader is left in the dark as to what the overarching conflict is for too long. Typically in epic fantasy, conflicts abound and the reader knows from the get-go exactly what conflict is driving the piece (war, love triangle, etc). At the beginning of the book, Baus' trip to the fair wasn't enough to build suspense or foreshadowing. And I have no idea what his "plan of providence was."

The very ending of the book (which leads into the sequel) was the first time I found myself getting lost in the story, and able to overlook the style. There's definitely a lot of good fantasy elements here, and an author with a phenomenal vocabulary; with some work to pare down the narrative and heighten the level of suspense it could be a great read.

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Through Struggle, the Stars by John J. Lumpkin

2012-07-20T20:53:00.002-04:00

Through Struggle, the Stars is a very well done military sci fi story that takes place in the future during a tumultuous time between the Chinese and Japanese governments. Told from the perspective of an American intelligence officer abord an interstellar space ship, the story is full of action, military strategy and social commentary. I think the audience for this story will be somewhat limited, but for those interested in this niche, I think it will be very stimulating.

The story follows the journey of aspiring drop ship pilot, Neil Mercer, after getting disappointing news that his first active duty assignment will be as an intelligence officer. As he progresses in his role, we find out a little about his back story and get to experience his many interactions with his shipmates. While he did have some interesting internal conflicts, I feel he ultimately fell a little flat. The glimpses into the other characters was done better, mostly because while they clearly had a driving force, their motivations remained more of a mystery instead of feeling uninspired. I'm just being nit picky here, because overall the characters were good enough to support the more critical elements of the story. However, in a book like this, I think a little more character development can go a long way to widen the appeal to a larger audience.

One of the things the book did surprisingly well was depecit space battles in a realistic way, while also keeping them interesting and suspenseful. When fighting from thousands of miles away, even the most powerful missiles would take 15 min or longer to reach their targets. Despite the length of the battles and their were quite a few of them, each one of them was unique and interesting. The author showed a lot of thought into space warfare strategy, and he explained and executed the battles as if he had first hand knowledge.

A last tiny gripe I had with the book was the length of the chapters. They were just too dang long. Most of the time I could make it an entire train ride to work and not hit a chapter break. There were section breaks, however, and most of the time I could find one of them before needing to get off the train.

Due to the extreme depth of knowledge the book explores with interplanetary politics and space warfare, it probably won't appeal to everyone. The book was very well written though, and I know the people who find this type of topic interesting will enjoy it greatly. For these reasons I give Through Struggle, the Stars 4 stars.

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Author's Site: The Human Reach

Saucerers and Gondoliers by Dominic Greene

2012-07-16T01:19:00.000-04:00

Synopsis: "Flying saucers do not land in country parks. They are not piloted by Englishmen. They do not bear nameplates saying "HAWKER SIDDELEY AVIATION." And they are never, ever filled with smuggled catering packs of Monster Munch.

Britain has had a top secret colony in space for decades. Unfortunately, the colony has grown tired of being run by the mother country - and the mother country has decided it's time to send in the troops. Between these two sides are Anthony Stevens and Cleopatra Shakespeare, abducted from England and hurled into a war between Britain, America, and the newly, fiercely independent United States of the Zodiac."

Thirteen-year-old Ant and Cleo are kidnapped by a man in a flying saucer and then attempt to find their way back to Earth. Along the way they visit planets where the Cold War never ended, society has barely moved on since the 50s and 60s, and the American colonists have fought a second Revolution.

Saucerers and Gondoliers is an entertaining read and often funny, but much of the humour is very British and might be lost on readers from other nations or those who weren't alive during the Cold War. I particularly liked Comrade Furby and the communists, and the plastic-eating alien.

Ant and Cleo are interesting characters, though at times they felt older than their age. I wasn't entirely sure how old they were until well into the book and they often seemed smarter than the other characters. Those others were more caricatured, and although that worked as part of the style of the story I suspect the behaviour of many of the American characters, whose culture is still stuck in the 50s, might offend some readers in that country.

Ultimately the novel suffered somewhat from limited build-up of tension in the plot and lack of a consistent antagonist. The story is more of a trip through various unusual societies and the ending was abrupt; I turned the page expecting more and discovered I'd reached the end. I'm guessing a sequel will pick up the story where Saucerers left it.

As with Panoptica I'm going to have to split the rating. I'd give it a 4 for British readers and a 3 for those who don't know much about British culture, as they will miss many of the allusions and jokes.

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Scavengers by CD Echterling

2012-06-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

The post apocalyptic sub genre is one my favorite genres inside of sci-fi. I'm not sure why, but I find it so fascinating to hear tales of survival or rebuilding after a period of economic and scientific prosperity. Scavengers was a great story about two overlapping societies -- one that had rebuilt and one that became tribal and lived off the land. The elements of crossover and interaction between the two societies was very intriguing and skillful portrayed. I was a tad bit disappointed with the ending, but loved the story overall.

The main story arc begins as a scientist runs away from pending legal charges and escapes his walled city into a society of scavengers and hunters. One hunter in particular sees potential in the scientist and takes him under his wings to teach him the ways of the hunters. The transformation of the scientist from from a city dweller to a survivalist really peaked my interest. It was very well done and quite believable.

Scavengers contains quite a bit of gore and a couple of sex scenes which means it probably isn't appropriate for children. This story is quite dark and real and explores what it takes to maintain a survivalist society that is always low on food.

I fell in love with most of the characters. Even though they are living in a society completely different than ours, I felt like I could relate to the city dwellers and their struggles. Even the scavengers exhibited complex motivations that made total sense in the context of their environment. The dialog and even the non verbal interactions between the characters felt completely natural.

Looking past very few typos, the only significant issue I had was the ending. It felt a little rushed and quite utopic compared to the rest of the story. It was a little too perfect. I'd be fine with a happy ending, but there were too many happy coincidences. I think it took a bit away from the realism of the story.

Scavengers is a great story overall, even with the disappointment I felt in the ending. I'd definitely recommend this book to all fans of post apocalypses, as well as anyone looking for a good raw story about survivalist challenges. I rate Scavengers at 4 stars.

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