Tuesday, June 12, 2012

War (Galactic Exploration) by Peter Cawdron

Book Description: War is the fourth in a series of stand-alone novellas exploring concepts related to the Rare Earth Hypothesis in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The crew of the Rift Valley are being chased through a star cluster by marauding aliens intent on harvesting their genetic diversity. With limited options, being out-gunned and out-paced by the alien warships, the Rift is running out of options.





Review 5 of 5 Stars:

At the author's request, I read the beta of War, the fourth installment of the Galactic Exploration series this past weekend and it is now available for download to your favorite e-reader (just a small plug for a struggling indie author here on the blog lol).  As it is difficult to separate the pieces of the story now that I've read them all, this will be kind of an all encompassing review for the project as a whole and as I feel the series was intriguing, enjoyable and well written, I'm giving it 5 stars.

War had more punch and tension than some the previous installments which were more world (so to speak) and character building and I really enjoyed seeing it all come together with the action and more tension than we've seen in the previous novellas. War was very descriptive and even some of the portions that weren't actually action seemed that way, but I'd have to spoil the story to tell you how that was achieved.

All in all, Mr. Cawdron really did an excellent job of bringing the characters together from the other installments and integrating them in this latest novella for a chance to mess with your head a little. For the first time the characters from the previous installments are together (in a manner of speaking) and it was good to see them all struggling and working together for the same goals - survival and freedom. For those who have read the three prior novellas, Anderson, Trixie, Berry and Diana are all present as they encounter what so many yearn to search for and may be afraid to find. War was a good read and I think some of the complaints I've seen in reviews from others (and that includes myself) that there wasn't enough and they were left hanging will easily be resolved by reading the four novellas together.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Daughter of Time: A Time Travel Romance by Sarah Woodbury

Book Description: A medieval man with an uncertain destiny, Llywelyn, the Prince of Wales, faces treachery and deceit at the hands of friends and foes alike

A modern woman with a troubled past, Meg's life is in tatters when she slips through time and into medieval Wales ...

Only by working together can Meg and Llywelyn navigate the shifting allegiances that threaten the very existence of Wales--and create their own history that defies the laws of time.


Review 3 of 5 Stars:

This one was a mixed bag for me. I mostly read science fiction, fantasy, random science books and a mystery here or there, but time travel romances are my very occasional guilty pleasure. I'm a history nut and given that I was in the middle of a physics book it seemed like a good time for a little light reading on the side. So, I picked up Daughter of Time: A Time Travel Romance which is a prequel to the After Cilmeri series by Sarah Woodbury on a free promotion along with a couple of others to see if I could find one to read. This was definitely the best of the lot, didn't get deleted after the first two pages (as did the others), and I finished it without any problem. I mean it is what it is, but it wasn't bad for light reading of the time travel romance variety and I'm rating it with those things in mind. So I'm giving it a 3 because the history was interesting, language problems were explained and that sort of thing. There was no great explanation for the actual time travel, but sometimes that's better. If you sit down to read a time travel romance and expect too much then you're likely to be disappointed. It's something to take with a grain of salt and with that in mind (as I hovered between a 2 or 3 for the ranking), I decided on the 3 because it was basically enjoyable and it was free. There were some problems with the story line where it made me pause, but not so bad that I had to shut it and run away. I won't be reading it again, but some of it was really interesting and it was just barely a romance; very light compared to many out there and nothing graphic (pretty safe all the way around).

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Ray Bradbury (1920 - 2012) - RIP

Usually I only review books in this spot, but Ray Bradbury (one of my favorite science fiction writers) passed away yesterday and I just wanted to take a moment to note his passing. I can't possibly calculate the hours I've spent reading and re-reading his works. As a young girl I escaped into his books and had my eyes opened to a wider world and universe. So, here is my little bit of thanks for being able to enjoy the work of such a wonderful artist.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

First Shift - Legacy (Part 6 of the Silo Series) (Wool) by Hugh Howey

Book Description: In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platform that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct repairs, and even self-propagate.

In the same year, the CBS network re-aired a program about the effects of propranolol on sufferers of extreme trauma. A simple pill, it had been discovered, could wipe out the memory of any traumatic event.

At almost the same moment in humanity’s broad history, mankind had discovered the means for bringing about its utter downfall. And the ability to forget it ever happened.



Review: 4 of 5 Stars

I recently read the Wool Omnibus which was so good it just blew me away. So I immediately headed back out to purchase the sixth volume in the story. Mr. Howey is very talented and overall I enjoyed the story; however, it wasn't as gripping as the ones before and some of the plot seemed a little off or perhaps unlikely so I wasn't drawn into the story as completely as with the previous volumes in the story. I'm not at all saying I didn't enjoy the read. It was interesting and I very much enjoyed it. Mr. Howey is an excellent writer and has some really interesting ideas. I will most definitely read Wool 7 when it comes out. I'm intrigued and completely sucked into the story, but I think the real story lies in what will happen to the people struggling to survive in the silos and how they can improve their world rather than how they got there. To me, it seems that is where the real human drama is taking place and I think I would have rather seen those in the silos discovering and coming to grips with the truth of how it all happened than to go back and see it played out. Of course, that's just my opinion and it's easy to say how you would have like to see things go from the perspective of a reader. Anyway, altogether a good read and a must for anyone who has enjoyed the previous installments in the Wool series. I very much look forward to reading the next installment in the series.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

The Watchers of Ur: Cradle by Lamonte M. Fowler

Book Description: From before the Dawn of Man, good and evil have battled on the Earth. As humans progressed from Eden to the skies and to space, Azrael watched over humanity — teaching, guiding, and protecting the Children of Earth.


The Enemy, imprisoned on Earth for their rebellion, carry out the Master’s plan to end their bondage and take the war to a new front — a pristine ‘cradle’ world where suffering and war are not known. Using the Emperor of Earth and the resources of his vast empire to build mankind’s first starship, the Enemy weaves a plot that spans generations, and threatens two sentient races.


In Book One, Azrael enlists Father Bożydar Jofre, a Jesuit priest, and Kavan Ferre, a brilliant physicist, to prevent the Enemy from escaping to the stars. Joined by an unlikely group of space pirates, Azrael leads an epic race across the solar system to halt the Enemy before their great migration can begin.


THE WATCHERS OF UR: CRADLE will take you from Earth to Mars, Europa, Titan, and beyond on an epic journey filled with fast-paced action, gripping human drama, and stunning glimpses of the future of Mankind.

Review: 4 of 5 Stars

When I started this book I was a bit leery given the framework and the obvious references to religion. Nevertheless, I sat down to read it and despite my initial misgivings it really was a fun read so I'm giving it a 4 for the entertainment I derived from it. I really enjoyed some of the characters and appreciated the spice thrown in by some of the more obscure ones in this merry band of mortals off to save the universe. In addition, I'm always up for some good action and a rollicking space battle and there was plenty of both. The author did add some twists to the age old struggle between good and evil, which were interesting to think about in the context of the story. Overall, I enjoyed it and I'll probably read the next one. If you like an occasional swashbuckling type romp and have the ability to treat fiction as just that and not take it too seriously then you might pass an enjoyable afternoon with this space adventure.