The Demon Rolmar by A.V. Griffin

Description:  Rolmar is a heartless, misanthropic demon who serves as one of the three overlords of Pentar, a planet in the Amenis dimension. When Rolmar’s brethren bestow upon him the illustrious task of destroying Earth, his growing curiosity of humans adds a momentary pause to his original plan. Still intent on annihilating Earth, Rolmar extends his stay in order to discover what makes humanity unique. 

However, when Adam, a quirky college student, crosses paths with the all-powerful demon, one fateful night will change his life forever. Haunted by nightmares of his mind-blowing encounter, Adam can’t return to his normal life. His only path to solace is attempting to convince the demon that Earth is worth saving. With the fate of the world on their shoulders, will Adam and his friends be able to convince Rolmar that they and all of mankind should be spared?


Review 4 of 5 Stars


I received a request from the author to read this story and I have to say that The Demon Rolmar by A.V. Griffin was such a fun read.  It was not at all what I expected from the description when I sat down to read it.

Now you may be thinking that me saying that means the description doesn't really give a good idea of the story and yet it does.  It does not, however, prepare you for a story that doesn't take itself too seriously and is great fun to read.  It was clever, fun, well executed and I really enjoyed watching the demon's character progress through the story.  The writing was tight and I didn't notice any of the copy editing errors you see in a lot of independent work.

I liked the care taken to show us the demon's home world Pentar as well as some of the nifty tricks employed by the Pentarians and took it into the realm of science fiction rather than just a fantasy story.  I don't want to give away too much, because some of what was so enjoyable are the unexpected mischievous things and I really don't want to spoil those.  I will say it made me chuckle on more than one occasion.

This isn't a very long story (I read it in an evening), but the characters were vivid, it was a good story overall and I really liked it.  I think the end wrapped up a little too neatly, but I wasn't necessarily disappointed in the ending either.  So there you have it.  If you enjoy a little science fiction with your fantasy and want a chance to chuckle a few times along the way this might be just the story for you.

Book Review & Author Q&A for Other Systems by Elizabeth Guizzetti

Description:
Would you go to a planet that has never known war, hunger, or even a single murder? 

This daring new novel explores the difficulties of space travel, planetary colonization, and the loss of friends, family, and identity due to time dilation and the distance between stars.
Humans established a utopian colony on Kipos, an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sol twin. Unfortunately, the birth rate continues to plummet and without an influx of human DNA, Kipos has eleven generations before it reaches failure. With Earth over ninety light-years away, time is short.

On the over-crowded Earth, many see opportunity in Kipos's need. After medical, intelligence, and physiological testing, Abby and her younger siblings, Jin and Orchid, are offered transportation. Along with 750,000 other strong young immigrants, they leave the safety of their family with the expectation of good jobs and the opportunity for higher education.

While these second-generation colonists travel to the new planet in stasis, the Kiposi, terrified that Earthlings will taint their paradise, pass a series of indenture and adoption laws in order to assimilate the savages.

When Abby wakes up on Kipos, Jin cannot be found. Orchid is ripped from her arms as Abby is sold to a dull-eyed man with a sterilized wife. Indentured to breed, she is drugged and systematically coerced. To survive, Abby learns the differences in culture and language using the only thing that is truly hers on this new world: her analytical mind. Haunted by the agony of her loss, but determined to make a better life for herself, she joins a planetary survey team where she will discover yet another way of life.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

The difference between a good book and a mediocre or awful book is the amount of time that seems to be involved. A great book will fly by until you find yourself at the last page not wanting to read the last paragraph because it will be over. Last week I read one that I had to struggle to finish. Fortunately, a good book much like a cold beer on a hot summer day will find you at the end of it surprised that you are already done and that's how this book was. I will freely admit that Other Systems isn't a love it so much I'll read it over and over yearly book; however it is a good book that covers some disturbing subjects.

I received a request to read this book and participate in a blog tour for it, but to be clear I don’t receive any compensation for anything I write here. Since I found it to be a good read I'm going to give the lady her due and hook the links up on the right in my links list so you fine people can find it without too much trouble.

As far as I'm concerned what's listed in the official synopsis doesn't quite give the flavor of the book. In my opinion what the synopsis describes is the actual build up for where the story really begins, the background if you will.  For me the action part of the story really began at the last line of the synopsis where she joins the planetary survey team.

I have no idea at this point why the author chose to begin this story in quite the way she did, but maybe we'll find out. As part of the blog tour there will also be a Q&A section following the review when I publish it on July 6th as part of the tour, but I haven't done that part yet.  Today is June 19th and I'm writing while it is fresh. Today, having just finished the book I have no idea why she went the way she did with the story, but in the end I would have to say it worked out fine. It is not only a story about awakening to a similar yet divergent culture where it seems things have gone terribly wrong, but a coming of age story for Abby who becomes an explorer of both the universe and who she wants to be.  It's a story about how families are not only born, but made from the friends we collect and keep throughout the journey of life.

Some of the beginning is pretty dark. That it is dark didn't bother me at all. As it turned out to be partially a story about coming of age and acceptance that was done pretty well while out exploring alien landscapes and a different culture, in some ways I kind of think it is a shame that it's not a book I would be able to share with too young of an audience due to some of the subject matter. Nevertheless, it was a good read.  I truly enjoyed the story of Abby's rise out of servitude and adventurous explorations to strange new planets with the survey team. It flowed smoothly and the story kept my interest enough to leave me wondering about it when I wasn't reading. The characters had depth and were believable. If you're looking for a good story and have a bit of free time you might want to give it a try.

Q&A

TJ:  I really enjoyed reading Other Systems. Thank you for agreeing to do a Q&A session to go along with the book review. I saw in your bio that prior to being an author you were an artist with tons of paintings who did some work on graphic novels and a comic book series.  What made you decide to go more to the printed format as opposed to graphic novels and comics?

Elizabeth:  I still do artwork and comics. I did the illustrations and cover design for Other Systems. The 4^th episode in the comic book series Out for Souls&Cookies comes out in October of this year. (It’s going to be the Christmas Special, because every comic about demon dogs needs a Christmas Special.)  My next graphic novel Unintentional Colonists will be coming out in Spring 2015. It is another hard science fiction story dealing with emotional themes so fans of Other Systems probably will really like it.

 

The reason why Other Systems is a written novel versus a graphic novel is when the story hit me, I saw the vision of a written novel in my head.  As soon as I know a story, I know what it is going to be.

TJ:  The beginning of Other Systems is pretty dark and Abby has to deal with some pretty horrific things being done to her.  This is definitely not a young adult book, but in many ways this books seems to be a coming of age story for Abby.  What made you decide on the path you chose and does it concern you that at least some of the beginning of the book may not be appropriate for mid to late teens who might really relate to the story?

Elizabeth:  Kind of, but teenagers rarely care about adult themes and content. Parents do. In fact, my mom has complained about the adult content in Other Systems, specifically Cole and Harden’s swearing.

 

While there is a coming of age aspect to Abby’s story, that doesn’t (and in my opinion shouldn’t) automatically classify it as Young Adult. Plenty of New Adult Market and Adult Science Fiction Novels have coming of age plots and subplots. Abby’s story has “good” messages about education, self-actualization and safe sex, however the major themes were always about slavery, dehumanization based on fear, and finding freedom.

There are other reasons: Abby is a young protagonist, but she is surrounded by smart adults. There are no heroes in this series. There are just decisions by people who justify whatever they do for good or ill. I allowed the horrors of rape and slavery to be part of the story.

Other contributing “adult” factors are the unabashed scientific terminology, the length of the novel, pacing and finally the ensemble cast of humans just trying to get by.

TJ:  I was really interested in the artificial intelligence aspect of this story, but not much was brought to light overall.  Do you plan to explore that subject more in later stories?

Elizabeth:  Yes. In Book 2: The Light Side of the Moon, there is another AI character named Vasili. His character will further the overarching storyline for the all the AI characters over the course of the four planned books.  You will meet one more android named, Conner, in Book 3 and Rover comes back as well.

TJ:  I was fascinated by the explorations of the survey ship and the various things the crew found.  Are you planning more adventures for this crew?

Elizabeth:  Definitely. Though The Light Side of the Moon follows what happened to those who stayed behind on Earth. Book 3 (Still Untitled) will return to Kipos and the fleet. I don’t want to give too many hints, but Harden plans to try to create a stable Einstein-Rosen Bridge are moving forward.

TJ:  Is there anything specific that you would like to share with readers regarding your inspiration for writing Other Systems?

Elizabeth:  I knew I wanted to write a science fiction story that my smart friends were not just shaking their head at.  Something that moved beyond a disaster.

 

The concept for Other Systems really hit me when I was out walking the dogs. A young Earth woman goes to another planet for a job and realizes she has become a slave. That very night, I saw an article about young, uneducated girls from India’s rural areas traveling into cities with the expectation that they are going to get factory jobs only to end up working as sex slaves. Suddenly, I knew the how Abby got caught up in all of this.

I wrote the scene where Abby and Orchid get separated first, as it is the first pivot scene in the book. Though obviously it was edited for copy, it remained largely unchanged. I also wrote the scene in which Abby escapes the DePauls which went through major changes both in my own drafts and with the editors from 48Fourteen.

TJ:  Since this is your first published book can you share with us a little bit about your experience writing this book and any pitfalls you fell into?

Elizabeth:  I am a bit of a loose planner. If I know a pivot scene such as the ones I talked about above, I’ll write them first. Then I create a relaxed outline. I write a scene/chapter a day until the story is told. This process takes me about a month. Then I go back and rewrite it and make sure everything fits. One of the biggest surprises that came up during the drafting process is Mark who screamed, “I would never do this!” and changed his whole subplot which changed the whole course of the novel.

I wrote seven drafts before I started sending it out to publishers and agents. I got 16 rejections. After 48Fourteen agreed to publish, there were big and small changes during the editing process. The editor was concerned Abby has no love interest and yet is a sexual character. At 17-19, she does what almost everyone does at that age: she thinks about love and sex. In this aspect of the book, I refused to budge to “market expectations.” Was that a pitfall? I don’t know. I do know my gut told me to not bend on this point.

However, please don't think I am the type of author that refuses to listen. The editors also told me I needed to darken the beginning. So it didn't start as innocently. The last scene I wrote before publication was actually the first scene in the book. I originally just referred to Lucy’s suicide as the driving factor in Harden’s research. Now it sets the tone. Readers know the book will be dark. It will deal seriously with family and reproductive freedom before anyone every meets Abby.

As for other pitfalls, honestly I’m extremely proud of my first novel. I learned so much from the process that I don’t really look at any “failures” necessarily as bad. They were learning experiences. I do wish I had begun targeted marketing sooner. Though there are a few scenes that need to be tightened, I won't make the same mistake with The Light Side of the Moon. I'll be up to making new and better mistakes with my second novel :)

TJ:  Thank you for taking time out of your day to answer my questions and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Elizabeth:  Thank you for having me.

See http://elizabethguizzetti.com/ for more information about this author.

The Starfall Knight by Ken Lim

Description:  Surrounded by cut-throats and slavers, Alessa knows there is more to existence than mere survival on the aerocks – landmasses that traverse the endless sky, powered by a volatile mineral. When the opportunity for a new life presents itself, there is nothing that will stop Alessa from having her way.

Devan seeks the respect of his peers, protectors of their homeland which is an aerock so large that it can haul along smaller lands. When Alessa’s aerock makes landfall, they bring more than commodities and supplies for trade. They bring memories of past mistakes.

They bring war.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

I received a request to review this book.  Lucky for me The Starfall Knight was a fun fantasy read, but if you're looking for elves and the like you'll need to look elsewhere.  It's not that kind of fantasy story.  Whether it be fortunate or unfortunate I immediately had a concept of what chained together aerocks would look like because I'm an online gamer and have climbed the chains between floating rocks that were connected together on more than one occasion.  So I moved on with the concept of floating landmasses as if it was as natural as breathing.  I have lived on islands before though and have to say I would prefer bigger landmasses especially if they were floating.  I'm sure my fear of heights (or more specifically falling) would have made elements of this world very uncomfortable for me if I'd had to live in it, but our characters were up to the challenges presented to them.

Devan and Alessa are the mains here and seemingly as opposite as can be.  Devan is a Centaran ranger who scouts around the connected aerocks, blames himself for a long ago tragedy and is out to prove his naysayers wrong.  Alessa is pretty much a pirate wench who, though tough, seems to be a step above her companions.  There were some good supporting characters as well and as a whole I have to say the characters were pretty well done evoking empathy and dislike.  The world building and descriptions were good as well.  There's plenty of adventure and action to be had throughout this tale and I enjoyed the trip.  It wasn't perfect, but I liked it. 

I enjoyed the cultural differences of the various aerocks and the intrigue as well as an entertaining fantasy element.  There's plenty of bloodthirsty bandits and brave defenders, along with some secrets to be revealed and the like.  The writing was good and I had no problem moving along through it at a good pace.  There were a few strange things, but I don't want to give away the story and part of explaining it would have to include doing so.  The only other thing is I really would have liked to have found out more about the actual study of the Starfall Knight and its accompanying items, but I always want to know more about the mystery.  Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and I'd be willing to read something else by this author.

Xenophobia by Peter Cawdron

Description:  Xenophobia is set in Malawi, Africa, with US soldiers acting as peacekeepers to stop a civil war erupting. When an alien spacecraft arrives in orbit, America is thrown into turmoil and US troops are withdrawn from hotspots around the globe to provide support at home. Malawi descends into chaos. 

Xenophobia follows a band of US Rangers that stay behind to get doctors and patients from an outlying field hospital to safety. When hundreds of alien spacecraft begin flying overhead, the dynamics of war take on an entirely new dimension.

Review 5 of 5 Stars

This was a great first contact story, I really enjoyed it and it was accurately named. It was gritty, sweaty, realistic and moved at a good pace.  I mentioned in another review recently that I like a story that can be introspective without sacrificing excitement and action and was glad to see that this story had managed to do just that. I also like a story that requires you to think and I wasn't disappointed in that area either.  Xenophobia certainly delivered by investigating not only our fears of strange or alien things from outside our galaxy, but also how we fear and treat one another due to those same irrational fears of things and persons unknown though we may only be from different countries rather than different planets.

There are several characters in this book, but Bower, a doctor who stays behind to care for her patients that need to be transported, and Elvis (nickname, not a resurrection lol), one of a group of US soldiers that volunteers to stay behind to protect them, are the mains for most of the story and they were both interesting travel companions.  I thought the aliens were really cool and well thought out and I loved the journey as a whole. It was nice to get away from the Hollywood action movie clichés about what first contact will be where the aliens are generally hell-bent on eating, killing or in some other way making us subservient. I also liked that the book looked at how we treat one another and what types of behavior might be expected given a first contact situation on Earth.

Peter Cawdron has a great perspective on the world and it definitely comes through in his stories like a fresh gust of air.  Each story I've read by Mr. Cawdron has been better than the last both technically and in overall storytelling. I'm just glad I got to take this trip through reading rather than stomping the road these characters traveled. Though that last part would have been pretty wonderful, but I dare not say too much. If you like a smart story that challenges you to look beyond what we see everyday then I think you would enjoy this one as much as I did.

Season of the Harvest (Harvest Trilogy, Book 1) by Michael R. Hicks

Description: 
You Are What You Eat
 
At a genetics lab where a revolutionary strain of corn is being developed, FBI Special Agent Jack Dawson's best friend and fellow agent is brutally murdered, his body torn apart.
 
Jack is convinced that Naomi Perrault, a beautiful geneticist and suspected terrorist, is behind the murder. But when Jack is framed for setting off a bomb that devastates the FBI lab in Quantico, Naomi becomes Jack's only hope of survival.
 
Confronted by the terrifying truth of what the genetically engineered seeds stolen by his friend are truly for and who is really behind them, Jack joins Naomi in a desperate fight across half the globe to save humanity from extermination...

Review 4 of 5 Stars

Anyone who reads this blog knows that  I'm a Michael R. Hicks fan. I fell in love with the In Her Name series and have not only read, but re-read those books. So I came into this book with a love of the writer's work and great hopes. I did enjoy Season of the Harvest. It won't be a book that I re-read over and over, but as a writer I was intrigued through much of it and completely understand how you get from researching food allergies to alien story about GMOs.  It just happens.  Something grabs your attention, you start investigating and researching your topic and the next thing you know it is ever-present in your thoughts and the imagination machine starts turning.  

I too have done a lot of research into GMOs and I was curious how it would shake out in a sci-fi story, but there are a couple of reasons that I had not read this book earlier. The first of those is that I'm not a big conspiracy theory fan in fiction or in real life for that matter and that tends to influence my feelings about such stories. The second was that I loved the In Her Name series so much and didn't want to be disappointed if I couldn't make my way past the conspiracy theory element.
I know. There is that nasty conspiracy theory dislike rearing its ugly head again, but I did enjoy several things about this book.  The bad guys were truly formidable, truly fascinating structurally and I definitely wouldn't want to encounter them. There was plenty of action, the story moved along at a good pace and I was also interested in the gene manipulation to a point. Lastly, I loved the cats probably just because I love cats. On several occasions the cats and their warning behavior as well as the bad guys' feelings about the cats kept pulling up visions of the Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser.  However, I must say that Alexander (lucky little critter that he is) was one of my favorite things about this book and I was pulling for him. 

I enjoyed the book for the most part, but this was a 3.5 to 4 reading experience for me (I always round up when undecided). Some of it was really interesting, but the ending didn't quite do it for me as the president didn't seem realistic in what he was doing and the deals he wanted to make. I don't want to give too much detail as I try to avoid spoilers, but the ending just didn't ring true for me even in a fictional sense.  In fact, several of the characters just seemed a little off (perhaps overly dramatic) and the romance was too immediate for me when what it might have been in real life is the oh crap we might die, hey you're kind of cute thing. I liked Renee's character as well, but with regard to some of the others I hate it when characters know there are bad things going down, their equipment inconveniently won't work and they do something stupid on top of it.  It's kind of like in a horror movie after three people have died and they decide to walk in the dark through the forest down to the lake and you can almost hear the audience screaming at them to go back. There was some of that to this book and I just couldn't get past the end even though it wasn't necessarily rushed or anything like that. 

So there you have it from my view. If you like conspiracy theory stories, especially ones that have to do with aliens then this may be just your kind of book. I will continue to follow Mr. Hicks' writing because he has become one of my favorite new authors and I really enjoy his work. Even Robert Heinlein who was one of my all-time favorite writers had a story or two that didn't particularly interest me and that is how I feel here as the majority of what I didn't like about this book really comes from my own likes and dislikes along with some overly dramatic moments more so than the story itself. It was an interesting read and I enjoyed it, but I doubt that I'll be following this particular series given the reasons already explained (perhaps overly so) above.

Half Way Home by Hugh Howey

Description:  Five hundred of us were sent to colonize this planet. Only fifty or so survived. 

We woke up fifteen years too early, we had only half our training, and they expected us to not only survive ... they expected us to conquer this place. 

The problem is: it isn't safe here.

We aren't even safe from each other.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

I read the Wool series a while back, loved it and thought I'd try Half Way Home. I enjoy Hugh Howey's storytelling and I enjoyed this story. As the description says tons of people die and the story begins.  You could start a colony with worse conditions, but it might be a much shorter story. I found it to be a pretty good tale with some classic science fiction elements guaranteed to make things go awry thrown in. Good enough for a 3.5 to 4 stars, but since they don't make 3.5 star buttons when you post other places I settled on a 4 since it was really a pretty good read.

Porter, Tarsi and Kelvin are solid characters and things move along at a decent clip once it gets going. I enjoy a story that can be both introspective and still have enough action to keep it from getting boring and that was managed pretty well. The group that bands together to survive their misfortune and their adventures as they explore their new home, as well as the planet itself were all pretty interesting. This is also a story about human nature and how we relate to one another.

I don't want to give spoilers, but there were some things that seemed out of place towards the end. Though some of the elements were throughout the story where they weren't distracting and seemed natural, those same elements were brought more to the forefront at the end almost so much as to overshadow what seemed to be other important things going on in the story. It just felt a little like look at me I have a point to make when perhaps it could have been done more subtly. Of course, that's just my opinion, but as a reader I don't like to be preached at and some of the ending verged on that. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the story and would suggest that it's a pretty good read overall and satisfying colonization sci-fi.

The Compostela Cube: Part One - The Book by Paul Cavilla

Description:  When they come into possession of a mysterious prehistoric cube, relic hunter Gabriel Parker, and the alluring artifact historian Natasha Rossi, find themselves inexplicably bound to a dark mythology dating back to the roots of civilization.

The 2012 doomsday prophecies have come and gone, but now, without warning, the feared revelations are coming true. Under the apocalyptic shadow of global war and rampant natural disasters, Gabriel and Natasha race to prevent an unspeakable horror from being unleashed onto the planet.

With nothing but a tattered journal to guide them, they travel from Italy to North Africa, and then set course for the mountains of Spain, where they must locate a lost labyrinth spoken of by the ancients. Within is said to reside the answer to the mystery of mysteries:The Meaning Of Life.

Hunting them is Christian Antov, heir to a secret organization poised to draw the world into a global fascist regime. He will stop at nothing to destroy Gabriel and Natasha, and the one artifact that stands in his way: The Compostela Cube.

Review 3 of 5 Stars

I received a request to review this book and some parts of it were really interesting though it took quite a while to really get into the part that I found interesting. Almost longer than I could take and about midpoint I had almost determined to give up on it for hopping around everywhere, but I persevered. I will also add for the sake of being fair that I most likely wouldn't have chosen this book to read on my own as it's really not my type of book, but there is a market for its like and that group might enjoy it more than I did. The writing wasn't bad, but there were spelling, formatting and grammatical errors throughout. I didn't keep a full list, but where instead of were more than once, random 1's at beginning of a few quotations and other word usage and typo stuff. It could use another read through and some corrections to fix it up.

As for the story, I was completely interested in the Compostela Cube's history and the trail of clues to get to it, use it, etc. I love tunnels and traps and I found that part pretty interesting. In fact it was the highlight of the book for me. Some of the other characters and their activities were a little over the top for me and I couldn't manage to get to the suspension of disbelief that I feel is required to truly enjoy a story for those portions of the book. For me, there were just too many things thrown together between the paranormal, conspiracy theories, weird medical experiments that I won't disclose more of due to it being a spoiler, portions that were pretty preachy and drawn out regarding politics, various religious beliefs and the like.

So given my enjoyment of the worked up archaeology of the cube and its history alongside of my inability to get into some of the more paranormal side as it was put forth, the romance that seemed kind of like high school and out-of-place at points, and finally how it ended with no answers (grumble, grumble) on a cliffhanger like a TV series I'm giving it 3. I found that I liked some of the of the supporting characters more than our hero and heroine, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that they were interesting characters. I won't dissuade you if this is your type of book. There were some interesting parts to it and you may enjoy it, but I don't think I'll be exploring this story further in the next installment that's promised at the end of the book.

Voidhawk by Jason Halstead

Description:  Too young and naïve to care about the tensions between nations, Dexter Silverhawk considered himself the luckiest man alive when he found a derelict voidship hidden amongst a forbidden field of asteroids. Lady luck proves a fickle maiden when he goes from luckiest man alive to dishonorably discharged.

Escaping prison is only the first step in making his own luck. Finding a crew of castoffs and bringing them together to face the dangers and opportunities of the void between worlds tests Dexter beyond anything he's ever imagined.

Review 3 of 5 Stars

If you were watching a kind of cheesy, low to mid-budget mix of Lord of the Rings, Firefly and Pirates of the Caribbean on a Sunday afternoon this might be what fell out of the blender.  It could also use some substantial copy editing for grammar, etc.  The explanation for wooden spaceships that were like pirate ships never did settle with me as well as some other less than plausible things that went on throughout the book.  However, it was basically a fun read and it was free. I picked it up because of some Firefly references in the comments of others because I loved Firefly and was curious.  Firefly it was not, but it was swashbuckling in space alongside wizards, elves and the like.  The lead character Dexter probably makes as many bad decisions as he can along the way and he's kind of bashful at times for a pirate/trader who makes his female friends in the gutter.  Although considering where he finds them they are a pretty good bunch, just a little bit bad.  We aren't talking world-class literature here, but for what it was it had its moments and I chuckled on several occasions.  Fortunately for Dexter and despite his decisions getting him into trouble more often than not his crew members, picked up in various lowly places along the way, seem to demonstrate new and interesting skills just in the nick of time.  This isn't the best book I have ever read, but it also wasn't the worst by far.  I doubt that I'll be delving into more of Dexter's adventures, but it wasn't so bad I couldn't finish it and it had some fun moments.  Some of the dialogue is witty.  Fantasy/Science Fiction literally with more emphasis on the fantasy than the science for sure in a strange sitcom kind of way. 

Not Magic Enough and Setting Boundaries Boxed Set (The Coming Storm) by Valerie Douglas

Description:
Not Magic Enough.
For Delae - a lonely landholder on the edge of the Kingdoms - a frantic knock at the door on a stormy winter's night brings a cry for help.
After centuries of war, Elves have little contact with the race of Men, but Dorovan can't bring himself to ride past those so obviously in need. One small act - with enormous consequences. Not Magic Enough is a tale of love and honor, duty and determination.

Setting Boundaries
After centuries of war an uneasy peace has finally been negotiated between Elves, Dwarves and Men, thanks to Elon of Aerilann, Elven councilor to the High King of Men. One final task yet remains, one final bone of contention - to set the boundaries between their lands. It's a task that will be easier said than done. Although most of the lesser Kings signed the Alliance, not all wish to see it succeed and some are willing to oppose it.
Violently.
For journeyman wizard Jareth it's the opportunity of a lifetime.
What he doesn't know is that the journey will test him to his limits and forge a friendship that would last for centuries.

Review 3 of 5 Stars

Not Magic Enough and Setting Boundaries are novellas from Valerie Douglas' Coming Storm series.  Despite trying to be Tolkien-like they don't really have much in common except that there are elves and humans in both stories. So I'm going to give some overall comments and then take them one at a time. Ms. Douglas definitely has the talent to turn a phrase. The rhythm is good and they mostly flowed pretty well aside from some repetitiveness; however,  a little more proofreading couldn't hurt. That being said, I was able overlook the mistakes more in the first of the two than the second, but that was because of the quality of the stories being told. Now on to the stories themselves.
Not Magic Enough is a truly beautiful love story and of the two I definitely enjoyed it the most. I'm a sucker for a good elf and lesser races love story where the people are participating in a forbidden relationship. It just adds to the intrigue. It's a fabulous daydream/fantasy and this story was one that could have easily taken place somewhere in an out-of-the-way holding. There is an overall sadness to the story being told and in a lot of ways it's a story about settling for less than what you can't have, but it's also a beautiful story of a truly loving friendship between two people who know they are not for one another in the long run. If I were reviewing these separately this story probably would have received a 4 just for the story itself.

But since they were bound together we move on to Setting Boundaries. Once again some of the writing was truly lovely and some needed to be proofread again (and that's exactly what I was thinking as I read this). However, this story didn't have the depth that I'm looking for in something of its ilk. The elves and a human wizard set off to set boundary stones to mark the lands for the older and younger races and this is a story about their journey. Mostly the journey is pretty uneventful and I was a bit let down after the first one. There are a couple of points where there's some action, but I got the feeling that this would have been a good intermediary chapter between much more exciting chapters to break the tension if there was an actual book involved. It was a story of friendship and fighting against prejudice, but in my opinion not all that gripping or memorable and thus the set of two novellas was brought down to 3 because I would have given this one a 2 if I had read it on its own.

In the end I thought Not Magic Enough was a good standalone love story. Setting Boundaries I could take or leave. Another problem here is that these are novellas and though these two are bundled together for a pretty low price, the two I saw from later in the series are just barely under $5. I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in buying a ton of novellas at $5 each, which really just seem like overly long chapters to try to build a book myself. If the two stories are related aside from being on the same world then there isn't much to relate one to the other that I could tell aside from the elder races and the younger races being at odds. So there you have it. It was a mixed bag for me. Though the romance of the first story was done very well, I wasn't that impressed with the second one and won't be trying to build this book one chapter at a time on my own by purchasing the later novellas. If she truly finds the thread to join it all together it might be a good book somewhere down the line, but I think I'll just wait until then.

John Carter: Barsoom Series (7 Novels) by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Description:  When John Carter goes to sleep in a mysterious cave in the Arizona dessert, he wakes up on the planet Mars. There he meets the fifteen foot tall, four armed, green men of mars, with horse-like dragons, and watch dogs like oversized frogs with ten legs. His adventures continue as he battles great white apes, fights plant men, defies the Goddess of Death, and braves the frozen wastes of Polar Mars. In other adventures, the Prince of Helium encounters a race of telepathic warriors, the Princess of Helium confronts the headless men of Mars, Captain Ulysses Paxton learns the secret of human immortality, and Tan Hadron's idealized notion of love is tested as he fights off gigantic spiders and cannibals.

Note: Due to my own inattentiveness to what I had bought, this review includes the first seven books in the series, which are: A Princess of Mars; Gods of Mars; Warlord of Mars; Thuvia, Maid of Mars; Chessmen of Mars; Master Mind of Mars; and, Fighting Man of Mars.

Review 5 of 5 Stars

Growing up, when I thought of Edgar Rice Burroughs I always thought of Tarzan books. Since these novels first appeared around 100 years ago I just hadn't ever read them, but after seeing the John Carter movie and knowing that the books are generally better than the movies that are made from them I thought it would be fun to see what the original story was. As I expected there were quite a few differences between the film version and the novels which were definitely the better story.  I had to give this group of novels five stars as I didn't pause at all in the reading of all seven of them and greatly enjoyed the adventure as a whole for the 99 cents I spent to buy it (what a bargain).  From reading these I'm also led to believe that Mr. Burroughs didn't know what a defeatist attitude was as even in the most dire of circumstances his characters always seem to push aside the hardships and impossibility of their situations with an upbeat attitude and light heart because as the mantra for Mr. Burroughs' books goes, "I still live."

The first books are about John Carter's experiences.  Later books move on to cover his children and finally others from Mars and another human transplant to the red planet. It was a really fun read and it was interesting to see things that were only science fiction then, but that we use every day now such as 'wireless telephony'. I know I generally try to read and share more recent material by independent authors, but it was a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure as a whole.

It's a series about striving forward, honor, loyalty and the will to go on which I think is timeless. I admit that I enjoyed some of the novels a little more than others, but as I read it on my e-reader it was really just like one really long, sweeping adventure. So if you have some spare time and want to step back 100 years to some really great early science fiction, I think I can confidently say that any true science fiction buff would enjoy the trip. It's not like there aren't plenty of good reviews about these books over the last century to make you feel confident as you step out on Mr. Burroughs' path to Mars, but if you haven't read them or thought about it you might want to reconsider.

Lodestone Book One: The Sea of Storms by Mark Whiteway

Book Description: On the planet Kelanni, life is cheap.

With the aid of the fearsome "Keltar" enforcers,
in their flying cloaks, a ruthless invader is forcing the native people to mine
the colloquially named "lodestone" - a substance from another universe with
infinitely destructive power.

The only ones who can stop him are a tiny girl with fiery disposition, a
former Keltar, a failed revolutionary, a musician and the mysterious creature,
Boxx, who seems to speak only in riddles.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

Having just come off reading a favorite series I was a little hesitant to start this book. I had just had a fabulous reading experience and didn't want that to affect my review of the next book I read by an as yet unknown to me author, but I'd been curious about this one and it had been hanging around on my Kindle for a while so off I went to a new world. 

I must say that I was more than pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it.  It was little dark in places, but I still consider it a fun read.  There was action and there were tender moments, but mostly there was a good ensemble cast of characters that carried it off. There were some rough patches so it gets a 4, but that just means that I really liked it instead of loving it because there were moments where things seemed a little too familiar, but heroes do need adventure and obstacles to overcome and there are only so many. I'll happily read the next book in the series and who knows by the second or third book I may love it. The characters were interesting as was the overall story and all in all it was a good adventure.

The Kelanni are not human which is very obvious from the start of the book, but before long you're involved in the book, its characters and the flow of the story, easily forgetting this mundane detail until one of them swishes their tail or something. The Keltar are a menacing lot, but every adventure needs a bad guy to overcome. And then there's Boxx. I'm curious about Boxx who is a strange little character indeed, but it's obvious that finding out more about this character will come later in the series. I liked the varied uses for the lodestones throughout the story and how the story hinged around them in  its own way, without that detail being the only focus. On the whole it's a tale of friendship, hardship, adventure and the personal journeys we make where we may come out the other end as better people.  The world building for the Kelanni civilization was pretty well done and I readily admit that I enjoyed my journey with these characters as they set out to save the people of their world. I'm hoping the next book in the series is as good if not better. 

Forged in Flame (In Her Name: The First Empress, Book 2) by Michael R. Hicks

Book Description: This is the second book of the First Empress saga, following From Chaos Born.

Keel-Tath, the child who would unite her people as foretold by an ancient prophecy, has grown to be a young warrior in the confines of the Desh-Ka temple, where she has been sheltered by her old friend and mentor Ayan-Dar from the clutches of Syr-Nagath, the Dark Queen. But when Keel-Tath is forced to choose between sanctuary and her honor, she goes into exile, leaving behind a broken-hearted Ayan-Dar.

Captured and bound in chains by those who serve the Dark Queen, she is rescued from an unspeakable fate by a warrior from the shadows. Thus begins Keel-Tath’s perilous journey to the ends of her war-ravaged world, through deadly wastelands and even deadlier seas, unaware that some of those she holds most dear stand ready to betray her…

Review 5 of 5 Stars
This was a fantastic book. I don't know that I can give this book a better recommendation than that after I read it and was not ready for the story to be over, I reread the entire series and then read this book again before even writing the review for it.  It made for a long time between reviews for the blog, but I really enjoyed the time of self-indulgence that I took to bury myself in Mr. Hicks' universe. Long before the Redemption and The Last War trilogies, this story takes us back to the rise of the First Empress before humans are a consideration in the universe or story.  Keel-Tath's struggles in her bid to fulfill the prophecy that may save her people from destruction are fascinating, riveting and very well written.  The characters are flesh and blood and I love the story on many levels. I'm sure this series will remain with those others that I read again from time to time like visiting old friends. Michael R. Hicks has done an amazing job of world building in this series from the very start and I can't wait to read the next book. If you enjoy good fantasy/military science fiction this will be right up your alley.

The Third Side (Battle for the Solar System, #2) by Stephen Sweeney

Book Description: Simon Dodds has had his wings clipped. Shot down over the luxurious holiday planet Mythos and separated from his wingmates, he is quick to discover that the once-popular sun-soaked paradise has been transformed into a nightmarish war zone, swarming with armies of seemingly unstoppable black-suited soldiers. The Pandoran war machine is on the move, preparing to advance The Mission and deal to the rest of the galaxy the same fate it did the Mitikas Empire.

Unaware of what fate may have befallen his friends, the young pilot attempts to make his way through the dangerous streets of the war-torn city of New Malaga, as he waits for the CSN to rush to the rescue.

But from out of the chaos emerges something far more terrible; and if Dodds can somehow survive the next 24 hours, he might finally see beyond the lies he has been fed and hear a side to the story that no one wants him to: what really happened to the Imperium, who the black-suited warriors are, what the ATAFs were built for...

... and what his purpose in all of it is. Whether he likes it or not.

There are three sides to every story.
But sometimes the truth is the hardest side to believe.

Review 3 of 5 Stars

This is one of those books that I'm kind of torn about.  Some of the story is really good, but then other things kind of drag me out of it such as how some of the characters act.  For seasoned military people they seem to have a pretty high disregard for following orders (after a very slight bit of coercion from fellow teammates) and one in particular seems a little squeamish to be a crack fighter pilot. Another thing is that as I read through it, the major machine adversary has my brain screaming about replicators from Stargate in the background. There are times in the story when I'm really drawn in and at other times it seems like the author is just dragging things out for word count and I find myself wandering off.  The good news is that I was able to finish it so it's not horrible and I'm even kind of curious how it all may end in the third book. I just don't know if I can trudge my way through the third book just to satisfy that curiosity.  So I've given it three stars.  There are parts I really enjoyed and parts that completely snapped me out of the story due to the lack or realism.  Military science fiction has to have just the right mix for me and I'm not sure that the characters in this book are up to the task at hand.

Revisiting some favorite reads...

Every year around my birthday I try to go back and revisit some of my favorite books.  This year I thought I'd share my birthday picks for the year from some of my lifetime favorites. 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a children's classic.  It's a beautifully written tale of friendship, believing in yourself, and how being positive not only garners you more friends, but makes you a more pleasant person inside and out as Mary and Colin both learn along the way. The imagery in this book is fantastic and I've always loved that you not only get to experience the tale from the viewpoint of the human characters, but also from Dickon's robin friend and his mate as they watch the children in the garden. It's no secret (no pun intended) that this is truly a magical book for children and full of good advice about getting outside, playing, being healthy and how generally wonderful it is to be alive. It's still a fantastic read when you're older as it's an uplifting and well-written story.

Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey is one of my all-time favorite books and I've read the cover off of more than one copy. The first in a trilogy, it is the beginning of Killashandra Ree's tale, a young woman who goes from being disappointed as a university music student on her home planet of Fuerte to being a member of the Heptite Guild on Ballybran, the home of "crystal singers" as they are nicknamed due to the need for perfect pitch to tune their infrasonic cutters. When I was younger I could think of no better job and story to be a part of than this one and would have gladly signed on for a chance at the adventure. The following books in this sci-fi trilogy are Killashandra and Crystal Line. I love the series as a whole, but Crystal Singer is my favorite from the group and the one I've purchased the most replacements for when the old ones have fallen apart from too much reading.

Darkover Landfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley.  This is the first book (chronologically) in the Darkover series.  The umpteen (20+) books in this series explore a fantastic world and it's culture and is a great sci-fi/fantasy blend. This is a short tale of how it all began and one of my all time favorites. As always, with any long-standing series there's some contention over which book is the best, but this is one of my favorites. I really like the concept of the Ghost Wind, etc.  Anyway, the series as a whole is fantastic and I suggest reading in its entirety.  Another favorite is Hawkmistress, but that wasn't a birthday choice this year.  There's so much story to be had in the Darkover universe. I definitely suggest a visit there if you haven't read these previously.

So there they are, the books I revisited for my birthday.  I hope everyone has had a great February and that you too take the time to revisit your favorite books when time allows or perhaps make some new favorites.

The Honour of the Knights (The Battle for the Solar System - Book 1) by Stephen Sweeney

Book Description:  When starfighter pilot Simon Dodds is enrolled in a top secret military project, he and his wingmates begin to suspect that there is a lot more to the theft of a legendary battleship and an Imperial nation's civil war than either the Confederation Stellar Navy or the government are willing to let on.

Within weeks of being reassigned to the Confederate border system of Temper, the five would begin to untangle a web of lies and a cover-up that seemed to span the length of the entire galaxy. And it would not be long before they themselves would come face to face with that which destroyed an empire: an unforgiving, unstoppable, and totally unrelenting foe.

There seemed to exist only one glimmer of hope of driving back the darkness: The ATAF Project - a secretly developed set of starfighters that may well just harbour some terrible secrets of their own.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

All in all I guess the best recommendation that can be given to a book is that I enjoyed, was entertained and intrigued enough by the book to buy the second one in the series.  It was pretty much a fighter (ATAF) pilot story and the only real land-based scenes take place at the beginning on the Dodds' apple farm.  Everything else is on a ship, space station, etc. so it's very much about the characters and the story unfolding. Even after reading the book I really don't know enough about the enemy or what's going on in Imperial space to satisfy my questions so I'm hoping the second book will provide me with more of those details. Never fear though, there's plenty to keep you interested as you move along through the story and lots of unanswered questions, which I appreciate in the first book of a series.  Simon (Dodds), Estelle, Chaz, Kelly and Enrique are the White Knights and after having not been chosen for the secret ATAF project they are later thrust into the middle of it with many questions of their own and not nearly enough answers from the brass.  Overall, I enjoyed the book and as I stated at the beginning I did buy the next one in the series as it caught my attention enough to make me want to know more.  There were some typos and incorrect word usage (and I don't mean the kind that's the difference between the US and UK) that tripped me up a couple of times (though not too bad), but the author suggests that if you're going to read the whole series that you start with the second edition of this book instead of the first.  I read the first version which may account for some of the editing issues, etc. Either way, no reason to pass up a good story for a few mistakes.  Just roll right over it and enjoy the show.

Monsters by Peter Cawdron

Book Description:  Monsters is a dystopian novel set against the backdrop of the collapse of civilization.

The fallout from a passing comet contains a biological pathogen, not a virus or a living organism, just a collection of amino acids, but these cause animals to revert to the age of the mega-fauna, when monsters roamed Earth.

Bruce Dobson is a reader. With the fall of civilization, reading has become outlawed. Superstitions prevail, and readers are persecuted like the witches and wizards of old. Bruce and his son James seek to overturn the prejudices of their day and restore the scientific knowledge central to their survival, but monsters lurk in the dark.

Review 4 of 5 Stars

Life has been busy and it took me forever to get around to reading Monsters, but I'm glad I did.  It was a good story. Generally I read more of the reaching and playing in the universe brand of stories, but I really enjoyed this story.  Monsters is a post-apocalyptic type of story, though civilization doesn't fall to nuclear weapons, zombies or anything of the type, which was refreshing. The destruction of civilization as we know it was much more subtle and leads to the theme for this book, which is really how much would we lose if we as a civilization lost the ability to read and how would our lives be affected through the generations. The beginning of the book was a little bit too much narrative for me, but it wasn't so much that I couldn't get through it.  It picked up nicely along the way in the battling of Monsters, both wild and human. I was really into by the end of the book and hated to see it end. If I had to be in this world I would surely take the risks that the characters do to get their hands on books, because I too am a reader. All in all it was a good read and a interesting way to pass a couple of evenings at home.