Bumper City by Alan McGill Review

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A lone detective must contend with his past while searching for a missing woman and facing a city of corruption and serial killers in author Alan McGill’s “Bumper City”.

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The Synopsis

In the future, Las Vegas is nearly destroyed. Rebuilt under a dark cloud that blocks all sunlight, Sin City takes on a whole new meaning.

Beneath the neon, The Pagliacci Serial Killers are on the loose and a new drug called “Colors”, infused with nanotechnology, is killing thousands. Violence erupts as the mutant population take to the streets to protest working conditions and the disappearance of their loved ones.

Big Tech, the wealthy elite, and corrupt politicians attempt to cover it up. They can’t allow anything to interfere with the elections, profits, or their plans.

Can hard-nosed detective Alton Cold and his A.I. car Bessimer catch the killers, stop the cabal, and expose the truth? Or will the appearance of a mysterious woman cloud his judgement as the unnatural cloud darkens the sky?

To save the people he cares about, he’ll put everything on the line to confront a darkness far worse than the night.

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The Review

This was an incredible book. The author did a great job crafting an engaging narrative that kept the reader invested. The writing style never wavered to the point where I was taken out of the story, and the hook and multi-genre setting will have readers picking up this novel repeatedly.

Detective Rollins was a great character to question loyalties of, as the mystery of who the main “villain” of this story had in their pocket was constantly changing. The killers were terrifying, and the story of Mara and Alton was both romantic and heartbreaking. Penny was a great partner to Alton in his agency, although I would have loved to see more of her story fleshed out and her bond with a certain lieutenant. A future book in this series could shift perspectives to include chapters surrounding Penny and her story. The mysterious ending surrounding Mara also left me wanting more, which I think will work in the author’s favor if they decide to pursue any future novels in this series.

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The Verdict

Author Alan McGills’s “Bumper City” is an electric, mysterious, and entertaining must-read sci-fi noir thriller. The action-soaked drama, twists and turns in the narrative, and rich character dynamics helped elevate the explosive finale and open ending, making readers eager for more of this thrilling world. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

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About the Author

Alan McGill is an American author who lives in an old farmhouse with a clowder of cats. Alan was close to his grandparents, who grew up during the Great Depression. They were married young and remained together until his grandmother’s passing. His grandfather served in the Navy during WWII and was a gifted storyteller who wove humorous tales about tough events. Alan grew up listening to these stories of right and wrong and watching fictional heroes–such as the Lone Ranger, Adam West’s Batman and Captain America–stand up to bullies and protect those who count not protect themselves. This inspired him to always do what was right in his own life and shaped his love of storytelling. He is a multigenre author whose debut novel, A Cry in the Moon’s Light, combines horror, romance, and mystery. As with all his books, A Cry in the Moon’s Light centers on characters who strive to do the right thing regardless of the adversity they face. The book focuses on the theme of love–a pure and deep love that defeats all evil.

https://www.alanmcgillbooks.com

White Ops (White Ops Book 1) by Declan Finn Review

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The galaxy’s most dangerous human must gather a group of heroes to face an impending threat from behind the shadows of the known universe as war breaks out and a powerful race begins its deadly test against the galaxy in author Declan Finn’s “White Ops”, the first book in the series of the same name.

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The Synopsis

The Pharmakoi rampaged across dozens of star systems, taking on the toughest races in the Galaxy in their campaign of conquest. But they are only the beginning.

Sean Patrick Ryan sees that another race is behind the Pharmakoi expansion ; a race that wants to test our galaxy for weakness, and who needs to be eliminated from within. To fight the enemy in the shadows, Sean will put together a strike team to light up the darkness— with nukes if necessary.

They will get the job done at any cost.

They will be White Ops.

The Review

I can only describe this book as the ultimate sci-fi opera meets space western meets sci-fi military action-adventure all blended into one epic sci-fi tale. Simple, right? For such a lengthy read, the author did such an incredible job of writing in a way that allowed the action and mythos that the author created for this universe to flow smoothly and keep the reader on the edge of their seat, eager to jump into the next chapter of this story.

The balance the author found between the humorous dialogue and observations in the narrative with the rich sci-fi mythos and fully-developed character arcs of several characters made this story so brilliant. The exploration of not just a single moment but several years of this growing war effort and the infusion of both politics and action allowed readers to feel connected to the setting and the narrative’s atmosphere overall, creating a very cinematic quality that readers will fall in love with.

The Verdict

An entertaining, adrenaline-fueled, and breathtaking sci-fi epic, author Declan Finn’s “White Ops” is the perfect opening chapter of a new sci-fi saga. With a memorable cast of characters, a developing shadowy evil threatening the universe still, and a cliffhanger of an ending, readers are going to be eager to learn more about the book’s sequel ASAP. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

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About the Author

Declan Finn is the NYC based author of books ranging from thrillers to urban fantasy to SciFi, including the 2016 Dragon Award Nominated Novel for Best horror, Honor at Stake, 2017 for Live and Let Bite, and 2018 for Codename: Unsub in best Apocalypse. He is known for “his strong fight scenes and is romance novels are sexy without being dirty, providing enough sexual tension to curl toes.”

He hosts the Catholic Geek Radio show, and can be found wherever someone is starting trouble. He also writes thrillers, video game reviews, and works for several blogs.

He is one of a legion of writers over at The Catholic Geeks blog (a legion, for we are many). Other books he has written includes the comedy-thriller It Was Only on Stun! where he blows up a sci-fi convention (no, not this one). He co-authored the science fiction espionage novel Codename: Winterborn. However, he is most proud of The Pius Trilogy – which includes “A Pius Man,” “A Pius Legacy,” “A Pius Stand,” and an anthology, “Pius Tales.”

http://www.declanfinn.com/

Artifact Space by Miles Cameron Review

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A young woman seeking a new life in space finds the scandals and problems of her past following her into new and untold danger in author Miles Cameron’s “Artifact Space”.

The Synopsis

With their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city, the Greatships are the lifeblood of human-occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume – and value – of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species.

It has always been Marca Nbaro’s dream to achieve the near-impossible: escape her upbringing and venture into space.

All it took, to make her way onto the crew of the Greatship Athens was thousands of hours in simulators, dedication, and pawning or selling every scrap of her old life in order to forge a new one. But though she’s made her way onboard with faked papers, leaving her old life – and scandals – behind isn’t so easy.

She may have just combined all the dangers of her former life, with all the perils of the new . . . 

The Review

This was a truly engaging and mature sci-fi adventure. The action begins immediately, highlighting the danger and elevated storytelling the author has employed here that feels like a blend of Star Trek: The Next Generation meets Firefly. The horrors of the danger Marca faces and the wonder of the grand, planet-sized cities and spacecraft that she finds herself in really draw the reader into the narrative.

The hook for this narrative really came during the balancing act the author performed between incredible character interactions and a fully realized mythology to this sci-fi epic. The complexity with which the author develops protagonist Marca was enthralling, weaving her complex and haunting past into her action-packed and earnest attempts at building a new life for herself. Combine this with a unique mythos that sees a business conglomerate kind of take control of a large city-ship, and incorporate elements of Grecian culture and legend into the overall world, and readers will be hard-pressed not to be invested in this story.

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The Verdict

An entertaining, mythological, and exhilarating read, author Miles Cameron’s “Artifact Space” is a must-read epic sci-fi novel. The intense and well-rounded character development really did an amazing job of drawing the reader into what one only hopes can be the beginning of a truly epic new sci-fi series. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

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About the Author

Miles Cameron is an author, a re-enactor, an outdoors expert and a weapons specialist. He lives, works and writes in Toronto, where he lives with his family. This is his debut fantasy novel.

https://christiancameronauthor.com/book-author/miles-cameron/

https://www.bookbub.com/books/artifact-space-by-miles-cameron