I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A veteran must enter a virtual world called Warspace to find the woman he loves before her psyche can be lost to the warped reality of the world’s creator in author Jay Rodan’s “Warspace”.
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The Synopsis
James Ward, a haunted veteran of the Last War, ekes out a living as a wrestler in the flooded remains of Miami, fighting cybernetic human-insect hybrids on rooftops for cash. There, he meets and falls in love with the artist and thief, Ana dos Santos, amid the post-war debris littering the lagoon. Their happiness is short-lived. When Miami is invaded by a fanatical foreign power, Ana refuses to be forced back to a life she has left behind, and downloads her mind into a digital replica of reality, a secretive online war-game environment called Warspace. Vowing to find her, Ward volunteers for Warspace as a soldier, hoping to locate Ana’s psyche before she is lost forever in the simulation. As Ward goes deeper into this mind-bending mirror-world, he learns that it’s begun to behave according to the eccentric whims of its unstable creator, and that finding Ana – already a daunting task – has become a matter of personal, possibly global, survival.
The Review
The author did an incredible job of crafting a futuristic sci-fi noir thriller that will have readers’ hearts pumping from the outset. The imagery and atmosphere the author used in their writing allowed the reader to feel transported to both the dystopian Miami of the “real world” and the Warspace digital setting that brought the chaos and tension the author’s world needed to further the narrative.
The rich character dynamics and world-building the author captured in this narrative felt vibrant and cinematic in its delivery. The emotional connection Ward makes with Ana keeps readers invested in the narrative, and the visceral atmosphere this tech-fueled sci-fi story brings to life highlights the powerful themes of the rise of technology such as the Metaverse that both highlights the infinite possibilities that reality has to offer while also showing the dangers that follow.
The Verdict
Captivating, haunting, and entertaining, author Jay Rodan’s “Warspace” is a must-read sci-fi thriller! The twists and turns the narrative takes and the action-fueled world the characters are thrust into highlight the dangers and enemies lurking within this technological world, and the emotional bond between the protagonists will have readers invested as the final pages leave them breathless and eager for more from this talented author. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Jay Rodan is a screenwriter, producer, novelist, and actor. He was born in Durban, South Africa to a Scottish father and South African mother. Their nomadic lifestyle meant he was raised in London, Edinburgh, Vancouver, including a stint in an ashram in India while following a guru. In 2006 he moved to Los Angeles, where he now lives with his wife Kayt Jones and their three daughters. He has appeared in multiple independent films with directors Kasi Lemmons, Franco Zeffirelli, Bernardo Bertolucci, and others. He starred as Marc Anthony in TNT’s Julius Ceasar opposite Christopher Walken, and on ITV’s hit soap Footballer’s Wives opposite Joan Collins. As a writer-producer he has sold TV shows to ABC, AMC, and NBC, and has written feature films for LucasFilm, Filmnation, Thunder Road, and others. He performed an uncredited rewrite of the Ghost in the Shell reboot starring Scarlett Johansson (Universal, 2017). He was nominated by the Writer’s Guild of America in 2013 and 2014 for creating and writing the multi-award-winning web series Lauren. He owns and oversees a production company that has produced extensive commercial work for a wide variety of clients, including the 2019 Webby-nominated Moncler digital campaign featuring Sophia the Robot of Hanson Robotics, the first robot given legal personhood anywhere in the world.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
As Earth’s climate threatens to collapse and the Oberlynn family’s next generation looks to settle on Mars and beyond, an old frenemy from the family’s ancient past reemerges in author J. Traveler Pelton’s “The Infinite Frontier”, the third book in The Oberlynn’s Post-Terrestrial Generations series.
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The Synopsis
The Oberllyns must weather the breaking up of the family network as fully half of the worldwide family decides to immigrate to the Mars colony. While the Oberllyn Think Tank struggles to get the colony on Mars to be safe, independent of outside influence, and self-sufficient, Micah, Kai, and Sir Alex have their hands full trying to stop the imminent collapse of the earth’s climate. They find a most unexpected mind behind it all, an old frenemy of the family. How do you destroy someone who’s been dead 300 years?
The Review
This was a brilliant and incredibly powerful story. The powerful character growth that the author deploys into this narrative is well done, as the reader is treated to some shocking returns and callbacks to earlier books in this saga. The action and suspense do an amazing job of blending with the imagery in the author’s writing to paint an incredibly vivid image of the multiple worlds that this story inhabits.
Honestly, the story sticks out amongst the rest of this trilogy for many reasons, but the main reason is the author’s use of both sci-fi and historical fiction elements in the narrative. The author shines best when these genres are mashed up, as both the history of this fictional world and real-world history play such a dynamic role in the story. The themes of classism and racism that character interactions between antagonistic characters and members of the Oberlynn family are widely felt, and the shocking inclusion of historical figures and tech made this story so brilliantly written.
The Verdict
Epic, thought-provoking, and engaging, author J. Traveler Pelton’s “The Infinite Frontier” is a haunting and mesmerizing sci-fi and historical fiction read, and the perfect third entry into The Oberlynn’s Post-Terrestrial Generations series. The twists and turns in this narrative, along with the open-ended finale that keeps the idea of expansion and new generations of Oberlynn family members reaching all new heights make this a deeply engrossing and heartfelt read. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
J. Traveler Pelton was born in West Virginia in the last century. She lives on a small farm with her husband, alpaca, chickens, Pomeranians, canaries and tolerates T-Bears Siamese cats and parrot Giz. She loves to find out what all her friends are studying. She was the Nation’s Mother for her tribe for several years: she is still wife to Dan after 47 years, mother of six adults, a grandmother of eight, a great-grandma of 1, a Clinically Licensed Independent Social worker, a retired adjunct professor of social work at her local university and an avid reader. She studies science, technology, Biblical studies, and human behavior. She is quick to draw parallels between different fields of thought and weave the ideas into a cohesive ideology that is at once practical, usable, and thoughtful. Her books are the result of blending her life experiences with bureaucracy, studying science and nature, counseling, and faith. She greatly enjoys the intersection of fantasy and possibility and hopes you enjoy it as well. We will see you on the other side of the imagination tree.
Her co-author of the Clan Falconer fantasy series is her grandson T-Bear. T Bear Pelton is a self-proclaimed gamer, a Christian active in his home church, a Native American, a storyteller, and a novice blacksmith. He lives with his grandparents, his Amazon parrot, and four Siamese on a small alpaca farm while working full time and dreaming of times when magic still existed and wishes sometimes actually came true. Enjoy this fantasy with him and for just a little while, suspend daily life for a dream of dragons and wizards, beautiful ladies and knights, magic and faith. Travel then with us to another time, another place, and another dimension. Come to the future, after the War, when tech and magic combine with faith and fear.
Their farm, Springhaven Croft, is home to alpacas, dogs, Siamese cats, canaries, an eclectic group of chickens and an irascible Amazon Parrot named Gizmo. Traveler’s webpage is travelerpelton.com; she also has a FB page called Traveler Pelton. Come visit real soon!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
As the effort to colonize Mars gets underway, the bots being used to help settle the planet turn on their makers, and diplomat and longtime ally of the Oberlynn family think-tank Alex finds himself kidnapped in author J. Traveler Pelton’s “Alex’s Honor”, the second book in The Oberlynn’s Post-Terrestrial Generations series.
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The Synopsis
As the colonization of Mars continues, Alex, Micah, and the entire Oberllyn family are targeted by a generational evil so bizarre and irrational that even the combined forces of the network struggle to keep it on this planet and out of the colony. Sir Alex is duty-bound to his family, the British monarchy, and his adopted family, the Oberllyns. Trying to balance his work with his obligations would tax any diplomat let alone an autistic savant. When his leaf ships are under attack, with the British empire demanding tribute, Alex is kidnapped; the bots turn on the colonists and the entire program is in jeopardy. Worst of all, his best friend Micah seems to be falling in love. How can Alex re-center their vision to restore peace and sanity? Sometimes, math just isn’t enough.
The Review
The author did another incredible job of creating an engaging sci-fi narrative that readers could easily escape into. The suspense and drama that arises from the growing tension between those in power seeking control and the Oberlynn think-tank of geniuses who are seeking to use their gifts for the betterment of mankind were palpable, to say the least. What is so great to see is how the world around the cast of characters is constantly changing, in large part due to the impact of so many events from the author’s Oberlynn saga of novels. The growth of these characters and the family as a whole has crafted memorable mythos that is impossible to put down.
Yet as always, the author’s world-building and rich character dynamics are what kept this novel’s narrative moving forward in such a brilliant direction. The power dynamics between the world powers and the Oberlynn family are always such incredibly rich sources of world-building that readers are instantly drawn into the story, while the characters and their relationships keep the reader invested and the emotional core of the narrative intact, balancing out the powerful sci-fi elements.
The Verdict
Heartfelt, captivating, and entertaining, author J. Traveler Pelton’s “Alex’s Honor” is a fantastic sequel, brilliant sci-fi novel, and a great next chapter in The Oberlynn’s Post-Terrestrial Generations series! The twists and turns that the author incorporates into the narrative, as well as the personal and emotional character traits that keep readers invested in this cast of characters, make this an unforgettable read. if you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
J. Traveler Pelton was born in West Virginia in the last century. She lives on a small farm with her husband, alpaca, chickens, Pomeranians, canaries and tolerates T-Bears Siamese cats and parrot Giz. She loves to find out what all her friends are studying. She was the Nation’s Mother for her tribe for several years: she is still wife to Dan after 47 years, mother of six adults, a grandmother of eight, a great-grandma of 1, a Clinically Licensed Independent Social worker, a retired adjunct professor of social work at her local university and an avid reader. She studies science, technology, Biblical studies, and human behavior. She is quick to draw parallels between different fields of thought and weave the ideas into a cohesive ideology that is at once practical, usable, and thoughtful. Her books are the result of blending her life experiences with bureaucracy, studying science and nature, counseling, and faith. She greatly enjoys the intersection of fantasy and possibility and hopes you enjoy it as well. We will see you on the other side of the imagination tree.
Her co-author of the Clan Falconer fantasy series is her grandson T-Bear. T Bear Pelton is a self-proclaimed gamer, a Christian active in his home church, a Native American, a storyteller, and a novice blacksmith. He lives with his grandparents, his Amazon parrot, and four Siamese on a small alpaca farm while working full time and dreaming of times when magic still existed and wishes sometimes actually came true. Enjoy this fantasy with him and for just a little while, suspend daily life for a dream of dragons and wizards, beautiful ladies and knights, magic and faith. Travel then with us to another time, another place, and another dimension. Come to the future, after the War, when tech and magic combine with faith and fear.
Their farm, Springhaven Croft, is home to alpacas, dogs, Siamese cats, canaries, an eclectic group of chickens and an irascible Amazon Parrot named Gizmo. Traveler’s webpage is travelerpelton.com; she also has a FB page called Traveler Pelton. Come visit real soon!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
The fate of mankind years after the Earth’s destruction rests in the hands of a select few as they venture back to the Earth’s surface and discover a hidden truth that can rock humanity to the core in author J. Scott Coatsworth’s “Dropnauts”, the first book in the Liminal Sky: Redemption Cycle series.
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The Synopsis
Over a century after the end of the Earth, life goes on in Redemption, the sole remaining lunar colony, and possibly the last outpost of humankind in the Solar System. But with an existential threat burrowing its way to the Moon’s core, humanity must recolonize the homeworld.
Twenty brave dropnauts set off on a mission to explore the empty planet. After training for two and a half years, four of them—Rai, Hera, Ghost and Tien—are bound for Martinez Base, just outside the Old Earth city of San Francisco.
But what awaits them there will turn their assumptions upside down—and in the process, either save or destroy what’s left of humanity.
The Review
This was such a brilliant and emotionally-driven sci-fi read. The author did such an amazing job of connecting readers to the larger narrative through dynamic character development. Not only was the emotional core of all four protagonists felt intensely as the story progressed, but the way their story intersected with the survivors on Earth was so great to read. The tensions and stakes that this created for the survivors both on Earth and the lunar colony of Redemption were amazing to read and watch unfold on the page. The inclusion of LGBTQ characters and relationships made the story feel more well-rounded, and the emphasis on AI-driven character developments was a great sci-fi element to include in this discussion.
The world-building and setting really became the heart of this narrative. So many sci-fi stories involve space exploration and focus on the colonies primarily, whether it be on the moon, Mars, or outside our solar system, but the whole concept of “Returning” to Earth to find a means of survival was a brilliant creative decision on the author’s part. The imagery and atmosphere this helped create really showed in the author’s writing style.
The Verdict
Captivating, entertaining, and thrilling, author J. Scott Coatsworth’s “Dropnauts” is a must-read sci-fi novel and the perfect start to the author’s Liminal Sky: Redemption Cycle series. The vivid and detailed settings were perfectly paired with the gritty narrative that was being told and balanced out the heartfelt and emotional character beats that made readers fall in love with this cast of characters. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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J. Scott Coatsworth’s diverse hopepunk space opera Dropnauts Is out in audio, narrated by Kevin Earlywine. And there’s a giveaway!
Life after the Crash.
Over a century after the end of the Earth, life goes on in Redemption, the sole remaining Lunar colony, and possibly the last outpost of humankind in the Solar System. But with an existential threat burrowing its way into the Moon’s core, humanity must recolonize the homeworld.
Twenty brave dropnauts set off on a mission to explore the empty planet. Four of them—Rai, Hera, Ghost and Tien—have trained for two-and-a-half years for the Return. They’re bound for Martinez Base, just outside the Old Earth city of San Francisco.
But what awaits them there will turn their assumptions upside down—and in the process, either save or destroy what’s left of humanity.
Rai sweated inside his suit, white-knuckling the arms of the retrofitted launch chair under his suit gloves. He watched the Zhenyi’slaunch countdown clock.
Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight…
Outside he was calm, but inside he vibrated like an erhu string, his stomach doing acrobatics in his chest. I’m not ready.
Five teams of dropnauts had strapped themselves into their jumper ships, prepared for the ascent from Redemption on the lunar surface to Launchpad station. Outside his porthole, the blue-green marble of Earth beckoned.
Forty-five, forty-four…
Rai cast a nervous glance at his three teammates. Hera was doing her preflight check, her back to him, sweat dripping down the umber skin of her neck from her short-cropped, curly black hair.
Behind him on his right, Tien’s eyes were closed, and she was still as a golden statue. Zen.
He turned to find Ghost looking at him from behind. His ex grinned, running his hand through his lanky, dirty blond hair, his green eyes twinkling. His skin was as white as Rai’s own, but with a dusting of freckles over the bridge of his nose.
Rai managed a pale imitation of a smile back. –It’s totally safe.– Ghost’s voice pinged in his head, em to em.
–Easy for you to say.- Ghost had never feared a thing in his life.
Rai sighed. If he had to, he could take the small ship apart and put it back together with his bare hands, a skill learned under Sam’s supervision—the mech was as harsh a taskmaster as any human Rai had ever worked for. Still, he felt like puking. The speeches and adulation of the farewell celebration were over, and now his doubts circled like vultures. I’m not ready.
Thirty-two, thirty-one…
-You’ll be ok.- Hera’s determined voice this time. She turned to squeeze his knee, and then fired up the Zhenyi’shydro-fuel engine. He flashed her a sheepish grin.
A hundred meters away, the Bristol’s takeoff shook the landing pad. Rai watched it rise, carrying Dax, Jess, Ola, and Xiu Ying, the London team, toward the bright stars above. The jumper’s expelled water froze almost instantly, falling as snow over the snaking lava tube that held the city of Redemption. A lunar blizzard whipped by them and shimmered into nothing.
Rai closed his eyes, remembering the night before. Jess, laughing and dancing with him at Heaven, the clear dome of the lunar sky sparkling above them, the heavy beat of the thromb club pulsing through his chest. Dancing like no one was watching.
He rubbed his jaw. It still ached from the fist he’d taken to the face. Wild party. And a wilder night with Ayvin, the jack he’d picked up at the club.
“Zhenyi, ready for liftoff in T-Minus ten seconds.” Sam’s voice, coming from Team Five’s ship, the Liánhuā, was cool and collected. Did the mech feel emotion, like the nausea that was boiling in Rai’s guts? His teammates were strong, smart, and prepared for anything. I can do this. Besides, it was too late to back out now.
“Affirmative.” Hera shifted in her seat, her biframes stretching her paralyzed legs for her.
“You’ll do okay, tiger.” Ghost elbowed him in the ribs.
“Six, five, four…” Hera swiped the glossy white control deck, and the launch controls appeared, floating over the white surface.
“Leave him alone.” Rai could hear the icy frown in Tien’s voice.
He closed his eyes, willing his stomach to calm. Here we go. Nothing he could do about it now.
“Three, two, one… hang on.” Hera fired the engines, and the craft lifted on a cloud of steam into the star-filled skies of Luna.
Rai squeezed his armrests again as G-force pushed him hard back in his seat. He was committed now. Poppies, Chinese Houses, Fiddlenecks, Baby Blue Eyes, Yellow Pansies, Star Lilies… Reciting the flowers of the old San Francisco basin helped soothe his abraded nerves as the rumbling of the little craft rattled his bones.
He opened his eyes to see Redemption receding below them. The great lava tube was striped with sparkling bands of solar receptors that let sunlight into the city below. Rail lines snaked out from Redemption to the transit center like roping vines—to the seed launcher at Copernicus Crater, to Renewal colony, and beyond.
As the city shrank below them, his fear turned to sadness, a lump forming in his throat. He’d taken his home for granted, enthralled by the idea of joining humankind’s greatest adventure in a century. Now he might never see it again.
The hydro rocket thrust them up out of Luna’s gravity well into naked space, toward the bright blue skies of the empty Earth above. Rai stared at it, that enigmatic ball in space which no one had visited in over a century. What secrets are you hiding?
The roar cut off as quickly as it had begun, leaving the Zhenyi drifting upward in silence as they slipped out of Luna’s grasp.
Hera’s hands flew across the deck, swapping the launch controls for navigation, and nudged them onto a new course following the Bristol toward the Launchpad.
Rai let go, his breath coming out in a heavy sigh.
“See? That wasn’t so bad.” Ghost unbuckled his seatbelt and stretched, yawning as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
God, he’s beautiful. Pale as his namesake under his mop of dirty blond hair, the engineer’s thick arms were just a suggestion under the bulky suit, but Rai could still see them in his mind. Ghost’s well-toned muscles, the smell of his skin after—
“You okay, buddy?” Ghost was staring at him, one dark eyebrow raised in concern.
Rai bit his lip and looked away. “Just nervous. Wondering if we’ll ever make it back home”
“Hey, if things go well after the drop, maybe you and me could open the first Earthside bar since the Crash.” Ghost leaned over him from behind to stare at the Earth through the porthole, his cheek close to Rai’s
“That’s crazy.” But his spirits lifted. It was idiotic. And just the distraction he needed.
Ghost sank back into his own seat. “Every outpost needs a good bar where the colonists can blow off a little steam, right?”
Rai laughed in spite of himself, warming to the idea. “We could call it ‘The Frontier’.”
“Or ‘The Wild Hookup’.”
“Best beer this side of the planet.”
“Only beer!”
Rai snorted. Just like old times. He hadn’t forgiven Ghost, though. Not yet. He looked down at his gloved hands, emblazoned with the leaf-and-orb of Redemption’s space service.
Things had ended badly between them—crash and burn bad. Still, they’d be too busy the next few weeks to think about anything but the drop. The survival of Redemption and the remnants of humanity depended on them.
He could let it go. I have to. He’d managed the launch, after all. I can do this too.
Ghost squeezed his shoulder and closed his eyes, touching his temple and bobbing his head to a song only he could hear.
Rai turned away.
You’re stronger than any of us. Hera had told him that the night before. Still, he didn’t feel strong.
He looked out of the porthole again at the Earth—the same view they’d had from Heaven. And yet somehow, it looked different. More real.
Poppies, Chinese Houses, Fiddlenecks, Baby Blue Eyes, Yellow Pansies, Star Lilies…
He touched his hand to the porthole. Even through the glove, it was cold. We’re going home.
Author Bio
Scott lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.
He decided that if there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.
A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and is a full member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Kevin Earlywine is an actor, director, singer/songwriter, and audiobook narrator who hails from Rockford, Illinois! His debut album DANGER was released February 28th, 2017. Kevin started writing songs for the album in 2012, and finally in November, 2015, he started recording the songs!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Two heroes emerge and must fight to save their corner of the Andromeda Galaxy as heroes Galen and Rhea fight to save her father, the King, from everyone from old enemies, lawless criminals, and emerging usurpers in author Richard Paolinelli’s “Galen’s Blade”, the second book in the A Starquest 4th Age Adventure series.
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The Synopsis
The journey of Galen Dwyn continues in the second book of the Starquest 4th Age series.
While Dwyn lies in stasis, recovering from his injuries in his stand against Harmool’s fleet, Rhea has assumed the title of Regent of Salacia while leading the search for her missing father, King Iodocus. She is also helping repair the damage done to the Alliance in her Uncle’s and Mother’s mad quest to launch a new Empire. A shocking assassination attempt is thwarted at the last second by Dwyn, who seems to be a changed man now that he has exited stasis to save his love.
The King’s location is ascertained and a rescue mission mounted to retrieve him from the Wilds, a lawless area of space. An ambush splits their forces and Dwyn leads the ambushers away so that Rhea and her father can escape. Before Dwyn can find a way back to Alliance territory, an old enemy returns from the grave, and hold Rhea and the King hostage, while triggering a massive insurrection that overthrows the Alliance and installs a new Emperor.
Dwyn must now mount a second rescue while finding a way to rally a rebellion against this threat to peace in the Hominids’ corner of the Andromeda Galaxy.
The Review
This was yet another incredible sci-fi read. The depth of world-building and character development was so rich and amazing to behold. The intense action and layers of mythos that the author builds upon help elevate the narrative to the literary stratosphere. Readers will be invested instantly by the wild atmosphere and changing landscapes of the narrative’s setting, getting lost in the author’s world for hours.
What stood out to me much like the first book in the series was the way in which the author utilized and developed these rich characters throughout the narrative. The evolution and journey both Rhea and Galen go on to save the King and protect one another in the process were equally balanced and allowed them to showcase the depth of the impact this journey has had on them individually and as a group overall.
The Verdict
Gripping, entertaining, and thrilling, author Richard Paolinelli’s “Galen’s Blade” is the perfect sci-fi read this summer and a marvelous next chapter in the A Starquest 4TH Age Adventure Series. The overarching narrative and rich character growth very much felt like a blend of classic sci-fi series like Firefly and Star Wars put together, feeling like some elements of fantasy and mythology also came into play to make this a unique reading experience. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Richard Paolinelli began his writing career as a freelance writer in 1984 in Odessa, TX and gained his first fiction credit serving as the lead writer for the first two issues of the Elite Comics sci-fi/fantasy series, Seadragon. In 1991 Richard began his sports writing career at the Gallup Independent before moving on to work for the Modesto Bee, Turlock Journal, Merced Sun-Star, Tracy Press, San Mateo County Times and the San Francisco Examiner. He also served as an editor and photographer with some of the newspapers. He won the 2001 California Newspaper Publishers Association award for Best Sports Story while at the Turlock Journal.
In 2010, Richard retired as a sportswriter and decided to return to his fiction writing roots. He released two short stories – The Invited and Legacy of Death – as well as a full-length sci-fi novel, Maelstrom. In 2015, Richard completed nearly two years of research and interviews and published, From The Fields: A History of Prep Football in Turlock, California, chronicling 95 years of high school football in his hometown. One month later, the first book of the Jack Del Rio series, Reservations, was published by Oak Tree Press.
In 2016, Richard was one of a dozen authors selected to participate in, Beyond Watson, an anthology of original Sherlock Holmes stories and was one of 20 writers involved in a second Holmes Anthology, Holmes Away From Home, released in December. Perfection’s Arbiter, a biography of National League Umpire, Babe Pinelli, was released on October 8th. W & B Books acquired the Jack Del Rio series and released the second book, Betrayals, in November. The remaining two books in the Jack Del Rio series will follow in 2017 & 2018.
In January of 2017, Richard returned to his science fiction roots with the release of the novel, Escaping Infinity, and will release another sci-fi novel, When The Gods Fell, on September 4, 2018.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
After a young woman discovers a government cover-up that shows the impending doom of the planet Earth, a tale of greed and corruption takes center stage as two groups vie for control of the five governments, and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance in author Ian Conner’s “Cooper’s Ridge”.
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The Synopsis
Cassie Wells, a 19 year old genius who has stumbled onto a rather elaborate government cover-up. Earth is over-populated and past the tipping point of saving. Two factions, one who wants resources used on earth, the other to colonize a newly discovered planet thirty light years away vie for control of the Five Governments, the new planet we may call home and the ships humanity will use to get there. There is an additional danger to those on the new planet that the government has kept quiet. Layer upon layer of subterfuge will keep the readers guessing about who the bad guys are and how the tale will end.
The Review
This was such a captivating and engaging sci-fi and adventure read. The author expertly navigated the themes of space colonization, human existence, and the more personal themes of loss, grief, and moving on with one’s life after loss. The multiple POVs allowed readers to experience this expansive world the author crafted, showing everything from the discovery of this lush new world to the harrowing brush with death the protagonist has and the shifting perspectives that make the audience constantly question whom they can trust and whom they cannot.
Yet it was the strong character growth that really brought this novel to life. The personal and more intimate moments between characters and how they interacted with one another brought a moment of true humanity to the narrative, keeping it really grounded. This allowed the reader to feel a deeper connection to the characters as they dealt with everything from genetic experimentation to a dying planet and even surprising contact with humanoid figures, keeping the sci-fi genre alive and well in this narrative.
The Verdict
Captivating, engaging, and thoughtful in its approach, author Ian Conner’s “Cooper’s Ridge” is a must-read sci-fi action and adventure story. The heartfelt depth of human connection the author created between these characters and the ease in which the reader could get lost in their storylines was an amazing sight to behold, and the imagery of the lush world of Cooper’s Ridge really did an amazing job of keeping the reader invested in the author’s world-building. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Ian Conner is retired and spent most of his adult life as a Marine and Army Infantry Sergeant. Now living near San Diego California with his wife Bonnie, a cellist, and their two dogs, Cookie and Isabella. Conner spends his days fostering kittens, gardening, crafting beautiful stained glass and creating worlds on the page.
Conner has authored several other novels
Cooper’s Ridge – Science Fiction
The Long Game – Political Thriller
The Price of Partisanship – Political Thriller
Solaris – Political Thriller
Griffins Perch – Epic Fantasy
Ghost Witch – Horror
After a lifetime of destruction the thought of creating something tangible and lasting holds great appeal. He finds writing a cathartic way to redefine himself both in his eyes and the eyes of others.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A young woman who escapes the prison she’s spent her life in must find a way to save her parents and escape the deadly criminal hunting her down in author Matthew Hughes’s “Barbarians of the Beyond”.
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The Synopsis
Twenty years ago, five master criminals known as the Demon Princes raided Mount Pleasant to enslave thousands of inhabitants in the lawless Beyond. Now Morwen Sabine, a daughter of captives, has escaped her cruel master and returns to Mount Pleasant to recover the hidden treasure she hopes will buy her parents’ freedom.
But Mount Pleasant has changed. Morwen must cope with mystic cultists, murderous drug-smugglers, undercover “weasels” of the Interplanetary Police Coordinating Company, and the henchmen of the vicious pirate lord who owns her parents and wants Morwen returned. So he can kill her slowly…
Barbarians of the Beyond is a return to “Jack Vance Space” and space-opera derring-do that follows in the science fiction Grandmaster’s footsteps.
The Review
This was a truly epic sci-fi space opera! The author did an incredible job of world-building that made the universe feel vibrant and alive. The imagery and atmospheric way the author brought the protagonist’s journey to life were perfect, as it highlighted the almost gritty nature of this universe and the lawlessness that exists on the border planets. The attention to detail on everything from the galactic currency to the specialty trades that drive the planet’s economies and the black market was great to see come to life on the page.
Yet the characterization of the protagonist set this novel apart from others in this genre. The determination, the scars of their past, and the willingness that Morwen has to accomplish her mission by any means necessary bring her into a class of action sci-fi hero, not unlike Mal Reynolds of Firefly, and yet the depth of their experiences and the chemistry they develop with the people they meet along the way will have readers hooked and engaged in this narrative.
The Verdict
Harrowing, tense, and entertaining, author Matthew Hughes’s “Barbarians of the Beyond” is a must-read novel and a grand space opera that fans of the sci-fi genre will not get enough of. With rich mythos and world-building to help elevate this narrative in such a short span of time, this book will have readers on the edge of their seats, eager to see how Morwen battles the Demon Princes who hold their loved ones hostage, and in the process find a place in the universe to call home. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Born in Liverpool, his family moved to Canada when he was five years old. Married since late 1960s, he has three grown sons. He is currently relocated to Britain. He is a former director of the Federation of British Columbia Writers.
A university drop-out from a working poor background, he worked in a factory that made school desks, drove a grocery delivery truck, was night janitor in a GM dealership, and did a short stint as an orderly in a private mental hospital. As a teenager, he served a year as a volunteer with the Company of Young Canadians.
He has made his living as a writer all of his adult life, first as a journalist in newspapers, then as a staff speechwriter to the Canadian Ministers of Justice and Environment, and, since 1979, as a freelance corporate and political speechwriter in British Columbia.
His short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s, Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Postscripts, Interzone, and a number of “Year’s Best” anthologies. Night Shade Books published his short story collection, The Gist Hunter and Other Stories, in 2005.
He has won the Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada. His novels and stories regularly make the Locus Magazine annual recommended reading list.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A desperate race to the center of the universe sends a Captain and his crew on a dangerous mission with little hope of returning in author Jayson Adams’s “Infernum”.
The Synopsis
A weapon of unimaginable power. A desperate mission to the center of the galaxy. Mankind’s fate hangs in the balance.
Captain Thomas Holbrook has wondered how he would brave being sent on a one-way mission. When he receives cryptic orders to divert his CentCom warship to the black hole at the center of the galaxy, a region from which no vessel has ever returned, he stubbornly refuses to take them at face value.
It’s the year 2330. The “aughts,” robots that won independence from their human creators, seek insurance against the ever-present human threat. An aught ship speeds to the galactic center to collect Planck Matter, a substance formed in the heart of black holes, the basis of a weapon that could destroy the Earth.
CentCom can’t allow the aughts to obtain Planck Matter. They enlist the help of Dr. Rebekah Riesen, a brilliant, beautiful, reincarnated physicist with her own reasons for joining a mission that might not return, and Tentek, an aught informant whom Holbrook’s executive officer insists is a double agent. Together, they must travel to the galactic center while keeping a mutinous crew at bay, stop the aughts from obtaining Planck Matter, and somehow find a way back home.
The Review
I absolutely loved this sci-fi read. The author was able to capture the raw emotions and world-building that Battlestar Galactica captured (the 2003 remake), without sacrificing the realistic dialogue and intensity that this narrative demands. The powerful themes that the author explores here, from philosophical debates of reincarnation and faith in a time of scientific discovery to the idea of AI gaining sentience and the dual nature of humanity between the darkest moments they exude and the hope that comes from their persistence for life all come crashing down into this layered and driven story.
It was the alternating POVs and rich character development that really drew me into the narrative. The interactions and ways in which these characters came together felt very natural in such a rich sci-fi story. Yet the way the author crafted a narrative that employed both original sci-fi elements and yet felt very grounded at the same time allowed for a more entertaining and gripping read.
The Verdict
Thought-provoking, action-packed, and engaging, author Jayson Adams’s “Infernum” is a must-read sci-fi novel of 2022! The rich character development and balance of humanity with outstanding mythos made this story shine so brightly. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
At age sixteen Jayson dreamed of starting a software company and retiring by twenty-five. He achieved his dream just before thirty, working for the likes of Steve Jobs and selling one of his start-ups along the way. Five years later he returned to computers with another start-up. He currently works at Google.
Computers were always Jayson’s creative outlet, the screen a “blank slate.” He now channels his creative energies into writing compelling science fiction.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A soldier and his team must take a final stand to protect Earth’s abandoned colony of Duatero from a deadly ecosystem that poisons crops and turns humans into mindless monsters in author Brad C. Anderson’s “Duatero”.
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The Synopsis
Majstro Falchilo Kredo has devoted his life to protecting the abandoned earth colony of Duatero from Malamiko, the indigenous ecosystem that makes their crops fail and whose contamination turns humans into mindless monsters. But Malimiko is changing, becoming more dangerous, more aware, even as the ancient technology they use to combat fails piece by precious piece. Kredo and his fellow soldiers must risk everything or see all they hold precious wiped away and forgotten. Kredo is prepared to sacrifice himself—and anyone around him—to do his duty. But what if the price demanded is even higher?
The Review
The author did such a great job of crafting a vivid and unique world. The story of Duatero was mesmerizing, bringing the study of society and how it evolves (or doesn’t evolve) over time in response to the natural dangers of a world to life. The natural character growth and dialogue let both familiar yet unique to the narrative, as the speech and dialogue of the characters felt unique to the characters and their world, and yet the camaraderie and the personal issues they face also felt realistic and something that people could relate to if they were in a similar situation, making these characters very relatable.
The world-building and mythos of this world were what really stole the show here. The way the author was able to create a threat and danger that dwelled not in the minds and hearts of mankind solely, but in the natural ecosystem of an entire planet, was a great way to explore the biology of the sci-fi genre and the language and terminology that the characters used highlighted the rich mythos that was developed for this science fiction meets dystopian adventure.
The Verdict
Haunting, action-packed, and entertaining, author Brad C. Anderson’s “Duatero” is a must-read sci-fi dystopian read of 2022. A unique and creative tale, the rich characters that are both flawed yet highly emotional in their delivery and the impact this harsh world has on those surviving in this lost colony create an engaging story that will have readers drawn into the narrative wholeheartedly. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Brad C. Anderson lives with his wife and puppy in Vancouver, Canada. He teaches undergraduate business courses at a local university and researches organizational wisdom in blithe defiance of the fact most people do not think you can put those two words in the same sentence without irony. Previously, he worked in the biotech sector where he made drugs for a living (legally!).
His stories have appeared in a variety of publications. His short story, Naïve Gods, was longlisted for a 2017 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. It was published in the anthology Lazarus Risen, which was itself nominated for an Aurora Award.
