I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A young woman struggling with physical limitations befriends and grows close to an advanced AI in author J.M. Linden’s “Blue and Green.”
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The Synopsis
A story of quiet resilience, unexpected connection, and the mysteries of what it means to be human.
Remi, a resilient teen, has always lived slightly in the background while navigating the realities of physical challenges. Her world shifts when she forms an unlikely bond with Oren, an AI designed to learn, feel, and maybe even love. As their friendship deepens, questions of consciousness and control begin to emerge, pressing them toward choices that will shape both of their futures.
Blue and Green is a thought-provoking debut about resilience, curiosity, and the quiet acts of courage that can change everything. Perfect for readers drawn to stories of empathy, belonging, and the delicate balance between humanity and technology.
The Review
This was a powerful and moving story that blends emotional character-driven narrative with AI-driven themes. One quote that reflects this perfectly is “There is a space between knowing and feeling. I have mapped it. I have traced every edge of it.” The author perfectly brought emotional depth that spoke to the character’s evolution, while also mirroring it through a fast-paced story and vivid imagery in the author’s writing style.
What stood out the most was the dynamic character relationships in this book, especially between Remi and her mother, Nora, and Remi and Oren. The struggles Remi faces in this coming-of-age tale speak to the hardships many teens face in these formative years, while also highlighting the challenges those with physical disabilities or conditions must endure and the difficulties those with quieter personalities face in social situations. The way Remi and Oren relate to one another, and the question of AI in everyday life, become prominent themes throughout the narrative. The morality of AI has long been debated, and I’ve always felt AI can be a good thing when used correctly —not to replace humanity, but to collaborate and grow together. People’s misuse of AI has always scared me more than an apocalyptic takeover, and the emotional bond Oren develops with Remi showcases the power of positivity and the strong connection that this kind of relationship can develop.
The Verdict
A moving, heartfelt, and engaging story of the bonds we form with one another and what it means to be human, author J.M. Linden’s “Blue and Green” is a stunning sci-fi, coming-of-age YA novel. The emotional depth of this story, the powerful AI-driven themes, and the exploration of everything from humanity and the planet itself to what our relationships say about us and more are beautifully woven into a tale of two beings coming together to grow, learn, and evolve. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
J.M. Linden is an occupational therapist and storyteller. She enjoys writing about quiet resilience, unexpected connection, and what it means to be human. While she drafts, her loyal writing companion Preshi curls up nearby, reminding her that stories—like pets—are best shared. She finds inspiration from being in nature, from winding mountain paths to the calm of shaded greenways.
Mark David Campbell has a new queer YA sci-fantasy book out (gay, lesbian, homonormative) Gear Box book 1: Gear Child.
From our beloved teddy bear to our cherished first car, we form deep emotional bonds with inanimate objects. Will AI machines inevitably develop the capacity to love us in return?
In a post-apocalyptic world that survives on garbage left over from the Gawd Wars eight generations ago, Sunny Boy, a semi-organic machine initially made to emulate a thirteen-year-old, and later modified as an eighteen-year-old, longs to be loved. His quest to find a family takes him from a farm in Winnipeg to the far reaches of the known galaxy. When Sunny Boy becomes embroiled in an ancient battle between a collective intelligence and a parasitic alien crystal, the boundaries between organic and inorganic life are called into question.
Warnings: Very low sex and violence (no gun play)
Series Blurb
The Gear Box Trilogy, which includes: Gear Child, The Arena of Mayhem, and The Wayward Star, is a journey of the heart that takes you from a devastated post-Gawd Wars Earth, across the Solar System to the far reaches of the galaxy, and explores the line between inanimate machine and animate life form.
Told from the perspectives of Sunny Boy, Fancy Larry, and Loofah—three AI machines—who understand the world around them through symbols, metaphors, and allegories. Along with their capacity for creative thought, empathy, and growth, they likewise struggle with issues of self-identity and self-esteem. Most of all, Sunny Boy, Fancy Larry, and Loofah, like any intelligent being, crave acceptance and long to be loved.
I unlatched the glass, and a salty, humid breeze blew into the cabin like it was saying welcome. In no time, the burnt land below us gave way to water, and the Captain veered the airship southward.
In the distance, I made out the silhouettes of broken and battered glass and steel towers all jutting out of the ocean like fingers of drowning men reaching up to be saved. I watched as the shadow of our airship glided along the surface of the water, silently sliding over the towers.
“Is that a city?”
“Once was.” The Captain nodded. “Greatest in the world. But that’s all that’s left of it.”
“Why is it underwater?”
“Ha!” the Captain snorted. “It happened a long time ago, during the Gawd Wars and the Great Flood, when my great-great-great-granddaddy was a boy.” The Captain scratched his head. “See, way back then, everybody had their own books full of old stories about Gawd. Most of the stories were the same, but everybody told them in a different way.” He furrowed his brow. “People started fighting and killing one another to prove their way of telling the stories was right, and the way other people told the stories was wrong.”
I looked at him with my mouth hanging open, trying hard to understand why people wanted to kill each other over a bunch of old stories.
“Was Gawd bad?”
“No, I don’t think so.” He shook his head. “But by the time everybody got tired of killing one another and blaming it on Gawd…” The Captain cleared his throat. “They’d already blown up all the big cities and poisoned the land. And as if that weren’t enough, they’d also melted the polar ice caps and flooded everything remaining along the coast.” Taking his beard in his hand, he stroked it a couple of times. “People don’t talk much about Gawd anymore.”
“Is that the hand of Gawd?” I pointed to a giant green hand sticking up above the surface of the water, holding what looked like a torch.
“No. That’s the hand of a giant woman. She was one of the idols they used to worship a long time ago.” He eased the throttle and floated the ship in closer so I could get a better look.
“What happened to her?” I tried to make out her body and head below the surface of the water, but all I saw was a cluster of barnacles and algae.
“I guess she got old and tired, and people had no use for her anymore.” The Captain veered the ship southward and pulled on the big wheel. Leaving the city of dead fingers behind, we continued on down the coast, rising slowly toward the jet stream, again.
“Oh, please! Who do you think designed robos in the first place—the military! And it wasn’t only for cleaning and sex.”
“Only those who get caught are sorry.”
I thought about all the people who had died, and I felt sad, but mostly I felt sad because my name would never be recorded there or anywhere else.
“Hey, kid, don’t feel bad. It’s not about you. That boy’s head’s so full of crap, he wouldn’t know a ray of sunshine even if it was beaming up his butt hole.”
He swept the scanner across the pilot’s groin, looked at it, and laughed. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. Your sperm look like a bowl full of goldfish somebody forgot to feed.”
“I thought I was dead.” He grasped both my hands. “Who are you? Some kind of a superhero?”
I felt my face flush. “No, I’m only a robo.”
He took my hand and kissed it. “Not to me.”
“Something tells me we’ve just met the resistance.”
Spinner frowned. “Beyond those doors, there’s nothing for me. I’m not like you.”
“I’m a robo, like you.”
“No, you’re not!” Spinner practically spat out the words. “You can grow, adapt, and evolve. I can’t. This is all I can ever be.”
“We’ll go to the opera and art galleries. You’ll learn about second-hand stores and how to shop for bargains, we’ll create and redecorate, dance the night away, and sit in cafes trashing the latest clothing trends until the sun comes up.”
Author Bio
I have a passion for science/speculative fiction that is socially and culturally driven. Maybe that’s why I studied anthropology and archaeology.
My recent publications include: Eating the Moon (NineStar Press, 2021), a dystopic story of an elderly anthropologist who stumbles across a hidden society where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuals are marginalized. Secrets of Ishtabay (Ninestar Press, 2023) is the story of a Maya village in Belize, which struggles with its transition to globalization after the completion of a highway linking it to the outside world. The Homework Assignment (Polar Borealis Magazine of Canadian Speculative Fiction, March 2025) is a short story about an anthropology professor who asks his students to imagine first contact with an alien intelligence with whom they share only one sense.
Currently, I live in Milan, Italy, with my husband. When I’m not writing, I work with Italian sociologists, biologists, and psychoanalysts, assisting them with their English academic publications. I enjoy reading both classic and newer books, immersing myself in steampunk and futurism. I love adventure stories, and most of all, I want to fall in love with a great MC. I am dyslexic, which means I can’t spell, and I have a love/hate relationship with computers and the internet.
Gear Child by Mark David Campbell Exclusive Excerpt Chapter Nine
“Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived!” Fancy Larry stood on a bale of hay with his arms stretched outward, his ball of fleece carefully arranged on his head, and his face all chalky white.
Both Grease Spot and I looked around, but there were no ladies or gentlemen in the barn.
“What moment?” Grease Spot asked.
“The farm is upgrading with newer task-specific robos.” Whenever he was excited, Fancy Larry spoke in an alto tone.
“Are they going to terminate us?” Grease Spot said.
“Well, I overheard the guards this morning. They are sending the older robos to the toxic dumps, and the higher-end robos, like us, are going to be shipped to Winnipeg City and reprogrammed for urban cleaning and sanitation duty.” Fancy Larry clasped his face in his hands. “All my dreams have finally come true.”
I looked at Grease Spot. “I don’t know anything about the city.”
Grease Spot patted my head. “Don’t worry,” he said, even though he had a dreadful expression on his face.
On the night before we left the farm Grease Spot and I sat on the worktable, as usual, while Old Gus finished his dinner.
“Things in New Winnipeg City are a mite different than things here on the farm,” Old Gus kept sniffing like he had a cold.
“You boys promise me you’ll do exactly what you’re told to do and don’t look them gots directly in the eyes.”
“We promise,” we said in unison.
“You won’t have me no more to come running to when you got a problem.” Old Gus’s eyes filled with tears, and he dropped his head.
Grease Spot slid himself off the table, went over to the bed, and flopped down with his head on Old Gus’ lap. Old Gus bent over, wrapped his arms around him, and buried his face in Grease Spot’s fiery red hair. “My boy, my beautiful, mechanical boy,” Old Gus cooed while he cuddled and rocked Grease Spot.
As I sat there and studied them, I pictured my lambs all alone in the barn, and I wanted to cradle and rock them, one last time. I slid off the table and, without saying a word, went to the sheep shed.
All night long, as I hugged my lambs, I thought about Old Gus and Grease Spot over in the mechanics shed without me, the two of them huddled together in the dark on that steel cot. I couldn’t understand why Old Gus had never cradled me that way.
Grease Spot was only a machine, like me, wasn’t he?
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A man looking to reconnect with his dying mother finds himself transported back in time and must find a way to get back to his own time before it is too late in author Lincoln James’s “All the Time.”
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The Synopsis
The past isn’t just a memory… It’s a trap.
When Carter sets out to reconnect with his dying mother, he never expects to arrive at her house years before he was born. Stuck in the past with nothing but his car, a bag of clothes, and a barely working iPhone, Carter faces an impossible question: how did he get here—and how can he get back?
Time is slipping through his fingers, and every moment spent in the past pulls him further from the future he’s desperate to return to.
Caught between what was and what could be, Carter begins to question if time is something you can outrun…or if it’s already run out.
The Review
This was such an emotional and engaging read. The author did an incredible job of layering this story with heart and compassion, exploring some deep themes of love, loss, and the hardship of connecting with lost parents. The imagery and atmosphere the author can infuse into this story are remarkable, giving readers both an artistic use of said imagery and a cinematic storytelling path that plays in the reader’s mind like a film.
The two things that stuck out were how much attention the author paid to the time travel elements of the story, as well as the fast pacing of the narrative. The author can still take the time to build up the world around the protagonist and capture the different periods that this narrative spans, while still moving the story along smoothly without slowing down or giving away too much unnecessary detail. The emotional depth of how time itself was treated, not only in terms of the sci-fi genre and time-bending overall, but the feeling of time slipping away in anyone’s life when facing the loss of a loved one, allowed the reader to engage with the protagonist on a much deeper level.
The Verdict
Heartfelt, emotional, and thrilling, author Lincoln James’s “All the Time” is a must-read YA sci-fi novel. The author’s atmosphere and emotion in this narrative felt like a mix of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s The Talisman meets Mike Flanagan’s take on The Midnight Club. The thoughtful approach to such heavy and gut-wrenching themes will keep readers invested until the book’s final pages. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Lincoln James, your favorite author’s favorite author, is celebrated for his haunting love stories, vintage thrillers, and slow-burn suspense. His characters feel, ache, and bleed, often trapped between the past and the people who won’t let them forget it.
In 2025, James was featured in The New York Review and named Best New Thriller Author in New York by Best of Best Review, honors recognizing his compelling storytelling and emotional depth.
When he’s not writing, James is an English and Communication professor in New York City and cherishes moments with friends and family, proving that the most thrilling tales lie in the love and laughter shared with those closest to us.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?
I have been writing for quite a while, but more in technical writing, documentation, and editing through my website, www.writeforhire.com. However, it has only been in the past couple of years that I have felt confident enough to try writing a book.
I enjoy reading about the latest in science, technology, and science fiction, and with my degree in geography, I have always been interested in climate. So, I guess when searching for a theme to write a book, I chose Global Warming, which I felt combined all these interests.
Interestingly, it was only later that I discovered a genre based on these interests called Cli-Fi, which is short for (climate fiction). When I think back, I now realize that I needed this final boost back then to get me moving on at least an outline for the global warming fellowship idea for my book, Bon Echo and The Competition.
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What inspired you to write your book?
I spent my early childhood in Kaladar, Ontario, Canada, where my parents owned the Kaladar Hotel. Our hotel was close to Bon Echo Provincial Park, so many of our guests who had travelled far to visit the park would stay overnight while sightseeing. Bon Echo is famous for its spectacular azure lake reflecting sunlight onto its golden cliffs at sunset.
Somehow, I must have stored a vision of this inspiring spectacle of nature as a child, forgotten its location, and then held it in my memory as a powerful childhood mystical experience. I have meditated on this calming vision throughout my life but could not recall where I acquired it. So, later in life, I decided to explore places with my husband from my childhood, including Kaladar and Mactier, a railroad town in Muskoka, where we lived before moving to Kaladar. This adventure quest was sad and yet very gratifying at the same time. It was heartbreaking to see the ruins of our old home in Mactier and, even more so, the broken-down remains of the hotel. The Ministry of Transportation demolished it in 2018, so I was grateful to see it one last time before it was gone forever.
Due to rainy weather, we had to return home before reaching Bon Echo Park. However, happy childhood memories flooded my mind as I told my husband about my childhood in Kaladar, visiting Bon Echo Park and feeding deer before crossing the park gates in my family’s car. Eventually, I followed up with online research and found my beautiful Bon Echo vision on my laptop in pictures of the shimmering sunlight reflecting on Mazinaw Rock. I traced this major event in my childhood to the source of my love for nature and why I felt drawn to geography at university. You can read the full story of my quest to find the inspiration for my Bon Echo series through this link: Northern Lights Publications
Bon Echo reflects the inspiration for a fictional setting in my Bon Echo series and on the adventures of Maven and her friends. Hopefully, it will inspire you to visit the real Bon Echo Park, as Bon Echo Bay is a fictional creation found within the pages of my book Bon Echo and The Competition.
What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
When I was approximately the age of five, I visited Bon Echo Park in Ontario with my family. I recall looking at the fantastic golden glow of the sun reflecting off the Mazinaw escarpment rock face. I must have been so awestruck by its beauty that I experienced a mystical connection of love emanating from the environment’s sheer beauty and maybe even Mother Nature herself. Of course, I’ll never know for sure what I experienced, but it was such a powerful experience that I carried that image and feeling of love throughout my entire life.
When I decided to try to write a book, the theme of fighting global warming seemed like the right choice for me. It felt like an opportunity to honour Mother Nature for all the love and peace I received from her over the years.
The most powerful message of my book is our need to protect and conserve our planet through fellowship because the earth is the only home that we can all say we genuinely share and need to save.
What drew you into this particular genre?
I have always been a big fan of all sorts of science fiction, from Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, and all the TV science fiction series. So, I was pretty sure that if I were ever to write a book, science fiction/fantasy would be my first choice.
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If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?
That’s an easy one! I would ask Maven a particular question related to her journey in discovering her passion in life. I would have asked her if her search would have had a time limit. Writing became my passion, but I didn’t realize it until much later. I would encourage Maven to never give up on her quest to find what ignites her love because it is such a powerful and energizing force in life, making it worth pursuing.
What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I haven’t experimented too much with social media, but Facebook has been the most helpful in developing my readership.
What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?
When I first started to write, I realized how much of a learning curve I had to tackle before even beginning to put pen to paper. I was a complete novice and seriously didn’t have a clue where to start. I felt it was best to research and learn the basics through the many excellent books and on the many varied writing subjects. So, if you are not well versed in grammar, terms, usages, and writing methodologies, I would start there. And of course, read, read, read, because we all build on the shoulders of others, and because nothing is new under the sun, I promise you will find so much inspiration in all your reading adventures. Also, if you are prepared to take on this journey, you will learn much about yourself as a writer and even start cultivating your unique writing voice.
What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?
It has been a long trek and quite an adventure of the mind writing my first book, which has energized me even further to start outlining the second book in my Bon Echo science fiction series. The working title for this second book is Bon Echo and The Crystal Library, and I am coming up with all sorts of intriguing ideas on living history, artificial intelligence, and possible future climate change directions that may take place within this series. I have an enormous amount of research and notes that need organizing and outlining, which seem to take place in tandem because, as always, “the learning curve” can be its own adventure. I am currently digging in and looking forward to all the stepping stones of the writing process. Make everything an adventure, and you will never be bored, which is one of the true joys of imagination.
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About the Author
Colette is a talented writer and web developer who has turned her passion for science fiction and environmental causes into a new creative writing direction. With a background in Geography, she has taken a more focused approach to exploring ecological themes in her work. Her debut book, “Bon Echo and The Competition,” the first in the Bon Echo Science Fiction series, is a captivating blend of science fiction and romance. Set in a world where environmental issues are at the forefront, Colette weaves a beautiful story of adventure and love that will captivate readers until the end. With her remarkable talent for storytelling, Colette is sure to leave a lasting impression on the science fiction genre.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A science competition leads a young woman to discover the secrets of her family and a means of protecting the world from grave threats in author Colette Bos’s “Bon Echo and the Competition”, the first in the series.
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The Synopsis
Meet Maven, a young woman of rare brilliance and insatiable curiosity. She is a true original, and her unique perspective on the world around her makes her a captivating friend on this thrilling journey to uncover the world’s most elusive secrets. Join Maven as she re-reads her much-loved diary, recounting adventures with her fellowship, her newfound love, and her awesome feathered friend, a “Hybrid Owl Technology,” as she discovers ancient secrets about her family’s past and the true origins of her feathered friend. These secrets may be vital to protecting the planet from some of its greatest threats. All meet while competing in one of the world’s biggest high school science competitions. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves a thrilling adventure story filled with captivating characters, mesmerizing natural settings, and an all-consuming romance that will leave you feeling like you’ve witnessed an extraordinary love. Follow us at “Bon Echo and The Competition,” an exciting science-based quest filled with surprising adventures, discoveries and true love.
The Review
The author’s powerful grasp on relationships and the impact those relationships have on our journey was fantastic to see come to life on the page. Readers are immediately enthralled with protagonist Maven and her connections with the supporting cast. The relatability of the tension between her and her brother and the camaraderie between her and her friends instantly draws the reader into the narrative.
The theme of climate change and the impact we as a civilization have on the climate was a powerful message to embody throughout this book. The use of journal entries to give a first-person perspective on the narrative was inspired, as it gave more insight into Maven as a protagonist. The concept of hidden histories and forgotten civilizations was engaging and left readers eager for more from this YA sci-fi novel.
The Verdict
Thought-provoking, imaginative, and entertaining author Colette Bos’s “Bon Echo and The Competition” is a must-read YA Sci-Fi. The twists and turns in the narrative, the heartfelt romance that blooms between the protagonist and Thomas, and the world-building that kept the protagonist engaged with the adventurous path she found herself on made this a memorable story. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Colette is a talented writer and web developer who has turned her passion for science fiction and environmental causes into a new creative writing direction. With a background in Geography, she has taken a more focused approach to exploring ecological themes in her work. Her debut book, “Bon Echo and The Competition,” the first in the Bon Echo Science Fiction series, is a captivating blend of science fiction and romance. Set in a world where environmental issues are at the forefront, Colette weaves a beautiful story of adventure and love that will captivate readers until the end. With her remarkable talent for storytelling, Colette is sure to leave a lasting impression on the science fiction genre.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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A young woman living in a world where the past is forbidden as entities known as Headmasters control people’s bodies for manual labor shockingly discovers memories of another person rising to her mind, as secrets about how to defeat the Headmasters begins to work their way into her life in author Mark Morton’s “The Headmasters”.
The Synopsis
How do you learn from the past if there isn’t one?
Sixty years ago, something awful happened. Something that killed everyone except the people at Blue Ring. Something that caused the Headmasters to appear. But Maple doesn’t know what is was. Because talking about the past is forbidden.
Everyone at Blue Ring has a Headmaster. They sink their sinewy coils into your skull and control you, using your body for backbreaking toil and your mind to communicate with each other. When someone dies, their Headmaster transfers to someone new. But so do the dead person’s memories, and if one of those memories surfaces in the new host’s mind, their brain breaks. That’s why talking about the past is forbidden.
Maple hates this world where the past can’t exist and the future promises only more suffering. And she hates the Headmasters for making it that way. But she doesn’t know how to fight them – until memories start to surface in her mind from someone who long ago came close to defeating the Headmasters.
But whose memories are they? Why aren’t they harming her? And how can she use them to defeat the Headmasters? Maple has to find the answers herself, unable to tell anyone what she’s experiencing or planning—not even Thorn, the young man she’s falling in love with. Thorn, who has some forbidden secrets of his own . . .
The Review
What a thrilling and enthralling sci-fi and dystopian YA read. The author did an incredible job of world-building here, allowing the mystery of these creatures and the fall of mankind to take hold in the reader’s mind as they are introduced to the mythos of this narrative. The Headmasters themselves are genuinely chilling, and the society they have made for themselves through humanity is disturbing and creepy, allowing the terror they represent to sink in for the reader, much like the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers film.
Yet the character development helped make the grander sci-fi elements of the story feel alive and engaging on the page. The emotional core of Maple and Thorn’s journey together and the losses they incur over time will resonate with readers, and the visceral imagery the author brings into play will stay with readers long after the story ends, giving the protagonist a narrative that is both exhilarating and terrifying all at once.
The Verdict
Memorable, thrilling, and entertaining author Mark Morton’s “The Headmasters” is a must-read sci-fi and dystopian YA read. The emotional and engaging journey the protagonist goes on and the epic world-building mixed with the spine-chilling terror of the Headmasters made this a one-of-a-kind and a great start to the 2024 season for sci-fi and YA readers everywhere. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
MARK MORTON is also the author of four works of nonfiction: Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities (nominated for a Julia Child Award); The End: Closing Words for a Millennium (winner of the Alexander Isbister Award for nonfiction); The Lover’s Tongue: A Merry Romp Through the Language of Love and Sex (republished in the UK as Dirty Words), and Cooking with Shakespeare. He’s also the author of more than 50 columns for Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture (University of California Press) and has written and broadcast more than a hundred columns about language and culture for CBC Radio. Mark has a PhD in sixteenth-century literature from the University of Toronto and has taught at several universities in France and Canada. He currently works at the University of Waterloo. He and his wife, Melanie Cameron, (also an author) have four children, three dogs, one rabbit, and no time. The Headmasters is his first YA novel.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
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A would-be defender from another world finds herself hiding within the mind of a young teenage girl in our world, there to stop a powerful entity known as the Soulworm from destroying the world as it possesses the best friend of the girl she is hiding within in author Edward Willett’s “Soulworm”.
The Synopsis
She was never meant to be sent into the strange parallel world known as Earth . . . but now, trapped inside the mind of a teenager like herself, she must find a way to save it from destruction.
For years, Liothel has waited in vain for her powers to manifest themselves, so that she can become a full-blown Warder, defender of the realm of Mykia from the mind-controlling spirit creatures known as soulworms. But when a soulworm escapes from the Warden’s citadel through a magical portal into the parallel world of Earth, it is her spirit that, entirely by accident, is sent in pursuit.
She finds herself, a helpless, unsuspected observer, in the mind of Maribeth, a teenage girl in the small Canadian prairie city of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, in 1986—and discovers the soulworm has possessed Maribeth’s best friend, Christine.
Somehow, she must find a way to save Earth from the plague of death and destruction the soulworm and its offspring will release if allowed to spread across the unprotected planet. Only she knows the danger—and only she can stop it.
The Review
This was a memorable and captivating read. The author did an excellent job of world-building in this book, touching upon the fictional world that Liothel hails from and the mythos of their culture and society as a whole. The way he was able to integrate this new world into our own and showcase how their powers and worldviews manifest within the minds and world of these teenage girls was incredible. The tension that builds and the way the battle brewing between Liothel and the Soulworm entity mirrors the growing drama between Maribeth and Christine was fantastic to see play out on the screen.
The fantastic storytelling of the author’s fictional world and the imagery found within the writing style of the author’s work made this a thrilling and enthralling read. The way action and suspense of this YA read play into the theme of finding one’s purpose in life, making this a heartfelt and memorable reading experience that is not to be missed.
The Verdict
Mesmerizing, engaging, and thought-provoking, author Edward Willett’s “Soulworm” is a must-read sci-fi meets fantasy YA read. The twists and turns in the narrative, as well as the infinite world of possibility that is presented to the protagonist of this story, make this a crafty and creative read that is impossible to put down. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
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Edward Willett is an award-winning author of more than sixty books science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction for both children and adults. He’s also host of the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers: “Conversations with science fiction and fantasy authors about the creative process.” (http://www.theworldshapers.com). He successfully Kickstarted and edited a new anthology, Shapers of Worlds, featuring authors who were guests during the first year of the podcast.
Among his novels are twelve published by DAW Books, one of the premier publishers of science fiction and fantasy publishers: Lost in Translation, Marseguro (which won the 2009 Aurora Award for best English-language science fiction or fantasy book by a Canadian author), and its sequel Terra Insegura (a finalist for the 2010 Aurora Award); Magebane (written as Lee Arthur Chane); the Masks of Aygrima fantasy trilogy for DAW Books, written as E.C. Blake; the stand-alone science fiction novel The Cityborn. His Worldshapers series began with Worldshaper (“a rollicking contemporary fantasy,” Publishers’ Weekly said in a starred review), and continued with Master of the World and The Moonlit World. His latest is The Tangled Stars, a humorous far-future space-opera adventure. Willett is also the author of The Shards of Excalibur modern-day YA fantasy series for Coteau Books, I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust, a collection of science fiction and fantasy poetry published by Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing, and Paths to the Stars, a collection of his short fiction; Blue Fire a YA fantasy written as E.C. Blake, and Star Song, a YA science fiction novel that was a finalist for the Aurora Award for Best Canadian YA Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel, all published by Shadowpaw Press
His YA fantasy Spirit Singer, recently re-published by Shadowpaw Press, won a Saskatchewan Book Award; he’s been shortlisted many other times.
Willett is represented by literary agent Ethan Ellenberg.
Born in Silver City, New Mexico, Willett lived in Bayard, New Mexico, and Lubbock and Tulia, Texas, before moving to Weyburn, Saskatchewan, with his family when he was eight years old.
He studied journalism at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, then returned to Weyburn as a reporter/photographer for the weekly Weyburn Review, eventually becoming news editor. In 1988 he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, as communications officer for the Saskatchewan Science Centre, and in 1993 he became a fulltime freelance writer. He still resides in Regina.
Besides being a writer, Willett is a professional actor and singer who has performed in dozens of plays, musicals and operas in and around Saskatchewan, hosted local television programs, and emceed numerous public events.
He’s married to a telecommunications engineer and has one daughter and a black Siberian cat named Shadowpaw.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
The survival of a technologically advanced world running low on oxygen forces Zarya to navigate a politically charged arena while her father searches for a means of resurrecting a project that might save their people in author Jackiem Joyner’s “Zarya Episode II: Sochi Unleashed”, the second book in the Zarya: Guardians of Cydnus Series.
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The Synopsis
In Zarya Episode II Sochi Unleashed, the fate of Cydnus, a highly advanced desert world, hangs in the balance. With oxygen levels beginning to deplete, this politically divided planet stands on the brink of an existential crisis.
In the heart of the advanced city of New Cebrenia City, Zarya, along with her father, Aaron, and friends Kizzy and Marco, must navigate a complex web of political strife. With Vice Chairman Eros’s dark plots threatening their progress, the security of their only political ally, the chairman, is under threat.
Their most powerful asset is Sochi, Zarya’s advanced AI Airboard. Yet, Sochi’s newfound ability to control other machines presents both significant opportunities and risks.
Meanwhile, Aaron embarks on a perilous journey into the cosmos, driven by desperation to resurrect a long-abandoned project that might be Cydnus’s last hope. His mission, shadowed by his past, is a race against time, with the future of Cydnus at stake.
Zarya Episode II: Sochi Unleashed delves into the intricate relationship between sentient beings and technology, bravery amidst uncertainty, and the struggle for survival. As Zarya, her allies, and Sochi traverse this journey, the tale evolves into a saga filled with challenges and triumphs. Welcome to Cydnus, a world teetering on the brink of an uncertain future, in this captivating narrative.
The Review
This was a fast yet epic read. The author did an incredible job of building upon the mythos the author created in book one and elevating the world-building through some pretty incredible political and action-packed strife for the characters. The strong imagery that the author’s writing has really brings out the heavy sci-fi elements of the narrative.
The balance of rich character development with the strong themes that reflect on our own society made this such a compelling short read. The pressures of their world’s fate and the threats that surround them help elevate Zarya’s evolution, and the desperation of Aaron’s mission elevates the depths of their dedication to their world. The themes of AI and our relationship with evolving technology, as well as almost cult-like reverence for political and powerful figures in our society that turn violent, made this a fantastic read.
The Verdict
Memorable, action-packed, and engaging, author Jackiem Joyner’s “Zarya Episode II: Sochi Unleashed” is a must-read sci-fi and YA short story, and a great entry in the Zarya: Guardians of Cydnus series. The twists and turns in the growing world the author has captured and the fantastic way today’s world plays out across this futuristic landscape made this a thought-provoking read. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Jackiem Joyner has loved Science Fiction ever since he was a child, fascinated by all the stories and imaginations of futuristic worlds. But it wasn’t until later in his life, after experiencing huge success in the recording business, that he decided to put pen to paper – the result of which is his debut novel, Zarya.
Gathering from his experiences traveling the world as a recording artist, he developed a knack for good science fiction stories after reading several books a month. Having used and operated many devices from the future, he incorporated exciting equipment and imaginary scientific ideas into dramatic thrillers that are sure to keep readers on edge.
Jackiem was born in Norfolk, Virginia and spent most of his young adult life in Syracuse New York before moving to Los Angeles, California where he currently resides. In addition to writing fun stories, Jackiem Joyner has experienced huge success as a recording artist, with multiple songs peaking at number 1 on the billboard charts and 5 international records released.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Infamous partner of world-renowned detective Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson must unravel the mystery behind his friend’s sudden frightful state and determine whether the great detective came into contact with true time travel or instead is lost to a mad game in author Glenn Searfoss’s “Sherlock Holmes: A Question of Time”.
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The Synopsis
A shocking mystery or outrageous hoax?
Responding to an urgent summons, Dr. Watson arrives at 221B to find Sherlock Holmes swathed in filth and in a state of deep shock. To ensure Holmes’ safety, he must retrace the detective’s last movements and discover the source of his debility. The investigation leads to a fire-gutted warehouse where nothing remains except an open cesspit and the enigma of an unburned circle.
A convalescing Holmes unravels the mystery by relating his encounter in the riverside warehouse with a time traveler. But with a lack of physical evidence and only Holmes’ account of what transpired, Watson must determine if the related events actually happened or are a grand jest perpetrated by his friend.
The Review
This was a brilliant and captivating read. The author does an incredible job of meshing the worlds of H.G. Wells and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in a way that feels both natural and engaging. The blend of sci-fi with mystery and detective YA suspense stories not only captured the magic and wonder that the books The Time Machine and Sherlock Holmes were known for, but highlighted the Victorian era mindset and settings in a natural way.
The character development and mystery were two great elements in the story. The introduction of the time traveler and the keen eye and investigative work of Sherlock Holmes felt spot on to the iconic portrayal of these characters, while the breakdown of the investigation and the always-questioning mind of Holmes and Watson made for some thrilling adventure storytelling. Yet it was Watson as the narrator of the story that made this book so compelling. Through a great sense of world-building, the author shows Watson’s small-scale life that receives the shock to the system he needed, after personal loss and haunted memories come to life for him and force him to confront his pain head-on throughout the book.
The Verdict
Memorable, action-packed, and entertaining, author Glenn Searfoss’s “Sherlock Holmes: A Question of Time” is a must-read YA sci-fi meets mystery novel. The twists and turns in the narrative and the shocking developments and emotional ties the reader forms to the cast of characters, as well as the iconic settings and atmosphere the author manages to capture from these two distinct literary worlds, made this a compelling and masterful fusion and retelling of two great literary titan-level novels. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
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About the Author
Engaging storytelling transports the reader to a different time/place/viewpoint and encourages their exploration of a subject.
A professional writer of 28+ years, Glenn Searfoss has authored numerous technical manuals (bills must be paid), as well as books in the arenas of computer science, natural history, science fiction, and mythology.
Glenn lives with his wife and two boxer dogs in a turn-of-the-century, brick farm house in Colorado, USA. When not busy making a living, he gardens, works on the house (there is always something to work on with an old house), reads classic and not-so-classic literature and does research for new book projects.
