Since I just don’t have the time to accept new books to review I’ve decided that, for the time being, I’ll be showcasing some titles on the blog with excerpts and other stuff. I was contacted to review Child of Destiny but since I can’t, was then allowed to be a part of the blog tour. So, let’s get on with it, shall we?

About the author:

Dr. George H. Elder has a Ph.D. from Penn State in Speech Communication and a Masters Degree in nonfiction Writing from UNH. He also has a very eclectic work and personal history. He has been a college teacher, custodian, upper-level scholar, drug addict, weight lifting coach, bouncer, and much more. He has authored numerous articles in the popular press and even a scientific text book that examines the neuropsychological basis of human communication. He has also addressed subjects such as philosophy, free speech, weight training, drug use, nutrient effects, street life, and a wide range of other issues.

His varied life experiences and education give him a unique and interesting perspective, and he often weaves philosophical insights and pathos into his texts. His books are action-oriented, but they do not have simplistic plots wherein good vs. evil or some other hackneyed approach is used. Instead, Elder employs plot shifts that allow the characters and readers to question the relationships we often take for granted. For example, a hero may do great wrongs while a species once perceived as malicious can be revealed to be honorable and wise. This offers refreshing and exciting perspectives for readers as they delve into Elder’s texts, for one never knows what to expect.

Synopsis:

The universe is nearing its inevitable end, everything is being rapidly devoured. The last hope of a dying universe is to awaken the Seeker, a legendary metaphysical being known only through ancient tales. The Seeker has the capacity to link the entire universe; they alone may be able to spark the rebirth of the universe.

Many of those that remain desperately want existence to continue. As the remaining races struggle to survive and fight over saving existence, lofty ideals give way to brutal pragmatism. Missions are sent out in search of the Seeker. One such mission encounters Kara an outcast noblewoman of the Labateen, a Stone-Age warrior culture. Kara is well versed in the Seeker’s litany, beyond what would be considered coincidence –to Kara the litany is simply the ways of God. Will Kara be able to help locate the Seeker?

Those who wish the universe to end in disorder, with no more than a whimper are not willing to sit by as others race to alter the end universe. As these opposing forces mount their defenses, racing to see their goals are achieved one question stands out…

Is Kara the key?

And here’s George with a guest post on Sci-Fi Artwork:

***

On Sci-Fi Art Work By Dr. George H. Elder

Usually, Sci-Fi books are not illustrated, although one can easily claim that many graphic novels are indeed Sci-Fi in nature. Alas, I can’t help but be attracted by drawn images, and I decided early on that Genesis would be illustrated. I believe drawings work with prose to better share what an author envisions than either mode of communication can do alone. My doctoral work at Penn State examined this area, with numerous studies indicating that simultaneously enlisting semantic and visuospatial resources greatly enhances attention acquisition and memory formation.

However, it should be understood that there are marked differences between the writing requirements of a graphic novel and novels of more conventional natures. The plot and character development of both require explication, but a graphic novel does not need quite as much by way of written descriptions. Yes, a picture can say thousands of words, so I decided to give illustrations a try in Genesis.

The issue shifted to cost versus available talent, a practical dilemma. Moreover, all costs were out of pocket, and few of us are rich. I was blessed in having access to the Center for Cartoon Studies, which is located in White River Junction, Vermont. I saw CCS’s student artwork online and was impressed. Good artists can also be found online at Deviant Art, which is an excellent venue for anyone considering hiring an artist.

I opted to employ a competition with CCS’s students and described the Genesis project along with contract terms on the school’s posting board. Five artists submitted artwork. My friends in the art world, after much debate, decided that Randal Drew should be awarded the contract. A price of $25 per ink was offered, with an award for up to125 drawings being made. The price was acceptable, although be advised, very experienced graphic artists can be much more expensive.
Since the number of drawings would be limited, I had to select key points wherein the drawings would dovetail with the descriptions, plotlines and action sequences in such a way as to maximize impact. This was far more difficult than I imagined. I must leave it up to the reader to decide if the purpose was achieved. Clearly, the artwork had to address the characters, time/space capsule, pivotal action scenes, and important plotline shifts.

Some of this was achieved, and seeing a character like Anita in a drawing allows the reader to better grasp her size and power, for she most assuredly does not have a typical female form. Seeing the capsule was also illuminating, as were some of the action scenes. My main regret soon became not having more drawings done for each Chapter, but my resources were limited and the artist was hard-pressed due to time-constraints. Book 1 alone consumed 58 drawings spread over fifteen chapters and many more could have been used.

In many ways, this was an experiment, and if readers of the hard-copy text like them we will extend the drawings to Books 2, 3 and 4. There are still a number of technical problems to overcome. At 300-370 pages, each text is already the size of an average Sci-Fi novel, and adding sixty more pages for the drawings presents a financial barrier to publishers. However, my publisher felt the project was technically and financially feasible for hard copies. Kindle is still grappling with incorporating drawings and other graphics. I imagine time will resolve these issues.

***

To order copies of Child of Destiny, click here for Amazon US, and here for Amazon UK.

Until next time,
Be EPIC!

I was contacted a while ago to be a part of the Blog Tour for Jericho Solus, which kicked off yesterday over at Dark Obsession Chronicles. Today’s my turn!

Jericho Solus Blurb:

“They watch me—the feeling as acute as a sharp, cold blade against
my skin. I may have lived an ordinary existence, but I can fight.
Though my memory is like a beast cowering in the shadows, I
know in my core I can fight, as if it’s what I’m wired to do.
Her breaths echo in my dark cell. Is she real? She fills my
emptiness with heat, and God help the people that harm her.
I am the Solus. My name is Jericho, and killing is what I do best.”

And here’s a bit about the author:

Jeffery Moore writes speculative fiction. His stories transcend genre boundaries, making them difficult to categorize. He writes what he likes to read and the stories that entice him most are stories with character displacement, characters that for whatever reason are thrust into alien worlds or environments. Though in broad terms his stories may be categorized as Fantasy, you will read none of the Middle Earth or vampire themes and characters—he feels these are done to death. Moore strives to introduce concepts into his stories that haven’t been done.

Jeffery was born in Germany. As a military brat, much of his childhood was spent abroad, growing up in Germany on military installations. He subsequently enlisted in the military and served for ten years as an army pilot. While in the military, he lived in Italy and South Korea and deployed to many European countries. He has traveled to Australia, Japan, Singapore and most European countries. His experiences and contact with many different cultures helps form some of the elements in his stories. He currently works for a global IT company and lives in Massachusetts.

Review:

Jericho Solus opens immediately captured my attention with its interesting opening scene – a you boy talking to an elder about what turns out to be the novel’s main characters, but unfortunately the novel failed to keep my attention from one of its most crucial sections until its end.

The novel follows ‘Peter Jacobs’, a character who finds himself in a very strange room – it is utterly featureless and ‘Peter’ has no idea how he got there or why he’s there. As the story continues it becomes clear – he’s been taken by beings and is being transported to a specific place where he must accomplish something for them.

These beings are not human, nor do they have any human attributes or characteristics – one of the novel’s strengths, and also something that shows how Jeffery is able to create beings, characters, that are anthropomorphic but not human, something which many authors who try to do the same thing fail at.

I found it interesting and entertaining how ‘Peter’ learned to communicate with the being who visited his room – concepts that ‘Peter’ found common-place and even explaining things from a human perspective were just not enough to accurately communicate with this being, something that ‘Peter’ needed to do to find out what role they wanted or needed him to fulfil, and so ‘Peter’ had to rethink his efforts at communication. Jeffery pulled this off with aplomb, and this is one of the reasons why the second half of the novel disappointed me.

‘Peter’s journey with these beings is also an inner journey – he begins to have flashbacks, experiencing memories that he begins to understand show him who he actually is, and was. This was also done very well, flowing from a point in time in the 18th century backward to 10000BC or thereabouts, and these scenes do double duty – they explain ‘Peter’s role and also serve to help the reader to get to know him: we meet ‘Peter’ as a specific person and then, through these flashbacks, are taken on the journey of his personality’s evolution, just in reverse. There are other important characters in the novel, two that are inextricably linked to ‘Peter’, but the focus remains on Peter – which proved to be both a good and a bad thing.
Toward the second half of the novel, once ‘Peter’ reaches the destination these strange beings have been moving him toward, the novel disappointed me, mainly for two reasons:

Jeffery seemed to have poured so much imagination and thought into the novel’s first half that the all-important second half was bereft of invention. The characters journey far from Earth only to land on a planet that is populated by humans who wield swords and live in what are too much like villages, castles and fortresses. After the inventiveness of the first half of the novel this was extremely disappointing. Also disappointing to me were the characters who journey along with ‘Peter’ – the focus is so intense on ‘Peter’ that the two very important characters (those linked to him) didn’t have much that made them really come to life. They could have been used much more effectively as contrasts to ‘Peter’ but I felt there just wasn’t enough ‘meat on their bones’ to pull this off.

Also, the ending of the novel – which should explain the reasons for what characters go through – just didn’t explain anything, in my opinion. I truly didn’t understand why ‘Peter’ and the others had to do what they did, since there’s no explanation for it.

All in all, Jeffery wrote –in Jericho Solus- a book that showcased his inventiveness and also his talent; I found ‘Peter’ to be a well-rounded character and he held my interest; the all-important second-half of the novel let me down, though.

My rating for Jericho Solus: 5 / 10

You can also find Jeffery Moore here,
check out the Jericho Solus blog here,
Jeffery Moore on Goodreads here
and you can follow Jeffery Moore on Twitter here.
And do check out the website of the great people who organized this blog tour, Prose by Design, here.

Be EPIC!

Well, I don’t have a clue – but Jonathan Maberry does.

The Dragon Factory

As I began with The Dragon Factory I was a bit stunned at how it began – it’s one of those novel-openings that shows the main protagonist in extreme danger – but I thought it was very cleverly done because I actually did worry that Joe would bite the big one in the novel. After the massive dangers he faced in Patient Zero I was sitting there thinking, “Dude, I know you’re good, but jeez, this might be a bit much for even you to deal with!”

At the end of that scene the novel then launches with Joe’s POV chapters, interspersed with POV chapters from a variety of other characters, most central to the tale, others not. One of the very difficult things that a writer sometimes does is not only switching POV but types of POV – Joe’s POVs in the books are First-Person, while the other characters are Third-Person, and it’s a risky venture, swapping POVs like that, because the reader might just be jarred out of the book; Jonathan managed these POV-switches so well that the entire read was practically seamless, so no jarring. Also, Jonathan sets the scene at the beginning of each chapter by giving the reader the place, date and time in which that scene takes place, just in case there is any confusion. So the book’s structure was well thought out and it flowed seamlessly from scene to scene, which helped the pace of the novel pick up when the action began shredding walls and ceilings and stuff.

That’s another aspect of Jonathan’s novels that impress the hell out of me – the pace of these things is absolutely incredible! I first started with The Dragon Factory by listening to the audio-book, but audio books need to be savoured and enjoyed, i.e. you need to be relaxed when you listen to one – and the thing is, Jonathan doesn’t let you relax. In fact, I found myself biting my nails and pacing up and down and punching the air and uttering short and very un-manly squeals when I read the novel. Took me three days, give or take a couple of hours, and at the end of it I was breathless and amazed.

The book’s action scenes are beyond hard-hitting and thrilling – Jonathan puts his characters through so many wringers that a new plural for ‘wringer’ needs to be invented, and his characters are affected by this: they get battered, beaten, struggle to understand the morality of the lives they lead, etc. They don’t just reload and keep on blasting. The book’s plot is as interesting, if not more, than that of Patient Zero, and bigger in scope, too, though the shadow of Patient Zero is there – its effects still felt by all the characters who survived through the events that followed Joe Ledger’s joining the DMS. And the climax is, well, shattering – certainly left me quiet for a long while, while at the same time itching to read the next Joe Ledger novel.

There are many ways to judge how good a novel is, and one of those many ways is the ending – for The Dragon Factory’s climax to hit me as hard as it did and still leave me foaming at the mouth for the next novel means that it’s a damned good novel; Jonathan Maberry has become my own high watermark of Speculative Thriller excellence.

So, 9 / 10 for an insanse, highly enjoyable and utterly unputdownable novel!

To order your copies of The Dragon Factory, click here for Amazon US, here for Amazon UK, and here if you’re in South Africa.

The King of Plagues

King of Plagues was an extremely clever novel, in many ways – even got me thinking about thriller writers and whether they might constitute a threat to America’s national security! (Seriously, you’ll have to read it to understand what I mean by that.)

The novels opens some months after the end of The Dragon Factory and there are many repercussions that the characters are still dealing with – which already impressed me because of the real sense of continuity that this series has. The scope of the novel is a bit smaller than in The Dragon Factory but this works for the novel, and through the read I came to agree with this risk that Jonathan took – after all, sequels should be bigger and better than the previous books, but that doesn’t always have to do with length, events, action, etc. The ‘bigger and better’ can also mean that the characters get a tighter focus, so that the conflicts they feel and the shit they go through seems as hectic -if not more- than the bombs exploding around them and the bullets zip past them.

A very surprising character returns in The King of Plagues, and as soon as I realized who this character was I knew that all manner of fireworks were going to explode – it’s also the moment that the novel really kicks into high gear, and because it happened early enough in the novel, well, I finished the book in two days or something – yep, it was that cool. One of the villains in the novel (yep, you read that right – Joe and the DMS faced truly insane odds in this book) was handled so well that when the moment of revelation came (regarding who that character actually was) it was a punch to the gut – really awesomely done! And there was also one very intriguing character who I really hope to see more of – his role was small, but he’s damned memorable (when you meet him you’ll probably agree with me).

The King of Plagues also struck me as being a pretty topical book, because it didn’t have anything extravagantly cool like zombies or genetically modified freaks in it: the novel takes a pretty dark and alarming look at fanatics, insanity and the terrifying willingness of man to hurt man, whether because of a post in an online forum or because of not actually caring enough. But I never once thought that Jonathan was preaching, which I thank him for.

So, is it the best book of the series so far? Yep, I think so. A helluva read, as fast-paced and exciting as I know Jonathan can be, as imaginative as ever, and totally cements Joe Ledger’s position as the most kickass asskicker in Thrillers. Die Hard and 24 just wouldn’t be able to keep up with or stop this man, that’s for sure!

9 / 10

To order your copies of The King of Plagues, click here for Amazon US, here for Amazon UK, and here if you’re in South Africa.

And head over to Jonathan’s site – this post has info on the latest Joe Ledger thriller, Assassin’s Code, and all you need to know about the Joe Ledger series of novels and short stories.

Also, check this out – snatched it (with his permission) from Jonathan – I think it’s AWESOME:

And I absolutely cannot wait -although I’ll have to, being in South Africa- to read Assassin’s Code! Here’s the awesome cover:

Until next time,

Be EPIC!

Acacia was one of the first books I ever reviewed on this blog (in actual fact, the second book) and it definitely feels as if I’ve gone on a long, tempestuous, thrilling and ultimately fully rewarding journey with not only the readers who’s also enjoyed David’s Epic Fantasy trilogy buy have journeyed with David as he brought us this trilogy. (You can also read my 2008 interview with David here.)

And with announcements about the future of this blog on the way it’s only fitting that I post the reviews of these titles – as I said, a circle closes.

Book 1 (my review here, in case you’ve not yet read it) set up what promised to be a truly epic story – a promise which The Other Lands and The Sacred Band fulfilled wonderfully.

The Other Lands

The novel doesn’t open, thankfully, immediately after the events of Acacia – a risk on David’s part, since we were met by characters who were subtly different from when me were introduced to them in Acacia, but a risk that paid off. Not only did David manage to show and explain how the characters had grown since I last read about them, but he also managed to set in motion the new cycles of growth and change that needed to happen to push not only the characters but the plot forward. After all, in Acacia we were shown a small part (yet a very important part) of the world David created – books 2 and 3 needed to show more of this world, and did.

In book 1 David also took the risk of removing one of the most promising and important characters of the trilogy, the effects of which are felt throughout book 2, from the normal man on the street right up to the sister who had to try and manage the thrust into the highest position of leadership. I was really surprised at this character’s return and was worried (I’ll admit) at what effect it would have on the rest of the cast, but David handled this all beautifully.

The same can be said of many of the characters in the book – Corrin Akaran terrified me at the end of Acacia, and she continued to evolve in The Other Lands – I couldn’t help but compare her to Cersei Lannister, and to be honest, I don’t know who would come out on top if the two had to clash. Mena’s search for her place in the world (other than being an Akaran and the embodiment of a goddess) was heartfelt and beautiful, and I loved Dariel’s progression in the book, too. Each of the siblings reacted to the previous book’s events in ways that were both true to themselves (and to what they had survived) and in ways that echoed with me – one of the ways that we live through characters in novels, though they may be set in Fantasy-worlds) is through the character’s humanity and the author’s ability to evoke sympathy and empathy, something that David succeeded massively at in The Other Lands.

And the world that David created expands – Dariel travels to The Other Lands and I loved the strangeness, intensity and brutality of this place. Not only was it an excellent crucible to test and temper Dariel, but a way to explore a world intimately linked to the Known World but also brazenly different – it was handled and explained so well that I’m unable to decide which place is better.

The build towards the novel’s climax was suitably inexorable and tension-filled – the menace was palpable, leading me to not even want to guess at the conclusion in Book 3; the ‘good guys’ just seemed so overwhelmed that I had no idea how they were going to survive or triumpf – a very good thing to keep readers hooked and worrying.

All things considered, The Other Lands was an excellent bridging novel between the beginning of the trilogy and its conclusion in that it wasn’t only a bridging novel: it was a tale all its own, carrying forward some of the arcs (plot- and character-wise) from Book 1, creating satisfying new arcs, and leaving mysteries for The Sacred Band to explain. It’s the kind of novel that stands above most of the other Epic Fantasy novels on the shelves today – not least because of David’s Historical Fiction background, and shows that David is not only an author who can build convincing worlds but also a writer who excels at telling the all-important human stories within his beautiful and fantastical canvas. Highly recommended!

9 / 10

The Sacred Band

And now we come to what, especially in Epic Fantasy, is considered the make-or-break volume in a trilogy: the final book.

The first thing I’ll say is that I was pleasantly misled by the wonderful cover – and that David seems to have had the foresight to write a tale that not only explained the cover but then also surprised us with that explanation. Too many times a novel (especially Fantasy and its attendant sub-genres) are judged by the covers – whether in the stores before purchase or after putting the book down, and its rare that a cover manages to suit the novel (notice the plethora of Character-focused covers nowadays), so when an author manages to write a novel that gives the prospective reader an idea of what is awaiting him or her in the book -without having any directing input in the creation of the cover- that’s a well-done thing indeed. I know that David wrote the book first, believe me, but I truly like the cover for The Sacred Band because of the many layers of stories in the cover, all present in the novel. So, (whoever you are because I just can’t seem to find info on the artist / designer of the cover), well done, awesome cover!

Onto the meat and mead of the novel:

After the end of The Other Lands only one thing was for sure – the shit was going to hit the fan. David had manoeuvred his characters to where they needed to be and this invariably left them in places that were incredibly dangerous – Corrin in the Known World, having to prepare for a massive war, Mena in the ice trying to prepare herself for the coming carnage and Dariel in the Other Lands, facing not only hostile natives but approaching overlords…

I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t think David will be able to pull this climax off. Why? Well, because of the threats facing the Akaran siblings and the Known World. I’ve read another book recently where the threat is just so massive that it couldn’t really be dealt with, and as I was feverishly plowing through The Sacred Band I was genuinely worried (readers of the novels will know what threats I’m talking about – I’d rather not spoil it for those that haven’t), but David not only managed to bring the climax, but also to bring it in a manner that was both satisfying and true to the characters and the story-arc they were part of. A tall order, indeed, when the characters didn’t suffer because of it – and neither did the tension, the action, the menace, the humanity. The novel and the series doesn’t end the way you think it will, I guarantee it – but the ending, and where this ending leaves the characters and the world, is immensely satisfying.

Why am I not giving you any actual detail about the book itself, the characters, etc.? Well, to do so would spoil much of what is set up in Book 2 and all of what happens in The Sacred Band. I felt the ending was perfect and definitely consider it the most important part of the series – not because it should be but because it brings full-circle and basically explains the heart of what David was doing in this trilogy. More than that I don’t feel I should have to say – it’s an incredible book and an incredible trilogy, definitely one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

9 / 10

Trilogy Rating: 9 / 10

To order your copies of The Other Lands, click here for Amazon US, here for Amazon UK, and here if you’re in South Africa.

To order your copies of The sacred Band, click here for Amazon US, here for Amazon UK, and here if you’re in South Africa.

And do head over and check out David’s website – you can read excerpts from the novels, there are order-links, and David also runs a blog there. In case you didn’t know, David has also written:

Gabriel’s Story,

Walk Through Darkness,

and Pride of Carthage.

David’s next novel will focus on telling the story of Spartacus.

Until next time,

Be EPIC!

UPDATE: Thanks to fellow reader Andre Philander, the guy responsible for The Sacred Band’s awesome cover is Paul A Romano. Thanks Andre!

Final UPDATE: It appears Andre made a mistake and that Wikipedia is also wrong: the true artist is this man – and he work is AWESOME.

The Kill Crew

The Kill Crew is a story about a group of people who have survived, and continue to struggle to survive, in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. I hear you thinking, Man, that’s a tired plot, come on, seriously? Everyone has written about the Zombie Apocalypse! And you’d be right – but this is the thing that generally gets a writer’s blood pumping – taking a tried and tested plot and injecting something new into it; something that Joseph excels at.

Case in point, the Zombies in The Kill Crew aren’t what you’d come to expect from zombies – they are extremely dangerous, yes, and they do have a proclivity for ripping you to shreds with their teeth, sure, but as the story progresses the mystery surrounding them only grows bigger, until what seems to be a Zombie Apocalypse might actually be an apocalypse of a completely different kind. You’ll understand what I mean when you read it, but it does give us a refreshing and interesting angle on the whole zombie-phenomenon.

Also, Joseph gives the characters in The Kill Crew a tight emotional focus, which brings a razor-sharp intensity to the story. The tale blazed through my mind, chilling me, especially towards its climax, which really hit me like sledge-hammer. After just over an hour of reading I was left slightly breathless – that’s one reaction I’m pretty sure every person who has read Joseph’s work will agree they’ve felt.

So if you’re looking for something to read that will chill you, challenge your preconceptions, and leave you rocked in your seat, then The Kill Crew should be what you read next. It won’t take up much of your time, sure –though it does have a certain epic quality to it- but it is memorable, slightly disturbing and, in places, tearfully poignant. The perfect read, in my opinion, and a book that yet again shows just what a damned good storyteller Joseph is. Highly recommended!

9 / 10

Order your copies of The Kill Crew here from Amazon UK and here from Amazon US.

Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes consists of two tales that were highly entertaining for two very different reasons.
In A Man of Will and Experience we meet Robert Johnson – he wakes up one morning and realizes that he is seeing something, attached to people, trees, mountains, etc. that he just can’t believe he hasn’t noticed before. This realization leads him on a journey that is both fraught with danger and also points him to deep and resounding realizations about himself and his place in the world. What makes this story so special is that

The star of the book has to be, in my opinion, A Trespasser in Long Lofting. I found this morality tale / satire / black-comedy / to be absolutely brilliant! Not only did I find it to be a morality tale that pokes fun at, among other things, morality, but the comedy in this story is amazing and sharp and, when it needs to be, incredibly subtle. As a satire this tale made me look at the world and giggle at everything that seems so serious, so done, so proved and so this is the way things are. One of the highlights is a priest-type character who almost, in my opinion, steels the show, and Joseph also gives one of the characters a prop that, when put up against the very similar other prop, seems more important and crucial to existence. It’s a tale that plays with Good and Evil, concepts of Heaven and Hell, even Demons and the funny intensity of small-town life. What also makes it so damned good is the fact that when you put this tale up against Meat and The Kill Crew, it shines so hard that it blazes because it shows a side of Joseph’s writing that may not be as apparent in his other tales.

All things considered, I didn’t want Snake Eyes to end – it’s a book that you can read in a day (or two days, a day for each story), and I highly recommend it. It deserves a resounding 9 / 10.

To order your copies of Snake Eyes, click here. And remember, if you want signed copies of Joseph’s work, head on over to The Big Green Bookshop, and if you want to find out more about Joseph and his work, click here to go to his blog.

Until next time,

BE EPIC!

A word of warning about Shadows, though – this is a truly disturbing novel, a vision of madness and depravity the likes of which I’ve not really encountered before. It pulls absolutely no punches and is brave and brilliant because of it.

Shadows follows one woman’s descent into madness and revenge, a descent which affects everyone around her. Sarah is a woman looking for love, acceptance and stability – but there are plenty of obstacles in her way, the least of which is her struggle to deal with her father’s suicide. When we meet Sarah she’s on the verge of falling apart, and as the novel progresses things just get worse. She’s the perfect example of a character who is beaten down in almost every aspect of her life, and as such her part of the tale (the main focus of the book) is not particularly nice to read – I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but by ‘enjoy’ I mean watching the particular brand of violence in a movie like ‘Hostel’ – you watch with a kind of sick fascination, wincing, feeling your stomach roil. But you continue watching, because something in you (which you would rather not acknowledge or pay attention to or even try understand) can’t stop watching. So, in that sense I didn’t enjoy Sarah’s story, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good, in the particular kind of meaning that ‘good’ has in relation to this book. By the end of the novel I felt like I had journeyed to hell and back with Sarah, and I felt enlightened, having been given an intimate glimpse into a world that I would definitely not want to be a part of.

But Sarah isn’t the only character – there’s Sarah’s boyfriend, Kevin –an asshole through and through, and I particularly enjoyed his story, though the character was a prick, and when I dislike a character that is meant to be disliked, that means the writer did a damned good job.

There’s Kevin’s sister, Kevin’s lover, Sarah’s sister, Kevin’s parents – and one particular character that may or may not exist – Jack. All of them swirl together, upsetting each other’s carts and lives, and how this happens is like watching the onset of violent insanity – the various plots and how they interweave are an excellent example of good plotting. What Joan also does in this novel is let the story unfold from two different POVs – First Person, in Sarah’s case, and Third-Person for the rest of the characters. It’s a tiny bit jarring in the beginning but I soon got into the flow, and I still can’t decide which character(s)’ plot and POV I ‘enjoyed’ the most.

But here I warn you all again – if you’re open to reading a book that is genuinely disturbing, in some cases distasteful, and creepy as hell, then I’m pretty sure you’ll ‘enjoy’ Shadows. If you don’t like being removed from your comfort zone, if you don’t like challenging yourself, then you’ll probably put this book down and never touch it again.

I think this novel is excellent, and showcases Joan’s writing-ability as well as her twisted imagination. I think it’s a damned ‘good’ book, and I hope you’ll read it, too.

I give Shadows a resounding 9 / 10 – in terms of sheer twisted imagination, Joan is, in my opinion, South Africa’s Clive Barker.

To order Shadows, click here for Amazon UK, here for Amazon US, and here for those of you who are in South Africa.

If you’d like more info about Joan and her work, check out her WordPress Blog here and her page on Goodreads here.

Have an awesome weekend, and till next time,

Be EPIC!

On the first day I think I read about sixty pages (a mean feat for a bookseller on a work-day, you have to admit), and each consecutive day I read around thirty pages a day. I was hooked on the story and the main character (which definitely helped, to be sure) but the book is also so fast-paced and interesting that I just didn’t want to put it down.

The protagonist of Black Light, Buck Carlsbad, is one of the most interesting characters I’ve come across – he’s a tortured man, tortured not only by his gift but by not truly knowing who he is, where he comes from, etc. He’s also not a guy with altruistic motives – he does what he does for selfish, personal reasons and this creates plenty of conflict for him in the book because there’s a potentially deadly price to what he can do. But for all of this he still becomes a likable character and I was cheering him on first because of the mysteries that he has to solve (and the lengths he has to go to to solve them) and then later on because I truly sympathized and liked him – here was a guy in a terrible situation, pulled to do all he can to solve the mystery he’s faced with because it’ll give him the answers he’s long wanted, but he also knows that he may not like the answers at all.

The story is set in what could be a slightly alternate America, where a charismatic politician has joined forces with the guy who has built the fastest MagLev train in the world; but the problem is that the train runs through a particularly supernaturally dangerous region; I don’t want to spoil the danger for you, what the threats are, what Buck can do and how it affects him, but suffice it to say that reading this book is like reading the product of something David Lynch might write with a character similar to 24’s Jack Bauer – but Buck has supernatural knowledge and a selfish drive while being completely aware of his selfishness. As the plot pushes onward there are plenty of shocks – we get treated to haunted houses, roiling emotional rollercoasters, slap-in-the-face philosophy, a high tech background and some truly unique and unsettling supernatural dangers.

In short, if you’re worried about this book reminding you of Saw in any way, don’t worry about it. Black Light is frightening, shocking, humorous (blackly, yes, but still), surprising, unsettling and addictive. The ideas in the book are, at least to me, unique and brilliant – once you know just what the Black Light is you’ll probably be as terrified for Buck as I was… And in awe of his drive and commitment to not only succeed but to push through to the truth of his heritage.

At the end of the book there’s a ‘Credit Roll’ in which the authors talk a bit about how the book came to be, and at the end they said: “Thanks for reading. Please let us know if you want another one. We’ll totally write it.”

I totally want another one!

9 / 10

To order your copies of Black Light, click here for Amazon UK, here for Amazon US, and here if you’re in South Africa. If you want some more info about the book and the authors, check out the Facebook page.

Until next time,

Be EPIC!

It’s not often that an author not only manages to straddle that line between believability and wonder but also comes across as truly imaginative, and I’m pleased to report the S. Spencer Baker is such an author.

When I first heard of the book (thanks to Joe Bailey of Blip Publishing), I seriously thought that I was going to get a below-standard (in terms of physical quality) product binding a clunky, poorly edited story that wasn’t going to be particularly inventive – yep, that all flew out the window as soon as I opened the book.

That’s the first thing that struck me about the book (other than the strange yet beautiful cover artwork) – the fact that it doesn’t start the way a book usually does: you know, with a full page or half a page of text. Not so with this book – you open it up and it sort of yanks your attention, just because what you expect to be there on the first page (where the story starts, should I say) isn’t there. You’ll be forgiven for thinking that it’s misprinted – I thought so, too. But then I started reading, and continued reading, until eventually this book that came out of nowhere from a publisher I hadn’t heard of before had my utter and complete attention.

The main character (it’s his fault some of the pages are blank in the beginning; you’ll understand why) wakes up and is served by a nurse that walks through walls. As the story continues we find out more about him – who he actually is, how he came to be where he is, etc. And as he journey’s through the book the author manages to make his awakening –regarding how to learn to use his body, how he reacts in certain situations and the odd thoughts that pop into his mind- interesting as well as humorous; there were plenty of scenes where I laughed out loud or had to force myself to have a discreet giggle.

Once he’s in place the world that the author has created – the Slab – opens up exponentially; it’s obvious to me that plenty of thought went into creating the world of the Slab, and it shows in the myriad cultures that are unveiled, the philosophies of these cultures, the technology in the Slab, etc. The world-building is not only thoughtful and interesting but also actually makes sense, in the context of the story. But the characters don’t suffer at the expense of the world-building, either.

One thing I have to stress – this is one of those books wherein red herrings and sleight of hand abound: the author skillfully led me along, opening up myriad plot threads –and keeping me interested in them all- and then bringing everything together at the end to create a complex, entertaining and wonderful climax. I had no clue that things would turn out the way they did, though in retrospect, humanity being what it is, and the Slab being what it is, the rule of ‘anything can and will happen’ is too true.

This book has a bit of everything – a high-tech, far-future premise, entertaining characters, humour in spades, a definite satirical edge and a satisfying and entertaining ending. I’m glad I got the chance to read this book and I definitely count myself among S. Spencer Baker’s fans.

Highly recommended, and I’m looking forward to book 2!

9 / 10

To order your copies of Slabscape: Reset, click here to order the eBook from the publisher, here for Amazon UK, here for Amazon US, and if you’re in South Africa get to an Exclusive Books branch and ask them to order a copy for you. If you want more info about the book and the world of the Slab, click here. There’s also a Facebook Page, so join it and spread the word.

Until Friday,

Be EPIC!

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…

Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard.

Much to Byron’s chagrin the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron’s tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential.

As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

There’s a that Alex gets right in this book – the characterization is top-notch, giving Byron and Bassa a welcome sense of emotional reality, and there is a definite sense of growth in both characters – they aren’t static and unchanging and their personal journey’s will probably resonate with many readers.

Action-wise, Alex manages to make the combat scenes both thrilling and exciting – the pilots in the Cassan Navy are able to use a unique move in combat that Alex uses to great effect and, combined with the directionless arena of space, brings a definite sense of position and movement to these scenes, not to mention the sense of danger, frustration, sadness and elation that the pilots feel. It’ll be interesting to see how Alex ups the action in the next novel, and what direction that action will take.

Looking at the plot of the novel, though, I’ll have to say that that there’s a definite setting-the-stage feel to the book – I don’t know how many books Alex has planned to tell Byron’s tale, but I’m sure that as the series continues we’ll see much more and experience much more; hopefully the canvas broadens nicely. The world-building of the novel was, in some places, a bit sparse – there’s not a definite sense of just what the world of Cassa represents in the greater scheme of things – it’s place in the galaxy relative to Earth (in terms of both history and distance), for example. In fact, I can’t remember Earth being mentioned, and if it was, I do apologize. The Cassans are threatened by an alien species and there’s also no real explanation for the ensuing war – what the motives of the aliens are, for example. I do hope this is touched on in the next novel – it’ll be great to find out just what pushed the Vindicarn into such militancy.

All in all, CassaStar is an entertaining, well-paced and exciting adventure, with a nice emotional focus and some great battles – the cool definitely does outweigh the bland, and Alex shows a definite talent for storytelling. If you’re looking for an entertaining, focused read that won’t break your head and will keep you flipping the pages, CassaStar is for you. I know for sure I’m looking forward to the next book, CassaFire.

7 / 10

To order your copies of CassaStar click here for Amazon UK, here for Amazon US, and here for South Africa (available from Exclusive Books). If you’ve read CassaStar and would like info about CassaFire, check out this link – the book will be available on the 28th of February, so be sure to pre-order your copy.

What I’m trying to say here is that Colin Harvey knew the steps. He knew how to dance.

Winter Song opens with a bang – Karl Allman is attacked, his Ship is destroyed, and though he manages to escape he finds himself on a planet that not even the extensive records he had at his disposal could tell him much about. From there the tale settles as more is revealed about the world he has reached, the people who live there, their culture and beliefs, until Karl makes a desperate bid for freedom that could result in the biggest, best thing he could have ever done with his life.

In this one novel (Winter Song is a standalone novel) Colin manages to plunge us into not only really interesting SF-worldbuilding (the backdrop of Karl’s world before his Ship is destroyed) but well thought out and plausible culturebuilding; and as the world and the universe blossom around the reader, he brings onto the stage some truly memorable characters, too. There is action in this novel, too, but suitable action, no overwhelming explosions and intricate setpieces that razzle and dazzle. The relationships between the characters, and between the characters and the world they live in, is at once true and wonderful and sad and liberating; there is a sense of going on a journey with the characters, not witnessing the journey. Colin took a major chance bringing the novel to a close as he did, but upon further reflection it is the perfect ending, and ending that emphasises just how damned good this novel is.

If you’re looking for intricately designed alien cultures, vast space battles, black-hole surfing or lasers, you won’t get it in Winter Song – it’s the kind of novel that explores what SF can do and even perhaps what SF means by staying closer to home, even as it takes place on a planet very, very far away, and it’s a novel that deserves to be read and re-read and re-printed for many, many years. It’s a novel that will make you sad that Colin Harvey is no longer with us, but at the same time, it’s a novel that will stamp his name into the Mt Olympus of SF – at least, I hope so. Because it’s a damned good novel that brought back that sense of holy-freaking-hell-this-is-awesome that only incredible SF has managed to make me feel.

Read this!

9 / 10

To order Winter Song, click here for Amazon US, here for Amazon UK, and here if you’re in South Africa (just don’t take the blurb on the site too seriously – sounds like a completely different book!). Don’t forget to head on over to Angry Robot – you can also browse their eBooks store and get yourself not only Winter Song and Damage Time (Colin’s two Angry Robot novels), but plenty more.

Until next time,

BE EPIC!