I reviewed the first book in this series a few months ago and made the comment that it had a very weak through story line, tending towards the episodic like the levels in a video game. Unfortunately, “A Very Different Game” starts out not too different; much of the story could be termed “A bunch […]
“Fire on the Mountain” – Clabe Polk
This is a rather different police procedural novel, since most of the procedures seem to be discussed over the lunch special at Bertie’s Diner. It has a cast of country store front-porch philosophers, setting a tone that contrasts with the stark reality of sexual abuse and drug addiction that lurks in the dark corners of […]
“So I Might Be a Vampire” Rodney V. Smith
As I was reading this book, I was thinking, “This must be written by a professional.” The writing is crisp, clean and witty. Wonderful characters tumble forth in profusion, written in a style of world-weary self-consciousness that has the author talking directly to the reader and coming clean on the nuts-and-bolts of the writing process: […]
“Work of Art: an Intention of Flowers” by Ken la Salle
This is a real “oner” as my mother-in-law used to say. It’s a book about the originality in art and how it applies to the originality in people. And don’t let that put you off. This is a story about people. About original, one-of-a-kind people who don’t do what you expect them to, but when […]
“Wrong Side of the Rift” a Grape Merryweather Novel by Libby Heily
Why is a good book so good? “The Wrong Side of the Rift” seems to be a standard Young Adult Paranormal novel. Magic in an otherwise normal present-day setting. Intertwining conflicts with magical beings and teenage bullies. A quest to solve an unsolvable problem. But normal as this book sounds, I found myself reading longer […]
“Noble Magic” The Chronicles of Eledon Book 4, by Joni Parker
If you enjoy the High Fantasy genre for its vast array of small details and variety of characters, this book is for you. If you expect serious themes and sweeping action on a continental scale…well, not so much. This is a light, action-filled fantasy about a 19-year-old who has been thrust into a magical court […]
“Bodacious Creed” by John Fesmire
As steampunk novels go, this is a good one. There is always a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek in this genre, but too many authors use it as an excuse to show how funny they aren’t. If there is such a thing, “Bodacious Creed” is serious steampunk. Sure, there’s an over-the-top riotous quality to the setting […]
“The Power Club” by Greg Gildersleeve
This story chronicles the struggles of Damon, a “powered” teenager who lives in a special enclave that protects those of his ilk and their families from contact with the “ords.” It immediately becomes obvious that these kids need protection from each other as well. In this vaguely dystopian setting, it seems that the Powers that […]
“The Matriarch Matrix,” by Maxime Trencavel
Coming to novel writing from a storytelling tradition myself, I was forced to learn the truth that being a storyteller does not make one a novelist. A storyteller has his or her personal performance skills to attract and hold the attention of the audience. The novelist has no such advantage. So people who come […]
“An Unexpected Afterlife” by Dan Soper
A new twist on an old plot: what would you do if you woke up and found out you were dead? Would you take it as a chance to start over, or would you make a desperate attempt to get back what you lost? Moshe Karlin is given this opportunity, but despite the promise of the […]