I see this whole story as a metaphor for the teenage experience. It’s ostensibly an Alternate Future novel where the Resistance fights a losing battle against a repressive government. It should be a story about how tight friendships triumph over the faceless bureaucracy. However, at least two of the freedom fighters are double agents, everybody […]
“Born to be Naughty” by Hina Nauman
Okay, this one’s different. A look at the Contents should tip you off. It starts with a Warning, requiring you to prove your eligibility to read the book by taking a “Love for Nature” test. It would be a spoiler, so I’m not going to tell you anything about the test except that this is […]
“Outsiders” by W. C. Collier
This is a hard book to review, because while I enjoyed the story and the characters, there are serious flaws in the writing which reduced my pleasure considerably. Basically, this writer is a marvellous storyteller with little idea of how to write a book. Let’s start out with the strong points. I really liked the […]
“Quarantine Drift” by Erika LeClair
A great title in this day of pandemics, but since there is no real quarantine and no disease, it has nothing to do with the story. The strength of the writing is the intense sensory input, giving us the feeling of being right there. This is perhaps overdone in some places because of the gory […]
“City Under Siege” by Michael Russell
Today I’m reviewing a book just because I liked it. It has few writing flaws, but it’s a fun read, nonetheless. I’m always interested in a murder mystery where the killer leaves “no clues.” The writer is laying down a challenge, to see how long he can hold the suspense without giving us any possibility […]