This novel is very much a Sci-Fi “almost present day” look at a possible future for humanity. It is notable for its attention to the details of everyday life in that society, with settings and societal elements given appropriate descriptions, names, and acronyms. And thereby hangs a problem. Excessive acronyms are accurate, even in our […]
“Unborn” by Eva Barber
This book is an example of a good story that is being presented for assessment before it has been properly edited. Characterization The main strength in the writing is the emotional drive of the characters. At the beginning, the mother’s feelings upon finding the baby are strong, reasonable, and natural. This is what drew me […]
“The Legend of Uh” by Aaron N. Hall
This book is a lovely bit of Fantasy, but it seems like the author isn’t quite sure what kind of a book he is writing. Let me explain. As the title indicates, this is basically a take-off of the standard Fantasy Quest. It contains references to pickleball and other modernisms. I particularly liked the celebration […]
“Short Story Six-Pack: A collection of high fantasy tales” by David Carl
This is a volume of six long short stories, each one taking a different slant on an old fairy tale formula. It’s dangerous ground to tread, because the Fractured Fairy Tale has been around a long time, and has been tried by some of the best. The first, Cinderayla, is perhaps the most slanted of […]
“Altered Pathways” by T. R. Neff
Yet another example of a novel where its greatest strength creates a serious weakness. This is a Noire Detective story in a Sci-Fi setting, but the multiple futuristic names and scientific and social jargon make it difficult to understand what, exactly, is happening. It falls just on the wrong side of the delicate balance between […]
“Card Snake” by John Morey
This is classic Action Fantasy involving a large cross section of people in a society struggling against civic corruption. Set in a world equivalent to our late 19th century, it still echoes problems we have today. Authors take note; this story has used the marvelous technique of having an important backstory which is revealed slowly […]
“The Callista Alignment” by Steve Gay
This is a serious Science Fiction story about social change, dealt with at all levels of society. The cast of characters includes members from the lowest feral human to the highest ruling alien, and we see fragments of the story from the points of view of all of them. This presents a problem in the […]
“The Engineer’s Mechanic” by L. K. Wintur
This novel is an example of a modern sub-genre blending hi-tech Science Fiction with gladiatorial combat digital games. The creative advantage which this author uses to great effect is the imaginative choreography available to fighters with a creative variety of skills and powers. The technique, as the scenes in this book show, is not to […]
The Drunken Dragon, by George Morrison
This is a fascinating novel. Billed as humour, with all the trappings of an Action Fantasy, it also manages to draw us in emotionally on a deeper level. Let’s put this story into perspective. It has towns called Spittlesburg, Whatadump, and Bristol. (What does the author have against Bristol?) It has a Province of Malevolentia, […]
“Red Camaro” by Dwaine Rieves
On Titles, Forewords, and Introductions: I believe that the largest source of bad reviews is not poor quality work, but misunderstanding on the part of readers of what they are purchasing. I try not to fall prey to this, which is fortunate for this poet, because, despite the title and the focus of the front […]