This is a classical example of Epic Fiction, using the Hero’s Journey format. In keeping with modern trends, the heroine is a more personable and lovable character than was typical in the past. This sets warfare and mayhem at a less important level and puts the onus on the characterization to create our enjoyment of […]
“Intersections: Life-Changing Stories from my Rideshare Passengers” by Andrew Spink
This book of short stories consists of fictionalized expansions of quick tales told to a Uber driver over the course of his journeys. I have been doing some editing in the genre lately, and I was interested to see how this author would handle it. I’m glad I took it on. “True Fiction” can be […]
“Bobish” by Magdalena Ball
I’ll say that from the start, this book impressed me, mainly for what it doesn’t have. There are no Forewords, Introductions, Letters from the Author, or any of those crutches writers use to explain what they’re afraid their art does not communicate. This is art that stands on its own. The book is an interesting […]
“Shadow Cast” by Rachel Meenan
This is a young adult Fantasy that I am having trouble connecting to a specific age group. In general, it is well structured, with the layers of conflict set up neatly, most of them coming directly from the personalities of the individuals involved. The plotline is complex, involving reasonable problems with difficult solutions. The main […]
“Sandorn’s Command” by Thom Bedford
To enjoy Science Fiction, the reader must suspend the disbelief that all those technological wonders are possible. Fans of Space Opera need to practise this technique to a greater degree, because the situations and the coincidences are even harder to believe. We are willing to trade this effort for the enjoyment we get from the […]
“Sandorn’s Command” by Thom Bedford
To enjoy Science Fiction, the reader must suspend the disbelief that all those technological wonders are possible. Fans of Space Opera need to practise this technique to a greater degree, because the situations and the coincidences are even harder to believe. We are willing to trade this effort for the enjoyment we get from the […]
“Why They Came” by Chris von Halle
When a problem appears in a story, there are two possible reader responses. Some readers will say to themselves, “Hey, that’s not right…” and then, when the author deals with it, they say, “That’s better. I saw that coming.” Other readers will see the author solving the problem, and they will say, “Oh, yeah. I […]
“Emma After” by Anthony O’Connor
I enjoyed most of this book, but you need to know up front that it’s got a problem. As it happens, at the front. You, see, I accepted the book for review on the promise that it was about a girl who dies, and what happens after that (Hence the title). The tone seemed light-hearted, […]
“SPVCE” by A. W. Karin
This novel is definitely a one-off. It starts out as standard “training school” Sci-Fi, where elite students are chosen for a secret program. But that’s as far as the normal plotline goes. This group is placed in a Pinteresque situation where they are moved through a repetitive series of environments and given endless, meaningless tasks […]
“Chronicles of the Drakyn War” by Dap Dahlstrom
This book is a wide-ranging and rather loose-jointed epic fantasy with so much variety in species, settings, and magical powers that it lacks cohesiveness. Characters and even whole species appear and disappear at the whim of the author, and readers are prevented from forming an emotional grasp of the most important conflict of the story: […]