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 […]
“Fathoms Uncharted” by Patrick Kaufmann
This is a book written by an experienced wordsmith who has dropped the ball on writing a genre book. Even when you are an entertaining artist, it’s not good enough to know all the memes and all the traditional scenarios and dump every one of them on us in great profusion. “Fathoms Uncharted” is the […]
“Up, Up and Away” by Vance Huxley
I have reviewed several of Vance Huxley’s books, and I am always impressed by the breadth of his creativity. However, I have also had occasion to call attention to certain slips in the area of writing form. So, while I enjoyed this book immensely, it is my duty to inform other readers to be prepared […]
“The Doorway: Blue Mind Book 1” by Jesse L. Watson
The depth of our belief in the fantasy world of any story is guided by the belief of the main character. The traditional Fantasy character approaches the new world with wide-eyed wonder, and we respond with the same, but with a superior “Isn’t this fun?” attitude. In “Missing Persons” we see Fantasy from the point […]
“Sidus, the First of His Kind” by Dan Sugralinov
This book is Action-Adventure Sci-Fi influenced by digital battle games. As such, it contains careful attention to details of mechanics, science, and weaponry, and less attention to individuality of character. In fact, there is even a little too much time spent on people in the prologue, a flashback where none of the characters neatly revealed […]
“El Flamingo” by Nick Davies
There is a type of book that is just too romantic to be judged on the basis of the normal run of literature. The sort of book where a woman can see a man across a dance floor and know that he’s different. Where characters can be judged and lives risked on the strength of […]
“Coolman and the Evil Drug Lord,” by Sam Guydude
This doesn’t have to be a long review, because the name of the book and the name of the author tell it all. We’re talking a massive takeoff on every superhero movie, video game and graphic novel ever written for teenage guys. Nothing but fighting, sex, destruction, blood and bad language. The action is pretty […]
“The Silver Prison” by Peter Soheir
This is a novel version of a superhero movie, and it pretty well ticks all the boxes for a YA Action/Adventure. Beings with magical powers and names like “Sandtrap, ” “Incognito” and “Cloak.” Disregard for coincidence and continuity of plot. Lots of great action. The story has the required amount of comedy and quips to […]
“Breach of Contract: Shattered Stars Book I” by Vance Huxley
This is a great adventure/action novel, a reworking of an old storyline set in a dystopian future. It is the story of a group of renegades brought together in a military unit who use their disparate talents and irreverent attitude to succeed where no other unit can, much to the dismay and horror of their […]
“Alice’s Universe: the Discovery of a New Cosmos – Twice” by Terry Montlick
I enjoyed this story for many reasons. Unfortunately, it’s a book that doesn’t quite know what it wants to be; it hovers between two different genres little interconnection between the two associated readerships. The author hasn’t made up his mind whether he’s writing super-hard-science Sci-Fi or near-future Fantasy Action-Adventure. So, the beginning of the book […]