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 […]
“Our Lady of the Artilects” by Andrew Gillsmith
This is an Alternate Reality Fantasy, based on Christian philosophy and arcane history in the style of “The DaVinci Code,” but a bit more cerebral. It takes place in a believable near-future environment where religion has a much stronger hold than ours. The basic conflict is that a new form of android has been created, and […]
“ShegoraTH” by Dima Tsyptsiura
This is a book of undefined genre, written when the author was young, then revised much later. This mature second look gives depth to the initial naïve approach. When you consider that the author’s country of origin is at the moment being attacked by an absolute dictator, it gives an even more powerful touch. However, […]
“In Synthient Skin” by G.W. Darcie
First-person narrative is nothing new, but when the main character is an android, we get a different twist on the technique. It’s not an unusual choice for Science Fiction, but in this case, the situation has been handled with great skill. A lot of the enjoyment of the read is because of interesting conflicts. The […]
“The Distaff Side” by Mary Leader
As fans of heredity sites and the history of fabrics will know, the distaff is the female side of humanity. If you want more than that, read this book, because I guaranteed by the end you will know far more than you ever thought possible about weaving, spinning, stitching, women and femininity. And the history […]
“Small Stories: A Perfectly Absurd Novel” by Rob Roy Okeefe
This is a book of off-the-wall interactive humour, with the author breaking the fourth wall often to speak directly to readers and stopping the story for tongue-in-cheek explanations of esoteric details and facts. It’s the story of the inability of humans to get along with each other, as typified by small-town civic politics, with a […]
“Hyperkill: A Pirates of Khonoë Space Opera” by Robert Muller
At first glance, “Hyperkill” has all the elements of a Space Opera and more: agents, assassins, intergalactic intrigue, cutting-edge fictional science and pirates. The main character, Pavan, is pretty much what we expect: a good guy with the usual flaws, most of them revolving around beautiful women. He is also at a transition time in […]