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 […]
“Path of Most Resistance” by Yoav Ilan
A standard device in surrealistic writing is to start out with a completely normal situation, which rolls along merrily until the readers are starting to think, “Okay, so what?” And then we begin to realize that the situation is not normal. In fact, hidden behind the daily façade is something horribly abnormal. And this leads […]
“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, […]
“The Chatterboxes” by Nsununguli Mbo
I chose this book for review because I was interested in the premise. Many people have observed babies and wondered what was going on in their heads. This book gives us one answer to the question, and you will never look at a baby the same way again. So in that respect, the author has […]
“The Wakeful Wanderer’s Guide to Disillusionment” by Jim Infantino
All fantasy writers are sociologists, creating societies that contain elements of our own world and exploring the possibilities for change. For most of us, the social and political setting is background for the development of the characters. “Wakeful Wanderer” has it the other way around. The philosophies of the various groups are the main elements […]
“The Quest for the Holy Hummus” by James Allinson
There is a particularly British form of humour that society does better than anyone else, involving equal parts creativity, wit, and just plain silliness. Terry Pratchett and Rowan Atkinson come to mind as the bookends for the spectrum, with Monty Python filling all the gaps. This Quest falls somewhere in the middle, with great creativity, […]
“Falling into Magic” by Elizabeth Pantley
This novel has the standard YA Fantasy plotline of a normal young person who suddenly finds out that she has a very uncommon heritage. As we would expect, that heritage reaches out rather suddenly and dumps her into a magical world. A nice twist to this story is that the magical place she goes is […]
“The Return of the Osprey” by DJ Albrecht
This book divides itself neatly into two sections, each encompassing a different genre. Sci-Fi This is a standard soft-science Space Opera. No ink is wasted on the physics of space travel such as speed, time or distance, which is fine. Star Trek didn’t do any different. Characters are likeable, sympathetic and more individualistic than the […]
“Neanderthal King” by Matt Ward
Apparently James Cameron had trouble selling the idea of a movie about the Titanic. “Where’s the suspense? We all know that in the end the ship sinks and everybody dies.” Well, this story is about the Neanderthals’ last stand against Homo Sapiens from the POV of the losers. So, if you read this book, I […]
“Soledad in the Desert” by Meredith Sue Willis
The enjoyment of this story is all about a unique style of writing that works. It is the tale of a group of people re-inventing their culture on an alien world, seen through the eyes of one of the children. So, the story starts with simple and childlike writing, which develops as the child matures […]