This is the weirdest review I’m ever going to write, because the author himself has made a comment in the story, inadvertently summing up the problem with his own writing. Let me explain… This is a Science Fiction novel in the format of a report on a First Encounter with an alien species, written by […]
“Havoc: Engine’s Game Part 2” by Paityn E. Parque
This second instalment of the franchise has moved even further out of the realm of video games and into the more usual Fantasy realm of magic. As the story progresses it moves more into horror. We are no longer worried about the specific details of the powers of individual players. Now we have a few […]
“Requiem for a Genocide” by Michael Drakich
For a simple Science Fiction Action story, this novel contains a surprisingly complex amount of thematic material. It discusses freedom, free will, love, war and the nature of truth, using the thoughts of JAK (a full-on a battle-type killing machine) and his discussions with a seven-year-old girl. A large amount of the story takes place […]
“Xeros” by Zak Zyz
This is a story about what goes on inside the head of a victim of brainwashing. “Traitor” is a prisoner in an end-of-the-line penal colony on a remote space station in an empire that is about to be overwhelmed. The mission his team is being groomed for is the empire’s last chance, a suicidal stab […]
“Gene Pool” by A. E. Price
This is a story about an imaginary future where gene manipulation has created an elite class in which every child’s genetic characteristics are chosen at fertilization. The result is a heavily segregated caste system, where the non-modified are treated as less than human. This provides grist for all sorts of thematic material, but that conflict […]
“Naida” by Scott Overton
Many novels start out with two main characters and two separate plotlines and run them parallel to each other until they merge to create a more complex whole. “Naida” is one of the more extreme examples of this technique, and it doesn’t quite work. The main story is about Michael, an ordinary guy who finds […]
“Last Star Standing” by Spaulding Taylor
This is a great Sci/Fi Dystopian novel written by a polished writer with great chops that make the tale more interesting. Many dystopian stories are about a rebel growing up to become a leader. Along the way, it’s almost mandatory to spend some time in the autocrat’s jail. Well, this hero starts the story in […]
“Captain Arnold Other Tales of the Abnormal” by Arthur M. Doweyko
This compilation of short stories is best described by comparison. It has the same style and intent as the old “Outer Limits” TV show. Always questioning our everyday reality. Always wondering, “What if…?” The stories run the gamut of Sci-Fi: a few UFOs, a touch of time travel, a shot of dystopian life of various […]
“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 […]
“Unfettered Journey” by Gary F. Bengier
This is a story about one man’s journey to discover whether he has free will. Also to find a meaning for his life, which pretty much amounts to the same thing. The author is a philosopher, the main character is a university prof and he searches at a university, so strap yourself in for an […]