Category Archives: Speculative

Reviews, Speculative

A Song of Bones by Isaac Anderson

Leave a comment

A Song of Bones by Isaac Anderson

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

“When the rats come, you run. If you can’t run, you hide. If you can’t hide, you bow. You can always bow.”

 

A Song of Bones is a high-octane, action-packed rollercoaster ride featuring some not-so-adorable rats and some ‘oppressed’ mice as main characters. As the author Isaac Anderson tells us:

 

“I was a big fan of the Redwall books as a kid and I wanted to write something that a younger me would have enjoyed discovering on the library shelves.”

 

This is book one of a series. Anderson wrote the whole thing over the course of several years but quickly realized it was too big to fit into just one book. The ‘ending at the window’ (read the book for more on that scene) was the cleanest break between parts. 

The next book will be released in the summer/fall of 2025, according to Anderson.

 

PLOT:

Naturally, when we think of a story with talking animals who act and behave very human-like, we immediately think of some of the most popular Disney or WB characters and their general features: cute, clumsy, light-hearted, and fun-loving…

Not these fellas! 

The rats and mice featured in A Song of Bones are very jaded, stoic, and at times very bitter characters overall.

 

Basically the story can be summarized as a ‘mice prison outbreak’ by a group of our little furry friends. 

Several mice have been kidnapped and put to slave labor in the caves of Dorgue’s Tree, an infernal system of caves and caverns where a group of mean rats lead by rat Dorgue are forcing these mice to dig, dig, and dig some more for reasons that are slowly revealed as we keep reading  further.

Our main character, Richard, finds himself at the head of a small group of insurgents and slowly a plan forms to escape and regain their freedom.

JADED:

I think the approach (talking animals that act human, use tools, wear clothes, and build equipment) can work, but in this case I felt like even the backstories of these rats at times felt too grim and death-filled. Even when Richard recalls his childhood there’s very little joy to speak of, overall. Death is the main theme no matter which way we look. 

It was a bit awkward to visualize these talking mice but to also see them being so jaded and really not having a good time overall.

I think there could have been a little more of a balancing act, but they are mostly doing hard labor in deep caves and in horrendous conditions so this aspect is not a deal breaker. I just felt like at least their memories of the outside world would have been more filled with joy and cheerfulness.

 

WHERE THE STORY SHINES:

When we look past the talking rats, the breath-taking action scenes, the claustrophobia of the deep caves: 

 

“Ultimately this is a story about singing over your loved one’s bones. About remembering them.”

 

as Anderson puts it.

This driving concept is present from the very opening scene all the way to the closing scene, and it is delivered efficiently through the intense action that will keep you on the edge.

Also credit to the author for succeeding at ingraining the images of the characters as rats and mice in the reader’s mind even when they act and behave very human-like. At no point was I picturing humans trapped in dark caves. All I envisioned was RATS!

 

CONCLUSIONS:

If you want one reason to pick up this book here it is: the story is a rich example of honoring our loved ones who are gone. As Richard recalls the passing of his mother first, then his father, and now some of his newly acquired friends, we can feel the sense of loss along with him.

I’d say Book 1–though not perfect–can be the beginning of fantastic things to come, the door to a fascinating world similar to what former Disney animator Don Bluth did with some of his animated characters. I would certainly recommend the book to both children and adults alike and hope you’ll pick up a copy and discover this new and exciting universe of rats!

🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀

Fantasy, Reviews, Speculative

The Fall of Selvandrea by T. J. McKay

2 Comments

The Fall of Selvandrea – Volume 1 of the Draemeir Chronicle by T. J. McKay

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

I’ve been acquainted with McKay’s writing for a couple of years now ever since I read his first official edition of Book 1 of the Draemeir Chronicle, Rise of Dresca, and I always thought there was something special and quite unique about his style and the type of fantasy he was exploring. The Fall of Selvandrea represents the culmination of everything previously seen in Books 1 and 2 (Seas of the Zovah) in what I can only describe as a spectacular edition.

 

GENRE:

Although this is clearly a fantasy novel, it’s very difficult to pinpoint exactly WHAT type of fantasy category it falls into. McKay likes to call it ‘flintlock fantasy’ although there are some elements of science-fiction involved we will discuss later on in this review. The only other fictional works that might fall in this same category are A Sea of Broken Glass and to a lesser degree Gunmetal Gods. Some other smaller titles like in The Sendyne Flintlock Fantasy Chronicles by Seth Hobbsand could also fit the bill.

I personally feel like TFOS occupies its own niche, and it represents some of the most original and exquisite fantasy writing of late.

PLOT:

Discussing the plot here can be difficult for one main reason: the author has chosen a narrating style with very little exposition, throwing readers right into the midst of the action. We see WHAT characters do, we see HOW they do it, but very little is unfolded as to WHY they do it. We’re fed little crumbs here and there but no ‘info dump’ at any rate. 

Other reviewers have expressed that this style of delivery can stir up confusion; however I can respect this as being the author’s artistic choice and cannot view it as a negative remark in itself.

We will learn of a technologically advanced world plagued by the draemeir strains (sort of a supernatural plague) which is pure evil and chaos, using humans as hosts. Our protagonist Valdaris Drascar-whom we may call in this review Future Vald-creates a new draemeir strain that he can control unlike the other strains of pure chaos and destruction. In order to save his world from the draemeir, Future Vald sends his consciousness (preserved inside the ruby attached to his sword) into the past via a vortex he is able to generate.

Here is where Past Vald takes up the sword with the ruby, and now we have Future Vald’s consciousness and Past Vald’s consciousness merging as one being (thus a dual personality of sorts).

It is also of relevance to mention that as Future Vald opens the vortex to the past, a group of ‘strangers’ led by Alessa Sinclaes also travels to the past through the same vortex, finding themselves in a world on the brink of war between the kingdoms of the Selvar and the Naemredd. This is also where the sci-fi elements come into play, since these time travelers carry very sophisticated gadgets and weapons (Ambrovian technology).

DARK, DREAMLIKE, FANTASY:

The narrative feels very dark and mysterious, but also beautiful and dreamlike. On several instances it was difficult for me to understand where dream and reality separated. As the author puts it:

 

“It’s not meant to be an easy read (though I try to keep the writing style line-by-line easy/simple).”

 

What I noticed most is that this style doesn’t really look or feel like anything else that is currently out there, and this is saying a lot considering the oversaturated market of fantasy books. It can be disorienting at times, with its multiple POVs and thin exposition, but in a sense that is part of the lure.

If we ask McKay what or who might have influenced his story, he will tell us this:

 

“The Judas Strain by James Rollins and the Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton both influenced the sci-fi elements… plus the movie Transcendence with Johnny Depp. On the fantasy side, Wheel of Time and The Pendragon Cycle (Stephen R. Lawhead). To a much lesser extent, The Count of Monte Cristo had some influence too, and Les Miserables. And I’d also give some credit to Revan from Star Wars (Knights of the Old Republic).”

CONCLUSION:

It is important to point out that McKay is not your average indie writer. He has mastered his writing skills and it transpires all throughout TFOS. He is a writers’ writer folks!  Am I saying that McKay is as original as he is an objectively talented writer? That’d be a big YES.

Sure this is a challenging read with obscure characters, intricate plots, little exposition, and multiple POVs, leaving me with more questions by the end of the book than I had at the beginning, but not everything must be spoon fed in order to be a fantastic experience.

And The Fall of Selvandrea is a fantastic and unique experience indeed!

🦀

Reviews, Sci-Fi

The Waking Nightmares by M.D. Boncher

2 Comments

THE WAKING NIGHTMARES by M. D. Boncher (and a word from the author)

Reviewed by Infamous 🦀

This is the third volume of the Tales from the Dream Nebula, and truth be told, at this point it feels like Boncher is truly spoiling us with great book after great book. What’s scary is that what he is creating can only get BETTER as he keeps exploring this universe.

But more on that later in this review!

 

CHARACTERS:

By this stage in the plot development we are clearly beginning to see a more defined outline of a team, and I use the word ‘team’ very loosely here:

 

  • Winston – our ‘flyboy’ and main character
  • Billy Joe – the ‘mechoid’ and Winston’s best friend/co-pilot
  • Mother – the AI entity who guides Winston and his team
  • Doctor Amanda – wealthy and knowledgeable ally to Winston
  • Professor Quentin – passionate about history preservation and with the ‘funds and resources’ to make things happen

 

PLOT:

In this third installment we find Winston and Billy Joe as guests of Amanda and Quentin, who own the entire island-planetoid of Puala’Lolo. This place is not just a lush and beautiful 5-star resort but it’s also headquarters to the most advanced R&D in all of the Dream. Here, Dr. Amanda and Prof. Quentin have the funds, tools, and resources to study, research, and create. Amanda even provides Winston with nano implants to enhance his fighting skills and aggression in combat and she rebuilds Winston’s ship after it was  badly damaged beyond hope (see Book 2).

When an unknown package is delivered by an anonymous sender, a creepy alien infestation breaks out on the island and things get out of control.

WRITERS TAKE HEED:

One thing I need to always mention is how professional this whole series comes across, which is rare in the indie circles. The sharp prose, the witty dialogue, the attention to detail with bulletproof plot lines…This is how a product should be presented to customers to make them feel confident in their purchase. 

INDIE should NOT be synonymous for poor writing/editing, and Boncher is a true professional.

 

ONLY SCRATCHING THE SURFACE: 

As infectious, compelling, and fascinating this world of The Dream has been in these first three volumes, the pace and relentless action scenes  have perhaps pushed some of the other elements on the back burner for the time being. We might have caught glimpses of the overall atmosphere, feel, and look, but for the most part we’ve taken for granted that this must be a ‘Star Trek’ kind of world, which can’t be further from the truth. Our assumptions are mostly a result of how sci-fi and futuristic tropes in general have been presented to us in the past, generally speaking.

As Boncher put it:

“I’m fighting against a cultural idea about sci-fi. The audience generally believes that nothing they have in the current world is going to be there in the future. That people won’t think about the past, have even minorly recognizable slang or enjoy the simplest pleasures without it being some advanced level technology that replaces it. Meanwhile, I’m going to a society that is very traumatized and fragmented so it looks back to the old days, romanticizing them despite it being inherently flawed as a coping mechanism” 

 

And it follows: 

 

“Everyone has access to something like the holodeck as well as still watching entertainment the old fashioned way because they have a desire to connect with what had been taken from them. So movie theaters would still exist, even vaudeville. People still construct their homes in the ways they find in ancient re-discovered media. There will be people who want from the 1980’s Miami art deco inspired mansion to the Tudor revival house”. 

This world called The Dream and ruled by Emperor Xiao, though advanced in technology, shouldn’t be viewed as a gray, aesthetically industrial-looking environment. People still have a sense of beauty, a sense of taste for the classic styles of the past. For example when our friends arrive to Puala’Lolo, Prof. Quentin takes them to visit one of his research centers and says:

 

“It’s a reconstruction of the Chateau de Sceaux, a rescued art museum from the late nation of France.”

As this series progresses we should be able to further admire these original aspects. We often have these preconceptions of what a futuristic society should look like but Boncher is trying to avoid cliches:

 

“And that’s where my fault comes in. I did not set the universe well enough to make this seem natural. In my head, it tracks perfectly. But that’s my error. I didn’t explain it well.”

 

I  cannot express how gratifying it is to witness authors like Boncher putting out such high-quality content yet never getting too complacent and always striving to improve on their craft. 

If you haven’t picked up this series I recommend buying all three volumes at once since they are quick 5-star reads and I am confident that Boncher will continue to fascinate and awe us with more original content soon. And THAT is the exciting part! 

🦀

Reviews, Time Travel, TRENDS DIE OUT; LEGENDS LIVE ON

Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson

2 Comments

TRENDS DIE OUT/LEGENDS LIVE ON:

Bid Time Return (Somewhere in Time) by Richard Matheson

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

Author Richard Matheson’s novels have been adapted for the big screen with relatively good success since the ’80s. His most popular title remains I am Legend (1954) but in my honest opinion the peak of his storytelling is represented by a time travel/love story little masterpiece originally titled Bid Time Return (1975).

Bid Time Return was adapted to the big screen in 1980 under the name Somewhere in Time starring the late Christopher Reeves. The movie was so successful that further publications of the novel saw the title officially changed to that of the movie.

It is important to know that though the movie is pretty good overall, it has some major elements that differ from the book, and ironically those differences are crucial in fully defining the true greatness of the original concept. Let me explain:

 

CRITICISM:

Over the years, the book has received some good criticism but also a lot of negative criticism. Some critics felt like this story was about a stalker who was willing to travel back in time to be with a woman he didn’t even know outside of a photo from 1896. The movie unfortunately lacks a very important element which is found in the book and that totally makes for a valid argument as for the behavior of the main character Richard Collier. 

Keep reading…

PLOT:

Richard Collier is a 36 year-old screenwriter in 1971 who is diagnosed with a malignant tumor and doctors inform him that he might have only months left to live. THIS is very important to keep in mind because it will completely change the narrative (in the movie Richard has NO tumor).

His parents already passed and, left with a brother of almost the same age and his sister-in-law, he decides to hop in his car and go on a road trip heading nowhere and everywhere. Never having been married or experienced love, with a career that now means nothing, he drives off feeling like he would only be a burden to his brother and his brother’s wife.

When he makes a pit stop at Hotel del Coronado he sees the framed photo of 1800s theater actress Elise McKenna and something about her aura pierces his heart and mind and he feels like he cannot leave the hotel, drawn to Elise and feeling this incredible need to meet her.

 

PLAUSIBILITY FACTORS:

Going back to the ‘health status’ of Richard, this is very important to grasp because without that, the whole narrative would crumble.

The tumor Richard was diagnosed with has a double impact on his persona:

  1. Psychological
  2. Physical

 

Psychological: Unless we ourselves experience a deadly ailment like a terminal tumor, with only a few months of life left, we can only assume how that might impact the psyche of a man. Particularly that of a man who has regrets about never having experienced true love and a wife. THAT alone makes Richard’s infatuation with Elise all the more conceivable.

 

Physical: as Richard’s own doctor later on told his brother:

 

“Dr. Crosswell’s words complete the picture. He told me that the sort of tumor Richard had could cause “dreaming states” and “hallucinations of sight, taste, and smell.”

So we see that we have two theories here: one where Richard’s tumor enabled a mental state where he believed to travel back in time through hallucinations, and a second theory where the tumor allowed for Richard to break through the 4th dimension and ‘travel’ in time or rather ‘exist’ in 1896. Either way we look at it, you CANNOT take the health status and mental stability of Richard away without the whole story falling apart.

 

TIME TRAVEL THEORY THAT MAKES SENSE:

Another thing that I absolutely admire about this novel is the fundamentals of time travel the author introduces. This does not involve fancy time travel machines or high tech equipment but rather the introduction of a 4th dimension (time). According to the research Richard embarks during his stay at Hotel Coronado, just like a blind man is unable to perceive the three known dimensions, our brain chemistry impedes us to perceive that fourth dimension which involves ‘time’.

Through ‘repetition’ techniques and while being physically located exactly where Elise was located that same month of November of 1896, Richard is able to break the wall of the fourth dimension just like a blind man would be able to perceive the three dimensions if eyesight was to be restored.

The several failed initial attempts followed by Richard’s relentlessness are gripping and unnerving. By the time he finally breaks through to 1896 we are right there with him, totally invested in the story, feeling what he feels. 

But Matheson is a master storyteller, so he leaves both doors open: Was Richard…

  1.  just experiencing delusions and hallucinations due to his rare mental health status, or
  2. was that same mental health status what enabled him to break through the barrier of the fourth dimension and begin to exist in 1896 Hotel del Coronado?

 

CONCLUSION:

To this day, many believe this to be some sappy love story with time travel thrown in the mix. But it’s much MUCH more.

This is about unfulfilled dreams, about newfound appreciation of TIME. It’s about the frailty of the human psyche when we realize the harsh reality of our own mortality. Richard knows that he has no future and it’s senseless to make any plans. All his ambitions are dissolved in a snap of fingers, all that is left is loneliness and regret for not having been able to experience what his brother has: a wife, a family, a connection that goes beyond the work-related.

These are all very heavy subjects which the author is able to tackle without presenting an agenda or trying to preach to us. 

He is only telling us that TIME is all we have…

🦀

Action, Reviews, Sci-Fi

Lucid Reality by M.D. Boncher – a Review

4 Comments

LUCID REALITY: Tales from the Dream Nebula Book 2 by M. D. Boncher

Reviewed by

As promised in the previous review (Dreams within Dreams), I was so pleasantly surprised with the writing in this series of the Tales from the Dream Nebula that a review of volume 2 was unavoidable!

Boncher is a skilled plot creator; he possesses such an acute sense of when to push the envelope and when to slow things down, that at no point do we feel as though we’ve gotten enough of these adventures in the Dream!

What impresses me most is that even within the confines of this fun-loving, action-packed genre, Boncher still manages to display some mighty fine prose. His writing just jumps off the pages with life and color not typical of your average indie pulp novel.

PLOT:

I won’t waste too much time in explaining the plot of Lucid Reality since it picks up where Book 1 left off, so I encourage you to pick up Book 1 first. It’s worth it!

After barely escaping  with their lives, we find Winston and crew seeking asylum on Nova Tortuga, where Commodore Robert welcomes them with open arms.

What happens here is something not typical of the pulp genre, which is to keep the main character ‘offline’ for a determined amount of time while other characters will move the plot forward. Other than Boncher, the only other current pulp writer I know of using this approach is Robert Victor Mills in Man of Swords.

Keeping the MC offline creates a number of interesting circumstances that the reader usually would not expect. And so, for the entire first act of Book 2, Winston lays unconscious while the story follows the actions of other significant characters like Mother, an AI being who will prove crucial in the plot development.

A FEW ISSUES?

I don’t mean to sound too picky but it’s always important to highlight minor issues even in an awesome book such as LR:

  1. The scene where the Sierra Madre is approaching Nova Tortuga felt dragged and a little too prolonged in its description
  2. Conversely, the scene of the big trial before the mighty Emperor Xiao felt like a lost opportunity to create the type of tension that would highlight the eloquence and wits of both the plaintiff and the defense, thus making the final verdict much more emotionally satisfying for readers.
  3. I noticed some euphemisms that just felt misplaced, given the context. The most noticeable one was when Winston said: “Like watching your favorite horse be put down in her prime”. This comment just didn’t resonate well with me considering what type of man Winston is. I highly doubt he would know a thing about owning horses… Again, not a deal breaker but worth mentioning.

CONCLUSIONS:

When I reached the last page of Lucid Reality, I asked myself if I was left wanting to read Book 3, and my answer was a very loud and clear YES! What Boncher manages to accomplish is creating a narrative that is fresh, innovative, and original. Yes it does come with a few quirks and a few missed opportunities, but the stakes that have been raised are compelling to say the least.

Buy Book 1 and 2 as they are both INFAMOUS🦀REVIEWER recommended and keep an eye open for the upcoming review of Book 3: The Waking Nightmares.

Support our indie writers… at least the good ones!

🦀

Action, Adventure, Alternate HIstory, Reviews, Sci-Fi, Socio-Sexual Studies, Speculative, Sports, Time Travel

Paradox 1: Escaping Fate by Henry Brown

6 Comments

Paradox 1: Escaping Fate by Henry Brown

Reviewed by

I don’t like time travel tropes. The whole concept of time traveling usually ends up giving me a headache. But I’d be a liar if I said there were NO works of fiction out there (based on time-traveling) that I didn’t end up loving over the years. The biggest example of this is Wild Stars by legendary Michael Tierney!

 

A new series can now be added to my collection of rare favorite time travel-based pulp novels: PARADOX, written by none other than your Virtual Pulp editor-in-chief Henry Brown!

Escaping Fate covers the entire first volume of Paradox, and this is where we are introduced to our main characters–Peter and Uncle Si–in their present circumstances. But before we discuss those in more detail, it’s important to see that this story is comprised of THREE fundamental layers which work together to produce what I believe is a new cultural dimension of Americana:

  • Socio-cultural
  • Developmental
  • Fictional

Socio-cultural: the story is not just a fun and exciting adventure, but it is a mirror of the social and cultural aspects of humans–specifically in the US. The time traveling tech here offers an eye-opening lesson on how and why humans behave the way they do, and from one generation to the next. Why were people in the 1950s, for example, so much different in behavior, likes, dislikes, interests, and ambitions from our contemporaries? Or why was a family able to sustain itself on a single income? These and other complex socio-cultural questions are intelligently tackled in the pages of EF.

 

Developmental: Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, Rocky and Mickey, Neo and Morpheus. What all these iconic duos have in common is that they all show a very special teacher/student relationship, with the student going through a developmental journey which otherwise would have never taken place. Similarly, young Peter literally goes through his own transformation/maturing via the teaching of Uncle Si. The image of the mentor not only supervising the student but caring for him and nurturing him is here on display and THAT is where for me the story really sets itself apart!

 

Fictional: the time travel technology, the rigged vehicles and airplanes, the ‘invisibility’ raincoats, are all showcased here in all their glory. This is the sci-fi element of the story. If you like to read about cool toys, there’s plenty to spare here!

PLOT:

Without giving too much away, Peter is a kid of age 12-13(?) raised by a single mom in 1988(?) St. Louis. Living in a shabby trailer with mom, barely making ends meet is a constant toll on Peter’s psyche. The health of a child is strictly connected to the health and cohesiveness of his family. Eating stale buns is the norm for Peter. Not having friends other than his dog is just one of the many results of his present situation.

But circumstances suddenly turn around with the arrival of enigmatic Uncle Si into Peter’s life. Uncle Si takes Peter under his wing to teach him how to basically stand for himself and become a man. When a group of futuristic hitmen attack his trailer–taking the lives of both his mom and step-brother–Uncle Si rescues Peter and enlightens him on his true identity as a time travel bandit.

Peter and Uncle Si will visit several time periods together, and each trip will prove a teaching lesson for the youngster.

CONCLUSIONS:

I think that this book should be read less as a sci-fi novel and more as a source of reflection upon the history of the US and the West, and understand what elements have played a role and continue to play a role in the quality of life that is considered the norm. If you lean left you’d probably be skeptical of some of its content, and that’s OK too. But in my humble opinion this is a pillar of US fiction literature and families should read this together and have a conversation about it.

The refreshing thing about ESCAPING FATE is that the author understands that portraying people from a different era is not just about putting them in period clothes. Their cognitive processes were developed during entirely different circumstances than ours. Their attitudes and tendencies are going to be different from ours. This is something that a big majority of modern writers fail to grasp or refuse to acknowledge.

My only issue was that the ending of Book 1 felt very incomplete. Readers won’t feel a sense of fulfillment UNLESS they read Book 2 next. That’s fine, but like I always say: if you expect readers to PAY for your book, you have to offer some sense of fulfillment by the time they get to the last page. Can you read Book 1 by itself and get some degree of fulfillment? Or does it leave you hanging like you just bought ⅙ of the entire book?

My advice? By all 6 volumes together! 

🦀

Editor’s note: A “box set” of all six E-Books in the series is forthcoming.

UPDATE 1: The Box Set for Apple, Kobo, B&N, and other non-Amazon sites, is available for pre-order.

UPDATE 2: The Box Set is now available on Amazon.

Reviews, Sci-Fi

Dreams Within Dreams – a Review

2 Comments

Dreams Within Dreams – Serial One: Omnipresence by M.D. Boncher

Reviewed by

If Onslaught  resembles a sci-fi/action movie from the 90s, Dreams Within Dreams might recall The Fifth Element and  2002 TV series Firefly. Add interesting characters, a solid plot line, and just the right amount of comedy, and you have an instant winner of modern indie pulp.

What this short and enjoyable novelette also does is prove that you can have a simple, straightforward story without flat-like-pancakes characters and wooden dialogue. In fact, characters like our protagonist, Winston, display a level of humanity and depth that might be subtle on the surface yet very engaging as their adventures progress.

Same with the plot. Boncher will take us for a rollercoaster ride but he is wise enough to avoid tired-out stereotypical tropes that oversaturate the current market. His writing approach is what I admire most: don’t write solely having in mind the reaction of your readers but write what makes sense within the story you are telling.

PLOT:

Winston lives in what is referred to as ‘The Dream’, a reality that resulted from King Xiao destroying the world as we know it. In this new world Winston works for a freight company, moving goods and parcels by way of his space tug the Sierra Madre, and with the aid of a mechanical humanoid named Billy Joe.

After being offered a gig that would earn him more money than he’s ever dreamed of, Winston finds himself caught in the midst of the illegal trafficking of weapons of mass destruction for a dangerous cartel. By the time he finds out what his cargo holds, he’s in too deep! Throw in the mix two undercover officers onboard, Mr. Tollman and Ms. Iverson (aka Holly), and Winston’s plan for a big payday quickly becomes the worst ride of his life!

 

CHARACTERS:

Character development is important whether we’re talking about a very complex storyline or a very simple one. Simple characters should not be BORING characters. And in this short novel we see that formula applied to characters like Winston or even his mechanical co-pilot Billy Joe or even the attractive yet mysterious Holly. 

Winston on the surface seems to be a very practical down -to-business type of guy.  “Get the job done and get paid” is his mantra. But underneath that seemingly pragmatic persona, Winston hides demons that keep haunting him in his sleep. So much so that he finds himself almost addicted to this virtual reality rig he hooks himself up  to whenever he can, to escape a harsh reality. Readers will learn more about Winston as things progress and Holly will soon become a determining factor in Winston’s life. But not in the way you would expect whenever a stunningly attractive woman is involved.

 

A NOTE FROM THE REVIEWER: 

The author states that “the idea came to me after watching a whole bunch of old Flash Gordon serials and was like, yeah, that can be done.” The issue is that not everything that works in TV or comic books will necessarily work in novel format. 

I’m particularly referring to how Book 1 ends with a cliffhanger and really makes you feel like nothing got done, or accomplished, or fulfilled despite characters and plot becoming more and more engaging. I think every novel , even in a serialized format , should make the reader feel like things moved from point A to point B and certain goals were reached or accomplished. Here, the end feels truncated and unless you don’t buy Volume 2 you are left with a partial story, literally. My opinion is that the author should have published the entire story including Book 1, 2, and 3 as one single book because, honestly, Book 1 feels somewhat unfulfilling in the end and it felt like someone turning off your TV just when things are getting intense. Is that really how we want to feel after spending money to purchase a book?

CONCLUSIONS: 

Obviously this will get a follow-up review of Book 2, Lucid Reality.

 If anything I hope the quality enjoyed in the first book will continue and then we will go on and cover Book 3, The Waking Nightmare. 

I highly encourage you to get all 3 books together since the author ‘s approach mentioned earlier might leave some of you disappointed, or dissatisfied perhaps, by only reading Book 1 by itself!

Reviews, Sci-Fi

The Hand of God by Yuval Kordov

2 Comments

THE HAND OF GOD: DARK LEGACIES BOOK 1 by YUVAL KORDOV

Reviewed by

When I consider Book 1 of Dark Legacies, the first words that come to my mind are: professional; competent; pragmatic; cerebral; thought-provoking. This is the type of book I might mention when folks claim that indie fiction is somewhat sloppy, mediocre, and weak. In fact, I would put the writing skills showcased by Kordov against any of the most popular tradpub’s on the market today.

That doesn’t imply that The Hand of God is a perfect sci-fi presentation, but the good FAR outweighs the bad. This is a labor of love that the author has invested years in crafting and perfecting, and that is admirable and inspiring.

 

CONTENTS:

The book is divided into

  • Prologue
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Part 3

Prologue and Part 1 come off as being over-ambitious for no other reason than the fact that they feel too fragmented and confounding. This is where we are first introduced to the character of Esther and the whole narrative is a dissonant amalgamation of thoughts, dreams, visions, and memories relentlessly thrown at a reader over and over again. We see this artistic approach utilized in cinema often, where the  director uses quick cuts to abruptly overlap one scene with the next, as the character goes from awakened state to dreaming to visions, back to awakened state.

This technique doesn’t translate well from screen to prose, and it ends up irritating the senses more than stimulating them. 

 

THE MEAT:

Part 2 and 3 in my honest opinion is where readers will finally get rewarded and find their footing. The introduction of characters like Baptiste, Sophus, and Rebekah really propels the story to next-level awesomeness!  You will learn of a world which has endured not one but two apocalypses, and a city that carries the hope of man’s reconciliation with God. The prose is exquisite, the attention to details impeccable, the characters breathing with depth and humanity. 

HIGH CONCEPT NARRATIVE:

This story is a classic example of high concept narrative. High concept (as opposed to low concept) is never strictly centered around one single main character (i.e. Conan the Barbarian) but it’s rather about a multitude of characters who contribute to the story at some point.

This is in essence “a story about finding faith and finding purpose through suffering, which materializes through the lives of my characters.” (Yuval Kordov)

 

CONCLUSION:

If you want to experience a faith-based epic sci-fi legend of ambitious heights you MUST read The Hand of God. If this ever gets a big screen adaptation we could have the best visual feast since Dune and Stalker! This is a book that gives me hope in the indie sphere of fiction writing moving forward.

Will I read and review Book 2? The real question is, how could I not!

🦀

Editor’s note: Time is running out on the Based Book Sale–stop, shop, and enjoy some non-woke books on the cheap or even free for just a few more hours!

Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Reviews, Sci-Fi

Velin: The Rifle’s Song by Black Knight

Leave a comment

Velin – The Lothorian: The Rifle’s Song by Black Knight

Reviewed by

When I first picked up and started reading The Rifle’s Song, which consists of Book 1 of Velin The Lothorian, I couldn’t help but get Star Wars vibes with a ‘Conan the Barbarian” type of main character. This is probably due to the blend of sci-fi and classic fantasy/action that we get to read starting on page 1 and all throughout this book. The author  unsurprisingly credits R. E. Howard’s Conan The Barbarian for his inspiration of this character.

But the comparison to Howard’s classic hero ends right there at the surface.

 

CONAN/VELIN:

The son of farmers in a distant world, Velin grew up learning hard work and how to farm land from his father. After his mother’s death due to illness, at the age of 8 a gang of slavers attacks his village, killing his father in the process and taking young Velin as a slave for hard labor.

And just like Conan, the following years of hard labor and harsh conditions will forge him and prepare him to become the unique warrior he’s destined to become.

After years of captivity Velin earns his freedom by sheer will, acute killer instincts, and physical prowess. When he is taken up by a group of Terran samurais called the ‘Terr’aan Knightly Order’- dedicating their lives to fighting slavery and injustices across the universe-Velin masters the fine arts of combat, thus becoming the perfect killing machine to fight evil and protect the weak.

 

NOBLE INTENTIONS/WEAK EXECUTION: 

Let me emphasize the indisputable fact that the author known as Black Knight is truly an outstanding human being with a noble heart. He understands the concepts of good and evil, of chivalry, of the pure and selfless hero. However where I feel he falls short is in putting it all together, for different reason:

  1. Character Development: all the characters we encounter in this story feel like they need more fleshing out. We know the basic facts about them but they are all very one-dimensional and they function only on one gear.

For example:

“He sought to draw strength not from his bleeding, scorched body, but the hallowed Terr’aan railgun instead.”

I thought it was awkward to have the main character draw strength not from his mother or father, or even his mentors, but from an object, his railgun (??)

2. Prose: I know English is the author’s third language but when we decide to put our book on the market for a price, we should ensure that the editing/proof reading is up to standards. The writer has this tendency to always put the subject last in a sentence which creates awkward structure overall.

          Example:

“Gargling, the dying, terrified beyond measure road bandit, raised his hand.”

 Also there are some word choices that the author overuses like olden instead of ancient, or nigh instead of near, or ‘twas instead of was. 

I understand that indie authors for the most part work a day job and professional editing costs money, but if we feel readers should PAY to read our books, competent editing and presentation are essential.

CONCLUSIONS: 

This is a book very well suited for younger readers who enjoy comic books and are perhaps only now finding out about the beauty of long-format fiction. Children of 10 years and older would absolutely love it. This would make a great gift to those youngsters that we want to introduce to classic pulp. 

I know Black Knight has a big following online who seem to genuinely love his work, so don’t let this review dissuade you from at least sampling his pulp novel.

🦀

Editor’s note: Make sure to stop by the Based Book Sale and find yourself some great reads!

Fantasy, Marketing, Sci-Fi, Speculative

Based Books Be Best! Buy Boatloads, Brah!

Leave a comment

I know, I know: “are the best.” Don’t undervalue my alliterative Ebonics, ese.

The Based Book Sale is back–this time in conjunction with Based Con. I’ve never been to Based Con. I can only guess that it’s like Comicon or Dragon Con (never been to those, either) only without the woketards.

Anyway, the Based Book Sale is where you can find hundreds of books by dozens of non-woke authors, discounted to 99 cents…or FREE. One of those free books will be American Stasi–you should definitely grab your own copy.

This might be the last time I include all my full-length novels in the sale, so get ’em for cheap while you can.

Those full-length novels include Paradox Book Six: Confronting Fate, which caps off my coming of age time travel conspiracy thriller wrapped around football and high adventure. The BBS will have an Amazon link, but it’s also available at the other online book stores, too.

Almost all the paperbacks in the series are published, too. I’m planning an E-Book boxed set, and possibly a hardback edition.