Review: A Life Full of Quarks by C W Johnson

 

Genre: Science Fiction

Description:

The novel follows John Chant from about age 5 until around age 30, when he meets the (other) love of his life. Occasionally the book claims to be a memoir, but I came to believe this was part of the fiction. The things that happen to John, and that he makes happen, would curl the hair of any normal parent. John does not have normal parents. His parents are scientists: they do not appear to have a safety cut-off. There is a lab in the garage. John, boy and man, has a vivid imagination.

Author:

C W Johnson trained in theoretical physics, mathematics, computers, science fiction, poetry and ‘many other impractical topics’. He is currently a professor of physics in the US. He has published short fiction in “science fiction magazines such as Analog, Asimov’s, and others” as well as poetry. His early SF influences were Joanna Russ, Peter S Beagle, Tim Powers, Algis Budrys and (the most important to him) Kim Stanley Robinson. Poets who influenced him include Becky Larkin, Shannon Marquez Maguire and Sue Owens. There are other C W Johnsons writing fiction, but this is our C W Johnson’s first novel.

Appraisal:

The first thing to say is that this is the best self-published novel I have read this year. I honestly don’t understand how it hasn’t been picked up by a major publisher and taken off like Andy Weir’s The Martian did.

There is obviously something of the author’s own life in it (although, for those inclined to try and repeat his experiments, he claims that he has skewed the science so you can’t build a probability drive out of sticky-backed plastic and cardboard).

The book is clever, sad and funny by turns – and, occasionally, all at once. The prose is entirely reliable: it tells you what you need to know then moves briskly on. Only later do you realise that as well as moving on, it is circling back around. The necessary coincidences feel unforced. Several metaphorical firearms are hung over the fictional fireplace and all are fired in due course, to laugh-out-loud or sharp-intake-of-breath effect.

If you were to mash together pretty much any bit of Kurt Vonnegut, a couple of scenes out of Back to the Future, Planet of the Apes, and Curse of the Thirty Foot Woman with an episode of The Big Bang Theory and one of Father Knows Best you might produce something like this book.

You do not need to know anything about science to enjoy this book. You do not need ever to have read anything else labelled ‘Science Fiction’. This is a completely stand-alone, one-of-a-kind novel. I recommend it to you unreservedly.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Format/Typo Issues:

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 135-140,000 words

Review: Horny: Sex Without Scruples by Brad Deep

 

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Description:

“Brad Deep didn’t just peek into the male sexual psyche—he lived in it, banked it, and sold the tickets.

One day, a young Brad heard Francis Ford Coppola say in a documentary, “If an aspiring filmmaker wants to make a movie, he must do whatever it takes.”

Brad took that literally. He hired a few girls, opened an erotic massage parlor, and planned to use the profits to fund his movie.

What he didn’t plan for was front-row seats to the raw, unfiltered reality of male sexuality—the desires, the lies, the awkward kinks, and the desperate confessions men never make sober… or to their wives.

Horny: Sex Without Scruples is a savage, brutally honest, and laugh-out-loud demolition of dating myths, gender games, and the absurd mating dance we call relationships.

Written by a man who saw it all—the office bosses, the preachers, the boyfriends, the husbands—this isn’t therapy; it’s a strip search of the male libido… with sarcasm as the lube.

With stories you’d never tell your priest, real data that proves just how far the depravity runs, and chapter titles that slap harder than your ex’s mood swings, Horny is the book men pray women never read… and the one women can’t resist picking up.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what men are really like when nobody’s watching—this is your backstage pass.

Just don’t read it at church.”

Author:

“Brad Deep doesn’t write to make friends. He writes like he’s swinging a sledgehammer in a library—loud, unapologetic, and bound to piss someone off. His pages drip with the kind of truth most people choke on, served with enough filthy laughs to make a nun sweat.

He lives clean—no booze, no smokes, no drugs—running instead on cycling, weight training, and five-finger solos that would make a drummer jealous.

When it comes to women, he’s old school: natural beauty or nothing. No dye jobs, no Botox, no filler, no bolt-on boobs. Ask if he’d live with a woman again, and he’ll tell you yes—but only if she’s easy on the eyes, smart, and he’s lost his damn mind.”

Appraisal:

Along with the copyright, dedication, and other content before the book actually begins is a notice that says the author will be donating a dollar from each copy of this book that is sold to an organization supporting survivors of sexual assault and adds that “if some men had an ounce of self-control, I wouldn’t have had to write this book.”

The author talks about some things you’re probably aware of and in some cases most of you have probably participated in them to some degree. If you’re enough of an adult to be reading this I doubt many won’t recognize themselves in the things discussed here at some point, regardless of your gender. Hopefully lots more your reaction will be “I didn’t realize that happened” or “I knew that kind of stuff went on, but I sure haven’t been involved in it.” Ultimately this book will get you thinking about a lot of things, maybe inspire those who need to do better to do so. But even if it doesn’t, it’s a fun read in spite of the deep subject. The author injects humor in lots of different ways. In fact, at one point the author says that if it “made you laugh, gasp, or squirm uncomfortably in public” that this was a good thing and the point of the book. It sure did for me. All three of those things at different times.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Adult language and adult content. Lots of adult content.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review is based on an ARC (advanced reader copy) and thus I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Review: Invisible Threads by Sharon Heath

 Genre: Literary Fiction

Description:

“Evvie Kerr has always been a caretaker—of her self-absorbed younger sister Miriam; Miriam’s tender-hearted son Ben; and the sisters’ Russian-born father Michael, a successful screenwriter who bears the scars of a traumatic childhood. Evvie’s sudden diagnosis with the disease that killed her mother forces each of the Kerrs to re-examine their roles in their lively, tightly knit Jewish family, and beckons Evvie herself to stretch into a larger and riskier life than she’d ever imagined. A family love story, Invisible Threads explores the interwovenness of our individual fates with the strivings and sufferings of our ancestors, celebrating the sweet and sometimes disorienting grace of rebirth.”

Author:

“Sharon Heath writes fiction and non-fiction exploring the interplay of science and spirit, politics and pop culture. A certified Jungian Analyst in private practice and faculty member of the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, she served as Associate Editor of Psychological Perspectives and Guest Editor of the special issue The Child Within/The Child Without. She has published in Psychological Perspectives and Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche, and she has blogged for HuffPost.”

Appraisal:

Just like real life, I wasn’t sure where this story was going to go. In the process of finding out it caused a lot of thinking about family, both good and bad, as I compared the Kerr family in the book to my own family. I contrasted the things they were experiencing, both positive and not so great things, to my life and that of others I have known. A good book exercises the mind and gets the reader thinking and this story definitely did that.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some mildly adult content.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Reprise Review: Finding Fiona by Donna Fasano

 Genre: Romantic Comedy/Chick-lit/Mystery

Description:

“If her husband turns up alive—she'll kill him!

Explaining to the seriously sexy cop why she hasn't noticed her husband has been missing for three days is both embarrassing and sobering. But the day Fiona Rowland lifts her head above the churning chaos of kids, carpools, and a million things to do, annoyance turns to fury...then to worry. Where is Stanley?

Having one of those wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee moments changes the way a woman looks at things: marriage, money, family, and friends. And when her best pal from high school arrives (packing her own secrets) to lend support, it turns out even the past isn't quite what it seems. Scrambling to make sense of the drama unfolding, Fiona discovers there's an upside to having your whole world turned upside down. It's easier to grab the good stuff.”

Author:

“USA Today Bestselling Author Donna Fasano has written over 40 women's fiction and romance titles that have sold over 4 million copies worldwide.”

Appraisal:

Finding Fiona is many different, sometimes contradictory things. It starts with a mystery. Where’s Stanley? Fiona’s husband disappeared and there aren’t many clues as to where he might be. There’s romantic comedy in a few different ways as romance threatens to take hold, but there are times when the romantic side of things is way too serious to be funny. Fiona’s best friend from her high school days stumbles into the middle of this crisis and alternates between helping and exacerbating the situation.

This was a fun story that kept me guessing, both about the mystery part, but also the romance and relationship part. I wasn’t sure who was going to end up with who, or how the different conflicts would resolve. It kept me guessing and, even more importantly, I liked the characters enough to care how it turned out.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Review: The Cover Story by Deb Richardson-Moore

 

Genre: Mystery

Description:

“On most days for homeless man Malachi, invisibility comes his way unwanted, unsought. Today, he’s counting on it.

College student Charlie regains consciousness with her friend Janie Rose’s dying screams ringing in her ears. Charlie insists she was forced off the road by an old-fashioned hearse. But the police think their wreck was simply an accident.

Reporter Branigan Powers suspects that her niece Charlie may still be in danger. So when an abandoned hearse is found in Grambling’s Tent City, she teams up once more with her homeless friend Malachi to investigate. They track the vehicle to a local university.

As Branigan and Malachi explore the sometimes-bewildering Old South world of sororities and fraternities, more violence erupts. The trail of destruction grows, and the murderer always seems to be one step ahead. But like most people, the killer doesn’t see Malachi coming.”

Author:

“Deb Richardson-Moore is the author of six mystery/suspense titles and a memoir, The Weight of Mercy, about her early years as a pastor at the Triune Mercy Center in Greenville, S.C. A national award-winning former reporter for The Greenville News, Deb is a popular speaker at book clubs, universities and churches. She has also won numerous awards for her work in homeless services and community involvement.

A graduate of Wake Forest University and Erskine Theological Seminary, Deb lives with her husband in Greenville. They are the parents of three grown children.”

For more, visit her website.

Appraisal:

A reporter like Branigan Powers, the protagonist of this series, trying to figure out what happened in a car crash that resulted in one college student dying isn’t unusual. You’d expect a reporter might look into strange happenings. But teaming up with Malachi, a homeless man, to figure out what is going on is an interesting and unique twist.

As for the mystery, I was guessing the entire way, but never quite sure as Branigan and Malachi would uncover each clue making my previous guesses appear incorrect. As more came out I couldn’t help coming back to see how things turned out. A fun read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI

Although part of a series this book stands alone. I had no problem following what was happening in spite of not having read the first book in the series.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Review: Gone Country by Hunter Snow

 

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Description:

“Two worlds. One accidental hit song. The stage is set for the ultimate showdown.

Jamie Keaton is a rock star with a reputation as fiery as her songs. Clayton Langley is a country singer who epitomizes Southern charm.

Their paths were never supposed to cross—let alone collide—but when a chance encounter forces them to collaborate on a song, she’s suddenly thrust into his universe of cowboy boots and steel-string guitars.

As old resentments and undeniable chemistry simmer beneath the surface, Jamie must decide whether to embrace the unfamiliar world she’s been dragged into—or to stoke the fire of their rivalry and watch everything burn.”

Author:

“Hunter Snow survived (just barely) a wild ride through the music industry and now channels those experiences into writing rock and roll romances from her home in the Pacific Northwest.”

Appraisal:

While there are some serious things going on in this story including the romance, it is also funny in so many ways. For a fan of music (yes, even that twangy country stuff) as well being a person who likes to laugh and be a bit of a smart … well, you know … this book was one of the most fun and enjoyable reads I’ve devoured in a while. I’m glad I decided to give it a try.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adultish language and content.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 95-100,000 words

Review: The Lightning in the Collied Night by David Backman

 

Genre: Science Fiction

Description:

This novel is set mainly some 30 years into the future, moving further into the future towards the end. The nearness of the book’s future is germane. It enables the author to think critically about the state we’re in now, by extrapolating the state we will have got ourselves into in another 30 years. Said state is so dire that, when a possibility of taking a peek 100 years into the future presents itself, there are those who leap at the chance. That’s the first half of the book: hard SF.

The second half of the book takes a massive swerve from that path. Much of it is to do with a rather wonderful Hawai’ian philosophy: Ho o’ponopono, but there is more which I cannot talk about without dropping significant spoilers.

Author:

This is David Backman’s first novel, although he has hitherto written many fact-based publications. This shows in his confident prose. His first degree was in Mathematics and his career was in IT. When he retired he decided to turn his attention to this work, which had been nagging at his synapses for years. He has done much research to bring this book to publication, and it shows to good effect.

Appraisal:

The first half of this book is 5* quality. The hard SF is first class, the astrophysics plausible; the US politics which (of course) go hand in hand with top secret, high quality research such as is described, well explained; the state of the planet all-too plausible; the world very familiar to a present day readership. (Many of his sources are given at the end of the book: there are A Lot.) The story is fascinating, characterisation is good, plotting moves at a goodly clip.

Then the story takes, not one swerve, nor two, but three. The author describes these as ‘a couple of big twists’. This reviewer found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the twisters. Pace does not flag. It’s just that you may wonder, at times, if you’re still reading the same book.

I did get slightly frustrated by the author’s need to describe every character at first meeting, what they are wearing on that and all subsequent occasions, and what quotidian thing they may be doing while explaining how they’re going to save the world. The descriptions are pithy, but add them all up and it does become a bit ‘here we go again’. I know some readers like this kind of detail, and mundane action has its place, and once you’ve started you have to carry through.

I read and watch a lot of SF. And I didn’t find the timeline in this book (which is crucial) as easy to follow as I had expected. Signposts to when we currently are have to be sought (they are there, but using them gives rise to … you’ve guessed it … spoilers). I enjoyed the ‘Easter Eggs’ hidden (references to classic SF, written and filmic) in the book that I could ‘get’, but some of them remained opaque to me.

I picked this book for review from the title The Lightning in the Collied Night, which the author explains at the beginning is a quote from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Collied? Not a word in everyday use. When I’d thought about it, I was sure it was basically the same word as colliery, and so it is. Although the dictionary defines it as ‘dirty’ rather than my own preference, which would be ‘black’. But I will put a small wager on you not coming across it again except in a coal-mining context ever again.

This novel is worth your time. It is a bit of a curate’s egg – but then, it is a first novel. It is certainly a 4* read overall. It is consistently interesting and its plot drives forward. It has much to say about the way we are, planetarily speaking, living waaay beyond our means. Because of those swerves I mention above, it doesn’t offer any solutions – but that would be a Big Ask which is still beyond our current governments and science communities. It does, however, offer Ho o’ponopono. And that’s just wonderful.

STOP PRESS: a second edition of this novel now supercedes this, first, edition.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

None in this ARC review copy

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: Lula Mae by Charlene Raddon

 

Genre: Historical/Romance

Description:

“Lula May Rivers' mission to reach Cheyenne, Wyoming, and rescue her niece is derailed when she's left penniless after a brutal robbery. Desperate and determined, she disguises herself as a young boy named Lou and sneaks into the baggage car of a train bound for Cheyenne.

Fate takes a dramatic turn when U.S. Marshal Gannon Calloway discovers Lou. Anticipating another robbery, he offers her refuge aboard the train. Impressed by Lou's skill with a whip, Gannon enlists her help, unaware that she harbors dangerous secrets of her own. Their journey takes a perilous twist as a killer, whom Gannon once put behind bars, escapes and is on a relentless path to Cheyenne seeking vengeance against a female witness.

As tensions escalate, Gannon faces a stunning revelation: Lou is not a boy but a captivating woman, and the witness the convict seeks to eliminate is none other than her. Forced to work together, they must race against time to catch the vengeful convict. Along the way, an unexpected romance blossoms, revealing that sometimes, the heart has plans of its own.”

Author:

Charlene Raddon knew she wanted to be an author since elementary school and has a long career writing books with her first novel being published in 1990 with numerous others being published since.

Appraisal:

Wow. I’ve got to confess that while I’ve read quite a few books in the romance genre in my day and a least a few historical westerns, even some that combine both like this one, neither fits my preferred genres. Yet I’ve also come to realize that stretching my wings and reading books outside of my normal genres is a good idea so I gave this one a try. I’m glad I did. It took me to a different time and on a grand adventure with a couple of characters (take that any way you want and it will fit) with Lula Mae and Gannon. An extremely fun read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Reprise Review: The Redemption of Michael Hollister by Shawn Inmon

 

Genre: Time Travel

Description:

“All Michael Hollister wanted was death.

What he got, was time travel.

Convicted of murder, and with nothing left to live for, Michael commits suicide in his jail cell in 1977, then opens his eyes in 1966, in his eight-year-old body, all memories of his previous life intact.

His first thoughts are of the dark intentions of his father. When the man who raised him once again tries to do the unthinkable, Michael has a chance to right his childhood's greatest wrong. But, can he do that without becoming a killer all over again?”

Author:

“Have you ever noticed how almost every author on Amazon is both a ‘bestselling’ and ‘award winning’ author? Well, so is Shawn Inmon. He once dominated the Lithuanian Clog Dancing Romance category for two heady days back in 2013. He also was named third runner up in Mrs. Marsh's third grade spelling bee in 1968. Somewhere, he still has the certificate to prove it. Although he has never matched either of these two career highlights, he keeps plugging away.

Shawn hails from Mossyrock, Washington--the setting for his first two books, Feels Like the First Time, and Both Sides Now.

He is a full-time author who lives in picturesque Seaview, Washington on the Pacific Ocean.”??

Appraisal:

This book is being billed as the second in the “Middle Falls Time Travel series.” The first, The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver, had as its protagonist a character who died and found himself in a new life, kind of. He’d wake up as the same person, taken back in time to when he was a kid, but with all the knowledge of what he’d done in his past life or lives. Maybe a better term would be a “do over.” In that book Thomas had a classmate, Michael Hollister. If you’ve read the book you’ll know Michael wasn’t a very nice person. In fact, he was Oregon’s most prolific serial killer.

With that introduction to Michael you might wonder how he could possibly redeem himself. But when Michael finds a way to “end it all” while in prison, then wakes up in his boyhood bed in his boyhood home he’s smart enough to recognize the chance he’s been given. That’s the easy part. The hard part is figuring out what to do differently this time around.

The author does a masterful job of taking a character that was irredeemable to those who read the prior book and somehow redeeming him. Not excusing him for the crimes he committed in his past life, but helping us to understand how he got to that point and drawing us into the story so that we were pulling for Michael to find a different path for his life the next time around. The premise of the books in this series of being given another chance is an interesting mind exercise that makes for entertaining books. Well done, Mr. Inmon.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Review: Bite Sized Fiction by Robbie Sheerin

 

Genre: Short Story Collection

Description:

“This collection features five sci-fi stories, from cops hunting humanoid robots in Blade Runners 2039, to the shocking truth behind the Titanic in Ships Colliding in the Night. In Defrosting H.G. Wells, the legendary author is thrust 200 years into the future, awakening on a human-colonized planet—and questioning what became of Earth and its inhabitants.

The other five tales explore the intricacies of the human mind and heart: aging parents, childhood trauma, and mental health. A daughter is haunted by her controlling mother in Just Ignore Me. In The Incredible Broken Mind, a retired naval officer recalls the Black Plague with incredible detail, but not everything is what it appears. Concerns and Sandcastles captures a child's quiet worry about his parents’ love, while What Dangers Lay Beyond That Barrier of Mahogany Wood delves into the isolated world of a man battling agoraphobia. Award-winning writer Robbie Sheerin weaves humor, pathos, and surprise into every story—each one a twist-filled journey through imagination and emotion.”

Author:

“Robbie Sheerin is an award-winning Scottish author who lives in the USA. He has been published in various journals and online platforms. He is a quality manager and lives with his wife and crazy dog in the Boston area. He has one daughter. He can be found on his website Robbiesheerinwriter.”

Appraisal:

This small collection of short stories was a fun read. The mix of sci-fi and more general fiction was a nice mix. But what really stood out for me was how the author found a way to end many of the stories in a way that surprised me, yet felt like the correct ending, even if I didn’t see it coming. The “bite sized” stories are a nice change of pace to read in between a couple long novels that are my normal reading diet.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A few more proofing misses than I’d like to see in a book this size, but not quite enough to impact my overall rating.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 14-15,000 words