Blind Sight (The Celadon Circle) / Nicole Storey

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal/ YA

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: YES

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Author:

“Nicole Storey lives in the hot and humid part of Georgia with her husband, two amazing children, and plethora of pets. When she isn't traveling to magical realms with potty-mouthed pixies or fighting demons, she enjoys reading and reviewing books, blogging, and gardening.”

Ms. Storey's new website is under construction right now, in the meantime you can find her on Facebook and Goodreads.

Description:

“Jordan has visions of monsters, demons, and death. Seventeen, orphaned, and born into the family business, she doesn’t have friends, she doesn’t have choices. Her uncle, older brothers, and a few annoying angels dominate her life, demanding she tow their lines – and the punishment is severe when those lines are crossed... In a game between Good and Evil where God seems to have tapped out early, lines are blurred and not everything is as it seems.”

Appraisal:

The Celedon Circle is a secret society of human demon slayers. Jordan is a seeker, born and raised to fight demons along with her family. Being a seeker makes her rare and highly valued for her visions of demon activity. The story starts with one of Jordan's visions of an unusually horrific monster which has been summoned in a small Tennessee town. Ms. Storey paints graphic pictures of the carnage this monster wreaks and the reader is grabbed by the throat and dragged into the story.

Other than her unique ability and special family circumstances, Jordan is more or less a typical teenager and her humanity is demonstrated throughout the book. With the story being told through Jordan's eyes we get to know her well along with her perspective of some not so good angels and not so bad demons. The lines between good and evil are blurred and the twists in this character-driven plot are startling. I also found all of the characters realistic and well developed, their dialogue was believable, and the relationships authentic.  

I have to confess I was held captive through the entire story. The Tennessee     story thread is tied up nicely at the end so there is not a cliffhanger ending. However, I can't wait to see how things develop as Jordan's world is turned upside down by an unexpected twist at the end. This could turn into a stellar series. If you are looking for a different sort of urban fantasy this may be a book you would enjoy.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars

The Return of the Mullet Hunter / Simon Varwell

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Travel Narrative

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO

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Author:

“Simon Varwell is a compulsive traveller, a keen amateur photographer, and spends too much time having what if moments. Up the Creek Without a Mullet tells the story of one such moment, and is his first book. Simon was born in 1978 and grew up in Benbecula in the Western Isles. He is married and lives in Inverness.”

For more, visit the author’s website.

Description:

“Simon Varwell is a man on a mission. Albeit a ridiculous one: to visit various places in the world with the word ‘mullet’ in their name. The Return of the Mullet Hunter charts his continuing global mission, and includes his travels in England, Canada, New Zealand and the USA as he hunts down obscure backwaters linked together only by their names.”

Appraisal:

I admit it. I’m a sucker for “travel quest” books. Some quests seem to have a certain logic to them (a trip around the world or to all 50 US states, for example). This one, not so much. Yet, because of the ridiculousness of the quest, to visit every place in the world with the word mullet in the name, the story that results is full of the kinds of things that appeal to me. Getting off the beaten path to obscure parts of the world is one. To me this is the point of this kind of quest, the serendipity of discovering places you’d never visit or a reader would never hear about otherwise. The other appeal is the human element, “meeting” a variety of people from these sometimes obscure places. Varwell’s frequent use of “couch surfing” (overnighting on someone’s couch or using their extra bedroom) and staying in hostels sets up more of these situations than normal.

FYI:

Uses UK spelling conventions and slang.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Ball Machine / Simon J. Townley

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Science Fiction

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

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Author:

Simon Townley has somehow scratched a living as a freelance writer for nearly twenty years.

He is the author of the acclaimed slipstream / speculative novel Lost In Thought and has written a range of cross-genre novels for both adults and young adults, including prehistoric fiction series A Tribal Song - Tales of the Koriba. The first novel in the series, The Dry Lands, was published in 2012, with the second, In the Rattle of the Shaman's Bones, scheduled for release in early 2014. His dystopian sci-fi thriller Outlivers, again written for both adults and young adults alike, was released in Autumn of 2013.

Description:

Rosa Rodriguez, the only woman among a team of technical geniuses, yearns for a partner to match her at tennis. None of the nerds can comply, so she persuades them (in a very unique way) to help her build a tennis-playing android. The story follows the android’s journey as he develops physically and mentally until he’s finally faced with a very human decision.

Appraisal:

As Al recently pointed out, the purpose of a review is to help others decide if a story is appealing to them. So, I’ll start with a negative. If you don’t understand and enjoy tennis and soccer, you probably won’t enjoy this book. But before you skip to the next review, I do recommend taking a look at another work by this author. I read and reviewed Lost in Thought last year and loved it (and not a soccer or tennis ball in sight).

Disclaimer over. This is a terrific read. Gosh, Mr. Townley can write his little socks off. Lean, terse sentences move this tale along at a blistering pace. Crazy concepts presented so succinctly that even wild stretches of the imagination seem not just possible, but obvious—of course these geniuses could build a totally lifelike android in a couple months—duh! Of course his penis would work (now if that doesn’t get you clicking download from Amazon, I don’t know what would!)

The story, or rather the character arc, because this is all about Vitas, the android, is full of subplots and interesting secondary characters (I particularly enjoyed Ng), but never confusing. In fact, the book’s full title is: Ball Machine - the Inside Story of the Lies, Seductions and Sporting Triumphs of the Android Vitas Rodriguez. I think that describes the plot very nicely. Until the very last page, I didn’t know how things would finish for Vitas. I did enjoy the ending, but it’s a credit to the author, that I would have enjoyed the other alternative, too.

Highly recommended--a very unusual and fascinating read.  

Format/Typo Issues:

Too few to mention.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Kyiv Rules / Alex Shaw

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO

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Author:

Alex Shaw was a drama teacher in an international school based in Kyiv until he left to set up his own consultancy business. 

Hetman, the author’s first novel, took 12 years to write, subsequently followed up by Cold Black. Both were Kindle bestsellers.

You can learn more about the author at his website.

Description:

Gennady Dudka is head of the Organised Crime and Corruption Unit in the Ukranian SBU. He is tasked with finding out who is masterminding a series of audacious raids on armoured cars. The timing couldn’t be worse. In a week’s time the Ukraine is hosting an Interpol conference. Dudka must track down the people responsible - or face the consequences.

Appraisal:

This is an interesting novella. It is clear the author, even without reading his bio, is very knowledgeable when it comes to the Ukraine, its people, politics, food and culture. And that adds a dimension to this story that I’ve not come across before. There’s a very strong sense of place within, what it’s like to live and operate within the country, the detail stretches down even to the level of bread consumption.

That’s not to say that this detail dwarfs the story, far from it. The descriptions are light and support the action. In fact it is the politics – crime and corruption within the SBU – that drives this tale and one man, Dudka, who is brave enough to tackle it, albeit in a pragmatic fashion.

The characters are well done too, again they fit with the location and atmosphere Shaw creates, as does the dialogue. The action clips along with the odd twist and turn en route as Dudka tracks down his man and saves the day.

This is a well written short story, I’d like to know more about Dudka and the Ukraine. Well worth looking out.

FYI:

Nothing of note.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number not worth mentioning.

Rating: **** Four Stars

#Free for your #Kindle, 2/6/2014

The author of each of these books has indicated their intent to schedule these books for a free day for the Kindle versions today on Amazon. Sometimes plans change or mistakes happen, so be sure to verify the price before hitting that "buy me" button.

When Gods Fail by Nelson Lowhim

Amazon US

Amazon UK

The Struggle by Nelson Lowhim

Amazon US

Amazon UK

One False Move by David Callinan

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Author's interested in having their free book featured either here on a Thursday or a sister site on a Monday, visit this page for details.

Memoir of a Reluctant Shaman / Ty Nolan

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Native American/ Magical Realism

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

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Author:

Ty Nolan is a professional storyteller and a therapist. He was asked to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professors how to use Storytelling (a retelling of traditional Native American Stories)  to more effectively communicate complex concepts about technology to a general audience. Most recently he has worked with the National Science Foundation's Flagship Project, Synergy.

He currently lives in Arizona near South Mountain Community College, where one can be certified as a storyteller at one of the only Storytelling Institutes in the United States.

Description:

Ty Nolan's coming of age story with Native American Magical Realism interwoven with traditional American Indian Legends.

Appraisal:

Ty Nolan gets up close and personal in this coming of age memoir about his life, possibly a little too personal for some. He doesn't pull any punches about being a gay man. The narrative is about the spiritual truths he experienced as a young man. Frankly, I found it to be an amazing history. Yes, I am hesitant to call this a story even though many will relate to it as such.

This is Mr. Nolan's own personal experience he is sharing with us for our own enlightenment, he is sowing seeds. He has also woven certain Native legends with these experiences and expanded into other spiritualism’s as well. We are also given insight into life on a reservation as well as his family's life. I thought it was humorous and creative that Mr. Nolan referred to his brothers and sisters by their astrological signs instead of their names. I found it all fascinating and had trouble putting the book down to sleep. I also enjoyed the author's sense of humor that is injected into the narrative as asides occasionally. It served to relieve tension and made it more personal.

This author has expanded the realm of possibilities in his books and I look forward to reading more from Ty Nolan. He is obviously an intelligent man with a lot of wisdom to share and a skilled Storyteller.

FYI:

Certain subject manner may be offensive to some.

Format/Typo Issues:

I noticed a small number of proofing errors.

Rating: ***** Five stars 

Awakened: The Story of Maxwell Cain / David Matthiesen

Reviewed by: Michael Thal

Genre: YA/Fantasy/Occult

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

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Author:

David Matthiesen was educated in Texas and is currently the Director of Sales at Office Depot. One night he had an epiphany that culminated into Awakened.

Description:

Max, a fourteen year-old orphan has horrible nightmares where he has incredible powers capable of destroying the world. During his waking hours he has best friends Will and Chloe to center him. All this changes on Max’s 15th birthday when he is attacked by bullies and laid unconscious. When he awakens, Max is ten years older.

Appraisal:

David Mattiesen’s debut book, Awakened: The Story of Maxwell Cain is a plot driven novel with non-stop action. The author makes the newbie error of telling too much and not showing enough, but the suspense expertly builds throughout the book keeping the reader’s interest. Pages will flip quickly as Max gets into one jam and out of another as he develops his magical skills. Readers interested in magic, fantasy, and the occult will love this work. By the way, the ending is a jaw-dropper.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four stars

Blood Audit / Edward S. Blythe

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

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Author:

“Edward Blythe grew up in a cow-town in southeastern Arizona. Growing up without a TV, he became a voracious reader and writer. An accountant by trade, Edward lives and works in southern California with his wife and children. In his spare time, he enjoys surfing and travel.”

Description:

“Jack’s seen something strange. The man standing at the teller window just made a large cash deposit. It seemed like a simple thing - not so unusual in a credit union, but it’s gnawing at the back of his mind.

He’s already over his time allotment for the audit, but he can’t dismiss the transaction, or the evil grin the man gave him. He’ll take a quick look to satisfy his own curiosity. It’s about to be the biggest mistake he ever makes.

What he’ll uncover is a secret – a dirty cop secret.

He’s bored to death as an auditor, but never imaged this audit could actually kill him…until now.”

Appraisal:

Jack Bluth’s job is auditing credit unions to, among other things, insure they are following the laws and regulations that govern them. Usually it’s a boring job, but when Jack uncovers some suspicious activity, his life is suddenly at the opposite extreme.

The overall story isn’t bad. The boredom of Jack’s job comes through loud and clear. The premise, that he uncovers what appears to be a money laundering operation, is a good one, and the details of how he does this and the events that trigger his suspicions are both credible and accurate. However, the devilish details get in the way of the story.

A large part of the problems are due to inadequate editing in all phases of the editing process including proofreading. There are numerous typos and other errors. Sometimes this is minor, as in “Todd smiled, showing of his perfect teeth.” The reader will figure out this should be “showing off” easy enough, but it will still throw them out of the story when encountered. Sometimes a minor problem can cause a major change in the meaning. As in …

In his mouth was the nozzle of a furniture shop vacuum. The duct tape was wrapped around his head and nozzle.

Around his nozzle? What’s that? Or when he described someone as “a high profile character out of Albuquerque, who always wore a cowboy hat, a fringy leather vest, and his stellar record of thirteen successful suites against cities and police departments across the United States."

He wore his record? (The unfortunate typo ‘suites’ instead of ‘suits’ doesn’t help matters.)

Then we’ve got a problem of messing up “facts” within a few pages of each other or even within a couple paragraphs. For example Jack tells a friend he has $11,000 in savings and several pages later tells him he’s willing to invest “the full seventy-five in my savings.” (Whether that is seventy-five hundred or thousand isn’t clear, but is definitely inconsistent.) At one point in the story Jack found himself without a car and having to get around by walking or riding a bus. Figuring out the bus system was a challenge (hence the seemingly unneeded detail about the bus schedule), but even so, these paragraphs threw me.

He could take the 33 route up to little Tokyo, then transfer to Bus 333 to downtown, then at Main and Temple he could walk a block, and then get on the 84 to Mt. Washington. He looked up as he heard the sound of the bus coming up the empty street. His body seemed so physically drained he didn’t know if he was going to be able to lift his foot onto the bus as it opened its doors. Stumbling to the back, he lay across the hard plastic seats. Within minutes, he was asleep.

He jolted upright. The bus was stopped. The driver was saying something, but it didn’t register to Jack. He looked again at his watch; 12:50 a.m. It had taken more than an hour to get downtown.

Jack then walks the block to get on the #84 bus, but somehow he managed to make the transfer to Bus 333 while sleeping?

The sheer volume of issues like these examples kept throwing me out of the story and rather than wondering how it would end, I was just wishing it would.

Format/Typo Issues:

A large number of proofing and copyediting issues. Some of the problems I spotted were minor typos (‘of’ instead of ‘off’), missing or extra words, wrong verb tenses, and sentences that made no sense or didn’t mean what was probably intended.

Rating: ** Two stars

Strange Worlds / Paul Clayton

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Short Story Collection

Approximate word count:  50-55,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

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Author:

Paul Clayton is the author of a three-book historical series on the Spanish Conquest of the Floridas-- Calling Crow, Flight of the Crow, and Calling Crow Nation (Putnam/Berkley), and a novel, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam (St. Martin's Press), based on his own experiences in that war.

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates (Faithless) and David McCullough (John Adams).

Clayton's latest book-- White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke-- is a work of historical fiction.

Paul currently lives in California, with his son and daughter.

Description:

Thirteen stories, mostly set in the future and remarkable for how different they all are, considering they come from one person’s mind.

Appraisal:

Varied and quirky, I had a lot of fun wandering through Paul Clayton’s imaginings. Try this for a range of topics: A genetic experiment that goes horribly wrong and threatens the inhabitants of a small island. A life-sucking being masquerading as a cat in a nursing home as it feeds on the life forces of the patients. A UPS truck that delivers a cloned baby (they had to send it back because it was too dark skinned!). Dead people who return to life for a few days. Brains transplanted into robots to extend life. My favorite was a poignant tale of the last ‘real’ human living in a world of clones who desire his memories because they have none of their own. And that’s only six of the thirteen. Yeah, like I said—a lot of fun. 

Format/Typo Issues:

Too few to mention.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Oranges for Christmas / Margarita Morris

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Historical Fiction/YA

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Margarita Morris was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, in 1968. She attended Harrogate Granby High School and then studied Modern Languages at Jesus College, Oxford. She worked in computing for eleven years before leaving to work with her husband on their internet business. She likes writing novels set in historically interesting places, such as Berlin which she first visited in 1987 before the Wall came down. When she's not writing she enjoys singing in an Oxford chamber choir and working in the garden. She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and two sons.”

Description:

“Sixteen years after the end of World War Two, Berlin is occupied by the Americans, British and French in the West and by the Soviets in the East. Citizens of West and East Berlin cross the border regularly, to go to work or to visit family and friends. But then on the morning of 13th August 1961 Berliners wake up to find that this is no longer possible. The border is closed. 17 year old Sabine, her mother and younger sister are trapped in East Berlin. Dieter, Sabine’s older brother, is in West Berlin. For Sabine and her family, the only option is to escape from East Berlin. But there’s a wall which is guarded by armed soldiers. Escaping from the East to the West is a matter of life and death. And the East German state security police are watching everyone, all the time, watching…”

Appraisal:

Although Oranges for Christmas has a seventeen-year-old protagonist and a story that’s a good fit for the YA audience, that label might be limiting in a way it doesn’t deserve. It’s also undeniably historical (taking place in the early 60s), which prompted my major takeaways from the story.

At least some of the history of the Berlin Wall I’d learned and largely remembered. Things like it going up overnight (initially the “wall” was just coils of barbed wire which isolated East Berlin from West Berlin, with an actual wall constructed shortly after). I knew that extended families were shut off from each other (children from parents and grandparents or, as in this story, a grown child trapped on one side and unable to see his mother and siblings on the other). But I’d forgotten the timing. In my mind this happened in the immediate aftermath of World War II, not around 16 years later. That this happened in my lifetime, although young enough for these events to not be something I was aware of at the time, drove home for me how our perception of history is colored by what we “experienced” in some way ourselves with everything else being “ancient.” My grandkids will (and probably already do) consider 9/11 and the war in Iraq the same way.

I also thought the author did an excellent job integrating the actual historical events including many details that those of us who aren’t history buffs wouldn’t be aware of into the story. It made for a compelling read with a bit of painless education thrown in.

FYI:

Uses UK spelling conventions.  Very limited use of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars