One of my writing friends blogged about this book, inspiring me to obtain a copy. I'm glad I did. This is a straightforward manual designed to explain all that writers, and reviewers, need to know about Amazon reviews. The author is one of the top Amazon reviewers, so she understands the needs and concerns of …
Continue reading Naked Truths About Getting Book Reviews, by Gisela Hausmann, Reviewed.
Fantasy embraces many styles, subjects and themes. This short is a great example of what can be done when a writer has imagination. It's a piece with charm. Amusing, insightful, and caustic, it pokes fun at the idea of leaders. There's some repetition, and one or two small editing faults, but these are easily forgiven …
Continue reading The King of Fools, by M.R. Mathias, Reviewed.
This is a science fiction short based on the Oolite space trading game. No, I'd never heard of it, either. But you don't need to be familiar with this created Ooniverse to understand and enjoy this clever tale. It's a multi-layered piece, with many themes, in spite of its brevity. But it can also be …
Continue reading Nine, by Drew Wagar, Reviewed.
Modern readers may find this short novel too wordy, which is a shame, as it's a well-told story. But it is undeniably written in the style of its age, with a good deal of description and not a great amount of action. The central characters are all very fully drawn and their interactions are beautifully …
Continue reading The Man Whom the Trees Loved, by Algernon Blackwood, Reviewed.
This is a handy little ebook that sets out to suggest strategies for writers that will help them get the most from their time and effort. I've been around for a long time, and been writing for many of those years, so there isn't actually a great deal here that's new to me. However, it's …
Continue reading Wellbeing for Writers, by Jennifer Barraclough, Reviewed.
This dystopian science fiction novel grips from the start. Set in the not-too-distant future, it portrays a world devastated by plague. The few inhabitants left alive display all the emotions, characteristics and personality types that exist in the real world, so it's easy to empathise with the players here. The story is different from many …
Continue reading Monster of the Apocalypse, by C. Henry Martens, Reviewed.
This story sits well within the sub-genre of magical fantasy. There are the wizards and amulets, thieves, hill-folk, princesses and queens associated with the genre. The tale is well told, with plenty of action and a good deal of well-handled romance in the various relationships. For me, however, it is a little formulaic and reminded …
Continue reading The Demon King, by Cinda Williams Chima, Reviewed.
Much to the probable annoyance of nearby sun-lounger occupiers, I read this on holiday by the pool. Annoyance? Yes; the book had me laughing out loud with its wit. This very funny and often moving story is told through the voice of boy growing from near 16 to 18 years old. He becomes embroiled in …
Continue reading Slam, by Nick Hornby, Reviewed.
This science fiction novel was found in the small library of the hotel where I holidayed on the Greek Island of Thassos. Although this is the middle book of a trilogy, it stands quite well on its own. The depictions of both a world strangled by the genetic mistake of a fanatic and a sub-society …
Continue reading The Prey, by Andrew Fukuda, Reviewed.
Discovered in the small hotel library whilst holidaying on the Greek island of Thassos, this book was one I'd always intended to read. I'm glad I did. It's an imaginative, moving and subtly horrifying romance about organ donation based on the use of clones. Told in 1st person by Kath H, it begins by recounting …
Continue reading Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro, Reviewed.
Subtitled, 'A Brief History of Humankind', 'Sapiens' is a work of extraordinary scholarship presented in very readable form. There's a great deal of humour here, carrying the message. The whole text is readily accessible without any dumbing down. Thought-provoking, mind-enhancing, terrifying, encouraging and illuminating, this piece of work encompasses many disciplines. It examines human endeavour …
Continue reading Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, Reviewed.
This great crime tale in the P.I. Annie Raymond series see the detective back in Hull, working with people she'd much rather forget. As with all Penny Grubb's fiction, there is much more going on than meets the eye at first. Annie is at once suspicious, as she is sent back to her old tramping …
Continue reading Where There’s Smoke, by Penny Grubb, Reviewed.
Sometimes, you come across a reference book and wonder, 'Why didn't I find this sooner?' April Taylor's Internet Research for Fiction Writers is such a book. An earlier find would've saved me a good deal of time. Still, now that I have it on both my iPad and Mac, I can use it for the …
Continue reading Internet Research for Fiction Writers, by April Taylor, Reviewed.
Science fiction romance with a different sort of premise. This book tells the story of a frustrated and downtrodden woman whose life is altered forever when her uncaring husband brings home an advanced android for her to teach idiomatic English. The characters are well realised; the android is especially well drawn, which is quite an …
Continue reading Do Androids Dream, by Maureen Turner, Reviewed.
This is a singular novel from an author who really knows how to tell a story. Set in the murky world of ‘black ops’ during the troubles of Northern Ireland, this book gives insights into a world that many readers will suspect, but could never be sure, existed. The depth of research is extraordinary, with …
Continue reading Lucky Always, by E.D. Lappin, Reviewed.
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Antidote to the Novel
Stuart Aken 