A-Z Guide to Thassos, by Tony Oswin, Reviewed.

On 28/05/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review4 Comments

If you want to know about the place you’re visiting for a holiday, the A-Z guides are very useful. Although in print form, they include links to online information, which is kept up-to-date on an almost daily basis. So, you buy the book and use the included password to gain access to the websites. I’d …

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No Flies on Frank, by Danuta Reah, Reviewed.

On 22/05/201530/07/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Reading, Review

This is a little gem. A sort of cosy-crime/horror melange. It's a short work, and wastes no words to tell its tale. No doubt some readers will find it grisly, but I thought I detected a certain tongue-in-cheek approach on behalf of the writer. There is an undertone of dark humour and the author carries …

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Diamond Rain, by Michael Gallagher, Reviewed.

On 16/05/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review4 Comments

This is science fiction by an author who knows how to tell a story. It’s a complex thriller with elements of the spy genre coupled with a background romance and set in a not-too-distant future on an Earth where nanotechnology has developed in frightening directions. The characters are all well drawn and totally credible. Settings …

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Trees, by Benjamin Perkins, Reviewed.

On 07/05/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review3 Comments

I’ve had this book since it was published in 1984. It’s always sat on the shelf to be dipped into. But I now live in a forest, so it seemed the right time to give it a little more attention than I had. I bought the book largely for its superb illustrations. The detail and …

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Secrets and Lies in El Salvador, by Sherrie Miranda, Reviewed.

On 23/04/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review2 Comments

This novel reads like a personal account; it is presented in a way that takes the reader straight into the life of the protagonist as she finds herself. There are elements of the confessional here, suggestions of reportage, instances of the documentary. Secrets and Lies in El Salvador is written with passion, through the eyes …

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The Paintings, by Linda Acaster, Reviewed.

On 23/03/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review4 Comments

Linda Acaster’s, The Paintings, is not a book to read before bed, unless, of course, you prefer nightmares to sweet dreams. This short chiller is subtly sinister, as it builds a story of the apparent ordinary into something with supernatural hints and underlying threats to reach a climax that is as satisfying as it is …

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Mantle of Malice, by April Taylor, Reviewed.

On 16/03/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Review4 Comments

Mantle of Malice is the third book in the Tudor Enigma series, and, having read them all, I’d say it’s the best so far. In this alternative fantasy history, the main protagonist, Luke Ballard, has matured and grown in wisdom and experience. That’s not to say he no longer makes mistakes or has somehow overcome …

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Wrong! A Themed Anthology 2014, Edited by Deborah Owen; Reviewed.

On 25/01/2015 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer

This collection of short fiction from many different authors is based on the following theme: ‘I have a list and a map. What can possibly go wrong?’ And, of course, these creative authors show the reader just what can go wrong. I confess at this point that I’m a guest author for this anthology, but …

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The Cunning Man, by John Yeoman, Reviewed.

On 02/01/201530/07/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

This ‘fictorial’ as the author calls it, should start a trend amongst authors with a desire to help other writers improve their craft. That is precisely what John Yeoman does in this collection of historical mystery stories. He tells a tale and inserts footnote links in the text, these lead to the footnotes, which explain …

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Let’s Get Digital, by David Gaughran, Reviewed.

On 12/12/201430/07/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

A book I bought as part of a package for indie authors. I’m glad I did. So far, and this is the second in the pack of three, it has been a thoroughly worthwhile investment in terms of time and money. In fact, I would happily have paid significantly more for these books. This volume …

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Write. Publish. Repeat, by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant, Reviewed.

On 04/12/201430/07/2017 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Reading, Review

I downloaded this book as part of a package of 3, offered for a very silly price, by which I mean, cheap, very cheap! It’s the best few pence I’ve ever spent. I’d have happily paid a hundred times more. This is the first book in the package and it speaks to me. Oh, how …

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