The Falling of Katja: An Erotic Romance
by Rosalind Scarlett
An amazingly well crafted short story that is a background piece for the author’s series of vampire books. Katja and her lifelong love interest discover their feeling for each other in time for a heart rending event caused by the patriarchal absolute decision making tree. Always a bad idea but it makes for an excellent story driving device.
Well edited and heat inducing. I give it a five for five, you pick the units.
The Icarian Legacy: Brave Souls
by Kocho Trajchevski
Excellent weaving of several story lines to mutually support each other. Bypassing the editing-spelling-misuse vortex for a bit let’s focus on how in this story line humans are rediscovering something lost to them through the ages. The concept that we keep squandering our time and resources on this planet, on petty meaningless issues, rather than pull together and become something grand is brought home in the wake up call that an alien invasion to farm us as slaves paints for us. Well done.
Now for the assembly. I started reading a very poorly edited copy of this but the author has put up an improved version. One thing that really needs to happen in this kind of writing is separation of point of view. Every time you shift point of view at least start a new paragraph and ideally space with a line. It makes the reader happier. I find it really helpful to keep a list of the characters names on a pad next to me while I write, it helps me to keep them straight while crafting the story. On the use of Military jargon I believe there was an over abundance of it though I feel it was used correctly most of the time.
As for any other editing issues I think the very story told in this book addresses the fact that we have many nations and cultures on earth. This author did an awesome first book in a language that is totally alien to his birth language and like the rest of ninety nine percent of us probably doesn’t have tons of money to get help. Once again I state ‘Excellent’ and I rate this at four out of five whatever units float your boat.
The Birth of a Nyxian
by Amanda R. Browning
A different kind of vampire book where the species is linked to Greek Mythology. The story starts out in Montana with an encounter between a loner history fanatic woman gazing at stars and a hungry chivalrous vampire not controlled by Hades. They meet, romance and end up on the run as Lillith, Hades daughter and recruiter, discover that the vampire Aiden is vulnerable through his new love interest. The mega wealthy Aiden spirits, Harlow-history fanatic, around the world attempting to avoid confrontations with Hades minions. No more on the edge of spoilers for you.
I found this to be a very well constructed story. Though switching points of view the way it was done in this work is not something I generally enjoy the author did manage to pull it off giving you both protagonists outlook.
Five out of five whatever measures float your boat for an original and well executed run at a vampire story.
Dreams of Steam II: Brass and Bolts
Edited by Kimberly Richardson
This anthology of Steam punk short fiction was at times very enjoyable to read and on some stories immensely frustrating. Let’s deal with the frustrating first.
Pricing. I am glad there was a kindle version for a reasonable price because I would never have read this otherwise. Editing. Though this is an anthology and all of the authors were likely responsible for final approval of the condition of their individual works the overall editor is responsible for the condition of the final product. That being said, though I found the overall condition promising the variation in editing quality from work to work brought that condition…down. Enough with the frustrating and on to the good stuff!
My favorite stories in this book centered around Nicola Tesla and his grasp of technology decades if not a century before the rest of the planet. My least favorite usually had to do with fiendish murderers playing off of Jack the Ripper. The most interesting story of the entire volume has to do with a Bantu Witch Doctor who was schooled in Europe and Egypt. He is called on by a local warlord to use his magical arts to help in repelling a Boer invasion.
I will give this book a four out of five what-evers. Reasoning: The stories were mostly enjoyable and the editing issues I saw could have been caused by any number of items present when one herds cats. My recommendation is buy the kindle version as the ‘dead tree’ versions are ridiculously priced.
This year I fully intend to get several of my works up in audio format while moving along with the writing on the next installment Truly Organic. Simultaneously I will try to satiate the desires of my fans who prefer printed books by getting the books back up on Amazon and Createspace. I wish to do this in such a fashion as to make the books acceptable to brick and mortar stores.
To get started off on the right foot though let’s have a review.
Lays the ground work for the Next You Universe by following the antics of Dr Abrams, Basil Wright and an assortment of others both friend and foe to the founding of the first interstellar corporation that maybe human owned.
The second book written it branches off to tell the story of PAS and Angelique as they reunite after a twenty marital separation by…death. Next You Interstellar LLC is the hub of intelligence affairs for the Inter-system Alliance and PAS is on a quest, aided by his Mercenary wife, to pay off the bill on his new body.
Book three of the franchise centers around the restoration of living space for…beings on Earth. Basil and Miranda navigate the politics of the Tribunal using Next You HRD resources to offer pressure relief. Their main obstacle turns out to be insane aliens called Bremmers. This one gets the EPIC stamp.
What do you get when you mix a young newly educated woman, a body transferred billionaire, aliens that have been buried for a millennium that turn crazed when released, vampire fighter pilots and a home-owners association? Visit Utopian Estates and find out.
Felix Dernoft may or may not have been lucky, you decide as you follow his life from birth to his…Destiny. Big things can come from small places even when your civilization becomes interstellar.
Volumes 1, 2 and the Omnibus Edition of Minus A Conscience.
Diego Martin Alphonse Dherzinsky, DMAD. Ah, to be an assassin in the IA Intelligence Agency, travel the stars to enact political change of a subversive nature and be rebuilt after each mission. What a life and the goal of retirement beckons from afar when DMADs universe up ends with a mission into unexplored space. Unexplored by humans that is. Follow this epic tail of exploratory insurgency that gets reversed on beings that think they are smarter than they really are.
Getting these works into print will be occurring in a timely fashion so if you are allergic to electrons do not give up hope.
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