The Stone of Arveqtuit

Title: The Stone of Arveqtuit
Author: Thomas Albert

Ratings

Score: 7/10
Chart Entry Point: 12

Review


The Stone of Arveqtuit (pronounced Ar-vek-too-it) does not feel like your standard fantasy book. Indeed, when I first began reading the book I compared it in my mind as being somewhere between Indiana Jones and the Da Vinci Code. Although I could use those comparisons for almost the whole story, when I finished reading the book I couldn't compare it to anything I've read before...

Sacrifice (Embraced by Darkness Book One)

Title: Sacrifice
Author: Tarah L. Wolff

Series: Embrace by Darkness (Book One)

Succeeded By: Stricken

Ratings

Score: 1/10
Chart Entry Point: 48
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: I won't be

Review

I started reading this book slightly apprehensively - the title was reminiscent of the vampire romance books that seem to be everywhere these days. But the blurb looked more interesting, and suggested that the book had potential, so I wasn't too worried.

Perhaps I should have been.

Life Descending (Cry of Havoc Book One)

Title: Life Descending
Author: John Hennessey
Series: Cry of Havoc (Book 1)


Ratings

Score: 4/10
Chart Entry Point: 43
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Unlikely

Review

    I was looking forwards to reading this book when it was first given to me. The things that the blurb mentioned were all very interesting: the familiar idea of war in a different world, a man reborn into a new one, and a search for the unique sounding artifact known as the "Impermeable Suit". The blend of common and new aspects of the genre looked like the perfect read for a fantasy reader. I did however, have some problems with it. Beginning with the fact that all the interesting things I was looking forwards to finding out about were barely hinted at in the first half of the book...

Running Black (Eshu International Book One)

Title: Running Black
Author: Patrick Todoroff
Series: Eshu International


Ratings

Score: 4/10
Chart Entry Point: 35
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Unlikely

Review

The story started promisingly. I liked chapter one quite a lot. But it turns out that it's not representative of the rest of the story. In fact, It's more of a prologue. Which is unfortunate.

While I liked the story, and the idea of clones - if not the names of the first three - I found that the narrative was extremely difficult to read. And I'm not really sure why, if I'm honest. There is one thing that contributed I'll discuss in a moment, but other than that... I don't know. Maybe it was too jargon-y or something. I just found myself not actually understanding what was going on quite often.

Mine

Title: Mine
Author: Lin Sten

Ratings

Score: 8/10

Review

It's been a long time since I stayed up till 4am reading. At least, unless you count last night. You can probably tell from that that I enjoyed it, and I'm sure the author enjoyed writing it. It's a happy book, an uplifting one. One that it's easy to enjoy reading. But it's not easy to read. It's Technical, Hard Sci-Fi, and there will be more about that later in the review. But first I want to talk about the characters. They're great.

Essentially that's the summary of the characters. I can't think of a single character that I didn't like. Maybe the chat-show host, Charles Dance. But of the main characters, there are none that are boring or lifeless. Even the bad guy seems somewhat lovable as the story progresses. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Generally it's helpful to have someone to hate. Normally the bad guy, but not always. This doesn't have that, but while unusual, it reflects the theme of the book quite well (that of coexisting with other species).

Marked (Soul Guardians - Book One)

Title: Marked
Author: Kim Richardson
Series: Soul Guardians Trilogy

Succeeded By: Tricked (Not Yet Published)

Ratings

Score: 9/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: I'm looking forwards to it.

Review

This is possibly the hardest review I've had to write. Not because the book was bad, in fact I was rather impressed by it. No, the reason that it's been hard to review is that it's closest book I've come to on this blog that could be classed as "chick-lit". It's unfamiliar territory for me.

But don't let this stop you from reading it! The majority of my blog's readers are male, but I would still say that they should consider this book. Especially if they are looking for a light, easy read.

Dead Forever: Resonance

Title: Resonance
Author:William Campell
Series: Dead Forever Trilogy (Book Three)
Preceeded By: Apotheosis


Ratings

Score: 9/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: There isn't any :-(

Review
If I'm honest, I would have to say I wasn't expecting a lot from this book. Not because I doubted the author's talents, but because of where the last book left things. Essentially what had been a story set in the vast expanse of the galaxy has been reduced to the story of someone on a single planet, Earth.

I'm happy to report that actually, Campbell pulls this off really well. I mainly expected the story to be for a large part stand-alone, but it integrates with the previous books quite impressively. It's difficult to explain how well it does work without just simply copying the first few chapters, but from the start, it does work well. So, alleviated of my fears, I could allow myself to simply enjoy the book.

Night of the Living Trekkies

Title: Night of the Living Trekkies
Authors: Kevin David Anderson, Sam Stall

Ratings
Score: 7/10


Review

Night of the Living Trekkies is a title that pretty much sums up the story. Unlike with some vaguer titles in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, with this one you really do get what it says on the metaphorical tin.

Thistle

Title: Thistle
Author: Casey Simpson
Succeeded By: ???

Ratings

Score: 5/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Probable

Review

The first thing that can be said for this book, is that the characters are wonderful, especially the titular character, Thistle, during the middle section of the book. She is a lost and confused girl, who nevertheless is devious and very, very loveable. Another favourite are the two captains, Parma (a major character) and Dozy (a more minor character).

But while the author has written these wonderful characters well, I get the impression that the editing hasn't gone so well. There are regular mistakes in spelling and punctuation, as well as word misuse (their instead of there), which I believe needs to be looked at before this book can become widespread. There was also the single use of brackets, which personally, i find offputting in any story.

But as I earlier mentioned, the author writes rather wonderfully, and I'll discuss the plot in a moment, but there are two devices that I think the author uses exceedingly well. The first is psychology. The descent into madness of a particular character is impressive - the author switches to her perspective regularly, and each time she is less and less composed. But the author doesn't stop there. He manages to show us how each main character has changing views of increasingly insane woman.

The other device is more commonly done well, and is the dropping of important information early in the plot. I don't want to go into detail, as not to ruin the story, but it is there.

As with almoat any book. There are weak points, and the greatest weakpoint here was the romance. Early on, it starts well, in a scene with a drunken thistle, but then at the end it moves far too quickly. There is no real description of the getting together scene, it just happens, and no description of Thistle's feelings. Additionally, thay start calling each other beloved almost instantly, and while I could maybe expect that from the man, I would imagine that thistle would be scornful.

That getting together scene is one that I would have liked to have seen. The other is the ear removal scene. Or at least before and after, as it would keep that particular character in our minds, and show more her change in position.

Finally to the plot! While at first I found that there were too many sub-plots, and that the story was too complex for it's length, they quickly tied together nicely, and the one or two remaining sub-plots were woven well with the main plot. While each of the sub-plots were interesting (and Anselme's in particular could have been the start of a completely different book, such was the impact it had), when they joined together it made Thistle's storyline much richer.

Overall then, the main downfall of the book is the grammatical and spelling errors, which really need to be looked at. Nevertheless, the story is a good one, with the odd scene that I would like to see included to ease the flow of the plot.


More Information

Main Protagonist(s): 1 Female (with 2 secondary male)
Main Antagonist(s): 1 Female
Main Relationships: Heterosexual
Genre: Fantasy
Amazon Synopsis:

On the edge of a crumbling empire, a young orphan struggles desperately to escape a life of poverty and slavery. When she stows away aboard a galleon headed for the capitol of the world, Thistle is set on a collision course with the Royal House of Ran. Aided by a drunken sea captain, a one eyed peddler and a boy soldier, Thistle fights to save her world, even as she learns the strange truth about this far future earth. A queen who must remain forever masked dreams of reviving ancient glories-and unspeakable weapons from the dawn time. But she is not what she seems, nor is the unforgettable girl known as Thistle. 


ISBN: 978-0982640913
Website: None Found
Amazon Link: Thistle
Pages: 350
First Published: March 1, 2010
Publisher: Flying Panther Media

Dead Forever: Apotheosis

Title: Dead Forever: Apotheosis
Author: William Campbell
Series: Dead Forever Trilogy (Book Two)
Preceeded By: Dead Forever: Awakening
Succeeded By: Dead Forever: Resonance (coming 2011)

Ratings

Score: 9/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Definite!

Review

The first thing that I want to say about this book is: Read it! Although I didn't give the first book in the series a particularly glowing reference, this book is a great read, and very thought provoking.

But I'll get to that in a moment. For the last book I began with the cover, and I'll start there again. It's a great cover, mainly an wraparound of the world the first part of the book is set on, overlayed with one of the final scenes and an image of the main female character, which ties it in nicely to the previous cover (see image above). This time the cover is more representative of the full story, and works really well.

But even if you don't like the cover, This is a great book to read. It's as entertaining as any good book, but unlike many it tackles some of the deep problems and questions of the world today, in a way that is subtle as you read the book, but makes you think when you put it down. If you are looking for a book that makes you think about the world, then this is a great one to read. I don't want to give anything away, but the theological implications are fascinating.

If you aren't looking for such a book, then don't worry, the book is great entertainment even if you ignore the philosophical ideas it presents. The first part in particular is very cleverly written, and great to read, while the second is full of action and humour. Well, on saying that, the whole thing is full of humour.

This is probably the most indescribably good book that I have read, and the only bits I found annoying were the main character's dreams, which seemed to get more and more confusing as the book progressed. But since there are few of these scenes the good far, far outweighs them.

If I were you, I would hunt a copy of this book down until you find one. Of course, I'm not you, and already have a copy, but I would seriously recommend this book to anyone.


More Information

Main Protagonist(s): 1 male, with other secondary characters (mixed genre)
Main Antagonist(s):  1 male + 1 association
Main Relationships: Heterosexual
Genre: Science Fiction, Bordering on Religous Fantasy...
Amazon Synopsis:

A god? No thanks, too much responsibility. Sequel to Awakening, the adventure continues as our hero travels to the Restricted Zone, where mistakes mount and the mission falls apart. Plunged into an alien world at war, the hero is caught between battling natives who either worship him as a god, or another heretic scheduled to burn alive. The hero struggles to bring peace among chaos but his nemesis has arrived, and he likes playing god, poised to launch unthinkable wrath that fulfills a world-ending prophecy. The natives are confident their savior will prevail, but trouble brews back home: the rebels are under siege, two planets ruined, and the body supply is depleted. More of all the hero is expected to fix while he only longs to be a child again, the one dream denied him for lifetimes. He hatches a daring plot to outsmart the enemy but in doing so risks his own life, in the last body to enjoy as a free soul. A single choice could spell his end, for real this time. Dead forever.


ISBN: 978-0-9717960-5-8
Website: Books Page on Series Website
Amazon Link: Dead Forever: Apotheosis
Pages: 357
First Published: 2010
Publisher: Glyd-Evans Press

The Prophecy of Zephyrus

Title: The Prophecy of Zephyrus
Author: G.A.Hesse
Series: Standalone

Ratings
Score: 8/10
How long I would stay up reading: 2am
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Quite Likely (if there is one)

Review

Where do I start? The world that Hesse creates is a wonderful to be taken to, whether by the spirit comet as Obie is, or by reading the pages of the book. I was severely disappointed when the book ended, as it meant that I would be forced to leave.

It is not a particularly described world, the author leaves much of that to the imagination. But the characters are particularly realistic, even though one consists of a talking mole, and another as a half-lion, half man. The only character I though unrealistic was a talking falcon, a minor character in the last few pages of the book. It is easy to become attached to the main female character, and we can easily understand the main characters fascination with her, as if we herself were fascinated. Through these characters we percieve the world around them, and it is through them that it comes alive.

The title refers to the prophecy that the events unfold around. While Zephyrus is not really mentioned, or explained, the prophecy is incredibly well thought out, referring to some little details that cannot be predicted until after the event. It makes me wonder if it was actually written after the rest of the book.

The beginning of the book however, is far too rushed. Until he is taken to the fantasy world, we understand little of what's going on, and an event is over short after it has begun. The matter of the nightmares and discovery of the stone, the two reasons for him goint to the other world, need to be expanded upon, and so does his main love interest, Shannon, who is barely mentioned. I would like to see a longer first part, until the comet takes him to Windermere.

But the ending is spectacular, unpredictable, and unexpected. Perhaps not the most spectacular twist, it's plausible if you consider the story in hindsight, but one of the most unexpected. And also quite satisfying. It leaves no burning questions, and few loose ends. In some ways however, it is quite an emotional end, drawing soft but real emotion from the reader as they read the closing chapter.

The artwork is stunning, and althought the title made me dubious of the story, I would recommend it as light reading. It is an easy story to pick up and get into, and doesn't mean you lose the plot when you put it down as some more complex books would. It would be an ideal book for a fantasy lover to take on journeys and holidays.


More Information
Main Protagonist(s): 3 Male
Main Antagonist(s): 1 Male
Main Relationships: Heterosexual (But Minor)
Genre: Fantasy
Brief Synopsis: (From Amazon)

17-year-old Obie Griffin knew he was a jinx. He d proven that. So why was he chosen to fulfill an old prophecy and become the Protector of the Moonpath Riders, the beautiful Gabrielle and her windlord, Mara? Whisked back to an ancient kingdom at a time when black sorcery is destroying the world, he must decide whether to remain there, or return to the safety of his own time if it still exists. When an unexpected event occurs, Obie makes a decision that hurls him into an epic journey with his horse, Shadow, and two unlikely companions. Traveling through gloomy oak forests and deadly highland blizzards, they encounter Zelda the River Witch, enemy goblins, fierce warriors spawned by black magic, and others. But the worst is yet to come, for it dawns on Obie that he must soon defend Gabrielle against the King of Darkness in a battle to save the earth---and the soul be thinks he's lost.

ISBN:
Website: Publisher's Page (A brilliant website for the book)
Amazon Link: UK Site (unavailable in UK store) US Site
Pages: 431
First Published: November 2009
Publisher: AHAH Books

Still testing:

I recieve comission if you go through this link. But it has a picture :-).

Dead Forever: Awakening

Title: Dead Forever: Awakening
Author: William Campbell
Series: Dead Forever Trilogy (Book 1)

Succeeded By: Dead Forever: Apotheosis

Ratings

Score: 5/10
How long I would stay up reading: 11-12pm
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: I would if it came my way, but I wouldn't look for it. (The cover looks exciting though...)

Review

Where to begin? The first thing that most people see is the cover, and despite the popular adage it is normally a large part of the decision to buy a book. For a Science Fiction book, this cover has it all: A spaceship, A rather attractive young lady pointing a laser-gun type weapon and plenty of mysterious figures over a metropolis backdrop. Good Stuff. This cover however, meant that it took me a few pages to realise that the main character was male. So brilliant but misleading cover.

Now we can look inside the book. The first two chapters are confusing and quite hard to get through. For me, it took some work. Things change rapidly, confusingly, and since the main character knows nothing, neither do we. I nearly put the book down out of disinterest. My obligation to review the book however, meant that I had to continue.

Fortunately, the Book gets a lot better very quickly. As soon as the main character is rescued it get's more interesting (and funnier). The character's friends have a sort of drunken humour, which can creat an interesting mind effect when reading sober. As for Adam, the protagonist, his observations of the world around him can be highly amusing.

The author is rather good at writing sexual tension, but when emotion starts to be an issue he loses it slightly. This could be because we don't understand the feelings, Adam's returning memory makes feelings apparently come from nowhere, for a character we don't meet until the very end.

In addition, there seems to be no main objective to the plot, which weakens it somewhat, although the ending is a direct suggestion of a sequel (which does exist). I've read other reviews saying that the author tackles the subject of reincarnation well, but I disagree. Not that his ideas on the matter are well written, but that it is truly reincarnation. It's a different sort of process. I would be interested to see where the author takes it next, but for me the sequel is not a priority read.

In all, the book is entertaining and not entirely frivolous, but if you are looking for a strong plot and realistic human characters, you'll need to look elsewhere.

More Information

Main Protagonist(s): Male, with mixed secondary protagonists
Main Antagonist(s): A group, gender not specified
Main Relationship(s): Heterosexual
Genre: Science Fiction
Brief Description: (from amazon)

Imagine a world where death is merely an inconvenience. A new body awaits, and we resume living, fully aware of the past. Every talent, love and distaste is retained, from one life to the next. But this immortal paradise has a price--eternal life as slaves, oppressed by masters who forbid individuality, creative expression, and free thinking. A band of rebels refuses to surrender their freedom, and these misfits have no place in a world that enforces social harmony. But for a population that reincarnates, the conformist rulers are powerless to eliminate insurgents. Putting them to death is useless. The rebels will return, again and again. The final solution is devised--perpetual amnesia. Kill all memory of past lives. Identity erased, origin unknown, and destiny uncertain, the rebels are banished to a lonely corner of the galaxy and left for dead, forever. Having suffered the enemy's amnesia by design, a reluctant hero awakens under a bridge, and without a past, he regards himself as insignificant. But he is not the loser he imagines, as he learns when agents in black come to collect him. His decision to flee begins a journey of rediscovery, but some of it he would rather leave buried. He must face his past, and take charge of the future, or the rest of his immortal kind are destined to share his fate--Dead Forever.

ISBN: 0971796025
Website: none
Amazon Link: Dead Forever: Awakening
Pages: 270
First Published: 2010
Publisher: Glyd-Evans Press

The Sword (Chiveis Trilogy Book 1)

Title: The Sword
Author: Bryan M. Litfin
Series: Chiveis Trilogy

Ratings
Score: 9/10
How long I would stay up reading: 3am
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Very

Review

The day this book arrived was the same day that another book arrived, which I felt more obliged to read and review first. I opened the other book, and before I started reading it I had put it down and opened this one. I regret nothing.

The cover is a traditional fantasy style (two people on horses in the foregound with landscape behind). And although this may change in future editions it drew me in rather quickly. It was either that or the fact that the author told me I probably won't like it. I'm glad to say that he was wrong.

The basic premise of the story is a post nuclear apocalypse world has returned to mediaeval lifestyles, with ruins of our world dotted here and there. They worship certain gods, who the main characters come to despise, and later find to be false. Then (handily) they find a copy of the old testament which gives them a god they can believe in, and they try to bring him to the kingdom of Chiveis.

The book is simply written, with few of the deep or complex sentences commonly associated with the genre, and to avid fantasy readers it could seem inferior in that respect. But this should not be allowed to put you off reading this book. Once you get past the writing style, which I must stress is not bad, just different, the story is interesting and unique.

When the author told me that If I wasn't religous (I'm an Agnostic Atheist) I probably wouldn't enjoy the book, I was expecting christian propaganda telling me to worship god in a new format. But the story is entirely self contained, the characters never break the fourth wall, there are no notes to the reader etc. Instead the author seems to analyse the religion, considering it bit by bit from different points of view. Although the first in this series hasn't converted me, and I wouldn't want it to, It has helped me understand the christian religion more than I used to.

In addition, it is an analysis of human character and choices. With some characters believing, others not. And all in different ways. Without reading the conclusion of the trilogy we cannot know if this will continue throughout, but the world Litfin writes in seems to be both a reflection and critique of our own.

From an entertainment viewpoint, the book is filled with action, conspiracies, secret meetings, betrayals and false magics. There is some romance, which given the general idea of the book almost surprised me, and although there are no sexually explicit scenes, the subject is mentioned, and doesn't seem to be a revolting idea which is again not what I expected. The area is not the author's strongpoint however, and the story flows much better in action and political scenes. There are two major problems I found however, which continue to niggle me. The first is the main character, Teo, saying that his muscle is his religion. It seemed too out of character, and didn't work well. The second was the name of the princess Habiloho. Both of these broke the flow of the narrative, bringing me out of the almost trance-like state that one must be in to fully enjoy a book. For such a book however, these are fairly unimportant, and should not hinder the decision to buy and read the book.

It was undeniably entertaining, and it is for this reason that I would recommened, or even insist that others read it. I almost feel bad for getting this copy free, and I certaintly look forwards to the next in the trilogy. I won't say that it is one of my favourite books, but it is one of those that should be read by every fantasy lover, from christian to hindu or otherwise, For both the entertainment it brings, but also the cultural understanding it has the potential to help develop.

More Information
Main Protagonist(s): One Male, One Female
Main Antagonist(s): One Female
Main Relationships: Heterosexual
Genre: Religious Fantasy
Brief Synopsis: (Taken From Website)

This novel of page-turning action and adventure poses the question, “If a society had no knowledge of Christianity, and then a Bible were discovered, what would happen?”

Four hundred years after a deadly virus and nuclear war destroyed the modern world, a new and noble civilization emerges. In this kingdom, called Chiveis, snowcapped mountains provide protection, and fields and livestock provide food. The people live medieval-style lives, with almost no knowledge of the “ancient” world. Safe in their natural stronghold, the Chiveisi have everything they need, even their own religion. Christianity has been forgotten—until a young army scout comes across a strange book.

ISBN 13: 978-1`-4335-0925-4
Website: Chiveis Online
Amazon Link: UK Site US Site
Pages: 412
Publisher: Crossway Books
First Published: 2010

The Wizard's Son

Title: The Wizard's Son
Author: Kathryn L. Ramage

Ratings

Score: 7/10
How long I would stay up reading: Midnight
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Very Probable, if there was one.

Review

The first thing that captured my attention with this particular book was the smell. It was interesting, different from the standard smell of a book. I attribute this to the differences between large presses and the small press that produced the book. However, it intrigued me, and as soon as I had finished the book I was reading upon it's arrival, I began reading in earnest.

The story is fairly unique in the genre of Fantasy, neither being an Epic adventure such as the Lord of the Rings nor exactly a story of learning such as Harry Potter, despite having elements of apprenticship and learning within it. It is a coming-of-age tale, with a well written non-linear structure that allows Orlan, the wizard's son, to move from childhood to adulthood without the narrative being required to jump between interesting points. The setting of the story, primarily the wizard's home and a nearby city, are described sufficiently well, but certain characters have the potential to be much more developed, particularly ones that are introduced near the end. This is especially true of one of the main character's love interests, whose loss results in a major decision for Orlan. The reader is not as in love with this character as we should be, and so it is harder for us to understandt that decision.

The story, despite being well written, doesn't seem to have any one particular story-arc, except the emotions and feelings of the main character. This is what sets it apart from other fantasy works, and although the idea could seem unappealing to some readers, it is a book that is well worth reading. Although it doesn't have a great physical struggle between good and evil, it discusses the issue in great depth, through the different types of magic and the tumultuous opinions of Orlan, in a way that few authors can do. In addition to this it looks at the themes of self-restraint and human nature, both difficult topics that are incredibly well approached.

While not the most addictive book that I've read, it was a highly interesting and enjoyable read, and I look forwards to reading more of the author's work.

More Information

Main Protagonist(s): One Male
Main Antagonist(s): None
Main Relationships: Heterosexual, (But not a major theme)
Genre: Fantasy (alternate earth)
Brief Synopsis:
When Orlan's mother dies in the first three pages of the book, Lord Redmantyl (Title, not name) reveals himself to be his father, and places a spell to make him forget the pain of his mother's death. Orlan is tested for magical ability, and when he is old enough, begins to train as an a apprentice. For an apprentice to become a full wizard they must spend five years of abstinence from red meat, alcohol and sex. A year prior to his period of sober celibacy Orlan is sent to the local town, where he meets a group of boys that show him the attraction to drink and eventually women, weakening his self-control. In addition he finds the spell that his father placed on him to make him forget, and attempts to remove it. His final day in the town estranges him from his father, causing him to run away and begin a new life. But eventually, he must accept his place as his father's son.

ISBN(13): 978-0578032931
Publisher: The Wapshott Press
Website: Publisher's Book Page
Amazon Link: UK Site US Site
Pages: 286
First Published: 2009