Book Review: All Our Tomorrows (Z is for Zombies) (Volume 2) by Peter Cawdron

Posted by tjhapney on August 25, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . 2 Comments

AllDescription:

Hazel is alone in a crowd. No one understands her, not even her father. The only people that ever really understood her were Steve, David and Jane. But they’re dead. If they’re not dead, they’re dying stranded outside the compound. Hazel can’t accept the bitter reality of life in the zombie apocalypse, she can’t accept that her friends are probably dead. She has to find them. ALL OUR TOMORROWS is the action packed sequel to WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND

Review 4 of 5 Stars

This is the second volume in Peter Cawdron’s series about zombies. I reviewed the first one a while back. Many of you may remember me saying I’m not usually a big zombie person, but I loved the first book. In fact, I loved it so much I read the second one. I was truly interested to find out what would happen to Hazel next. Peter Cawdron did not disappoint with this sequel. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though not quite as much as the first one. I’m not sure if that’s because of my general tendency to not be interested in zombie stories, but it may very well be. Don’t let me dissuade you. It was a very entertaining book and a must read if you read the first one. I mean how could you go on without knowing what happens to Hazel in the zombie apocalypse? I know I couldn’t. The author did a great job of keeping things interesting throughout the book. I enjoyed following Hazel on her adventures. I had a hard time getting started, but I think that was because the beginning rehashed what happened at the end of the last book and I was ready to get on with the story. After things got rolling I was fine and enjoyed the tale. Mr. Cawdron always does a good job explaining why and how so I very much enjoyed the tale. I think my interest in zombies has been fulfilled and I can go back to the stars.

Mistress Of The Ages (The First Empress, Book 3) by Michael R. Hicks

Posted by tjhapney on August 17, 2015
Posted in: Book Review, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

MistressDescription/Blurb:

In the final volume of THE FIRST EMPRESS Trilogy, the Kreelan warrior priesthoods, once charged with teaching and preserving the tenets of the Way, have sown the seeds of their own destruction by allying themselves with the Dark Queen and letting loose the ancient evil of Ka’i-Nur.

All that stands against the looming darkness is young Keel-Tath and a handful of surviving priests and priestesses of the Desh-Ka. Battered and bloodied from their own brief, vicious civil war, their honor and swords are now bound to the Child of Prophecy, come what may.

Review 5 of 5 Stars

I have been waiting for this book since I read the last page of the second book in The First Empress trilogy. As expected, the author did a fantastic job with this story. I’ve fallen in love with the universe and the characters he has created. Not only did I enjoy reading this story, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was really looking for some distraction and it fit the bill very nicely as it whisked me away to the Kreelan empire to watch as Keel-Tath prepared to confront her nemesis. It was also intriguing enough to drag me away from my summer fun for which I have to give it some credit. When a story starts traveling with me everywhere I go, I consider it a win.

In this story we get a lot of action as one would expect from a warrior race. This is a sweeping epic that casts you from one side of the universe to the other in the blink of an eye. Needless to say a lot of characters die given that Kreelan society is entirely a warrior society that follows The Way, the Kreelan code of conduct. The Dark Queen’s forces are blessed with overwhelming numbers as Keel-Tath’s forces prepare to respond to the threat offered in this latest installment of the series. I was surprised and pleased with the turns the story took, but don’t want to give away too much since we’re so far along in the series. Pretty much everything was well done. The foreshadowing for the very end wasn’t as subtle as I had expected and I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen with that, but it did leave the doorway open for another book in this quite enjoyable series.

Michael Hicks has done a great job. There’s battle, strategy, plotting, trickery, love and much more to keep you interested. I was pleased with the story and the outcome of the arc as a whole. I can’t wait to see what the next story in this epic series brings to the table. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Michael R. Hicks gives away the first book of the trilogies that start this series so if you want to check it out, it won’t cost you a thing.

 

Short Story Review: The Box by Hugh Howey

Posted by tjhapney on July 24, 2015
Posted in: Science Fiction, Short Story. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

TheBoxDescription/Blurb:

What happens when artificial intelligence comes online,
only to find itself locked in a room with a madman?

 

 

Review 3 of 5 Stars

This wasn’t a bad little story. I very much enjoyed the beginning and watching this character make its discoveries, but the ending was a little confusing and left something to be desired in my opinion. I basically know what happened in the end, but the manner in which it was described left you thinking there could be any of a number of actual ways it might have occurred. The Box was an interesting story, but I think it needed a little more. I understand using brevity to add to the mystery or suspense of a situation, but it would have been nice to have had a little more explanation in some places. All things considered I’m still not sure about the madman mentioned in the description, but it wasn’t a bad read for free. I borrowed it as a download with one of my memberships and have to say it filled a few minutes very nicely if you have time for a short read. We all know I love Hugh Howey’s stuff, but they can’t all be blockbusters so I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next one.

On a side note, it is summer and I’ve been being kind of bad with regard to the blog. There are lots of things to do and I haven’t been reading as much as I’ve been writing. I’ve promised some ARC and beta reading, though I’m woefully behind on both, and hope to get those read and posted by next week. In the meantime, I hope everyone in this hemisphere is keeping cool.

The Deep Link (The Ascendancy Trilogy Book One) by Veronica Sicoe

Posted by tjhapney on June 22, 2015
Posted in: Book Review, Science Fiction. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

DeepLinkDescription/Blurb:

When and unstoppable warlord meets and unyielding rebel, their link becomes a new force of nature.

Taryn’s dream of forging an alliance with a powerful alien race has become a nightmare. She is linked to a ruthless warlord, an alien killing machine who could destroy humanity on a whim.

Taryn will go down fighting before she surrenders to the monster invading her mind.

But in her struggle to regain control, she finds her tormentor has irreversibly changed her, and she has in turn changed him. The link is turning her into a weapon, drawing strength from the world-slayer who had no regard for another’s life—until now.

As death and destruction erupt around them, they carve their way out of their old lives with a single common purpose: unite their forces and change the future.

Review 5 of 5 Stars

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. When I receive a new book I generally read a few pages to see how soon I plan to read it (honestly). This book caught my attention right out of the gate, which means I didn’t manage to put it down until I’d finished it. I loved the story. The characters were people that you could believe in, whether they garnered your trust or suspicion. The author managed to put an interesting spin on this book and I was happy to follow Taryn throughout her adventures.

The alien races are done well. The story is one of overcoming insurmountable odds while making unexpected allies and friends. Parts of this book are a little dark. I don’t know if my mind worked overtime, but it seemed to me that there were some pretty gruesome wound descriptions. I’m not talking about gratuitous violence as these scenes were integral to the story and what was happening, but some of the descriptions were pretty graphic.

There’s a lot going on in this story, including an alien invasion, rebellions on several fronts and various other people with their own agendas that throw a wrench in the works from time to time for Taryn as she does her best to cope with the connection between her and the alien she becomes linked to. As first contact stories go, I found this one very entertaining. The characters were complex and had a good deal of depth. I enjoyed the book right up to the ending when I started wishing that the next one was out so I could see where this interesting new joining of souls goes next.

Book Review – The Tale of Onora: The Boy and the Peddler of Death (Volume 1) by Dylan Saccoccio

Posted by tjhapney on June 20, 2015
Posted in: Book Review, Fantasy. Tagged: , , , , . 4 Comments

OnoraDescription/Blurb:

For the mature fans of Harry Potter, A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Elder Scrolls, Legend of Zelda, Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, Fable, and Dragon Age, The Tale of Onora follows the journey of a young orphan after his village is destroyed and he is forced to grow up in a dangerous world. As he navigates through different walks of life, he begins to uncover a conspiracy as to why his village was destroyed. Before he can put the pieces together, his fate is sealed by a terrible war. In the storm of chaos that follows, his actions turn him into a legendary hero.The more renowned he gets, the closer the source of evil is drawn to him. The more he fights for the truth, the more of an outlaw he becomes. 

In Book One, a boy at the brink of adulthood travels beyond the ruins of an ancient elven city, to The Crown of The World in the far north. It is there where he meets his father for the first time, in search of the answers and reasons his mother refuses to discuss. At the risk of his life, he learns that finding the truth requires knowing The Tale of Onora.

Review 2 of 5 Stars

I was provided with a copy of this book/novella (pretty short) by the author in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing this book lacks is a solid plot, though I was really hoping for the best as the beginning of the story intrigued me. The second thing it lacks is an ending. I swear it just stopped. Maybe that was the author’s attempt at a cliffhanger. If it was, I apologize, but it didn’t work for me. I felt like someone had ripped out the last pages of the book and left me without an ending. I even reread it to make sure I hadn’t missed something.

The author was pretty busy trying to pass along his own philosophical views, but seems to have forgotten to get on with the storytelling. I don’t mind a little socio-political musing, but it needs to go somewhere. There were some parts of the story that were interesting. In fact, there were several good starts to a book in this book, but it just didn’t go anywhere. I really wanted it to, but the “it” factor just wasn’t there. I kept hoping for something more to happen or be explained, but it wasn’t.

I think the description/blurb posted with the book on Amazon was strange for this book. The mature fans of Harry Potter, A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, etc. generally expect more meat from their stories and this in no way reminded me of those books. As I am one of those fans, I was somewhat perplexed as to why this story would try to include itself alongside of such great stories. I was left with tons of questions about what happened to the characters in this book and very few answers. Anyway, I guess you can all tell that it wasn’t my favorite book. Some parts were really interesting. I was interested in the old man and the boy, but it seems like it lacked follow-through.

I don’t recommend it, but I did manage to finish it. You might enjoy this story, but I was put off by the lack of an ending. I have a ton of books to read so I probably won’t read any additional books in this series. I’ve had a run of good luck so it was only a matter of time before I picked up what I consider to be somewhat of a dud. As always, to read or not to read, the choice is yours. I hope everyone has a great week and hopefully I’ll be back with news about a story I enjoyed more next time.

Short Story Review: Chukotka by Lucas Bale

Posted by tjhapney on June 17, 2015
Posted in: Short Story. Tagged: , , . 1 Comment

chukotkaDescription/Blurb:

Two Alaskan cold-water surfers sail the Bering Strait in search of the gnarliest waves. A dying Chukchi hunter leaves his village for the desolate Siberian tundra, seeking to prove his usefulness to the wayward youth of his people. When the perfect man-made storm provokes the towering black waves of the Bering, and surges over the frozen Russian wilderness, it throws together old and young, East and West, forcing them to confront their prejudices in a desperate fight for survival.

Review 5 of 5 Stars

I previously reviewed this story from the Tales of Tinfoil anthology. Mr. Bale has launched the story by itself and I liked it enough that I agreed to post a review for it separately. The characters in this story are fantastic. Following is my previous review for anyone that missed it:

I loved this story. The story is told from two perspectives, a man from the U.S. and an old Chukchi hunter. This story is about so much more than the conspiracy theory that shapes it. The characters are vibrant and real. This is a story of different cultures, language barriers, fear, compassion and bonding together to help one another even when we don’t understand. I could have read an entire book based upon the characters that Mr. Bale created. This was a beautiful story. I read a lot of stories, but this one truly touched my heart. The language barrier between the characters led to misunderstandings and somewhat harsh judgments, but it was interesting to see the characters move toward understanding and having compassion for one another as the story progressed. I’d add this story to the must read list and am looking forward to checking out some of Mr. Bale’s other work.

The Future is Now

Posted by tjhapney on June 15, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. 2 Comments

Since I reviewed several of these books, I thought some of you would be interested in this author interview.

pcawdron's avatarTHINKING SCI-FI

My guest in this blog interview is Canadian author and poet, Samuel Peralta, the driving force behind The Future Chronicles—an entire series of anthologies exploring different aspects of science fiction and fantasy literature.

Four books

Sam, where did you come up with the idea for The Future Chronicles? What was your motivation behind this series?

I never meant to create The Future Chronicles. The plan was to write a grand SF novel series, beginning with a book called Labyrinth Man.

My dilemma was, how do I create a readership for Labyrinth Man – which was based on a world where telepaths and robots existed – when my readership was geared towards poetry? My idea was that I would write strong short stories based in that universe, and submit them to anthologies or magazines, and that the readers who discovered me there would find their way to Labyrinth Man.

View original post 1,296 more words

Book Review: Way Walkers: Tangled Paths (The Tazu Saga) (Volume 1)

Posted by tjhapney on June 12, 2015
Posted in: Book Review, Fantasy. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

waywalkersDescription/Blurb:

Twelve Ways create a thousand tangled paths. Hatched from an egg but unable to shift into dragon form, Jathen is a Moot among the Tazu. His rightful throne is forbidden him because of his transformative handicap, and neither his culture nor his religion offer acceptance of his perceived flaws. Driven by wounded anger, Jathen strikes out across the vast world beyond Tazu borders, desperate to find a place where he feels accepted and whole. Though he travels with the most trusted of companions, sabotage and conspiracy soon strike his quest. Jathen and his allies must struggle against man and magic alike, at the mercy of forces beyond their ken. As Jathen presses on, his questions of belonging are surrounded by more of identity, loyalty, and betrayal. Where will the path of his destiny lead, and will he follow or fall?

Review 4 of 5 Stars

I was pleasantly surprised by this book at many points. The author did a really good job of world building and character creation. I felt for the characters, especially Jathen, but also many others. The characters were vibrant and real. I wanted to walk around in the world with them and I very much enjoyed the visit I had there. There were some overlooked proofreading items, but I’m not going to run on those too heavily as I received the book quite some time ago (so long I’m almost embarrassed), the mistakes didn’t really pull me out of the story and there weren’t that awful many. Usually when I say I took points off for proofing it’s because it really needs some help and is distracting.

Anyway, on with the review. I was fascinated by the world as much as anything. I very much enjoyed tromping along with Jathen, the possible Tazu crown prince who is a moot. Jathen makes good choices and bad ones, like everyone. As his friend says, though, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you (maybe paraphrased – didn’t look it up to be exact)” and Jathen’s life is certainly influenced by the things that he doesn’t expect to happen. Like many characters in books, Jathen’s life has more to do with the world than he might imagine. His journey to find himself was more than entertaining. I found myself wondering what the characters were doing when I wasn’t able to read about them. I also had that last-minute I don’t want to finish the book feeling and left it sit for a couple of days because I knew there wasn’t a next one to buy yet.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend. The book was a really good adventure and I hope to read more from this author in the future. The very near future if she’ll put out the next book 🙂

 

Short Stories Resources and Submissions

Posted by tjhapney on May 28, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Great info Nicholas. I reblogged it as much to keep track of it for myself as for others who might be interested. Thanks.

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

As you may remember, I am putting the finishing touches to Infinite Waters; my upcoming second collection of short stories (the first one being The Power of Six, of course). Most of them have a touch of science fiction; all of them have a lovely twist.

However, I have also kept a couple of stories out of it, as I have submitted them or am about to submit them to magazines specializing in short stories. I thought I’d let you know which ones those are, in case you, too, are interested in submitting to those.

Non Local Magazine

You may remember my ongoing collaboration with Dan Dombrowsky of the  33rd Street Press. Dan has kindly already included one of my short stories, Shoot the Devil, in his excellent Non Local Magazine. As he’s now preparing the next issues, he’s always on the lookout for sci-fi shorts.

You…

View original post 720 more words

Book Promotion Opportunities for Authors (It’s Free)

Posted by tjhapney on May 28, 2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

As a supporter of Indie publishing, I thought some of you might find this interesting. Check out Chris McMullen’s blog for the details.

chrismcmullen's avatarchrismcmullen

Images from ShutterStock Images from ShutterStock

BOOK PROMOTION OPPORTUNITIES

Marketing books is hard. I will try to help.

I have a few book promotion opportunities for authors.

Participation is FREE.

(1) Meet the Characters

I have a page on my Read Tuesday website called Meet the Characters.

On this page, readers find short creative pieces featuring one of the characters from various books.

The idea is that readers can learn about books without first seeing the cover or price.

Their first taste of the book is a character’s personality and the author’s writing style.

Many authors and readers have expressed positive feedback about this idea.

(If you like the idea, please tell a friend.)

But we need more authors to participate. Signing up is free.

The earlier you participate, the better the reader-to-book ratio works in your favor.

Once submissions grow enough, Meet the Characters will grow onto multiple pages, different pages…

View original post 537 more words