Tripler
By Neil Vogler
(5/5 stars)
This book features a unique premise: what if you could split yourself into three--basically creating two clones of yourself? Would you just use it to get all your chores done? Would you use it to fulfill all your kinky desires? Or would you use it to take over the world? In Tripler we see pretty much all the possibilities in what is a pretty taut thriller.
The basic setup reminded me of Blade Runner a little. Harry is a "Tracker" who hunts down rogue Triplers, like the Harrison Ford character hunted down rogue androids. The similarities pretty much end there. In large part because Harry himself becomes a Tripler, though probably in Ridley Scott's fifteen versions of Blade Runner is one where Deckard is an android. Harry is kept alive and given some medication to keep him from going rogue by the British government. If you want to compare it to another movie/book it's like Harry is James Bond and the rogue Triplers are SMERSH/SPECTRE; he even has his own numerical designation of 00.
Except the assignment soon gets a lot tougher once he encounters the enemy agent Osprey, who vows to destroy everyone and everything Harry loves. As Osprey wreaks havoc, Harry is forced to question pretty much everything. And there's a nice twist at the end that promises a lot of mayhem for Book 2.
Overall this is a taut, well-written thriller that will keep you guessing. Even if you're not a fan of science fiction, the sci-fi elements are not so overwhelming that readers of Ian Fleming or Robert Ludlum couldn't enjoy it. Other than the idea of Tripling, it's a pretty ordinary setting; there are no flying cars or robots or aliens or anything like that. So if you want a thriller with a twist, give this a try.
That is all.
Here you will find all the reviews I've written for self-published and small-published books over the last four years, collected from Amazon and Goodreads
Friday, December 5, 2014
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Shadow Warrior (Mechanica Wars #2)
Shadow Warrior (Mechanica Wars #2)
by Jay Noel
(5/5 stars)
This was a good continuation of the series. I really enjoyed the first book, so I was glad when I was able to buy the second. This steampunk series follows a budding world war between the Iberian Empire and Nuhan of the Orient. In the first book, Nuhan prince Zen went on a quest to find the "Sky Sword" to help his people, but that proved to be a fool's errand. Now yearning to get retribution on his father, Zen teams up with a group of Shadow Warriors, who help teach him the ways of the Force, or whatever the mystical psychic force is called. But in the end Zen ends up in a lot worse shape than Luke Skywalker after The Empire Strikes Back, more like his father at the end of Revenge of the Sith. Since I don't read steampunk I do like to compare the story to Star Wars; I mean there's an evil empire and a band of heroes standing against them, so come on.
Anyway, the narration is taut and well-written and the characters from the first book continue to evolve while some interesting new characters are added. As I said with the first one, even if you don't read steampunk, this is still a good read.
That is all.
by Jay Noel
(5/5 stars)
This was a good continuation of the series. I really enjoyed the first book, so I was glad when I was able to buy the second. This steampunk series follows a budding world war between the Iberian Empire and Nuhan of the Orient. In the first book, Nuhan prince Zen went on a quest to find the "Sky Sword" to help his people, but that proved to be a fool's errand. Now yearning to get retribution on his father, Zen teams up with a group of Shadow Warriors, who help teach him the ways of the Force, or whatever the mystical psychic force is called. But in the end Zen ends up in a lot worse shape than Luke Skywalker after The Empire Strikes Back, more like his father at the end of Revenge of the Sith. Since I don't read steampunk I do like to compare the story to Star Wars; I mean there's an evil empire and a band of heroes standing against them, so come on.
Anyway, the narration is taut and well-written and the characters from the first book continue to evolve while some interesting new characters are added. As I said with the first one, even if you don't read steampunk, this is still a good read.
That is all.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Overpowered
Overpowered
by Cheyanne Young
(4/5 stars)
This is the second book of the "Powered Trilogy." I really liked the first one in that it presented, to my mind anyway, a unique superhero universe. I mean most superhero stories just rip off the familiar DC and Marvel heroes, only changing costumes and powers a little. (Even I'm guilty of that, though intentionally so.) Basically the genetically superior "Supers" have their own nation inside the Grand Canyon where they live and use as a base to defend the world from Villains. In the first book, Maci Might, daughter of the president, came into her powers only to realize she has an identical twin and that she (Maci) is probably the evil twin.
So in book two Maci finds her sister Nova and tries to hide her from the heroes who want to capture her for being a villain. At the same time a new drug called Strike is giving humans the power of superheroes, which they mostly use for underground fight clubs. Who's behind the drug and can anyone stop it?
For the most part I enjoyed this book, though maybe a little less than the first one. Maci is a fun character, especially now that she has a goody-goody twin to play off of. The writing is sharp and as with the first one, I like the uniqueness of the superhero world.
The thing I didn't like is that the plot is too obvious. It's so clear where Strike is coming from that I sat there for much of the book waiting for the heroes to figure it out. But maybe that's just me; maybe the younger people who make up the target audience will be more surprised.
Anyway, it's still a very enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy when it sounds as if the [stuff] will really hit the fan.
That is all.
by Cheyanne Young
(4/5 stars)
This is the second book of the "Powered Trilogy." I really liked the first one in that it presented, to my mind anyway, a unique superhero universe. I mean most superhero stories just rip off the familiar DC and Marvel heroes, only changing costumes and powers a little. (Even I'm guilty of that, though intentionally so.) Basically the genetically superior "Supers" have their own nation inside the Grand Canyon where they live and use as a base to defend the world from Villains. In the first book, Maci Might, daughter of the president, came into her powers only to realize she has an identical twin and that she (Maci) is probably the evil twin.
So in book two Maci finds her sister Nova and tries to hide her from the heroes who want to capture her for being a villain. At the same time a new drug called Strike is giving humans the power of superheroes, which they mostly use for underground fight clubs. Who's behind the drug and can anyone stop it?
For the most part I enjoyed this book, though maybe a little less than the first one. Maci is a fun character, especially now that she has a goody-goody twin to play off of. The writing is sharp and as with the first one, I like the uniqueness of the superhero world.
The thing I didn't like is that the plot is too obvious. It's so clear where Strike is coming from that I sat there for much of the book waiting for the heroes to figure it out. But maybe that's just me; maybe the younger people who make up the target audience will be more surprised.
Anyway, it's still a very enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy when it sounds as if the [stuff] will really hit the fan.
That is all.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Breaking News
Breaking News
by Nigel G. Mitchell
(5/5) stars
The concept for this story reminded me of "Early Edition" a TV series on CBS in the 90s. That involved a guy (Kyle Chandler who went on to "Friday Night Lights" fame) who got a newspaper a day early and used it to help people. Only in this case it's a teleprompter that displays news in advance to a jaded anchorman. Along with his naive new co-anchor they set out to avert disaster.
It's a fantastic short story for sci-fi fans and mainstream fiction fans.
That is all.
by Nigel G. Mitchell
(5/5) stars
The concept for this story reminded me of "Early Edition" a TV series on CBS in the 90s. That involved a guy (Kyle Chandler who went on to "Friday Night Lights" fame) who got a newspaper a day early and used it to help people. Only in this case it's a teleprompter that displays news in advance to a jaded anchorman. Along with his naive new co-anchor they set out to avert disaster.
It's a fantastic short story for sci-fi fans and mainstream fiction fans.
That is all.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Operation Masquerade
Operation Masquerade
by Nigel Mitchell
(5/5 stars)
Unlike the author's previous sci-fi stories like "Flying Saucers" or "Call Center of Doom" this is not a humorous story. It's more of a combination of "Starship Troopers" and "Blade Runner."
Humanity has for years been fighting against a race of insectoid aliens called the Chitt'k, but not much is known about these bugs. Jason Locke, a trained commando and actor, is tasked with using a mechanical bug suit to infiltrate an alien ship to find out their secrets.
Meanwhile on Earth, Jason's wife who is also a commando unearths a government conspiracy and winds up dumped in the wilds of old New York, which is pretty much a ghetto overseen by drug lords. She has to escape to try to warn her husband of the threat.
This is a tense, entertaining sci-fi thriller. It has enough twists and turns that you can never be sure what's going to happen next. Highly recommended.
That is all.
by Nigel Mitchell
(5/5 stars)
Unlike the author's previous sci-fi stories like "Flying Saucers" or "Call Center of Doom" this is not a humorous story. It's more of a combination of "Starship Troopers" and "Blade Runner."
Humanity has for years been fighting against a race of insectoid aliens called the Chitt'k, but not much is known about these bugs. Jason Locke, a trained commando and actor, is tasked with using a mechanical bug suit to infiltrate an alien ship to find out their secrets.
Meanwhile on Earth, Jason's wife who is also a commando unearths a government conspiracy and winds up dumped in the wilds of old New York, which is pretty much a ghetto overseen by drug lords. She has to escape to try to warn her husband of the threat.
This is a tense, entertaining sci-fi thriller. It has enough twists and turns that you can never be sure what's going to happen next. Highly recommended.
That is all.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Dragonfly Warrior
Dragonfly Warrior
by Jay Noel
(5/5 stars)
A caveat here: this is the first steampunk book I've read. I'm not a fan of the genre by any stretch. I guess my main problem is it relies so much on hindsight, people taking stuff we have now and reverse engineering it to 19th Century technology. I tend to think if they could have made a giant walking spider back then someone probably would have.
My point then is I was prepared not to like this book, but I did. Since I haven't read any steampunk before what it actually reminded me of is Star Wars. Zen is like a Jedi in that he has a sword and a mystical ability that helps him fight. When he goes in search of the "Sky Sword" he meets a scoundrel who also happens to own a very fast ship--sound familiar? And then they meet a a woman who's very tough and capable--but does not turn out to be Zen's sister.
Thinking of it that way probably helped and also I don't think it took the steampunk to ridiculous extremes. Not like for instance "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" where they had a fleet of SHIELD helicarriers in the mid-30s. Say whaaaat? Although there was (briefly) a mechanical spider thing most of the technology like airships and cars were plausible in the late 19th Century as there were already hot air balloons, rudimentary cars, and even at least one crude submarine in the Civil War.
Besides Star Wars I suppose it plays out like one of those fantasy books where there's a party on a quest. It just so happens instead of fighting dragons and wizards they're after the "Machine Boy" who to use another Star Wars reference reminded me of young Anakin Skywalker, though less annoying because he didn't go around asking teenage girls if they were angels.
Anyway, it's a fast-paced, action-packed read that's written very well. There's nothing to dislike, even for someone who doesn't like steampunk. I'm looking forward to the next book.
That is all.
by Jay Noel
(5/5 stars)
A caveat here: this is the first steampunk book I've read. I'm not a fan of the genre by any stretch. I guess my main problem is it relies so much on hindsight, people taking stuff we have now and reverse engineering it to 19th Century technology. I tend to think if they could have made a giant walking spider back then someone probably would have.
My point then is I was prepared not to like this book, but I did. Since I haven't read any steampunk before what it actually reminded me of is Star Wars. Zen is like a Jedi in that he has a sword and a mystical ability that helps him fight. When he goes in search of the "Sky Sword" he meets a scoundrel who also happens to own a very fast ship--sound familiar? And then they meet a a woman who's very tough and capable--but does not turn out to be Zen's sister.
Thinking of it that way probably helped and also I don't think it took the steampunk to ridiculous extremes. Not like for instance "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" where they had a fleet of SHIELD helicarriers in the mid-30s. Say whaaaat? Although there was (briefly) a mechanical spider thing most of the technology like airships and cars were plausible in the late 19th Century as there were already hot air balloons, rudimentary cars, and even at least one crude submarine in the Civil War.
Besides Star Wars I suppose it plays out like one of those fantasy books where there's a party on a quest. It just so happens instead of fighting dragons and wizards they're after the "Machine Boy" who to use another Star Wars reference reminded me of young Anakin Skywalker, though less annoying because he didn't go around asking teenage girls if they were angels.
Anyway, it's a fast-paced, action-packed read that's written very well. There's nothing to dislike, even for someone who doesn't like steampunk. I'm looking forward to the next book.
That is all.
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