tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85561512673220903812024-02-20T18:46:18.844-08:00Grumpy Bulldog Vs. Indie BooksHere 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 GoodreadsPT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-88522376935678028732015-05-07T08:16:00.001-07:002015-05-07T08:16:04.668-07:00Shadow Spinner: Collection 1: Tiberius (Parts 1-5)Shadow Spinner: Collection 1: Tiberius (Parts 1-5)<br />
By Andrew Leon & Bryan Peddas<br />
(3/5)<br />
<br />
I'm not big into serials but this was free so what the heck. When
something is free I suppose you can say you got your money's worth no
matter what. Really all this does is introduce Tiberius and his
superpower of controlling shadows. It's much too short to really get
into it, which is the problem of serials. Then there's another story by
another author that's set in the "House on the Corner" universe. It
would be OK except it goes on and on and on until it's many times longer
than what's supposed to be the main attraction, eclipsing it. If
you're going to have the story be that long, why not serialize it with
the other serial?PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-76614586781280297762015-03-03T13:44:00.003-08:002015-03-03T13:44:59.192-08:00SeizureSeizure<br />
by Nigel Mitchell<br />
(5/5 stars)<br />
<br />
We all know the Internet is a great place to waste time and it can even
be addictive, but can it kill you? A computer giant, who's like if
Steve Jobs had become a Bond movie villain, designs a computer virus
that can actually kill people. When it kills his old friend, Kent
Reynolds springs into action to find the culprit.<br /><br />While this
isn't a direct sequel to "Dead Links" it's another Internet-themed
technothriller that will please those who have been missing Michael
Chrichton. The story is taut and well-written with characters who are
likable--and some who are pure evil.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-82200342006140249442014-12-05T22:18:00.003-08:002014-12-05T22:18:42.081-08:00TriplerTripler<br />
By Neil Vogler<br />
(5/5 stars)<br />
<br />
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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-30622898661854447862014-09-07T16:41:00.001-07:002014-09-07T16:41:26.546-07:00Shadow Warrior (Mechanica Wars #2)Shadow Warrior (Mechanica Wars #2)<br />
by Jay Noel<br />
(5/5 stars) <br />
<br />
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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-85137241458945615362014-08-05T05:49:00.002-07:002014-08-05T05:49:14.623-07:00OverpoweredOverpowered<br />
by Cheyanne Young<br />
(4/5 stars)<br />
<br />
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.<br /><br />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?<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />That is all. <br />
<br />PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-20166540988161902762014-05-30T16:45:00.003-07:002014-05-30T16:45:57.822-07:00Breaking NewsBreaking News<br />
by Nigel G. Mitchell<br />
(5/5) stars<br />
<br />
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.<br /><br />It's a fantastic short story for sci-fi fans and mainstream fiction fans.<br /><br />That is all.<br />PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-10487910409268219592014-04-27T13:33:00.000-07:002014-04-27T13:33:01.229-07:00Operation MasqueradeOperation Masquerade<br />
by Nigel Mitchell<br />
(5/5 stars)<br />
<br />
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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-44558940766313738612014-04-10T14:48:00.002-07:002014-04-10T14:48:35.801-07:00Dragonfly WarriorDragonfly Warrior<br />
by Jay Noel<br />
(5/5 stars) <br />
<br />
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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-18480527611453579492013-11-12T12:41:00.002-08:002013-11-12T12:41:32.265-08:00Hunting Elvis Presley for Fun & ProfitHunting Elvis Presley for Fun & Profit<br />
by Nigel Mitchell<br />
(5/5 stars)<br />
<br />
This isn't very long as it's intended to be a pamphlet not a novel or
anything like that. As the title suggests it provides a lot of wacky
tips on how to find and kill Elvis Presley in all his various
incarnations. The author does a great job of writing it to make it
really seem like something someone in the tinfoil hat brigade would
write.<br /><br />Recommended for fans of Weekly World News or "Bubba
Ho-tep." I promise you'll never look at the world the same way after
you read this.<br /><br />That is all.
PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-33424481559908752602013-11-06T18:07:00.002-08:002013-11-06T18:07:46.948-08:00To Cure the HumansTo Cure the Humans<br />
by Douglas Lewis<br />
(4/5 stars)<br />
<br />
At a time when healthcare is big in the news, this book takes a satirical look at the health insurance industry. An alien named Peter by accident gets an artifact that allows him to cure all diseases in a being. When he gets to Earth he starts using it on humans, which gets an alien bounty hunter named Cyril on his tail. A big insurance company also comes after Peter to take the artifact for his own purposes.<br /><br />Like any humorous story there are some jokes that land and others that don't. Which do and do not probably depends on your sense of humor. The writing is solid enough and for a while the story is fun. It's just way too darned long. At 456 pages it needs to be about 33% shorter. Much of this could have happened if all the stuff about Area 52 had been cut out since it wasn't really that necessary.<br /><br />Anyway, except for the length this is a good book if you like Douglas Adams or similar authors.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-9831807025482362802013-10-10T11:19:00.000-07:002013-10-10T11:19:01.511-07:00Temporary AnneTemporary Anne<br />
by Briane Pagel<br />
(5/5 stars)<br />
<br />
<span class="readable reviewText">
<span id="freeTextreview705121658">Another chilling tale from
the author of The Scariest Thing You Can't Imagine. This novella is
about a formerly beautiful woman who becomes a ghoul in order to avoid
going to Hell. The lengths she goes to in order to avoid her fate defy
the imagination. Since I've read a lot of Vonnegut this year, I kept
thinking Pagel's style reminds me a lot of Vonnegut's work in that while
the narration seems jaunty with its humorous asides and such, there's a
lot of hidden depth to that narration.<br /><br />Besides the novella, there are also short stories from Andrew Leon, Rusty Carl, Nigel Mitchell, and some guy named PT Dilloway.<br /><br />That is all</span></span>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-67901771806834406762013-10-10T11:17:00.000-07:002013-10-10T11:17:02.400-07:00The Whole Bloody AffairThe Whole Bloody Affair<br />
by Tony Laplume<br />
(4/5 stars)<br />
<br />
This omnibus captures the whole trilogy of a young girl named Yoshimi who has to uncover who murdered her parents and then take her revenge. In kung-fu movie style this is accomplished by working with various masters on technique and then applying those techniques on hapless would-be assassins. This ultimately leads her to learn about herself and to question some things she had taken for granted.<br /><br />Most of the story is good, especially if you like kung-fu, Tarantino's "Kill Bill," or the Flaming Lips's "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots." At times, especially before the final battle, it gets a little too windy, to the point that a lot of the air goes out of the drama. It could also use another editing pass. Overall though it's a good read.<br /><br />I was also relieved that in book 2 there's a pink robot reference. Finally!<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-52170920177505415352013-08-16T06:55:00.005-07:002013-08-16T08:54:41.594-07:00The Sex GatesThe Sex Gates<br />
by Darrell Bain & Jeanine Berry<br />
(2/5 stars)<br />
<br />
I'm not going to say too much so I don't get yelled at as has happened
before. Suffice it to say the writers have a great future writing for
the adult film industry. Like many indie books this has a number of
typos; the writers should learn the difference between "succeed" and
"secede" for instance. Maybe because of all the graphic sex I found all
the characters unpleasant. The first one to go through a gate and
change his/her sex was the worst. He goes through the gate and becomes a
woman, promptly turns into a whore, and that's pretty much her only
function. A main character goes through, becomes a woman, has sex with
everyone, and then we skip forward 3 years, so it didn't really add
much. <br />
<br />
There was a forehead-slapping moment where that character named Lee goes from a boy to a girl and they all get together and decide to change her name to Li. What? I checked this on a couple baby name sites and Lee is listed as a unisex name. Duh. Lee would be a lot less confusing than Li, where they'd probably think she was Asian, bringing to mind an old Seinfeld episode involving that scenario. That was about the moment I lost all confidence in the authors.<br />
<br />
At least by the end we sorta find out what the gates are,
though it was kind of obvious; I think the various incarnations of Star
Trek did it a number of times. I don't understand the decision to set
it in the future as that only creates confusion that makes it harder to
grasp the impact of these weird gates appearing from nowhere. And I
could have done without the Limbaugh-esque junk about those entitled
poor people receiving government handouts. I would invite the authors
to try to live on Social Security or welfare and see how entitled you
feel.<br />
<br />
I've probably said too much. Oh well.<br />
<br />
That is all.
PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-75158585020450937262013-08-10T21:35:00.002-07:002013-08-10T21:35:32.941-07:00PoweredPowered<br />
by Cheyanne Young<br />
(5/5 stars)<br />
<br />
As someone who wrote a series of superhero novels and another standalone
superhero novel, I'm always interested in reading the competition. So I
eagerly volunteered to read an advanced copy of this book. On the
whole I really enjoyed it. <br /><br />The biggest strength I think is that
the author creates a unique world for the characters. In this world
there are a bunch of "supers" (ie superhumans) most of whom live in
"Central" in the Grand Canyon. The supers have a sort of caste system.
There are the Heroes who do all the superheroic stuff like fighting
villains and then there are the Retrievers. I didn't fully understand
the Retrievers but I take it they pretty much clean up the mess
afterwards.<br /><br />Maci Might is 16 years old, which means her powers
have finally reached their full potential. She then undergoes the test
to determine if she'll be a Hero or a Retriever. This doesn't go quite
as well as she hoped. From there Maci's life continues to unravel as
she alienates her friends and family and has to take refuge in South
Africa with a cute researcher named Evan. Probably too much time was
spent on Maci and Evan hanging out before we get to the final showdown
with the villain.<br /><br />My main criticism is that I think the villain
could have been stronger. Almost half the book goes by before we even
find out who the villain is and then another quarter of the book goes by
before the villain really becomes any kind of threat. Superhero
stories are defined as much by the villain as the hero, like Batman vs.
the Joker or Superman vs. Lex Luthor or the Scarlet Knight vs. the Black
Dragoon.<br /><br />The only other criticism would be that for what I
presume is a YA book there's some gore in there that even made me
cringe. The part where Maci suffers a severe head injury had me
literally yelling, "Ewwwww, Gross!!!!" So it's probably not best suited
for the younger end of the YA spectrum.<br /><br />(One other technical
note is people don't ride donkeys in the Grand Canyon. They ride mules,
which are only half-donkey and half-horse. The stuffed mule I bought
from the Grand Canyon gift shop wanted me to note that.) <br /><br />Still, on the whole it's a brisk, fun read. And of course there's plenty of room for Maci's adventures to continue.<br /><br />That is all.
PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-72194941287967103242013-06-26T17:26:00.001-07:002013-06-26T17:26:47.068-07:00The TurningThe Turning<br />
by Mark Barwell<br />
(2/5 stars)<br />
<br />
This book was recommended to me by Amazon, mostly because I've already published a book with a similar concept (Chance of a Lifetime). My book focuses only on one man who becomes a woman, like Virginia Woolf's <i>Orlando </i>or Yann Martel's <i>Self</i>, whereas this focuses on a mass event like the comic book series <i>Y the Last Man</i>. Hard-core feminists steal an experimental drug in Australia and disperse it into the air, causing the entire world's population of men to become women, a few at a time. Chaos ensues.<br />
<br />
Now obviously since I've written a book on similar lines I'm willing to buy into the concept, as ludicrous as it may seem. It does stretch my disbelief to think a single airborne particle could have such a radical effect. It really stretches my disbelief to think there are no symptoms exhibited a male "turns". And it shatters my disbelief to think a man can turn into a woman overnight without ever being aware of it. I mean come on, when your entire body is rearranging itself like a human Transformer toy, you'd have to be in a lot of pain. There's no way you'd sleep through it and wake up the next morning like, "Hey, what the heck?"<br />
<br />
But my biggest issues are what happens after the turning. There's something very misogynistic and a little homophobic about what happens to these men after they become women. One of the first ones to turn is taken shopping for women's clothes by a female friend and instantly falls in love with women's clothes and shopping. And she instantly knows how to walk in high heels and how to do her hair and makeup. Say whaaaaat? Rearranging body parts and increasing the amount of estrogen in the body would not be able to change behaviors at the drop of a hat. Only 1950s comedians thought women innately possess all those behaviors. In the real world, changing your DNA would not instantly change your behaviors.<br />
<br />
Then within a couple days this new woman is hitting on men and shagging them as they'd say overseas. At that point the suspension of disbelief has completely disintegrated. Because again, rearranging body parts and changing chemical balances can't instantly erase psychological behaviors. If you were attracted to women before, you wouldn't instantly be attracted to men. Even if there are physical symptoms of attraction, there are a lot of mental hurdles to overcome.<br />
<br />
This why I said there's something a little homophobic about it. Pretty much all the men who turn are instantly attracted to the opposite sex. It's as if being attracted to the same sex is impossible. That's in line with what all those religious pundits who say being gay is a choice rail about. According to people far more in the know about this subject, that simply isn't true. You're born liking men or liking women and that's not going to instantly change because you've lost a Y chromosome.<br />
<br />
The other thing that bugs me is the 14-year-old's fascination with sex and breasts. It seems almost everyone who turns is super hot with huge knockers. Is this supposed to be erotica? Then I suppose that would make sense. As I've previously indicated, the author introduces the sex early on. Far too early really. It reminded me when I watched the movie "Being John Malkovich" where ordinary people find a way into the famous actor's mind. Almost immediately the people used it to seduce women and from there the story really had nowhere to go. By the same token in this book you have the newly turned woman shagging by the 20% mark and the roommates (one turned and one not) shagging by 45% then you've pretty much left yourself with few options to escalate things. It's like if a country launches it's nuclear weapons right from the start; there's really nothing more you can do at that point to escalate the conflict. Maybe that's why it felt so dreadfully long. <br />
<br />
The end features first a gap in logic the size of the Grand Canyon and then a "twist" revealing the mastermind of the feminist scheme, which was obvious about 2% into the book. All told I disliked this book on a lot of levels. But I think it could really work as a movie vehicle for Adam Sandler or Seth Rogen, though I think Rob Schneider beat them to it with "The Hot Chick."<br />
<br />
That is all. PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-57518072332665299402013-06-03T15:23:00.003-07:002013-06-03T15:23:48.876-07:00Cloak of the Shrouded ManCloak of the Shrouded Man<br />
by Tony Laplume<br />
(3/5 stars)<br />
<br />
Since I'm familiar with the author's love of comics from his blogs, I was really expecting more from this book. This is as they say a "hot mess." After about 35%, the Eidolon, Cotton Colinaude pretty much disappears from the book. Wasn't he supposed to be the main character? That last 65% is largely a bunch of philosophical dialogues that cause the story to grind to a halt.<br /><br />It's hard to do a plot summary because so much of the plot is murky. When it starts off there's a Batman-type hero named Cotton Colinaude who goes by the hard-to-pronounce handle Eidolon. (I was glad to be listening to this on the Kindle so I would know how to actually say it.) There's another hero called Godsend who's a Superman-type. Godsend does not approve of the Eidolon's methods, especially as he goes after someone referred to as "the Cad."<br /><br />And then...I have no idea. The middle section seems similar to Grant Morrison's "Batman R.I.P." though I think this book predates that. Then it turns into the Iliad. Throughout it there's a lot less action than you would expect and far more philosophical rambling.<br /><br />To say something positive, it's obvious the author spent a lot of time assembling the world's mythology. There's a lot of background information on the characters and the city of Traverse, Alabama. There just needed to be less background and less philosophy.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-26766583012544143992013-05-14T18:17:00.002-07:002013-05-14T18:17:44.614-07:00SinaiSinai<br />
by William Smethurst<br />
(4/5 stars)<br />
<br />
When a German tourist dies of dehydration in the Sinai desert in only hours, Dr. Richard Corrigan begins to suspect something odd is going on. He joins forces with an American scientist, who shows him the body of an Egyptian boy recovered in 1973 but believed to actually come from the time of the Biblical exodus. Thus Richard begins to look for answers.<br /><br />If you ever wanted a da Vinci Code involving physics then this is your book. It's lacking a little in terms of chills and thrills, though it has its moments. Mostly what holds this book back are the ancient Egyptian scenes. These weigh the narrative down considerably and for what they contribute to the end, it could have been compressed into a prologue. Really, we didn't need to hear the entire Exodus when all that mattered was what happened around Mount Te.<br /><br />Another problem was the author clearly did not reference his military aircraft. At one point he mentions an American Sabre going down; Sabres became obsolete by the mid-1950s. Another point someone is flying in an SR-71 Blackbird; the last of those was retired in the 1990s. Then he mentioned something being tested on a Phantom; I'm pretty sure the Israeli's stopped using those a while back as well. In this age of Wikipedia it's pretty easy for an author or editor to research details like that. And as I always say, if you don't get the little things right, it worries me about the big things, especially in a book that involves so much history.<br /><br />Anyway, as I said if you liked the da Vinci Code and like physics then this will be a great book for you.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-2487320567111941882013-05-08T11:38:00.002-07:002013-05-08T11:38:28.834-07:00Chet Finley vs. The Machines of FateChet Finley vs. The Machines of Fate<br />
by Eric Filler<br />
(5/5 stars)<br />
<br />
Fans of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" or especially fans of "Futurama" should enjoy this smart-alec sci-fi adventure. The eponymous Chet Finley is an ordinary schlub in Newark until the day he uncovers a galactic conspiracy to control--and profit from--humanity. From there Chet enlists the aid of a surly robot named Ziggy and a shapeshifting assassin named Sadie to find the root of the conspiracy and free humanity. The journey takes Chet from Newark to a freighter loaded with bootleg DVDs to Monaco and then into the stars. From there Chet and company visit a library operated by giant birds, a casino in the Horsehead Nebula, to a planet where time itself has stopped.<br /><br />As with any book of this type you might not get all of the jokes or think they're all very funny, but there are far more hits than misses. The book is loaded with geek culture references and a good dose of locker room humor to make it fun for grown-up sci-fi fans. It won't make you forget Douglas Adams, but it's still a fun read.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-91707012112893728912013-05-06T15:37:00.002-07:002013-05-06T15:37:28.824-07:00Superhero (An Action Thriller)Superhero (An Action Thriller)<br />
by Victor Methos<br />
(4/5 stars)<br />
<br />
This is definitely in the mold of grim and gritty 80s style comics like "The Dark Knight Returns" instead of the more traditional Golden Age of comics. The plot is sort of like "Robocop" meets "The Greatest American Hero" in that our hero Jack is pretty much killed, but thanks to alien technology is able to be rebuilt into a cyborg with superpowers. He uses these to go after Agamemnon, the guy who nearly killed him and who has pretty much the same abilities as Jack.<br /><br />Overall it's a pretty serviceable superhero tale if you like the grim and gritty stuff. Unfortunately an M. Night-style twist at the end ruins what would otherwise be a 5-star yarn. I do appreciate that the author at least tried to create a different hero with his own backstory, as so many other authors seem content to just mimic Superman or Batman or Iron Man, etc. and set them in play.<br /><br />For the price I got it for on Amazon I'd have to say it was worth the money.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-78189636411099935452013-04-30T06:40:00.004-07:002013-04-30T06:40:28.236-07:00Sale Day at C-MartSale Day at C-Mart<br />
by Joe Basara<br />
(5/5 stars)<br />
<br />
The best way to describe this book might be to say it's the absurdist class struggle of "Catch-22" fused with the retail comedy of the movie "Clerks." I found this combination to be very entertaining and a step up from his debut "Cypress Lake."<br /><br />This story takes place in Cypress Lake, though it's set a few years later in the mid-80s. C-Mart is a big box chain store not unlike KMart and like KMart it has a hated rival known as T-Mart. The management of both stores have the brilliant idea of a Christmas in July sale. The book takes place during this sale day (hence the title) through the points of view of the store's employees.<br /><br />The employees spend much of their time hopping around working (or trying to avoid working)to meet management's impossible demands. The Powers That Be in Atlanta decree to "spread 'em thin" to avoid paying too many salaries, which often leaves stock piled up and displays a shambles and frustrated customers going across the street. Three new employees are inserted into the chaos of C-Mart and things get off to a great start when their training person calls in sick because of a night of partying. Thus they're left to fend for themselves.<br /><br />The customers become increasingly nutty, sometimes to an exceedingly surrealistic extent. There are a few times when the author problem should have toned it down, but for the most part it makes for an entertaining story as the employees struggle to meet management's crazy demands and the craziness of the customers. But it never manages to get as dark as a "Catch-22." In fact there's even a happy ending. Well, it is Christmas after all...or Christmas in July.<br /><br />Basara's writing is as good or better than novels you would pay many times more for, which makes this a really good bargain for anyone who wants a well-written tale of absurdist humor. Or maybe if you work at a C-Mart type place and want a little catharsis.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-324901757558994442013-04-25T06:54:00.001-07:002013-04-25T06:54:39.828-07:00Yoshimi and the Shadow ClanYoshimi and the Shadow Clan<br />
by Tony Laplume<br />
(4/5 stars)<br />
<br />
My assumption is this has less to do with the Flaming Lips album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" and more with old kung-fu movies and modern updates like "Kill Bill." There is a girl named Yoshimi who has to train in martial arts, but sadly pink robots are sorely lacking...for now. <br /><br />In the meantime, the orphaned Yoshimi trains by escaping 36 different foster families until at 15 she's finally released into the world. Her first stop is at the Peers academy, where she gets a book and a sword and gets some vague preparation for a battle against the evildoer who killed her parents. First she has to take on the Shadow Clan led by a guy named Bill, which seems an obvious "Kill Bill" reference despite that I haven't actually watched most of those movies as I have yet to embrace the genius of Quentin Tarantino.<br /><br />Most of the book is entertaining enough and it's fairly short so it doesn't take a long time to read. I would have preferred a little more detail in the beginning about the foster families and at the end after Yoshimi's confrontation with Bill it might have been nice for things to slow down a little to get more detail about her travels.<br /><br />There is a decent promise of more to come, though perhaps pink robots are not in the offing. Dang it.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-27667583347035813932013-04-24T13:23:00.001-07:002013-04-24T13:23:25.956-07:00The Carnival PapersThe Carnival Papers<br />
by Patrick Dilloway<br />
(5/5 Stars)<br />
<br />
In every life there are those critical moments that leave their mark on
us forever and shape the course of our lives. These are the moments that
are contemplated in "The Carnival Papers," a collection of short
stories focusing on a variety of characters facing life-altering
situations.<br /><br />The first story is "Learning to Fly," where a young
girl fed up with small town life decides to set out on adventure. This
adventure doesn't go quite as she plans when her car breaks down.<br /><br />"Antiques"
follows a similar pattern to "Learning to Fly," only in this a young
girl in a small town uncovers her mother's dark secret.<br /><br />"Far As
You Can Go" focuses on a woman leaving her abusive husband who has to
decide just what she's willing to do in order to escape.<br /><br />In "Flight," a suburban man is trapped in the urban jungle and finds the most dangerous foe might just be himself.<br /><br />"Walking Away" features a young man making the decision to leave home for the first time.<br /><br />"Your Missed" (the title is a deliberate typo) deals with a young man in his first real job and first real relationship.<br /><br />"Carnal
Knowledge" focuses on an Internet loudmouth who leaves the virtual
world to confront an author who tormented him in high school.<br /><br />In "Tartarus" a man's idyllic XMas with his family is shattered by a dangerous foe.<br /><br />"Coming Home" deals with a washed-up baseball player returning home and starting a new life.<br /><br />Baseball
is also at the center of "The Kryptonite Heart," in which a minor
league baseball team, its mascot, and the mascot's son are all changed
forever by a game to decide the championship.<br /><br />In "Safe Harbor" a dying author seeks solace in the works he created.<br /><br />"Spring
in the Land of Broken Dreams" is another literary-themed adventure
where a young man goes in search of his favorite author.<br /><br />"The Carnival Papers" focuses on a young man and his brief affair with the "mermaid" of the visiting carnival.<br /><br />In "Sunset Limited" nature photographer Frank Hemsky's life takes a dramatic turn on a train bound for home.<br /><br />Frank Hemsky returns in "The Ridgemont Marathon," where a stop in rural Michigan prompts Frank to consider a change of life.<br /><br />"Swimming Lessons" focuses on a deformed man's first meeting with the equally deformed father who abandoned him long ago.<br /><br />In "Here I Am," folksinger Josh confronts writer's block and a new love.<br /><br />Josh returns in "Folksinger's Blues," where he and his band meet the end of the road.<br /><br />Finally,
in "Meet Cute," a man's business trip to Toronto takes an unexpected
turn and demonstrates that life isn't like the movies.<br /><br />These stories are of varying length. Some feature sexual situations and bad language, though nothing too explicit.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-30671420264120536132013-04-24T13:22:00.000-07:002013-04-24T13:22:39.054-07:00Forever Young (Children of Eternity #1) Forever Young (Children of Eternity #1)<br />
by Claire Lachance<br />
(4/5 Stars)<br />
<br />
Did you ever watch that M. Night Whatshisface movie "The Village?"
Neither did I, but there is somewhat of a similar premise involved in
"Forever Young" by Claire Lachance. Maybe also a little of "Tuck
Everlasting" or something too; it's been a while since I read that.<br /><br />Anyway,
the story begins with a 10-year-old girl washing up on an island. When
she wakes up, she has no idea who she is or how she came to be on the
island. The kindly Miss Brigham gives the girl the name Samantha Young.
Why that and not Jane Doe? Hurm...<br /><br />One Samantha is able to get
up and around, she notices something very strange about the island.
There are about 50 other children but only three adults: Miss Brigham,
the nasty Mr. Pryde, and the head man Reverend Crane. The children do
most of the work on the island to grow food, take care of the livestock,
cut firewood, and so forth. Their technology is pretty much on par
with the Amish, with no boats no phones no motorcars--not a single
luxury. That seems odd to Samantha, but she can't understand why at
first.<br /><br />Samantha quickly makes friends with Prudence, a shy fat
girl who handles all of the island's sewing. Prudence helps Samantha
understand the strict code everyone lives under, called The Way by
Reverend Crane. Try as she might, Samantha can't seem to avoid getting
into trouble with the reverend and his rules. Making things tougher is
that Samantha is the only one on the island with darker skin, making her
an immediate target for bullying.<br /><br />But as time goes by, Samantha
begins to remember some things. This helps her to see that there's
something not quite kosher about Reverend Crane or what he's doing on
the island. But what's his secret? Hurm...<br /><br />Anyway, this is a
pretty short book that moves along at a good clip. Since a reverend is
the bad guy it's probably not for devout religious people, which was
fine with me. The writing is nothing special, but there aren't too many
errors, which is always good. And even though she's only 10, Samantha
kicks a lot more ass than Bella Swan. I'm just saying.<br /><br />That is all.
PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-17188339627526669222013-04-24T13:20:00.001-07:002013-04-24T13:20:03.701-07:00Higher PowerHigher Power<br />
by Claire Lachance<br />
(4/5 Stars)<br />
<br />
You could probably describe "Higher Power" as being like "Inception"
only without all the gun battles and car chases and fight sequences
ripped off from "The Matrix." And contrary to what the title might
suggest there's nothing in there about religion.<br /><br />The story
focuses on a blind man name Max Caldwell. Like a lot of blind people,
when Max lost his sight, his other senses became more acute. In his
case he actually developed a new sense: Max can see into people's
dreams. Not only can he see the dreams, he finds he can control them as
well. Unfortunately he discovers this power at a young age and ends up
turning it against his parents in a fit of childish angst that proves
deadly.<br /><br />After which Max ends up in a loony bin. But now that
he's a grown man and hasn't had any problems in a good while, the state
has decided he's "cured" and is turning him loose. Max still has to go
to the hospital periodically to meet with a therapist helping him to
reintegrate with society.<br /><br />One day at the hospital, though, Max
finds himself drawn into the dreams of a coma patient named Sarah.
Though he's sworn to not use his power again, Max can't help himself
when it seems like Sarah is about to die in her dream.<br /><br />From there
Max begins spending more and more time around Sarah, using his power to
keep her safe. At first he does relatively simple things, but soon he
decides the only way to make sure she's safe is to build a whole new
world for her, a "perfect" world inside her mind. But how do you make a
perfect world? And how long can the illusion really last?<br /><br />You
might think it's a little creepy that this guy is obsessing about a
woman in a coma, but it's not like he's actually doing anything to her
in real life. He's not fondling her or any of that. And he doesn't try
to make her fall in love with him, at least not until she inadvertently
sees him in the dream world. Like I said at the beginning, this isn't a
violent action story. It's more of a romance between Max and Sarah.
It's also kind of a superhero type story as Max learns with great power
comes great responsibility.<br /><br />Anyway, this is an enjoyable fairly
light read. It won't have you questioning reality either and make you
wonder whether the end was a dream or anything like that. So that's a
plus.<br /><br />That is all.PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8556151267322090381.post-78202617466869474812013-04-24T13:18:00.004-07:002013-04-24T13:18:59.124-07:00First Contact (Rebirth #1)First Contact (Rebirth #1)<br />
Eric Filler<br />
(4/5 Stars)<br />
<br />
<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview355975149">This
is some good old-fashioned space opera, even if it's not particularly
well-written. Anyway, the story begins with two starships arriving at an
uninhabited planet. (And since this is not "hard" science-fiction
there's no explanation of the faster-than-light travel method they use
or anything like that.) Captain Lisa Shaw is in command of the
expedition, though she feels slighted to be sent out into the middle of
nowhere for years on what should be a milk run.<br /><br />Except things get
more interesting than she ever imagined. Not long after the humans
arrive and begin surveying the planet, an alien ship appears in the
system! Lisa and her crew go through all the standard first contact
stuff of trying to send greetings and whatnot, but it soon becomes
apparent these aliens are not interested in exchanging messages by
musical scales or cave drawings or anything like that.<br /><br />No, the
aliens open fire and within minutes Lisa's ship is destroyed. She's
prepared to go down with the ship, but is saved by Ensign Jack Laurants,
who assures her she's needed down on the surface. A few others of the
bridge crew survive as well, but most of the ship's crew is dead, for
which Lisa blames herself.<br /><br />Not much later on the surface, the
human ground soldiers of the expedition come under attack by alien
warriors. It's then the alien agenda becomes clear: they want to use
the humans as food! Though they aren't carving them up like cattle.
The aliens have a much different way of eating, more akin to vampires,
though they don't sparkle.<br /><br />From there the human survivors have to find a way to escape from the aliens and get back to Earth to warn them of the threat.<br /><br />As
I said at the beginning, the writing is not great. It's pretty
amateurish and there are of course typographical errors and such. The story obviously
borrows from a lot of other space opera-type things like Star Wars, Star
Trek, Robotech, and maybe a little V--the 80s version. It's a fun
light read.<br /><br />That is all.</span></span>PT Dillowayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.com0