Category Archives: Science Fiction

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

Gay, Kelly: Shadows Before the Sun (Charlie Madigan) (2012)

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Cover art by Christian McGrath

Shadows Before the Sun is the 4th installment of the Charlie Madigan series. Whether it is the final one remains to be seen but it did represent an ending to me.

Charlie needs to go to Elysia to find Hank. She did promise him that at the end of The Hour of Dust and Ashes. Their friendship is too important to leave anything to chance and the words of ambassadors. Right now Hank needs a friend who is willing to break the rules to get to him. Charlie and Allessandra, the Oracle, end up as travelling companions. They both consider the other a severe test of patience.

The world of Elysia turns out to be as bad as the Earth Charlie is from. There is plenty of political maneuvering, power-plays and mayhem. But there is also help from unexpected quarters.

Charlie’s character has grown during her trip through these four novels. With her growth has come a better understanding of other people and perhaps even an ability to see them as individuals and not just part of some great mass that she has to keep safe.

We get action with plenty of fighting and some sex. I guess both could be considered somewhat adult in content.

My journey with the Charlie Madigan series has been a pleasant one. Shadows Before the Sun is easy to read, difficult to put down and fits the other three novels well.

Announcement from Kelly Gay: “8/1/12 — There’s been some talk about SHADOWS BEFORE THE SUN being the final book in the series. Guys, nothing like this has been decided or announced. Official news will come straight from me. I’m usually contracted 2 books at a time. Shadows completed my second two-book contract. This does not mean I’m done writing the series or that I won’t go back to contract.”

My reviews on books 1 (The Better Part of Darkness), 2 (The Darkest Edge of Dawn), 3 (The Hour of Dust and Ashes), and 4 (Shadows Before the Sun)

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

Gay, Kelly: The Hour of Dust and Ashes (Charlie Madigan) (2011)

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Cover art by Christian McGrath

Does Kelly Gay keep up her good work in The Hour of Dust and Ashes? Yes, she most definitely does. She has that rare ability of being able to keep her writing tight, very tight. That and her spelling and grammar helps the reader keep from being distracted. Add to that a pretty good plot, fun characters and talent and you have the flow.

Charlie Madigan is an interesting character. She is a believable woman in a fantastic yet believable world. Yes, this is all science fiction and fantasy, but the plot is about recognisable problems and her characters are flawed and gifted like the rest of us. Fanatics are fanatics and greed is greed.

Charlie suffers from a save-the-world-all-on-her-own syndrome. That makes it easy for her to take the blame for her sister’s ash addiction. It is true that Bryn got addicted to ash while helping Charlie out, but Charlie tends to forget that Bryn has her own will and this is creating trouble between the sisters.

When ash addicts begin taking their own lives, Charlie becomes desperate to make certain Bryn stays alive. Thus far the hunt for a cure has led nowhere. When Charlie goes to the oracle, Allessandra for help, she is told that she will need sylphs. On to Charbydon she must go and Hank and Rex get to go along with her.

Rex (the ex-jinn now revenant), Brimstone (the hellhound) and Hank (the Adonai) make themselves better known to us. We also get to see Charbydon at its best and worst. No wonder the people there think of Earth as a vacation spot.

We get tons of action and some of the fighting is explicit. If you don’t like that, consider yourself warned.

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My reviews on books 1 (The Better Part of Darkness), 2 (The Darkest Edge of Dawn), 3 (The Hour of Dust and Ashes), and 4 (Shadows Before the Sun)

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

Gay, Kelly: The Darkest Edge of Dawn (Charlie Madigan) (2010)

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Cover art by Christian McGrath

Christian McGrath’s portrayal of Charlie Madigan is gritty and strong complementing the writing of Kelly Gay. Gay’s writing continues to engage me as a reader. She maintains the balance between too much and too little keeping her novel tight and well-written.

The Darkest Edge of Dawn begins where The Better Part of Darkness left off. Atlanta became more in tune with the Charbydons living there. Charlie feels responsible for the “accidental darkening” and in a sense that is true. So, being the kind of person she is, Charlie sets a goal of saving Atlanta.

 As we all know, the world is full of nutters. Being from Charbydon or Elysia makes no difference. Crazy people are found among all races. Sadly, some of the crazies go serial. In The Darkest Edge of Dawn Charlie and Hank investigate a warehouse where a dead body was found. Both find the place creepy and for good reason. In this lovely warehouse a pile of dead bodies and a pregnant hellhound is discovered. Something is off about the mound of bodies.

That was the second problem Charlie feels the need to save the world from. On a more personal level, the changes in her DNA are worrisome. What is she turning into and how is she supposed to control the powers she seems to have gained?

Trying to deceive your own daughter works like a charm unless she is psychic. And guess what, Emma is psychic. When Will died and his body was taken over by Rex, Charlie decided that they had to wait until Emma was ready before she could be told. Talk about messed up life. But Charlie also has the pleasure of having a hellhound living at her home, a hellhound that Emma has a mysterious link to.

That’s not all that is going on in Charlie’s life. Her sister Bryn was affected by the drug Ash while trying to help Charlie. Now she has to take regular doses of the drug in order to stay alive.

Charlie’s partner, Hank, still has his voice modifier fused to his neck – joy of joy – hindering his ability to be a proper Elysian.

One of the things Charlie has trouble with is accepting help from others. She is going to need help in The Darkest Edge of Dawn just as she did in The Better Part of Darkness. I get that. Asking for help is difficult even when it is obvious assistance is needed. Just because you are adult age, does not necessarily mean that you are able to act maturely. I guess that is part of the reason why I like Charlie so much. She is vulnerable and strong, prejudiced and willing to look beyond those prejudices.

I think Charlie Madigan could a be a good role model for young women out there.

My reviews on books 1 (The Better Part of Darkness), 2 (The Darkest Edge of Dawn), 3 (The Hour of Dust and Ashes), and 4 (Shadows Before the Sun)

Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Carlon, Lee: The Godslayers’ Legacy (The Bastard Cadre II) (2013)

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Cover design by Lee Carlon

First of all I want to say thank you to Lee Carlon for sending me a reviewer’s copy of The Godslayers’ Legacy.

I liked book no. 1 of the series: A God-Blasted Land and had hopes for the rest of the series. I wonder what it must be like to be an author writing a series/serial??? I imagine the pressure you put on yourself to perform well the second time around must add to the stress whenever you feel lost in your own work. The excellent writer is like any excellent performer out there. We as a public aren’t supposed to guess how much work goes into their art. They get the tears. We get the pleasure.

Lee Carlon is turning out to be such a writer. To me he writes in minor key and plays those black tangents on his keyboard like an expert.

When Avril Ethanson decided he would fight Lord Obdurin’s bond, he did not know it would be so difficult. His reins are not as tight as those of the other cadres living up on Frake’s Peak, but they are nevertheless reins. Ronara enjoys being able to live there but she does not have to fight the bond that Lord Obdurin has tied between himself and Avril.

Not only Ronara and Obdurin add to Avril’s conflicted feelings. He is first sworn of his cadre and feels the need to seek out his other cadre members. For some reason Lord Obdurin wanted a semi-independent cadre to play his games with, and Avril’s is it.

We get to meet four of the other cadre members in this novel. Telling all of their names would only be a spoiler, but one of them is safe to share. Dune d’Turintar is on a mission to kill Lord Obdurin. Doing so is bound to bring her within reach of Avril.

Newterra is a bleak place. The world has been left in ruins by the Gods and the Gods pretty much rule the world. Who and what the gods are will probably be revealed later on, but I’m guessing Gods aren’t it.

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour, Science Fiction

Drake, David: Sea Hag (1988)

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Cover by Larry Elmore

David Drake is an author that has been in the business for ages. I have this really strange relationship with his work. For some bizarre reason I usually imagine that I am not going to enjoy what he has written. And what happens? I’m sucked in every time. EVERY time! And still I expect not to like his writing. Slow learner I guess.

The Sea Hag was no exception. I thought, “nah, I don’t like David Drake” …. What a joke. Of course I like David Drake. I always do. And I did.

When I started reading Sea Hag I thought it was a fantasy tale. That is intentional from the author’s side (see link). In addition to being a fantasy, it is also science fiction. You will see why, when you read the novel.

Dennis discovers his father has made a promise to the Sea Hag in exchange for a wish. But Dennis’ father tries to get out of his promise. When Dennis discovers what the promise was and that his father has no intention of keeping it, Dennis sets off to somehow make up for his father’s failure. What we end up with in The Sea Hag is a hero’s journey. As his helper/side-kick we have Chester. Dennis and Chester are odd. I don’t know how else to describe them.

Dennis starts off like most of us – terribly naive. His ideas of what it takes to make it in the big world are off by a long-shot and he is incredibly lucky to have Chester along. At the same time Dennis is plucky. He has that combination of stubbornness and stupidity that a hero needs. By stupidity I mean the inability to see when something is supposed to be impossible.

Like all heroes’ tales the journey of Dennis and Chester brings us a great deal of unlikely scenes. I just love the stuff heroes survive, this hero too. The duo is loveable.

Did I like The Sea Hag. Hell, yes. Of course, I did. David Drake has ended up writing a book that he says people either hate or love. I am in the second category.

Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Christensen, Andreas: The Tunnel (2012)

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Cover design by Andreas Christensen

Another Norwegian like myself. Woohoo!

Andreas Christensen is the author of The Tunnel. The Tunnel is the type of science fiction that I enjoy – weird and really cool.

Whenever I read a book, be it fiction or non-fiction (supposedly), I ask myself what I would do in a situation like the one an author describes. So, play along with me.

What would you do if you were on your way to work and suddenly discovered you weren’t? Here you are, driving through a tunnel you have driven through gazillion times before and your car breaks down. You think, ah – some person will stop for me. Then your cell phone doesn’t work. Because we are the people we are, we are geniuses at rationalizing what we experience into understandable boxes.

What do you do then? Well, you probably get out of your car and walk in the direction you were driving. Why that direction? I know I would.

Andreas writes in a nice tight style. The editing is excellent, unlike some of the stuff I’ve read lately. While a story can be good, editing can make or break it. Mr. Christensen manages to get the feelings of Randall across to me in a believable manner. He has definitely understood what the flow is all about.

Mystery, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Crusoe, Andrew: The Secret Beneath the Ice (The Epic of Aravinda) (2012)

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Cover design by Andrew Crusoe

The Secret Beneath the Ice is the story of the thoughtship Navika and its pilot Oonak and their journey through the Galaxy. In their attempt to avoid the Enemy they come upon the lovely blue world of Avani. They expect to touch down without problems due to the seeming lack of technological advance on the planet. They were wrong.

What we have here is a science fiction action tale/adventure. Oonak and Navika are interesting characters who are going to have to figure out what happened to them – a regular whodunit I guess. We have got 16 pages that I really want to find out the rest of the story to.

Andrew Crusoe writes well. 16 pages is not a lot to impart a story with but Crusoe manages just fine.

Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Thriller

Cowie, Kim: An Implementation of Magic (2012)

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“This short story was previously published in the small – press fiction magazine ORION, issue #3, in the early 1990’s. Revised 2012.” (Amazon)

What if there was a way to manufacture magic, make it real somehow? Kim Cowie has written 26 excellent pages about what might happen if science managed to make the super-natural/para-normal accessible. Knowing humans, I find Kim’s story pretty believable.

The ending is perfect.

Mystery, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Carpenter, Thomas K.: The Lorieme Job (Digital Sea) (2012)

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Cover design by Rachel J. Carpenter

Thomas K. Carpenter thinks that augmented reality is part of what our future digital life will be. Augmented reality is an essential part of The Lorieme Job. The Lorieme Job first appeared in the anthology Mirror Shards: Vol. 2. I came into contact with The Lorieme Job through Kindle. It was on offer for nothing and I thought “why not”. This is a choice I am happy I made.

I believe this type of science fiction is called hard science fiction. An essential part of hard science fiction is the believability of the technological future presented. Even though Zel’s world is highly augmented, I have no problem seeing us going in that direction.

Besides the science fiction, The Lorieme Job is a mystery. Zel is trying to find the person in control of “the fountain of youth” and has to do so in a way that will not get her caught. She is probably the ultimate (impossible to catch) hacker of the digital sea. During her hunt, she encounters a few surprises.

I love speculations about the future. Reading The Lorieme Job was a fun few pages. There was plenty of action, plenty of technology and a bit of humor. Zel’s plans for Redman were especially fun. She is my kind of lady.

Adventure, Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Byers, Richard Lee: Suiting Up (The Impostor) (2011)

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Cover by Elaine Polk

Different sites I have been to claim that http://richardleebyers.com/ is Richard Lee Byers’ website. It is NOT. It might have been at one time but now it is a weight and cellulite management site. I think your best bet would be to try his live journal. Hopefully, it is still up and running – it was as of 2013 Mar 04.

In the world of Matt Brown we find superheroes and aliens.

Germantown is attacked by aliens who are looking for a snack. When the superheroes try to defend the population, most of them get killed. Matt Brown then has a life-changing experience. One that enables him to help those around him fight the hungry bugs.

With Suiting Up we see the beginning of a new superhero series, The Impostor. We are looking at a typical superhero style of writing. Those of you out there who are fans of the genre will enjoy Suiting Up.

Adventure, Science Fiction

Berry, Stephen Ames: The Biofab War (1984/2012)

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Cover illustration by Alan Gutierrez

I have the 2012 kindle edition. Stephen A Berry stated that It’s been rewritten to reflect present-day Earth and changes later in the series. The plot is unaltered and the heavy blaster fire unabated. I am always grateful when an author categorizes her/his own work (way to go Mr. Berry). The Biofab War is space opera.

A comment like that from an author is yet another reason to get me interested in reading their book. My curiosity is easily aroused.

The Biofab War is in some senses a believable future for humans – telling why would be a major spoiler. There are technological aspects that I could believe that we would allow ourselves to develop. Silly buggers is what we are. Biofab is a term Mr. Berry claims he originated through his Biofab Quartet. There is a whole biofab industry out there. The whole concept is fascinating.

The Biofab War is an excellent introduction to the Biofab Quartet. I like the whole idea of cousins and enemies and surprises and mistakes coming to kiss us on our behinds. There is plenty of action, lots and lots of it. Well-written fight scenes are fun. Mr. Berry writes well. Granted, he has cheated by re-writing the original, but who cares. Have fun.

Science Fiction, Thriller

Bernstein, David: Tears of No Return (2012)

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uten navnI have read loads of novels in this genre written by my gender, but none by the “aliens” (I think). So I kind of had to see if there was a difference in perspective. There could have been, you know. They are supposed to be different from us “normals”. After having read it, I had to check if David Bernstein was a pseudonym for some lady wanting to hide her gender. But it was not. David Bernstein is really a guy writing a book that is very similar in style to many gals.

What does this tell me? Hell if I know. I just found it incredibly interesting that David Bernstein as a guy might possibly write the same way as a gal. Those who know me will not be surprised at all that I would get hung up in something like this or even read a book for this reason – as if I would need an excuse to read. Hah.

Karen Lakemire is having a terrible day. First she gets kidnapped by someone who seems like a homeless, who turns out to be a mafia-seeming guy, who then turns out to be infected by an alien, who then infects Karen and finally kills himself. Woohoo! Just my kind of day. Of course the US government is involved, through a secret corporation called the Murphy Unit – a unit consisting of some very bad people out to further the US military power by any means possible.

Karen later meets up with another unfortunate victim of the Murphy Unit, Morgan Hughes. He has been turned into a vampire-vampire. That just means that he has to have vampire blood to survive and that he can handle sunlight and garlic and religious symbols. Together they fight the evil overlords.

I found the vampire cliches, well, cliches. The garlic was a bit over-kill.

Other than that Tears of No Return was a fairly good action/thriller/scifi/urban fantasy novel.

Humour, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Anderson, Lorraine J.: Aboard the Quaker City: A Tour Aspace (2011)

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uten navnI am finding myself having quite a bit of fun with Lorraine Anderson’s short stories. Aboard the Quaker City is another addition to my enjoyment.

Aboard the Quaker City is basically about a guy who meets an ex while stuck on a cruise in space. It is completely absurd yet sweet. Anderson manages to compress imperialism and prejudice into 22 pages of unbelievability. Yet this is all stuff that I observe in pople almost every day. Granted, we do not have gills nor do we go on cruises around the galaxy (unless you count the Earth as a space ship), but we really are silly.

Enjoy.

Adventure, Science Fiction

Anderson, Tim: The Flowery War (2012)

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Cover art Luca Oleastri

The Flowery War by Tim Andersen is an odd novel. Not weird just odd. Yes! I know I am talking about science fiction.

Putting my finger on its oddness is a difficult task. Part of it could be that I get this “old” feeling from it. It is as if it has been written in a different era, yet the copyright page does say 2012. There is this Asimovian or Herbertian feeling about it without the feeling of any copying going on.

I love the protagonist. Unlike a great deal of “heroes” of fiction, Goshan Fenn is this awkward guy who is trying to carve a name for himself rather than live off his mother and grandfather’s fame. Going into the same area (alien contact) kind of complicates that for him, but he is determined to make a go of it. His new boss is the kind who could care less who a person has for parents. Either you do things Mr. Smith’s way or you can expect a ton of trouble.

I love the intelligence that is expected of me as a reader. I tend to be offended when an author seems to equate fantasy/science fiction with dumbing down stuff. I also hate it when authors have to show off just how incredibly smart they are. Tim Anderson treads that line perfectly.

Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Baum, Spencer: The Demon Queen and the Locksmith (2009)

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Cover art by Stingya

The Demon Queen and the Locksmith is a fun read about three kids who have to save their town from a terrible threat. To aid them, they gain supernatural powers and assistants.

Spencer Baum has done a good job in portraying lonely Kevin and his newfound friends Jackie and Joseph. They come off as three likeable kids who manage to struggle their way through an extraordinary situation. I think that is what I like the most about The Demon Queen. Sometimes books for a younger audience portray angsty or heroic kids. Fantasy is kind of predisposed towards protagonists like that. That can be fun. But the greatest characters are the ones that are grey.

Enjoy.