Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Hicks, Michael R.: Empire (In Her Name – Redemption) (2009)

2013-05-21 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

I saw the old cover on one of the reviews below and prefer this one.

Flow! To me it is all about the flow. It is that magical quality that some authors are born with and some authors can work their way into. Maintaining the flow through a whole text, whether it be fiction or non-fiction, is something most authors struggle with. Some authors never hit it while others fall in and out of it. Then we have the others.

Michael R. Hicks has the ability of remaining in the flow. He did it so well, I had to get the other two novels in the Redemption trilogy and read them right away.

Maybe part of that has to do with the harshness of Empire. Michael did not try to sugar-coat the conditions of the orphanage. I imagine there are people out there who cannot believe that such things exist, but they do. Muldoon is nothing unique in the world of orphanages.

The other thing that really hit me was Reza’s ability to adjust. Some people are like that. They just bend with the blows that life hits them with. Me, I’d break having to live through the death of my parents, abuse at the hands of caretakers and finally having to live with the enemy. Whenever I meet a bender, I am impressed all over again. So, I was impressed with Reza.

As Reza learns so too does Esah-Zhurah. She goes from thinking of him as beneath her to gaining a grudging respect of Reza’s possible value. Inevitable I guess. Tearing down the walls of propaganda takes time – even for superior aliens.

You can meet at , and .

Empire is available free as an e-book at most online retailers. If you can’t find it free at your favorite e-bookstore, you can always get it free from in multiple e-book formats.

Fantasy, Mystery

Hanel, Jerry: Death Has a Name (Brodie Wade) (2011)

2013-05-20 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

As you can see below, there are quite a few reviews out there on Death Has a Name. I have included the ones that I feel make sense and add to my understanding of the story.

I’ve seen some readers consider the story YA while others lean toward an older age group. As usual I do not have a clue other than there being enough explicit gore for me to want to keep the book away from a very young audience.

Perhaps my Kindle copy of Death Has a Name has been revised. Several of the reviews below have commented on editing problems. It seems their advice has been followed.

The prologue starts off with a woman chasing after Death’s Apprentice trying to prevent the release of Death’s bindings. But the culprit gets away. All she is left with is a tabby cat purring at her feet.

Drumroll: This is when we meet Brodie Wade looking for his tabby cat, Sophie. Brodie Wade and his friend, and sometimes work-partner, Detective Phil Dawson look like Laurel and Hardy. Brodie tall and thin and Phil short and very round. Phil is the one Brodie phones when the stress becomes too much for him to bear. While Phil is with Brodie Sophie returns, dried blood on her left thigh. Brodie’s world is complete, blood or no blood.

In many ways Brodie’s encounters with the Truth are like trying to reason with an extremely unpredictable psychotic person. Brodie knows that whatever apparition Truth chooses that day has a message. But understanding that message is like trying to interpret what a person in a psychotic episode is conveying to you. You have to keep them calm at all costs or they could go for you. But Brodie has to do that without other people realising that he is talking to someone/something that seems not there. No wonder he is so scarred.

I like Detective Phil Dawson. He acts the way good friends ought to in my opinion. Even if they think you are completely nuts they still try to be there for you. Even if what you claim scares them half to death they still stick with you. And when your nicotine craving is so strong they make you hand over the cigarettes you have hiding in your waistband they are still there. While mainly a mystery I do think that Death Has a Name is about friendship.

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You can meet at:

, and .

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Two Ends of the Pen
SFF review
Fantastic Adventures
Keryl Raist’s review
Jennie’s review
Alice Yeh’s review (Stimulated Outlet Book Reviews)
The Book Keeper
Free Book Hunter
Jay Greg’s review

Continue reading Hanel, Jerry: Death Has a Name (Brodie Wade) (2011) →

Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult

Ficks, J.L. & Dugue, J.E.: Kingsblood (The Chronicles of Covent) (2012)

2013-05-19 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

On the planet of Covent there once lived a dark elf named Shade. Growing up had brought Shade into the assassin work-force. I’ve often wondered what makes an assassin. In chapter 1 of Kingsblood we get a look at part of what brought Shade into the business.

I like Shade. Yes, he does some pretty gruesome stuff. But, you know, we all do at one time or another. Sometimes we are the victim and sometimes we are the perpetrator.

To Shade being an assassin is a job that he takes pride in. He is the best in his field. There are some people he will not kill – women and children. He also prefers to kill those who he considers black marks on his planet. Shade’s abilities are the best and therefore he wants jobs that challenge him. If you end up being under his protection, you know that you will be protected. On the other hand, if Shade decides the world is better off without you – well …

One person Shade decides to take under his wings is King Magnus. But, you know, one person (albeit the best assassin in the world) against a whole guild of assassins? Maybe Shade has bitten over more than he can chew this time. He is not quite alone. Shade has strange and mysterious people who root for him. Some of them even aid him. Hmmm. Wonder what kind of agenda they have?

There is plenty of action and humour. Our clumsy duo reappears in Kingsblood. You know, I feel sorry for them. Poor guys are out of their league.

Although several of the characters possess magic, there wasn’t really a lot of focus on magic. Instead action scenes were more about the fights themselves and Shade’s ability to be a shadow. King Magnus should be glad Shade is on his side.

I am going to say one extremely positive thing about Fick’s and Dugue’s writing. Even knowing what their agenda is, I struggled to see it in their writing. No soap-boxes, just really good writing.

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You can find the authors at and .

Thom Scott’s website (last updated 2011)

DWED reviews

My review of The Waiting Game

I received a copy of Kingsblood as a reviewer’s copy but have tried to not let that influence my review.

Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult

George, Kevin: Drinking Life (Keeper of the Water) (2011)

2013-05-18 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Sometimes in life we make choices that can have far-reaching consequences, not only for ourselves. Drinking Life seems to be in part about the impact of choices made.

Loyalty is another issue Drinking Life approaches. Do you really have to be loyal to a person you pretty much think is detestable? I kept thinking – Why does this person not get over themself and why do the rest let themselves be bullied by that person? Isn’t it possible to say “enough is enough”?

Once again I was struck by how infatuation can make you completely blind to the worst mistakes and be willing to forgive pretty despicable actions. And when the truth finally comes out, forgiveness is given once again. Is it not ever possible to learn?

Then I thought about real life – what about that? Well, sad to say people act like this all the time. They might not be super-fast, super-strong or heal surprisingly well, but people sure can be stupid about what we accept and do not accept in others. So I guess the story about Nia and her compatriots is believable.

Nia, her parents, Cassie and Cassie’s mother always seem to be on the move. The two girls are tired of never being able to settle down. When they end up in a tiny town on the outskirts of Nowhere they feel down. But not for long.

Like the blurb says, Nia Ammo is a jock, a quality she will have need of in the upcoming days. There will be more than enough running, swimming, rowing, shooting and jumping for the girl. Add in bizarre dreams and a boyfriend/not-boyfriend/boyfriend/not-boyfriend and Nia’s life is becoming difficult for her to handle.

Drinking Life was pretty good. There were annoying editing problems that ought to have been easy to do something about.

You can find at:

Children, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller

Dennis, H.L.: The Power of Three (Secret Breakers) (2012)

2013-05-18 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

I see some reviewers feel The Power of Three ought to be a Young Adult book while others think it is children’s literature. Personally, I consider The Power of Three a children’s story for children over 8-years-old.

Adults often underestimate children and young adults. I hear some of us talking to them as if they were stupid. Others, like crazy old Mr. Smithies, realize that the only thing children lack is experience. Sometimes even the dodgy old Black Chamber is able to think outside the box.

Being part of an undercover group means that not a single person outside of that group is supposed to know what you do. Mr. Smithies is lucky to be married to Mrs. Smithies. We never really learn if she would like to know what he does, but she seems to be perfectly happy to send him off to work.

Brodie is not quite so lucky. She seems to be an orphan. We learn that her mother is definitely dead. Her father could be dead too or maybe he is just off somewhere. Brodie does have her grandfather and lives with him when the mysterious card arrives, the card that ends up making her a member of England’s Black Chamber and Team Veritas.

Early on in the novel it becomes apparent that heredity plays a part in Brodie being chosenfor the job. All three children are descendants of other code-crackers who have had a go at the Voynich manuscript. I wonder if perhaps trying to crack the Voynich manuscript had something to do with the car-accident that killed Brodie’s mother?

Secret Breakers has the feel of James Bond for children/YAs. Dennis manages to bring a flair and tension to the story that belongs in a spy thriller. Brodie’s character is likable. In fact, all of the characters are likeable in one way or another, and most of them are a bit crazy. I think you have to be kind of crazy to want to work in a super-secretive environment with a document that no one has been able to decipher for years and years.

You should visit Helen Dennis’ website for Secret Breakers to read about the research behind the Secret Breakers and other interesting information.

If you want to join a Black Chamber, you can go here.

Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult

Greenwood, C.: Betrayal of Thieves (Legends of Dimmingwood) (2012)

2013-05-16 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Once again Ilan has to leave the life she has known so well. Her feelings are conflicted and prickly. With her she tries to bring her mother’s brooch. But Terrac takes it from her. Terrac decides to leave the criminal elements as well. He feels as though he is losing himself, or rather who he had hopes of being (a man of peace).

The Fist had been waiting for suckers to come back and get their stuff at the camp and Ilan and Terrac turned out to be those suckers. Terrac gets captured while Ilan manages to escape.

Ilan and her bow bonded in Magic of Thieves. Its strange qualities and seeming awareness puzzle Ilan and she sets out to find help in figuring out what this magic is all about. If there is one thing I have learned in my long acquaintanceship with fantasy and science fiction it is to be wary of objects that seem to have mysterious powers. They always end up getting you into trouble.

Betrayal of Thieves was a pretty good fantasy read. I like prickly Ilan. I sure would not like to find myself in her position. For some reason I always look for common ground with the characters of the various novels I read. No matter how evil or how good they are, there always seems to be something I can recognize. Ilan and Terrac are just average people and therefore pretty easy to connect with. Terrac’s changes are interesting. Maybe I will continue reading this serial.

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Reviews:

File Size: 481 KB
Print Length: 181 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1481213229
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00ALDFXL2

My review of Magic of Thieves

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Giacomo, Jasmine: Oathen (Legend of the Shanallar) (2011)

2013-05-15 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

The end of The Wicked Heroine left Meena in a sticky place. We now discover how she gets out of it. Definitely one of the novel’s high points and humorous at that. If you are a proper young adult you will like the grossness of the scene (especially if you have a good imagination). “… his knife skittered against the blade of a short sword jammed up from below” on the bottom of page 3 sets the tone for the rest of Oathen. Jasmine writes grosse well – an excellent and important quality in an author.

Anjoya Meseer (Geret and Salvor’s language teacher) ends up leaving Salience with Count Runcan for Vint. The two of them have a surprise change of of transportation on the way. Anjoya turns out to be important to the political climate in Vint, so hurrah to her for taking a chance on a change in future.

Then we have the love-triangle/quadrangle of Geret, Sanych, Salvor and Rhona who travel with the returned Meena and the chased Gryme/Kemsil. Talk about messy love. I think this was the bit about Legend of the Shanallar that just didn’t do anything for me, but I am not really a romance reader and definitely not a YA one.

Did Oathen have action. I guess that is one way of putting it. Plenty of action and magic. All of them learn what they are made of and Meena finally gets her heart’s desire fulfilled. I think you could say that Oathen had a happy ending – at least for some of the characters. The others, well you learn to live with the choices you have made. Consequences can suck.

At times the story hiccupped, but that happens. Other than that Oathen was a great YA novel (I think, being 48 and all).

You can find at and .

The Romance Reviews

My review of The Wicked Heroine

Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller

Green, Amanda S.: Nocturnal Origins (Nocturnal Lives) (2011)

2013-05-15 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

I love it when an author gives me good details on their covers. A few include this on their copyright page, others on their websites and some again I have to contact. Thus far each author I have contacted has been kind enough to share the details for their cover artists. Yeah! to authors. In Amanda S. Green’s case I was just too blind to see the names on the copyright but she still gave them to me.

Below you will find three reviews for Nocturnal Origins that showed me what the rest of the world (well, three people) thought of this novella. They have a pretty good description of the contents of Nocturnal Origins.

My first impression of Nocturnal Origins was humour. We get it in the 5th paragraph on the first page. Mac describes her “unholy” miracle of coming back to life with these words: “Ask the poor attendant who’d run screaming from that cold, desolate room in the hospital basement, when Mac had suddenly sat up, gasping for breath and still covered with too much blood. He’d been convinced a demon from Hell had risen to come for him.” The visualisation with those words was excellent and hilarious.

Mac’s would-be murderer is insane. Completely and utterly insane. He just has to kill her and damn the consequences. Serial killer is what he is and a gory one at that. I kind of feel sorry for him because he is so lost to his own psychosis.

And then Mac has her whole world view blown apart. I mean shape-shifters and weres. Come one. They don’t exist. Except in Mac’s world they do and drumroll she is one of them.

Nocturnal Origins is meant for a somewhat adult readership. I had fun reading about Mac’s surprises and her reaction to them. Better her than me (or is it “better she than I”).

Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Young Adult

Greenwood, C.: Magic of Thieves (Legends of Dimmingwood) (2012)

2013-05-15 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

I really like the cover of Magic of Thieves. I don’t know if the gold effect carries over to paper-backs. On the screen a feeling of magic shines through.

Magic of Thieves seems to be a novel meant for a Young Adult audience. Our novel begins with the death of Ilan’s parents. Ilan is a “half-breed” as propaganda calls her. Being half Skeltai/half human is frowned upon. Having a parent who is a magic user is even worse. All of a sudden magic has become evil and the Praetor is on the hunt for all magic users.

While trying to escape the soldiers hunting for her, Ilan’s magic is triggered. The family friend Borlan takes her in but realises that she cannot stay. He gets a peddler to take her to Cros where she ought to be safe as a magic user. But they get waylaid by the thieves of Dimmingwood. This is where Ilan’s life takes a strange turn and she grows up among the thieves with the one called Brig taking a special interest in her raising.

Ilan is a feisty girl having to deal with the loss of her parents and the new father figure in her life. As she grows up her emotions grow up with her. I think Greenwood has made a believably tiresome and brave person who just tries to figure out her place in life. Encountering those who are stronger and weaker than herself is just part of the game.

Terrac was a self-righteous pain in the butt, as I guess he was intended to be. This too seems to be part of the teen-agy hormonal thing that we all have to go through. Some of us even retain that less than stellar quality. But Terrac had guts. He was brave enough to do what had to be done while trying to stick to his convictions.

These are the main two characters of Magic of Thieves. It was interesting to behold the changes they went through as life’s usual surprises hit them.

You can reach at and .

Other reviews: The Middle Nerd

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

Giacomo, Jasmine: The Wicked Heroine (Legend of the Shanallar) (2010)

2013-05-14 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

It seems Jasmine Giacomo deems her Immortality Archives/Legend of the Shanallar novels adult fantasy. I don’t see it. There is no explicit sex nor explicit violence. Neither are the novels overly dark.

I chose to read The Wicked Heroine exclusively because of the title. I wouldn’t say that our main character (the Shanallar/Meena/Jacasta) is exactly wicked. In my opinion strong, experienced and unwilling to take a whole lot of BS is more descriptive. She makes her choices and faces the consequences of those. Sometimes those consequences are other people being hurt while at other times she is the one getting hurt. Sometimes everyone benefits. As I kept on reading about Meena, I found I liked her more and more.

Another favorite character was Geret Branbrey Valan. Geret is highly intelligent, naive and bored – all poured into one of the nobility. He has the best pranks but understands very little about other people. Maybe he is the one who goes through the most personal changes. I guess you could say that by the end of the duology he has been forced to grow up.

Sanych is another appealing character. Her main flaw is that she is extremely single-minded. Single-mindedness is a great quality if you are willing to learn from your mistakes. It takes her some time but Sanych figures out that despite all her bookish knowledge she too has plenty of real life learning to do.

Off the three of them go to find The Dire Tome, each of them with different motives for joining the journey. Like all heroic journeys there is plenty of action, a lot of death and wicked opponents. The three meet interesting people on their journey. We get to observe a love-triangle or two and the various feelings that go along with love/lust. The various love-triangles were what made surprised that Giacomo has classified her novels as adult. They were more of the kind found in YA novels in my opinion.

This is not a series. The books are not stand-alone but of the serial type. You will have to begin reading The Wicked Heroine for book no. 2 (Oathen) to make sense.

The Wicked Heroine was a fun read.

You can find at and .

Reviews: Julie Ann Dawson,

My review of Oathen

Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Halpin, Chantal: Foul is Fair (Witch Hunter) (2012)

2013-05-13 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

I love the cover by Misa Buckley. She has managed to get that dark, gritty feeling of the short story that Chantal Halpin has created.

Foul is Fair is a 10-page long short story about the witch Sam – not a very powerful witch. Although not powerful magically, Sam does happen to have the strength of “The Terminator”. Sam works for an insurance company that also protects people in the Community (paranormal).

Like in the real world politicians have something to hide. Vampirism might not be the most common thing one tries to hide (that I’ve heard) but you never know. You know there is going to be someone who is threatening to out the politician – just the way of the political world. Sam’s job is to prevent this from happening.

Sam, herself, seems to be hunted by a witch-hunter. Witch-hunters are judge and jury in one. If they suspect you of black magic you are a goner. This is where Chantal Halpin follows the trend in paranormal writing – Sam feels extremely attracted to the witch-hunter. He, of course, is a hottie.

Despite the predictability of the hottie hunter I enjoyed this short story. Halpin’s resolution was fun. Sam’s character is what makes the story. Obviously anything else is difficult as the story is only 10 pages long.

You can find at and .

You can get Foul is Fair for free at: .

Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella, Thriller, Young Adult

French, John F.: Just Passing Through (2012)

2013-05-12 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Don’t let this cover fool you. This is not some idyllic tale of life in a sunset, Oooh, no! What we have here is a regular old who-dun-it with some unexpected revelations for Sheriff Steele.

Some shots are heard in the night, a body is found with some strange marks on his neck and the Sheriff’s own son Kevin seems to be implicated in the crime. Kevin is adamant that he had nothing to do with the crime (naturally). While the Sheriff wants to believe him, he decides (good for him) to be thorough in his investigation. As the investigation progresses the weirdness increases.

I loved the ending. Perfect. What we have here is a clever way of looking at the paranormal, one that does not fall within the all-too common trap of paranormal literature of today. Mr. French keeps the pace up and the gore down. A nice addition to the world of literature.

You can find on .

You can get Just Passing Through for free at and .

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella

Gray, Scott Fitzgerald: Stories (The Endlands) (2011)

2013-05-12 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

What would happen if you were offered the world and you didn’t want it? I think about that sometimes. Am I happy with the life I have?

I loved Hjorn. Here he finds an axe that promises him “the power thou seekest” and the poor fellow isn’t looking for any more power than he already has. His only response to the talking axe is “That’s unusual”. “Thou wilt rule the world” the axe says and Hjorn just shrugs.

Hjorn’s character is wonderful. This guy is about the most down-to-earth person I have ever met. The battle of wills that ensues is hilarious.

Scott Fitzgerald Gray has done an amazing job in building up his two main characters. They complement each other so well. Whoever heard of a needy axe? Well, now you have. What a great story this was!

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You can find Fitzgerald catch at / /

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Print Length: 24 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Insane Angel Studios (June 2, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B005FQKCPW

Fantasy, Short story/novella, Thriller

Gray, Scott Fitzgerald: A Space Between (The Endlands) (2011)

2013-05-11 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

A Space Between 2 — Cover design by (studio)Effigy, from an image by Jose A.S. Reyes.
The background to the main image is the cover art for A Prayer for Dead Kings and Other Tales
(in which the story first appeared), which is an illustration by Alex Tooth

I love it when I get such detailed information on the cover art. The knife is very appropriate to A Space Between.

Scott Fitzgerald is a demanding name to give your child. Talk about pressure. Fortunately Scott Fitzgerald Gray manages to live up to the expectations of his name.

A Space Between is a dark short story. Talk about dysfunctional family. Love, secrets, betrayal, ambition and murder are all part of the game.

Charan and Jalina make an interesting set of siblings. Their love/hate relationship is what drives A Space Between. Add to that the accidental death of their father and we have the recipe for an interesting tale.

I found myself liking Charan and Jalina. Their love and the murder are very much against societal mores, but society is a fluid thing shaped by its members. Their discovery of two magical artifacts changes their ability to see each other.

It was strange reading A Space Between. Gray’s writing was so beautiful I forgot to pay attention to what I was reading. I got caught up in the flow of the words. I have said this before and probably will again: There are some advantages to being within the autism spectrum. Because my “thing” is words I get the pleasure of finding myself lost in them. A Space Between was a word autists/aspergian dream.

For those of you who aren’t that lucky rest assured that the quality of Gray’s writing is high.

You can catch Scott Fitzgerald Gray at facebook / twitter / google.

Print Length: 35 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Insane Angel Studios (May 18, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B0051OR1FM

Adventure, Fantasy

Gunzel, Jeff: Land of Shadows (The Legend of the Gatekeeper) (2012)

2013-05-11 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

First of all I would like to compliment Jeff Gunzel on his choice of cover artist. The cover of Land of Shadows is amazingly beautiful. Love the work of Ronnell D. Porter.

I see that some of the earlier reviews have asked for editing of Lands of Shadow. I have an updated version from 2013 and have a feeling that there must have been quite a bit of editing done if the previous critique was true. I like that in an author – the ability to listen to what people have to say and then decide if what is said is worth listening to. So that is one plus in Jeff Gunzel’s favor.

I loved the opening scene. The warrior Morcel’s choice to leave off the life he had been leading lately brings him in a sense back to the land of the living. All because that one last drop had fallen. Life is like that (although maybe not quite as brutal as the village scenes). Sometimes that one drop extra falls and you cannot stand your own choices any longer. Change comes – sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Morcel’s having had his fill plays an important role in the plot of The Land of Shadows.

Right away I am going to warn you of a particularly gruesome scene – the one that changes Morcel’s life. This is NOT a book for Young Adults and there are definitely trigger factors for those who have been victims of sexual abuse. Consider yourselves warned.

In this scene we meet a girl who also plays an important role in the development of the plot. If you are awake you will spot her reappearance. She is quite a strong character.

There is action from the beginning of Land of Shadows. Talk about intense scenes that just grip me and will not let me go. Not until Chapter 3 do we get a description of beautiful Tarmerria. But that beauty does have a back side. There are plenty of unwanted elements, crime and scary outlanders.

What we get in the Land of Shadows is a bunch of people who have had to make terrible choices in order to stave off a potentially terrible future. But bearing the consequences of their choices takes a toll on them and the ones they have made those choices for. Life is all too often like that. A person can only do what they think is right and hope that they do not mess up too badly.

Land of Shadows is a dark novel, dark and beautiful. It is well worth the read and I would say that Jeff Gunzel has the potential of being an amazing writer. He already hits the flow over and over again and plays with my feelings like a virtuoso.

Print Length: 219 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Jeff Gunzel; 4 edition (July 29, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B008QQ60BI