Tag Archives: #Consequences

Adventure, Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella

Thomas, Steve: Smite Me, Oh Dark One (2011)

2013-05-29 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

In the case of Smite Me, Oh Dark One the title was what made me read it. In the story we get a bit of existentialism and family troubles.

Acerbus, God of Darkness, is a fun god, one that plans for the long haul. Lux, the God of Light, is the one that takes himself terribly serious. He has long speeches and flowery sentences. Silly bugger. He really ought to use his brain every once in a while. Lux does say what the other gods want to hear, so they follow him. Sound familiar, anyone???

This is a 26-page great short story that lightened my mood and left me smiling. I will definitely read it again.

Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult

Throwsnaill, B.: Hemlock and the Wizard Tower (The Maker’s Fire) (2012)

2013-05-29 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

B. Throwsnaill is a pseudonym for Bill Ainsworth. Pity! I rather liked Throwsnaill. I like this cover by Elena Dudina.

Something is wrong with magic. For some reason it is less efficient than usual. That is a major bummer for Hemlock’s sister’s stomach problems. Hemlock’s main goal in life is to take care of her sister. Only the two of them live in SanCyra. Their parents are either dead or living elsewhere – details revealed in the novel.

Hemlock is an interesting character. With the help of her adopted father figure, Safreon, her ways have gone from thieving to policing the area she lives in. Because the area is poor, the guards do not feel it has high priority. We never see that in real life, do we??

Both policing and the problems with magic bring Hemlock into the way of the Wizards and their odd creations. Because of her strange powers Hemlock is of interest to the Wizards. They wish to either bring her into their fold or to kill her.

Hemlock is very goal-oriented. In fact her one-tracked mind often lets her forget to plan. The advantage of such impulsiveness is that things get done. The disadvantage is trouble of all sorts. But Hemlock is usually lucky in some way. Maybe that has to do with her powers or maybe she is just one of those people. I am so clumsy I would probably stumble and fall all over the place.

I did not read the novel until just recently. It seems most of the previous comments were listened to and followed as the author saw fit. Hemlock and the Wizard Tower is a pretty good young adult novel. We get a look at an interesting world of magic, one I have not seen before (I think). The whole idea of the city of SanCyra is pretty cool.

Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Young Adult

White, Angela: Alexa’s Travels: A Prelude (2010)

2013-05-27 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

You need to begin reading the Alexa’s Travels series with Bone Dust & Beginnings. While this short-story/novella calls itself Prelude, it is not. Instead it is a continuation of the story of Alexa, part Descendant of Jesus Christ and part Fire Demon.

I am not certain if being part Fire Demon is something that is part and parcel of being a Descendant. Being one does give the “possessed” fairly cool powers. I doubt their victims would agree.

Alexa’s trusted group of men (pets as she calls them) are still stuck to her. They feel fortunate in having such a person to look after and who looks after them. Together they get to fight strange creatures and bad people.

Prelude is fairly well-written. Editing issues are few. I doubt if I am its intended audience.

Adventure, Science Fiction, Young Adult

White, Angela: Bone Dust & Beginnings (Alexa’s Travels) (2012)

2013-05-27 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

I started off reading Prelude, which isn’t a prelude but a continuation of Bone Dust & Beginnings. I couldn’t get a grip on what on earth Alexa was and felt annoyed at myself for not getting it. That made me splurge on USD 1.99 for BD&B.

This is young adult fiction. The author warns about mature content, but come on – the only thing US citizens thinks of as mature content is sex and there isn’t any explicit sex in this novel. There is violence but not of the mature kind.

Bizarrely enough, Alexa happens to be a descendant of Jesus Christ. She and other Descendants have been hidden from the public by the “Government”. If only they had been allowed out into the open, the world could have experienced peace. Instead people have used the Descendants for their own selfish agendas and this was a major part of why the world has become the bombed out place it has.

Alexa’s mission is to find her father, rescue the other Descendants and save the world.

Alexa seemed like an unknown after finishing BD&B. Her background was filled in, but something was missing. The novel itself was well-written with few editing issues. Bone Dust & Beginnings was a fairly good novel. I do not think I am its intended audience.

Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

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

2013-05-26 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

I feel the need to warn readers of the Redemption trilogy. Toward the end of Final Battle there is a violent scene that could trigger those of you who have experienced abuse (sexual). It is relevant to the story. Now you are warned. In spite of my warning, my personal belief is that the story of Reza Gard and his way toward his destiny can be read by older young adults and, of course, ancients like myself.

Reza’s near-death-experience and meeting with the First Empress put him in a coma and there he remained for the next half-year. Final Battlefelt as much about Jodi Mackenzie as about Reza. She has some rough times ahead of her but does her very best to be a person who remains true to what she considers honorable.
Honor is not something one would equate with Thorella (Reza’s arch-enemy) or the new president, Borge. These two are men who are so caught up in their own vision of reality that they have lost all grip on the real world. Sadly, they are both highly intelligent and extremely wealthy and therefore able to adjust the world to fit their psychosis. That is, up to a certain point. Hicks writes insanity and greed well.

Now that I think about it, I have met people like Thorella and Borge although these people have been without Thorella and Borge’s means. It is not an experience I would recommend. I prefer people who live with gentler versions of reality.

It turns out Reza has a son, the first male child born to Kreelans in 100000 years who is able to function in society. The Kreelan history is a tragic one. Even if they brought it upon themselves through the choices of their ancestors, the tragedy is still a fact. Now there is finally hope. Yet something is amiss with the Kreelans. They seem to have lost all interest in fighting. One might even say that they are experiencing a mass-depression.

Reza is essential to the Kreelan race. All that he has gone through has honed him into a key that is capable of unlocking their next step in evolution.

I am going to end this review by saying: When I started reviewing Empire I discovered I had forgotten a couple of things. I opened up my e-book and that was it. Michael R. Hicks forced me to read the trilogy again. That is a pretty mean trick when it comes to me. After all it had not been long since I read it the first time. I imagine Hicks is going to pull the same stunt the next time I open up Empire. This trilogy is a definite keep.

Reviews:

Kirkus MacGowan
Meridian’s Shadow review (omnibus)
Eye of the Storm review (all three novels)
An American Editor (all three novels)

My review of Empire and Confederation

Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

Hicks, Michael R.: Confederation (In Her Name – Redemption) (2008)

2013-05-26 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Has your loss ever been so strong you thought you would die from the pain? I imagine a lot of people of my venerable age of 48 could say yes. How do you deal with something like that? Well, you either learn to live with the pain or you kill yourself I imagine.

Reza Gard has experienced this kind of loss. The kind that rips you apart and leaves you feeling like a raw wound. Life sometimes does that to you.

I think this is part of what makes Michael R. Hicks’ writing flow for me. He leaves me with a sense of someone who understands the feelings he writes about. I highly doubt he has fallen in love with an alien and had to leave her Empire cutting off all contact with the race, but loss is loss.

Just as his disappearance from the Empire was sudden, so too was his appearence in the Confedration. Like an angel from heaven Reza seems to come as the answer to Father Hernandez’ prayers for redemption from the Kreelans. The Marines who are left after meeting the Kreelan warriors are happy about the result of Reza’s return.

For me the Redemption trilogy has partly been about prejudice. What Reza meets upon his return to the Conferation are mixed feelings. Some see him as a threat to humanity while others (those who come to know him) understand that his sense of honor goes beyond what most of us expect. Fraternising with the enemy/the others, becoming like them and then returning to one’s roots is bound to antagonise some people. Being an “Other” myself I have experienced how difficult it is for some to accept my “Otherness” as just as good as their way. Reza’s story has in a very small way been my story.

Confederation shows humanity as it is.

You can meet at , and .

My review of Empire

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:

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

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, 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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