I recently took a short vacation, so of course I had to take a couple of my guilty pleasure books along. Pony Soldiers by the ubiquitous Deathlands author James Axler was one.

Never disappointed by a Deathlands title. This go 'round we find the companions in the nuke-restructured Southwest. They encounter a traditional band of Mescalero Apache living/existing in a hidden canyon. Their nemesis? A group of Pony Soldiers led by who appears to be none-other than George Armstrong Custer himself. That is all the spoiler I'm going to give you. You'll have to read the book for how this came to be.

As usual ultra-violent, graphic content. The companions do what they do so well; kicking butt and not taking names. No one left to take a name from.

This is the sixth entry in the Deathlands series, early enough that the final troupe of warrior survivalists is not quite set. It is interesting to witness the evolution of the main character cast. The adventure and action was wild and wooly. A good mix of humor, rage, terror and humanity.

As always, violent escapist reading for the not so squeamish reader. Enjoy!

Mike

 

I had a difficult time with From Elsewhere by Sarah Baethge. The premise is good, although not particularly original; aliens "stranded" on Earth. Sadly, for me it did not live up to the possibilities.

The biggest improvement to this story would be an independent editor. It appears to me that any editing was done by the author, or at the very least someone too close to the writing to view it with a critical eye. The promise of the story is never truly realized. 

The writing does not engage and draw in the reader. Characters are not developed leaving the reader no way of sympathizing with anyone. The alien characters are completely isolated from culture contact, which would be a rich storyline to mine. 

It reads more like a report of the incident rather than an adventure the reader participates in. The narration was redundant and repetitive, retelling earlier details over and over to the point of irritation on my part.

The story was so bland and static that it took longer to complete the read because it was easily put down.

This said, the story is not without some charm , levity and intrigue. It is not without value and promise. I feel it could be saved by a good strong edit. I guess I have been harsher than usual with this review because I do see the promise and possibility of From Elsewhere. I found the final 10% of the story much more satisfying. I just had to work too hard to get there. 

So, the same advice I give to every independent author I connect with; get fresh unbiased eyes to edit your work, you are too close to be objective.

The biggest plus is that I did stay with it for the duration, I didn't walk away and put it in the dreaded DNF file. With the proper editing From Elsewhere by Sarah Baethge can be a fun read. Enjoy!

Mike 

Deathlands #10 Northstar Rising is a pivotal entry in the overall Deathlands saga. It introduces the character of Dr. Mildred Wyeth, a character longtime readers recognize as a permanent addition to the companions (not a spoiler to followers of the series, minor spoiler to new readers).

Interesting setting of a Norse themed "ville". Full of characters with Norse-themed names like Erik Stonebiter, Sigurd Harefoot and the like. The ville lives according to old Viking values and mores. The inhabitants view albino Jak as a god incarnate and Mildred (who is black) as an evil witch. The story lies in how to extricate the whole group out of the ville intact. 

This book sets the core of the companions for the rest of the series run. And a good run it was; 125 books. As always, Deathlands are not literary giants full of redeeming social value or social commentary. They are over the top graphic depictions of a post- apocalyptic wasteland (one of my favorite genres). 

Graphic? Yes! Still good escapism. Enjoy!

Mike

 

 

I have said before "if you want me to read a book, put a dragon in it". I have read a lot of stories of dragons. Even so, I cannot claim any particular expertise on the genre. His Majesty's Dragon reminded me of this with great clarity. 

The detailed identification of varied dragon breeds surprised this reader who was used to classifying dragons by color rather than breed. This brought a new level of understanding and enjoyment. Author Novik spent much more ink on the relationship between dragon and human partner. Other books in the genre do identify this bond but this book really explored the connection.

The historical setting (the Napoleonic Wars) also lent a refreshing aspect to the overall story telling. The author weaves the fantasy element of dragons into the historic record so seamlessly that the story flows in a believable storyline. 

Ms. Novik does an admirable job of keeping the culture of the times in her narration. The courtly manners and mindset of the characters sets this story aside from others in the genre. Although not presented in modern vernacular, the story is not uncomfortable on the readers ear.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was somewhat surprised to find out how long the book has been available and I look forward to reading more of her work.

His Majesty's Dragon is an excellent first installment in the Temeraire series. If you like dragons (and who doesn't?) this book is worthy of your time. If you don't like dragons, I encourage you to reexamine your reading preferences ;) Enjoy!

Mike 

 

 

The Size of Nobodies by Amanda Mack was provided in E-form for review.

This is a difficult book to categorize, it doesn't fit neatly into any box. I find this to be a good thing. It reduced the attempt of the reader to pigeon hole this story, and make no mistake, this is a good story. 

Our hero here is Siege (interesting name eh?), an unemployed, mildly agoraphobic (she is uncomfortable in crowds) woman determined to be self-sufficient despite her wealthy, somewhat over involved parents. She is strongly connected to her foster brother Avi. A strong story of familial bonds between people who choose to be family. Not family by an accident of birth. 

The explanation of the interconnections of all the players in this story is much too intricate to try to explain in a short(ish) review. Suffice to say, Siege has a strong support system.

The story revolves around the consequences of her attempt to be financially better off. She ends up involved in a confusing (to her) mix of abduction, trafficking and political intrigue. She tries to protect a unique young girl to whom she becomes strongly attached. At the same time she tries to support Avi's search for his long lost brother.  

The reader gets a story that is at once a mystery, adventure, quasi-spy exploration of relationships. A lot to offer in one book to be sure. Readers of my reviews know that I avoid spoilers even more than I avoid the dreaded, detested, cliffhanger. So you won't find any here. But I will share that this is a fast-paced, engrossing story. Well crafted structurally both in story-line and character development. 

This is the first work I have read by this author and I find her storytelling to be of high quality. I look forward to reading more from her.

Give The Size of Nobodies by Amanda Mack a look, it is definitely worth your time. Enjoy!

Mike

 

Author John Heldt provided an e-copy of The Patriots for review. Mister Heldt is one of my very favorite authors. His books are tight, engaging and entertaining. The Patriots continues his tradition of providing characters to become attached to and a story the reader can lose themselves in (into which the reader can lose themselves). 

Set in the months leading up to the American Revolution, readers get a history lesson along with a wonderful story of family, romance, tragedy, adventure, terror and humor. A lot to pack into one read, but Heldt is a master of balance. 

As always, I was absorbed by the story within the first few pages, and completely enthralled by the first few chapters. By the way, Heldts' chapters are always very short, a double edged tactic in my mind. Short chapters lend the ability to find good stopping points but at the same time, encourage the reader to read "one more chapter", which in my case means I often find myself way past my bedtime, reading well into the night. 

Perhaps secondary to the setting, this story comes across as more serious than his usual work. Though more serious we do not lose Heldts' talent for well developed characters, tight plot lines, humor and sub-plots drawing the reader deeper and deeper into the story. The story paints such a vivid picture in the readers mind. It is easy to "see" the story. Historic figures are introduced much as one would imagine. The founding fathers are introduced as regular people much as I imagine they probably were prior to their role in America's history. Set in and around Philadelphia there is no slack in presenting detailed accounts of the local culture, landscape, business and people. The level of research and accuracy Heldt puts into his work is clearly evident and appreciated. 

Personal relationships are another of the authors trademarks on display here. Romance is juxta positioned with adult responsibility. It is truly a tale that kept my interest throughout. I guessed a couple of details but as usual I was completely caught off guard by others. 

Heldt stated that this is one of his longest, if not the longest book he has written thus far. It did not feel long to me, like always, I was not really ready to finish. But the end always has to come ready or not. Thankfully, Mr. Heldt does not need to employ the dreaded cliffhanger to whet the readers appetite for more. He just provides a natural ending point which encourages the reader to want more. The characters are so engaging that we just naturally want to see more of their lives. 

Have I gushed enough? Do you get that I really like this book? It's true! I always look forward to new work by Mr. Heldt and getting to follow a new family is great. What is not great is the wait for the next installment. But such is life.

The Patriots continues John A Heldts' tradition of good clean ethical entertainment. Repeat readers know this already, I encourage new readers to find out for yourselves. Enjoy!

Mike

The Midnight Children is presented as a middle-grade book, okay, not a middle-grade reader but I really enjoyed this story. 

There were several messages here, but I focus more on story. If an author cannot present a story that holds and engages the reader, the message is less than effective. In my opinion, author Gemeinhart does this quite well, The Midnight Children engages the reader masterfully. I'll leave to others the discussion of messages.

The story is at times heartbreaking, heartwarming, scary, gross, and hilarious. Most of the children I know would not have a great deal of trouble with the more intense scenes. Kids often embrace a gross-out factor. Parts of the story are predictable, while others are surprising and inventive (you'll never look at cows the same way again I'll bet). The narrator does a good job keeping the reader centered and lessens the impact of the more intense scenes. A little humor can go a long way. 

The tale focuses on the difficulty of a lonely, only, child as he navigates bullies, finds friends and builds a new community. A very different but effective narrative style. It took a bit of getting used to, but works well.

An aspect of this story I appreciated was the fact that parents are not an enemy. The family was not grossly dysfunctional. What family does not have some mild dysfunction, often just miscommunication? I know, message talk, oh well.

If your looking for a book that encourages reading, engages the young mind and stimulates thought and introspection, The Midnight Children fills the bill nicely. 

Enjoy!

Mike