Stephen J Carter | SF Novelist
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Book Review: Patrick Kendrick's 'The Savants'
I enjoyed this tale of a group of gifted young people under a psychologist's guidance who bring their talents to bear on solving a problem that has stumped leading scientists. Watching them riff on each other and grow, and learn life-lessons as much as skill-lessons, and bringing it together to credibly tackle a global crisis is impressively done.
My only objection was the now-familiar designation of far right nativists as the bad guys who have to be taken down. This is rather surprising when the West is most certainly being torn apart, but not by such forces. That aside the writing and pacing and storytelling here makes for an entertaining read.
From the book description:
“Put Kendrick on your must-read list, and move him near the top of the pile.” —Booklist
Dr. Stephen Pevnick is a world renowned behavioral scientist as well as an advisor to the President of the United States. He has gathered the world’s most prodigious savants—people with astonishing intellectual abilities—to his research center in Maine. His intent is to conduct an unprecedented experiment, to have the savants work on a common project together; a major challenge because the savants, while gifted, do not possess the social skills that might enable them to work as an effective team.
But, soon after they gather, a catastrophic event occurs that threatens to destroy the Eastern Seaboard. The world’s best scientists are helpless to stop it as panic grips the country, and a sinister conspiracy emerges with the potential to eradicate the free world. Can this group, plagued by their own insecurities and doubts, come together and use their incredible skills to save the world, or will the dark forces that set this disaster in motion prevail?
Book Review: Renee Spyrou's 'Seraphympire, Guardians of the Gateways'
I enjoyed 'Seraphympire, Guardians of the Gateways' for its large cast of diverse and richly-textured characters, their shifting loyalties, and the epic-level of violent emotions at play. It definitely works as Paranormal Fantasy Romance, a vampire tale with a difference. Kayla/Makayla makes a complex, sympathetic, and visceral double heroine. Alexander, Zack, Reece, and the tangibly evil Zobiana all combine to create an above average vampire tale. Overall the characters are both believable and larger-than-life, a nice balance.
The plot would benefit from a tighter focus, perhaps set within a 3-Act frame. Even so, it was always clear what each character wanted, why, and the decisions and actions they each take in trying to reach their goals. So the characters' roles within the plot works fine. The climax in Act 3 is especially good, and succeeds in bringing Makayla's story to a satisfying, provisional, and resounding close. Her struggle will continue in Book 2 of Guardians of the Gateways.
From the book description:
The world is on the verge of apocalypse. A designer drug contaminated with a mutated strain of the Porphyria virus, V5, has hit the streets of London. Humans are on the threshold of an evolutionary change that will bring about their extinction – they no longer need to be bitten to become Vampires. An ancient artefact, the Trinian Globe, has been stolen, and a sinister force is preparing to take control of Earths hidden gateways.
Makayla Uriel is the one being that can stop the world’s inevitable destruction; and the one person least likely to. She lives on the edge – the fringe of a world that is not her own – where legend is reality. Most days she wants to escape what she is, a Seraphympire, a Vampire Seraphim with two souls, and a craving for rare bloods. When she is saddled with a new partner, she is forced to confront her demons – realising that it’s alright to trust another, even if it means sacrificing all that she has ever known.
The clock is ticking. Will Makayla and an elite group of warrior’s, the Shadow Seekers, save the inhabitants of Earth from annihilation? Can they stop the global distribution of V5 and discover who is behind the burgeoning Newblood infestation before it’s too late? More importantly, will they recover the Trinian Globe before it’s used to destroy Earth?Who will triumph?
Book Review: Colin Garrow's 'How the World Turns'
This selection of short stories is compelling, with all of them evoking very different emotions. Some are horrifying, others funny, others suspenseful, so the range is excellent. 'If the Worst' will have you laughing at Ellen's metamorphosis; 'Her Ready-to-Wear Life' is like one of the better Twilight Zone episodes; 'How the World Turns' gives a fable's p.o.v. on thermodynamics; 'Bed Death and Breakfast' is straight-up suspense/horror, cinematic in its intensity. Several of the stories sent me off on thought experiments, tangents, musings about my own life, an influence that fiction only rarely has on me. Enjoy!
From the book description:
He thinks that when he walks, his own feet propel the earth: that his movements keep the world going round. Literally. Each stride supplies the momentum for another motion forward, the ground shifting backwards beneath him, away into the distance.
Except, when he stops walking.
But then, it's quite possible that the earth doesn't need to move all the time, that in fact, it could probably manage quite well, hanging around, as it were, while he sits in the Cafe Noir, sipping his cappuccino, listening to the idle chittering of the waitress birds.
Friday, March 24, 2017
Book Review: Wayne Elsner's 'Tannion'
In 'Tannion' (Book 1 in the Tannion Series) the protagonist starts out on a mission to improve his community, in quite an unusual way. Given his unique ability he soon realizes his approach might achieve much more if he follows a divergent course, as a vigilante.
The story ramps up after that, with Tannion turning into a fascinating figure dispensing justice to those whose actions demand a response. The ‘why’ is addressed in the story’s subtext. The ‘how’ is shown in great detail as Tannion’s mission evolves.
The actions of secondary characters are narrated, described, which keeps those elements of the story at some distance. However, the story focuses on the hero, as it should, and his decisions and actions are fully shown. We come to know and understand Tannion, whether we agree or disagree with his choices.
This novel made for an enjoyable action drama.
From the Book Description
Lightning is always powerful and occasionally deadly. The bolt that hit Jim Tannion however was different. It gave him skills and abilities that made him think he could be the closest thing to a superhero the world had ever seen. Skills he could use to heal any injury, enhance his body, and control the bodies of others with only a touch. Then he found he could kill.
Tannion knew he had to keep his new found skills a secret. No one could know about him or what he could do. Being found out would put him on a doctor’s table as they took him apart to find out how he could do what he did.
He wanted to use his skills to help people who needed it and to hurt those who would hurt others. From Kansas, to New York, and then to Los Angeles he searched for the people he wanted to stop. The bad guys who needed to be put away or maybe put down. But things and times change and sometimes one finds a line that is easier to cross than to stand behind. When do the good guys become the bad guys and do they always know the difference? What is important and what becomes important to each of us?
Tannion isn't always sure.
Book Review: Robert Sparkman's 'Prisoner Prodigal Pawn'
'Prisoner Prodigal Pawn' is the story of a father and his two sons, all of whom are pawns in a game of greed and deception. This mystery story is satisfying as the prodigal son, Elton Mozingo, sets about solving the tangled web of their manipulation.
The characters and dialogue are well-drawn. The American mystery genre usually has a wise-cracking detective morbidly observing the world around him. This is a sober outing in the genre, focused on the injustice one family endures. Mystery novels also often romanticize violence. This story is refreshing for showing the greed and violence with economy and a stark realism, and the very real effects this has on innocents.
In the absence of humor in a mystery we enjoy seeing the protagonist come to know his own mind. It's as though solving the crime leads the hero to self-knowledge. This does occur for Mozingo.
Overall, this is a rewarding story that challenges the boundaries of its genre, and should hold your interest throughout.
From the Book Description:
A young attorney digging in his law firm's past in order to free his father from prison, is warned to be careful, "some things are like sacred burial grounds, and are better left alone... out of respect." He charges ahead nevertheless, and confronts those he believes are responsible, but when a close colleague is found dead and the evidence points to him as the murderer, Elton Mozingo is faced with his greatest fear; ending up just like his father, an innocent man in jail for a crime he didn't commit.
Prisoner Prodigal Pawn, follows the adventures of the Mozingo family as they try to unravel a conspiracy that has led to one of their own, Elton Mozingo, to be set up for murder. The story is an insider’s tale, set in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico and revolves around a law firm, an Indian casino, tribal politics, and delves into questions of race and identity throughout. The Mozingo brothers, Elton and Charles, as well as their convicted-felon father, BP, are the eponymous prisoner, prodigal son, and pawn caught up in an elaborate embezzlement scheme that its perpetrators would kill to keep hidden.
As a fugitive from justice, Elton soon realizes that the death of his colleague and the pursuit of his father’s innocence are connected. Bill Baxter, of the Baxter and Baxter law firm wants Elton captured before he uncovers much more of the past that will destroy him and his firm. Rather than seek help from his estranged brother, a tribal police officer, Elton turns to the aid of a childhood friend, Oda Raines who uses him to pursue an agenda of her own. She has been an outspoken critic of the tribal leaders for the corruption associated with the casino. The firm’s largest client is the local Native American tribe, and it is the wealth from its gaming operations that is at the heart of Elton’s troubles. Oda is ultimately faced with the choice of either saving herself or turning on an old friend.
The chase for freedom propels Elton on a suspense filled journey where the forces at play eventually push him and his brother together on a quest for vengeance against those that created the wedge between them.
Prisoner Prodigal Pawn, with its diverse characters, will appeal to readers who enjoy thrillers, but also to readers of varied cultural backgrounds looking for a new kind of protagonist to root for. In addition, the subplot takes a look at a phenomenon quietly sweeping across the Native - American landscape, that of tribal members who are being disenrolled due to – some would say— the greed associated with the success casino gambling on Native – American soil.
Book Review: Ryan J Doughan's 'Mist Falcon'
I can still hear Tanbuary’s “step, clank, step, clank” as he moved down the dungeon corridor in this novel. The atmospherics in 'Mist Falcon' work very well, which is good news for a fantasy story. I can’t recall a novel of this genre that invests the magical elements with such believable and diverse detail.
I also liked how well-developed the antagonist’s camp is (i.e. Dal Tek, Ren Tako, and the Swaar) while not allowing them to overwhelm the story. The story’s multiple plot-lines in Acts 1 and 2 are intricately interwoven, and unfold the story’s narrative arc with a richness and contrast that never loses momentum. It deftly balances action with atmosphere, and character intensity with an always-moving plot.
Early on in the story the gladiatorial section ends with a regrettable 'deus ex machina', a scene that also introduces Thun, Jumper, and the Elementals. If that one scene were modified so their escape from the combat occurs differently, before the power of the Elementals is revealed, the novel’s one weakness would be corrected.
That aside, 'Mist Falcon' is an excellent addition to the growing canon of fantasy fiction, and I look forward the next book in this series, ‘The Warrior Poet Archives’. I especially enjoyed the action-packed 3rd Act, the action never lets up. Last note, the book’s cover is quite good, depicting a swirling Elemental with a Mist Falcon standing in the foreground.
From the Book Description:
“I write this now, chiseled in stone and wrapped in wind with the hope that you may yet be saved from my folly. Avoid my errors and do not follow in my footsteps, save in greater preparation and wisdom than I have shown. Do not be fooled by the appearance of things. They are so rarely as they seem in this.”
In a kingdom shattered by war and never properly healed, Aiden is whirled out of his ordinary life scraping-by, scavenging the outskirts of Oustenbasch, one of the Nine Cities. Through total loss and driven by revenge, Aiden finds himself fretfully navigating a world of political mayhem while floundering through power in a magic he never dreamed to control.
Willem is a traveling musical prodigy, his voice and talent drawing crowds and filling taverns along with his troupe’s coffers. All the golden eagles in the realm can’t protect him, though, when the Swaar raiders attack the town of Bellcross, sending him scurrying into a life he would never have chosen, questioning the meaning of his existence while wrestling with a music that may be more powerful than he had ever imagined.
Known amongst all the Swaar as “Wolf Rider”, Ren Tako lives and dies by his axe and the strength of his arm. Tako finds himself blown into a situation where he must choose between loyalty to his Dal, the famed Rock Giant, and following a new destiny that could cost him everything he has ever believed or gain him everything he has ever dreamed.
Welcome to the Nine Cities and the Waste beyond to the East. Come ride with me. Soar above a broken land in search of a glimmer of hope, an uncut gem hidden to all but the most perceiving eyes. Come fly with me to the towers of Holmsguard and beyond, and see what it is to be MIST FALCON.
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