Marsbound by Joe Haldeman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Marsbound by Joe Haldeman
I bought this as a light read and since I've only read a few older books by Joe Haldeman ,Mindscape, and all my sins remembered, I would have to say I didn't come into it with great expectations. The pace of the novel is rather sedate, which is good for a light read; it's not a novel that starts the reader by hitting the ground running and ramping up the pace every few pages. My impression of the character was that she was written from the point of a 17 year old and possibly because of the sex scenes the age was changed to 19. But that feeling might be wherein lies the beginning of problems with this novel. Still overall I enjoyed the novel and I think that if someone is looking for a light read in science fiction that this one should fit the bill.
Carmen Dula is our heroin of this story and as mentioned she's 19 years old. Her family is headed to Mars, because they are one of several families who were lucky with the lottery for this trip. Carmen is resistant to the idea of going but seems to feel she's being dragged along and I would think at age 19 she'd do something more than grouse about it. Instead she acts like a 17 year old who grudgingly has to go along; so she'll try to make the best of it. But then later after she's met Paul the man who will pilot the craft from Earth Space to Mars there will be an intimate scene and perhaps the story then calls for an advanced age to make this one fly past some of our inner censors. But then if this were true Young adult fiction then the young girl who acts 17 would be 17 and the sex scene would be deemed less necessary or maybe toned down. But the choice here was to leave that in and that ends up making Carmen Dula look like an immature young woman and confuses just what audience this might be written for.
For this reader having Carmen show up as immature still causes the sex scene to be jarring and doesn't help efforts to give the character more depth. The relationship seems to be a device to put the character at odds with other characters and set the scene for the portion where the real story starts. And that's where another problem crops up.
The first hundred or so pages are at a rather slow tedious pace and would have worked quite well for me if the character development had been accomplished more efficiently. Some character development is there and there is a whole bunch of world building and setting the stage and giving the reader a feel that this whole trip into space is real. It's almost too real; though we don't really get much of the science behind the space elevator, we get a protracted picture of what it's like to travel on one. There is a lot of time spent on developing the passengers, the Dula family and the other families that are going along. This is all good except that there will be a point when few of these characters play much of a part in the rest of the story; while at the same time we don't get enough understanding of the character of Carmen Dula; unless the whole first part of the book was supposed to demonstrate how immature she is. This imbalance hurt the story for this reader.
The next part of the novel is the interesting part but then the reader has to wade through the issues caused by that early relationship before anyone else begins to believe Carmen witnessed the things she does witness. Still Carmen looks immature because it took a tantrum to put her in danger where she would make a great discovery. The other characters treating her like a spoiled immature girl forces her to continue to break the rules when her own life and the lives of all the children are placed in danger.
This is really a story of first contact and then one that leads to a more sinister contact that might be a danger for all of Earth. And by the third part Carmen finally has matured at least to her age level possibly because she has to face the consequences of her actions though I was never clear about that. It's not the easiest thing to see, but mostly it's not the easiest of things to be certain that Carmen even fully appreciates how much difficulty her actions have caused. And that gets thrown away a bit with the realization that this was all an eventuality with or without Carmen.
Over all Marsbound becomes a complete novel within itself with a somewhat complex moral message and sets the stage for the possibility of more stories. It also becomes another addition to the Mars books that started proliferating when there were rumors of eventual missions to Mars in our future.
Good Simon Pure Science Fiction that plays more on characters working within accepted technologies and delves only on the surface as regards how things are made and work, which makes for a perfect matching with character driven stories; though these characters could have used more development or at least maybe a bit more exposure before the plot thickened and drown them out.
J.L. Dobias
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The Diary of Pelly D by L.J. Adlington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Diary of Pelly D by L.J. Adlington
I was doing my semi annual purchase of paper books from Amazon, so usually I have a full list of possibilities in my wish list. This time I was a bit scarce to making my numbers and knowing that at least three of the novels I was ordering were going to be epic fiction I thought I'd check a few that looked a bit light and that's how The Diary of Pelly D managed to get on my list. That and the excellent bargain Amazon let me have it for. I was a bit concerned that this was listed for ages 7-10 and that one of the main characters was 14 years of age. But I'm not one of those that subscribe to the notion that books for young adults should be avoided at all cost: by adults. Still this is more middle age and published under a children's label and at some point in my selections I was pushed over my limit and could’ve let it slide off my list. I'm certainly glad I left it there and I have to say that light reading is not what this is. This book is for all ages and is quite thought provoking and would definitely be a double treat for the target age level.
Being written in diary form the author L.J. Adlington takes some advantage in style by having the writer use strange abbreviations such as Shd Cd Wd for Should Would and Could. Fortunately for the reader it's mostly limited to those or I for one would have been a bit troubled. Another strange convention is the naming of characters like Tony V and Pelly D. There's reason for this that shows up later in the narrative. This is a tale that takes place in a fictional future world that has been founded with the notion that the planet would avoid the pitfalls of their home world (presumably our Earth) and the people lead an idyllic life in a virtual paradise.
But the story itself starts with Tony V a fourteen year old enlisted in the work group to rebuild a city after a great war (obviously a war that should never have occurred). Tony's job is to break away the rubble for clean-up and, though there are some who look for treasures in the rubble, treasure hunting is not his function. So when he finds a simple water container that should be tossed out, but weighs more than it should; his job is to either put it in the trash or turn it over to his supervisor. He instead opens it to find a diary, which he perceives as trash and should go in the dumpster; yet he instead takes it to his bunk and begins reading it.
The story that unfolds is two-fold in that at the beginning there is the impression that Pelly D is some over-privileged youth trying to skirt through life and just narrowly make the grade while having a good time. This is probably the one weakness that this narrative has especially for the age group; because nothing happens for a long time and even when it begins to happen it's all so subtle that it might be a difficult read for those raised in a culture of instant gratification with the rolling thunder of action packed story telling. This is a story of a different pace that, in the long run, though ponderous, is also thought provoking and eye opening in enough ways that I'd suggest the reader to give it time to grab their interest; because it is well worth reading.
This is a story about prejudice and racism; but it is mostly a story about how simple things that seem to be harmless, though questionable, can easily be used to turn people against each other. It also highlights the realization that even in the best planned environment there may always be undercurrents of old hazards and baggage that have made the long trip with the new pilgrims into their paradise. It's also a story of the growth of Pelly D from a self absorbed youth into someone who has had their eyes opened to full understanding that her perfect world was not so perfect and will never be the same.
The setting and some other characteristics of the characters make this science fiction though it's less of the technical science fiction and adventure and more the thought provoking type similar to H.G. Wells 1984 and Audous Huxley's Brave New World while touching close to terrors from out ot World War II.
Social Science Fiction for all ages; don't let the listing fool you. I recommend this to all ages; just don't expect it to be a light read.
J.L. Dobias
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The Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Outskirter's Secret (Steerswoman Series book 2)by Rosemary Kirstein
This is the second of the epic Steerswoman series. Though the novel is large it's not as large as some epic fantasy, but the scope of the world building is quite epic. A dystopic world of magic and technology twined together by forgotten knowledge and a strange new world that seems to have emerged after a disaster that took away the moon. This, the second in the series of Steerswoman takes the reader into the Outskirts where strange and deadly creature dwell; in search of answers to the secret of the gems that might have come from a fallen Guidestar.
Somewhere in the dangerous land lies the answer to a question that has put Rowan and her friend Bel in danger. Now Rowan will travel with Bel to Bel's part of the world in hopes of answers and a chance to add to her knowledge base. As a steerswoman she seeks knowledge and truth and must also impart this to anyone asking of her as long as they agree to answer her questions. Where she's dwelled before, steerswomen are well known and revered for this; but in the outskirts she may have to prove her worth. Every day she has new knowledge and new misgivings about the Outskirters; the people of her friend Bel.
This novel answers a few questions from the first novel and adds yet more so that the reader is compelled to continue the series.
One interesting and well crafted part of this story involves a character that Rosemary Kirstein manages to withhold information about; in such a crafty manner that it doesn't matter that the reader is a slight bit misled, because she uses it to show how different the culture is on this world and how much two cultures of the world differ from one another. The outcome is predictable and yet startling all at the same time while leaving at least one character stunned.
Once again this is a superbly well written novel that is well paced while it weaves a strange and dangerous world around such well crafted complex characters.
Lovers of SFF and paranormal should love this; although the magic most often looks like technology that's been forgotten, there are many creatures of paranormal nature that show up throughout.
I'm looking forward to the third book though a bit leery that there might be two more after that.
J.L. Dobias
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A Study in Darkness by Emma Jane Holloway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A Study in Darkness (The Baskerville Affair Book 2)by Emma Jane Holloway
Following up from the first book is the long awaited (I was waiting for the paper copy to show up in the mail) sequel. This one is no disappointment. But be prepared this is for lovers of epic tales who have the time for an epic book that makes the reader turn each page with anticipation.
We return to the world of Evelina Cooper, niece to Sherlock Holmes. Her lover from the circus, Nick, has stolen Athena, the air spirit, and has made an airship to give Athena the skies while he becomes a pirate. While her lover from society, Tobias, has forged an alliance with the Gold King, and is soon to marry the Gold Kings daughter to further cement that relationship. Imogen, Tobias's sister and Evelina's best friend, is further troubled by nightmares and soon to be ever more troubled that they might not just be nightmares. Evelina, betrayed on both sides, has removed herself from London, and now is returning to resume her life and hopefully avoid the trouble of marriage in hopes of gaining further education. She returns to find that her uncle is under attack from several of the various ‘kings’ of England.
These are only a few of the threads that weave through this novel and I can assure you that you will need a stack of 3 by 5 cards to keep track of everything and everyone in this story. Evelina will have the usual struggles and challenges that would hamper any independent minded young woman in 1888 England, but she will also be faced with some tough choices involving her friends.
Following the same tradition of Steampunk aka GasLamp and paranormal fiction Emma Jane Holloway has crafted a strange new world of magic and mechanics that thrust the reader forward in unstoppable motion.
I love the writing, the tone and even the moderate bit of romantic intrigue that help drive the characters past fortune and folly through a slightly altered yet familiar landscape.
Definite must for lovers of Paranormal Gaslite Romances and even a few of the Sherlock Holmes aficionados should love this bit of diversion in the Canon.
J.L. Dobias
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A Motive for Murder by Morgana Best
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Motive for Murder (A Misty Sales Paranormal Cozy Mystery, book 1)by Morgana Best
Just coming out of the epic Baskerville Affair Series by Emma Jane Holloway and Heading into the Steerswoman series by Rosemary Kirstein I was looking for something a bit lighter to help keep my head from exploding with an overload of epic fantasy. This Cozy Mystery turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
Misty Sales is a writer for a paranormal magazine based in Australia. It's not her first choice in jobs in that profession, but her private life intersected too closely with her professional and left her momentarily adrift from her dream job. When her Aunt Beth in England, who is growing old and frail, sends her a somewhat strange letter asking her to come to England to see her and collect some keepsakes, her initial reaction is to set it aside. But curiously such a trip coincides with a piece she is currently working on and she would just have to convince her boss to make this a business trip so she might be able to afford it.
Misty arrives too late and finds her Aunt has passed away; possibly the day before she arrived and Misty is just in time to be knocked down by a gentleman who seems to be fleeing from her Aunt’s house. As things unfold Misty begins to have suspicions about her Aunt’s death; but that suspicion comes after her initial reaction to call for help leads to a doctor who comes to quickly sign this off as natural causes and who promptly sends the funeral directors out to whisk the corpse away and leave Misty with an empty house with two rooms that might be ransacked, an elderly neighbor claiming to be a good friend of her aunt, a cat that likes to claw at her and the mysterious lingering smell of garlic that was hanging in the air around her deceased aunt.
A prior experience of my own clued me to a possible cause of death and I'll leave that for the next reader to figure out.
As it is: it seems that Misty's aunt had intentions of passing her more than just keepsakes and memorabilia; but before that comes to light Misty has to solve a number of mysteries. And as with many mysteries the reader meets all the suspects, with various clues, yet not quite enough information to fill in most of the blanks. And much the same as my old favorite Alfred Hitchcock-Cary Grant movie 'North by Northwest'; by the time the reader reaches the more dramatic parts Misty doesn't know who to trust anymore.
Excellently written cozy mystery; but don't take my word for it, because I'm new to this genre and had to look it up. There were a few sentences that might have drifted into colloquialisms that had me stopping to read them several times over to makes sure I had a grasp of what they might be trying to tell me; but otherwise it's a well written story and was the right diversion I needed to clear my mind. There were a number of jarring current pop references; but that might be something I'm over sensitive about.
J.L. Dobias
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The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Steerswoman (Steerswoman series book1)by Rosemary Kirstein
This novel really surprised me. I don't gravitate to those epic novels that require a map to assist the reader. I have an old set of the Lord of The Rings hard bound 1965 (I was likely still in high school) that came with a foldout map in the back cover. I've looked at that map only once and that was recently and when I read the books long ago I avoided the map like a plague. Since then and possibly partly because I struggled reading TLOTR, I shy away from epic books with maps. I'm glad I made an exception for this one.
Maps are essential to this book in that the main character, a Steerswoman, helps make maps and explores territories to update and expand maps. This is in a world where the moon has somehow met with a catastrophe that might have led to mankind taking a few steps back in development and knowledge. All people living at this time only know the moon like a myth, a tale passed down, none have ever seen it. Now the world is dominated by wizards whose magic help keep some perceived dangers at bay. Those include beings referred to as Gnomes, Dragons, and demons to name a few. There are inner land people and outskirt people. Inland people were merchants and educated people where the outskirters were considered barbarians and there are some beyond the outskirts who are considered less than that. In the skies are the two Guidestars that the Steerswoman use to help navigate although they also use the old system of navigation by stars. They seem aware that the Guidestars were placed there and they believe the wizards are responsible.
Rowan, the Steerswoman, as with every steerswoman collects information and remembers everything so that she can use the information to exchange for information. A steersman or woman is obligated to answer questions asked of them and to be truthful within the scope of their knowledge. In return they are allowed to ask questions of others and they live under a rule to always answer questions; unless someone denies to give them information when they ask them questions. When someone deliberately withholds information they and everyone else affiliated with them are placed on ban and the steerswoman no longer is obligated to answer their questions. This sets both a major key in the world and the major key that stands as an asset and a struggle that Rowan will have to go through in the novel.
When the novel opens we catch Rowan while she's actively pursuing her hobby. She has a gemstone that has been mysteriously polished and flattened and encased in a ring of metal, which she has now found is not a unique piece; though has still defied her efforts to find it's origin. She's investigating a chunk of wood that contains more of the same gems. They all seem to have been worked with fine tools and metal work that defies current technology. While vying for a chance to borrow the piece she encounters an Outskirter who has a belt made from the same gems. This and information obtained conversing with the Outskirter lead her to form an alliance with Bel, the Outskirter, and the two begin to travel together. In their travel Rowan finds Bel to be better educated than she would have believed.
When they are set upon by one of the red wizards men, Rowan becomes suspicious and when later dragons that should have been under another wizards control attack them, she begins to believe that it might involve her hobby. But she's unsure if her friends and mentors at the archive will sanction her further pursuit of that hobby. But when it becomes apparent that she's in danger and there are wizards watching the archive, the free spirit of the organization of steerswomen almost demands that Rowan continue to find answers. And so begins the unlikely journey of the Steerswoman and the Outskirter; soon to be joined by the boy who would be a wizard.
If you’re a reader who likes to get all the answers at the end of the novel, this one might not be for you. But if you are like me and don't look at the novel as having a swift start point and a solid end point; but rather view it as a matter of the journey to get from one to the other; then there is plenty to whet the appetite.
This is the story of a steerswoman trying to be something she isn't in order to survive and discovering that it makes her somewhat less and she can't tolerate that. And Rowan discovers that the differences she perceived in other people are not quite as disparate as thought in some ways and yet are still widely different in ways she would never expect.
The world that Rosemary Kirstein has built is a marvelous tapestry that is only overshadowed by the rich depth of her characters.
In a world that reminds one of Clark's third law:: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Only it's been twisted in that it’s possibly older technology that few if any fully understand; but that has yet to be resolved in some future novel in this series.
Excellent Science Fiction Fantasy in a gritty and sometimes unforgiving world with characters that come to life.
J.L. Dobias
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A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A Study in Silks(The Baskerville Affair Book1) by Emma Jane Holloway
I seem to be growing fond of Steampunk. I still prefer calling them Gas-lamp or Gas-lite. There is steam in this novel, but not much is evident and the most crucial steam item in the story is impractical: the steam driven pocket watch. Think possibly asbestos pockets for personal protection. Still--Emma Jane Holloway has crafted something that is bringing me closer to being a great fan of Gas-lamp.
One thing I'm not all that fond of is the proliferation of caricatures of Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft in many of this genre. In too man cases it’s more like name dropping to bring in the readers with little attention to them remaining in character. I was even a slight bit disappointed on his first appearance in this novel and I had to tell myself to cut some slack, both for the fact that this is an alternate universe and that the scene is short enough and early enough that there might be some reason his demeanor seems a slight out of character. Plus I tend to be picky about how Sherlock should be portrayed.
The story itself is supposed to be about Evelina, his niece, so it's not entirely fair to dwell on first appearances of a lesser character. This novel is chock full of characters and you will eventually need some score cards. We start up with Evelina who is in temporary residence with her friend Imogen Roth and the girl’s family, and her father Lord Bancroft. This exposes Evelina to Tobias Roth who might well be a heartbreaker. But this visit to her friend exposes her to more imminent danger than just the danger of her heart. And on this night all the cards are beginning to be set in place. And not without a bit of her past catching up to her in the form of her childhood love Nick.
Nick and Evelina come from a Circus life, something Evelina has tried to leave behind when Mrs. Holmes brought her home from all of that to fulfill some of what she’d wished for her own daughter who had run away to the circus, so to speak. It might even be said that this places Evelina in the precarious place of navigating the treacherous life of a young woman in 1888 England even though it be an alternate England. And this society becomes a thread in the plot when the Gold King uses her as inducement to get Sherlock to work for him in a supposed exchange for lifting Evelina past her station in life to be presented before the Queen. It's all a subplot within the main plot and you need a second scorecard for all the subplots that linger in the wings of this tale.
England is primarily run by six power players and a rather seedy group whose leader remains obscured. They are: Jasper Keeting, the Gold King; William Reading, the Scarlet King; Coal, the Blue King, Bartholemeow Thane, the gray king; Jane Spicer the Green king and chairwoman; Valerie Cutter, the Violet king; then lastly The Black kingdom (underground) presently represented by (Mr. Fish).
But let's get to the heart of the mysteries. Evelina while engaging in a number of crafts that might get her in trouble, one of which looks like witchcraft and could get her killed, witnesses Bancroft’s men removing what might be illegal automatons from the attic of the Bancroft’s house. In an effort to get away undetected she encounters some unknown people in the house because she's skulking in the near darkness. At least one of those might have had some tinge of magic, but she’s not certain. While diverting herself into her friend’s room to help her (Imogen has insomnia and frightful nightmares) Evelina is there when one of the servants, Grace Child, is murdered downstairs. To compound the issues and before the murder is discovered Evelina returns to her own room to find her childhood friend Nick has broken into the house and into her room. When brought to the scene of the crime Evelina begins her own investigation and purloins some evidence that could possibly get Lord Bancroft into a lot of trouble if it is found and she finds she also has to consider her friend Nick as a suspect in the murder. The strong evidence against her friend’s family is such that she decides to do her own investigation to determine some things before her Uncle Sherlock gets involved in the case.
This leads the reader into a whole bunch of world building and some explanation of details that not only begin to unravel many mysteries, but begin to weave even more mysteries while the main mystery of who killed Grace Child remains as the primary mystery throughout and frames the largest concern for suspicion of many of the main figures in the story.
Yet it seems that even this mystery begins to take a backseat near the end when someone tries to kill Evelina's Uncle Sherlock. The attempt on his life is integral to the story in so many ways that it almost overshadows Grace Child's murder. The clues are there though and the reader can easily deduce this mystery so it is more a matter of waiting for our young investigator to uncover the truth.
Though the world building is a large focus, the character development is quite well done and seems mostly to dominate; which serves to enhance the writing style that is already quite engaging. It is not difficult to sink deep into this world and the story to a level of maximum engrossment.
There seem to be threads that are left hanging; but the core of the story, the mysteries that define the primary plot are well taken care of with enough left to serve as inducement to continue to read the series. This is traditional published and that means that the ebooks are priced quite steep and as long as the price is right I'll likely be waiting for the hard copy to show up in the mail.
This makes for fantastic Alternate History, Gas-lite Mystery with some dominating Paranormal Magic. Just the right combination to be called Steampunk and should satisfy the hunger of most readers of those Genre.
J.L. Dobias
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Inish Carraig by Jo Zebedee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Inish Carraig by Jo Zebedee
There are so many things that are good, about this novel, that it's difficult to say which one might have pushed it over the top and onto my pile of best novels for the year 2015. I've read the author’s first novel, Abendau's Heir, and I would recommend that when you finish this novel you should check it out if you haven't already read it. Abendau's Heir showcases the authors style of writing which might be described as fifty shades of dark. She likes to start things out in grey areas and slowly drip the characters through darkness until they reach some of the darkest places. But in this novel I think she proved that she could balance that and since Abendau's Heir is the beginning of a series it bodes well that she will eventually balance the scale in that story also. All of that considered: what she does better than dark; is her delving into consequences. Her characters are not the sterling white knights that you see in some novels. And the stories she tells start with those consequences and lead the reader and the characters down a path toward whatever redemption is possible. It’s a long and winding path filled with dark moments and things are rarely easy and often gruesome.
In Inish Carraig John and Taz are survivors, but just barely; and they are scratching the bottom just to keep the remainder of their families alive. Aliens have devastated the earth, despite our technology the Zelotyr did not recognize humans as sentient and they began a systematic extermination of the vermin, because they needed the Earth as a replacement for their own dying world. When they finally recognized the error, they reversed course and began working toward coexistence. Still many humans did not gracefully accept this coexistence or the fact that the aliens still held superior power and authority over Earth. There is the GC, Galactic Council and its members which include the Barath'na who seem to be in some type of cold war with the Zelotyr. And on the night we get acquainted with John and Taz, they are completing a task for McDowell; a man who has always been the lowest of low who commands the dark streets they hide among. After going to high ground, the two begin to release what almost appears to be ashes into the wind and that begins their descent into a convoluted scheme that starts with the Xenocide of those Zelotyr on Earth.
John and Taz are quickly caught and easily linked to the outbreak that is killing the Zelotyr. As the few remaining Zelotyr abandon earth the Galactic Council, and specifically the Barath'na, move in to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. John and Taz begin the trials that will show them the consequences of the actions they took and even though through ignorance they know they will face the consequence; but Taz is now sick because he was foolish enough to test the 'ash' (out of bravado and ignorance) before they released it. To make things worse, others who have been involved with spreading the virus are turning up dead and that doesn't bode well for John and Taz's future. John and Taz could help fill in the spaces and connect the dots; but they have family that they are certain McDowell will harm if they talk; so they walk that thin line allowing them to be convicted of the crime they committed in ignorance.
There is a far greater and more insidious plot below all of this that will put the human race at risk; as the only people who might be able to put things together are slowly and systematically removed from the playing field. As the responsibility slowly devolves upon John and Taz until they discern that they may be the Earths only hope, they are uncertain that they are up to the task especially when they've been handed over to the somewhat enigmatic Barath'na who have vowed to bring justice against the perpetrators.
This novel varies in its style of writing from Abendau's Heir and I suppose that might be something to do with editors and editing. And though there were some few glitches that suggest the possibility of author tinkering post-edit; they were not enough to distract from the intensity of the story. The pacing is somewhat less intense as regards the delving into darker areas, but is well paced overall to make this a rapid and satisfying read throughout. It's a well told and tightly plotted story that maintains a solid feel that lasts right to the very end.
Lovers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Suspense and Mystery should enjoy this one. And though the science is almost taking a back seat, it maintains a consistency necessary to carry the reader through. The story takes place in and around Belfast and contains some elements of colloquial speech that I found helped the story along and rarely demanded I stop to look things up, because the context usually clarified the meaning.
Read and enjoy.
J.L. Dobias
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John Gone by Michael Kayatta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
John Gone(The Diaspora Trilogy)by Michael Kayatta
John is a simple teen living on an island in the Florida Keys. He finds a strange watch, with leather strap, and does what any level headed teen might do and tries it on. This is no ordinary watch and once it seats itself on his wrist it refuses to let go. Having no time to worry about it, because his mother has set him up for a summer job (think internship at a computer company-except the company is anti computer and would probably do everything by string phone if they could work that out; but as it is being the 411 of a wiki-pedia replacement for old folks is hard enough without that whole ball of string thing.) John’s new boss has bought him a motorized scooter from which he can facilitate house calls as their instant messenger; but is that a low enough reason for John to kill his boss. Before we discuss the demise of Virgil, John's boss; we'll discuss Molly, John’s girlfriend.
We see Molly quickly when she surprises John while he's leaving for his job and she comes to announce she and her father are here to pick him up for their three week anniversary-they've been together a whole three weeks. John is distracted by the obsessive clingy watch and his mothers coaxing to get ready for her to take him to his new job; and though it might look like John might have overlooked this anniversary he covers well by insisting that Molly wait for the surprise he has for her that evening at six. Molly agrees and does what any girlfriend of three weeks might do when she calls Johns mom 'Mom'.
Seriously though; I liked this book despite some elements of the beginning and the fact that warming up to John takes a long time because he's just a bit self-centered and somewhat clueless about a number of things that are just not right about his life before everything goes crazy on him. I would love to give it five stars but for now 4 is being generous and I'll try to explain.
When John arrives to his semi-non-tech job his new boss Virgil sweeps him up and gives him the grand tour including a corkboard display map that he refers to as Face-board. And the reader realizes things are likely to enter the strange when John immediately notices that the spot where his home should be has been marked as a cemetery: Priscilla’s Prestigious Plots. But to add to the insanity Virgil informs John that he gets the scooter but is not allowed to have his cell phone or other electronics because they have to keep up the image and...you guessed it...Virgil insists John take off the clingy watch. This starts to border on comic when Virgil become so adamant that he brings out some large cutters when he finds the watch to be overly resistant to his attempts to help John remove it. Fortunately for John and his limbs sake this causes the watch to retaliate by shocking John's boss; unfortunately it causes cardiac arrest at the same time it seems to activate another feature of the watch and John passes out only to awaken in a restroom in Tallahassee Florida. Twelve hours later John is on a buss(loaded with other people) on his way home when the watch strikes again and returns him to the scene of the first crime where John finds he's being sought for questioning and suspicion of his ex-bosses murder. Later, because the watch knocks out everyone within a specific radius around John, he's is being sought for questioning on the deaths of people who were on the bus that crashed when the driver passed out.
There are reasons for all of this that comprise the world building of the science involved in the watch that is the result of a long story that actually is a bit more interesting than Johns story; but in fairness we have to share so we get the two stories together. Getting the two stories to converge is a somewhat convoluted plot that in many ways makes a lot of sense; but also includes a lot of side trips with John shifting back and forth across the world every twelve hours with each jump going a longer distance and John has no control. This could go on forever except that the watch is using John like a battery and each time he jumps it draws more energy because the distance is longer and it will soon be critical. There's a way out of this but when John discovers it, it sounds like the cure is worse than the disease. And this is not to mentioning the strange goons that also have watches and are chasing John when he goes on his jumps.
There is murder and mayhem afoot and if I have one quibble about the novel its all the side trips John takes that take up a large portion of the narrative and don't always seem to add that much to the story. It might be that, since this is a trilogy, these trips will make sense and figure in down the road, but presently they just look like something to bulk up the real story; which, as I said, is the more interesting story of how the watch comes about and the rather insane group of people involved in the development. And even though John has fell prey to the madness of the scientists it is often difficult for this reader to feel sympathy for him based on his own attitude, which means the only redeemable character, is one who gets a smaller billing in the story. But I should leave that for other readers to find and judge for themselves.
This is a neat yarn with plenty of good pacing even though it lacks in some character development it still is an interesting Science Fiction novel once the initial silliness is left behind. John could use a heavier dose of growth but keep in mind there are still two more novels for that to pan out.
J.L. Dobias
View all my reviews
The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Bullet Catchers Daughter (The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire-book 1) by Rod Duncan
I'd like to say this is a great addition to my steampunk library, but in truth it just adds to the confusion of trying to understand Genre's in general. Truth be told the best way to understand them is to realize they are for publishers and book stores and possibly even libraries; to help them slot the work into a place that might maximize the discovery by readers with common interest in the story. In a nutshell this novel falls closer to the definition of Gas-Light or Gas-Lamp than it does Steampunk and that's where a majority of what I've read from the steampunk genre actually fall. That much said I can say this is a fine addition to my Gas-Light collection of books. And upon sampling the second book in the series I can see that it's a Gas-light Alternate Universe that is occurring in present times and I'm not sure that this first book The Bullet Catchers Daughter was that clear in it's world building to have established that distinction as I read.
But in the first two chapters of the next book, the Unseemly Science, there is a declaration during an execution that the date is the Forth of March 2009 so I have to keep that in mind as I try to slot this novel in some category; so Gas-Light Alternate Universe is good.
I'm not at all sure that the thread about Elizabeth's disguise as a man is anywhere near to cross-dressing in any conventional sense. The story and the fact that the world has frozen in place and time against specific social conventions demands that she cannot own a number of things on her own and certainly she would not be allowed to run a business out of a houseboat; so the disguise is the simple means through which she stays free in a world that would have her married and under the thumb of whatever capricious desire her husband might have; or in this case possibly ruined by a Duke who thought nothing of abusing his privilege and imposing himself upon her. The whole concept of a woman investigator posing as a man to gain clients is nothing new if one remembers Remington Steel from television (Though she had less of the constrictions upon her than Elizabeth does). And I think that it's clear from both the storyline and the character herself that she only does this for the convenience of obtaining work and in this instance some measure of freedom which can hardly equate to the thoughts derived from the normal usage of the notion of cross-dressing. Although when stepping progress back so far it becomes cross-dressing in a greater sense than today in a society where the normal attire of women tends to criss-cross across the cross-dressing lines to become fashion.
An interesting side note to all of this is the unmentioned, though possibly implied, notion that circumventing industrial progress and limiting invention and innovation might have retarded any movement toward suffrage. In this instance I would wonder where Christianity fell if not somehow to the wayside when the Ludite movement takes hold. The reason I say this is that despite much of Christianities insistence on remaining dogmatically in the past on such issues, it also manages to account for the revolution of many of the aspects necessary for the development of all the steps that led to the rapid rise of intellect and dissemination of knowledge that were instrumental in furthering the industrial revolutions that may or may not have helped bring us all to a level that still has a way to go before we can truly expect to claim that woman are equal to men. Still this notion makes for an interesting reason for man to be still living in the dark ages.
One of the main things this story has going for it is the fine characterization of Elizabeth and it's weaker point is that it almost falls into a thin mimic of a Sherlock Holmes tale and could easily have been entitled The Case of the Bullet Catchers Daughter. Unfortunately Elizabeth lacks the seeming innate insight into human nature; or she might not have failed to see what was happening around her. On the other hand had the character of the Duchess of Bletchley been portrayed a bit stronger than she was; then it may have easily become something to compare with some of Holmes more notorious cases and the reveal of an ultimate deception may have been forgivable.
A second strong point is the world building of the traveling shows, which are heavily figuring into the very character of Elizabeth. Because of that: this thread monopolizes a majority of the reader’s time muddling along with the circus and almost using this portion as an excuse to withdraw any focus on the Duchess who is unfortunately very integral to the whole plot of the story. So instead of using some of that time to create the subtle foreshadowing that might help a mystery like this, we have a character with no shadow at all that unfortunately should be heavily shaded for when everything comes to light. In a way the threaded notion of diverting the attention of the audience to facilitate the illusion seems to have crossed over to the whole novel trying to divert the reader from the illusion within the plot. But to say any more would be to spoil the whole.
I really did enjoy the novel as a whole and would have loved to give it a five star, unfortunately if I were to look back at Steampunk and or Gas-Light or Gas-Lamp stories that I've read this one falls in the middle somewhere. This causes a double problem for me in that because it is published by a traditional publisher of sort it normally would be overpriced from my standpoint. Most especially for me in that I have available many books in his muddled genre that shine and are usually priced in a much lower range where these are being price just on the lower side of the usual traditional ebook and if I'm to believe the projection for the third novel the price remains the same when the novel has been whittled down to one third the narrative of the first two books. Though these prices are probably lower than some traditional publishers, with the overabundance of equal quality books in this genre the price becomes questionable and for now I'll likely go to other authors works rather than continue with this series that for me is overprice both for the genre and its overall quality.
Keep in mind that this still is a fair offering in the genre and for those that don't like to take the risk of self published books and have fewer choices in this genre; it might well be something they can add to their library. Also the pricing issue is only my opinion and in honesty I have to admit that the price falls quite fair when compared to other traditional offerings. I tend to have this problem with all traditionally published books and have to see a lot of promise in the sample I read before I'm even tempted to purchase them as e-books and often the sample is inadequate to that task, which means that it is the rare thing that I buy traditionally published e-books; but for a handful of authors that I know well.
This is reasonable Steampunk and Gas-Lamp fiction that makes for a fair light read that is good for any fan of the Genre. Keeping in mind that those favoring the dark and seedy side of the genre might be disappointed, though that was one of the things I did find refreshing about the entire piece.
J.L. Dobias
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The Children of the Moon by Laekan Zea Kemp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Children Of The Moon (The Girl In Between : Series Book 3)by Laekan Zea Kemp
This novel continues from the end of the second novel and this review contains my review of all three novels.
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I can't claim to be a great fan of some series that include certain elements and this one could easily fall into that category. On the other hand I have to admit that the cover intrigued me; though it did almost put me off, because I rarely read horror fiction and this had that feel to it. As usual I read the sample, which was quite adequate this time and I recommend that anyone taking an interest in this series read the sample. For this reader the sample nailed it for me because of the good crisp writing style and the excellent character development. I've read a few paranormal fictions and this one might fall within that category as well as horror and the first book definitely has less elements of horror, though as the series progresses it seems to dip further and further into a dark sense that's tainted with horrific elements. In reading the sample I think that the thing to keep in mind is that the writing style and pace remain the same, which means that if you get easily hooked by the first book then you'll most likely enjoy the first three books and like the rest of us you'll be impatiently waiting for the Forth and possibly final book of the series. Still I must add the warning that this goes on my growing list of books that I love and hate at the same time and that is mostly tied with the Cliff-hanger-ish-ness of the endings.
With that in mind my suggestion for anyone hooked by the sample would be to buy the three as though they were one very long book. Since there is little value in buying the bundled version, which is the same price as all three books separately, I'd go with the three separate because that dispels some of the reality that as one piece they are a huge and perhaps epic volume. As separate novels it at least fosters the illusion of reasonable size. Because book one and two are clearly cliffhangers I have a hard time resolving them down to individual pieces. Honestly speaking the third novel also is cliff-ish in nature, but it has a specific unique flavor to it that would allow it to exist as an ending that allows the reader a wide range of personal thought about the whole.
To get to the story about Bryn:In the first book; The Girl In Between; I have to admit that I had some reservations about the main character making use of a debilitating disease such as KLS, Klein-Levin Syndrome, as a main plot point although it does bring to mind Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark in, which she has a main character who suffers autism and that was handled quite well. Both books tend to be about how the main character fights just for some small bit of normality in their life. The main difference might be that in this story it becomes clear that there might be something more going on with the main character and that it might not be KLS at all.
The story starts during one of Bryn's episodes where she sleeps for long periods of time. As it opens she's in her dream world alone as usual, but this time something, someone washes onto the beach and into her dream. A boy who has nearly drown ;and she brings him back to the brink of life just before she returns to her real life. This is the beginning of the most unusual part of book one with the mystery boy in her dreams who has no name or memories and for all intent and purpose could easily just be one more figment of her strange dreams. The dreams themselves are something that falls just outside the lines of the usual symptoms of the syndrome, but there is no mistaking that Bryn often falls to sleep for periods longer than a few days and is likely suffering something that has symptoms similar to KLS.
Book one is mostly the story of Bryn and her family as they struggle to create a normal life for Bryn. Bryn is a teen in her final year of high school and is hoping to go to college. But with the episodes still occurring and the possibility that they could be with her well into her thirties, things are looking bleak. All she wants is to be normal and to lessen the burden on her family. It is not until late into book one that the boy in the dreams and the nature of the dreams begin to become a catalyst driving the story toward the darker and more horrific elements to show up in the next book. Still without the horror there is something compelling about the authors handling of the story that drove this reader on through to the end. And though the ending is not quite complete I felt compelled to continue with reading into book two.
Book one is a good, well written, YA fantasy that addresses some of the issues of the debilitating disease and how it affects not just the patient but the whole family that surround her. It's also a novel that this reader had to pay particular attention to the many details because it was too easy to lose the way and have to check back to unravel some of my own confusion.
Though I managed to finish all three novels in one and a half days of reading over the weekend, it may take most readers a bit longer than that; but as I mentioned, if you're hooked by the sample then the rest of the writing should keep you hooked right through to the end of the third book.
In book two the story begins to dip deeply into world building as Bryn and Roman come to terms with the struggles in their own lives while uncovering the truth about the illness that has for so long mimiced KLS. This novel also begins delving into the darker side of what might be described as a Paranormal Horror as Bryn's struggle moves from trying to be normal to trying to survive. Though Bryn and Roman have some natural bond formed between them, their lives and pasts are creating a gulf that leaves them to fight their battles separately. Bryn has a possibility of help from a duo of doctors who are researching, not just the KLS but something quite similar to what she has experienced. One of the doctors lost his daughter to something similar and has promised not to let that happen to Bryn, but in this story we will find that there are many players with their own agenda and Bryn will soon find out she has few people she can trust.
The writing remains solid in this novel that should pique the interest of those who love paranormal and the elements of the horrific. But even for those who find the genre out of their sphere of interest the writing is compelling enough to draw any reader into the story. So much so that even with the second cliffhanger ending I had to continue on to see where Laekan Zea Kemp was taking all of this.
I started the third book with a bit of reluctance, not knowing how many more books there might be. At the time I didn't realize the author has made at least one statement suggesting things will be wrapped up in the forth book. With that in mind my usual caution to those who dislike the never-ending stories that some series have carried on into can be tempered in that this one might have satisfactory conclusion in the next volume. For me as a reader this, the third book, though not quite a full wrap did end on a note that made it a good place to pause; because the ending, though ambiguous in nature, was quite close to endings I’ve seen in other similar books and leaves enough satisfaction and room for the reader to thoughtfully fill in their own notions about how things will end for Bryn.
Still it will be interesting to find out what happens next.
The third novel does a fair job of wrapping the Paranormal, sort of romance and sort of horror into something that should leave the reader anticipating the final outcome while remaining somewhat satisfied with the continuing growth of the main characters up to this point.
J.L. Dobias
View all my reviews
The Boy In Her Dreams by Laekan Zea Kemp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Boy In Her Dreams (The Girl In Between : Series Book 2)by Laekan Zea Kemp
This novel continues from the end of the first novel and this review contains my review of that novel with a small amount about this novel added to the end.
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I can't claim to be a great fan of some series that include certain elements and this one could easily fall into that category. On the other hand I have to admit that the cover intrigued me; though it did almost put me off, because I rarely read horror fiction and this had that feel to it. As usual I read the sample, which was quite adequate this time and I recommend that anyone taking an interest in this series read the sample. For this reader the sample nailed it for me because of the good crisp writing style and the excellent character development. I've read a few paranormal fictions and this one might fall within that category as well as horror and the first book definitely has less elements of horror, though as the series progresses it seems to dip further and further into a dark sense that's tainted with horrific elements. In reading the sample I think that the thing to keep in mind is that the writing style and pace remain the same, which means that if you get easily hooked by the first book then you'll most likely enjoy the first three books and like the rest of us you'll be impatiently waiting for the Forth and possibly final book of the series. Still I must add the warning that this goes on my growing list of books that I love and hate at the same time and that is mostly tied with the Cliff-hanger-ish-ness of the endings.
With that in mind my suggestion for anyone hooked by the sample would be to buy the three as though they were one very long book. Since there is little value in buying the bundled version, which is the same price as all three books separately, I'd go with the three separate because that dispels some of the reality that as one piece they are a huge and perhaps epic volume. As separate novels it at least fosters the illusion of reasonable size. Because book one and two are clearly cliffhangers I have a hard time resolving them down to individual pieces. Honestly speaking the third novel also is cliff-ish in nature, but it has a specific unique flavor to it that would allow it to exist as an ending that allows the reader a wide range of personal thought about the whole.
To get to the story about Bryn:In the first book; The Girl In Between; I have to admit that I had some reservations about the main character making use of a debilitating disease such as KLS, Klein-Levin Syndrome, as a main plot point although it does bring to mind Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark in, which she has a main character who suffers autism and that was handled quite well. Both books tend to be about how the main character fights just for some small bit of normality in their life. The main difference might be that in this story it becomes clear that there might be something more going on with the main character and that it might not be KLS at all.
The story starts during one of Bryn's episodes where she sleeps for long periods of time. As it opens she's in her dream world alone as usual, but this time something, someone washes onto the beach and into her dream. A boy who has nearly drown ;and she brings him back to the brink of life just before she returns to her real life. This is the beginning of the most unusual part of book one with the mystery boy in her dreams who has no name or memories and for all intent and purpose could easily just be one more figment of her strange dreams. The dreams themselves are something that falls just outside the lines of the usual symptoms of the syndrome, but there is no mistaking that Bryn often falls to sleep for periods longer than a few days and is likely suffering something that has symptoms similar to KLS.
Book one is mostly the story of Bryn and her family as they struggle to create a normal life for Bryn. Bryn is a teen in her final year of high school and is hoping to go to college. But with the episodes still occurring and the possibility that they could be with her well into her thirties, things are looking bleak. All she wants is to be normal and to lessen the burden on her family. It is not until late into book one that the boy in the dreams and the nature of the dreams begin to become a catalyst driving the story toward the darker and more horrific elements to show up in the next book. Still without the horror there is something compelling about the authors handling of the story that drove this reader on through to the end. And though the ending is not quite complete I felt compelled to continue with reading into book two.
Book one is a good, well written, YA fantasy that addresses some of the issues of the debilitating disease and how it affects not just the patient but the whole family that surround her. It's also a novel that this reader had to pay particular attention to the many details because it was too easy to lose the way and have to check back to unravel some of my own confusion.
Though I managed to finish all three novels in one and a half days of reading over the weekend, it may take most readers a bit longer than that; but as I mentioned, if you're hooked by the sample then the rest of the writing should keep you hooked right through to the end of the third book.
In book two the story begins to dip deeply into world building as Bryn and Roman come to terms with the struggles in their own lives while uncovering the truth about the illness that has for so long mimiced KLS. This novel also begins delving into the darker side of what might be described as a Paranormal Horror as Bryn's struggle moves from trying to be normal to trying to survive. Though Bryn and Roman have some natural bond formed between them, their lives and pasts are creating a gulf that leaves them to fight their battles separately. Bryn has a possibility of help from a duo of doctors who are researching, not just the KLS but something quite similar to what she has experienced. One of the doctors lost his daughter to something similar and has promised not to let that happen to Bryn, but in this story we will find that there are many players with their own agenda and Bryn will soon find out she has few people she can trust.
The writing remains solid in this novel that should pique the interest of those who love paranormal and the elements of the horrific. But even for those who find the genre out of their sphere of interest the writing is compelling enough to draw any reader into the story. So much so that even with the second cliffhanger ending I had to continue on to see where Laekan Zea Kemp was taking all of this.
J.L. Dobias
View all my reviews
The Girl In Between by Laekan Zea Kemp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Girl In Between (Series Book 1)by Laekan Zea Kemp
I can't claim to be a great fan of some series that include certain elements and this one could easily fall into that category. On the other hand I have to admit that the cover intrigued me; though it did almost put me off, because I rarely read horror fiction and this had that feel to it. As usual I read the sample, which was quite adequate this time and I recommend that anyone taking an interest in this series read the sample. For this reader the sample nailed it for me because of the good crisp writing style and the excellent character development. I've read a few paranormal fictions and this one might fall within that category as well as horror and the first book definitely has less elements of horror, though as the series progresses it seems to dip further and further into a dark sense that's tainted with horrific elements. In reading the sample I think that the thing to keep in mind is that the writing style and pace remain the same, which means that if you get easily hooked by the first book then you'll most likely enjoy the first three books and like the rest of us you'll be impatiently waiting for the Forth and possibly final book of the series. Still I must add the warning that this goes on my growing list of books that I love and hate at the same time and that is mostly tied with the Cliff-hanger-ish-ness of the endings.
With that in mind my suggestion for anyone hooked by the sample would be to buy the three as though they were one very long book. Since there is little value in buying the bundled version, which is the same price as all three books separately, I'd go with the three separate because that dispels some of the reality that as one piece they are a huge and perhaps epic volume. As separate novels it at least fosters the illusion of reasonable size. Because book one and two are clearly cliffhangers I have a hard time resolving them down to individual pieces. Honestly speaking the third novel also is cliff-ish in nature, but it has a specific unique flavor to it that would allow it to exist as an ending that allows the reader a wide range of personal thought about the whole.
To get to the story about Bryn: I have to admit that I had some reservations about the main character making use of a debilitating disease such as KLS, Klein-Levin Syndrome, as a main plot point although it does bring to mind Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark in, which she has a main character who suffers autism and that was handled quite well. Both books tend to be about how the main character fights just for some small bit of normality in their life. The main difference might be that in this story it becomes clear that there might be something more going on with the main character and that it might not be KLS at all.
The story starts during one of Bryn's episodes where she sleeps for long periods of time. As it opens she's in her dream world alone as usual, but this time something, someone washes onto the beach and into her dream. A boy who has nearly drown ;and she brings him back to the brink of life just before she returns to her real life. This is the beginning of the most unusual part of book one with the mystery boy in her dreams who has no name or memories and for all intent and purpose could easily just be one more figment of her strange dreams. The dreams themselves are something that falls just outside the lines of the usual symptoms of the syndrome, but there is no mistaking that Bryn often falls to sleep for periods longer than a few days and is likely suffering something that has symptoms similar to KLS.
Book one is mostly the story of Bryn and her family as they struggle to create a normal life for Bryn. Bryn is a teen in her final year of high school and is hoping to go to college. But with the episodes still occurring and the possibility that they could be with her well into her thirties, things are looking bleak. All she wants is to be normal and to lessen the burden on her family. It is not until late into book one that the boy in the dreams and the nature of the dreams begin to become a catalyst driving the story toward the darker and more horrific elements to show up in the next book. Still without the horror there is something compelling about the authors handling of the story that drove this reader on through to the end. And though the ending is not quite complete I felt compelled to continue with reading into book two.
Book one is a good, well written, YA fantasy that addresses some of the issues of the debilitating disease and how it affects not just the patient but the whole family that surround her. It's also a novel that this reader had to pay particular attention to the many details because it was too easy to lose the way and have to check back to unravel some of my own confusion.
Though I managed to finish all three novels in one and a half days of reading over the weekend, it may take most readers a bit longer than that; but as I mentioned, if you're hooked by the sample then the rest of the writing should keep you hooked right through to the end of the third book.
J.L. Dobias
View all my reviews
Angeli by Amy Vansant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Angeli: The Pirate, the Angel and the Irishman by Amy Vansant
This is yet again one of those paranormal, even a bit romance(y), novels. I've come to realize it's not that much of a reach for me to be reading these; as much of the science fiction I read ends up reading a lot like paranormal rather than hard science; and, though I have a respect for the Simon pure Science Fiction, it seems that the novels that tend to lean in the paranormal direction have more interesting characters. For me it's all about the characters so this book hooked me. Anne Bonny is nearly immortal. Let's think something along the line of Highlander; I use Highlander as an example because this novel has a lot of world-building that takes the shape of darting back and forth through time in her life to give us a bit of scope of that life and some of the rules in this world’s landscape.
In the beginning Anne is just an ordinary girl. Well, maybe not ordinary, but the simple type that gets involved in piracy and other exciting things; until she is chosen by the sentinels to carry on with their work after they save her from her own self destructive path.
This is a simple world where Angels dwell and are here to help and guide mankind. But something has happened and a number of the Guardian Angels have rebelled and have begun to prey on the human race. Normally Angels do not or cannot harm other Angel; so when the problem becomes unmanageable the decision to use the human race to create a means to solve the problem creates the sentinels, who are able to disrupt the Perfidia-bad angels-from their earthly form into a spirit form that theoretically will eventually come back cured from their temporary madness. The sentinels are not able to kill the angels, but they are able to drain enough power from them to cause them to be dispersed from their; earthly form and it is not all that pleasant for the angel.
Anne is trained for this by Guardian Angels who are in turn guided by the higher Arch Angels, in this case Michael. Michael finds Anne to be one of his most effective tools and Anne finds herself working with him more often than most Sentinels; and she is inexorable drawn to him, because Arch Angels are made that way. But there might be more to the relationship. Still Michael puts her in the maximum danger; and eventually because of this, another Sentinel, Con Carey someone whom Anne cares for, is lost to the world and ends up as a disembodied spirit: rather than dying. And Anne begins to have second thoughts about her fated life with the Angels. All of her life she has been led to believe that only Guardian Angels have fallen and that might not be as much a truth as professed; and it may prove to be a deadly omission in her training.
And as if that weren't enough problem; there might be a number of Guardian Angels and Arch Angels who are having second thoughts about creating a race of humans who have any amount of power over them. One thing is clear; the war in heaven is not yet over and the battleground has moved to earth.
Excellent writing and character development wrapped into a somewhat typical paranormal tale that is only tainted by the length and depth of world building and back-story that have bits and pieces that are integral to the main plot and are rendered necessary in the long run. Overall a good read.
J.L. Dobias
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The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Soulkeepers(The soulkeepers Series book1)by G.P. Ching
As I grouse around for good reads, I've come to quite a number that have the flavor of the paranormal. This one falls in that category with the emphasis on fallen angels and watchers and horsemen. It has mostly elements of magic and mystic along with a tad of divine intervention. It all falls together enough that the feel of Deus Ex Machina is forgivable.
Jacob wakes from near death, he is certain he died, to find himself alone; his mother has vanished leaving only traces of blood around the car and vague recollections in Jacobs mind as to what might have occurred. The next time he awakes he is no longer alone, but is with his new-found uncle whom he'd never known he had. He also finds that his last name Lau is really Laudner and that he'll now be moving from Hawaii to Paris, Illinois.
He inherits a family who never wanted him and a whole bunch of trouble he never wanted. Life is bad and he's definitely not helping himself with his horrible temper and mean response to other peoples bad attitudes. This is definitely one main character who is hard to feel empathy for in the early parts. His anger, directed at his cousin Katrina, is released on a neighbor who proceeds to help take him from a miserable life to a miserable yet interesting life.
Dr. Abigail Silva is a professor of Ethnobotany at the university and she is very strange; to say the least. Along with that is her strange fixation of Jacob; whom she has enlisted into gardening in payment for the damage he's done to her house. Everything about Dr. Silva is abnormal and her's is the strongest tie to paranormal that the story begins to unfold. If not for his new friend Malini, another uprooted ethnic import to Paris, Jacob would have gone off the rails in no time.
Malini's story is another intersting story, but she's not a token girlfriend for the main character; she's a the missing piece in the puzzle that is Jacob. I don't think he understands how much he needs her until she follows him nearly to hell and back-but that's telling too much.
In a small way this is a coming of age story that comes at it from a rather slanted approach. It's also a mystical and spiritual tale that wants to say that even if you don't believe in something, and perhaps especially because you don't, it is easy to become the instrument of that in which you don't believe.
Quite well written and definitely paranormal in nature this was and interesting and somewhat thoughtful look into something that has only occupied a small portion of my shelf. It does help peek my fondness for the genre.
J.L. Dobias
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Bartleby and James by Michael Coorlim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicles (Galvanic Century Book 1)by Michael Coorlim
Michael Coorlim does write some mean steam punk. If I could say that anything was typical steampunk I would have to say that his work has a lot of the marks, but falls short of a bit of steam. There are air ships and geared mechanical devices and necromancing with the use of brains and other body parts brought back to life to integrate with some of these devices. There also exists in this universe a Mr. Holmes and a Victor Von Frankenstein. But once again, if it is there, steam is in the background somewhere where I missed it. We are in an Edwardian era rather than Victorian. But what's important to me is that these short stories entertained me and I'm giving them high marks; and for that I'm going to be just a bit nit-picky in some areas.
I'm told short stories are a lot more difficult than novels and I will give it this much in that there is less time to introduce characters and the science involved when you have to get right to the plot and reach a conclusion in short order. This set does a fair job and because it is told from James’s point of view we often get more of a look at James than Bartleby. Though much like the Holmes and Watson duo the story is told by James and he is the one to introduce us to Bartleby. But the dynamic is quite different from those other two old soldiers and this narrative ends up favoring James.
James is a bit of an antisocial loner who has strong anti-religious opinions and he often denigrates other engineers. We find out quite early that they both might share the weakness of being bigots.
Bartleby detests Americans.
"Likewise a low creature. Just another nouveau-riche American trophy wife who has thus far spent the voyage trying to insinuate herself into the good graces of her betters. No doubt she holds hopes of an introduction into the London social scene. As if I'd inflict her upon them."
Coorlim, Michael (2014-09-10). Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle (Galvanic Century Book 1) (p. 41). Pomoconsumption Press. Kindle Edition.
While James expresses poor opinions about America's engineers.
"For what?" I'd lived and worked in the man's country previously, and I didn't find it very suiting. A very different sort of engineering culture and climate, one I wasn't keen on entering into again. Sloppy. Undisciplined.
Coorlim, Michael (2014-09-10). Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle (Galvanic Century Book 1) (p. 52). Pomoconsumption Press. Kindle Edition.
In context I thought this was James but looking back it could be just as easily Bartleby though it would make more sense to be James. The progression of dialogue would almost argue Bartleby. So I might attribute it, in spirit, to both.
Yet later we find both acknowledging that the RGAE or RGEA allow for enough slop in it's membership to have members of somewhat unaccredited nature, which makes them just a bit hypocritical.
The R.G.A.E. and the R.G.E.A. show up often and seem as though there might be two organizations one is The Royal Guild of Artificers and Engineers and the other is the Royal Guild of Engineers and Artificers.
I'm sure they are the same; but just the same, what's the difference: really?
It is not difficult to see that James has issues dealing with Bartleby's fiancé though in the same token its a wonder that Bartleby has Aldora as his intended.
As mentioned early on it's easy to see that there is almost a comparison to Holmes and Watson and when a character named Holmes makes a cameo it cements that thought. But these two are nowhere near the dynamic of that duo (And, somewhere internally to this set of stories, that fact is mentioned). Bartleby is far from a concise deductive reasoning detective. In fact often his logic seems flawed. Take the example below::
"Our killer probably doesn't know how to do a proper wash, which points to an officer as the culprit. Perhaps the blood stained all the uniforms in his load. He discovered this, wheeled the load out in a laundry trolley and dumped the lot overboard, disposing of enough to obfuscate his identity, I'd wager. That was the shift we felt. Wet laundry as ballast."
"Why does an inability to do the wash indicate an officer?"
"Trust me, James. I was an officer once. We're rather quite helpless." He almost stumbled as he crept to the hatch. "I say, James, we'd better hurry. The tilt is getting quite noticeable."
Coorlim, Michael (2014-09-10). Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle (Galvanic Century Book 1) (p. 44). Pomoconsumption Press. Kindle Edition.
This one is the most outstanding of all examples; but it clearly shows that his deductions seem more colored by his own personal experience rather than observable fact.
Perhaps this helps put James in a better position than Watson was with Holmes, in that they now become a team that works together equally blessed and flawed; as a complementary set.
Bartleby is more often than not ready to rely on someone else knowledge to help solve the case so there are a number of contacts he has for this. Holmes, if I remember correctly, had many agents that were good for the legwork and information gathering while he more often relied on his own knowledge and the expanding of that knowledge. Still the stories are all quite clever mysteries.
Throughout there are examples of sentences that baffle and befuddle me, requiring deciphering, and I often have to be careful because sometimes it's a difference in British and USA English. I have highlighted a couple here that I feel were most troubling.
"I always pined myself for a personal experience with the mysteries of the divine. In the Orient my wishes were granted.
Coorlim, Michael (2014-09-10). Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle (Galvanic Century Book 1) (p. 97). Pomoconsumption Press. Kindle Edition.
I always pined myself for a personal experience with the mysteries of the divine.
The 'I always' is simple present yet the pined doesn't seem to work with it and perhaps it should be 'I always pine'- but this is the least of the problems with this sentence.
Without punctuation I first read this as 'I always pined myself' and oddly that works if you take the use of 'for' as 'because of' it would read:: 'I always pine myself because of a personal experience.' :: But then the next sentence refutes that:: 'In the orient my wishes were granted.':: So pined here seems to mean 'long for'.
I always long for a personal experience with the mysteries of the divine.
Since this is in dialogue and people do speak this way it might work but as you can see at least one reader gets confused.
A second example is""
I joined Bartleby in the dining room to tell him my findings of a supper over cold knots of beef and ginger beer.
Coorlim, Michael (2014-09-10). Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle (Galvanic Century Book 1) (p. 20). Pomoconsumption Press. Kindle Edition.
This one took a stretch for me to try to unravel.
Again there is a lack of punctuation and this time in narrative it leaves me thinking there are words missing unless perhaps I could switch of and over.
I joined Bartleby in the dining room, to tell him my finding, over a supper of cold knots of beef and ginger beer.
Other wise I keep having it::..., to tell him my findings of a supper, over cold knots of beef and ginger beer.
I do think that these stories could use one more brush with the editors. But other than the confusing sentence structure, which might be just me being sensitive, these stories are well written mysteries with a smidgen of character development, but emphasis seems more toward the punk aspect albeit Steampunk, Clockworkpunk, or Paranormalpunk. It is all very entertaining and should be of interest to most SFF fans who are not particular about the science aspects and definitely an addition to any collector of things Steampunk.
I'll be looking at more from Michael Coorlim
J.L. Dobias
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Beautiful Intelligence by Stephen Palmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Beautiful Intelligence by Stephen Palmer
I really enjoyed this author’s work, The Rat and the Serpent; and when this novel came to my attention I couldn't help but wonder how he would treat the notion of artificial intelligence. I started reading and I couldn't help but draw some comparisons to the work of William Gibson and then there were images right out of Do androids dream of electric sheep by Philip K. Dick. Needless I was drawn into the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it. That is not to say there weren't some puzzling elements that made me wonder just what universe this came out of.
This is a dystopic tale of two competing teams of bio-engineers trying to build toward the singularity by creating artificial intelligence; but because there are two teams we have AI and then BI which accounts for the beautiful intelligence. The teams come out of a single lab where two people have virtually been held prisoner while developing for a company. The world into they escape to is one that has shifted from the western dominated internet to the new eastern dominated nexus. The big difference touted is that the nexis is more styled to a Japanese culture that is less individualistic and more collective and that's where I had to stop and think.
This is a ‘what if’ novel, which hinges largely on what if the collective Japanese culture dominated the nexis and thereby had more emphasis on the collective and less on individual thereby creating an environment where there was less privacy and more exposure when connected. The story emphasizes this collective mind as both a key point in the nexus and in the whole pursuit of the teams by a collective company that has to try to adjust its thinking to individualism of the west and the United States. Also an underlying theme is that the nexus is forcing all people to this collective nature. And this works; but only if you go back to 1980 and pre 1980 because since then the Japanese and other asian countries have almost reached a level of individualization that rivals or exceeds the US. (But keep in mind I'm not an expert on this in any way)
That aside this is what this universe is in this 'what if' and so it affords the two teams the advantage or at least the illusion of advantage that the man pursuing them has to alter his thinking in order to understand them in order to find them. It also sets the mood for some of the main characters who think that they are drowning in this collective oppression and they have to go solo or fly under the radar (nexus), often as sort of ghost or silhouettes that are decoys to cover their tracks.
This is a complex story that evolves around the two teams as they flee in separate continents from the same threat with their diverse experiments and devolves into a sort of dialogue about the merits of two different approaches to the AI problem.
Leonora and team have created a single entity named Zeug and they believe through teaching it language it will become conscious. (My best description of what they get is ‘think Frankenstein.)
Manfred and team have created 9 entities Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Grey, White, Violet, Orange and Indigo. They have created a community of peers that will learn and develop by creating their own social structure. (Initially they have them linked together but this proves to retard their progress. Oddly they are almost like a collective.)
Both methods are fraught with errors in thinking and the story evolves around how the teams deal with those while at the same time keeping one step ahead of the bad guys. Adding to this is the need to be hidden from the nexus; though neither team seems to have made much provision for the possibility that the ever invasive nexus might creep into their whole experiment.
There are several moments when the characters philosophize about various related topics such as a mention of the Hierarchy of knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. But possibly the most important was one that seemed for me to be fraught with some illusive and obtuse semantics is from this quote.
[QUOTE]Manfred shook his head. "It all started when personality became important. Old fashioned character was strangled by personality, and we all had to be smiling and go-getting and extrovert for the endless rows of cameras. Damn fucking media. But, you know Dirk, you’re half correct. The internet and the nexus have leaned on humanity, and they’ve squashed a lot of individualism out of us."
Palmer, Stephen (2015-06-29). Beautiful Intelligence (Kindle Locations 3768-3771). infinity plus. Kindle Edition. [/QUOTE]
It's difficult to understand from even the context of the entire novel just what exactly these two words are meant to mean: Personality and Character. In many instances they a synonyms of each other and yet here they are treated as different things. Much like the old further and farther thing but more complicated. At best what I could draw from this is that maybe Personality here is best compared to Persona or the image one puts on in the Nexus as opposed to Character being related to the true self, though in this context it also has to include something with individuality where some how the personae or the personality in reference is part of the nexus collective or as one character calls it the identikit.
There are so many well developed characters in this story that the reader needs a score card for each; not to mention there is a bit of changing of sides between teams that helps confuse things. But the largest portion of the novel is bent on understanding the motivation of each team to coincide with how they get to where they are.
Oddly enough for this reader the main character that I most related to and felt empathy for was Indigo, who shows the most growth and development throughout the entire piece.
There is a bit of a mystery in the story with Manfred's 9 in that at one point one of the 9 seems to possibly be killing the others. I'm not sure this was solved but you need to read this to find out what you think.
This is great SFF with a touch of Cyberpunk and Some great android development with a hint of mystery and lots of suspense so there's a bit for everyone. Probably not much for the Romance lovers though.
If there's a vote for more of this world and what might happen next I'll put mine in.
A must read and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
J.L. Dobias
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