Review::A World Out Of Time By Larry Niven

A World Out of Time by Larry Niven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A World out of Time by Larry Niven. I’ve had this book so long I didn’t remember having read it and I probably wouldn’t have re-read it had I not read a more recent book called We Are Legion[We Are Bob] by Dennis E. Taylor.

I chanced to pick up A World out of Time and began reading the first several pages and was intrigued by the notion that this sounded a lot like We Are Legion[We Are Bob] only it is more likely the other way around. They both start with a man who has signed up to the dubious honor of being frozen for future decanting. In Bob’s case it is done as a security against any accident or anything that might kill him prematurely. In A World out of Time Corbell is trying to beat cancer; with a hope that in the future they will have a cure.

In Both stories they fall prey to a future state government where they are considered non-persons and they can be used for whatever the state decides. Bereft of any money’s or valuables they may have tried to set up for their future, they are slaves of the state. In Bob’s case his mind is installed in a machine while Corbell’s is placed in a criminal who has been wiped of mind. Both are being prepped for operating starships that will help the state explore new worlds for colonization. And after this is where the stories really begin to separate from each other. However I have to think the author of Bob’s story might have read Niven’s novel; however, if not, I think he should to experience the striking similarities. For those who want to find out more of Bob’s story you will have to hunt down that book.

Both stories take some time, for training the starship captains, A World out of Time goes much faster to get into space and there we find that he will be traveling with an uploaded consciousness that will be helping operate his ship and sort of keep an eye on him. The uploaded consciousness is a portion of the consciousness of his original handler on the Earth. The handler is, in fact still on the Earth, though this iteration of his consciousness seems to be fairly complete.

There is a period of test of wills as the handler, Peerssa, tries to get Corbell to do what he was activated for and Corbell begins his quest for a way to live longer: perhaps forever. The story becomes a quest for immortality.

Failing to complete the intended mission the Peerssa consciousness finds a way to speed up their return to Earth so that Corbell might still be alive by the time they get there. This involves the use of a black hole and some wonky science that, though it moves them quickly toward Earth—it is an Earth that is billions of years older and the State no longer exists.

On the ancient new Earth there is a strange civilization that would probably suit Peter Pan. Where boys live forever young and rely on other humans that grow old for renewal of their numbers. Corbell suspects there is something in the arrangement that he’s not being told and that there must be a way for everyone to live longer lives. However he will have to live to find that out and his search might be the death of him. As I got closer to the end there were some elements about the technology on the Earth that I recognized to affirm that I really had read this long ago.

As usual with Niven this a pretty good yarn with interesting notions about the future.

If you love good science fiction and/or have read Dennis Taylor’s We Are Legion[We Are Bob] you should love this. If you haven’t read Taylor’s book you should read it next.

JLD 3-2021

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Review::Destroyer by Brian G. Turner

Destroyer by Brian G. Turner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Destroyer by Brian G. Turner Is a bit different from his first novel of the Chronicles of Empire Series. However it is not quite what I expected and definitely doesn’t quite match what the title Destroyer might conjure.

Destroyer is the first of three novels about space travel—the migration of man from his home into the unknown of a new planet. At first I expected a generation ship and though it might be loosely defined that way it really isn’t. However I’m not real clear on what the mission called for in respect to the crew operating the ship. There may have been plans for some rotation. Otherwise the settlers were all frozen, waiting for arrival and landfall.

The whole of the Chronicles of Empire has a similarity to Gene Wolfs New Sun-Short Sun-and Long Sun novels; the sheer suggestion of something in a magnitude of Epic. Though in style and setting the first Novel of Chronicles did bear some similarities to the New Sun portion of Gene Wolfs work, this the generation ship was less so in comparison to the Long Sun. Having recently finished the New Sun and the Long sun books I would be more inclined to compare this set of books to another generation ship set of book I recently read by Beth Revis; her Across the Universe trilogy of books. Even so, there are elements of style and theme that make Destroyer and her sister books something more of Brian G. Turner than anything else.

I might confess of looking at the cover and thinking that this could contain some space battles, what with the massive design of the ship portrayed and the title Destroyer. That’s not the case, and for me it wasn’t a make or break situation. In fact, the author quickly makes it clear that this story is about something else. And as I suggested I was originally thinking of Generation Ship and Colonization of new worlds. To some small extent this is a novel of colonization. Once again, though, the author makes it clear that this is going to be a novel of survival.

Still; none of those adequately describe what this novel is all about. This is a novel about a disparate group of people who have just met under dire circumstance who have to learn to work together to survive. They have to learn to trust each other and or to put aside differences long enough to find a solution to their situation. But more surprisingly this book and the series of three are more about relationships and particularly the relationship of two of these people. Jaigar, we learn early on, is a possible saboteur, though it is unclear what his agenda is. Vannick is a political officer of the government that is funding this program. If Vannick even suspected Jaigar he has the means and duty to squeeze it out of Jaigar. This becomes just the tip of the iceberg of distrust that threatens to end the group before it gets started.

Aboard a ghost ship, the crew have all mysteriously died, this group is, for unknown reasons, brought out of cryo and left to deal with an uncertain crisis where the ship might be dying and taking them and all the other frozen settlers with it. If they can’t work together they are surely doomed and even if they manage to muddle through, there are no guarantees they can solve the problems.

If you enjoy a good mystery and have enjoyed other Generation novels, this should please you, and I think anyone who loves Science Fiction should enjoy this set of books

J.L.D 2021


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Review::Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams

Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams is a book I read originally because someone was searching for a book by some loosely defined description of a book about the singularity and a man with a talking cat. I have picked up a number of books because of someone’s haphazard search for something they once read.

This was one of two that were found and I can’t remember now which was the one they were looking for. However the other book was Accelerando (Singularity) by Charles Stross[third book of the the Singularity series]. Oddly enough Amazon has a quote from Stross on William’s page—giving him some support kudos for his work on implied Spaces.

Both feature the talking cat and the singularity.

I was trying to remember what I liked about Implied Space. It’s definitely not the prose at the end that might be said to mirror epic poetry such as the Odyssey or Iliad and though it is not nearly as dense as Nikos Kazantzakis’ The Odyssey A Modern Sequel, I still don’t have a taste for it.
I decided to read it again.

What I did like was the notion of the Implied Spaces. Our hero Aristide is traveling through the multi-worlds of the singularity and examining the implied spaces[unused spaces created through the architecture]where he discovers interesting things exist. This is how we are introduced to him. However it goes deeper as it’s revealed that he is one of the architects of the group of AI who run(maintain)the multi-worlds. His cat is in fact a construct of one of those AI’s that is used to give that AI freedom to travel with Aristide.

In the beginning we see Aristide as he tries to blend in with the different cultures that exist within the multi-worlds and we also get a sample of his morals and character as the story evolves. The important thing though is that his musing over what exists in the implied spaces is going to be disrupted by a threat to the multi-worlds. Someone or thing is trying to destroy the multi-worlds connections and possibly trying to free the AI’s from perceived slavery: under the authority that presides over the singularity’s multi-worlds.

While pursuing the perpetrators Aristide becomes convinced(applying what he’s learned about implied space)that the universe exists within an Implied Space, which both points to an architect in creation and yet also that mans existence is a non-planned event that filled an otherwise unused void.

That’s not a spoiler. Since the most important thing seems to be the revelation of who the perpetrators of the disruption are.

There are some things that I found predictable(that’s predictable the first time I read it, since this time everything should have been predictable).

Great depiction of what the singularity could be along with some bonus adventure and interesting characters.

J.L.D 2021


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Review:: On the Loop by J.D. Robinson

On the Loop by J.D. Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having read the author's The Hole in the World , it didn't take an arm twist to pick up On the Loop.

The first novel is listed in young adult and this one is not--so, there is that.
This one takes us to a resort island; however it is about a group of people who are getting ready to leave the planet to settle on another far off world. This is their farewell to Earth party and the company sending them has put some rather strange limitations on them(limits that are vital to the plot).

I have to say that the author is beginning to show a style preference in his plot threads.
This is not a bad thing, just an observation.

Once again we have a good start that leads to a bit of a slowdown as we build an image of things that are taking place, because things are going to get turned on their ear again. For this reader it was easy to figure out; however the author doesn't belabor the point as the story becomes something reminiscent of such movies as Groundhog Day.

All this build up is because there is something going on in the background that eventually has to be dealt with.

There are a handful of characters that take the focus: all of them well developed with their own idiosyncrasies.
It's interesting to watch how they work(or fail to work)together.

Once more the editing could be a bit tighter; however again this is only mildly distracting for this reader. Though there is one place where a he is referred to as she and that one might need fixing.

This author has at least three more novels almost completed.

So, lets hurry it up.

JLD

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Review:: The Hole in the World by J.D. Robinson

The Hole In the World by J.D. Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up The Hole in the world by J.D. Robinson on someones suggestion.

This is one of those books that starts out with an interesting beginning and then sort of wanders off to do some world building and if you are in a hurry you might get annoyed; however it is helpful to continue on because the nature of the story is such that it needs this buildup.

This is one of those types of stories similar to Philip K Dicks work where things happen for a reason and everything is building up to that point where the reader discovers that everything you just processed has been turned on its ear. For this reader that part was easy to figure out so it was more a matter of waiting for that other shoe to drop. When it does--things get fun. The focus is mostly on three main characters that are done quite well and keep the reader on his toes.

As I mentioned there are a number of word problems. Places where the word in the text doesn't make sense until the reader figures out what should be there. It's not real bad, because after stopping to process it, it is easy to figure out. However for me this lost it a star.

The book could end without the Epilogue--which incidentally leaves room for a sequel.

Definitely heading on to the author's next offering.

JLD


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Review:: Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World Book 1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I wanted to love this book and give it a 5 star after reading all of the Editorial Review listed. However there is something to say toward not trying to build something up beyond its measure. I had great expectations. I did not expect a typical zombie apocalypse story.

Add to it that there were moments that I kept thinking there were too many fragmented sentences and pages that I would have to scan back over to try to figure out what was being said. Maybe that was my own measure of denseness or maybe there was a need for editing to find a measure of simplification that would at least let the reader stay in the story without so much stumbling. I really wanted to give a 4 star but this was getting in the way.

That gets us to three stars so how did I get to 4 again?

I had to step back from preconceived notions garnered from misleading reviews and look at this through the eyes of this reader and what I like about reading fiction. Maybe it would have been helpful to put a warning at the front that: the people and the nation depicted in this book do not always match reality. Maybe it is just that I should remember it is fiction and writers often take license regardless how much research they do or whether or not they have firsthand knowledge.

For me characters are the most important part of the story. Sure setting and culture and sociopolitical structure can add to it; however, I don’t particularly care that they dominate and in all truth I mostly am concerned that internally they reflect the reality of the story and not necessarily our reality. Sure it would have been great to get some real insight into what the Navaho nation is all about and I was somewhat disappointed, however that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the story.

Who doesn’t love Zombie Apocalypse?

It’s clear from the beginning that the main character, Maggie, is more an outsider to her people than anything else. It is also clear that one weakness she has is that she is naïve enough to be vulnerable to the mystical in the story, to the point that the Trickster is confident that he can fool her despite her resistance to his overtures. I don’t expect Maggie to have a concise view of the beliefs of her people.

Is that the goal in the story?

I’m not certain.

And there is a point where the story reaches a dramatic tragic solution that cuts to the heart of the main character and seems the culmination of her growth and her strength. For this I could almost give 5 stars.

However the story should have ended quite close to this point and it goes on mercilessly to a virtual reversal, which could have waited for book two revelations.

Four Stars and I’ll be looking forward to Storm of Locusts sometime soon.
J.L.D




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Review::The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders, is one of those novels that I wasn’t sure I was going to like. It starts out rather slow and takes 17 pages to begin to become interesting. Those seventeen pages are the a lot of character and world building that almost begin to plod along; though one does get this feeling that they might be in some world that is not quite 1984, not quite Brave New World and not quite Handmaid’s Tale, yet quite just as much terrifying in its own subliminal level.

The world of January is a tidally locked world and one begins to think that this city is more one that is on the edge of day and night. However the question might be more of which city is the title referring to.

The people of the city on January are colonists from a ship that arrived long ago and even now continues to orbit silently above the planet. Sophie’s city is Xiosphant; with its specialized economy, social structure, and work and sleep schedule that seem tightly woven into their moral and civil structure. There is another city named Argelo that seems in many ways to be less structured and more chaotic; though this might be tempered by a perception of Xiosphant in comparison. At one time the two cities traded goods; however that seems to have been back before Xiosphant began governing by circadian rhythms.

Now there are smugglers who risk the perilous journey between the two cities to trade items of value that each city used to trade freely. Mouth is one of those who make that trek and was once a member of a group who lived in the dangerous outside world that teeters between hot and cold on the edge of a world half frozen and half on fire.

This is very much the story of these settlers, though that falls short of the mark because it is also very much the story of the frightening creatures that were already on this world when the interlopers arrived.

There were many moments when my mind would try to draw comparisons between this rich world and Frank Herbert’s Dune. And even a temptation to try to make a comparison to Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness. Thankfully the author’s voice rose above all that and inserted itself to remind me that this is the story of January and its inhabitants. Where often I felt both Dune and The Left Hand of Darkness were mostly stories of man against the elements, the story of the City in the Middle of the Night felt more one of the people.

I don’t often quote authors, however if I were to try to describe the main theme of this book I might borrow from the authors words.
‘Mouth would never forgive the Gelet for what they had done, but she could understand it. You might mistake understanding for forgiveness, but if you did, then the unforgiven wrong would catch you off guard, like a cramp, just as you reach for generosity.’

Sophie’s journey was going to take her and Mouth and many more to a place of self discovery and the understanding that there is another city and another people on this planet and there are far more urgent problems than their own that must be faced if everyone wants to survive.

This novel ends with less of an ending and enough room for reader interpretation and also enough room for the author to further visit the world and its inhabitants.

Most of all, for me, this novel has gotten me to wondering what I will find more about the author when I pick up her All The Bird In The Sky.

J.L.D.



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Review: Hell of a Bite by Mark Huntley-James

Hell Of A Bite by Mark Huntley-James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Hell of a Bite is the third in the ever growing Demon Trader series. Following Hell of a Deal and The Road to Hell, Mark Huntley-James is not loosing any steam; in fact, he seems to be gaining some. Once more this is well written with a prose style that is so easy to read you will find yourself looking out the window at the encroaching darkness wondering where the day went. Suffice it to say the work of Mark Huntley-James is becoming one of my guilty pleasures and I can’t seem to get enough.

Once more there is a caution that this is mature writing with mature themes for mature readers and not everyone should read it; no matter how much they might enjoy it. As always, there is a broad necessity to suspend your disbelief for—well the whole dang thing. All the player from the first two books, the ones that have survived and a few who have died make it back for another rip roaring time trying to save the world—from themselves.

This time Paul Moore and his better half Simone are settling into their life together with their dragons and dimensionally sprawling estate. Simone still the master witch at night mortal by day and Paul still being sucked into playing his part reluctantly keeping the city safe from all the hazards that come with a city that is teetering between the real world and the Hellfire dimension. When things go sideways, as they always do, Mickey Twitch is there right in the middle of it all and if Simone has her way the first thing she will do to improve the city is to rid it of the Twitch.

This time the previous book’s outcome of culling the greater demons has left room for lesser demons (Banes) to take root and form collectives that prove to be as dangerous as any of the greater demons. Paul is beginning to find out that as a demon broker he is consistently hampering himself with each deal he makes; making it more difficult to deal with the latest crisis. As usual he has to get creative with his demon dealing to work about a solution. And then things become more complicated when he discovers that Mickey Twitch, though in the center of everything, might not be the worst evil around and he is scrambling to find out who the major players are.

Each wrinkle serves up its own level of absurdity that continues to drive this series through some rather hilarious outcomes. There are even some points in the story where I can almost empathize with Paul—almost feel sorry for him; however I can’t help but think he often gets what he deserves.

If you’ve not read these books and you are of a mind to endure the mature side of things then I know you’ll enjoy them. If you have read the other two, then what are you waiting for?

I received an ARC for this book and as usual with any that I thoroughly enjoy I also purchased a copy; because an author has to eat.

And you say there’s another book coming out soon…

JLD



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Book Review - Strangers With Familiar Faces (poetry)

Strangers With Familiar Faces by Jennifer-Crystal Johnson...Poetry BOOK REVIEW

Previously posted in 2012...

I hunted a bit- maybe not enough- for some ideas on how to review poetry.
I managed mostly to run across everything from laughable to silly to downright ludicrous.
I took a lit class in college where we studied and wrote buckets of poetry so I have a notion of the mechanics involved. I'm not sure a review should focus on that. I'll let someone else obsess about those.
So I decided to say something about how it affected me.

To that end I'll pass on this quote to set things up a bit.

"The biggest hurdle we have to leap in this world is the one we place in front of ourselves. No one cares whether you live or die unless you care.” –Dr. Mieko Mitchell
This is a line from the novel Murder on the Pier by Jere Myles.

I mention this because this is exactly what an abusive person and relationship attacks.

This set of poems is the poets heart and soul at the very moment of these attacks. Even though in a way, for me, some of these are difficult to read they are typical of what poetry is. It's the heart and soul of the poet often in the moment and sometimes in moments of reflection. There is a message here also - maybe a warning- something that might have been useful even to me when I was seeing this happen to someone close to me and feeling so helpless.

Domestic violence is not good for anyone including the entire family of everyone involved. Because once there is the erosion of love for oneself it propagates like a disease. And these poems made me want to hold the poet and say you do matter and if you can get to the end of the tunnel you will find all of those who care. But, as the quote implies it starts with the abused person returning to the point where they care about themselves.

It's not an easy journey and these poems chronicle a part of that long winding path. They will resonate with anyone who has seen this happen. Perhaps they will even help someone identify this before it gets this far.

I recommend this for everyone.

It is a testament to a strong will that something so touching and beautiful could come forth and help.



J.L. Dobias author of Cripple-Mode: Hot Electric

Book Review ::The Originals by William Voigt

Previously posted in 2012...


The Originals by William Voigt is one amazing book that takes place in the early 50s.

Willow Rogers an adolescent girl on vacation on the rustic and dangerous wilderness Dumas Island encounters a wild boy claiming to live on the Island. She knows only that he's saved her life and that she's inexorably drawn to him.

As she grows from an awkward teen to a beautiful young woman she is still haunted by her wild boy. Her thoughts and dreams are filled with his memory though each year that she returns to the Island she is unable to find him.

As the years go by and the Island business is closed and Willow goes to college she tries to forget the wild boy. Her fiance, Barry, coaxes her to take a camping tour of the Lake Superior shore line in Canada. Willow once more finds her life in danger and everything changes.

The wild boy, Mike, has returned from a tour of duty in Korea. When a service buddy and friend gets into trouble he helps him out. This puts them both on the run. They head for the now quiet and deserted Dumas Island.

Two separate sets of thrilling and deadly circumstances are destined to somehow bring these two together again

This book is a story containing mystery and suspense along with a deep romance. What is woven into or around it is a mystical mythos that has the Island and Lake Superior moving things in a specific direction.

This is a well crafted tale I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys suspense , romance, and a bit of the fantastic.


I was fortunate to obtain a copy of this in a small used book store in Charlotte MI.
I'm not sure how obtainable are copies of this book.

Review::Murder on Michigan Avenue by Jere Myles

Murder on Michigan Avenue by Jere Myles

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Murder on Michigan Avenue is not your average mystery.
It's also not your average LGBT novel.
It is a literary masterpiece that puts its author Jere Myles on par with other favorites of mine such as Hemingway.

Certainly there is a heap of murder within this trilogy. And a large mystery that unfolds to the reader. There is no doubt that the bulk of characters intersect or have lives that are bisected by gay and bi-sexual themes. Strangely, though this is not really just a mystery and certainly not an in your face LGBT novel.

This is a primer for a large discussion of an ever growing problem in the community of man. This is a story of love and how much our world today does to stifle anything related to it. The characters of Jon and Mieko and Eileen could be considered dysfunctional by many in the world because of their confusion of orientation. But, such a judgment would overlook the obvious. Their dysfunction is that they live in a world that has taught them to hold onto their love out of fear. Fear of rejection and fear of being misunderstood. The lives of these adults is only the tip of this iceberg. There is much more that is involved here. In these books we only see this piece. I wonder if Jere Myles will return to these characters and help explore the rest.

We have been carefully eroding love from society. If two close and old friends meet and hug and kiss. If they are women it may go unnoticed. If they are men it might raise eyebrows or more. We are taught from childhood onward that certain types of display of affection for members of the same sex are not appropriate. This of course in direct opposition to "Love thy neighbor as thy self." I'm talking about love here and not that sticky love/sex thing that people get hung up on.

Today we live in a world that is beginning to facilitate the denial of love of parent for children just out of fear of it appearing to be the wrong things to onlookers. We have even legislated ourselves to a point where protecting the young takes away a parents ability to reach out and lovingly care for their children. The lives of the people in these books is a mirror of the symptom of these problems. And it all goes much deeper. Because there are those who would point at these peoples lives and try to justify their problems with what they have chosen as a lifestyle while overlooking some fundamentals.

It's rather ironic since sex is more common to eating, sleeping, breathing, sensing. All pretty much autonomic responses. All at sometime necessary for continuing life. All at sometimes subject to subjective urges that go beyond the norm.

The shame is that society places Love as a lifestyle decision. Man was made to love whomever he chooses to love not whomever some lifestyle dictates. When a lifestyle chooses whom we love it restricts our ability to love to the fullest and that is definitely dysfunctional.

Yes. I suppose someone else could argue I took too much from these novels- but, I think not.

This book this trilogy is for everyone who's ready to handle it with a mature attitude.
For those who have read the other two- what are you waiting for?
For those who haven't- there is enough here to give you the full picture. But, I'd advise reading the other two.

J.L. Dobias author of Cripple-Mode Series.



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Review::Murder Behind Closed Doors by Jere Myles

Murder Behind Closed Doors by Jere Myles

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love a good mystery and I thrive on good drama. The best old movies were well acted dramas taken from stage productions and put onto film.

In Murder on the Pier I feel that the author Jere Myles has woven a drama entwined in a mystery that is more evident to the readers than to the players. For the players it’s the story of their search for love and affirmation in a world that seems to have gone mad. Though the world would argue the players are the ones gone mad. The nature of their lives as it all unfolds is at the very least thought provoking.

"The biggest hurdle we have to leap in this world is the one we place in front of ourselves. No one cares whether you live or die unless you care.” –Dr. Mieko Mitchell

This is life seen from a place many people I am acquainted with do not often want to go. And yet in this place I found many words and ideas I've often tried to express, put on a page in such an eloquent way it drew me in.

In Murder Behind Closed Doors Jere Myles brings the players up to the level of the readers regarding the mystery, while continuing to resonate with the same voice.
"How can you expect someone to say they love something they have been taught to hate? My friends would never have let me turn my back on my...my faith.”-Eleanor Evelyn JoyLynn Moore.

Anyone who likes mysteries or suspense or drama will love these books. But, more so, if you don't mind stepping out of your comfort zone to examine yourself.
This series is like a multifaceted mirror with page upon page of interesting unusual reflections.

As for the mystery; Taking place in the 90s and considering the main characters race and sexual orientation this could easily be construed as a hate crime. Adding the dialogue of the killers to that would almost add affirmation. But, remembering the rule of mysteries; nothing is as it seems…

I don’t plan on missing the third book, Murder on Michigan Avenue, which promises to be a thriller.
J.L. Dobias author of Cripple-Mode: Hot Electric.



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Review:Murder on the Pier by Jere Myles

Murder on the Pier: Book 1 in the Murder Series by Jere Myles

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love a good mystery and I thrive on good drama. The best old movies were well acted dramas taken from stage productions and put onto film.

In Murder on the Pier I feel that the author Jere Myles has woven a drama entwined in a mystery that is more evident to the readers than to the players. For the players it's the story of their search for love and affirmation in a world that seems to have gone mad. Though the world would argue the players are the ones gone mad. The nature of their lives as it all unfolds is at the very least thought provoking.

"The biggest hurdle we have to leap in this world is the one we place in front of ourselves. No one cares whether you live or die unless you care." -Dr. Mieko Mitchell
This is life seen from a place many people I am acquainted with do not often want to go. And yet in this place I found many words and ideas I've often tried to express, put on a page in such an eloquent way it drew me in.

In Jere Myles brings the players up to the level of the readers regarding the

I don't plan on missing Murder Behind Closed Doors and Murder on Michigan Avenue, which promise to be thrillers.



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Book Review -Murder on the Pier::Murder Behind Closed Doors

Murder on the Pier by Jere Myles and Murder Behind Closed Doors by Jere Myles.

Published first on 1-4-2012





I love a good mystery and I thrive on good drama. The best old movies were well acted dramas taken from stage productions and put onto film.

In Murder on the Pier I feel that the author Jere Myles has woven a drama entwined in a mystery that is more evident to the readers than to the players. For the players it’s the story of their search for love and affirmation in a world that seems to have gone mad. Though the world would argue the players are the ones gone mad. The nature of their lives as it all unfolds is at the very least thought provoking.

"The biggest hurdle we have to leap in this world is the one we place in front of ourselves. No one cares whether you live or die unless you care.” –Dr. Mieko Mitchell

This is life seen from a place many people I am acquainted with do not often want to go. And yet in this place I found many words and ideas I've often tried to express, put on a page in such an eloquent way it drew me in.

In Murder Behind Closed Doors Jere Myles brings the players up to the level of the readers regarding the mystery, while continuing to resonate with the same voice.
"How can you expect someone to say they love something they have been taught to hate? My friends would never have let me turn my back on my...my faith.”-Eleanor Evelyn JoyLynn Moore.

Anyone who likes mysteries or suspense or drama will love these books. But, more so, if you don't mind stepping out of your comfort zone to examine yourself.
This series is like a multifaceted mirror with page upon page of interesting unusual reflections.

As for the mystery; Taking place in the 90s and considering the main characters race and sexual orientation this could easily be construed as a hate crime. Adding the dialogue of the killers to that would almost add affirmation. But, remembering the rule of mysteries; nothing is as it seems…

I don’t plan on missing the third book, Murder on Michigan Avenue, which promises to be a thriller.
J.L. Dobias author of Cripple-Mode: Hot Electric.

Review::Demonyka by Mark Huntley-James

Demonyka by Mark Huntley-James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Demonyka by Mark Huntley-James is not my usual fare. Well, that might not be fair to say. I remember long ago rubbing my nose into the ink of Creepy or Eerie magazines. It took a while for me to warm up to Buffy the Vampire slayer though; and this might fall somewhere between those.

We have no vampire slayer just Paul Moore, a simple demon broke and master of dark arts who is just trying to run a business with a staff of strange yet interesting people. When a witch who runs around in other peoples skin, sheds a skin in his shop(like a snake) after attempting to steal a few demonic objects and sets off a series of other events that force Paul and others like him to begin to take notice, things start to get hot in their small town.

What starts out as almost a personal vendetta against those dabbling in the dark arts quickly devolves into a Earth shattering plot. An ancient Babylonian Triad is about to open up a whole new dimension.

This is a well written though sometimes adult novel about the occult and a bit of twist with the main character Paul Moore often painting demons as something a bit better than some of the most evil humans. He's no saint himself and often goes out of his way to try not to do what's right, however the forces of evil seem to be bent on trying to make him a hero; or maybe that was a scapegoat.

Sometimes a bit far out there in the realm of suspension of disbelief; perhaps the weary reader might lock that up in some dimensional time vault until finished. It's still well crafted and entertaining and should peek the interest in those who like the paranormal and dark magic of strange pocket dimensions.

It almost had me wondering what might be further in store for Paul and his sleepy little town.

J.L. Dobias



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Review::We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, #1)We Are Many (Bobiverse, #2)By Dennis E. Tayler

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars





We Are Legion (We Are Bob) & We are Many (Bobiverse, #1 & 2)By Dennis E. Taylor Book two adds so many Bobs and yet no two are alike and if there were any qualms about these books it might be that Bob seems so good we really haven't seen an evil iteration yet. Hmm perhaps....

The initial premise of the book is an intriguing look at something that people are doing today and possible ramifications in our future tomorrow. The whimsical look at a whim to live longer through cryogenic freezing. What happens when the world takes enough left turns that maybe you don't want to wake up to what's out there, not to mention that there may now be moral and ethical considerations that will prevent the original plan from being carried out.

What if the future deems you to be a non-person and possibly a source of technology--possibly old technology that might be tossed out or upgraded and put to use slaved to whatever task they deem necessary. That's not even mentioning the on/off switch.

Bob wakes up to a world of future advancements in things that could only be imagined and maybe a few that hadn't quite been imagined, to find that mankind has taken a few steps backward while heading into the future; and though there are interesting and bright horizons out there, he has to escape from humanities clutches to realize that.

I've purchased and read both books (the paperback editions). Going out on a limb with that purchase based on reading the book-one sample.

I was not disappointed.

Certainly they are many; however I might argue that they are not Bob.

I wasn't sure about that aspect, but having each Bob become something different and yet having throughout the story referential elements that were similar was quite entertaining and probably difficult to write.

However Dennis has great success there because it could have gotten confusing for a number of reason and yet it didn't and it may be despite of, and possibly because of the multiple number of short chapters and how well they are crafted.

I fully expected to get lost at some point and of course I couldn't read it all in one night. (One night--two books--that's my better half who might be able to do that.) So the small chapters were great, you could stop anywhere. However they were just short enough and each chapter's beginning and ending are crafted to make you turn the next page so it becomes--just a moment, next chapter, and I'll get ready for bed.

Yes there were some fantastical elements in both books, but the science and the various issues and what ifs were all pretty well crafted and didn't ever threaten to overwhelm the story itself which was basically how the character coped and evolved throughout the story.

Two thumbs up from all of us; we are many we are reader.

For anyone expecting something silly; you won't be disappointed, but you will get a huge bonus when you get hooked on this one.

J.L. Dobias



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Review::Blood War (The Healers of Meligna, Book 5) By K.J. Colt

Blood War by K.J. Colt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Blood War (The Healers of Meligna, Book 5) By K.J. Colt is the fifth of the series. A lot of series reach a point where they start stretching almost as though belaboring a point and threatening to be a never-ending story until readers start dropping out from sheer exhaustion. I have it from the highest authority that number six should put end to this series.

Now I just have to figure out if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

From the start we've watch Adenine grow from a seemingly tortured and abused child to something far greater than anyone might ask. And in her journey she certainly hasn't sought this out, well not in the manner that others before her have. We've watched her grow from someone pushed through life by a fate larger than her to someone who has decided to take life by scruff of its neck and give it a good shake before she examines and molds it into something far more acceptable.

And now she's reached the point where she's forced to do what she is most reluctant to do, wage war, because the consequences are beyond control.

This book opens with a scene that for some reason brought to mind Elizabeth Bear's All the Windwracked Stars. Maybe it's the notion of snow and the carnage of war with a contrast of white and blood and similar images. Though All the Windwracked Stars started mostly at the end of a battle, this book is still in the midst of battle; however the images are striking and vivid in both books.

For Adenine this is a tough battle and it is defining a length of dilemma that her own moral values have restricted and confined her. It's the crux of the story. As bodies fall she watches her own people putting arrows into friend and foe alike. This is all about the healing blood and how it has to be delivered to keep those who would otherwise perish from having to die. Her toughest goal though is to keep everyone alive, both friend and foe and in war that could be a fatal agenda and it certainly does not endear her to her own generals.

Just as she has done in previous books K.J. Colt examines some tough moral ground both in positive and negative directions and her main character is standing in the midst of those; challenging our ability to sympathize with her all of the time. It's not just the war--the conflict--but also it's her personal life and decisions, as she marches forward into battle carrying the children of one of her two lovers who are forced together at her side to fight this battle with her.

So with this fantastic beginning it would be a wonder if I mentioned that the story almost drags a bit at the beginning. I think that this is true of the first book in the series also. It's not an entirely bad thing and the first chapters make up for any slowdown in the next few; however there is a stage to set for this story and it takes a bit of time and as usual K.J. Colt manages to goad the reader with a bit of frustration with how Adenine is going about things.

Sometimes Adenine seems like her own worst enemy.

Things work out, but along the way Adenine has a number of lessons to learn and the most critical is one that we keep being remind of throughout and that is that you can't save everyone. However I've a feeling that Adenine is of the mind that she will die trying.

These stories can be read separately and give the reader a satisfyingly complete novel from front to back and usually enough background to keep the reader sane. However I would still advise anyone new to them to read them all.

Adenine is a wonderfully flawed and perfectly human character that constantly has to exceed her limits despite herself and it's difficult not to love her despite all the frustration she manages to put the reader through.

This is a must read for epic fantasy lovers and lovers of well built fantastic worlds.

J.L. Dobias



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Review::First Comes Duty (The Hope Island Chronicles-Book 2) By PJ Strebor

First Comes Duty by P.J. Strebor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


First Comes Duty (The Hope Island Chronicles-Book 2) By PJ Strebor is a procedural science fiction with some element of military science fiction and political science fiction that might well rival David Weber's Harrington series. This is the second book in the series and I strongly recommend reading the first book Uncommon Purpose to get a full introduction to Nathan Telford and his strange story and somewhat strife-full beginnings.

I read this novel three times. I do that sometimes when I find something that was hard to swallow and I want to figure out just what it is. In this instance there were mitigating circumstances and nothing to be found or unraveled. The first read I believe was an ARC. The second I purchased the book when I was seeing double. That's not why I purchased it, it's just a medical condition. So because it's hard enough to read while seeing double, I didn't do a review. On the third time through the intent is to do the review with the whole thing fresh in my mind and I have to say I'm delighted I came back for a third look.

There are certain balances within the story that I really loved while there was at least one imbalance[in my perception]that became a bit annoying. The balance is the Military the political and the procedural. They all get about the same amount of focus throughout. The imbalance--for me--is that the bulk of the procedural is all in the front, making it hard to warm up to the whole novel. The only thing that drove that along were the myriad of interesting characters being set to it all with their own quirks and strengths and weaknesses.

The narrative is tight; despite the initial seeming endless procedural text. It takes a while to really get to the story but when it finally gets there the players are all introduced and the plot begins to thicken up and as a reader you begin to wonder how far things can go wrong and how many bodies will pile up on the way.

It is interesting to note that one thing I found intriguing was how the plot seemed to mirror the procedural in that everything that happens, whether it's something the characters have control over or the things that are going maddeningly wrong, fits into place with how the character either plans things or how they would logically react to them.

As with the previous story Nathan has his own set of quirks that sometimes work against him and sometimes are to his benefit. One of those comes narrowly close to creating his own internal deus ex machina. I'll just say that he has this talent that gets him out of tight spots. For the reader who dislikes those things this might begin to grind a bit because it's integral to the story.

The good news is he's not the only one with the talent so that means he isn't the chosen one. Or maybe I should say he isn't the only chosen one.

Did I mention there are plenty of strategic battles in the story to keep the reader interested. And narrow escapes for those characters who manage to make it to the end.

Each chapter has a timeline and location or setting note that I found I didn't need or read on the third time through. Again they are there for those interested though I'm not sure they add a lot to the story and it's clear enough that the average reader shouldn't get lost if he fails to follow the listed directions.

I think for anyone who loves the intrigue and politics of worlds like that of Honor Harrington, they should love these books. I'm looking forward to book three.

J.L. Dobias



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Review::Disconnected by Nick M. LLoyd

Disconnected by Nick M. Lloyd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disconnected by Nick M. LLoyd might be considered a bio-thriller, though it falls more into the fantasy science fiction realm, but if one were more generous to stories about telepathy and mind control then we could call it science fiction; however that's putting the term loosely and overlooking the prejudice of some against Teeps in general. I picked this book because I'd already read the author's book Emergence, which I thoroughly enjoyed and it is closer to science fiction. Since it was LLoyd's writing that I enjoyed I thought this would be a fair bet even though it almost meandered outside my usual read. So as the story opened I thought bio-thriller. Not far into the story we are introduced to Asha and the mind control squad, which somehow simultaneously brought to mind AE Van Vogt's Slan and Greg Bear's Darwin's Radio. Though the mind control was tied closely with an herbal source of sorts it still almost portended some advancement in human evolution. The description of how the practitioners observed the world around them and the natural connection that all beings have seemed new to me so it added a bit of freshness to the story as I read along. However that also contributed with the one thing that began to drag the story down for me. The good news is that the drag is associated with my own preferences and I think people interested in like fiction should warm up to this story quickly.

The story begins with Sarah out in the steaming hot jungle searching for bonobos who may or may not be suffering from some sort of virus. The plot behind the virus is rather convoluted at first, though not hard to follow. Boiled down they are looking for a cure for dementia and hoping to find something that correlates within the bonobo population. However Sarah's boss Polly Wolfson will go to any lengths to procure test animals straight down to injecting them with a virus if she needs to. Sarah doesn't agree with this, however her relationship to Polly's son Marcus has momentarily trapped her into a moral dilemma that she has to unravel. And that is probably too much to say about the plot.

Asha and his acolytes are interested in politics and manipulating the local politicians. Using the magic pill made from a bark from trees that grow exclusively in one place in the jungle they are able to enter and manipulate the connections that all people have subconsciously developed between each other. The connection to Sarah and Polly is through the jungle because the place that Sarah is hunting is the same where the trees are and there is more depth to that portion of the plot that I shouldn't tell.

Politics and medical science are on the verge of colliding when all appearances indicate that these two organizations might have enough in common to attempt to help each other. The question is, when you have two high powered manipulators working end to end, who is working whom.

Now onto a few troubles I had that really boil down to my own preferences and I'm certain that there will be other readers who will find the work entirely satisfying. I love stories that focus on a character and I can live with shared focus up to a point. This story seems to hover about Sarah and Asha alternately until the two story-lines collide. However I felt the focus more on Asha than Sarah and yet when I reached the end I felt the story belonged mostly to Sarah and that confused me a bit.

When I look back I realize that part of that confusion lie in that the story spends a large amount of time explaining both the Bio-medical portions and the nature of the mind manipulations. It might be that my mind glazed over during the bio-medical parts while it focused better on the mind manipulation world building. Still there is a large portion of both, which again may suit a lot of other readers and it does help get a full sense of what is going on in the background of both worlds before they collide. However there is so much that it almost begs a sequel to the story (why spend that much resource on explaining so much otherwise).

Still overall for those who like the Bio-thrillers and books on mind control and all the secrets behind how they work in this world this book has a lot to offer and it's well written with some interesting and somewhat complex characters.

Overall a great read despite my own moments in trying to keep focused.

J.L. Dobias


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Review::Chronicles of Empire Gathering by Brian G Turner

Gathering by Brian G. Turner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I picked the Chronicles of Empire Gathering by Brian G Turner up because it promised both Fantasy and Science Fiction with a taste of something--possibly of Historical Fiction. It doesn't disappoint in creating that combination and I have to admit that I truly enjoyed the story and the characters. But there were some elements that made this a difficult read for me and after finishing the first time through I had questions about things that I couldn't honestly say were not answered in the book because, as it turns out, on my second read through I discovered that I must have been thrown out of the story several times. Sometimes this can be the book and sometimes it can be the reader. I'm glad I read this through a second time, because once I made a pact with myself to pay better attention to what I was reading, most of the questions were answered.

It may be that some aren't because this is a series or it might be that I still missed a few things. I'll get into a few of those along the way here.

I think one problem in my first read was a feeling of slight disjointedness between the Science Fiction elements and the Historical Fiction element. It felt almost like the Science was overlaid on top of a Historical Fiction. Part of that might be the attention to detail paid toward the historical detail along with reasonable well written material concerning metal working. The metal work is integral to the story and certainly adds to it. Some other detail becomes somewhat questionable allowing in part some bit of wild speculation about the Science Fiction part.

By this I mean that from my understanding (and please understand I might have some of this confused even after two reads), this planet is not earth regardless of the fact that the wildlife and flora seem to parallel earth quite well. It would make for a nice parallel Earth story, except (again from my understanding) this world has some part to play in the making of our Earth. So-unless somewhere down the line we find that as it goes streaking through our solar system it somehow transports all of these element onto the earth (maybe likes James Blish's Cities in Flight) It just seems too much a coincidence to be so closely parallel.

So the science fiction part of the story involves two characters protagonist and antagonist. I had a difficult time deciding which was which.

Molric seeks to save the past of this planet; which seems destined to some catastrophe in the future where he comes from. Ezekial also comes from the future; but knowing that this planet's doom is imperative to Earth's existence he seeks to stop Molric.

But in the main story itself, which does in many ways remind me of the Three Musketeers with all the political and social intrigue, there are forces working against them both.

Rodrigan seems to represent an element of the religious order who are working with Molric (he is not aware exactly what Molric is other than a way to gain power over the empire and depose the emperor.) His motive could be good; but his methods sink any possibilities of putting him in a protagonist position.

The group that is gathering are ultimately working for the Emperor, who also would not qualify well as a protagonist. But primarily Jerine and her sister Tilirine seem intimately associated with some higher power and they are presently aligned with Ezekiel without knowledge of his past or even his goals.

There is a vast intrigue that seems to orbit these two primary groups of players and in some large way it gives the appearance of one group attempting to push back the tide of time; while the other tries to restore it; while all else conspires to let time march on as it always has.

Though the historical accuracy (of peoples; institutions; economy and politics and not actual history of ours) can for some readers (this one) often throw them out, it does add both a mood and a sense of world building that makes it quite authentic. Add to this the peopling of believable characters both flawed and sometimes downright frustrating; this is a well written book that deserves a good read and probably more attention than I gave it the first run through.

---Possible spoiler alert-though my obvious confusion might abrogate it.-----
I am however still confused about the future characters mentioning having seen this worlds technological development before it's destruction when in another place it appears that the planet will be ripped from wherever it is and be thrown into our solar system where it becomes unlivable while its presence is necessary for the seeding the Earth with life.

What is not so clear is the possibility that Ezekiel is from a further future than Molric and has larger insight into what needs to take place. I'm only guessing at this because of what each character seems to have witnessed. Which brings us back to neither of them necessarily being the antagonist because they have differing perspectives from which to operate.(So even on the second read I may have missed something vital.)

I read this through Kindle Unlimited and initially when I started my comments I discovered that it had been prematurely taken back; so in order to see my notes and read it a second time I had to check it out again and I've no idea how that works out for the author as far as payment.

I shall purchase a copy soon for my personal library; not to read a third time (at least not right away), but rather just to help insure the author can sustain himself while finishing the work; so I can read the rest.

J.L. Dobias



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