tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22511748604900890382024-03-14T13:23:50.334-05:00The New Podler Review of BooksSmall press and indie book reviews since 2007DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.comBlogger386125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-53463180426831698902023-04-04T19:29:00.004-05:002023-12-27T15:09:24.265-06:00Zervakan by Rob Steiner<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361406028i/17385552.jpg"
align="right" width="318" height="475" border="0" alt="Zervakan book cover"><i>Reason
and science gave the Recindian Compact wonders like steam engines, telegraphs, and
gunpowder. The world had order. It made sense.
<br><br>
Until one night two multi-colored bands of light split the sky, spanning the horizons like
rings around the planet. Soon after, unnatural storms assaulted the Compact's cities.
Whispers spread of ghoulish creatures haunting Compact forests. And then a message from
a legendary race called the Mystics - "ally with us to fight the growing evil, or we all
perish."<br><br>
The Compact's desperate leaders turn to disgraced history professor Taran Abraeu. Taran
spent years searching in vain for the ancient healing magic of the Mystics to save his
dying daughter. His family and colleagues once mocked him. Now his research might save
them.<br><br>
When the Compact asks Taran to accompany a secret delegation to the Mystic homeland, he is
swept up in an adventure that forces him to fight a horrifying enemy that only he among
all his people can comprehend.</i>
<br><br>
<font color="#006600">I discovered today that I reviewed this on GoodReads in 2013, but
didn't cross post it here. I've decided to make up for that oversight.</font>
<br><br>
<b>Full Disclosure:</b> I was the editor for this book. You can discount what I have to say
here in this review but hear me out. I think what I have to say might still sway you.
<br><br>
You can read the description for what the book is about. I'm here to tell you that Steiner
did a fantastic job. The world in Zervakan is a clever juxtaposition of one civilization
which relies on primitive technology but is well-versed in magic (the Mystics of Beldamark)
while the one in which our protagonist hails from is comparatively advanced: muskets, steam
engines, and the telegraph. It would've been easy for Steiner to take a side, i.e. "technology
is evil" or "faith is for fools." Instead, he shows that there are good points about both
systems, and neither has a monopoly of short-sighted dogmatists. His point is that both sides
must learn to work together to overcome an evil that is stronger than either one can handle
on its own.
<br><br>
Steiner excels at characterization. They're real. Young characters are passionate but lack
the wisdom that comes with experience. Older characters are stuck in their ways. Tarn makes
for an excellent protagonist: His daughter is his Achilles' heel, and he struggles to make
the right decisions. Fatimah wrestles with trusting Tarn, the outsider who has embraced
mysticism despite his Compact upbringing, and obeying the wisdom of her elders. Speaker of
the Compact, Dylan Edoss (my favorite character), is forced into having an open mind with
regards to the Mystics because he realizes cooperation is the only way to protect his people,
but that very open-mindedness leaves him vulnerable to his political enemies. Even Steiner's
minor characters and villains defy the cookie cutter mold. I even want to root for Karak, a
villain with a conscience.
<br><br>
Even before I was Steiner's editor, I was a fan of his storytelling (See
<i><a href="/2010/09/last-key-by-rob-steiner.html">The Last Key</a></i> and <i>Aspect of Pale
Night</i>). He's able to construct a highly believable world that is easy to get caught up in.
There's just enough detail: enough to believe you're there in the world he's constructed but
not too much that you drown in minutiae. And he's able to conjure up horrors in this land that
would fit right in with Lovecraft. My favorite scene is when Steiner plays homage to the Master
while Taran and Dylan ride a train to meet with the Mystics.
If I say anything more, it will count as a spoiler, so I won't.
<br><br>
So I hope that, despite my obvious prejudice, you'll check out
<i><a href="https://buy.bookfunnel.com/94lrpkach0" target="_blank">Zervakan</a></i>, a fantasy
vs. steampunk mashup, lightly seasoned with Lovecraftian horrors. At the very least, check out
the sample chapters to see Steiner in action. You won't be disappointed.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-10163288080284392372023-01-08T18:55:00.001-06:002023-02-28T12:55:26.015-06:00AI-Generated Images for Indie Book Covers<div align="center"><img src="https://humblenations.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/01.jpg"
width="600" height="380" border="0" alt="stressed out author"></div>
James, the lead book cover designer over at <a href="https://www.goonwrite.com/" target="_blank">GoOnWrite.com</a>,
has posted an article to his <a href="https://humblenations.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> wherein
<a href="https://humblenations.wordpress.com/2023/01/04/self-published-authors-worried-about-ai-artwork-on-book-covers/"
target="_blank">he discusses the recent explosion of AI-generated images</a> and helps to clear up some
misconceptions. It's a long read, but very informative and a tad bit entertaining.
<br><br>
<b>UPDATE - 2/28/23:</b> Over at the <i>Independent Publishing Magazine</i>, there's a related
<a href="http://www.theindependentpublishingmagazine.com/2023/02/does-ai-art-affect-indie-authors-miles-oliver-guest-post.html"
target="_blank">article</a> about how AI art affects indie writers.
<br><br>
The use of AI-generated art remains a contentious issue. And now, with the launch of ChatGPT,
AI-generated stories have flooded the marketplace. Interesting times.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-37052802342441281022022-10-01T14:29:00.000-05:002022-10-01T14:29:29.184-05:00Pharoni by Colin Dodds<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652689945i/61104695.jpg"
width="267" height="400" border="1" align="right" hspace="4" alt="book cover for Pharoni"><i>When
the body of Harry Injurides - playwright, provocateur and bodybuilder - washes up on a beach, his
friends are shocked, but not altogether surprised. But when they meet to mourn Harry, he shows up
and says he's been resurrected.
<br><br>
Pharoni is the story of those friends. Tommy Pharoni tries to overcome his shock by writing about his
friend's resurrection, and accidentally starts a religion. Roy Sudden starts a tech empire based on
digital empathy and digital pain, drawing in billionaire investors, femme-fatale programmers, and
tsunamis of capital. And, Roy's on-again, off-again girlfriend Maud works in secret to bring
radical justice to the most neglected and abused corners of society.
<br><br>
As Tommy's religion grows, Roy and his backers try to take control of it. The battle, about more
than doctrine, engulfs Tommy's marriage and threatens his life, leading to a conflict with
strangely humane results that no one could predict.</i>
<br><br>
Told in the first person, <i>Pharoni</i> has the feel of a memoir or a really long confession.
Tommy Pharoni is a struggling screenplay writer who pays his bills and alimony by working a
soulless marketing job. His closest friends were aspiring artists of different sorts in
college. Now in their mid-thirties, they've set aside those aspirations to "adult" properly.
All except for Harry, whose death opens the story. Harry struggled to fit into
contemporary society, instead preferring to help the homeless while penning "words of
wisdom" in his many notebooks. After his death and subsequent re-birth, those notebooks
wound up in Tommy's possession. Ultimately, Tommy would collect them into a
coherent manuscript and seek out a way to get them published.
<br><br>
As Tommy is a screenwriter, the format of the story periodically shifts into screenplay mode.
This works particularly well for conversations as it affords opportunity to get to know the
other characters through their dialogue rather than relying on Tommy's narrative. I wouldn't
say Tommy is an unreliable narrator, but he does limit what we can learn about what's going
on elsewhere with other characters. References to things that have been written elsewhere
and NDAs force the reader to fill in the gaps.
<br><br>
After Harry's resurrection, the lives of Tommy and his friends change as described in
the blurb, but there's so much more. The group of friends find themselves splattered by
the seven deadly sins, fitting for a story where a religion is founded upon the
philosophical musings of a character that has died and miraculously resurrected days later.
At least Christianity didn't get partnered with a health and wellness brand. The
corrupting influence of millions and billions of dollars seeps its way into their
lives and rots them from within. What is friendship worth? Can you put a dollar amount
on it?
<br><br>
If there's one overarching theme that I can take away from this tale, it's that <i>power
corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.</i> Keeping this spoiler free, I'll
say that Tommy started out as a character that I could connect with to someone I
didn't want anything to do with. But I stuck with him because act two opens with:
<blockquote><i>This is where I get unrelatable, maybe even unlikable. As the writer of
failed screenplays, I know what a mortal sin unlikability can be.</i></blockquote>
That gave me hope for him in act three. But Tommy is far from the only person to be
corrupted by power. It's <i>everyone</i> up to the very end of the story. And the
only characters whose souls are left intact are those who never possess it.
<br><br>
Colin Dodds has crafted an excellent morality play with vivid characters. <i>Pharoni</i>
offers modern day parallels to the founding of Christianity, right down to the Christmas
star, but in an age of unbridled capitalism. If you're old enough, with all of the life
experience that implies, it forces you to take a look at this fellowship of friends and
how they sacrificed art and friendship for wealth and power and check to make sure that
this isn't a mirror of your own life.
<br><br>
4 stars<br><br>\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-44668090201434410372022-07-29T12:52:00.003-05:002022-08-18T12:37:26.854-05:00On the Importance of Book CoversThe 2021 <a href="https://thespsfc.org/">Self-Published Science-Fiction Competition</a> just finished.
Check out <a href="https://thespsfc.org/2021-best-covers/">the top ten covers</a>. A lot of WOW!
<br><br>
\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-56020810512946369182022-06-12T14:36:00.002-05:002022-06-12T14:47:51.663-05:00The Theatre of Shadows by Christian Ellingsen<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622056273l/58168410._SX318_.jpg"
width="318" height="450" align="right" border="0" hspace="5" alt="book cover for The Theatre of Shadows"><i>Six
months have passed since the events of <i>The Silver Mask</i>. Over the winter months, Vasini was plagued by
Gareth Miller, the Winter Fayre Killer, who murdered 17 people before he was captured by Lieutenant David
Locke. The city now waits for Miller to be hanged. But when Miller escapes gaol, ready to terrorise
Vasini's streets once more, Locke must hunt the murderer again to stop him from claiming more lives.
<br><br>
As Miller flees into Vasini's streets, Joseph Bastin, ambassador to Vasini for the city-state of Laège,
is assassinated in a brothel. With the threat of political repercussions for the death, it is up to
Dr. Marcus Fox, newly appointed Commandant of Police, to find the ambassador's killer.
<br><br>
Fox's investigation soon leads to a suspect, someone who has been investigating links between the
Laège embassy and the worship of the dead deities - his ally, Dr. Elizabeth Reid.
<br><br>
Now, Elizabeth and her friend, Catherine, must act quickly to clear her name before she is found
by someone who doesn't believe her claims of innocence and she's forced to dance the hangman's
jig.</i>
<br><br>
This is the sequel to
<i><a href="/2016/12/the-silver-mask-vasini-chronicles-1-by.html">The Silver Mask</a></i>, a
terrific "flintlock and alchemy" novel. Unfortunately, <i>The Theatre of Shadows</i> wasn't as
enjoyable for me due to the plot style and pacing. The story read more like a police procedural
set in the 1700s, which isn't the sort of thing—regardless of time period—that I
read. Investigating the ambassador's murder provided enough intrigue, but the serial killer
plotline kept getting in the way, hogging the spotlight. Maybe the serial killer was fully
developed in <i>The Winter Fayre</i>, a novella contained in <i>The Divided River</i> that
preceded this novel, but here he's rather one-dimensional. He's always two steps ahead of the
Inspectorate and the watchmen (police), rendering them seemingly incompetent as he murders
people with impunity. It went on for far too long for me. It took roughly three-fifths of
the novel before any sort of clue was given as to why the serial killer plotline even existed,
and it wasn't resolved until much later.
<br><br>
The main characters from <i>The Silver Mask</i>—Fox, Locke, Elizabeth, and
Catherine—are here. While fully developed before, they weren't neglected here. Fox
and Locke are in pursuit of the ambassador's assassin and the serial killer. Elizabeth
and Catherine spend their time searching for clues to clear Elizabeth's name of killing
the ambassador. Ellingsen gives us each main character's POV—as well as those of a
few key minor characters—as they investigate, thus enriching the depth of each one.
<br><br>
Ellingsen doesn't spend as much time world-building here as he did in <i>The Silver Mask</i>,
but what he provides is top-notch. The city of Vasini feels authentic with Ellingsen's
descriptions of the sights and scents of everyday life.
<br><br>
Ultimately, the protagonists' relentless pursuit of clues paid off. Ellingsen
corraled the plot into a climax that resolved the current crises of random murder and
calculated assassination. It was an effective ending, and so I feel better about the
book as a whole. But for me, it was probably a hundred pages too long. However, I
remain optimistic that the next installment in this series will have more intrigue and less procedure.
<br><br>
3 stars
<hr>
<i>Just to be clear: This book was not submitted to us. I went out and bought it on my own.</i>
<br><br>
\_/<br>DED
DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-56834155081678395322022-05-17T18:43:00.003-05:002022-05-17T18:43:46.909-05:00The Pros and Cons of the Publishing Industry<img src="https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/man-with-two-different-ways-picture-id479408600?k=6&m=479408600&s=612x612&w=0&h=m0jCvOPuFBL3M6kpCi8pfAEr7zbmWiY4t4_XqnY1fo8=" width="306" height="260" border="0" align="right" hspace="4" alt="a fork in the road">Over
at the <i>Independent Publishing Magazine</i>, guest blogger Andrew Deen
<a href="http://www.theindependentpublishingmagazine.com/2022/05/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-publishing-industry-andrew-deen-guest-post.html">outlines
the pros and cons</a> of traditional and self-publishing. Thorough yet
succinct, it's a must read for every writer about to embark on the road
to publishing their work.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-68611967965317247902022-03-03T13:20:00.001-06:002022-07-29T12:55:50.535-05:00Characters Are Like Onions<img src="https://images.wisegeek.com/spanish-onions.jpg" width="304" height="267"
border="1" align="right" alt="onions">Mike Reeves-McMillan, an author and editor, has posted
an analysis of the different types of characters one finds in a story. Beginner and intermediate
writers should check out his essay,
"<a href="http://csidemedia.com/gryphonclerks/2022/03/03/characters-are-like-onions/" target="_blank">Characters
Are Like Onions</a>," to learn more.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-12439806972209649092021-12-21T14:47:00.001-06:002021-12-21T15:35:15.182-06:00A Review of Pubby<a href="https://pubby.co/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Pubby</a> is a paid book review service
that offers indie authors a chance to get book reviews on Amazon. No sock puppets or fill-in-the-blank
five-star reviews. Authors pay a monthly fee for access to their network where authors review the books
of their fellow authors. Books can be purchased to satisfy Amazon's verified purchase rules (Kindle
Unlimited counts) or given away for free.
<br><br>
No one here has used Pubby's service, so we can't offer a proper review, but prolific indie author,
Scott Rhine, has. He offers a balanced review of their service, listing pros and cons, and breaks
down the financials. If you're interested in trying Pubby,
<a href="https://scottrhine.blogspot.com/2021/11/should-i-try-pubby.html">read Scott's review</a> first.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-21391688627727124142021-11-07T16:49:00.002-06:002021-11-07T18:26:06.077-06:00Tethered Worlds: Bankrupt Star by Gregory Faccone<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629484795l/58817598._SY475_.jpg"
width="297" height="475" align="right" hspace="4" border="0" alt="book cover for Star in Bankruptcy"><i>Jordahk
isn't sure who or what he is anymore, and just trying to be “normal” is becoming increasingly challenging. As
adulthood looms he'll face his greatest challenges yet both personally and in space.
<br><br>
For Janus hasn't been idle. His schemes within schemes will launch the First Cruiser into the most audacious
stratagem since the Sojourners' Crusade. Perhaps only the mystic technology from that era has a chance to
stop the Prime Orator's designs.
<br><br>
But neither Jordahk nor his grandfather can currently operate on that level. When the most eclectic space
battle in centuries begins, only desperation will bring one side to victory.</i>
<br><br>
This is book three in the <i>Tethered Worlds</i> series. With over a thousand pages published so far,
this isn't a series you can pick up in the middle. You really have to start from the beginning. Here
are links to spoiler-free reviews for books
<a href="/2015/02/tethered-worlds-unwelcome-star-by.html" target="_blank">one</a> and
<a href="/2015/11/tethered-worlds-blue-star-setting-by.html" target="_blank">two</a>.
<br><br>
If you've made it this far into the series, you're familiar with the universe that Faccone has built
and the factions contending with one another for power in this space opera. You need to be, of course,
as Faccone doesn't offer a refresher in what's already been published besides the occasional
character reminiscing about past incidents.
<br><br>
Right off the bat we're back with Jordahk's family in the midst of a training exercise. But before
you get disgruntled with a "not another one", Faccone throws a cyborg assassin at them. The
encounter gives the reader some idea as to how far Jordahk has come in developing his fledgling
sojourner skills.
<br><br>
After this confrontation has played out, we learn that trade negotiations are planned at
Aventicia, one of the worlds in the Banking Confederation. Janus has plans in place to
affect the outcome favorably for the Perigeum and himself, but the Trade Union sends a
fleet of their own to provide security. And then a pirate fleet shows up to toss a match
on the powderkeg.
<blockquote><i>"Sadly, war is but politics stripped of every civilized façade</i></blockquote>
While this is the longest book in the series, 569 pages, I found that it had less filler than
in the two previous books. However, the inevitable confrontation that ensues when plans are
set in motion takes up about half the book. While one major story arc comes to an end, it's
clear that the author has more stories planned for this series.
<br><br>
Characterization, plotting, and world-building all remain strong. Faccone proved that
in the first two books. The personalities of the various characters are well-developed
and distinct. The setting is rich with detail. Unfortunately, typos remain an issue:
My notes highlight misused or missing apostrophes and spelling errors.
<br><br>
<i>Bankrupt Star</i> is a fine addition to the <i>Tethered Worlds</i> series. While
there isn't as much exploration or side quest action as the two previous works, the
plot is more focused and the stakes are just as high. It's still big and bold space
opera with a protagonist you can root for as he grows to fill some very big, heroic shoes.
<br><br>
<a href="https://tetheredworlds.com/">Series website</a>
<br><br>
4 stars<br><br>\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-65954315707995528642021-10-28T17:38:00.002-05:002021-11-07T18:03:09.605-06:00Amazon Now Offering Hardcover for Indie PublishersIn case you haven't heard, Amazon is now offering hardcovers for indie-published
books. Now Amazon isn't the first to market (Lightning Source and IngramSpark have
offered it for several years), but since Amazon is the biggest printer of indie
work, it's a big deal.
<br><br>
You can read the FAQ for yourself
<a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GAVW3FZZAKA2KY3B" target="_blank">here</a>.
But if you don't have time, here's the tl;dr version:
<br><br>
Indie publishers will not be getting a dust jacket like traditionally
published hardcover books. Amazon is offering a "case laminate" cover. That means
the artwork will be printed directly on the bookcover. If you're unfamiliar with
what that looks like, check out IngramSpark's
<a href="https://www.ingramspark.com/jacketed-case-video" target="_blank">video</a>
on their <i>jacketed</i> case laminate offering, something Amazon isn't offering.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DED
DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-5411338153914440412021-08-11T12:20:00.001-05:002021-08-11T13:20:12.568-05:00Goodreads Has a Problem With Trolls and ExtortionI just learned about
<a href="https://time.com/6078993/goodreads-review-bombing/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits"
target="_blank">this</a> today. In a nutshell, indie authors with a high visibility
on social media—particularly those with progressive politics—are being
targetted by extortionists. Typical message:
<blockquote>"EITHER YOU TAKE CARE OF OUR NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS WITH YOUR WALLET
OR WE'LL RUIN YOUR AUTHOR CAREER. PAY US OR DISAPPEAR FROM GOODREADS FOR YOUR
OWN GOOD."</blockquote>
Failure to comply with these demands results in authors getting slammed with
hundreds of one-star reviews on Goodreads. The company is typically slow in
its corrective actions.
<br><br>
All indie authors know how difficult it is to get readers to check out their
work. It means putting yourself out there on social media (the introvert's
equivalent of smelling sweaty socks) to get the public's attention. Many
authors choose to discuss topics of personal interest to them. And if there's
anything we've learned over the last few years, doing so puts a target on your
back. As their audience grows, the trolls take notice.
<br><br>
Amazon used to have a sock puppet problem, but then it found ways to restrict
reviews to verified accounts by simply making use of data it already had
(verified contact info, purchasing history, etc.). Since Amazon owns Goodreads
and offers potential readers easy to access links to buy said book, you would
think that they would make every effort to ensure that the number one social
media site for books was free of crippling attacks on their revenue stream.
<br><br>
Thanks to Monica for bringing this to my attention.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DED
DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-76827351165361112692021-07-04T07:00:00.004-05:002021-09-06T21:36:46.634-05:00Lost Kin by Steve Anderson<img align="right" alt="Book cover for Lost Kin" border="0" height="475" width="316"
src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459311473l/29739882._SY475_.jpg">After
the events in <a href="/2021/06/liberated-by-steve-anderson.html">Liberated</a>
Harry Kaspar has been relocated to Munich. As he enters the final weeks of service
as an administrator for the military government, his life is good. He resides in
a nice house with cushy amenities, has a former WAC girlfriend, and the locals
appreciate his efforts to restore some semblance of pre-war normalcy. And then a cop
shows up on his doorstep one night informing him that there's been an incident and
his brother may be involved. Having not seen nor heard from his brother for several
years, Harry's interest is piqued, though for a German-American, he knows this could
be a scam, or worse. What follows is an investigation into a murder, black market
sales of the spoils of war, and old scores that demand to be settled in blood.
<br><br>
There are elements of noir in this story. Harry's girlfriend has a bit of <i>femme
fatale</i> to her which both excites and worries him. Meetings with informants take place
in dark alleys and secluded rooms, forcing Harry to always be alert for the double
cross. The atmosphere of downtrodden Munich is leaden with cold autumnal rain and early
snow. And the American military government is seen through a lens of world weary cynicism.
<blockquote><i>She knew so many majors, colonels, and generals, all rearguard types who'd
never seen combat but rode desks like gladiator chariots except their shields were their
puffed-up chests done up with medals of every color, the swords their sharp tongues and
stern memos, the feints and thrust their back-room whispers and leaks applied with
extreme prejudice. Opponents cowered, colleagues awed, and mistresses swooned.</i>
</blockquote>
As with <i>Liberated</i>, Anderson has done the research. The deal that FDR and Churchhill
made with Stalin in Yalta would soon turn out to be a Faustian bargain. I don't want to
spoil it, but Anderson explores an aspect of that here as a way for the two brothers' paths
to cross again.
<br><br>
<i>Lost Kin</i> is a strong finish to the Kaspar Brothers trilogy. The noir elements spice
up the intriguing plot, and Anderson's characters are well-developed. I got caught up in
their predicament as Anderson entwined their fates with historical events. I'd recommend
the series as a whole for WW2 historical fiction fans looking for something different from
that time period.
<br><br>
4 stars.<br><br>
<i>Lost Kin</i> was published by Skyhorse/Yucca Publishing.<hr>
<i>Just to be clear. This book was not submitted to us.
I went out and bought it on my own.</i>
<br><br>\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-34351182087804269712021-06-27T15:00:00.001-05:002021-09-06T21:37:03.787-05:00Liberated by Steve Anderson<img align="left" alt="book cover for Liberated" width="317" border="0" height="475" hspace="5"
src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397635737l/20523561.jpg">In
the early days of post-war Germany, Captain Harry Kaspar has been assigned by the
US military government to oversee recovery efforts in the town of Heimgau.
Unfortunately, the post is already occupied by Major Membre. It seems that the
office that assigned Membre supersedes the one that picked Kaspar, and
obviously the major outranks the captain.
<br><br>
Kaspar and Membre butt heads from the start. Besides smarting from missing out on
the position that Kaspar feels should've been his—he trained for it after
all—Membre comes across as a self-serving opportunist, more interested in
personal gain than helping this Bavarian town start over. Kaspar heads off in a
huff to survey the town when he discovers three German men lying in the road,
evidentially tortured and murdered. He now has a mystery to solve.
<br><br>
With the aid of Katarina, a former German actress, Kaspar navigates black markets,
systemic corruption, the aftermath of the Holocaust, and a disgruntled conquered
populace in an effort to solve the murders and right some wrongs, all while trying
to avoid getting killed.
<br><br>
Anderson's story was born out of research he did in Munich to get his master's in
history. Besides touching on prejudice towards German-Americans stateside, the book
calls attention to Allied looting in post-war Europe. While it might be dismissed as
stealing from Nazis, it should be noted that the Nazis stole it from innocents. Be
sure to check out the afterword to get an idea as to the extent of the theft.
<br><br>
While the story was intriguing and rooting for Harry was easy, <i>Liberated</i> didn't
resonate with me quite as much as the previous
work—<i><a href="/2010/07/losing-role-by-steve-anderson.html">The Losing Role</a></i>,
a story about Harry's brother Max who fought for the Germans—did. I feel that
certain characters weren't as developed as I think they could've been.
Still, I liked it and plan on reading the next book in the series.
<br><br>
3.5 stars<br><br>
<i>Liberated</i> was published by Skyhorse/Yucca Publishing.
<hr>
<i>Just to be clear. This book was not submitted to us.
I went out and bought it on my own.</i>
<br><br>
\_/<br>DED
DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-54271011907655178352020-09-25T15:46:00.002-05:002020-09-25T15:46:38.066-05:00Die Empty by Kirk Jones<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502587057l/36010016._SY475_.jpg"
align="right" border="0" width="312" height="475" hspace="4" alt="book cover for Die Empty">Lance is a
middle-aged man stuck in a loveless marriage and a life with no meaning. His sedentary existence has packed
on the weight, both physical and mental, and he envies his successful and fit neighbor who may be banging
his alcoholic wife on the sly. The Grim Reaper shows up to recruit Lance into brainstorming new ways for
people to die.
<br><br>
Kirk Jones tells the story in second person, thus forcing you to take on the role of Lance. In chapter one,
Jones dumps you into Lance's life. Jones systematically tears down Lance's pitiful attempts to find meaning
in a world of soulless consumerism. Lance knows that his life is pathetic, but he lacks the self-esteem—or
even friends—to find a way out of it, so he trudges on, looking for something, anything, to jolt some
life back into him.
<br><br>
Fortunately for the reader, the Grim Reaper shows up in chapter two to give Lance a way to escape what
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2224633759" target="_blank">author Danger Slater</a> perfectly
describes as "suburban ennui." Seeing this as an opportunity to escape his misery, Lance accepts.
<br><br>
The pace picked up, and it seemed like the story was headed in a direction I was hoping it would go, but
then it veered off into a different direction. While Jones does a fine job with second person storytelling, I
could never connect with Lance. Jones would write that you (Lance) would do something and my reaction was
always, "I wouldn't do that." All I could do was shake my head and hope that Jones would have the Grim Reaper
show up because those were the best parts.
<br><br>
3 stars<br><br>
<i>Die Empty</i> was published by <a href="https://atlatlpress.com/" target="_blank">Atlatl Press</a>.
<hr>
<i>Just to be clear. This book was not submitted to us. I went out and bought it on my own. Now, back to hibernation!</i>
<br><br>
\_/<br>
DED DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-79343320040869170592020-06-12T11:33:00.002-05:002020-06-12T11:47:31.333-05:00The Liminal Zone by Richard Abbott<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590041861l/53451461._SY475_.jpg" width="313" height="475" border="0" align="right" hspace="4" alt="book cover for the Liminal Zone"><i>Nina Buraca, investigator of possible signs of alien life, has heard tales of mysterious events on Pluto's moon Charon, where a science outpost studies extrasolar planets. Facing opposition from her colleagues, she nevertheless travels from Earth to uncover the truth. Once there, she finds herself working with a team of people who have many secrets. To make progress, she has to take sides in an old dispute that she knows nothing about. Can she determine who – or what – is really behind the name "selkies" that the station's staff have given to this uncanny phenomenon?</i>
<br><br>
<i>The Liminal Zone</i> is the third book in Abbott's <i>Far From the Spaceports</i> series, and like the others, it's a standalone. While the first two books (<i><a href="http://thenewpodlerreviews.blogspot.com/2016/06/far-from-spaceports-by-richard-abbott.html">Far From the Spaceports</a></i> and <i><a href="https://thenewpodlerreviews.blogspot.com/2017/09/timing-far-from-spaceports-2-by-richard.html">Timing</a></i>) featured the same characters, this one introduces us to a whole new cast with a completely unrelated plot. It isn't necessary to read those first two to read this one, but if you like <i>The Liminal Zone</i>, you should check out the others.
<br><br>
For those unfamiliar with this series, humanity has colonized the solar system, and artificial intelligence (AI) has come to fruition. Space travel has improved, it still takes weeks, sometimes months, to travel from one celestial body to another. As such, there's a bit of self-governance each place enjoys, and adults are very much in charge. No dystopia here.
<br><br>
AI entities work alongside humans and have personalities that are barely distinguishable from them. Just as the gods of Mount Olympus suffered from the same emotional shortcomings as humans, so too do Abbott's AIs. As such, people and "personas" work together, live together, and form friendships. They're each other's besties. When Nina announces to her persona, Aquilegia, that she's headed to Charon to investigate the Selkie mystery, the latter balks at going. A fight ensues, and the two of them break-up. As theirs had been a six-year relationship, Nina is devastated and feels very much alone.
<br><br>
All the while that Nina investigates the mystery, her encounters with other people and personas and exploration of the Charon settlement and surface, she can't help but reflect on her feelings. She's the outsider trying to fit in among a group of people. Some are paired up; some work alone. Some are friendly; some stymie her every move to make progress on either the mystery or fitting in. The story is very much an introspective journey as well as an investigative one.
<br><br>
Having a character journey over 30 AUs to find herself may seem unusual, but is it really any different than someone traveling halfway round the world? You go where the path leads you. I confess that I was more interested in the secrets Nina strove to uncover than her personal journey, but I chalk that up to being in a healthy relationship for 26 years. One last thing I'd like to point out is that I haven't read this much about characters drinking tea since <i>Ancillary Justice</i>. I kid. All of this makes for a charming read. Having taken us to the asteroid belt, Mars's moons, and now distant Charon, I'm wondering where Abbott will travel to next.
<br><br>
4 stars
<hr>
<i>Just to be clear. This book was not submitted to us. I went out and bought it on my own. Now, back to hibernation!</i>
<br><br>
\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-17873514947881757022020-06-02T14:32:00.000-05:002020-06-02T14:32:13.761-05:00Cover Story - David DrazulI started a discussion on the topic of book covers on this blog eight years ago. I was disappointed that many indie authors were put in the position to sell their stories with sub-par book covers. Budgets tend to be tight unless the author's household income makes covering living expenses a breeze. Finding an affordable cover of decent quality can be tough. I asked several indie authors what route they took to get their covers and presented their stories here. I dug up affordable book cover designers and shared them with readers of this blog.
<br><br>
Today, I'm sharing my story. I'll try to keep it short.
<br><br>
When I finally gave up on traditional publishing as an avenue for my first novel, I searched for affordable graphic designers but couldn't find any. I was looking at $2,000—a non-starter. The pre-made covers available at the time didn't convey anything relatable to the story. I posted to an RPG messageboard I was active on at the time and found a guy who was eager to jumpstart his illustrator career. I got what I wanted for one-tenth the price.
<br><br>
<div align="center"><img src="https://www.daviddrazul.com/works/images/Old-ArmisticeDay600.jpg" width="450" height="675" border="0" alt="original book cover for Armistice Day"></div>
I loved it when it was made, but I'll admit that, a decade later, it looks dated. Image design and editing software has improved so much. Textures and lighting are more realistic. You name it: It's improved.
<br><br>
As I've struggled to finish writing the sequel, I hoped that redoing the cover for <i>Armistice Day</i> might light a fire under my ass. Spoiler alert: It hasn't. Even beyond the pandemic, the rioting, and toxic politics, I've had my share of personal tragedy which has weighed heavily upon me. I decided to find a new cover anyway.
<br><br>
I've seen a ton of wonderful art on Pinterest and DeviantArt. I didn't want to commission a new piece, but rather wanted to pay someone for their existing art. Again, working with a somewhat limited budget. I approached one artist but was ignored. I looked through Shutterstock to see if I could find some images to purchase for a graphic designer to synthesize into something greater than the sum of its parts. No dice there. But one day while perusing through the pre-designed images over at <a href="https://www.goonwrite.com/" target="_blank">goonwrite.com</a>, I found it.
<br><br>
<div align="center"><img src="https://www.daviddrazul.com/works/images/ArmisticeDay450.jpg" width="450" height="720" border="0" alt="new book cover for Armistice Day"></div>
The original artwork is by <a href="https://tithi-luadthong.pixels.com/">Tithi Luadthong</a> and was posted to Shutterstock. And the full image has been utilized as a wraparound design on the print version. It was great working with James again (He did the cover for my short story collection). I've got that old feeling of cover love again! I mean, what's not to love about a fully licensed piece of fabulous original artwork as the cover for my book?
<br><br>
\_/<br>DEDDEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-8520089403540183932020-04-03T12:47:00.000-05:002020-06-02T14:32:53.328-05:00Book Cover Sale<a href="https://www.goonwrite.com/helpdavid.htm"><img src="https://www.goonwrite.com/gfx/2019head1.png" width="270" height="60" border="0" align="right" hspace="4" alt="Goonwrite.com logo"></a><i>The sale is over, but I'm leaving the post up to: 1) remind indie authors that there are good/great and affordable book covers out there and 2) that this blog has a little more life to it than a Norwegian Blue Parrot. ;)</i>
<br><br>
Hi all! I hope everyone is safe and sound during this pandemic. The folks over at <a href="https://www.goonwrite.com/">goonwrite.com</a> were hit with varying degrees of Covid-19, but fortunately they all seem to have recovered. One of them, David, runs a t-shirt business that had to close down as various sectors of the economy worldwide have taken a hit. To raise some quick cash, they're having a 50% off sale on his pre-designed book covers. If you're an indie author who thinks that she might be buying a cover this year (or next), have a stroll through the listings (all genres represented on the page) and see if any work for you. You can buy now and have the final work done at a later date. I have no idea how long the sale will last, so have a look this weekend!
<br><br>
For the record, no one here on the podlerstaff gets any sort of commission for sales nor are we compensated for posting this sale info here. I (David Drazul) just like the work they do. I've bought two covers from them: one several years ago and one just this week.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DED
DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-47933037791135015052019-07-08T17:24:00.000-05:002020-06-02T14:33:09.080-05:00Advice From a Prolific AuthorHi all. Yeah, I know that it's been two years. Can't say that I've been reading any indie, hence no new reviews here. From time to time though, I grow curious about some of the authors that I've reviewed here and wonder what they're up to. Most get waylaid by life and their writing endeavors are stuck in the proverbial muck. I can't recall why, but I was curious about <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Scott-Rhine/e/B0058XPZ9U">Scott Rhine</a> today.
<br><br>
Scott was one of our most prolific submitters—I think he's up to two dozen books. While I didn't review anywhere near the number of submissions we got from him, I did read and review four of them. I wanted to know if he ever finished the series that I'd been reading here, so I took a spin over to his blog to find out. It took a while to find, but sure enough, he did.
<br><br>
I snooped around some more and stumbled across a post from two years ago entitled "<a href="https://scottrhine.blogspot.com/2017/03/5-years-in-writing-business-revised.html">5 Years in the Writing Business—Revised Advice</a>." It really is a must read for all indie authors. Scott shares his experiences with book sales, ads, tags, series vs. standalone books, giveaways, and much more. No matter what you write, it's worth checking out just to see if he's already tried out your marketing ideas. See what's worked for him and what hasn't, then see where it fits into your plans.
<br><br>
\_/<br>DED
DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-61061618871412239972017-09-14T09:22:00.000-05:002020-06-12T11:47:19.158-05:00Timing (Far from the Spaceports #2) by Richard AbbottHi all! Briefly coming out of hibernation to post a review of the sequel to Richard Abbott's <i>Far from the Spaceports</i>.
<hr>
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476399935l/32605210.jpg" width="286" height="382" border="0" align="left" hspace="4" alt="book cover for Timing"><i>When quick wits and loyalty are put to the test...
<br><br>
Mitnash and his AI companion Slate, coders and investigators of interplanetary fraud, are at work again in</i> Timing, <i>the sequel to </i>Far from the Spaceports.<i>
<br><br>
This time their travels take them from Jupiter to Mars, chasing a small-scale scam which seems a waste of their time. Then the case escalates dramatically into threats and extortion. Robin's Rebels, a new player in the game, is determined to bring down the financial world, and Slate's fellow AIs are the targets. Will Slate be the next victim?
<br><br>
The clues lead them back to the asteroid belt, and to their friends on the Scilly Isles. The next attack will be here, and Mitnash and Slate must put themselves in the line of fire. To solve the case, they need to team up with an old adversary - the only person this far from Earth who has the necessary skills to help them. But can they trust somebody who keeps their own agenda so well hidden?</i>
<br><br>
It was good to get back to Abbott's <i>Far from the Spaceports</i> series. In the first book, we're introduced to Mitnash and his AI companion, Slate. They work for the financial regulatory body ECRB (Economic Crime Review Board) and are periodically sent off-world to investigate financial shenanigans. I found Abbott's world-building solid and his take on AI refreshing (full review <a href="http://thenewpodlerreviews.blogspot.com/2016/06/far-from-spaceports-by-richard-abbott.html">here</a>).
<br><br>
This book adds more of the travelogue aspect of this series. Abbott sends his duo to Phobos and Mars before their return to the Scilly Isles, a cluster of settlements in the asteroid belt that was the setting for the first book. Abbott provides more detail on life on Phobos, demonstrating how the geology of the fragile moon has shaped the culture of the settlements there.
<br><br>
Abbott also delves more into the characters' relationships. Mitnash struggles with maintaining a long distance relationship (astronomical units!) while a local woman intrigues him. And it's not just Mitnash's relationships, but Slate's as well. I don't know how we'll imbue emotion into AIs, but in Abbott's universe, it happened and each AI has a unique personality. With their consciousness capable of living the human equivalent of decades in a fraction of the time, they seek out relationships with other AIs, hoping for a match. Mitnash is put into a situation where he has to consider that Slate's feelings are no less valid than his.
<br><br>
While the story remains non-violent, save for a couple of off-camera incidents, Abbott manages to build tension, primarily through the "old adversary" mentioned in the blurb. Mitnash is slowly learning that life (on multiple fronts) is seldom as simple and straightforward as it seems. There are complications during the investigation, and Mitnash finds himself in a predicament that isn't easily remedied and will hang over his head as his story continues.
<br><br>
4.2 out of 5 stars. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
<hr>
<i>Just to be clear. This book was <b>not</b> submitted to us. I went out and bought it on my own. Now, back to hibernation!</i>
<br><br>\_/<br>DED
DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-76761126092524503562017-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:002017-01-12T08:21:59.096-06:00Suspended Animation<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: right;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><img src="http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/en.futurama/images/c/c0/Futurama.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110618011204" border="0" width="400" height="304" alt="Fry in cryofreezer."></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of Futurama Wiki</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>Back in March of 2010, I submitted my novel <i>Armistice Day</i> to this blog in hopes of scoring a review. I was a newly minted indie author with a box full of copies that I bought from my printer (Lulu). The book was several years in the making. I'd attended the local adult ed writers workshop for several semesters, had the book professionally edited, sent out dozens of agent queries, and after realizing I had to publish it myself, commissioned a freelance artist to make the cover. It was now time for marketing.
<br><br>
I figured the easiest way to get my name out there was to submit my book for review to whichever blogs would take it. I don't believe in spamming people, so I carefully researched for the right sites. At the time, indie authors were treated like vermin. Scant few blogs would review indie authors, and only a portion of them reviewed sci-fi. This blog was one of the few. In fact, it was dedicated to self-published authors.
<br><br>
The blog's owner, Podler, agreed to do it, but he also invited me to join him in becoming a reviewer of the blog in order to review more indie authors who deserved to be recognized. The mission was to remove the stigma associated with indie authors, just as Girl-On-Demand had done with her PODdy Mouth blog (long since retired, but still linked to way down on the right-hand column). I was flattered to be invited and immediately accepted, for I was a true believer in the cause. I joined S.B. Jung and Libby Cone, other recent invitees who'd accepted. He told me that other authors who'd been invited just didn't have the time. I didn't realize at the time how true those words were (are).
<br><br>
In June, after I'd had my first review published for the blog—and <i>my</i> book reviewed—Podler disappeared. After transferring ownership of the blog to Libby and me, he deleted his blogger account and corresponding email address, taking many book cover images with him. He left no note. There were no warning signs. He was just gone. And since he'd used a pseudonym, we had no way to track him down. All of a sudden, we new recruits were put in charge.
<br><br>
We scrambled to right the ship. We created a new email address for submissions, tracked down the broken book cover image links, and found the email addresses for the authors left adrift in the slush pile. I think we did a fine job.
<br><br>
As time wore on, real life caught up to S.B. and Libby, and I assumed administrative control of the blog (slush pile, rejection notices, etc). We invited people to join us. Reviewers came and went. We reviewed a lot of great books (and a few that fell short). We expanded the blog: links to other blogs designed to help indie authors, a list of editors, and a list of affordable cover designers. We hosted cover reveals, sample chapters, kickstarters, and author news. One author even credited us with helping her land a book deal with a publisher because of the review we gave her book. While I don't know if that's even remotely true, it was a wonderful thing for her to say, and it made me feel like we were accomplishing something. Just seeing the public's attitude about indie books change overall was great. Successful indie novels have been scooped up by major publishers and even made into movies! These days, a <i>well produced</i> indie novel is indistinguishable from the traditionally published.
<br><br>
As I came upon my sixth year on the blog and considered adding a paid review format (whereupon those that paid would get a one week turnaround while everyone else had to wait the typical amount of time), it dawned on me that it had been six years since I published my novel and the sequel was only 20% done. Yeah, I published my short stories in an anthology, but the grand series that I'd envisioned was going nowhere. Fellow indie authors that I'm friends with had each published <i>several</i> books in that time, and I was still working on my second book. I'd spent the last six years promoting the work of <i>other</i> authors instead of writing and promoting my work. This wasn't what I signed up for. I'd meant to be a reviewer on the side while I wrote, not the other way around.
<br><br>
As you know, there are only so many hours in a day. There's also a finite number of days in this life. Please excuse me for sounding maudlin, but 50 isn't that far off for me. I've always been haunted by that line from "Time" by Pink Floyd.
<blockquote><i>And then one day you find<br>Ten years have got behind you<br>No one told you when to run<br>You missed the starting gun</i></blockquote>
Something has to give. I'm sorry, but I can't run this blog anymore. I have to focus on <i>my</i> writing now.
<br><br>
So what does all this rambling mean after the walk down memory lane? It means this blog is going on an indefinite hiatus. There's no one available to take over as administrator, so we're closing up shop. It might not really be the end though. Richard has expressed a desire to have an outlet to publish reviews for indie books that he comes across. That seemed reasonable to me (I might do the same) so I agreed. But it definitely means that we're not accepting anymore submissions for the foreseeable future. Like poor Fry, the blog is going to be cryogenically frozen in a way. But unlike Fry, we might be unfrozen from time to time for a review. Then again, maybe it'll be frozen for a thousand years, at least until Google's server farm bites the dust.
<br><br>
I'd like to thank everyone who's worked on this blog with me over the years. While part of me resents Podler for abandoning us, the opportunity has enabled me to make many new friends that I never would have otherwise. And for that, I am blessed.
<br><br>
See you around,<br>\_/<br>David "DED" Drazul
DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-38776440283384058362017-01-06T10:18:00.000-06:002017-01-06T10:18:29.006-06:00The Best of 2016Each year, the reviewers here at the New Podler Review of Books pick the book (or books) which we feel are the very best independently published (or small press) works. The only other requirement we have is that the book was reviewed here on the blog during the calendar year.
<br><br>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ95A7Z1BIaTlKmyi4_Amv_pph2j3reobFflGNZGbuaemis_Avs2QxqKU8Mhx70x8R4_zPuB_Cobo7EfSzsVKhr5m6xobPDbt3YRRDk0OOxJfkWtN_ODWjqy3qE_1veenbQxiuyYtbbAI/s1600/MadamTulip.jpg%22" align="right" hspace="3" width="94" height="150" alt="Book cover for Madam Tulip"/>Here are the winners for 2016:
<br><br>
<b>Bertha Thacule:</b> "I chose <a href="http://thenewpodlerreviews.blogspot.com/2016/08/madam-tulip-by-david-ahern.html"><i>Madam Tulip</i></a>. Its eccentric characters and witty observations make this an immensely enjoyable contemporary mystery/thriller set among denizens of Dublin's theater, art, and entertainment worlds. Fans of the first novel will be pleased to hear that a second installment in the series, <i>Madam Tulip and the Knave of Hearts</i>, is now <a href="http://www.davidahern.info/">available</a>."
<br><br>
<img src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1454161878l/28806303.jpg" align="left" border="0" width="94" height="150" hspace="8" alt="Book cover for The Colony"><b>Richard Abbott:</b><!-- 316,475 --> "<i><a href="http://thenewpodlerreviews.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-colony-by-rm-gilmour.html">The Colony</a></i>, by RM Gilmour, gets my vote for 2016. It is primarily a story about travel between parallel universes, but with enough plot twists and variations that you're not always sure which way events will turn. I found the central characters compelling, and also the basic premise of why <i>The Colony</i> was there in the first place. The closing words suggest that there will be a follow-up novel at some point—I certainly hope so as I'm keen to find out what happens after the events at the close of this book."
<br><br>
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471707436l/31256498.jpg" align="right" border="0" hspace="3" width="94" height="150" alt="Book cover for"><b>DED:</b> It took me a while to decide which book to pick for best of 2016. There were a few contenders, so I had to go back and revisit them all. After weighing the strengths and flaws of each, I finally reached a conclusion. My pick for best of 2016 is <i><a href="http://thenewpodlerreviews.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-silver-mask-vasini-chronicles-1-by.html">The Silver Mask</a></i> by Christian Ellingsen. Yes, I was critical of the cover (I hope that Mr. Ellingsen invests in a better one), but the story was great. Ellingsen made use of a well developed cast of characters and excellent world-building to blend murder mystery, political thriller, and flintlock fantasy together to create a superb tale.
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Congratulations to the winners!DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-51902151559854381422016-12-28T07:00:00.000-06:002016-12-28T07:00:37.873-06:00The Silver Mask (The Vasini Chronicles #1) by Christian Ellingsen<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471707436l/31256498.jpg" width="308" height="475" border="0" hspace="3" align="left" alt="book cover for The Silver Mask"><i>The gods are dead, killed two hundred years ago. With their destruction the moon split apart, the sun dwindled and the land was devastated. Civilisation has re-emerged from the carnage, but twisted creatures still prowl the savage Wildlands between the city-states. In the skies above the city of Vasini, a falling star, a fragment of the dead moon goddess Serindra, heads to earth.<br><br>In the Palace district, Dame Vittoria Emerson, darling of the city, has been found dead. As Captain Marcus Fox of the Inspectorate hunts the killer, Dr. Elizabeth Reid searches for the remnants of Serindra determined to make sure the poisonous quicksilver it contains is not used. With Vittoria's death threatening to draw the city's political elite into a war of assassins, Fox and Reid must rush to expose the secrets that lie within Vasini before they tear the city-state apart.</i>
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The cover looks like a photograph of a museum piece. While accurate, I don't believe it's enough of a draw to pull in a reader. If this was non-fiction about said mask, maybe it would be sufficient. But even so, the lighting is too dim. The color chosen for the title font is muddled. It should stand out more, like the byline actually does. The typeface is fine. Still, there's so much going on in this novel that the cover should have been a scene from the book rather than the mask, which plays such a minor role in the book that I'm thinking the title should've been something else: <i>City of the Dead Gods? Alchemy of Resurrection?</i>
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The chapters are broken into scenes which are occurring simultaneously, rather than devoting a single chapter to a character and his/her POV. It was a little confusing and took a little bit to get used to it and the characters sorted out. However, the opening chapter gave me the impression that a lot was happening on several fronts and thus drew me in. After a while I was able to discern the personalities of the major characters and what roles they played in the city of Vasini.
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Ellingsen has invested a great deal of effort in developing the world wherein this story lies, but he doesn't drown you in backstory. It starts out with the familiarity of a mirror Earth and then the differences are sprinkled into the story. The culture of Vasini draws heavily upon the French—many French words frequent the manuscript—but there's a dead pantheon of gods that is complete fiction. There are sub-humans that live among the Vasinians as servants to the wealthy and strange monsters in the woods. And it rains all the time, which might be attributable to the heavily damaged moon in orbit.
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To help the reader become more familiar with the city of Vasini, its inhabitants, and surroundings, Ellingsen has placed images of random documents highlighting Vasini's religious, philosophical, and cultural history between chapters. When I could read them, they were a nice touch. Unfortunately, I don't know how to enlarge images embedded in books on my Kindle Fire (just the text) so some of them were illegible.
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Captain Fox and his assistant, Sergeant Locke, are the detectives charged with solving Emerson's murder. But as the investigation plays out, they discover that there is much more going on underneath the surface. Not only is Vasini a city that is divided between rich and poor, but the wealthy are bitterly divided into factions (Fishers and Scarlets) that manipulate the masses. Emerson's murder is the spark that sets off retaliatory assassinations on either side of the political divide. Reid and her friend, Catherine, are conducting their own investigation in parallel to Fox and Locke, for their own reasons. They're clearly in over their heads, and it isn't until Reid joins forces with Fox that they're able to see enough pieces of the puzzle to figure out how to solve it.
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Christian Ellingsen has created a rich world within <i>The Silver Mask</i>, and despite 400+ pages of exploration, I feel like he's just scratched the surface. He carefully juggles a large cast of characters with ease, and it shows when we're afforded time to read from so many unique points of view (some extensive, some just a pivotal moment). While the mystery seems so Byzantine that Fox and Reid always seem to be three steps behind the antagonists, it only makes the resolution that much more satisfying.
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For more information about <i>The Silver Mask</i>, please visit <a href="https://christianellingsen.net/">the author's website</a>.DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-7475485466411472442016-12-20T07:45:00.001-06:002016-12-20T07:45:12.557-06:00Too Wyrd by Sarah Buhrman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJKZ5DTb04It6hMucTPmMYI6EgstvpBEzqhQ26Qr-6wFg_UrJersVEgHfU_esR8PxHA2xgWiAAgbj_1KxJn-B-ICOaet75RbZ-xg2Kixj5lmK5mpRKUkofEFVbZwuAXH0fNwvB7zk_cM/s1600/TooWyrd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJKZ5DTb04It6hMucTPmMYI6EgstvpBEzqhQ26Qr-6wFg_UrJersVEgHfU_esR8PxHA2xgWiAAgbj_1KxJn-B-ICOaet75RbZ-xg2Kixj5lmK5mpRKUkofEFVbZwuAXH0fNwvB7zk_cM/s320/TooWyrd.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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Sarah Buhrman’s <i>Too Wyrd</i> offers a welcome twist on the conventional fantasy protagonist who
embarks on a quest. As the story begins, Nicola Crandall is plucked from the comfort of home by a late-night summons for
help, and she readily places her life on hold to combat a supernatural menace.
But in this urban fantasy set in Indianapolis, the supernatural exists side by
side with real-world problems that take the greatest toll on the most
vulnerable. So in addition to confronting otherworldly abominations, Nicola comes face to face with regular
people scrabbling to survive on the fringes of society, and proves to be their
staunchest defender. On the whole, her capacity for empathy and inclusiveness is
what makes her a compelling hero, more so than her courage or resourcefulness
when under threat.</div>
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The trouble begins when Nicola’s friend Joseph arrives at
her door with worrisome news. Her half-sister Muriel, who has spent time living
on the street, has been taken in by a cult that dabbles in magic. Nicola’s help
is needed to extricate Muriel both because of Nicola’s skills as a magical
practitioner and because one of the cult leaders is her ex, Keith, who is also
the father of her child. Nicola and Joseph soon discover that Keith has become
involved with very old magic connected to Norse mythology. Nicola and her
allies must puzzle out Keith’s intentions and determine the source of his new
powers and how they relate to the demons who keep materializing.</div>
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In keeping with Nicola’s compassionate nature is the type of magic that she practices. Rather than using magic for aggressive ends, she employs it to assess and affect others’ psychological states. In one scene, Nicola and Joseph use magic to calm an unruly crowd.</div>
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<blockquote>
<i>I quickly reached for the emotion I wanted: laying back with a cool drink in the shade of an
umbrella, with a warm breeze, the soft roar of ocean waves, and the warm colors
of a tropical sunset. It was calm, content, and sedate. I sent that feeling
into our combined energies and projected it out in a broad arc over the crowd.
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The result was subtle but quick, taking hold in a matter of minutes. People who were hyped up and
bouncing on their toes, stepped back, rolled their shoulders and relaxed their
stance. The crowd stopped its steady press forward and, after a momentary
hesitation, began shuffling towards the doors. Instead of the aggressive
shoving, people began to display more courtesies, letting people go before
them, saying “thank you”.</i></blockquote>
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But make no mistake, Nicola is no weakling. She pushes back hard
against anyone who tries to prevent her from attaining her objective, whether
it’s an old adversary out for revenge, a police detective trying to connect her
with a crime she didn’t commit, or Keith confusing Muriel with glib
obfuscations. In the latter instance, Nicola relentlessly interrogates Keith in
hopes of getting at the truth.</div>
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<i>“What about telling us who’s giving you this ‘truth’ that you’re calling destiny?” I said, pushing our advantage of having surprised him.
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Keith frowned and took a step back. “I cannot reveal the name.”<br><br>
“Because you don’t know?” Joseph asked, pressing forward at my side, “Or because no one would believe you?”<br><br>
“Or because it’s just you making shit up?” I added. “Must be nice to have your life funded by the
people you’ve conned with your line.”<br><br>
I realized I’d made a mistake in my assumptions when Keith’s shoulders relaxed and he smiled. He shook his head and tsked.<br><br>
“Nicola,” he drawled out my name. “You’ve grown so bitter and cynical…”<br><br>
“I’m not bitter,” I continued. “Just because I don’t buy what you’re selling? That’s not bitter, that’s having half a brain.”</i></blockquote>
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But in the end, Nicola is most admirable for the way she treats others. While tracking down
Muriel, she gets a tip that someone who frequents a local soup kitchen might
have information. Nicola decides to combine her investigation with providing
some much-needed volunteer help at the kitchen.</div>
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<blockquote>
<i>I talked Mercy into helping us convince some of the Bridge Kids to come with us to the city mission
for supper. I knew most of them could use the meal, but the walk was too far
for most of them to make the effort. Plus walking meant taking the risk of
running into trouble with a capital fist to the gut…<br><br>
At the mission, a flustered woman thanked us for our help and gave us our assignments… I was put
at the end of the food line, helping people with walkers, wheelchairs and kids
get all their silverware, food and drinks to their seats. I smiled and chatted
up the guests, knowing that half the reason they came to the kitchen was for
the small degree of human interaction they got.</i></blockquote>
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Nicola ultimately manages to find the answers she’s looking
for and faces down her enemies in a rip-roaring confrontation. However, her
quest will continue. According to the author’s blog, she is writing a second
installment in the <i>Runespells</i> series.
The sequel would benefit greatly from more development of the secondary
characters, many of whom are interesting, but lack sufficient depth and
backstory. For example, two pivotal characters in <i>Too Wyrd</i> turn out to be not what they initially seemed. But their
reversals are, for the most part, inexplicable and leave the reader longing for
a greater understanding of their motivations.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At its core, <i>Too Wyrd</i> is an engaging adventure, propelled by a strong, eminently likable
lead character. Sarah Buhrman has created an immersive fictional world that skillfully
encompasses both the magically sublime and the poignant struggles of everyday
people.</div>
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For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.authorgoddess.com/" target="_blank">the author's website</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-16395135815537470152016-11-22T07:00:00.000-06:002020-06-10T10:39:25.699-05:00Speck by L. Marshall James<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474565357l/32182202.jpg" border="1" align="right" width="297" height="475" alt="book cover for Speck" hspace="3" /><i>A dark speck slips from dormancy, where it has been trapped for millennia. It is utterly alien, singularly enthralling, and devastatingly lethal. What follows in its wake are chaos and death.<br><br>There will be no escape.</i>
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The opening strikes me as a mashup of the first third of King's <i>Dreamcatcher</i> (the good part) and an incident that took place near the end of Koontz's <i>Watchers</i>. James offers us a lovely picture of an idyllic natural setting and then unleashes his "speck" upon a hapless marmot. The speck has the ability to control minds in close proximity through suggestion at the most primal level. As the speck grows in size, it gains strength and sophistication. Things spiral out of control, leaving the reader to hope that someone can get the speck under control before its destruction reaches catastrophic proportions.
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The story starts with a universal omniscient narrator but switches to third person subjective once humans get involved in the story. The narrative is relayed through several characters, primarily those that encounter the speck. Characters are only given a chapter to carry the narrative, but James has them make the most of it. I never got the impression that these were disposable characters. Although their appearance on stage is brief, James invests the time in each to develop them. If the book had been a novel instead of a novella, I don't see any reason why the characters wouldn't be able to carry the story further.
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But the length of the story is also something of a negative. The story reaches a point where the reader says, "Oh crap! What now?" The fast pace of the story comes to an abrupt halt. The ending comes as a bit of unsatisfying <i>diabolus ex machina</i>, which is followed by an epilogue that struck me as an outline for how the story could've carried on from novella to novel. I feel like the author hit a wall and either couldn't think of a way to continue or didn't want to (hence the epilogue).
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Although only a novella, <i>Speck</i> demonstrates an author with a talent for creating believable characters, setting a good narrative pace, and establishing a realistic setting. He understands King's idiom that "bad things happen to good people" and handles it well. As James continues to develop his craft, I have no doubt that his potential will be realized.
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For more information about <i>Speck</i>, please visit <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32182202-speck">Goodreads</a>.DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2251174860490089038.post-26349161484061773732016-11-16T06:30:00.000-06:002016-11-16T06:30:20.964-06:00The Interview by Damian Bruce<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452523803l/28195010.jpg" width="318" height="450" border="0" align="right" hspace="3" alt="book cover for The Interview"><i>In a city racked by poverty and discontent, twelve people arrive for an interview with the all powerful Frontline Corporation. The successful candidate will trade hunger and hardship for a life of luxury and excess. However, it quickly becomes clear that the interview is nothing like they expected. Who will survive the brutal waiting game that unfolds? To what lengths are the candidates willing to go to secure the job? And what secrets are they hiding from one another?</i>
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Let me deal with the obvious: This is a terrible book cover. If I saw this in a book store or it came up on one of my recommendation feeds, I'd chuckle and move on (fortunately, I don't look at the covers for submissions). And that's too bad, because Bruce has written a good story. But this cover does nothing to support the blurb or hint at the content within. Please, Mr. Bruce, check out <a href="http://thenewpodlerreviews.blogspot.com/p/get-cover.html">our list of book cover designers</a> and invest in your cover.
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Now onto the review.
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There are two threads running through this book: the narrative of the interview and backstory chapters. The chapters alternate. First we have Edgar's narrative of the interview as it happens, and then the next chapter details the backstory of the interviewee that was just eliminated. But only the reader is aware of these backstories; Edgar is ignorant, free to reflect on his insecurity and low self-esteem. Tension is low at first, but as the more timid interviewees give up and depart, people come to realize that their odds of winning have improved and tensions rise. The longer the interview carries on, the more desperate everyone becomes.
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One prize not mentioned in the blurb is that the winner of the interview will get to meet the "company alpha", Elise Villette, who has succeeded her recently deceased father as leader of the Frontline Corportation. Meeting Villette is more than just a formality; it becomes the goal of those involved.
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We learn through the first few character backstory chapters about the background of this city-state that Frontline controls. Initially, I felt that these chapters were a distraction from the interview narrative. But over time, as more interesting characters were eliminated, they revealed that more is going on in this city than plain vanilla oppression. A revolt is brewing, born from the ashes of a failed one years ago. But the old leaders have split into two factions. One believes that the security forces can be defeated if the seemingly omniscient leader of Frontline is assassinated.
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The other faction believes that peace is the answer. This faction is aware of an assassin but not his/her identity. The company already provides essential, albeit meager, services, and this infrastructure needs to be preserved. Villette just needs to change her tack from the oppressive stance of her father to benevolent leader. The peaceful faction attempts to contact interviewees to persuade them of the importance of their mission. They even try to get put their own people in place for the interview.
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While I only found a handful of typos, comma punctuation was lacking. The book needs a lot more commas. They were left out of dialogue the majority of the times. Too often a sentence like this: "Where are you going, Harry?" was written as "Where are you going Harry?" If that doesn't bother you, then ignore me.
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<i>The Interview</i> proves the adage that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I know people will, and that's a shame. This is a well-crafted story with an assortment of characters with hidden agendas. Whether their goal is to escape poverty or transform the city from the top, the stakes couldn't be higher for the twelve assembled. What starts out as a simple dystopia gradually evolves into an intriguing game of "guess the assassin." Just when I thought I had it figured out, Bruce surprised me. So if you think you've got this book figured out from the cover, you're in for a pleasant surprise.
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For more information about <i>The Interview</i>, please visit its page on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28195010-the-interview">Goodreads</a>.DEDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.com0