It was clear from the first sentence of this book that the author knows what he's doing. Super Nobody grabs your attention straight away and holds you there in a fast moving action packed story about super villains, superheroes and a not-super reluctant teenage hero. There's a few YA superhero books about, but this one has a particularly real central character who isn't so super and not such a hero, at least to begin with. The story begins with Michael being bullied. It seems a normal enough situation, but things soon start turning very strange. Kids are turning into Actives, the name for super beings, and soon everything goes pear-shape. Michael may be a nobody, but he's just the kind of nobody the town needs to save it from a madman, or is he? If plan A fails, there's no plan B. Mr Meske doesn't just deliver a great action story, he delivers on the characterisation as well. Michael, Charlotte and his mother are very real people, and Michael grows through his experiences as … [Read more...]
A beautifully crafted, unique and powerful YA story: ‘Western Desert’ by P.J Sharon
Western Desert is the second in the Chronicles of Lily Carmichael by P.J Sharon and it’s as excellent as the first (See my review of it here). This dystopian/post-apocalyptic series should be as popular as the Hunger Games; it really is one of the best YA dystopian books around. The only reason it isn’t on everyone’s lips and on everyone’s Kindles is because as an indie author, P.J Sharon does not have the backing of a big publisher, and that’s all the more reason why you should read this book and shout about it far and wide. It’s beautifully crafted, well-polished and a unique and powerful story. Books like this make liars of those who say that indie books are of lesser quality. This is far better than many mainstream books I’ve read. The human race has pretty much stuffed the planet in Lily Carmichael’s world. Radiation is so high that you have to stay inside in the middle of the day and the level is climbing, extreme storms wreck havoc and a virus has wiped out a large number of … [Read more...]
Memoirs of a strip tease artist: ‘Celestial Bodies in Orbit’ by Eve Littlepage
The two must important things when writing a true story are that the story is interesting, and that the writer tells it in an interesting way. This is undoubtedly an interesting story, but unfortunately, it is not told in an interesting way, as least for me. Eve's life includes abuse, strip tease and drugs, all juicy stuff, and if you are happy to hear the memoirs of a strip tease artist as if you're listening to the main character tell their story in a formal interview, then the book will be perfectly fine for you. The characters come across clearly and I felt I had a real sense of what made Eve tick. The friendly, respectful atmosphere in the interview gave the book a kind of cosy feel that I think would help people who may have difficulty with the material to see it in the same matter-of-fact way as Eve does as she tells her tale. Eve says that she doesn't tell people that she is a stripper, not because she is ashamed of it, but because people have preconceptions about … [Read more...]
Top science fiction with a light touch: ‘Have Wormhole, Will Travel’ by Tony McFadden
Mr McFadden knows how to tell a jolly good story, and he does it with skill and a light touch that is most refreshing. Have Wormhole, Will Travel is the story of two aliens stationed on earth to make sure that we don't develop the scientific expertise to travel to their planet and cause a problem. Callum and Jason have been here for two hundred years and were responsible for discrediting the cold fusion experiments to prevent humans going down that path. Since then, every time they've popped home via wormhole, they have nothing to tell. The humans are plodding along at a slow pace, nothing to worry about - until Callum discovers that Sam, a research scientist and tutor at Sydney University, has discovered the same technology as they use to skip back to their planet. Okay, the alien bosses say, time to evacuate, we have to blast earth with gamma radiation, burn everyone to a crisp and set life on the planet back a billion years. Jason gets ready to depart, but Callum likes Manly beach … [Read more...]
A charming autobiographical travel story: ‘Rupee Millionaires’ by Frank Kusy
Rupee Millionaires is a charming autobiographical travel story about a young man who visits India and finds not enlightenment but business. The book chronicles the rise and fall of his Indian rag and trinket trade and gives us an up close and personal look at Indian taxi drivers, merchants, hotel managers and a cast of other delightful characters, including an English customs inspector. The villain in the story is Frank’s business partner, Spud, a rough character who took to bullying customers. He was the power behind their initial success then, due to drug use, became a liability to the business and finally a danger to Frank. There is no doubt that these are real people, not because it’s a true story, but because Kusy draws them so well. The style is chatty, as if you’re sitting down with Frank while he tells his story over a drink in one of the café’s that populate the story. Kusy has a way of being able to bring you into the world of his characters, so you can almost feel the heat … [Read more...]
Acid tripping metaphysical fiction: ‘Season of the Serpent’ by David Nova
Season of the Serpent is pretty much an acid trip. It starts reasonably normal and quite slowly as the author builds up Paul's character. He's just an ordinary guy going off to college, meeting another guy called Eric who turns out to be the Serpent and who tempts him into drugs. The story takes place during the cold war and details Paul's transformation from naive freshman to someone with a vastly different view of the universe. The marijuana expands his perception and awakens latent abilities nurtured by forgotten extra-terrestrial visitations throughout his life. These otherworld beings have plans for him. The story is written from the point of view of an omniscient narrator, and between the chapters of Paul's exploits the narrator explains the truth about flying saucers, the politics behind the cold war and outlays a vision of a multi-universe. These sections are interesting if you're interested in the subject matter, but if you aren't, they may not hold your attention. As the … [Read more...]
High action mystical fantasy quest: Nephilum Awakening by Henry R. Yarghn Jr
Nephilum Awakening is a kind of mystical fantasy quest full of action, exotic temples, awesome superpowers and a budding romance. Kiran's father is kidnapped and the ransom is to find and deliver three special blades that form the key to the prison that holds the Nephilum's Fathers. Releasing them is supposed to bring whoever opens it ultimate power, others say it will bring death and destruction. The reader has to read to find out which it will be. Kiran is a Nephilim, only she doesn't know it until now when the Nephilim spirit in her begins to awaken. The plot has a couple of layers, the characters and their lives as they are in this world, and their Nephilum aspect as they existed in other bodies in the past. At first, Kiran sets out to do as she's told, but along the way, she begins to remember the past and her relationship with the other two Nephilum who are out to get her. As she learns more, the stakes increase and the story becomes more complex. Kiran, an old friend and an … [Read more...]
A rare book I can’t fault: Waning Moon by P.J Sharon: YA Dystopian.
Waning Moon is simply excellent, a rare book that I can't fault. It's set in the future in a small town outside of Albany after a virus has killed a large part of the earth's population. The cities are run by a Dystopian government. If you stay in the town, you get fed, clothed and have access to medical care, but you do what the governments wants. Those who live outside the cities choose freedom over security. Lily, her brother and her uncle, Sam, live well camouflaged in the forest. They have to stay away from the authorities because Lily and her little brother have genetic modifications that make them very useful to the authorities. Lily can heal and her brother can kill with a touch - or two, or three. Those living outside the cities have to occasionally travel to markets inside the city to trade for the things they can't provide for themselves and the story begins with Lily preparing to take such a trip. A few days before she is about to leave, she finds another teen fallen in … [Read more...]
Truly excellent science fiction: Paw-Prints of the Gods by Steph Bennion
Paw Prints of the Gods is truly excellent science fiction. The author has not only created a unique and riveting tale, but has also set it in a seamless future world complete in all its details. The scientific details of this world are impressive, at least to me. Ravana, who I first met in Hollow Moon, book one in this series, has gone missing, and when her father finds out, he gathers his team around him, makes hasty repairs to his old ship and flies off to find her. Meanwhile, she escapes captivity and meets a woman who agrees to help her get back to the archaeological dig she'd been working on. The planet she's on is a little like Dune and is populated in one area with giant spiders, other than that, there's just the archaeologist's dig and an abandoned scientific research centre, both under plastic domes to protect from the toxic atmosphere. The archaeologists have uncovered something that looks like an alien temple, and a shady religious sect wants to take control of it. They … [Read more...]
A real gem: Dark Night of the Soul by E.M. Havens: metaphysical fiction
Dark Night of the Soul is a real gem. E.M Haven has used magical realism to examine suicide and the issues that surround it, and like all the very best indies, it's a completely unique voice that explores its theme in a brave new way. Seventeen year old Jayden commits suicide and finds herself in a kind of purgatory where teams of people who have committed suicide protect other suicidal souls from the demons that whisper in their ears and incite them to suicide. Life in this purgatory is a series of battles, if they defeat the demons, the person lives, if they lose, the person succeeds in their quest for death and their soul joins the team. When a new member arrives, the Judgement- a kind of sparkly storm cloud- comes for another. If it's you it comes for, you'll meet a statue of yourself and you can either submit to the judgement or fight to keep the demons off your statue/soul. If the judgment takes you, you'll either move on to the next realm, or you'll go back to your life. It's a … [Read more...]
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