Thursday, March 28, 2019
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Monday, March 25, 2019
Review: Progeny's Promise by Kenneth Wick
Progeny's Promise, The Apocalypse Revelation by Kenneth WickMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book tells a profound story. We have damaged and continue to damage our planet; Earth is alive and knows this; humankind can be benevolent; humankind is greedy and prefers to take by force. Every war enacted leads to our home’s destruction, until it reaches tipping point and salvation is no longer there. Every time oil is sucked from the bowels, industry hastens disaster.
Some of this I found hard to read; the military specs had me kinda cross-eyed, but the story kept me riveted throughout. How not? A galaxy steward comes to Earth, because our world sent a cry for aid. His duty is to save Earth, but his duty also is to save Earth’s children. Literally, save the CHILDREN. The warmongers and religious freaks deny the state of the planet and see all of it as an opportunity to take control, and if control means nuking folk, so be it. While they squabble, Earth fights to stay alive.
Progeny’s Promise is fast-paced and speaks well to the motivations of those who are greedy and those who wish to see a future for our children. Battles in space and on land are stupendous, and the ‘aliens’ possess awesome tech and are able to do things that astound everyone. It’s also saddening. So sad. How dare we do this to our world?
A great read. Definitely deserves 5 stars!
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Review: Shakyamuni's Pearl by Ken Fry
Shakyamuni's Pearl: A Thriller by Ken FryMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have now read a fair number of Ken Fry’s thrillers, and this one is another WOW. I did find this thrilling adventure different from the others and it has to do with the setting and the history and culture, I believe. Set in Japan, where a giant pearl that looks like Buddha was lost centuries ago, this is an intriguing read. For one, I found the tale of the ama (women divers) interesting, and needed to know more about them. Also, the desire for a return to the old ways by the antagonists (Flaming Flag and yakuza) had me quite breathless – seriously cruel and uncaring in how they will achieve it.
So, there’s a legend about a giant pearl and everyone wants it, and will kill to own it. The action moves seamlessly from land to sea, including underwater, and the race is on to find it. Add in giant squid, HUNGRY squid, and this is an adventure of note. Like with all Mr Fry’s novels, I end up seeing the movie as I read it, for a great movie this one will make!
Highly recommended to readers who love a good thriller and a grand adventure. This is a treasure hunt of note!
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Saturday, March 23, 2019
Friday, March 22, 2019
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Ancient Illumination Audio Book
Now in production! Ancient Illumination, already translated into multiple languages, will soon be available as an audio book as well, narrated by Kitty Briggs.
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Friday, March 15, 2019
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Lore's Reading Order
Here's the full reading order for all LORE books, including the short story extras 
Lore of Arcana
Arcana shorts:
Lore of Reaume
Reaume shorts:
Lore of Sanctum
Sanctum short:
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Review: Kei's Gift by Ann Somerville
Kei's Gift by Ann SomervilleMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a long book (just how I like them!) but well worth it. I enjoyed the setting, the premise, the characters, and every dilemma, whether of war or love. The emotional turmoil between Kei and Arman is simply riveting, and I spent days reading this and ignoring other tasks ... because I had to know how it works out between these two. Highly recommended!
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Monday, March 11, 2019
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Friday, March 8, 2019
Avior's Doors
Just released, the final short story from the Lore series!
An ancient people uncover an even older door buried in an
obscure place. This mystery leads to strange truths regarding magic and maths
... and a host of doors.
A time comes when Avior faces annihilation. To save the
future, they use what they learned of doors to create a truly special one. This
door leads to a shadowy place, but the future requires those shadows.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
The inadvertent double!
Okay, so there's this:
A while ago Mrs Cat bumped a glass of red wine over onto my laptop and there it went, all functionality. My fault, should never have had the glass nearby! Anyway, long story short, the ease of access keyboard on screen drove me insane (this isn't a touch screen laptop) whle I waited for a new keyboard to arrive. It did, and everything works again ... except ...
... periodically when I press a key I end wiith double the result -- yeah, see, it happened for 'with' right here! I don't always realise it's happened and click publish, only to come back later and slap hands over my face, mortified. So, head's up; when you see the inadvertent double, just grin and accept it! Chances are I'll correct it on the next pass!!!
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Review: FIRE by Aiki Flinthart
FIRE by Aiki FlinthartMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This, the second book in the Kalima series, completely delivers on the promise of more to come at the end of IRON. When Alere’s twin (and Rohne) is kidnapped by slavers, the chase is on to rescue them. But so much awaits the team (Alere, Kett, Corin and Gavon) when they arrive in the slaver’s domain, even a gladiator type event (which I read with bated breath, fingers crossed).
I love this world where language is mixed, where technology has surrendered to older ways (but hasn’t been forgotten) and where the most interesting Houses of both trades and talents play a huge role. The fighting styles are amazing too! Add to that strange creatures in both water and air, and on land, and every step is an adventure in discovery.
FIRE is definitely about fire; the fire of the chase, the fire of emotions and the fire of standing up against terrible authority. Well worth reading, but do read IRON first, not because you won’t ‘get’ what happens here – because this is an excellent series and you simply must read all of it!
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Monday, March 4, 2019
Review: Gears of Uriel by Jeffrey Blackmer
Gears of Uriel by Jeffrey BlackmerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The marriage of history, religion and mythology in Gears of Uriel is, simply put, outstanding. If you enjoy reading about Greek and Roman times, then this will certainly grab your attention. If you like to delve into the errors inherent in religion and how they potentially came about, then this is a must read. And, if you enjoy tales of angels and gods and goddesses, then look no further.
I sound a bit like a sales person, but the truth is that Gears of Uriel is a multi-layered story and will therefore appeal to a varied readership. If, however, you enjoy ALL these layers, I cannot recommend it more!
A man is given a task to create a gadget – gears – and then asked to guard it, to pass it along in his family through time, so that the future will know the ancient world was very aware that our planet revolved around the sun, and wasn’t in fact the centre as scholars and theologians would have everyone believe then. This secret is a burden of truth and the guardians often find themselves in desperate situations.
Mr Blackmer delivers a wonderful narrative, both clever and imaginative. This is well-researched and also filled with emotion – as a reader, I identified with every guardian of these gears! More than all of the above, though, is the thread of light and love weaved into the whole. Whether or not you believe the story, the inspiration light and love brings to the fore is worth every word read.
This is the first book in the Luminous Bridges series and it truly is excellent. The second – Tyrian – is as brilliant. If you haven’t yet read Mr Blackmer’s work, I suggest you do. His work is both thought-provoking and epic in scope.
Highly recommended. Gears of Uriel deserves 5 stars indeed.
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Sunday, March 3, 2019
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Friday, March 1, 2019
Review: The Dead Undone by Ellie Douglas
The Dead Undone by Ellie DouglasMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Through twisted terror and horrible horror when guts spilled and body parts flew my stomach churned, but did I put this down? Uh-uh! This is my first foray into yucky zombie turf and I alternated between grimacing over the dead and cheering the living on. That, in my book, means this a good read. Also, the movie version kept playing – this will make a horror of note!
The premise for the infected, when it comes to light, makes twisted sense, so it didn’t feel over-the-top fantastical, more a what if and a maybe scenario when scientists mess around with stuff they shouldn’t be dealing in. I like that; it’s believable.
Definitely recommend that horror/zombie fans read The Dead Undone!
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