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book reviews |
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Debut author, M. K. Schultz, introduces us to his first science fiction novel, Kassius Kanex: Kassius Kanex loves his home and family but hates his job and wants to quit. A chance meeting with strange men looking for directions inspires a change in Kass. He is led down a new path that not only rescues him from his perceived career imprisonment, but also leads to the fulfillment of his destiny. When his family becomes endangered by his new life, Kass’s full identity is revealed. His truth previously existed dormant inside of him, but Kass is now awakened. Following a visit to three doors of mystery, his true essence is discovered and a choice is made. Danger and suspense build as more truths come to light, and Kass wonders if things will turn out better or worse. He still hides one secret, though, and its admission will change everything.
I enjoyed this story of how a man’s life changes in mysterious ways, due to his acceptance of external demands. Watching him muddle through his life, wanting nothing more than to be able to provide for his family that he loves so much, the tension builds ever so slowly. The author (no relation to me) is quite good at allowing the plot to create the pressure of waiting for the other shoe to drop. The characters vary in depth, but they all bring something to the table. The scene-setting is good and contributes to the story as it should. Dialogue is very ordinary and that is part of the genius of the writing, it lulls you into a false sense of security before springing a surprise. I am not going to divulge anymore, because I refuse to reveal spoilers. I enjoyed it a lot. This first novel from Mr. Schultz is impressive in a quiet way. I award a score of 4.5 stars.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Kassius-Kanex-Novel-MK-Schultz-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-kassius-kanex https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kassius-kanex-mk-schultz You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/Makemali https://sites.google.com/view/mk-schultz/home I have reviewed the second book in the series: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-fishing-trip-kassius-kanex-book-2-by-m-k-schultz I have reviewed the third book in the series: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/equilibrium Tags: adventure, science fiction, paranormal, family life, office work, travel, suspense Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction
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Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Arthur Rosch, introduces us to his exciting meta-physical, sci-fi novel “The Gods of The Gift”: Collectors are passionate about the things they collect. There is a legend about a collection that has lit a frenzy among the richest of the rich. Emperors of galactic civilizations seek out pieces of this collection. Princes, merchants, interplanetary drug lords all vie for possession of the notorious Puzzle Pieces of The Poly Planar Communion. What are these things? Why are they so valuable that millions of counterfeits float among the stars? The novel's hero, Garuvel Zimrin, is a wandering seeker after spiritual wisdom. He is on the world R'zelfo when he stumbles upon an unusual duel. The combatants banter as they fight. Garuvel doesn't understand what they're talking about. He listens patiently. He hears hints of an ancient conflict, of murder, genocide and planetary destruction. Mention of "Puzzle Pieces" is made. The enemies talk about "Planet-People", implying that they, themselves, are such beings. Their worlds have been doomed. The orbits of their home stars have been somehow altered. In a million years, perhaps less, they will be sucked into the galaxy's black hole. How can they emigrate? How to transfer billions of people to viable star systems? A solution is devised: each world's population will merge themselves into a single being. They will become Planet-People. The peoples of one hundred eight worlds will transform themselves into one hundred eight avatars. Garuvel has chanced upon a pivotal drama in the story behind the legends of The Poly Planar Communion. Each avatar carries its planet's cultural essence in an object. These objects are the Puzzle Pieces. Each piece is a fragment of The Puzzle Of The Endless Gates. The duelists are named Nutun Utulo and Boraz Bufaisdek. In reality they are the Planet-People Melolos and Calakadon. The duel is a trap. Calakadon will cheat and murder Melolos. He will take the Puzzle Piece of Melolos and add it to his collection. His ultimate purpose is to prevent the Puzzle Pieces from being assembled into their whole, their solution. Something special will happen when the Puzzle is solved. Calakadon does not want the puzzle to be completed. He is the criminal who is responsible for sending the stars of the Communion spinning into the Black Cauldron. He is enraged that Planet-People emerged as a way to continue the quest to solve The Puzzle Of The Endless Gates. Now he must murder them again! He will take their Puzzle Pieces and sell them to greedy collectors. He has already thrown several pieces into the Cesspit of Hellbore. The Puzzle will never be solved! The deepest mystery of Cosmic Physics will never be understood.  This adventure spanning the universe blew my mind! The scope of millions of years and jumping through trans-space among so many galaxies is beyond staggering. We follow several protagonists who actually are one and the same, but the name changes more than once. Same for the antagonist. There is lots of planet-hopping and an exploration of many different cultures in far-flung planets and times. I am astounded at how well it all ties together. The author has an incredible ability to keep the story moving through the constantly changing circumstances. I am very amazed at the plethora of names that filling the story, there are hundreds of names for plants, animals, worlds, languages, religions, well, I think you get the idea, as the story moves from planet to planet. The characters are so rich and well rounded, they struggle and fight, sometimes they win and sometimes they lose. Some of the dialogue made me laugh out loud. I award “The Gods of the Gift” a score of 4.8 stars. I enjoyed this story so very much!  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Gods-Gift-Ancient-Universe https://www.goodreads.com/-the-gods-of-the-gift https://www.smashwords.com/-the-gods-of-the-gift You can follow the author: Twitter: @artsrosch http://www.aroschbooks.com http://www.artrosch.com http://godsofthegift.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/roschbooks/ www.facebook.com/artrosch Tags: science fiction, action, adventure, fantasy, metaphysics, religion, swords, magic, physics, quantum mechanics Copyright © Mark L. Schultz 2019 except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume, multi-genre author Stewart Hoffman introduces us to his continuation of the Bug Boys saga: The fantastic superhero adventure that began with The Bug Boys continues! Alex Adams and Ian Harris take on Blake Blackhart, a disgraced Oxford professor. He discovers the boy’s source of power and plots to use the Secti’s alien technology to wreak havoc across the galaxy. With a proper real-life supervillain in the village, the boys must step up their superhero game if they are to put a stop to the professor’s nefarious schemes. Along the way, they make new friends, and they encounter new bugs and superpowers. With the fate of the galaxy in the balance, the boys dig deep within themselves to truly understand what it means to be a hero!  I enjoyed this story a great deal. More great writing and an expanded cast of characters. The little robots are really beginning to grow on me. I am pretty sure I don't want them growing in me, although it is an interesting thought. If you liked the first book, then you will love this one also. Stewart has nice terse writing; he wastes very few words. There is description enough for perfect scene-setting and the dialog is very funny at times and rather poignant at other moments. Some real-life issues are part of the story, without overwhelming it. I award The Bug Boys vs. Professor Blake Blackhart a score of 5 stars! I loved the story and hope there is more to come.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Bug-Boys-Professor-Blake-Blackhart-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-bug-boys-vs-professor-blake-blackhart https:/amazon.co.uk/the-bug-boys-vs-professor-blake-blackhart-stewart-hoffman You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/stewartfhoffman http://www.talkiegazette.com/books https://www.facebook.com/StewartFHoffman https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15583189.Stewart_Hoffman Tags: science fiction, sci-fi, MG, insects, entomology I have also reviewed the first book in this series "The Bug Boys" and interviewed the author under the review, here is the link: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-bug-boys-by-stewart-hoffman Copyright © Mark L Schultz 2019 except for the author’s introduction Multi-volume, multi-genre author Kyle Morrow, introduces us to her third volume in the Montana Romance series, Two Crow Omen: A Bryn Sheridan Montana Romance: Looking back— I blame Fate, that devious bitch; she never gives anyone a heads up, her ways mysterious. It was a Wednesday afternoon when I walked into Violet Two Bear Paw’s room, never dreaming I’d be stepping into the middle of a tribal war. Violet spat, ‘Goddamn dog-eaters.’ Her venom caught me off guard. I hesitated. Said, ‘What’d you say, Violet?’ ‘You deaf, Bryn?’ She glared. ‘That damn girl’s an Apache and so she’s a dog-eater.’ ‘You talking about Prita?’ ‘Who do ya think I’m talkin’ about, white woman?’ ‘Do you have something against Apaches?’ ‘The whole filthy tribe are dog-eaters from way back.’ I shook my head. ‘You’re kidding, right?’ ‘Makes ‘em no better than animals.’ ‘So you’re saying Prita eats dog?’ ‘No, Bryn. You stupid or what?’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘I’m saying those heathens bring trouble of the worst sort. Always have. Always will.’ I said, ‘And you’re blaming Prita for?’ Violet sighed. Looked exasperated. ‘You ignorant Twinkie. Prita’s Apache and so she’s bad luck.’ ‘If you say so.’ ‘You still don’t get it, do you?’ I shrugged. ‘Bryn, just look at the harm she’s done me. Can’t you see I’m uncomfortable as hell, having my leg up in traction like this?’ She did look uncomfortable with her leg pulled up in the air and was that why had she called me a Twinkie? didn’t sound like a term of endearment. Heck. What did I know. Violet had Blackfoot heritage and wouldn’t you think all Indian tribes stuck together? shoulda, woulda, coulda. And so Two Crow Omen begins, a Montana romance about people who live in Haywire, Montana with Native American myth and ritual.  I thoroughly enjoyed this story, once I became accustomed to the author’s unusual writing style. I actually found it refreshing and liked it quite a bit. I took my grammar-nerd hat off and shook my hair loose. On and off Indian reservations, this story is well written in first person POV, a type of writing that I love when it’s done right and the author didn’t let me down. Her scene-setting is excellent, the dialogue is so good I laughed out loud quite a number of times. The building of the characters was quite good, extending even to the horses. The story is so much fun, I give it a score of 4.8 stars.  You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Two-Crow-Omen-Sheridan-Montana-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40736180-two-crow-omen You can follow the author: https://twitter.com/kylemontana23 https://kylemontana.com https://www.facebook.com/kyle.morrow.397 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-morrow http://www.Amazon.com/author/kylemorrow https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/614150 Tags: action, adventure, horses, kidnapping, murder, Copyright © Mark L. Schultz 2019 except for the author’s introduction |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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