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book reviews |
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Multi-volume author, Erinn Price, introduces us to the second volume in her series, Fight of the Gnomes: The gnomes aren't out of the woods yet. Just when they think things are going well, the game AIs go and change everything. In a race against time, Yllo and her friends need to find all the races’ artifacts to safeguard their Kingdom. The stakes are higher in her real life and her virtual one. They make new friends and enemies, as they narrow in on the person behind the gnomes’ problems.  I am a newbie or noob, this is the first book I have read in the RPG literature genre. I didn’t even know there was a type of book like this. I confess to never having played a role-playing game also. I remember when Dungeons and Dragons came out, it sounded interesting and complicated. I enjoyed reading this book, it gave me some insight into the world of role-playing games. The adventure was exciting, the plot kept me guessing. The settings, characterizations, and dialog all contributed to an excellent story. The mixture of sci-fi and fantasy was very appealing to me. The touch of steampunk was like icing on the cake. All in all, it was fun to read. I award 3.8 stars to Fight of the Gnomes.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/fight-of-the-gnomes https://www.goodreads.com/fight-of-the-gnomes-arcon-book-2-litrpg You can follow Erinn Price: https://twitter.com/ErinnPr33359311 https://www.facebook.com/ErinnPriceAuthor https://www.amazon.com/Erinn-Price https://erinnprice.com erinn.price@yahoo.com Tags: YA, mature MG, AI Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction
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Multi-volume author, Patricia Earnest Suter introduces us to her book about a real monster in America: The year 2018 will herald the 200th anniversary of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The timing seems right for the story of a real monster. German-born immigrant Anton Probst arrived in New York in 1863. Within two hours of his arrival he enlisted in the Union Army. During the American Civil War, Probst bore witness to mankind's brutality. Afterwards, he became an inmate at the disreputable Blockley Almshouse in Philadelphia. Frankenstein was first conceived by Shelley in 1816. Her monster was an embodiment of abandonment and loneliness, feelings Shelley shared. In despair, the creature resorted to violence. Fifty years after Frankenstein's conception, Anton Probst adopted characteristics of Shelley's monstrous creation. He became Philadelphia's first mass-murderer when he slaughtered members of the Christopher Dearing family. After his death, Probst's story continued. The creature that he had become left a deep impression on the people of Philadelphia and New York. Researchers used Anton Probst's body to show the effects of galvanization, the same means by which Frankenstein's monster stirred to life. Incredibly, similarities surface between Shelley and her circle, her monster, and events that transpired when the blood of innocents was shed an ocean away. One defining difference is present. Unlike Shelley's creature, the story of America's monster is very real.  I read Mary Shelley’s book, “Frankenstein”, about 5 years ago and I really enjoyed it, far more than the movies, with the possible exception of "Young Frankenstein" by Mel Brooks. So, I was quite interested in reading Patricia Earnest Suter’s book, thinking it was another novel. I was pleasantly surprised to realize my assumption was wrong, this book is a comparison of the nameless monster created by Dr. Frankenstein and a German-immigrant mass-murderer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after the Civil War. Even though the subject matter is quite grisly, leading up to the brutal death of a family, the writing is superb. Patricia has done an amazing amount of research and has woven a wonderful mix of reality and fiction, drawing staggering parallels between the two. I love knowing details and backstory behind significant events, and Patricia delivers a huge portion for all aspects of the major characters and driving forces. Patricia kept my attention the entire time, she moved the narrative along at a good pace and the focus never waned. There is also an extensive section of notes and source material, for those who wish to really dig in. I award 4.8 stars to The Face of a Monster: America’s Frankenstein!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Face-of-a-Monster-Americas-Frankenstein-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/the-face-of-a-monster-America's-Frankenstein https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-face-of-a-monster-patricia-earnest-suter You can follow Patricia Earnest Suter: https://twitter.com/TrishSuter https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-earnest-suter https://www.facebook.com/patricia.suter.925 https://www.instagram.com/patriciaearnestsuter https://www.goodreads.com/author/Patricia_Earnest_Suter Tags: Murder, true crime, trial procedures, police procedures, mayhem, 19th century, immigrant, immigration Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume author, Lars D. H. Hedbor, introduces us to the 9th volume in his series about the fictional history of America before the revolutionary war: What Does Liberty Mean for a Freedman? Calabar was brought from Africa to North-Carolina as a boy and sold on the docks as chattel property to a plantation owner. On the plantation, he learned the intricacies of indigo production, fell in love, and started a family. Abruptly released from bondage, he must find his way in a society that has no place for him, but which is itself struggling with the threat of British domination. Reeling from personal griefs, and drawn into the chaos of the Revolution, Calabar knows that the wrong moves could cost him his freedom—and that of the nation. The Freedman is Hedbor’s standalone novel set in North-Carolina from his Tales From a Revolution Series, in which he examines the American War of Independence as it unfolded in each of the colonies. If you like enthralling stories of familiar events from unfamiliar viewpoints, you’ll love The Freedman. Grab your copy of The Freedman today, and experience the American Revolution as a personal journey of discovery.  This historical-fiction story was so good! Lars must have done an amazing amount of research. I think he has done a marvelous job of capturing the milieu of slaves, freedmen, and residents of North Carolina in the days before the American Revolutionary War. His scene-setting, plotting, and descriptions come across quite authentic. Dialog and action keep the story moving along perfectly. We are brought into the life of a slave turned freedman in a first-rate fashion. His struggles, hopes, and fears are eloquently portrayed. The incidents of racism and discrimination Calabar experiences at the hands of white and black are far more than entertainment. They are a reminder of how inhumane one person can be to another even to this day. I award 4.6 stars to The Freedman: Tales From a Revolution - North-Carolina.  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Freedman-Tales-Revolution-North-Carolina-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/the-freedman https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-freedman You can follow Lars: https://twitter.com/LarsDHHedbor http://larsdhhedbor.com http://facebook.com/LarsD.H.Hedbor https://www.pinterest.com/larsdhhedbor Tags: African, Africa, sailing ships, tea, Boston, patriots Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introduction Multi-volume, multi-genre author Keith Jahans introduces us to his thoughtful crime thriller Magic Bullets: Can there be a magic bullet? The quest for a magic bullet is to find a drug which can cure disease and do no harm. Microbiologist Adam Knight finds that the new antibiotic, Floracillin, he has discovered can cause cancer. He falls in love with a young talented singer, the daughter of the head of a pharmaceutical company who wants to acquire the commercial rights to Floracillin. But he becomes responsible for other bullets. Those that come from Kalashnikov automatic rifles and can shatter lives.  Keith has taken a rather cerebral approach to the average crime thriller and made something quite special. Providing very detailed scene-setting, the pace of the story is not very frenetic. The dialog is plentiful, and actions are described in detail. The plot keeps twisting and turning, the protagonist, Adam Knight, is not the only one trying to figure out who is messing with his life. Adam does a fair amount of traveling and those scenes are captured very nicely as well. Amazon has it listed as a medical mystery, but that is really a minor thread in the overall fabric of the story. Adam appears to be surrounded by conspiracy of unknown dimensions and spends much of his time unraveling the many mysteries holding him back. It becomes very difficult to tell who is friend and who is foe. I enjoyed this story but was interrupted by dozens of spelling errors. They should all be fixed now, providing a smoother read for you, the next reader. I give Magic Bullets 3.7 stars. Make no mistake, this is a good story!  You can buy this book:
http://peatmore.com/magicbullets.htm https://www.amazon.com/magic-bullets https://www.goodreads.com/book/magic-bullets https://www.amazon.co.uk/magic-bullets You can follow Keith Jahans: http://twitter.com/keithjahans http://peatmore.com Tags: thriller, mystery, England, Spain, murder, biology, medical research, medicine Copyright © 2018 Mark L Schultz 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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