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​book reviews

Time Trap and Time trap 2  by Richard Smith

9/27/2021

101 Comments

 
Multi-volume author, Richard Smith introduces us to his MG stories of time travel, "Time Trap" and "Time Trap 2": 
Time Trap
Who was the mysterious Hector Lightfoot? What was he up to when he disappeared, and who were the two ghosts once seen in his house? School friends Jamie and Todd are destined to find out when they go to London to spend a weekend with Jamie's Uncle Simon, who now lives in that very house. Soon after they arrive, Jamie has a frightening encounter with the two ghosts. Hector, a veteran from the First Afghan War, joined a covert expedition to China, and afterwards worked on a secret Government project in an underground lab at the British Museum. He vanished suddenly, and was never heard from again. Simon takes the boys to the lab, where they find a strange contraption - which, unknown to any of them, is a time-travel device. When the building is struck by lightning, the device is energised, and sends the boys back in time to the year 1862. There, surrounded by danger and exposed to disease, they are sucked into a life of crime in order to survive. Only if they can find Hector will they have any chance of getting home again. But why has he gone into hiding? Who is the man after him and what does he want? As the boys struggle to escape back to their own time, Jamie becomes convinced that the two ghosts he saw earlier are following them...
Time Trap 2
​Jamie and Todd are horrified to learn that the Grand Plan, which they thought had been defeated, is about to be implemented in 1775, America. Hector and Catherine have to go back in time and thwart Travis - an agent of the Grand Plan - who is hell bent on world domination.

Jamie and Todd go with Hector and Catherine on a mission to 1775, to prevent a super gun from being used in the Battle of Bunker Hill, during the American War of Independence, but only have days to stop history from being altered.
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​Time Trap is a wonderful adventure story for middle grade children and above. The story clearly depicts how brutal life was in Victorian England if you didn’t have any money.
The author is smart by not explaining how the time travel mechanism actually works. We see it all from the perspective of the two teenage boys. They are unexpectedly thrust backwards in time and struggle to locate the people who might be able to help them return to their time.
I enjoyed the accents as portrayed by the people who live in Victorian England. The use of the environment as an important aspect of the experience the two boys had is quite good. The action is excellent and very important to the story.
I award 4.8 stars to Time Trap.
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​Time trap 2 is a fun extension of the story from Time Trap. Instead of Jamie and Todd being trapped in Victorian London, their scientist friends, Hector and Catherine, from that period appear in modern London. Hector and his wife are chasing another time traveler, Travis, who is seeking to further the goal of world domination by a shadowy organization. Travis has obtained an early model of the Gatling gun from the 1860s and is taking it to the American Colonies in the 1770s. If he is not stopped, Western History will be radically changed. 
More great writing in a very exciting story!
I give Time Trap 2 a score of 4.9 stars. 
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You can buy these books:
https://smile.amazon.com/Time-Trap-Richard-Smith-ebook
https://smile.amazon.com/Time-Trap-Two-Richard-Smith-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/book/-time-trap

You can follow Richard Smith:
https://twitter.com/RichardSmithTT
https://www.facebook.com/Time-Trap-1862-360641754046977/
http://www.timetrap.co.uk/ 

I promoted his first book here: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-darziods-stone

Copyright © 2021 Mark L Schultz except for the author's introductions 
101 Comments

Equilibrium by MK Schultz

9/11/2021

63 Comments

 
Multi-volume author, MK Schultz introduces us to his latest in his science fiction series, “Equilibrium”:
Experience Kassius Kanex like never before in the epic conclusion.

In anticipation of the arrival of an evil that could rob Kassius Kanex of his power, he must go off-grid, in search of the only hope there is to defeat it.

With the help of his larger-than-life, best friend Rock, the engineers, his faithful pod keepers, a secret-keeping crow and a time-travel-enabling octopus, Kassius Kanex must expand his organization to levels even he did not dream to be possible.

Can the world survive the evil long enough for Kassius to find the only thing powerful enough to stop it? The whole of humanity depends on one thing: EQUILIBRIUM.
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This has been an interesting and exciting journey in this series! The plots and subplots weave around each other quite well. Some of the events depicting the incarnate evil are somewhat horrific and bloody. Be warned.
This style of writing reminds me of the golden age of science fiction and brings back fond memories of some great stories.
The ending was very shocking also. I enjoyed the story a lot.
The ending leaves room for the series to continue, I hope it does. 

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You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Equilibrium-Kassius-Kanex-Book-3-ebook 
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/equilibrium-mk-schultz 
https://www.iuniverse.com/-equilibrium 

https://www.goodreads.com/-equilibrium 
 
You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/Makemali 
https://www.mkschultz.com 
https://www.instagram.com/mkschultzauthor 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/MK_Schultz 

I reviewed the first book here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/kassius-kanex-by-mk-schultz 
I reviewed the second book here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-fishing-trip-kassius-kanex-book-2-by-m-k-schultz 

Tags: science fiction, action, adventure, time travel, suspense, dystopian

Copyright © 2021 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction
63 Comments

SWAN LESSONS: A Bereaved Mother's Story of Courage and Discovery By Joyce A. Harvey

9/4/2021

50 Comments

 
Debut author, Joyce A. Harvey introduces us to her memoir about the loss of her daughter, “Swan Lessons”:
Swan Lessons: A Bereaved Mother’s Story of Courage and Discovery by Joyce A. Harvey is an account of military harassment, a series of poor decisions, and the desperate suicide of a young Lance Corporal. It describes the daunting challenge of a bereaved mother attempting to proceed with a public career in the midst of profound grief. It is also an amazing story of ongoing communication with the spirit of her daughter Jennifer, through dreams, signs, and spiritual mediums, including George Anderson. The author tackles tough subjects such as whether to pursue a wrongful death suit with the military. She also takes on clichés that are typically said to the grief-stricken and helps readers understand why they are better left unsaid. She shares dreams where she was “warned” that she might lose Jennifer and dreams in which Jennifer “visits” following her death. Ms. Harvey tells readers early in the book about her association of Jennifer’s death with the song “Vincent,” which refers to Vincent van Gogh’s suicide. Could the seemingly “coincidental” appearances of the song and references to Van Gogh be vehicles Jennifer uses to communicate with her mother from the afterlife? There are individual books on grief, suicide, dream work, after-death communication, spirituality, and abuse of power in the military. However, the author hasn’t found any examples written by a bereaved parent that combine all of these subjects into one book, as Swan Lessons does, helping readers to put it all together. As the book winds its way through the canyons of grief, it offers glimpses of hope, moments of utter astonishment, and examples of courage. The author skillfully weaves journal entries, as well as letters to and from Jennifer, to tell the story of a mother-daughter bond even death cannot sever.

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A powerful and well-written book!
Though she describes it quite well, I find it very hard to imagine the grief that Joyce experienced. Isn’t that one of a parent’s worst nightmares? We, as parents, expect to pass on before our children. It seems the ordinary order of events. I have no reservation, in my mind, her pain was far worse than what she described.
What she discovered after her daughter’s death is very fascinating. The communications from across the divide were extraordinary!
I appreciate that she shared the good and the bad support she received from different people. Her extended family really stepped up to the plate.
I award 4.9 stars to “Swan Lessons”.

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You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/swan-lessons-a-bereaved-mothers-story-of-courage-and-discovery
https://www.amazon.com/SWAN-LESSONS-Bereaved-Mothers-Discovery-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-swan-lessons
 
You can follow the author:
https://joyceanneharvey.com
https://www.facebook.com/joyceanneharvey
grief, bereavement, death, heaven, Catholic church, suicide, dreams, signs, workplace abuse, military, marines
Copyright © 2021 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

50 Comments

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