The Lazarus Chain by J.R. Baude. 407 pages. Amazon Services. As I get older and read more books–and let’s face it, write them as well–I get more and more particular about the books I read, and what I like. I’ve got a Kindle reader full of books that I started and never finished, as well … More Review: “The Lazarus Chain” by J. R. Baude
Stolen Shroud by Daniel Westlund. For the Win Publishing. 334 pages. I’ve said in this blog before that one of my biggest criticisms of Christian fiction is that writers either focus on the spiritual aspect without the story, or the story aspect and lose the spiritual aspect. It’s hard to do both effectively. I think … More Review: “Stolen Shroud” by Daniel Westlund
“No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” —Helmuth von Moltke the Elder I’m a lifelong fan of the Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. And for those who have followed the NFL for the past two decades, our team has seen better days. One of the comments I get used to hearing after a loss is: … More Great Ideas, Poorly Executed
Time Tunnel: The Twin Towers by Richard Todd. New Orange Media. 308 pages. This was a book that I received free from Goodreads in a giveaway. I got it the same time that I received several other books, was writing my own book, and was busy teaching classes. So it promptly got put on the … More Review: “Time Tunnel: The Twin Towers” by Richard Todd
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. Tor Books. 372 pages. John Scalzi is a very good writer. I thoroughly enjoyed his award-winning and bestselling book Old Man’s War, which really put his name on the map as far as science fiction writers. This book, The Collapsing Empire, is an example of a book that was … More Review: “The Collapsing Empire” by John Scalzi
Deliverance: Forgotten Colony Book 1 by M. R. Forbes. 350 pages. Amazon Digital Services. Once in a while I treat myself to my guilty pleasure of military science fiction for some brainless fun. That’s especially special when the book is offered free of charge, as was the case for Deliverance, courtesy of Amazon Prime. It’s … More Review: “Deliverance” by M.R. Forbes
The Young World by Chris Weitz. Little, Brown and Company. 373 pages. I’ve learned–and I’ve tried to teach my students–that there are significant differences between writing movie scripts and writing books. One might think that if you’re good at writing one, you’ll probably be good at writing the other as well. It’s not necessarily the … More Review: “The Young World” by Chris Weitz
The Final Day: A John Matherson Novel by William R. Forstchen. Forge Books. 480 pages. I am a big fan of William Forstchen as an author. He’s a history professor who writes science fiction and revisionist history with lots of Civil War bent. This is the third book in a series that starts with One … More Review: “The Final Day” by William R. Forstchen
One Year After: A John Matherson Novel by William R. Forstchen. Forge Books. 448 pages. As I mentioned in the last book review I posted here, I’ve been on a run of bad books lately, and had a hard time finding books that kept me interested. That’s lasted for a couple of months, and I … More Review: “One Year After” by William R. Forstchen
The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough. 480 pages. Del Rey Books. This book is pretty impressive for a debut novel. It’s polished and is very detailed. It’s also a unique idea. The concept of a space elevator or a skyhook, a stationary orbiting station that is hooked to earth and allows materials to be … More Review: “The Darwin Elevator” by Jason M. Hough
The Great Adventure 