Hello Good people,
I hope this finds you well and that you had (as Bill and Ted would say) a most excellent Christmas. If you were really good and fortunate you got a book from Santa. Unfortunately, I must have been on the naughty list, no books for me ☹
I ate too many mince pies and had enough chocolate to fill a shoebox. I binged Squid Games and watched ‘The Holiday’ for the first time and I confess, it was pretty good. I balanced that out by watching ‘Zombieland Doubletap’ straight afterwards which I also recommend. I think next year I might try ‘Love Actually’, another Christmas classic which I have never seen. I must admit here, that my idea of settling in to watch a movie at Christmas usually consists of putting on Lord Of The Rings or something non Christmassy. Maybe I am mellowing.
Still, it’s over now for another year and 2025 is upon us. Here’s hoping for a joyful and prosperous year for all of us.
RECENT BOOKS I HAVEN’T REVIEWED.
Okay, I admit the above banner needs a bit of work, it is not all that catchy.
So I have been finishing installing a new downstairs toilet and basin, tiling etc, etc (that’s what happens when you’re married, you get jobs left and right) so I have not had much time on my hands to write many book review’s though I have posted ratings on Amazon and Goodreads.
Below is a list of books I have read but not reviewed along with a brief summary and my rating. You know the drill, click on the pic or link if any catch your eye and give them a try.
Saint Justice by Mike Grist – 4/5 Stars (Adult) An action Thriller in the mould of Jack Reacher. You know the drill, ex-CIA black ops, anti-establishment kickass guy with a strict honour code who has the obligatory colourful back story. It starts well, our protagonist Chris Wren is betrayed by his own in a drugs meet with a cartel. He exacts bloody and brutal revenge and that is just chapter One. The story is fun and non-stop action but I must confess I had to suspend my credulity more and more as the story unfolded. I mean, it got so implausibly big so quick. It’s like Hollywood got hold of the second half of the script and added lots of bangs and explosions. Not sure I will continue with the next book, I have a dozen Reacher books to read yet that will do it better.
The System Apocalypse Books 1-3: The Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG Fantasy Series (The System Apocalypse Omnibus Book 1) by Tao Wong – 5/5 Stars (Adult). Good Lord that is a chunky title. The winner of ‘How many times can you get apocalypse in your book title’ goes to Tao Wong. Title aside I thoroughly enjoyed this 3 book release. It is great value and an even better read. It is the fairly standard ‘world-gets-taken-over-by-technologically-advanced-aliens’ trope. Yawn. However, that aside it is a fun and brutal read. John (nice and simple) is camping out in the wild when the world as he knows it ends. Where he is, has suddenly become a high-danger zone of monster manifestations and he’ll be lucky to survive (Spoiler alert – he does). The story exceeded my expectations, it was well-written, the characters nuanced and engaging and the fight scenes intense. Give it a go – it is a whole lot of fun.
Unnatural Laws (The Whispering Crystals: A LitRPG Series Book 1) by H.C. Mills – 4/5 Stars (Adult, YA). I know, I know, another LitRPG but this one is pretty decent. The protagonist is female (which is a nice change from most) called Emma and the system is very well constructed and thought out. Emma and the other players are not OP (overpowered, come on keep up nerds) and it is a real struggle. I also read the second book ‘Unusual Enemies’ and rate it similarly. Emma is fun, wisecracking and a bit of a masochist truth be told. Well written and executed and overall very enjoyable but it just missed the mark for me for a 5-star.
He Who Fights Monsters 10 by Shirtaloon – 5/5 Stars (Adult) – Just catching up on a series I love. It is awesome although each book gets a little darker and grimmer. I appreciate the physiological toll it takes on Jason. The mental anguish as well as physical ordeals he goes through. Great characters, and great depth. Read Book 1 if you haven’t already.
MY BOOK OF THE YEAR
It feels like slim pickings this year. I can’t say there have been any out-and-out standouts vying for my arbitrary and ultimately pointless title of book of the year. I’m not even going to bother to tease you with a top 3. So I will get straight to it.
My Book of the Year Winner is…
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. 5/5 Stars. Good fun silliness, fun story, exciting and often gory action and different. Oh, and it has a talking cat called Princess Donut (As funny as that sounds trust me, it is not a Terry Pratchett esc humourist book but it has plenty of fun moments in it that will make you laugh). Check out my full review.
THE MORHUDRIM CYCLE
I am deep into writing book four Chaos Reign.
Book one Rivers Run Red is getting a re-edit – nothing major just a bit of fine-tuning.
There is not much else to report really. I hope to pick up my writing pace now the ‘toilet project’ is finished. I have not done much marketing (any) or promotion (any) other than on my website, facebook author page and X. If you love my books then please help spread the love by telling your mates or even people at the bus stop!
As ever, thank you for your support. I appreciate it. Cheers and may you have a great year!
A D Green
A D Green 
You’ve never watched Love Actually?!!
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Nope, the odd snip-it of a scene but I haven’t a scoobies what it is about.
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