Hello, everyone

It has been a while since I did a post or book review. On the latter, I have had two DNF’s on a fantasy and a Sci-fi book which did not warrant a review. They weren’t for me.

I am however reading T.C. Edge’s The Fetters of Fate – Book 4 in the Bladeborn Saga and the book is a bit of a beast in size and a monster of a story. All of which I love, because I am absolutely gripped. I will probably not post a review for it, however I will rate it. I reviewed book 1 and if that didn’t grab you a review on book 4 in the series won’t either.

Darkness Resides

Speaking of books in a series, Darkness Resides, book 3 in the Morhudrim Cycle is with my editor for review still. She did have a bit of a ‘mare when her first round of edits were all lost when her hard disk failed to load. I have a meeting with her later this month and I have some PC knowledge and hope I can recover it for her but if not it will be back to square one for her edits and unfortunately that will likely mean a delay. Bad news, but these things happen and lets face it, in the scheme of things it is nothing (other than onerous).

When Darkness Resides is finally released, I will be running a free competition to win an ebook or paperback edition of Darkness Resides (or gasp…if you’ve not read it yet, Rivers Run Red, winners choice). This will only be open to my subscribers, all you will need do to enter will be to reply to my competition newsletter when I send it in a few months time. NB I don’t have that many subscribers so you have decent odds!

So that is really it, sorry I have nothing more enlightening to tell you all but I felt I should at least send a post so that you know I haven’t forgotten you. The next month I am away so the website updates will be pretty limited but please feel free to check back and as ever, if you have any comments or feedback on my books or website that can help me improve what I deliver, please let me know. Or just to say hello!

Be safe, have fun, read a book and have a great summer

A D Green

4 out of 5 Stars (Adult, YA) A Fast and Furious sci-fi action adventure

First off, this was a fun read, pop fiction sci-fi well done.

I knew from the opening prologue and chapter that I was in safe hands and it is clear that Jasper T. Scott (JTS) has honed his writing to a high level in that his prose is smooth and his narrative descriptive without bogging the reader down in too much detail or interrupting the helter-skelter pace of the story.

The protagonist, Cade Korbin, is suitably interesting and you get to learn more about what makes him tick and a bit of his back history as the story unfolds which was enough to keep me invested and engaged.

That said, the story was pretty linear, as with many 1^st person narratives. In this tale, you live and breathe the story from Cade’s point of view. It makes the telling very convenient, there is no explanation or setup required for the bad guys who would just pop up with preternatural speed and awareness so that they were in the right place at the right time to annoy our hero who would dispense his badassery justice to them before moving along to the next scene.

And, despite the fact the plot had more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese, I found I didn’t mind. The antagonist was like a Bond villain on acid in that this could all have ended in chapter 1 but oh no, what would be the fun in that? The tech was greatly entertaining but went from super-smart AI and hardware to super dumb which jarred a little. I can’t explain what I mean without giving out some story spoilers but if you are after a fast and fun sci-fi and read this you will know exactly what I mean.

As I said above, this is pop fiction, fast and furious with no time to stop and wonder at the why’s and wherefores of it all before you had to move along to the next piece of the action. Fast and Furious is quite apt actually, it is more akin to that movie than say The Shawshank Redemption. Whilst I enjoyed both those movies each gave a different experience. Well, The Bounty Hunter is the same, in that it is no cerebral brain teaser, just a fun, action-packed sci-fi that I enjoyed for what it was.

I found it a very easy read and rather moreish all said and done. It is a good candidate for reading on a long-haul flight or lounging on a sunbed I think and I have one of those coming up soon so may give book 2 a go.

Overall, I enjoyed myself and that is what it is about. The synopsis gives you a good idea of what is to come and if you like the sound of that then this book will not disappoint. Why not give it ago?

4.5/5 Stars An EPIC Dark Fantasy Novel with emphasis on the Dark.

I picked up this rather chunky tome with quite high expectations and I am pleased to say it did not disappoint. The opening scene is action-packed and the story doesn’t much let up from there because it sets off a house of cards type chain of events that takes not just the Hunter of Voramis on a ride but the reader as well.

If you like your dark fantasy… well…dark. And, if you love Diehard’esc none stop action only harder with more blood, more deaths than Attila the Hun and more twists than a curly whirly then this might just be the book you are looking for.

The story is set entirely within the city of Voramis whose underworld is ruled by the Bloody Hand, and they’re not even the worst crooks (okay, they are the worst but the nobility is not far behind). The city is well-imagined and the descriptive narrative paints it in all its glorious filth, squalor and splendour. You can almost smell it. In fact, smell is often used to expand on each location and, most intriguingly is one of the protagonist’s most used senses. I liked the scent profile the Hunter had for literally everyone he came across, wonderful and imaginative. So many books of all genres talk to the eyes and ears but not many to the nose.

So what is it all about I hear you say? Enter stage right, The Hunter of Voramis.

The Hunter does not know what he is and lives with so many faces it is hard to get a read on him except to say that it is clear, pretty much early doors, he is not entirely human. He does not know his name, how long he has lived or where he is from, just that he came to Voramis many decades ago. Oh, and he is kind of immortal maybe, possibly. I say kind of because he heals from wounds that would kill any ordinary person, and quickly. Though that said, he is not without his kryptonite and in The Hunter’s case, his kryptonite is much more readily available than Superman’s bane. I could argue, justifiably, that it is right up there with vampires and sunlight. I found this to be a massive flaw and one that could be easily exploited which is great because it creates tension the story would otherwise have lacked. After all, an indestructible superhuman is not much fun now, is it?

But that is not all. Very cleverly (in my mind at least), it could be said the Hunter has another weakness only you’ll have to read the book to figure it out for yourself. But I liked this ‘frailty’ because it could also be argued it gave him his strength. I mean comeon, if you’re not intrigued by now why are you still reading this…yeah, I know, I have a point, that’s why I said it.

I dither, so, back to Voramis and our story’s beginning where the Hunter has forged a name for himself as the ultimate assassin. He fears no one and nothing. Until that is he takes a commission for a job that sets him against the Bloody Hand.

I will say that despite the action sequences that play out early on I did get a feeling of, so what? It felt like wacko-mole. Bad dudes popped their heads up and the Hunter would lop them off but then, there was a change and little twists and turns started to wriggle and worm into the story until the undercurrent subtly swept me under and the narrative became so much more.

Overall a remorseless, brooding and menacing tale. The Hunter is pretty hardcore but tantalisingly not always. As ever, if you like the sound of all this or if you are still not sure, then have a read of Amazon’s ‘Look Inside’ feature and read the first chapter. That will give you a real feel for what is to come.

An epic YA fantasy that didn’t quite hit the mark

3.5 out of 5 stars

The title and cover art is very good and both drew me into giving this book a read. Unfortunately for me it just didn’t quite hit the mark. That’s okay, not every book is for every reader and that happens all the time. Even with the classics of literature.

In BoaFG I didn’t connect with either Will or Duncan, our two protagonists, and the story didn’t grab me or give me that ‘must pick it up’ feeling you get when a story grips you. For this reason, I found it a bit of a slog to read and I almost did not finish it.

However, I’m glad I stuck with it because the story grows once the tale moves beyond the Reach and new characters are introduced and the world expands. The story centres around two cousins who live in the ancient mining town the Reach. Duncan Reis is a raffish free spirit who wants nothing more than to rove the Mistlands and ruins around the Reach, scaving for artefacts and treasure, whilst Will Reis is a Blacksmith, something their family is renowned for, and dreams of being the first Reacher to be accepted into the Smithing Guild. No other Reis or Reacher has ever made it before and so he knows he will need to smith something special and so he steals a shard of a dead god’s blood to do it. Needless to say, things do not go to plan for our two heroes.

The story had a great premise and the writing and execution of it were okay but it didn’t suck me in for the ride. It did get more engaging in the second half of the book and grows towards the promise of a compelling finale. All the right cards were in play and the climactic finish built nicely but then it was like someone stuck a pin in a balloon and all the air leaked out of it. I’m itching to tell you why I felt like this but I do not want to give any spoilers, suffice it to say the big build-up was over too quickly and I found it a bit of an anti-climax.

The antagonist was interesting, pretty evil and very cunning and clever like all good baddies should be. I liked the fact it was a bit ambiguous as to whether it was a man or woman (a man originally I think) but an immortal, one currently residing in a woman’s body, only to trip at the end over her metaphorical shoelaces. It could have been so much bigger.

So, this book was not for me. I think for anyone who likes the sound or premise of the story but is unsure of whether to try this book based on my review, then I would suggest you click on the book’s cover on Amazon and ‘Take a Look Inside’. The first chapter will give you a flavour of what is to come and also the writing style you can expect.   

Hello everyone,

Well, here we are, Feb 2023 already and the holiday season is a memory for us all, hopefully, a happy one.  2023 has not had the most auspicious of starts; the war in Ukraine is still raging and the terrible earthquakes in Turkey and Syria bringing such devastation and for many of us a cost of living crisis.

But, you’ll be pleased to know I am not here to pass social commentary on world events. More to distract you, at least for a little while, with something more whimsical and fantastical, namely what I’ve been reading and recommend as an escape from the mundanities of our world and also to update you on where I am at with my writing and MOST ECITINGLY (for me) give you my readers and subscribers the very first chance to see the new book cover for Rivers Run Red.

And, here it is…

I hope you like it as much as I do. It feels darker than my archer cover which I felt had too much of a YA vibe, something my books are not. I’m hoping this conveys a better idea of what is inside and will entice new readers to try my story.

I would love to know what you all think, so please get in touch and let me know.

This new cover will be hitting Amazon everywhere in the next few days.

In Other News

I am hoping to release a hardback edition of Rivers Run Red very soon – if I can fix the pesky trim size! As with the paperback book, this will be available through Amazon worldwide, however, if you live in the UK and want a copy it is probably cheaper to order your book from yours truly by messaging me via the contact page on my website since I should be able to get it at print cost + postage etc.

Darkness Resides book three update – Spoke to my editor this morning and she says that she is near the back end of the first edit. Hopefully, once I have worked through the edits with her, I will be in a position to release a copy of the manuscript to my beta readers.

Speaking of beta readers, I have four at present and I’m looking for a hand, so there is one spot still open. If you would like to participate then please get in touch via the contact page on my website or email me at adgreenauthor@gmail.com  

Chaos Reigns book four update – Yep, still writing, I don’t pay attention to these things but to those who like to know I am over 40k words into book four. Over the years, since my first book Rivers Run Red, I have grown into my craft and honed my quill to a sharp point. I have learnt so much and have as a result refined my writing style and this story gets deeper, more intricate, bloodier and blunter and grimmer…

…a real journey. I hope you will stay with me until the end.   

Book Recommendations

You will have received my book reviews in your email of T C Edge’s wonderful Bladeborn Saga and most recently William Hannah’s The First Rule.  If you haven’t taken the time to read my reviews and you love Fantasy then please take the time and check both books out. The authors are really talented and well worth your time.

I have been busy with various projects these last few weeks but I hope to pick up a new book to read in a week or two. If there are any books you would like me to look at to review or recommend feel free to let me know    

That’s It…the end…finito…finished…until next time

A D Green

5/5 Stars – One of the most enjoyable and thrilling dark fantasy stories I have ever read. EDIT – *The Most!

Wow – where to start? I mean I had no expectations. Just a hope really that this book by Indie author Steven William Hannah (SWH) would at least be fun. The premise of the story sounded intriguing but sometimes with a book the best work of fiction is the blurb (oops, did I write that out loud?). Not so here, I mean I was hooked from the first page until the last and boy was it a great read. Have you ever had a book that you so wanted to reach the end to find out what happens but at the same time, don’t want it to end? That is The First Rule. (Actually, that is not the First Rule, you’ll have to read the book to find that out).

The story centres around a newly minted priestess (of the Mind’s Eye – a god of knowledge and secrets) called Venalia who returns to her childhood home to conduct the funeral rites for her adoptive father and village priest, Marius. Venalia had hoped to talk to Marius about her future before his untimely death. To seek guidance on which path she should take. Now it is too late and she is unsure, the only thing she knows is that the village on the edge of the Steppes is not where she wants to be. For she does not belong in Lantry, it holds painful memories and the villagers don’t want her either. She is an outsider no matter if she grew up among them and some want her gone, something she is more than happy to oblige them with. But something has happened in the Darkwood, deep in the forest and beneath the earth, where a portal to the inverted world has been found and something sinister and malign lurks within, hungry for souls and now the way is open it has come out to find them.

That is just the start of a wonderfully written, deftly plotted tale that kept me up late turning the pages. It is full of dark mystery and intrigue and the way it is written was very engaging, almost artistic I felt at times. The story contains so much, certain death, redemption (who doesn’t like a redemption story?), hidden secrets, more than one mystery to uncover and oh did I mention certain death? The story is dark, the evil that is coming insidious, the world inhabited truly terrifying with Scarlings in the Darkwood and worse horrors in the Inverted World. The world-building is truly unique and subtle and full of depth.

Interestingly, for a dark fantasy with strong elements of horror to it, this book is in my view suitable for YA as well as adult readers. It is gruesome but not morbidly so, not gratuitously wanton for the sake of it but compelling and descriptive to convey what SWH must. In fact, there is a lot to like outside of those elements, growth, bonds of friendship, redemption, self-worth, broken characters, people learning not who they think they are but who they can be. It really is a smorgasbord of delight….and horror…..and certain death….but I mentioned that already…twice.  

This is book one in the Blind Age series but the story is fully self-contained, no cliffhanger waiting for the next book although I will without a doubt be picking up the next as soon as it is out. Now I have another wonderful new author to follow, what an end to 2022 and start to 2023. Some truly stunning creative talents I have stumbled upon. If this all sounds wonderful then honestly, you should give this book a read. SWH is a talent.

3.5/ 5 Stars (YA & MG) Mechs and Humans abound in this Sci-Fi adventure

I found this a light read and at its heart quite fun. Whilst it can be enjoyed by all readers I felt it was more suited to an MG or YA audience, at least my fourteen-year-old self would have enjoyed it far more I think than adult me. The science is basic and mostly glossed over if it is explained at all but that is alright, it is not about the science, made-up or otherwise, but the story and setting. Besides, not everyone wants to have their mind blown by pages and pages of scientific explanation on ‘quantum pulse engines’.

It is set far in the future long after humankind has exploited earth’s resources, forcing them out into the big wide galaxy to explore new worlds to meet their ever-expanding needs. Our adventure starts long after space travel has been mastered and where for the most part humanity has devolved into four main groups, the Imperium based on the ancient Roman Empire, The Arcturan Monarchies founded on the ideals from the old Terran middle ages and the Renaissance, The Alliance of Independent Systems (AOIS) a confederation of governments bound together in Trade and Technology and finally, the TexaNova based on you guessed it Texan grit.

The story begins on Mechhaven, shortly after the ending of a galactic war, on an out-of-the-way backwater planetoid set up and established for retired war machines called Mechs. Mechs are sentient AI machines and by claiming asylum and declaring ‘Pax Machina’ they are allowed to live in peace on this rocky dustball, once they have had all their armaments removed,  so they can no longer be a threat. In charge of Mechhaven is Major Misty Durham, a human administrator and two other humans, Ajax and Dennis.

The Mechs are the stars of the show and are a diverse mix of machines each with distinctive personalities often guided by the specialisations they were constructed to perform. It makes it all quite interesting from protocol Mechs to artillery and counter-intelligence to flamers, the whole gambit of humanity’s imagination to rain death down on each other on display. Except they are disarmed and harmless. Mostly.

It was intriguing to see the interactions between them and the conflict it sometimes caused because of their past affiliations, affiliations not so easily forgotten or dismissed.

Into this world comes a new Mech, a super advanced Archangel class tagged Angel by Misty. Angel crashlands on Mechhaven and declares Pax Machina. He is pretty beat up and his memory matrix is damaged so he can’t remember what his mission was before he came to Mechhaven or what drove him here but he knows whatever it was it is important. And so it soon proves, because others are after the intel Angel is carrying and they will get it no matter what the cost.

Okay, so that is the basic premise of the story, I will not ruin the telling by giving spoilers but suffice it to say it is a watershed, moment of truth for all the Mechs on Mechhaven.

I did enjoy reading it. It was competently written with only a few grammatical mistakes. I found the story a little 2-dimensional and linear for my tastes and the premise was quite simple, and,  whilst I enjoyed the Mechs and their different personalities it was also a little weird. They were caricature human personalities which, considering they were programmed and designed by humans and built to serve them, could be argued was understandable. However, why humans would give them male and female gender types I am not so clear on but whatever the reason, it made them likeable and easy to read and empathise with, more so than the humans.

I also thought some of the battle scenes were a little clunky, and whilst extreme violence was done in battle the fact they were machines and not humans made it read not too graphically. Also, there were one or two loose ends that needed to be tidied up which I won’t go into because it would be a bit of a spoiler but it may be that these ‘ends’ will get tidied up in book 2.

As I mentioned in my introduction, I think my 14-year-old self would have lapped this up and enjoyed it immensely, but for me now it did not really do it. It was fun and a quick no-brainer read but not one that will stay with me long.

Hello everyone,

I hope you have all had a joyous and wonderful festive holiday where you have eaten too much, drunk just enough and most importantly spent time with the people you love. I hope you all got a book you wanted and a quiet space to read it.

I would also like to wish you a happy New Year. Let’s hope 2023 is better than 2022 which, let’s face it, was a bit of a stinker. Yes COVID restrictions all but ended, though it is still about and we still need to have it in our minds, and that saw a return to a new normal, one which has seen war in Europe again driving oil and gas prices up and triggering high inflation and rising costs of living at a time when we have barely had breath to get over the previous two years of hurt.

Okay – I admit that is not the cheeriest opening to a newsletter. Sorry for that but stick around it gets cheerier.

To Happier Things

As you may know (if you read my website news) I have finished the first draft of book three Darkness Resides and it is currently being edited. I hope to have it to my beta readers by spring and ready for release later in 2023. I would like to thank you all for the support I have received, the encouragement, reviews and feedback. It all means a lot to me ‘tips hat’.

There is still one slot open for a beta reader spot, so if you are interested in filling it and being part of this journey (I know so cliché but did it work?) please message me.

My Book Of The Year

This year I have read 20 books and reviewed most of them including epic fantasy, sci-fi,  paranormal romance, dystopian detective, alternate history, short story compilations and new for me LitRPG.

As ever, if any books mentioned below grab your interest and you want to read more – click on the book title in Blue and read my review then click the link in the review if you want to go to Amazon and I don’t know, maybe buy it? It’s your call.

This year has proven to be especially challenging in picking a book of the year, honestly, I could play around with several contenders and be happy with my choice but, in the words of the Kurgan in Highlander, ‘There Can Be Only One’.

So onwards, firstly to the winner of my book of the year followed afterwards by the contenders and honourable mentions….‘drum rooolllllll’ please.

The winner 2022 Book of the year is

Honourable Mentions in no particular order.

Congratulations to T.C Edge I am still captivated midway through book three of his Bladeborn Saga and I recommend not just this series but all of the books mentioned above.

Finally, if you made it this far well done. I look forward to pinging more book news and reviews your way in 2023. Please feel free to get in touch any time if you have anything you want to ask me or give feedback or even if you have book recommendations of your own you would like to offer. I even post guest reviews occasionally if that interests you.

For now – all the best

Kindest Regards

A D Green

5/5 Stars – A brilliantly crafted fantasy and a new favourite

I absolutely loved this epic fantasy from T.C. Edge. I read a lot of books from this genre and think, for me, this first volume was every bit as good and grand in scope and storytelling as Brent Weeks’ Night Angel, Miles Cameron’s Red Knight or Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series and I can’t wait to tuck into book two.

Now initially, reading the prologue I was not that smitten. It was okay but it just didn’t grip me. It was a scene between two of the most powerful demi-gods, Varin and Ilith and was set 3500 years before our tale unfolds but it did set the scene and let you know early on that gods and demi-gods were a thing rather than the invention of man and it is a central foundation block in which this world is set.

The story is a third-person narrative told from the point of view of three main protagonists. Elyon is a gifted Bladeborn and the second son of the First Blade Amron Daecar the most famed warrior and Overlord of the day. Saska is a mysterious servant girl with a past she is running from and a history untold because somehow she can hold godsteel. Finally, Jonik, a Shadow Knight from the Shadowfort wielding the infamous Shadowblade (A lot of shadows going on there I know) sent on a clandestine mission. However, as the story grows we get to meet many more characters along the way and without fail they are all richly imagined and unique in their own right. I really must applaud the degree of character building, it propels what would be a good tale into a truly great story.

The world-building too is well-imagined and vivid. The history and the detail were simply told yet vast. I never felt like I was getting a history lesson or reading through pages of exposition that detracted from the flow of the story. , the various lands and the people who inhabit them were a joy to read about.  

I don’t like giving any spoilers in my reviews so I won’t here but suffice it to say there is plenty of action but also intrigue and hidden agendas that start to layer up taking a simple premise of a warmonger king and giving machiavellian glimpses of a larger story at play. Really, it is quite magnificently done.

T.C. Edge is now firmly cemented in my favourite authors’ list. As you can tell from my review, I wholeheartedly recommend this book especially if you love reading fantasy.    

What? You’re still here? Why? There is nothing else to say…except go! Download this book, treat yourself.

4/5 Stars – Hints of Alien but without the Alien, then with the Alien…ah read on.

Ready for a SciFi read I picked up this number. The cover looked quirky and interesting and together with the blurb promised to be a light SciFi experience – nothing too technically onerous to wrap my head around.

I kind of got that I guess. It pretty much delivered what the blurb said it would, Daisy and the rest of her crew are awakened from cryo-sleep by their ship’s AI whilst en route to earth after the vessel is hit by dust or debris or something small that caused some big damage, we never really find out. Following protocol, the AI has nudged them from their slumber. I won’t go too much into the story but it was less light-hearted and more of a thriller than I was expecting which was great. A nice surprise.

Reading the story there are a lot of undercurrents. It is told mostly from Daisy’s point of view and to her, things do not quite stack up. She doesn’t know her crew, her memory or knowledge of them is fed to her in cryo-sleep along with low-level training routines for her ship technician’s role.  Think Neo and his ‘I know kungfu’ tagline in The Matrix, it is a bit like that but only on a 56k modem rather than ultra fibre-optic. It has to be slow you see for safety reasons, too much or too fast and it can scramble your mind so safety protocols are used to prevent that and it slows the whole thing down. There is more to it, I’m paraphrasing, but you get the gist and it is interestingly done. Even better that there is not a ten-page scientific disposition on how it works.

Daisy sees herself as a full human as is her friend Sarah, another tech, but the captain and the rest of the crew are all enhanced, modded to one degree or another, human but with cybernetic implants. It makes for an interesting perspective, at least for me, this undertone of purity and xenophobia means Daisy is quite discriminatory. It makes her otherwise ‘good’ character quite flawed which I found quite intriguing. A hero with tendencies that would be shouted down in this day and age. The question in my mind was was she right or just prejudiced?

Then, on top of everything, there was the ship’s AI and the cyborg helper Barry. Yes, Barry. Halfway through the read, I mused to myself that it felt at this point a tiny bit like Alien – but without the murderous alien rampaging and ripping people to bits part, an important detail that, but stick with me, it had the rest. A large sparsely populated spaceship, a sinister AI, and a cyborg that was stronger and smarter than the humans. Now you’re with me, right? Well, now throw in a disparate crew.

All in all, it was tapering nicely to a head. Then everything changes and well, look at the book title and draw your own conclusions, or better yet grab a copy and have a read yourself. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the story. It was well told and whilst there were a few niggles that naggled, overall I found Daisy’s character to be fun. The story is the first of six books so there is more to come. This volume finishes in a suitable place. A pause before Daisy’s next adventure or plunge into peril but hey, they’re the same thing.