4 Star Post Apocalyptic Adventure set in Oz

This story was so easy to read and very enjoyable.  It was refreshing that it took place in Australia with the Oz vernacular flavouring the telling, as a kiwi I very much enjoyed this.

The story is told from the perspective of our two main protagonists Starla, a big deal city girl and Ari, a nobody waif trying to grind out a living in the wastelands. When Starla’s world comes crashing down a chance encounter with Ari sets them on a path that will change them both forever.    

The tale is well written and flows so smoothly that the pages just turn themselves. The dialogue is really good and the relationship between Starla and Ari builds throughout from one of suspicion to reluctant trust and then friendship. The story is at times harsh but this growing relationship is heart-warming and carries the story as their adventures twist them this way and that, challenging their understanding of the world.

Refreshingly, this post-apocalyptic adventure has no ravenous zombies. The monsters in this tale are all human, with the odd (mutated?) Dingo thrown in the mix.  I have no hesitation recommending this book to anyone that loves, wasteland/post-apocalyptic books. Book Two ‘Ari Goes To War’ is due out soon I believe.  

5 stars Wonderfully evocative, brutally visceral fantasy.

It is not often I pick up a book that so enraptures me it is hard to put it down. Devin Madson, I salute you. What a beautiful written expertly told fantasy. I loved every page and lived every moment. What a ride. Action-packed but so emotionally charged and full of intrigue. Wow.

The story is told through the eyes of three uniquely distinctive characters. You would think I would have a favourite. That I would mourn the passing of one character-driven chapter to pick up the thread of the next but I didn’t. I was so invested in each character that it just flowed. That is a really hard and really impressive ability to maintain throughout an entire book.

I particularly liked the Asian feudal feel to it. It was refreshingly different from the medieval European fantasy that is the standard trope. The nomadic Levanti, horse lords and fearsome warriors were reminiscent of ancient Mongols and the Khans only instead of Steppe ponies they rode towering horses. The Empire of Kisia had hints of ancient China but woven into a unique creed and history.

The story is left on a knife-edge for all three of our protagonists and I can’t complain having been guilty of a few cliffhanger endings myself. It just means I’m going to have to buy the second book….oh wait I already have.

If you love fantasy then I highly recommend this book. ‘Take a look inside’ and if that first chapter doesn’t grab you then maybe you need to take a long hard look at yourself.

3 Stars Scifi/Techno Romance Thriller  

This book was the #indiebookclub read for March. I love Science Fiction and Fantasy and the premise of this book was intriguing enough that I looked forward to it.

Unfortunately, it did not quite match my expectations and the storytelling was not to my taste. I felt the author spent to much time on the mundane, descriptive narrative of everything, from getting up, showering, brushing their teeth, drinking coffee to getting in the car.

The story had promise and at times was a real page-turner, it just was not sustained. I didn’t buy it either. This completely rounded person, the hash the state made of things from the getgo just didn’t add up for me which is a shame because it could have.

The emotion…oh my gosh there was a lot of emotion, from everyone. It was well written but there were angst and tears not just from Rebecca our protagonist but everyone. The guys were all touchy-feely, a lot of impromptu hugging and new-age in touch with themselves that at times just felt two-dimensional. Some readers no doubt will love all this but it wasn’t my cup of tea. To me, this felt like a romance dressed as a techno-thriller.

However, there is no denying that Helen E Slater can write. There were a few typos but nothing to detract too much from the story and the conversations, and narrative were good between the players. So I think some readers will like this story and I suggest taking a ‘Look Inside’ if it appeals.      

4/5 STARS – Folk Tale of Feudal Japan

I bought this on Amazon after taking a ‘look inside’ and was immediately drawn to the story which begins with a seven-year-old Takeda Taro.

I must confess that whilst I have not read many books set in feudal Japan I have an unsated interest in this genre of historical fiction that began when I read Shogun by James Clavell, one of the best books I have ever had the privilege of reading.

This story is the tale of TARO and the author explains before it is started that it is the amalgam of three different folk tales of our eponymous hero.  In simple terms, it is a story of how one young boy grew to unite all of Japan.

I found the book was well written and very engaging to read if not quite what I was expecting (which was entirely my fault since I skimmed the introductory references). It is a folk story and I was so engrossed at the beginning I was not prepared for the magical elements of the story to unfold. It made it more fairy-tale and was not quite what I was looking for in my said desire of reading about Feudal Japan. However, that would be a disservice to the book because the fantastical elements are crucial to the narrative. TARO’s story unfolds in a beautifully concise yet descriptive way that moves at a great pace that kept me engaged.

I would have liked it to have been longer, with more time taken over the adventure to turn into a proper tome but that is not suited to a folk tale I guess.  The fight and battle sequences imparted enough but brusquely, almost like a summarised account which worked, but again I would have preferred more time and detail. I could say the same about the various characters. There are so many interesting and intriguing ones, I just wanted to spend more time with them and see the interactions and relationships build and grow. But again, it is a folk tale told as a story so it is admirable that I should feel so invested in each character after such a short introduction.

Overall, I think this is a great read and I am so pleased I picked it up.   

5/5 A blended sci-fi fantasy from a master storyteller

I first read the Many-Coloured land when I was eighteen and whilst the detail of it had faded and the language and more technical aspects were heavy going for my young self, the memory of the story remained.

My son gave me a copy for Christmas and so – thirty years later here I am again. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the re-read. Much more so in fact than I expected. The tale is of Group Green, eight individuals transported on a one-way ticket back in time to Pliocene earth and an unexpected encounter with exotic beings.

The tale is masterfully told in the third person objective style. A style I have not read for a while and I loved it. It did not paint me a tale of feelings and emotions – those were garnered by the character actions and interactions and it is powerful in that way in that it is not intrusive. There is no hero or villain but I cared for them all anyway. I never had the feeling any character was particularly safe, or morally righteous/corrupt, just flawed and very human and each and every one unique. It is almost a cosplay for the cast, each taking the trip through time to live the fantasy they couldn’t in the modern, alien advanced world of the galactic milieu which had flung humanity far and wide in the galaxy.

The book was first published in 1981 and it has that authenticity of authorship. The writing unreserved, smart and expansive. An economy of language that conveyed a fascinating tale with depth and precision but without pages of tedious expansive explanation.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be moving on to the second of the trilogy ‘The Golden Torc’ I think you should all join me.

A Gloriously dark Sci-fi read 5/5

I picked this up on a free/discounted promotion after the ‘Look Inside’ intrigued.

It’s quite a dark sci-fi that set’s it stall out early doors. It is not for the squeamish. It is full throttle, non-stop action. There are no heroes, the characters are flawed and villainous none more so than the main protagonist Edith.

But don’t let that fool you. It is not as simple as that, the story is deeper.  After reading the first few chapters, the author started to flex what seemed a fairly two-dimensional story into a compelling and complex tale and she did it so seamlessly that it sucked me in and that was me hooked.

There are some issues but these pale into the background against the story woven. Mostly a few grammatical errors and a few places where I had to re-read the paragraph to get the meaning and (in my opinion) the narrative could be tightened to redress these few areas but I am nitpicking. The quality of the storytelling is some of the best I have read. The layers to it are so well crafted and revealed so compellingly.

I love science fiction and read a fair bit but it has been a while since I enjoyed a science fiction story as much as this one. I can’t wait for the next and for lovers of dark sci-fi I highly recommend this book.

Book club – Book of the Month Selection 5/5

I picked this book up because it was the selected book of the month for a writers/book club I am in. It is not my usual genre by a long shot, which is more fantasy/sci-fi in taste, so I read this with a grumble of foreboding in my gut. We all have our own taste and genre’s we prefer. It was good though to push my reading down a different path for a change and how pleased I was that I did.

I loved it.

Can’t say more than that. Maybe it was because it was not my usual fare but it felt fresh and honest and interesting. I can’t say too much about the story without giving a few spoilers, so I won’t. But I will say it was so easy to read and simply written, yet conveyed complex emotion and feeling without getting too heavy. I learnt about things that I had little experience or knowledge of and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you Book Club. I recommend this book.

YA Fantasy on the high sea 3/5 stars

This was enjoyable and reads like a YA Fantasy from the tone, fast pacing and quick narrative. I would think any young teenager who likes fantasy would engage well with this book. The characters are distinctive and engaging.

That is not to say there are not some issues. It could do with another proofread. There are a few grammatical issues that can detract from the story and for me, there was a lack of depth to the characters due possibly to the fast pacing of the story and style of writing.

I was also not convinced by some of the ‘events’ which seemed illogical and unreasonable or were just a little too contrived. Again this could be put down to the fast story-telling style and some of the more fantastical elements could be put down to that and the YA vibe.

For me, the second half of the book was more compelling and had a suitable ‘to be continued ending’. This is the first book written by PW Browning and the second in the series ‘Talented Taught’ has been released and is now available.

‘Rivers Run Red’ Book One of the Morhudrim Cycle is FREE to download Christmas Eve.

If you have already purchased RRR then you can ‘buy it again for free’ and get the latest release version which corrects a host of annoying punctuation and grammatical errors that I missed. (The joy of being an Indie Author).

You can also purchase it for FREE and gift it to as many people as you like if you have friends and family that love epic fantasy.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

A D Green

PS Top Link should be Amazon UK, Bottom Link Amazon US

Festive greetings everyone,

There is no denying that it has been a very strange year and it has been challenging for many people. Still, Christmas is upon us and the year is almost done and we have somehow all made it.

2021 promises a brighter time although it will still be difficult until the Covid vaccines are on wide distribution and life can return to whatever the new normal may be. For me, December has been strange. I have re-released updated versions of Rivers Run Red and Shadows Fall and so have had little time to devote to book three Darkness Resides. I will be back to it soon.

If you love fantasy and have not read my books please give them a try – and in the words of Dawn French “A book is the easiest present to wrap”

If you have read them but not left a review or even just a rating at Amazon/Goodreads I would appreciate the support. Stay safe this Christmas everyone and have a fantastic time with your families.