Category Science Fiction

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey @ michaelcarey191 @OrbitBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #Pandominion #dystopia #scifi #bookreview

yvonnembee

I am delighted to share my review today for Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey. This is the first book in the Pandominion trilogy and it is fabulous.

I have to say a huge thanks to Tracey at Compulsive Readers for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my paperback copy of this brilliant book from Orbit Books.

The Pandominion: a political and trading alliance of a million worlds – except that they’re really just the one world, Earth, in many different realities. And when an AI threat arises that could destroy everything the Pandominion has built, they’ll eradicate it by whatever means necessary, no matter the cost to human life.

Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal is looking for a solution to her own Earth’s environmental collapse when she stumbles across the secret of inter-dimensional travel. It could save everyone on her dying planet, but now she’s walked into the middle of a war on a scale she never dreamed of.

And she needs to choose a side before it kills her.

INFINITY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

MY REVIEW

What a brilliant first book in the Pandominion series Infinity Gate is. The Pandominion is a series of worlds, well actually millions upon millions of worlds. They are all a variation of Earth and The Pandominion is the alliance that runs them, well most of them, some are not deemed acceptable. Our version of Earth is dying, there is nothing worth saving so the Pandominion has ignored it. However, a scientist by the name of Hadiz Tembuwal discovers that there are multiverses and this could mean a way of saving our Earth.

It can be a little difficult to review the first book in a series that you know is going to be huge, I mean in the way the book is laid out and how far into the galaxy, multiverse or time it goes. This author does know how to deal with large areas, dimensions and spaces and he also knows how to fill them. He has some main characters such as Paz, Essien, Moon, Dulcie and Rupshe. There are obviously many others, but not too many to get confusing.

Mixing in travel through different dimensions of universes would make you think that this was very science-based, it isn’t, well it is, but not over-the-top tech speak. The terms used are part of the story and kind of make sense. Tactical soldiers with enhanced armour known as the Cielo were interesting to come across, as were the various other inhabitants of the different verses. YOu will soon discover how the author manages to mingle and mix machines with beings and gradually work towards a more AI form. There are those that are alive and then there is the machinery.

This first book lays out the foundations and gives great detail about how things are seen from a viewpoint of someone who has never heard of the Pandominion. This makes it more accessible to different readers. There are also different perspectives from the different beings and they have worked together to start to form a great image of this alternative verse.

Having great characters and a storyline that is building momentum makes for a really great read. I have read this over a few days or so and even when I had put it down due to work I could remember what was going on. I found that the characters are very memorable and I am already starting to have favourites.

The author obviously has a lot more up his sleeve for this series and it will be interesting to how or where he lets his imagination run.

It is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian and with some fabulously explained characters. I have already started to build up a picture in my head of how some of these appear, I just couldn’t help it.

A brilliant first book and one I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Carey is the acclaimed writer of Lucifer and Hellblazer (now filmed as Constantine). He has recently completed a comics adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and is the current writer on Marvel’s X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four. He has also written the screenplay for a movie, Frost Flowers, which is soon to be produced by Hadaly Films and Bluestar Pictures.

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird @ChristinaRoseSB @BoroughPress #NetGalley #pandemic #scifi #dystopian #bookreview

yvonnembee 5 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird. This was published initially in 2021, at the time I had seen it out and being reviewed, but at the time I didn’t want to read it as Covid was still too prominent. However, a year on and it was obviously the right time because I really enjoyed it and thought it was a great book to read.

My huge thanks to Borough Press, a branch of Harper Collins, for granting my request to read this title via NetGalley.

This was a really great book to read and I do like the way the author approached the story and then went further with it. Not just the lead-up and during, but the after-effects of living in a world that had undergone huge changes.

When a mysterious disease starts in Scotland, Dr Amanda Maclean is ignored. She is just a female doctor and does not know enough to be making such a rash call that this is something to be worried about. It is brushed under the carpet. It then starts to spread. It affects only men and they are dying by the millions as it spreads around the globe.

This story was written before the start of the Covid pandemic in 2018/19, it was then published in 2021. A lot of what is discussed in this story did happen when Covid struck. Initially, it was seen as a problem on the other side of the world, governments were slow to react and as we know the pandemic was to kill millions around the world. The End of Men is a similar story and one that the author imagined prior to the pandemic.

This story is told from the perspective of different characters around the world. They are female characters as they now are prominent, not every man has died, and there are some that are immune. The race is on to discover where the virus started, what makes it spread, who are carriers and why only certain people live.

As much as I really enjoyed the beginning of the story, and this was really good, it was the recovery and adapting to the virus that really turned this story around for me. The author imagines so many scenarios that I had not even considered. There are the obvious ones about having a depleted workforce, of women retraining and having a prominent role in how countries are run and how they have new freedom, especially in countries where women were definitely not seen as equal. Yes, in some ways this story is about empowerment and also feminism but it is also about how people adapt to change.

A story like this is easy to relate to as we are still living with Covid. As we are adapting to the world after this pandemic it is nothing compared to how the author sees a world with a significantly reduced male population. Without men, it becomes a matter of how the human race will recover with a limited supply of males to help repopulate.

I liked this book a huge amount. Set in a future that is all too real to imagine and the way the author uses her story to envision a future that has changed drastically. This is one for those who like dystopian, futuristic and feminist viewpoints, it is a mystery and a thriller as the race is also on to find and develop a cure. It is one I would definitely recommend.

The really alarming thing about this book is that the author did imagine this prior to the Covid Pandemic. I have a copy of a letter sent via NetGalley detailing this…

Here’s a letter from Christina Sweeney-Baird: 

I first heard about corona virus as most people likely did; through snippets of news and emails from friends saying, ‘Have you seen this? So weird!’ For a number of weeks, it felt distant in that way so many foreign news stories do. Something awful and scary but ultimately a disease I would remain personally unaffected by.

 Only a few months on from those emails and news reports, I’m sitting in my flat in central London in lockdown. I leave the house once a day for exercise, and shop for food and other essentials once a week. I don’t know when I’ll next see my family in Scotland, my boyfriend who is living in Dubai at the moment for work or my friends and colleagues. Billions of people around the world are in the same position. I feel immeasurably fortunate to still be employed and to have recovered from suspected corona virus (I have not been tested but experienced the virus’s tell-tale cough, breathlessness and extreme fatigue after returning to London from a trip to Northern Italy). I know you’re meant to ‘live your truth’ through art and everything, but contracting corona virus was a step towards authenticity I could have done without.

 It’s an understatement to say it feels surreal that I wrote a book about a pandemic disproportionately affecting men just before a pandemic disproportionately affecting men swept the world. More than one person has half-jokingly called me Cassandra. When I started writing The End of Men in September 2018 it felt like the ultimate thought experiment. How far could I take my imagination? How would a global pandemic with an enormous death rate change the world? What would the world look like without men, or the majority of them? I wrote the first draft of the book in nine months, finishing with a burst of intense writing in June 2019. Now, as I edit the book for my editors wondering what this summer will bring, I find myself testing my imaginary world against the real one. I gauge the distance between what I have written and what is happening. As a writer of speculative fiction, this is not something I ever expected.

 I’m relieved that corona virus doesn’t have a death rate as high as the virus I have imagined in my novel, and that it will not kill nine in ten of the world’s men. The imaginary world I have written belongs safely in fiction, within the pages of a novel. Nonetheless, we are experiencing in real life the greatest pandemic of our lifetimes, which is more than I ever could have imagined in my wildest nightmares. I hope that by the time you’re reading this, there is a vaccine. I hope our healthcare systems survive and economies recover. I hope your loved ones are safe and that the world has returned to that wonderful, boring, nostalgic state I now crave: normality.

Christina Sweeney-Baird

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

After the Burning by N. S. Ford @nsfordwriter #dystopian #thriller #shortstories #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review for a collection of short stories. After the Burning by N.S. Ford is a wonderful selection of dystopian fiction.

“Things did not vanish. They were cleansed away.”

Five spine-chillingly plausible tales for our times. In a society without books, a labourer makes a shocking discovery. An artist starts an underground club for art made by humans instead of artificial intelligence. Parents who refuse to have their baby implanted with a communications chip must fight for their rights. A child goes on a school trip to the extinct natural world. Just before a general election, everyone becomes addicted to a new superfood.

A must-read collection of dystopian stories. They are works of fiction but, unless we act now, will soon be a reality.

MY REVIEW

This is a fabulous book of short stories that have a dystopian theme. I do like this genre and to have a story that gives a glimpse into a possible future is always scary and it also makes for very addictive reading.

The five short stories are a great mix and each one is a different topic but within the umbrella of dystopian fiction.

A story about school trips in a futuristic world is an eye-opener and also rather sad when I sat and thought about it. This is one that I do think is a possibility if things don’t change.

The story of the artists really caught my attention and this is one that again I can see happening as AI becomes more and more prevalent in our society.

Technology is something that is always developing so the story of having a computer chip implanted is another one that I really enjoyed. I didn’t expect the twist in that one!

Books are a big part of my life and are something that I cannot imagine not having. So reading about the discovery of a box and its contents was interesting as well.

The one I really enjoyed was the superfood story. This is something that did for a small part remind me of the book Soylent Green (if you know, you know!) but wasn’t quite as macabre but still shocking.

Overall these are well-written and really imaginative. They are short but detailed with nice twists to them. With collections of short stories it is difficult to rate as some I like more than others but all of these were good. This is a book I would happily recommend if you are looking for some entertaining and eerie dystopian stories.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

N S Ford is a book fanatic, blogger and cat lover who lives in the UK. She is the author of two cross-genre psychological thrillers, ‘We Watch You’ and ‘They Lie Here,’ plus a new collection of dystopian short stories, ‘After the Burning’.

Many thanks for reading my review, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Cold People by Tom Rob Smith @simonschusterUK #NetGalley #apocalypse #thriller #dystopian #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Cold People by Tom Rob Smith. This is a brilliant book and one for those who like post-apocalyptic stories.

My huge thanks to the publishers Simon & Schuster for granting my request to read this title via NetGalley.

The world has fallen. Without warning, a mysterious and omnipotent force has claimed the planet for their own. There are no negotiations, no demands, no reasons given for their actions. All they have is a message: humanity has thirty days to reach the one place on Earth where they will be allowed to exist… Antarctica.

Cold People follows the perilous journeys of a handful of those who endure the frantic exodus to the most extreme environment on the planet. But their goal is not merely to survive the present. Because as they cling to life on the ice, the remnants of their past swept away, they must also confront the urgent challenge: can they change and evolve rapidly enough to ensure humanity’s future? Can they build a new society in the sub-zero cold?

Original and imaginative, as profoundly intimate as it is grand in scope, is a masterful and unforgettable epic.

MY REVIEW

This is a fabulous book and it was one that I found so addictive. This is a mix of post-apocalypse, dystopian, sci-fi and thriller and I adored it. Earth has been visited by alien crafts, and they have sent a message saying that the only place humans can live is the Antarctic, they have 30 days to get there.

This book follows the journey that the human race makes as it tries to work out who gets to go, each country has their own criteria and priorities. There are also individuals who make their own way as well. It is a group of individuals that are the main focus as they make their journey to the frozen south.

With most people not having any experience of living in extreme conditions there are deaths. Billions die as there is only a small percentage of the race that can actually make the journey. While people try to build a life they are starting to worry about what will happen to the human race in the future. This is where the story for me got really interesting and also gripping as science becomes more involved in the fight to keep the human race alive.

I adored this so much about this book and it does lean towards many different genres. The way people organise themselves, govern and also find new ways to manage and exist. Antarctica has research facilities so it is a given that there are going to be scientists and experiments involved, these are so intriguing and they start to add a more sci-fi and thriller edge to an already gripping story.

What starts with a chance meeting ends in a story of survival and the author brings in so many twists and unexpected dilemmas that provide a dilemma. At times this almost felt like the story was verging on a horror story but with the obvious sci-fi leaning. While aliens are mentioned they are not really part of the story. Not much is known about them or why they targeted humans as the threat but left all other creatures alive. You can make your own mind up about that one! This story instead focuses on Antarctica and the residents of this isolated land.

This is a story that really captured my imagination and the author has such a wonderful way with words that I was able to imagine his descriptions. THis is one of those books that I could visualise and see being made into a film or series. Imaginative, full of suspense and a thriller that I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Rob Smith (born 1979) is an English writer. The son of a Swedish mother and an English father, Smith was raised in London where he lives today. After graduating from Cambridge University in 2001, he completed his studies in Italy, studying creative writing for a year. After these studies, he worked as a scriptwriter.

His first novel, Child 44, about a series of child murders in Stalinist Russia, appeared in early 2008 and was translated into 17 languages. It was awarded the 2008 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the year by the Crime Writer’s Association. It was recently a Barnes & Noble recommended book. On July 29, 2008 the book was named on the long list for the 2008 Man Booker Prize. In November 2008, he was nominated for the 2008 Costa First Novel Award (former Whitbread).

Child 44 followed-up by The Secret Speech (2009)and Agent 6 (2011).

Many thanks for reading my review, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley #classicfiction #dystopian #scifi #bookreview

yvonnembee 10 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for an old classic. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley was written in 1931 and published in 1932. A book that I have wanted to read for years but actually managed to pick up and read at the beginning of December last Year.

Brave New World is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, inhabited by genetically modified citizens and an intelligence-based social hierarchy, the novel anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that are combined to make a dystopian society which is challenged by only a single individual: the story’s protagonist.

MY REVIEW

This is a book that I have been wanting to read for years but never got to it. I finally decided to give it a go. I was only aware of the basics of this book and I hadn’t read any other reviews about it.

What I discovered is quite a bizarre story that became quite addictive. It does have a strong literary fiction feel to it. At times the writing is poetic, at others disjointed and overall a story that gradually got under my skin.

The world that Huxley has created is one where people are expected to be happy, they are brainwashed into feeling this. There is no mother, father or in fact any type of family connection. Each person has been produced in a test tube and altered at a genetic level to become what is required for Huxley’s world to function. There is a layered social system where people are born to be what they are engineered to be, so someone with a lowly job will be content with that job. They don’t aspire to be anything more than what they are supposed to be.

Creating this world, the author then throws an anomaly in the system, this is something that shows that even with the use of technology there will be a time when nature intervenes, or it may be a simple human mistake. Either way, this is where the characters that start to question the system have a more important role.

In the second half of the book, there is a move from the system to that of the outside world, this is more what we know today. Parents, relationships and unique traits and characteristics. This for me is where the story then takes an even more addictive turn. The comparisons built up between those in the system and those out of it are great. By the end of the book, I found I was very interested in some of the characters. The ending, well that was a shock!

This is a fabulous book to read, and I did struggle to find the flow at the beginning. I did read it in two sittings. The first sitting was a bit wobbly and at 33% I decided to have a break, this turned out to be a great time to pause and then come back to it the following night. I then found myself unable to put this book down and finished it.

This is a book that has loads of reviews, has loads of opinions and there are probably theories and it will have been analysed in every aspect. I read for the pleasure of it, so for me, this book was one that intrigued me. It did feel disjointed, to begin with, but it grew on me. I enjoyed this and I am very glad that I have read this book.

For a book that was written in 1931 and published in 1932, it has some brilliant imagination and foresight into a possible future. A world where people are engineered to fit into a hierarchical society. It is a very good book and it is one I would happily recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This most prominent member of the famous Huxley family of England spent part of his life from 1937 in Los Angeles in the United States until his death. Best known for his novels and wide-ranging output of essays, he also published short stories, poetry, travel writing, and film stories and scripts. Through novels and essays, Huxley functioned as an examiner and sometimes critic of social mores, norms and ideals. Spiritual subjects, such as parapsychology and philosophical mysticism, interested Huxley, a humanist, towards the end of his life. People widely acknowledged him as one of the pre-eminent intellectuals of his time before the end of his life.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

They Lie Here by NS Ford @nsfordwriter #mystery #thriller#suspense #fiction #bookreview

yvonnembee 4 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for They Lie Here by NS Ford. This Author is also a fabulous Book Blogger who I follow and I am always intrigued and interested by her book selections and reviews. It was an easy thing for me to agree to read her 2nd book when she kindly got in touch. When I read it, I had not even seen a synopsis. It is as I wrote my review that I realised how clever this title was!

This book is due for Publication tomorrow, so I would like to take the opportunity to wish you a wonderful Publication Day 🙂 xx

TWO MYSTERIES. ONE CITY. MANY LIES.

Kat Green has made a career out of tracking down reclusive former celebrities. When she moves to the quaint English city of Waelminster, she’s on the trail of enigmatic pop star Roskoe Darke, of the band Scorpio Hearts. He hasn’t been heard of since 1985, but she’s confident she’ll find him. However, as the clues become more bizarre and sinister, Kat has to confront the darkness of her own past. Who can she trust when everyone is hiding the truth?

MY REVIEW

After reading this author’s first book I was definitely looking forward to this second one. They Lie Here is such an addictive read and I did read this without looking at the synopsis, I only read that as I think about writing this review.

The synopsis is short and snappy and now I look at it I realise how it gives very little away. It does however have enough to suggest a mystery and secrets from the past.

The story is about Kat, and she has a very isolated life, she constantly moves as she goes from story to story. She researches each of her stories and her latest one is the whereabouts of Roskoe Darke, a member of an 80s band. He mysteriously disappeared and has not been seen, there have been several suggestions as to what happened and some of these do sound plausible. Kat, however, decides to dig deeper.

I adored how this started as a very interesting mystery about a disappearance, but after several chapters, this morphs into something more than I originally expected. Kat is a character who I really liked, a loner who fixates on one project at a time. But what is it about her past that will have relevance to the current timeline of her story? Well, I could tell you but then I would spoil the story so you are going to have to read it for yourself. I didn’t see this twist coming in the story, so it was a huge revelation.

As for what happened to the missing Roskoe, well again I never saw that one either. This was a little different to what I expected but it worked really well. The author injected a clever little side step and it was one that turned this into a much darker and more sinister story.

There are a few characters in this book, enough for the story but not any bystanders. Each of the characters has a purpose and I was never aware of just how or what the purpose was.

The story flits between the 1980s and present-day and this means you keep up to date with the present story while being given details and things from the past to give a larger overall picture. How the two timelines come together was something that I never saw, a lot of the plots and twists, I never saw until the author was ready to let me in on her secrets.

Secrets are quite a large part of this story and as they emerge I started to realise how cleverly the author has played out her storyline. Not all is as it seems with any part of the story, especially with the characters and this adds to the sense of suspicion.

This was a brilliant thriller that has a great mystery and suspense element to it, a great storyline and a wonderful set of interesting and different characters. I adored this book a huge amount, a one-sitting read for me and it is one I would absolutely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

N S Ford is a book fanatic, blogger and cat lover who lives in the UK with her family. She has a First Class degree in English. When not reading or blogging, she juggles her writing time with parenting, working in heritage and playing the piano. She is the author of two cross-genre psychological thrillers, ‘We Watch You’ and ‘They Lie Here’.

Find her on Twitter or her Website

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

The Nirvana Effect by Brian Pinkerton @BrianJPinkerton @RandomTTours @FlameTreePress #dysotpian #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for The Nirvana Effect by Brian Pinkerton. I really enjoyed this dysotpian futuristic novel and it was a very addictive read.

My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my copy of this book from Flame Tree Press.

No one goes out anymore.


Society is sheltered indoors. The economy is in ruins. People spend their lives addicted to a breakthrough virtual reality technology, desperate for escapism in a troubled world. The Nirvana Effect has taken over.


Aaron and Clarissa are members of a subculture of realists who resist the lure of a fake utopia. They watch in horror as the technology spreads across the country with willing participants who easily forgo their freedoms for false
pleasures. When the young couple discovers a plot to enforce compliance for mind control, the battle for free will begins.

What started as a playful diversion turns deadly. The future of the human race is at stake.

Purchase Link – Amazon UK

My Review…

I do love a good dystopian story that has a certain amount of believability to it, or one that you can understand how things get to the point they do. The Nirvana Effect is a book that has that certain amount of believability to it and it is one that had me hooked.

This is based on the idea that people can chill out and experience a calm and tranquil state. They can experience new adventures and take part in activities or travel the world without ever leaving their sofa. Sounds ok, I mean we already have VR devices, we use mobile devices and computers to escape from everyday life. Video games are played around the world, movies are watched, books are read and often on a small screen. So is it such a far fetched idea that at some point there could be a chip implanted so that these feeds are automatically sent into a chip inserted into your body!

I like how the author has taken the basis of having various different subscription feeds sent directly to your brain. He has then rather cleverly expanded on this theme so that he draws the reader into a state where everyday life is harder to deal with and the escape is into a virtual reality that can become more real than real life.

He then goes further as he introduces theories from those who are against the chip, as well as from the corporation, management and business. Government and politics are also brought in and these various angles give two clear sides showing a for and against balance.

The characters in the story are from a range of backgrounds and this gives another set of viewpoints to consider. Technology is everywhere in our modern society and this is the next step up to the “Big Brother” style regime. The key characters have their part to play in how and why they are avoiding the chip implants, or why they see dangers ahead in how the chips could be used.


I really adored this story, it has been well thought out and not over the top with tech terminology making it very accessible for a lot of readers. It is a story that I found gripping and it has a certain amount of suspense and tension in it. A good amount of conspiracy always goes down well in this sort of story. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it.

About the Author…

Brian Pinkerton tells stories to frighten, amuse and intrigue. He is the author of novels and short stories in
the thriller, horror, science fiction and mystery genres. His books include The Gemini Experiment, Abducted (a USA
Today bestseller), Vengeance, Anatomy of Evil, Killer’s Diary, Rough Cut, Bender, Killing the Boss and How I
Started the Apocalypse (a trilogy). Select titles have also been released as audio books and in foreign languages. His short stories have appeared in PULP!, Chicago Blues, Zombie Zoology and The Horror Zine.


Brian has been a guest author and panellist at the San Diego Comic Con, American Library Association annual conference, World Horror Convention and many other literary and genre events. His screenplays have finished in
the top 100 of Project Greenlight and top two percent of the Nicholl Fellowship of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Three of the scripts have been compiled in a collection, Unreleased. Brian received his B.A. from the University of Iowa, where he took undergraduate classes of the Iowa Writers Workshop. He received his Master’s Degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

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Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Last Star Standing by Spaulding Taylor @astmcveigh1 @Unbound_Digital @RandomTTours #scifi #dystopian #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Last Star Standing by Spaulding Taylor. This is a sci/fi – speculative fiction story, I haven’t read any sci-fi for a while so this book made a wonderful change. My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for my e-copy of this book.

Dystopian/speculative fiction for readers of sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers and
dystopian fiction. Aimed at readers of novels by Neil Gaiman, J.G. Ballard (or
Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go)


It is the 23rd century. Aiden, imprisoned, stares up into a tiny square of sky. A
prominent member of the rebellion, he expects to be executed. Aiden is
battling the Xirfell rulers, whose King oppresses many planets, the Earth
included.

But the Xirfell have executed their king and installed a new ruler. The populace
riots. Amid the tumult, Aiden is sworn in, the leader he’s always longed to be.
Never one to fit in, he must re-discover himself, as an indigenous Australian, as
a fighter, as a lover – and as a leader.

My Review…

Aiden Tenten is the main narrator for this sci-fi /dystopian story. It did feel more sci-fi than dystopian but I still enjoyed it, I found it highly entertaining as I followed Aiden from predicament to predicament. The synopsis indicates that earth has been taken over by aliens, Aiden feels it is his job to help overthrow this alien regime and be the person he wants to be.

This is a highly entertaining read, I am not sure if the author had meant this or not. I did find some of the predicaments that Aiden found himself left me sniggering to myself. He is quite a fun character although he does have a serious nature, I mean after all saving the world from aliens is a serious task. It did take me a few chapters to get into this book as I got to grips with the various creatures, the unusual names, places and general feel of the story. It is quite a while, I might add that I sat and read a sci-fi book.

If you break this down to the basics this is a story of a man finding his place, he has beliefs and is true to the cause. He knew life before and can see how the earth has been destroyed more since the aliens took over. Battling against the odds he does a magnificent job of reeling from one situation to the next. He is in essence a loner, but gradually he gains a few loyal friends. Working out who can be trusted and how far others can infiltrate systems keeps him on his toes.

Once I got to grips with the story I found this quite a compelling read. In someway it did remind me of a couple of books I read several years ago. As I mentioned this is more sci-fi, but there are mentions of things that do give it a dystopian feel. An entertaining book with a good pace and one I would recommend reading.

About the Author…

Alice McVeigh (writing as Spaulding Taylor) was born in Seoul, South Korea, and
grew up in Southeast Asia. After surviving her teenage years in McLean,
Virginia, and achieving an undergraduate degree in cello performance at the
internationally renowned Jacobs School of Music, she came to London to study
cello with William Pleeth. There she worked for over a decade with orchestras
including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and
Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique. Alice was first
published in the late 1990s when her two contemporary novels (While the Music
Lasts and Ghost Music) were published by Orion to critical acclaim.

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The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey @michaelcarey191 @OrbitBooks #TheTrialsOfKoli @Tr4cyF3nt0n #CompulsiveReaders #Bookreview

yvonnembee

I am absolutely delighted to be able to share my review today for The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey.

My huge thanks to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my spot on the tour and for arranging my gorgeous copy of this second book in the trilogy.

This is a fabulous trilogy and yes you really should read them in order, it is a trilogy and therefore the first book is the start of the story, this book is the middle and the next is the end – makes sense to read them all doesn’t it? 😉

Let me show you what The Trials of Koli is about…

Synopsis…

The Trials of Koli is the second novel in M R. Carey’s breathtakingly original Rampart trilogy, set in a strange and deadly world of our own making.

Beyond the walls of Koli’s small village lies a fearsome landscape filled with choker trees, vicious beasts and shunned men. As an exile, Koli’s been forced to journey out into this mysterious, hostile world. But he heard a story, once. A story about lost London, and the mysterious tech of the Old Times that may still be there. If Koli can find it, there may still be a way for him to redeem himself – by saving what’s left of humankind.

Get your copy HERE (this is an affiliate link)

My Review…

I have been looking forward to reading this second book in the Rampart Trilogy. It continues the story of Koli as he makes his way towards a radio signal in London. His travelling companions are Ursual and Cup and together they make their way through the wilds, try to avoid others and also survive the danger in the world that the author has created.

The story flits back and forth between Koli as he journeys towards London and also of Spinner. Spinner is back home and this is where the author quickly recaps the first book but from Spinner’s viewpoint. It also continues her story and the villagers after Koli’s disgrace and departure. I like this as it keeps the reader in touch with what happens at home while Koli is away.

I thought the first book was great and while it did have that first book in a series feel it was still addictive. This second in the trilogy is absolutely brilliant and I adored it. I slowed my reading down for this book so I could savour the story. It is a story that is full of hidden dangers and of how society is surviving in an uncertain future in small pockets and communities.

The author paints a vivid picture of a future that still has everyday problems but also a future that has very little technology. The tech that is still in use is highly prized and gives the user a certain status. It is this tech that not only helps but also adds danger to having it as there is always those that want what they haven’t got.

Over the generations, stories have been passed down of what was but it is what is happening now that has people dealing with new challenges. I like the way the author has simplified some of the words that are used, it gives more of an innocence to the characters and it didn’t take me long to fall back into their speech and way of talking.

I absolutely adored this book and it is with great anticipation that I look forward to the next book, but also sad that it is the final one in the trilogy. A brilliant book and one that I would definitely recommend.

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Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share wold be amazing 🙂 xx

The Hitman and The Thief by Richard Dee @RichardDockett1 @rararesources #bookreview

yvonnembee 3 Comments

I am delighted to be one of the Book Bloggers openeing the Blog Tour and to share my review today for The Hitman and The Thief by Richard Dee. It has been quite a while since I read one of Richard’s books so I was looking forward to this one. My huge thanks to Rachel at Rachel Random Resources for my spot on the Blog Tour and for my e-copy of this book.

Synopsis…

Assassination can be a messy business, especially if you’re having a bad day.

Dan Jones is the ultimate problem solver, the hitman for crime boss Fliss Bauer.

Fliss has a rival, Kalindra Dallin. She runs a particularly unpleasant planet. Dan is told to arrange her demise. It’s just another job; until a random event means that it all goes horribly wrong.

To save his skin, Dan is forced to try again, only this time he has to work with a partner. He doesn’t want to but it’s the only chance he’s going to get; if he wants to put things right.

Can the hitman and the thief get the job done, more importantly, can they keep each other alive?

Beta Readers comments,

“Richard’s latest book, The Hitman and the Thief, takes the reader on a twisting journey through different worlds. The action moves swiftly, with unexpected twists and turns. As usual, Richard’s excellent technical knowledge conveys a gritty reality with ease. This is a fun read, hard to put down and I sure hope there is a sequel in the making.”

Purchase Link – HERE

My Review…

I really enjoyed this book, it is a mystery and crime read but with a sci-fi setting. The author wove a very addictive tale between Dan Jones a hitman and the thief… you will soon meet.

I really liked the feel of the storey with brief mentions of planets and their uses, it did give space and sci-fi feel but not full of convoluted jargon or tech-speak. This makes it a very accessible book for crime and mystery readers and especially those who prefer a cosy-mystery style read.

So, Dan, I do like this character who seems to have principles, well if an assassin can have principles. His latest job is to infiltrate another gang and kill their boss. It seems to be a simple plan, but, well, let’s just say that plans do not go according to plan!

There is a good amount of intrigue and it didn’t take me long to get into this book. It moves along at a reasonable pace and with a good amount of characters that are easy to remember I soon found myself turning the pages.

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to follow and made for a relaxing read. A book that would fall in the genre of cosy mystery sci-fi – is there such a genre? AS I said earlier this is a book that is very accessible, yes it is sci-fi as such and this may put some readers off but it is also a very good mystery read that has an intriguing storyline and some interesting characters. I would definitely recommend it.

About the Author…

Richard Dee is from Brixham in Devon. Leaving school at 16 he briefly worked in a supermarket, then he went to sea and travelled the world in the Merchant Navy, qualifying as a Master Mariner in 1986. 

He has also worked as an Insurance Surveyor, Lockmaster, Harbourmaster and Ships Pilot, taking over 3,500 vessels up and down the Thames, passing through the estuary, the Thames Barrier and Tower Bridge.

Since the publication of his first Science Fiction novel, Freefall, in 2013, Richard has written another twelve novels, a textbook and a selection of short stories. He has been featured in several anthologies, including 1066 Turned Upside Down and Tales from Deepest Darkest Devon.

He writes Science Fiction and Steampunk adventures and also chronicles the exploits of reluctant amateur detective Andorra Pett.

Richard is married with three adult children and three grandchildren.

Social Media Links –

If you’d like to know more about my writing, my website is richarddeescifi.co.uk. Head over there to see what I get up to, click the FREE STUFF tab or the My Novels and Short Stories tab to get all the details about my work and pick up a free short story. Why not join my newsletter and get a free short story, unavailable anywhere else.

I’m on Facebook at RichardDeeAuthor and Twitter at Richard Dee Sci-Fi

My Amazon author page is here.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx