Steve Gibson
This story draws us into the life of several teens who must help the experts when earthquakes and volcanic activity increases in Hawaii, California, and New Mexico. Amber from California works with her mother on earthquake science. Alex in Hawaii helps his father exploring volcanoes. The two of them are sent to New Mexico to help research the escalating shaking along all the fault-lines and affecting all dormant volcanoes. We fallowing their descent into danger and risk with each passing hour.
I greatly enjoyed the earthquake and volcano science. We hear dialog on every page about earth and environmental science. It worked for me. I found it fun. Amber and Alex are experts, in their own ways, despite their youth. As the days go by under pressure, and at danger from nature and people, they develop a closeness that affects their relationship. As their parents are separated from them by the changing earth and research needs, they come to depend more and more on each other. I liked the humor of the teens. They are unhappy teenagers, but not obnoxious. I like that they are insecure and inexperienced. That is what most real teens are like.
Who would enjoy this story? If you are like me, and like science in your science fiction, and can tolerate talk about science facts on most pages, you should appreciate this story. I think it is suitable for middle school readers and up. The book could use another edit, to remove typos and misspellings. If you like realistic science fiction with science, give it a try, you might like it.
The Ex-Pacifist was a book I couldn't put down. I had to know what would happen next. The first few chapters grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. The main character, Vera, starts as a teen with heavy responsibility and a clear life path to follow. What happens in the first chapter means her life changes in ways that she can't imagine. Absolutely, she can't begin to conceive of what her life will become. She can't know, and the reader can't imagine.
The world that is created is a clever balance between space opera futuristic worlds and well-drawn realistic communities. The events and locations that Vera finds herself in from chapter to chapter are striking and creatively unusual. I found the human reactions believable. The feelings between Vera and her bodyguards rang true.
The book was an enjoyable read as I followed Vera's story in first-person past-tense POV. Most chapters held surprises for the characters and readers. I especially enjoyed how Vera began the story as a naive teen who followed orders and had to transform herself to stay alive and protect the others around her.
I think the readers most likely to enjoy this book are middle grade and YA readers who enjoy science fiction adventure stories with romance.
Quite an enjoyable historical fiction. I knew nothing of ancient Singapore before this book. Now I feel I have a little insight into the relations between China, the Thais, Malayans, and other groups in the 1390s. I like the two central characters. A young princess of the Ming Empire who is sent to marry a ruler in the southern lands, and Parameswara, the prince who has a conflicted love for her. The story follows the bad decisions, and complex decisions made by the rulers in these kingdoms and how their lives become entangled and severed. I was intrigued to follow the twists and turns of their lives. Momentous events occur in each of the kingdoms, and no one's life is left untouched.
The book is suitable of any reader down to middle grade. Readers will have to love history and historical fiction. This is an adventure tale that follow people who are constrained by custom, laws and tradition. I bought the second book immediately. I can't wait to find out what happens next.
Fun genetics science story. The book could use another editing run through, to catch errors. But, it held my attention. I appreciated that when the heroine needed to rescue her daughter, she did not think to pick up a gun. Instead she used her brains, and human allies to win a violent conflict with a dangerous foe.
Very nearly a great book. What a likable heroine. She is naive but no one's victim. She has family and friends she can count on. She has implacable enemies coming to destroy her life. She meet enemies with expert martial arts and never backs down.
Now for the criticism. There is much more POV head hopping than is acceptable in modern books. Anyway, the book rises to levels of interest and compassion that makes me think with another strong pass of editing this could be a 5 star masterpiece.
Interesting story about a teen whose ordinary life undergoes a dramatic change. This story has some elements that remind me of Twilight. But Renée is more assertive than Bella. We follow Renée's ordinary life as a senior in high school for several chapters. This is a good contrast to the events that unfold when she must confront a strange new world. This story contained a good explanation of why she can do well in the new world. Many fantasy stories are very mysterious about why a normal teen can handle encounters with a completely different reality. That issue is handled well with Renée. When I finished I had to immediately pick up the next book, to find how the cliffhanger is resolved. Give it a try, you might find a new fantasy author to follow
Scotlyn is a smart, totally unassuming, environmentally conscious young woman who runs a local nursery in the Beach City she grew up in. She also has a secret. She's psychic with plenty of knowledge of the fae world. Knowledge that makes her dangerous, that makes her a target.
This book tells an epic story of a war between the fae and humans. It is a story of overwhelming power, dragons, control of nature, and invisibility against humanity. Fortunately, for humans, a small band of fae choose to throw their lot in with humanity. This forlorn hope seeks humans with powers who can be trained to face the coming whirlwind.
This book contains many intriguing story-lines. The main group of friendly fae and powerful humans go on a survival trek through central California, as the dangerous fae attack. Another group of humans flee the cities and seek shelter in isolation in the countryside. Human prisoners are gathered in caves, for judgement, by the attacking fae. The fae royals orchestrate the destruction of humanity from the fae world. Each story-line is told from a central POV character.
This story has the elements of a hero's journey with the protagonists carried through trials, tests, fear at overwhelming odds, and final confrontation. Readers who enjoy rousing fantasy stories will find this a fun romp. The book, obviously a first effort, could use additional editing to increase the smoothness and immersive power. This novel is suitable for middle school and up. There is no casual sex, mostly tame language, and the violence is needed by the story of epic conflict between worlds. I enjoyed the book and look forward to more titles by the author.
I just read an entertaining collection of short stories of fantasy or science fiction. Each story was interesting in different ways. The stories are in alphabetical order in both the ebook and the paperback. Being a Vampire Sucks by Christina Lo Bianco is a funny approach that is spot on for the topic of Hex Support. Body Hacks by Sue Sherman is a humorous story with an interesting twist. Flying in the Face by Rose Jones has many science fiction aspects, with young people and intercultural interactions.
Bug Report by Nikki Yager has a strong undercover surprise. For the Love of Jim Blob by Jen Ponce is a story with great humor. It has a great character, and I identified with Tansy, and enjoyed the change and progression in the story. Friday the 13th by Rick Rossing has a fun noir flavor. Hextreme Measures by Gary S Watkins reminds us we always need to double check the ingredients of spells and summonings. Intercontinental Charm Manufacturing by Martin Coyne has great humor in its story. It does not start out funny, but turns funny, then turns dark. Great it could carry different tones during the course of the story. Mighty Brew by Jolie Byrne asks some serious questions, like what do you do when you have the choice of right or wrong. M.E.R.L.I.N. by Chad Dennis tells us it is important to know who your support person is. It makes a difference! Panic Room by Lloyd Vancil features a hard bitten detective who investigates an impossible crime. Pratima's Engines by S. A. Gibson has an undercover investigator, looking for a crime of technology (I am biased; I wrote this). Simple Fix by Denise Drespling is a very entertaining story of hex support, when it gets personal. An entire family has to get involved to solve a serious magic problem. Spell Check by Ian Richardson asks who is going to protect the earth from evil creatures from another dimension. Surely not young girls! Spell Search by Kristy Carey warns us that sometimes working the spells support line can be dangerous. Be careful. Your Cauldron is Important To Us by Elena Galloway is a cautionary tale about the dangers of making sure we are using the right cauldron for the right spell.
I recommend this collections. Give it a try!
Fun, enjoyable light read. The cover says it all. Pulp fiction with time travel, Nazis and a good ole American GI soldier. Somewhat old school in style and feel. I wasn't offended by stereotypes as I often am with old school science fiction. The women were a little more respected and self reliant than in most old school fiction. The only excessive stereotypes are the Nazis and dinosaurs. Both are mindlessly and fatally evil. They both attack the good guys without any thinking until they die. If you are looking for a light, fast time-travel action adventure, give it a try.
Quite a story! Not for the very young. I was tricked by the cover and the fact that the main character is a child to think it is for children. But the story starts out dark and gets darker. Very interesting premise and execution. Interesting way of exploring what people will do in extreme circumstances.
I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first in the series. It has Bresq in all her awesomeness. She is powerful, intelligent and driven by compassion. I enjoyed it the most, after about half way, when the book directly starts exploring themes of oppression, gender, identity, colonization, survival, and revolution. As with the first two books, the way this book handles gender is to make it impossible to think about gender, in the ways we are used to. Good book, if you liked the first two, you will like this one.
