Category Archives: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Many, many years ago, I read a couple of the first books in the Dragonriders of Pern series but then life got in the way and I never finished reading any further in the series. I recently chanced upon this book and was interested in reading it because I was curious to see how the author carried the series forward.

The story is engrossing and well written, and from what I can tell, builds upon the earlier story lines but does not expect that the previous series to have been read. This book provides enough back story necessary to understand the world of Pern without spoiling what has happened in all of Anne’s original books.

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I have read some of Terry Brooks Shannara books in the past, but have not kept up with all the stories he has written about the four lands of Shannara. The book stands on its own and it is easy to understand the world of Shannara without having to read all the previously written books of this world.

As the reader is being introduced to the main characters, word comes of an invading force from the north that could quickly threaten the entire land. Tarsha Kaynin, a young girl learning how to control her magic and Drisker Arc, a banished Druid, soon become the center of this story and all that lies ahead.

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I usually do not read Fantasy as a genre. I was enticed to this book, in full disclosure, as a family member is one of the authors whose work is featured in this book.

I read all sixteen works and was surprised at the breadth that Fantasy encompasses. From the “The Killing Fields” by Sarah KL Wilson where an Empress with a real attitude holds much power to the “The Eresutna” by Nicholas Kotar where monks and would be monks confront a creature intent on punishing those who break vows to the “Forces of Magic: TheTesting Book 0.5” by Shawn Robert Smith in which coming of age young men and women discover if they have magical gifts, even those magical gifts which are neither desirable nor welcome to “Flight of Flame” by Cameron Wayne Smith in which two sworn enemies find a way, albeit through dire straits, in which they can co-exist.

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This is the perfect small size book for anyone who is a cat lover and a fan of Star Trek. The author/artist has presented a series of vignettes from the original series with cats representing the crew.

I especially appreciate the breeds of cats she has chosen for this book. From the ginger-colored American short hair (Kirk) to the Scottish fold (Scottie) to the lovely Russian blue (Chekov), each cat wonderfully matches the looks and personalities of the crew members.

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“Virtues of War” by Bennett R Coles is an excellent futuristic war novel centering around the crew of the fast-attack craft Rapier.

As the events of the book unfold, you learn that in the future, Earth has colonized many worlds. The book follows the crew of the Terran Ship Rapier through their various missions in what turns out to become a war between the Terran forces, who see Earth as the mother planet, and Centauri Forces whose allegiance is to some of the colonies that were started from the Terran colonization effort.

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“The Vorrh” is an attempt to fuse multiple genres and writing styles into something new and different. Probably not unlike a Mexican Sushi fusion restaurant. You’re not exactly sure what you’re going to get. This book attempts to fuse steam punk, science fiction, fantasy, African folklore, American and English historical individual and other references in both third person and first person using the writing style a English literature professor would love. This is all combined in a single book.

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I enjoyed this book very much. It was attention grabbing from the beginning and the main character is one that I would certainly like to see in future books. In my opinion, this could be the first of a series.

About 30% into the book, I had a theory of what was going on. However, as the story unfolded more it became apparent that my theory was in the right direction but incorrect. There were a number of twists throughout the book that kept my interest and each time I put it down, I looked forward to the next time I picked it up to see what the author had coming up.

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