Category: Book Reviews

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Book Review – Heroes wanted by Various authors.

Heroes Wanted by various authors is a fantasy anthology.

The Cover: The cover image depicts some fantasy characters/creatures from the stories within and definitely fits with the genre. The artwork is good and the title font is in a good choice in a nice contrasting colour, making it clean and clear. The only thing I feel letting it down is that it is a very dark picture that tends to make the image a murky smudge on the thumbnail images you see online. Overall, I like it and fits the genre.

The Good Stuff: This is definitely a fantasy anthology, and you get exactly what you’re expecting in that regard. It was free on Amazon when I picked this title up and here are a few good stories between the covers, so great value in that respect. Anthologies are a great way to sample the works of a number of authors to see if you like their writing, and it can be worth it when you find one you like.

The Bad Stuff: As with most anthologies, you get ‘a mixed bag’ of stories from a variety of authors. Some are good stories and some you will likely skim through or skip. Sometimes this feels a little disappointing, but then I try to remind myself that it isn’t really an issue, especially when the book is free. Truly, if I can find one author I like from the various writers, it is far better than trying a novel by an author I haven’t read, only to find I don’t enjoy their work.

Overall, I enjoyed some of the stories, but not as many as those I skimmed or skipped. I didn’t find another favourite author is this book, but there are a couple I would give another go on one of their longer pieces of work. This one gets a sword slashing, magic blasting 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here.

You can also find his titles available in libraries. If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.

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Book Review: Half a War by Joe Abercrombie

Half a War

Half a War by Joe Abercrombie is the third book in the Shattered Sea Series.

The Cover: The cover version I have is mainly black and white with figures on the attack, fighting their way up a hill. It seems to me that defenders sit behind a shield wall with the prow beast of their ship at there backs; a scene from the story itself. The artwork is split across the middle by a mirror image in inverted tones. The title sits in the middle within a circle of scrolling waves and stands out in large red letters. I’m not a fan of font used for the title, but overall it is a nice cover in my opinion and fits the genre.

The Good Stuff: Once again, Abercrombie delivers some solid characters in a grim world. The plot has all the twists and betrayals I have come to expect from this author. My favourite character in this one would have to be Raith, followed by Koll, Rin, and Blue Jenner.

The Bad Stuff: I would like to have seen more of Rin in this story, and I actually expected to see a lot more of Thorn Bathu. In fact I was looking forwards to seeing more of Thorn, but I was left a little disappointed that she didn’t play a bigger part. I suppose her story had been told in the previous book. The elf ruins/relics/weapons also didn’t really work for me, it is clear what they represent and brings reality into the fantasy world, but I want my fantasy to be just that… fantasy.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, but not as much as the previous two in the series. This one gets a sword hammering, shield banging 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Half the World by Joe Abercrombie


Half the World by Joe Abercrombie is the second book in the Shattered Sea series.

The Cover: The copy I read has a slightly different image from the one in this post. It has the same wave made of bladed weapons, but it is crashing down upon a vessel akin to a Viking longship. The title is a bold blue against a greyish sky, with white text against a green sea for the author name. The fonts are clear, but I’m not a huge fan of the title font, I feel there could have been a better choice. Having said that, it is a solid fantasy book cover and overall I like it.

The Good Stuff: Yes, yes, I know I say it all the time, but it’s true… Abercrombie is my favourite author, and I feel the Shattered Sea is my favourite series. It has a truly rugged fantasy feel and I love it. Combine this world, the great characters, and Abercrombie’s writing style, and you have everything you could want between the covers.

The Bad Stuff: If there is any, I couldn’t find it.

Overall, this is a great title from Joe Abercrombie. It has great characters, a strongly developed world, a good story, and great writing style. If you haven’t read it yet, treat yourself, it’s well worth it. This one gets an oar slapping, shield banging 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Make a Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld

Make a Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld is a non-fiction title that covers the creating good scenes and other techniques within the craft of fiction writing.

The Cover: The cover is simple and clean with three basic colours, a swirling floral design, and some circular images. It clearly represents a non-fiction title to me. The white font is well contrasted against the bold red behind, but without the title and subtitle, I would not know this is a book about writing. It is a pleasant and professional cover, but personally I think it could be strengthened with some imagery more significant to the theme.

The Good Stuff: This is one of the best books I have read on the craft of writing, and that is saying something when you have been writing for many years and read many books on the subject. Despite the title, this book actually covers a great deal more than crafting a good scene. It talks about POV, setting, character development, plot, dialogue, and so much more. I have had this book sitting on my bookshelf, gathering dust for over 3 years now, in no rush to read it. The title deceptively understates the content of the text within. If I had known what lay between the pages, I would have picked this one up much sooner. I learnt a great deal from reading this book and that blows me away. Maybe I’m now at a level where I have a greater understanding and I’m able to absorb the information and understand it, or maybe this book is just written in such a way that it makes it easy.

The Bad Stuff: Nope, sorry… there isn’t any. I’m super impressed with this title and will be referring back to it again and again in the future.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and wish I had done so sooner. The author talks you through the techniques of writing in a way that makes it easy to understand, enabling you to grasp the skills needed to write a good novel. I very much recommend this title to anyone who feels they have not yet mastered the craft of writing. This one gets a scene-building, story-making, 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: As It Seems by Eric Lewis

As it Seems by Eric Lewis is a collection of short stories by a single author. The collection comprises mostly grimdark/fantasy, and a few stories that probably fit better into sci-fi.

The Cover: There seems to be a couple of covers for this book, I have the one with a robed figure striding forwards, face hidden beneath a hood, sword rested on his right shoulder and an axe hanging from his left hand. Both the image and the font are presented well and fit with the genre.

The Good Stuff: I liked the writing style, the world building, and the tone. I enjoyed that most of the stories were set in the same world; a dark, gritty, grim world. I quite like a bit of grimdark and this didn’t disappoint. The author certainly doesn’t buy into happy endings. One of the most notable things for me is that when it comes to anthologies, I’m usually only taken by a few stories. But, I also enjoyed every story in this book, and that is a big achievement by the author in my opinion.

The Bad Stuff: Okay, so this title is not without its faults. There are a few more typo’s than I would normally see in a book of this length. There are also some things that didn’t really gel for me. Things like a slave ship allowed to dock in a place where slavery is illegal, plumbers in a fantasy world, and modern terms like apartment, startup, and coffee break, that for me just don’t seem to fit with the world the author has created. This encroached on my enjoyment and held me back from fully immersing myself in some of the stories.

Overall, I can easily forgive the few typos and words/terms that I felt were out of place, simply because I really enjoyed this book. If you’re into slightly darker short stories by a single author, you should give this one a go. This one gets a back-stabbing, alchemical blasting, 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie.

The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie is book 2 in the Age of Madness Trilogy and continues the saga within the First Law world.

The Cover: There is more than 1 version for this book. I have the colourful cover depicting a flaming battle scene in the background with the standard of the wolf at the fore. It is a good cover, it aligns with others in the series and is typical of an Abercrombie cover. Looking back after reading the story I feel it really fits well with the book itself. The image works with this Grimdark title, I like the fonts, and it stands out on a shelf.  

The Good Stuff: Come on guys, you must know by now that I love Abercrombie’s work. He just has a way with words that sings to my mind. The characters, as always, are great. The story, as always, is gritty and gripping. The plot, dare I say it… as always, is full of politics and betrayals. What’s not to love about it. I love the character of Rikke, along with Stour and Vick. The Northmen really make these novels for me, that’s the raw fantasy side of things I love, but even the more refined characters can blow me away. Don’t wait, just grab yourself a copy and read it!

The Bad Stuff: Okay, I’ll be honest, this wasn’t my favourite Abercrombie title, but it is a great book. I love the dark, gritty, fantasy side of Joe’s work, and I find that as the world moves forward making ‘progress’, the fantasy is slowly draining away. Which is why I prefer the First Law Trilogy. But I will still continue to read his newer work in this world, because he is just so good.

Overall, this is another cracking title from (in my opinion) the Grandmaster of Grimdark, Joe Abercrombie. Actually, I think that might be my new nick name for him – Grandmaster Grim! Honestly, if you read within this genre and you haven’t read any of his titles, give him a go. He is a great author. This one gets a polearm piercing, battle raging 4.5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here.

You can also find his titles available in libraries. If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.

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Book Review: Pricing Strategies 2020 by Craig Martelle

Pricing Strategies 2020 by Craig Martelle is a non-fiction title from the Successful Indie Author series that provides authors with strategies on how to price their books.

The Cover: This title’s cover makes it obvious that the book is non-fiction. It is branded to align with the rest of the series in the usual high visibility colours. The images for this series always have a business feel to me, which I suppose is the underlying topic behind being an author, but if not for the series tag, I’d have no idea it was to do with writing. I’ve thought about this a little and I think it would be hard to come up with a cover that represents pricing strategies for book sales. I’m a little disappointed in the cover, but it does fit with the content from the business side of things. The title combined with the series name identifies the content for this one, and the image ties it to the business side of being an author. Overall it fits and is good for purpose.

The Good Stuff: This book covers a great deal, in fact I was surprised at just how much there is to talk about on the topic. I found it a very interesting read that opened my eyes and cemented the importance of writing more books and building a back list. It is written in the same direct, matter of fact, manner as the rest of the series that makes it clear and to the point. There’s no fancy words or bullshit in this series. Craig tells things straight in layman terms and that’s what I love about this author and this series of books.

The Bad Stuff: The worst I have to say about this book is the back matter is the same as the other books. Much the same as any author plugging their website/other titles and thanking those who helped. The fact that I read the back matter again just goes to show this book is worth reading. I can’t really fault this one.

Overall, I found this title to be very informative. I like the authors voice/style, his attitude, and his principles that all come through in this non-fiction series. This one earns itself a dollar making 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Write Compelling Fiction by L.J. Martin and Craig Martelle.

Write Compelling Fiction by L.J.Martin and Craig Martelle is a non-fiction title offering hints and tips on how to write compelling fiction.

The Cover: The cover for this book is a typical non-fiction cover. With its bright yellow cover it stands out, yet sits nicely amongst the brand of books in this series of titles for indie authors. Personally, I don’t feel the image conveys the content of the book, but it does hint that it is to do with writing. The title confirms what to expect from this book and sits clearly on the cover with strong contrast and a nice clean font.

The Good Stuff: I found the content of this book to be on point. It covers a lot of ground on the key factors that make up good writing. It is done in an inspirational way, which is I have found to be a consistent theme with these titles. This book would be a good addition to any writer’s tool box, from beginner to veteran writer. If you do not learn anything new, at the very least it will serve as a reminder of the things to be aware of.

The Bad Stuff: The examples inside this title are mainly based on westerns (which makes sense as one of the authors writes in this genre.) I really wish it had been geared towards the fantasy genre, I think I would have enjoyed it so much more – but hey, you can’t always get what you want. There is some repetition, especially with the prose used to present the concepts and techniques, but again, this makes sense.

Overall, I found this to be a great book about the craft of writing that offers tried and tested techniques used in good writing. This one earns a page turning 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.

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Book Review – Collaborations by Craig Martelle.

Collaborations by Craig Martelle is a non-fiction title that provides information on how to collaborate on writing projects with other Authors.

The Cover: As far as I’m aware, there is only one version for this book. It is bright, stands out, and is branded so as to align with other non-fiction titles in the Successful Indie Author series. I find it presents as a business focused title, which ultimately it is. Once again, I’m not a real fan of the colour choices, but the cover does grab your attention, the font is clear, and the cover successfully conveys that this is a non-fiction title.

The Good Stuff: There is a lot of great information in this title. The content was very informative for me and opened my eyes to what is involved in a collaboration. Not just the work, but how to protect yourself and the co-authors rights, etc… I like Craig Martelle’s down to earth, no-bullshit style. He claims to be a blue collar author, and I am convinced this is the truth. I believe it is well worth investing in this book if you are looking at collaborations. You may save yourself and others a lot of trouble.

The Bad Stuff: What can I say? It’s a great book. There is some repetition, but I’ve found that in this series of books and I feel it is just to hammer the point home. It didn’t bother me at all, but it may irk others. At the end of the day, there is a lot of value in this book for anyway looking to form a collaboration.

Overall, this was another easy and enjoyable read. It was very informative, gets you thinking about things you may not have considered, and provides some example contracts for different types of collaborations. After some discussion with my imaginary friends, we’ve decided to give this one 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review – Become a Successful Indie Author by Craig Martelle.

Become a Successful Indie Author by Craig Martelle is a non-fiction motivational guide for Indie Authors.

The Cover: There are two covers I’ve seen for this book. The first cover is bright and stands out. It typically represents a business focused non-fiction title, but the image is a fairly good representation of the content inside. Personally, I don’t love the colour choices, but the cover seems to work for this book. The second (and the cover on my copy) is more tailored to authors, the colours are more neutral, the font clean and clear, and the title wraps up what to expect within. I much prefer this cover, I just find it easier on my eyes.

The Good Stuff: I actually really enjoyed this book. I found the content to be very informative for new authors, it is also very motivational and inspiring. Not only that, it is a very down to earth, no-bullshit, kind of book, written in plain language. That is always a bonus in my mind.  

The Bad Stuff: I don’t believe there was any bad stuff really. The large majority of the content applies to anyone who embarks on the course of Indie Authorship, however, this book is aimed at an American audience. It has content specific to that region, but that is the target audience, so I guess I can’t knock it for that. I would just say to those outside the U.S. who read it, be aware of this and research what is required for you in your country. A specific example of this is the section on setting yourself up with an EIN and/or an LLC. These refer to an Employer Identification Number and a Limited Liability Company. The Australian equivalent would probably be a Tax File Number and a Trust.

Overall, I found this an easy and enjoyable read. It was informative and inspiring. I’m going to give this title a positively influenced 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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