Tag: sci-fi

Posted on

Book Review: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein

Stranger in a Strange Land by various Robert A Heinlein is a Sci-fi novel about a man from mars who visits earth.

The Cover: The cover image on the version I have shows a mountain range that forms the profile of a human face lying down against a somewhat psychedelic sky. I can’t say the cover clearly defines it as Sci-fi, but I would have assumed it to be so. The artwork is a bit boring to me, but the title font is a good choice and is clear in white against the coloured background. I will say this is a 1991 publication of this book and it seems the image has been updated since.

The Good Stuff: I did enjoy the beginning of this story and found I wanted to read more. I think it was a good concept and I did find myself liking the characters more as time went on.

The Bad Stuff: I believe this book was originally published in 1961 and it shows. It is quite sexist and it doesn’t seem to be just the characters that come across this way, but more a reflection of the attitudes at the time of writing. There are parts that go on unnecessarily about things that have little relevance in my opinion (such as the mailing system introduced to review the mail received by the man from mars). The book also goes on about religion too much for my liking.

Overall, I got bored with this book about halfway through, started to skim, and ended up giving up on it about 2 thirds of the way in when it was banging on about religion too much. If you love this book, I’m sorry. It just isn’t my cup of tea and only gets a mind vanishing 1 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.

Posted on

Book Review: Rogue Ragtime by K.Alexis

Rogue Ragtime

Rogue Ragtime by K.Alexis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the interests of being transparent, I’d like to note that I know the author personally. To the best of my intention, my review of his work has not been influenced by this and is based on my honest opinion.

Rogue Ragtime by K. Alexis follows a small band of thieves, cursed to steal unimportant items, while trying to complete a collection of a set of novels in a world where books are banned.

The Cover: I really like this cover, it is colourful and has a kind of comic book/Manga feel to it. The image fits well with the story for me and it has a good title font with colours that stand out well against the background.

The Good Stuff: I love the fight scenes within this story, they are done well, there are some formidable foes, and they move smoothly through the action. In fact, as a whole, the story moves smoothly and is well written. The author shows a strong voice throughout this novel and has created a diverse and multi-cultured world with some great characters – Characters with their own distinctive personalities and abilities.

The Bad Stuff: There are some info dumps on the character descriptions which I feel could have been fed into the story more subtly. There is also an ‘instant message conversation’ snippet at the beginning of each chapter. While it is a nice quirky idea, I found it distracting and it didn’t really add anything to the story for me. I also got a little confused with everything that was going on in the story at times. There is also a lot of opinion within the text, which while I do not disagree with it, it is not subtle and I found it quite imposing at times.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters and the fight scenes, but the story is a bit “out there” and not something I would normally read. Having said that, I would love to watch this as a movie, I think I would thoroughly enjoy it. I’m giving this a mind boggling 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks with the added comment that I do not feel I am the target audience for this book.

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.

Posted on

Would You Like Some Free Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Horror books? You Would! Then Take a Look at this Giveaway.

Series Starter March Giveaway

Hello Readers,

March is upon us. And with the new month, comes a new giveaway. That’s right. I have teamed up with even more authors for this Series Starter Giveaway. All the books here will introduce you to a new series that may turn out to be by your new favourite author. So why not check them out by clicking the image above or following this link.

Happy Reading!

Posted on

New Year, New Freebies.

Hello Readers,

With the New Year celebrations over, it is time to look forward to the year ahead. I am still looking for a new job, I’ve signed up to a double diploma, and I have completed a volunteer English tutor course and will be taking on my first student in the near future. Even with these commitments I plan to achieve more as an author this year, than I did in 2018. This year I hope to build a larger following, obtain more reviews on my books, finish some of my stories that have been neglected for a while, and much more.

Part of my plan to help build my following involves a little author collaboration and a giveaway. It’s a win/win situation! Readers get to try new authors without forking out for their books, and authors may pick up a new fan or 2.  So what better way to start the new year than by teaming up with another author for a free offer. Well that’s just what I have done. I’ve teamed up with author Carol James Marshall.

Carol James Marshall is a California native that now resides in Warner Robins, Georgia with her husband, two boys, and a couple of dogs that are spoiled by all. Marshall’s books are light science fiction with a splash of horror and a decent douse of creepy.  Her short stories are a bit lighter, being more whimsical, but still pack a mysterious yet comical punch. When Carol is not writing she loves audiobooks, reading, classic science fiction and horror films.

To grab a free copy of Carol’s book Starburst just click on the image below:

FB Jan Freebie

STARBURST:

When everything you know is a lie… Will you seek the truth?

Lisa, our anti-hero, only wants to follow orders from her mysterious leader, Superior Mother, then get back to life in The Grey. When she is sent on her first mission among the humans, Lisa realizes she is more human than Superior Mother led her to believe. In her first mission for the Women of the Grey, Lisa begins to not only challenge her orders from Superior Mother but everything she has ever known. Defiant and on a quest for the truth, Lisa will follow orders no more while she creates a path of her own. If you love books with strong female characters that are both heroes and villains, Starburst is a read just for you.
The Women of the Grey is a science fiction and horror trilogy that dives into alien isolation tangled into a secret society. Read Starburst book 1 today to start the journey into the dark and disturbing world of The Grey.

For those of you that do not know me, I am a writer and artist, born in sun-scorched Australia and raised in the grungy suburbs of West London. I’m a keen martial arts fan, lover of fantasy, and a movie buff. I grew up watching movies like ‘Drunken Master’ and ‘Snake in the Eagles Shadow’. My favourite author is Joe Abercrombie and I love the graphic novels of Wendy and Richard Pini. So you will find I’ve been influenced by the likes of Joe, Wendy, Richard and cult Asian film directors such as Jacki Chan and Stephen Chow. I currently reside in Brisbane, where I enjoy creating new worlds through my writing.

To grab a free copy of my book Darkness In Shadows just click on the image below:

FB - DIS

DARKNESS IN SHADOWS:

Are you afraid of the dark? You should be!

Corporal Jackson’s been assigned a new post on a top-secret project and keeping him in the dark might just kill him. It’s hard to hide things from the Russians though. They know about the machine and they want one… but some secrets should stay hidden.

Darkness in Shadows is a sci-fi horror by Allan Walsh. If you like heart-thumping short stories, hair-raising concepts, and scary twists on reality, this monstrous tale will have you jumping at shadows.

Wrap your fingers around a copy today!

Happy Reading!

AW