Review: Children of the Black by WJ III Long

 

The Book:

As humanity's bloodiest conflict ends, those left behind struggle to carve a path free of its shadow, but old hates die hard. Under the weight of this new future, a former soldier and a young psionic girl fight to scrounge up enough credits to keep their meager lives on track when a figure from the past offers them a way out. All they have to do is find the remains of a once-promising enemy research project, one whose failure still shakes the souls involved to this day.

Success would mean an end to all their problems, but in this universe, few things are as deceptive as an easy gig.

My Thoughts:

One of last year’s finalists in SPSFC3 and reading it I can see why. This is a space opera with a strong military vibe. There’s lots of action as would be expected but what sets this one apart is the humanity of the characters especially the relationship between the main character, Claude and the young blind girl, Vision. This really gives us an insight into the more human side of this former soldier and these characters all really come to life.

This really is an excellent book and one I strongly recommend, especially if you are looking for Military SF that gives you that something extra.

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (10)

I’ve maybe made it halfway through the entries for this year’s SPSFC4 Contest (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) and the list of books I want to read is getting longer by the day and now stands at 20. So this seems a good point for the timely reminder that these choices I’m making are very subjective and a reflection largely of my personal taste. There are plenty of books in the contest that haven’t made it onto my list simply because they’re not my thing. But they might be yours! So do check out all the entries and build your own TBR pile!

The Finding Machine by Lucy Lyons

This one sounds absolutely delightful. I like the idea of a mystery with a SF twist. I enjoyed the opening and loved the characters. I do wonder if the SF element will be sufficiently developed for this to go far in the competition, but that will be the judges’ decision. For me this sounds like something I’ll really enjoy so it’s straight onto the list for me.

The Martian Incident by Ryan M Patrick

Interesting. Americans being attached by EU soldiers on Mars! I really had to check this one out! The first chapter was good and I enjoyed what I read. I can’t wait to read more. I think the Martian colony setup here is going to be really rather intriguing.

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (9)

Another two amazing sounding books from this years batch of SPSFC4 (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) entries have just been added to the list. There are so many unique concepts being explored! So much excellent Self Published SF out in the world! I’m feeling spoilt for choice!

Mendelson’s Return by Cristovao Correia

This looks great. I particularly like that it is set in Portugal. It’s always refreshing to find a European setting for a SF book. So I read the blurb and opening with interest. Superheroes and law enforcement. So far so good. The opening really drew me in. Onto the list it goes.

Saint Elspeth by Wick Walker

Here we have a combination of post apocalypse and alien invasion and this one sounds particularly interesting. I’m really intrigued by the setup and a solid first chapters makes this a definite YES!. 

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (8)

WOW! Just WOW! I’m finding so many amazing sounding books among this years entries into SPSFC4 (Self Published Science Fiction Competition). Today’s additions both have really unique concepts and look so interesting.

The Widow’s Tithe by TR Peers

The blurb for this one is very strong. An excellent concept. I checked out the opening with high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed.  

Transference by Ian Patterson

There’s a really original idea at the heart of this one. That always attracts my attention. I love things which are that little bit unique. In this case people taking on the sickness from others! The opening chapter is excellent, powerful writing and a protagonist that I was quick to connect with. Can’t wait to read this one in full!!

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (7)

Another two amazing sounding books have just been added to my TBR pile from my fellow contestants in SPSFC4 (Self Published Science Fiction Competition). Have you read either of these? What did you think?

Afterburn by D Andrews

This sounds like a really interesting concept. And another main character called Kara. I’ve already got one of those on my list! But this story is very different. The opening is dramatic and gripping. I felt a real empathy for Kara and look forward to reading more.

Nothing Larger than these Stars by E. Marie Robertson

Oooh – corporate conspiracy on an interplanetary scale. I love the sound of this. The opening chapter is well written, the characters engaging and I’m ever so intrigued by the set up. This is definitely one for the list.

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (6)

SPSFC4 (Seld Published Science Fiction Competition) is well underway and I’m really enjoying checking out the other contestants. I’ve already read a couple and I’m eagerly diving into the next on my TBR list. As for the list itself – it continues to grow. Here are the latest two to catch my eye.

Navvy Dreams by HMH Murray

This one looks like a lot of fun. What’s not to love about space smugglers. The opening is really solid and I’m looking forward to following these characters on their adventures.

A Universe upon us by Marc B DeGeorge

There are quite a few books in this competition which involve colony ships fleeing the destruction of Earth. I wonder if this reflects the fears people have about what is happening to our planet. This one had a really strong and hooky opening and I love what is being set up between the two characters. 

Review: Turn Left at the Mooncrow skeleton by Linda Raedisch

 The Book:

"Welcome to Planet 5372, a uniquely dystopian world where the unlikely heroes include a handful of shambolic university students and their taciturn landlord. Raedisch's layered writing and photographic attention to detail make this slice-of-life archaeological adventure entirely believable." ---Clarissa Simmens, author of Parallel Universe Cafe and Other Poems

For the past two hundred years, the colonists marooned on Planet 5372 have been confined to a volcanic basin the size of New Jersey. Outside the Basin lie the uninhabitable (some say haunted) ruins known as the Outer Cities. Bored with campus life at the colony’s only university, twenty-year-old Numi rents a room from Kelda, an uneducated, thirty-something carpenter whose movements are closely monitored by the “shingles” or neighborhood deputies. Numi doesn’t mind running interference between the reserved Kelda and his rambunctious tenants, but the two can never be more than friends. Numi’s an up-and-coming academic, and Kelda’s a Tyrrhenian, a descendant of the manual laborers who cleared the toxic vegetation from the Basin.

As Halloween approaches, Numi is still summoning the courage to confront Kelda with her suspicion that he’s mixed up in the black market trade in “magical paraphernalia,” mysterious carved objects left behind by the planet’s indigenous, supposedly extinct inhabitants. Time runs out on Mischief Night when Kelda disappears, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Numi faces a decision. She can report her suspicions to the shingles, or she can follow her landlord to the one place she thought she could never go: the Outer Cities.

My Thoughts:

This book is a fellow contender in SPSFC4 (The Self Published Science Fiction Competition) and it caught my eye because it involves a population of people called Tyrrhenians, which is also the case with my entry into this contest, The Arid Lands.

Needless to say our Tyrrhenians are all very different.

But on to the book.

This is a delightful read, well written with vivid worldbuilding. It’s a slow burn of a book and I very much enjoyed immersing myself into the world the author has created. At its heart is an archaeological mystery through which the history of this planet is gradually revealed, but I also loved the characters that inhabit this world. I found Numi particularly relatable and the undercurrent of simmering attraction between her and Kelda was skillfully done.

All in all a very enjoyable read.

I hope this books goes far in SPSFC4. It deserves to.