Review: The Martian Incident by Ryan M Patrick

The Book:

A crashed UAV on Mars.

A top-secret recovery mission.

Danger at every corner.

When a mysterious aerial drone is shot down on Mars near the American colony of Columbia, NASA accident investigator John Cameron joins a joint DOD team to recover it. But, as a sandstorm moves in to blanket the area, the Americans are attacked by an overwhelming enemy force of EU soldiers in a surprise attack.

Forced into a deep cave system beneath the Martian surface, Cameron and the team uncover a breathtaking discovery, left untouched for millennia.

But what will happen when its original owners come back for it?

My Thoughts:

This is a thoroughly enjoyable military romp across Mars, full of action and mystery. The story is fast paced and the characters relatable. The setting is very well drawn and the author has clearly researched what such an operation on Mars would feel like very thoroughly. The military aspects also felt very authentic which makes me wonder if the author is a former serviceman. If not then this is a testament to good research.

The mystery at the core of their mission is intriguing although I did come away feeling that it raised more questions than answers and I would have like to know more about this aspect.

That aside though, this is a great read and if you like your SF with a military bent then this is the one for you.

Review: Transference by Ian Patterson

The Book:

Nicholas Fiveboroughs is a Sicko, someone that takes on others' illnesses. In a city where diseases can be transferred, the rich buy longer lives without pain, and the poor get a short life of constant sickness. Maybe it was fate, or maybe someone is looking out for him, but after Nicholas barely survives his latest affliction, he gets the chance to try and change things. To finally stop the whole disease transfer network.

Tensions escalate as Nicholas infiltrates a higher society he doesn’t understand, and starts to fall for the very person he needs to manipulate to be successful. And between run-ins with a talking animal and genetically modified humans, the world around him just keeps getting stranger. Can Nicholas tear down the disease transfer architecture? And can he do it without losing his own humanity along the way?

My Thoughts:

This is a quality piece of science fiction, innovative and original. We find ourselves embroiled in a divided future society where the rich pay people to take on their illnesses so that they can live their lives with the privilege of good health.

Nicholas is one of these ‘sickos’ and following a close brush with death he sets out to infiltrate the higher reaches of their society, intent to bring it down. However nothing is quite so simple and soon Nicholas finds his assumed identity brings along with it a new set of problems and inner conflicts.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There are some wonderful ideas swilling around and a very well conceived flawed future society which is quite original. There are plenty of surprises along the way to keep the reader on his/her toes.

At the time of writing this Transference has reached the Quarter Finals of the Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4) and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes all the way.

Definitely one to read and a strong recommendation.

Review: Kara by Peter Beard

The Book: 

An Anonymous Message. A Mysterious Symbol. A Sinister Plot.

Can Kara finally learn the truth? When the time comes, will she want to?

For over ten years Kara was a Hunter – the highly trained individuals with the ability and resources to find people, no-matter where they tried to hide. But after killing her best friend in a tragic accident, her world collapsed in on itself, and Kara spiralled.

Recovering, and keen for a distraction to keep her mind from wandering, Kara turned her attention to something that had intrigued her for as long as she could remember – to the mysterious symbol on her wrist. Determined to learn more, she began a hunt of a different kind – a hunt for answers.

But three years of searching yielded little information, and she began losing hope of ever discovering the truth.

But then, unexpectedly, she receives an anonymous message – a message pointing her to a highly secretive prison on the outskirts of the Kuiper Belt. What she finds changes everything, and leads her down a path that puts her, and the people around her, in danger.

Can she learn the origins around the strange marking, all whilst unravelling a sinister plot that threatens to send a peaceful world back into chaos?

My Thoughts:

A fine bit of space opera. Lots of set action pieces which are well paced and gripping but with a slowly unravelling mystery at its heart. The clues and reveals come in at just the right pace to draw you in.

Kara is a really interesting character and I found her immensely relatable. I also loved her relationships with family and friends which were complex and well drawn, particularly her friendship with Anya.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable romp through the solar system. I look forward to the sequel.

Review: The Scorching: Just Press Play by Nick Snape

The Book:

On an Earth devastated by The Scorching climate event, the Drathken land their giant plantships with the promise of healing the planet. Joshua Nkosi vlogs and jokes his way through an easy life guarding a deep-sea mining operation while watching old vids. That is until, he and his modded octopus partner, Marc, get caught up in a plot to steal radiation rich materials from the seabed, fuelling the terrorists’ plan to destroy a Drathken plantship, and ultimately put an end to the alien/human alliance.

Nkosi and his sarcastic tentacled buddy are forced to enter the Burnout Zone, only to come face to face with humanity’s stark future when the hunt for the terrorist’s lab takes a devastating twist. As conspiracies deepen and the jokes fly, Nkosi and Marc enter a dark journey of discovery—one they decide humanity desperately needs to listen to.

My Thoughts:

This is another quality piece of SF from Nick Snape, set in the same world as ‘The Scorching: The World in My Hands’ which I have reviewed below. That book was a hard act to follow but this one, although quite different, didn’t disappoint. In fact far from it.

There is a lot of action, lots of excitement, and an underlying mystery to be solved. But it is the characterisation that really sets this one apart. Especially Marc!!! Marc had to be my new favourite character ever!

The other thing I loved about this book was the emotional ride it took me on. A good book makes you feel and resonates with you long after you turn the last page, and this book is a little bit heartbreaking, and I love that about it.

Nick is a relatively new author on my radar but I’m so glad I discovered these books. He writes fantasy too and I’ll be exploring some of that next.

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.

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (5)

 

I’m working my way steadily through the SPSFC4 entries and my TBR (To be Read) pile continues to grow. There are still an awful lot of books for me to check out. Here are the latest two to catch my eye.

Kara by Peter Beard

This had me hooked from the moment I read the blurb – probably a good example of how a good blurb should be written – but the first chapter really delivers. There’s a really solid mystery and I felt an instant connection to the main character. This is one of those rare occasions when you reach straight for the ‘buy’ button. I suspect this one is going to do well in the competition!

Above Dark Waters by Erik Kay

I do like the setting with this one, anything maritime always gets my interest. The opening is solid and the two main characters have history which adds a very human element and it will be interesting to see how this plays out as the story progresses. Lots of interesting concepts here.

Review: The Scorching: The World in My Hands by Nick Snape

The Book

A lonely PA, a rebellious teenager, two ordinary people on a deadly journey to save humanity.

The world is heading towards global collapse as The Scorching takes full effect. Salvation vessels orbit the Earth, waiting to transport the chosen few away from danger and to start again; ten plantships grown by an alien species for the wealthiest and most powerful, or those lucky enough to be selected by lottery. The rest remain behind, their future dependent on the Drathken finding a solution to Earth’s problems.

Jenna, Personal Assistant to a prominent oil mogul, feels privileged to be among the saved, never questioning her good fortune.

While Seth suffers, forced to leave his friends behind as his family takes their place aboard their luxurious ship.

Yet not all is well on board. Dark secrets lurk in the corridors and depths of their respective ships, dragging Jenna and Seth into a world of malice and violence they thought they had left far behind.

My Thoughts

This is quality Science Fiction. It felt like a really quick read but not because it was a short book, more because I found it immensely readable and difficult to put down.

There are some excellent ideas at play here – just what good SF should have. I loved the idea of the plantships taking the colonists towards their new lives and the steadily unfolding realisation of what dark secrets their ships hold.

The story is told from two very different characters, each on a different plantship and although their paths never actually cross their revelations mirror and compliment each other.

It’s a cleverly structured story with great characterisation and sense of place. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (4)

Another two entries into the Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4) have caught my eye and been added to my TBR list (To be Read). So far I’ve only skimmed the surface of this competition. The quality of the books entered is outstanding.

Neon Noir by Nina Vos

The concept sounds really interesting and I love the idea of the “cyber punk - crime noir” genre mashup that this one is promising. The opening is solid and compelling and I like the main character already. Looking forward to delving into the world!

The Scorching – Just Press Play by Nick Snape

I’m currently reading one of Nick Snape’s other books which is set in the same world as this one and I’m enjoying it immensely. I love the environmental setting that he has going on here and the concept of the plant ships is fascinating. I checked out the first chapter of The Scorching and as expected solid writing, compelling characters and a cracking story are all present. I’ll definitely be giving this one a read as soon as I can.

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (3)

 

I’m working my way through the entries for this year’s Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC4) and my TBR (To be Read) pile continues to grow. The next two being added to the list are:

Ancient as the Stars by Maya Darjani

This book came to my attention because one of the other SPSFC4 contestants was raving about it. So I took a look. What a great concept – older meets younger self. I love stuff like this and it throws open the potential for all manner of interesting conflicts and paradoxes. A solid first chapter and this is definitely one for the list.

Centauri’s Shadow by Ross Garner

From the blurb there is a lot going on in this one including alien invasion and Martian colonies. All good solid SF elements. But it was the first chapter that really got me. So many questions! There is a real power to this scene, a poignancy that connects me at once to the characters, an urgency to the impending peril they face. These events are clearly going to influence what comes next. I can’t wait to read more and find out what that is!

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (2)

 

Continuing with my plan to build a TBR (To be Read) list of amazing SF from the SPSFC4 (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) – here are the next two that have caught my eye.

Embargo on Hope by Justin Doyle

This one was in last years contest and was cut in the first round. I’m glad to see it back as I read this, even before the competition began and enjoyed it immensely. I found the characters engaging and there was lots of great action and worldbuilding. I hope it goes further this year. 

Grave Cold by Shannon Knight

I felt that the blurb with this was was a bit muddled, but a compelling first chapter gets this one onto my TBR. It sounds like a really interesting idea, quite different from a lot of what I’m seeing in this contest. The writing is very strong and I really need to read this to find out more!

SPSFC4 - Adding to my TBR (1)

 

SPSFC4 – The Self Published Science Fiction Competition 4 has started. Books have been allocated and the judges have started reading. But while the judges are reading what is there for us to do while we wait to see if our books make it through to the next round? Why check out some of the amazing Science Fiction on offer of course. 

Over the next couple of months I will be checking out the books entered into the competition. There are 188 of them so this is going to take a while. I’ll be picking out the ones that catch my eye and sharing them with you here and on my socials.

So join me as I build my TBR (To be Read) list of some amazing Science Fiction. And here are the first two.

Turn Left at the Mooncrow Skeleton by Linda Raedisch

I’ll confess that this one I’ve actually read! The first one of this contest and I will be posting a review here in due course. This book caught my eye because it includes a race of people called Tyrrhenians and my own entry into the competition also has a group of people called Tyrrhenians. But needless to say our Tyrrhenians are all very different.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I strongly recommend it!

Drowning Earth by Sean Wilson

This one had me at the word submarine. I’m an oceanographer by trade and I love nothing more than an underwater adventure. The first chapter lived up to my expectations. I can’t wait to get my teeth into this one. Onto the TBR pile it goes!