Review: Zen Dynamics – Putting Buddhist theory into practice by Andrew May

The Book

Buddhism can sometimes come across as abstract and philosophical, but it has a strongly practical side too – and that’s what this book is all about. It focuses on four areas in particular:

– The analysis of personality types, both in Buddhism and traditional Chinese medicine, showing how this can enhance self-awareness and personal development.

– How “karma”, or the law of cause-and-effect applied on a personal scale, functions in an entirely non-mystical, non-supernatural way within the flow of human thoughts and emotions.

– How meditation techniques are used in different schools of Buddhism to calm the mind and provide insight into its inner workings.

– A “demystification” of Zen Buddhism, showing how its seeming illogicality and iconoclasm actually serve a serious practical purpose in developing the human mind.

My Thoughts

Andrew is probably best known for his science books, but has also written on a wide range of subjects, from the mysterious to the historical, so it comes as no surprise to find this little gem about Buddhism among his latest work.

Buddhism is something which has fascinated me for a long time, but I sadly don’t know as much about it as I would like, so I came to this book with eager interest and I wasn’t disappointed.

I found this book to be a fascinating introduction to the practical aspects of Buddhism. As is always the case with Andrew’s books the topic was discussed in an approachable and accessible way, clearly laid out, and themes that might have at first seemed complex were explained in a way that made them easy to understand. I was left feeling that I’d been given a really solid introduction to a subject that was quite new to me and have come away with a far better understanding of Buddhism in general. I certainly feel inspired to read more on this topic.

Review: Embargo on Hope by Justin Doyle

The Book

Even gods have secrets...

On planet Vastire, worth is set by the sins of one's ancestors. Good families rise to the elite and the wicked fall into poverty. Unfortunately for sixteen-year-old Darynn Mark, his father incited a revolution. Now, Darynn scrounges his way through life in the slums. When Vastire is surrounded by an embargo, it gets even harder to survive.

That all changes when an alien ship slips through the embargo, seeking Darynn with an offer: finish the revolution and the embargo ends. He might have a chance thanks to mysterious magic powers, and his two companions: clairvoyant crush Fyra and soldierly alien Kaylaa.

Cutthroat killers, mystical beasts, Vampires, power-hungry priests and lords, and self-serving spies stand in their way. If the three of them can crack his father's secret, maybe they can end the embargo and save the poor. If not, another poor orphan will be added to the growing piles of dead.

My Thoughts

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book with lots of great action, wonderful world building and engaging characters. I enjoyed it immensely. It’s the first of a trilogy but wraps up nicely in its own right while still leaving the reader eager to know more. It put me in mind of books I’ve read by Adrian Tchaikovsky and China Meiville so if you enjoy those authors you will probably enjoy this. The main character, Darynn, was engaging and easy to connect with. I’m looking forward to seeing where his adventures lead. There are still so many questions he needs to answer.

This book is a fellow SPSFC3 entry although not in the same group as Red Rock. I expect it to do well.

Strongly recommended.

The Arid Lands and Red Rock promotion update:

Here is my latest update on the various promotional activities I have undertaken to try to spread the word about my self-published books, and how successful or otherwise these activities have been.

1. Social Media

I continued to promote Red Rock and The Arid Lands on Twitter/X, IG, my Facebook/Meta page, Threads and Discord. I did pick up sales of The Arid Lands on preorder and downloads of Red Rock from my free promotions, as well as the occasional sale of both outside of promotion.

2. Red Rock free kindle deals

The first free deal which ran for 3 days to coincide with the ten-year anniversary of Red Rock first being published resulted in a modest number of downloads but at least I was reaching potential new readers. I will have to wait and see how many of these translate into reviews.

The second 2 day free deal for Red Rock was run to coincide with the launch of The Arid Lands and produced a similar result.

3. SPSFC3

This contest (The Self Published SF Competition) will run for a year and the first phase, where I fully expect to get culled judging by the quality of some of the other contestants in my group, will run for 5 months. Initially there was no uptick in sales but it is likely that this is where my new downloads during the free offers came from. However, the contest did enable me to gain more visibility for my writing, which is always a good thing, and may well have contributed to those sales I did gain.

4. Review bloggers

I started approaching reviewers with The Arid Lands as soon as it was live for preorder on Amazon and I had set it up on Goodreads. My first observation was how many are asking for money for reviews. I’m not interested in paying but it’s clearly a lucrative industry. I passed over these guys and pitched the book to anyone who looked as if it would be a good fit. It takes a long time to thoroughly check out each review site so I sent these out in dribs and drabs throughout the preorder period. At launch date I had pitched/submitted to 20 reviewers. It is impossible to tell how many, if any, will result in reviews at this stage.

So in conclusion, of all the activities so far, it looks like free deals and participation in SPSFC3 have been the most worthwhile. I will have to look out for more opportunities like this.

Review: Arkhangelsk by Elizabeth Bonesteel

The Book

Head peace officer Anya Savelova believed her people, living on a hostile planet in the ice-bound city of Novayarkha, were the last of humanity.

Until the day she learned they weren’t.

When a starship from an Earth thought long dead appears in orbit over her world, Anya imagines an explosion of possible futures, offering her people the freedom to transcend the limiting environment of the planet they’d thought was their last refuge. In the starship’s crew, Anya finds creativity, diversity, innovation–all things the colony has had to inhibit to survive.

Seeing her world through the eyes of the starship crew makes Anya look closer at her city’s inconsistencies, oddities she’s always been told to ignore. But the harder she pushes at the pieces that don’t fit, the more her government perceives the strangers as a threat. There are secrets in Novayarkha, hiding in plain sight, that the strangers can’t possibly understand–and Anya’s drive to uncover them risks shredding the fragile web holding together everything she’s ever known and loved.

My Thoughts

Wow. What can I say. I was completely blown away by this book. It’s one of the best things I’ve read in a long time. When I finished I felt a
chingly bereft having become invested in these characters and immersed in their turbulent world.

This is space opera at its best. The characters are fascinating, engaging and I felt an immediate connection with Anya. There is a great deal of poignancy in this story and it is beautifully written, this world and its people deftly drawn. There is a gradual unravelling of the history of these people, and a steady reveal of their plight and their struggles. The author has created a truly unique world and is clearly a master of her craft.

All in all, a truly wonderful book. I will be checking out more from this author and strongly recommend this book.

Political Thrillers on offer

 

November bargain books - Political thrillers from Bloodhound Books, including my little book, The Sleepers.

UK Amazon link

Review: The Day the Earth Turned: Book 1. Summer by Chantelle Atkins

 The Book

The adults are all dead. Society has collapsed.

Two groups of teenagers emerge on either side of a rural village, traumatised, bereaved and determined to survive.

As tribes form and territorial lines are drawn, can they overcome their differences and find a way to rebuild?

Or will gang warfare end this emerging new world before it’s even begun?

Each of them have their theories about what killed the adults and as the dust settles on the old world, a far bigger, darker, and angrier threat is bursting to life all around them.

 

My Thoughts

A compelling survival story. This is the first in a series of four books which are clearly going to rotate through the seasons and the challenges that this will present. It’s a well written book with a compelling cast of characters and plenty of mystery and intrigue. Be aware though, that this series functions very much as a whole, rather than a series of standalones, so you will need to commit to reading all of them. There are a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions and I’m looking forward to seeing how this new world Chantelle has created all pans out.

Recommended

The Arid Lands Launch Day Deal

 Today I am announcing a very special launch Day deal.

To celebrate the launch of The Arid Lands I am making the kindle edition of Red Rock free for two days only, today and tomorrow, so why not grab yourself a copy.

Red Rock and The Arid Lands have a lot in common. They are both what might loosely be referred to as Climate Fiction although the themes involved are very different, and they may also both be referred to as SciFi thrillers with a dystopian setting.

The Arid Lands was originally written as my second book after Red Rock. However it went out on sub just as the market for YA dystopian fiction collapsed, and because it has a somewhat dystopian feel to it nobody wanted it.

So it sat on my hard drive, but I still loved it. I’ve reworked it to age it up, although it will still appeal to a YA audience. And I’m so happy to make it available at last.

Dystopian fiction is still popular among readers if not among publishers. All I need to do is find those readers.

So if you have read and enjoyed Red Rock, then why not give The Arid Lands a try. And if you enjoy it please take a moment to leave a review, however brief.