My review ... "Outpost" by Mike Lees

The story revolves around Gar - an alien on a distant planet, who gets branded as a terrorist, tricked into the web of a perverted system of injustice. His autocratic superiors prevailed and banished him to a God-forsaken Outpost with the task of monitoring the Earth, humans and their culture. Whatever it is, the government has long arms! However, Gar desperately wants to retaliate. The story actually begins at a crucial moment when the space shuttle from Earth on a scientific mission lands near Gar’s Outpost; with a strange combination of astronauts with unique individualities. His chance opens up. But then..?

 

 

 

Mike with his effective writing style and sense of humour has added unusual situations. His characters with conflicts ... Mathilda, Stone, Perez, Hadley… are credible, to stimulate our interests.

Gar's characterisation as a brave and patronising guy, yet coolly causing fear in the minds of the astronauts - as cool as a cucumber - has come out nicely

 …”Hard to say mate, they (aliens) could invite you for a meal and a chat or blast you with ray guns! No idea.”

 Gar stood in front of them like a teacher telling children off in a classroom, “Well fantastic, smart, you supposed to be crack commandos and Earth’s finest and you run like kittens.”

Some actions by the space shuttle crew on the Alien’s planet, as Mike has portrayed scenically, are nice to imagine. The astronauts could not get on the same page, as everyone had a different book, and Mike has described this aspect well.

Mike has described the space-time shifts on an alien planet wonderfully:

 “Stone, how long have we been travelling from your point of view?”

My point of view? Thought Stone. “Eh, four and half minutes. And you?”

 “Two and half hours.  Are you sure we are going in the right direction?”

“Well, it seems something is playing with space time here. The nearer we get, the further is it away."

 Mike has made some good typical descriptions ... “In fact, many departments of Government were corrupt and took bribes, allowing the gangs to freewheel. A few brave journalists tried to bring the corruption to light, but were often accused of hyped up charges that would either get them killed or put in prison for many years. The entire system was working for itself, leaving the population to suffer and lose hope."

 

 Negatives

 

v  Unprofessional editing.

v  Unclear sequencing and colloquial jargon obstruct the flow.

 

 Positives

 

v  Exciting fun-filled witty prequel to a Sci-fi story, providing good entertainment value.

v  Some nice chapters, descriptions and good momentum

v  Interesting dialogues between Gar and the crew

 

 I liked:

v  Mike’s theme of the storyline with originality in character building.

v  The subtle humour with refreshing comic bits, running undercurrent, with dread factor throughout …

o    "..the Forbidden Planet, … For some it could be mild, for others, pure hell. Phobias you have; heights, spiders, sharks, tax bills etc and also any imaginative creatures like ghosts, demons, the mother-in-law or the like will become real and personified by those statues….a never-ending abyss which could engulf them into eternity."

o   "At home, I’m considered a … A mix between your Stalin and Hitler."

The book is enjoyable. How Mike plans to develop the created tempo, with a clear emphasis on the core theme compellingly, perhaps would make this Sci-fi series extraordinary.

My review .. WHAT IF? ...By Swit La Pound

 “WHAT IF?” by Swit La Pound is a collection of eleven well-knit short stories wherein she has combined some facts, real places and people, pivoted on myths, strong doses of folktales and superstitions in the realms depicting the power of witchcraft, supernatural, voodoo and all kinds of evil a reader could imagine.

The tales never lose in the telling, though sound absurd, as one reads it with reasoning and rationality. Swit transports us back to our childhood days …"children and youth came on those nights to curl around the bright fires with us, ears in the air, attentively taking in the stories, word for word…. here, stories of ghosts, tokoloshe, witchcraft and muti are a daily dish we all believe. Since time in memorial we have been warned and told, over dim bonfires casting shadows on the wall, of the spirits that roam this forsaken community, especially in the night, for whatever reasons known only to them, and assumed by elders to scare us off.'

 

Swit has neatly portrayed mixed hues of cruelty in utterly selfish wicked people as cunning as a fox; how tactfully they spread evils in society; how they take advantage of the deeply rooted faiths in dreams, paranormal, and such strange phenomenons of gullible people who are as innocent as a lamb. She has indirectly depicted the essentiality of strong bonding in family, which, when beset with unrest, is how members come together, as a clan and society observing certain traditions, as otherwise, they know evil triumphs when good men do nothing.

Swit has crafted some nice character developments (Mzee, Sheila, Tasha, Wandile..) and situations with funny imaginations. There are explorations of friendship, conflicts and genuine emotions typifying parents and their children in families. She has effortlessly carried the stories with her interesting style, veering the readers to give a feel of normal events that occur in our day-to-day life:

 

v   “My phone rang and I went out of the bathroom, back to the bedroom where I had left it, toothbrush in mouth still. Mum hated that. She always complained that it looked gross and unsanitary.”

 

v   "AS HE GREW, TAYLOR became possessive of his family and would so often, lose his temper, and get into fights and arguments, when he thought his family needed his protection and defense. In the same manner; Taylor was adamant about his perception of things, and frequently had anger outbursts, when people failed to see things his way."

 

v  Swit has graphically depicted a typical daughter… "She tested our patience and rebelled against our authority, many times a day, but after some time, we learnt to live with each other, and understand each other better than we had before."  Yes, a mother understands what a child does not say!

 Readers will be able to see a piece of themselves within some of these characters and their stories.

 

 

 Positives

 

v  Engaging chapters, well narrated with unimaginable paradigms. 

v  Good descriptions of practised cultures.

v  Imagery portrayal …… "Open the shed, he did, tried to put down the plough… plough would not budge. The plough somehow was now stuck to his shoulders and hands, involuntarily not letting go. Something was holding everything as he carried it, stuck to his body."

v  Easy flowing natural style… “As growing children, it was in the blood to explore, break rules and test out the truancy of theories. So, we used to crown ourselves ‘Sherlock Holmes” and try to crack these mysteries. At times trying to break the rules hoping for an encounter with these supernatural forces, against the advice of elders.”

 Negatives

 

v  Lack of professional editing. Unconnected sequencing and unclarities disturbing the flow. Absence of a glossary for foreign words. 

v  Overdone narratives – inadequate dialogues.

 

Swit has challenged some fundamental faiths, what if some of them are not myths or tales, as we think, but the things do happen, whereas we cannot imagine or accept. She makes us ponder over what if it happens in our own life, how we would react to such sad and scary situations.

The readers will enjoy the book as it sustains enthusiasm with good entertainment value.

My review for the book ... The Darkness by Robbi Sommers Bryant

 

Robbi Sommers Bryant’s ‘The Darkness' is a good psychological thriller and horror story filled with exciting pivotal moments. Set in Seattle and Vegas, she has creatively explored the intensity of an evil – ‘The Darkness' – an incorporeal creature – its devastating effects through Edward – a lawyer.

Owing to a horrible past, already the iron had entered Edward’s soul. So, Darkness could easily conquer the ownership for his soul.

Darkness has dangerously turned Edward into a 'go scot-free' serial killer … hmmm … he has killed just 50 women for fun.

And The Darkness wouldn’t shut up. Always push-push-pushing Edward into rage ... Edward fell back onto the couch, the kill rushing through him … He howled like the predator he was. He was so drunk with pleasure he felt as if he could float with the clouds, dance with autumn leaves, sleep on the sea.

Gifted with his handsome personality, Edward can skilfully flatter women and seduce them so much that they fall head over heels for him – as blind as a bat. They feel that his smile itself must be a black-hole; nothing can escape it.

Cate, with a secret past, is a strong-willed and tough-minded nurse in an intensive-care unit of a hospital.

Unsuspecting Cate likes Edward as he made her comfortable. They are mutually attracted. He exuded confidence while remaining humble. A take-charge man yet respectful. She was like a spring flower and Edward, the sun. His charisma, his non-judgmental thinking, his protectiveness, and his edginess had caused her to bloom.

Edward treats Cate as his trophy. He deeply loves Cate - “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride” (― Pablo Neruda).

Edward desperately wants to marry her. However, with a complex mindset, he is torn between his normal good-self and his obsessions dictated by the uncontrollable Darkness. Iron hand in a velvet glove.

Police enlist Will – a detective - to arrest the elusive serial killer, terrifying the people in several parts of the USA.

Will too gets attracted to an obliging Cate during the investigation. Will lived a life plodding through the muck of crime. Cate was a lone flower that had pushed through the crack in his cement heart.

A serious love conflict develops as Cate intimately likes both. Curious complications arise, endangering the safety of each.

Who survives?

Robbi has cohesively sewed an excellent story like an expert weaver. She glues the reader with her smoothly structured atmosphere settings, fast-paced storyline, unusual situations, dynamic behavioural patterns and details of the puzzling characters:

v  Cate: So much compassionate that she can kill someone with her kindness - - Without her, most families would have no one to talk to, to lean on, to understand their needs when their loved one’s life was balanced on the precipice of death.

v  Edward: Pitch perfect as if Robbi had interviewed him before writing! His behaviour as if he was sent back to earth from hell because the devil choked on his soul. A dreadful chameleon and a courageous liar:

o   But I had a happy childhood.” Lie. Lie. Lie. “I came into a nice inheritance, though.” Edward liked to throw in an occasional truth.

v  Ruby: a trustworthy friend of Cate at 80+ with innate understanding of people’s real motives, to guide Cate.

v  Darkness: Beware weak-hearted readers – Heart-wrenching horror! The Darkness relished the killing, but for Edward, it was the terror in the eyes; the fading irises; the scream unable to push its way out the girl’s blue lips—all of it.

Disliked:

v  Flat characterisation of Will.

v  Abrupt ending

v  Inappropriate depictions

v  Unexplained sequences

 

Liked:

v  The powerful story

v  A good suspense build-up.

v  Picturesque absorbing writing style - as easy as A.B.C to read, with a balance between narratives and natural dialogues:

o   Calm down. Worrying about what may happen is a waste of time. You lose today when your mind sits in tomorrow.

v  Smart scenes with sprinkled humour … Ruby thought as she put on enough lipstick to make up fifteen beauty queens.

All about this book - from plot to world-building, to the characterisation – praiseworthy!

Worth the read as you will be increasingly eager when you flip through the pages. Get awestruck with the climax of this thoroughly enjoyable thriller-diller. Yes! Robbi has infused fresh air into the genre.

My review for the book - "Eyes" by Nghich Tu and Viet H Nguyen

 

In ‘Eyes’ - a supernatural adventurous fantasy thriller and dark horror with mystery, Nghich Tu has presented us a well-contemplated story absorbingly. It is filled with realistic depictions of - black magic, phantom horse, maggots with human-like faces, ghosts, pigheaded demons and treachery, to keep us entertained. It revolves around Vu Thanh, a college girl who goes to her village to celebrate festivals.

Dien Mục a naive in interpersonal relationship, a paradoxical eccentric who can’t see ghosts but a ghost catcher(!) tries befriending Thanh. A 500-year-old 'Spirit' man is his mentor-guardian.

Thanh is a quiet, reserved person. She talks when she ceases to be at peace with her thoughts (--Kahlil Gibran). So, she is cynical towards Muc rejecting his friendship gestures, unable to anticipate needs must when the devil drives.

Pulled by a nursery rhyme en route, Thanh would not have dreamt a horrible journey through a ghost village – a topsy-turvy image of her familiar world.

 

She meets her friends but is in a dilemma of whom to trust when conflicts arise, whether Muc or her long-term friends …that’d all been a ruse, a clever trick to shift suspicion onto Mục… to make Thanh trust them.

Thanh and Muc must survive the horrific onslaught of the antagonists.

Thanh suffers immeasurable agony...really, oh my God! To save her life, Thanh develops a strange bond with Muc to defeat the unadulterated evil, tooth and nail. Adversity makes strange bedfellows.

To achieve success in their mission, the aggressive antagonists create perplexing tactics to trap Thanh and Muc. The misled protagonists use powdered lime, raw garlic, pineapple leaves, peach wood pin and salt, to parry the wicked. They struggle to identify the core antagonist that is as cunning as a fox. Nghich surprises you here!

The fresh and intriguing plot thickens with amazing twists and nail-biting portrayals - blood and gore. It spirals into downright horror.

 

Nghich admirably introduces the puzzling characters creating irony and surprise. He takes us inside Thanh's experiences and her dynamic emotions. He has beautifully developed diametrically opposite characters in Thanh and Muc and their friendship. He has genuinely portrayed myriads of conflicts between the protagonists and antagonists.

v  Thanh: unselfish simple girl who acts scientifically even under dire circumstances; extraordinarily courageous, as brave as a lioness…she was staring death in the face … Thanh still didn’t want to just simply sit still and wait to be rescued.

v  Muc: Thanh’s friend in need. Independent problem solver. An interesting half-alive character with duality.

v  Crafty Oldman: secretive and invisible with amazing powers leading the protagonists.

v  Antagonists: Possessed cannibals with clever ploys.

Nghich as an intelligent storyteller is vivid in world-building … Within the mirror’s surface, Hùng’s soul was trapped, pounding the glass with both hands, which caused ripples to spread out the glass surface as if it was actually made of water.

‘Eyes’ captures varieties of myths suspensefully. Nghich depicts thoroughbred evil with unusual situations. His cultural settings with an original dose of folklore and unique structure of storytelling amused me:

        Horror: Depictions of chilling experiences of Thanh… wanted to weep, to scream out loud, to cry for help… wanted to get out of this cursed place.

        Interesting belief systems: … each living person has three souls and seven spirits.

        Creative imagination: Nghich keeps you wondering with interesting concepts … she’d stabbed just now a ghost; spiritual energy bullets; spy-moon – deserves a special mention.

 

Unexplained mentally challenging subtleties in twists hinder the flow. However, detailed magical practices and extraordinary torture scenes carry the story forward … millions of pupil-less black eyes were staring at her, Thanh felt cold to her bones.

The climax attacks the senses with terror! If you want something that scares the hell out of you, “Eyes” will surely give you hair-raising moments. It met my expectations as it’s full of ideas. It has wonderful paradigms for you:

The Lotus flowers… when understood in a positive way, represent radiant beauty shining through the black mud, unstained. But when understood negatively, it actually means, ‘the beautiful surface serves to hide the bad, stinky roots.’

Nghich has achieved his purpose. Magnificently!

My book review - "Lost Children" by Willa Bergman

“Lost Children” is a modern thriller – a superb debut - by Willa Bergman. She has etched it fascinatingly with her wisdom and imagination. It’s about a stolen portrait of a prince - “Lost Child” - with ~400 years of history, worth 5 million pounds.

The painting provided King Louis XIII of France with much comfort and held an enduring place in both the King and Queen Anne-Marie's hearts.

 

 Eloise Witcham ‘Elle’ leads a team in an internationally recognised organisation, famous for auctioning paintings. She has earned popularity as a skilful investigator of the missing artworks. To preserve her family's dignity, she is under compulsion to retrieve it before anyone else can find it, within a timeframe. Elle must act smartly against corporate espionage, eliminating competition and the involvement of Interpol to find the painting. However, her stressful secret past keeps her disturbed.

"… my nightmares. That’s the reason I stand apart from the world. That’s the reason I am the way I am.”

Elle is in a peculiar situation as the painting can open Pandora’s box digging up a murky past, but she has no alternative. She knows that every woman is an architect of her own destiny. She encounters many hurdles from merciless enemies. Conflicts and mysteries unfold. Elle is caught in unimaginable surprises. Her family is in jeopardy.

How is she going to do it?

The story from Elle's perspective revolves around her aristocratic childhood in a beautiful French chateau, besides taking us to London and New York.

 

Willa has carefully laid the foundation. Her matter-of-fact lucid writing style, as clear as crystal, appealed to me:

To me, art is a creation in the same way that some higher power created us and it can have depth and meaning in a way that we so often struggle to find in our own lives.

 

She has graphically portrayed the art world with authenticity:

First, they would use infra-red reflectography to examine the ageing of the painting, then stereoscopic checks for the pigments and the depth of the craquelure, then monochromatic lights to check for signs of restoration work and finally infra-red spectroscopy to check for consistency of the materials used in the period.

 

Willa has professionally captured the auction office emotions, especially the insecurity feelings of employees to remain competitive. I could relate it to real corporate world culture.

 Targets aren’t nice-to-haves. They aren’t ‘hopefully-we’ll-get-there’s’. You make them or you’re not going to be here anymore.

Willa has done a tremendous job in detailed character development, their motivations, with brilliantly structured story-flow and well-formed background story. I liked her depiction of Elle:

I love my mother unconditionally. I know she isn’t perfect but she’s never had anything but kindness in her.

Portrayed Elle is smart, intelligent, aggressive yet flexible, practical, tactful, technology-driven, and straightforward. Though I felt Elle’s characterisation bordered on unrealism, I liked Elle's extraordinary characteristics:

v  Clever ability to read a person’s motives – as sharp as a razor mind - to clear the obstacles with the right involvement of people at the right time, at the right place.

v  Adapting to the situations

v  Undespairing attitude

v  Negotiating skills - Everyone knows you’re the best negotiator Elle, no one says no to you, all that game theory voodoo and mind games.

v  A great risk-taker with the belief -- fortune favours the brave type -- If I don’t leave this apartment in the next thirty minutes they will be coming in and if you kill me they’ll be coming after you with a murder charge.

Dissatisfaction:

v  Unemphatic, implausible and contrived sequences.

v  The ineptness of some characters.

v  Slow start and underdeveloped, predictable anticlimactic conclusion.

 

However, on the whole, the story progressed well, giving me thrilling moments, especially after Elle’s clever ploy to trap a traitor. The beauty is you cannot imagine the real antagonist, and you will be wonderstruck when revealed!

 

Willa’s elegant storytelling and creative grip have ensured the book’s entertainment value. It delivers!

Great art survives us, it is immortal. We by comparison are mere passers-by, temporary custodians that are but brief flickers of light in the darkness. Great art is like Keats’ Grecian urn. He was inspired to write it by a vase made by the Athenian sculptor Sosibios, a Neo-Attic marble volute krater that he saw in the Louvre in Paris which still sits there today, still unravish’d.

Yes and true!

My review of book - Overnight Delivery by Raymond Parish

 

Raymond Parish’s blurb on his “Overnight Delivery”  grabbed my interest as it showcased elements of mystery and intrigue. Raymond has dexterously woven a fascinating story in his debut, which revolves around a brilliant psychotherapist Hank Anderson and his mysterious client Kenny Jensen - a robber and a delivery man. Hank is renowned as an expert healer of psychological wounds – ‘the work praises the man.’

 

Hank’s detective friend and a big cop Phil Evans who has taken Kenny in his custody, wants Hank’s help to ensure the safe recovery of Kenny from a health threat. Hank observes a common semblance of family addiction. He strikes a wavelength with Kenny.

 

Hank as an experienced guide truly believes he can cure Kenny, although his interaction with Kenny grows puzzling and turns out to be riskily beset with conflicts and misunderstandings. A murder happens.

 

Hank, as gentle as a lamb, is thrown into the nasty realities of the drug world. He faces life-threatening challenges from strangers. As revelations from Kenny unfold, Hank could not anticipate the horrible havoc that would follow. The threats extend even to his family – his dearest daughter Haley, ex-wife Gail, ageing dad ‘Sage Anderson’ and precious friends in Iowa. (this story credibly transports the reader into a bustling city and its adjoining areas, in Iowa).

 

Propelled as a born risk-taker, Hank momentarily forgets discretion is the better part of valour. He lands in messy complications. Does he succeed in his assigned responsibility without damage to anyone?

 

Raymond has well-articulated remarkable situations portraying mysterious characters and their dynamical emotions.

 

I am satisfied with the authentic characterisation of Hank in a compelling voice as a:

§  good Samaritan –  “we decided to donate the insurance check to a nearby addiction treatment center specializing in services to economically strapped rural folks”;

§  change-agent in society;

§  compassionate listener … “I’ve seen a lot of pain of all kinds, inside and outside pain. Your outside will heal just fine. Inside takes time.”

§  keen therapist with the 3rd eye;

§  humorous personality – “reheated cup of the recycled motor oil, Belinda claims is coffee.”

 

Some other relatable characterisations too attracted me:

§  Hank’s smart secretary Belinda: as a “force of nature; rude but still an effective comfort- provider.

§  Sensible 'Sage' Anderson - as an inspirational Dad of Hank, exhibiting his wisdom in depicting many ground realities  … “I’ll be proud of a son who seeks to help others heal the destruction that addiction brings into this world.”;

§  Haley: depicted as a cute inquisitive daughter of Hank’s truly unique family …“Haley carried on and I silently marveled, as I often did, at her ability to live each day as something new and full of possibilities.”

 

 

 

Raymond’s idiomatic style carries the story nicely. The scenes involving Gail, Haley, Belinda and 'Sage' especially, are vividly portrayed. Slowly, the story drew me into Hank’s world.

 

I felt the antagonist’s role build-up, supposedly as cunning as a fox, was not that dreadful as it was meant to be. Some characters made a mountain out of a molehill and left me perplexed about their real purposes.

 

Raymond sustained my curiosity with his lucid way of telling a mystery story with:

§  unexpected twists, ploys and ruse that worked very well,

§  undercurrent sarcasm and refreshing humour,

§  picturesque descriptions mirroring real-life,

§  situations filled with sentiments and smart scenes,

§  deep friendship portrayals.

 

I liked the style of Raymond’s narratives:

 

“In a mass of arms and legs and torsos, the group amoebaed down the last three stairs… Bodies began to slowly sort themselves, rolling into the crevices of the cramped space.”

 

The story had some stumbling blocks:

§  drift from the main story-flow, thereby dampening the ‘thrill’ – felt Raymond missed the forest in search of woods;

§  wearisome drag;

§  unexplained sketchy motives;

§  unclear contexts (a glossary could help clarify some points).

 

However, the major part of the book appealed to my taste and provided superb entertainment value.

 

Raymond has sculpted a structured story cleverly and has made it a compulsive read. To the reader who yearns for mystery novels -- a story about covert drug operations - with murders spicing it up – you will find this book enjoyable.