Three Time Travelers Walk Into... by Ian Randal Strock & Michael A. Ventrella

 

Three Time Travelers Walk Into... by Michael A. Ventrella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Three Time Travelers Walk Into... was a successful Kickstarter funded project created by Ian Randal Strock and edited by Michael A. Ventrella and offers up a multitude of stories which have to simply build upon a seed idea of three well known individuals from different time frames interacting. From that simple premise we get eighteen tales of mystery, humour, adventure and well many other genres and hand on heart I enjoyed them all. As a Trek fan I really liked "The Man Who Broke Time" by David Gerrold but my favourite was probably "The Adventure of the Confounded Writer" by Jonathan Maberry.
I can not recommend this anthology enough, some very clever and imaginative writing and well I want them to sell lots of copies so maybe we can get more.

View all my reviews

Lineage by Joshua James

 

Lineage by Joshua James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unexpected alliances have been formed as humanity fights for its very survival as the balance of power tips precariously between those the seeded the universe and those that wish to use the power of the Stellar Key and Sparks to dominate and control life everywhere it is found. The conflict moves on to Titan and an "abandoned" Chinese facility but on Earth there is an almost unreal dash to gain the power the the planets spark and key offer despite the utter foolishness of that desire. Thankfully the bloodlines of the original defenders/protectors of these gifts are still active and there are those prepared to defend life and the Earth regardless of the cost to themselves.
Lineage really ramps up the threat to life across the universe in a macro form centered in the solar system as multiple vested interests fight to obtain, deny or destroy the power the Stellar Keys and Sparks present. We continue to follow the core characters but with get a major influx of Earth based people and their story rivals what we've been presented with so far and expands the narrative by leaps and bounds. Looking forward to the fourth novel in the series "The Creed" which is due out March 2023.


View all my reviews

Cascade by Joshua James

 

Cascade by Joshua James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The catastrophic events surrounding Saturn and on its moon Enceladus has far reaching consequences, the military conflict between factions of humanity raises tensions on Earth but the arrival of an alien starship and their own goals has really caused a rethinking of mankind's place in the cosmos. Carpenter Lowell and Peter Chang now "captive" onboard the alien ship are privy to many of the secrets humankind have been unaware of and maybe just maybe our place in the universe may finally unify us to make the right decision when dealing with the Stellar Key and the Spark that is at the core of Earth and so many other worlds.
Cascade is the second novel in the series and continues the quite impressive world building (quite literally) that is at the core of Joshua's story. Our two main protagonists continue to be entertaining and handle the dire situations they find themselves in often with a healthy amount of luck. The scope of the narrative is definitely impressive and offers up an intriguing look at alien contact with humanity. Overall a strong second novel with the third already on my kindle.

View all my reviews

Artifact by Joshua James

 

Artifact by Joshua James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The year is 2219 BCE in the kingdom of Ur-An in Mesopotamia. The King of all things looks to the heavens were ships from the depths of space are attacking and his calls for help from the other visitors who gave him knowledge and gifts go unanswered. Faced with the end of all things (from his point of view) the most precious object on Earth is sent away to be hidden and protected but this is not the end of the story nor the beginning.
I've read some of Joshua's work before so was more than willing to begin a new series (Saturn's Legacy which is currently three books and one due soon). Well the beginning of Artifact was different but we soon learn that humanity has had contact with alien intelligence for generations and the secrets of that contact continue to Mars and beyond. It is infact Mars where we meet the central character of Carpenter Lowell who is a member of the US Space Corp assigned to protect a science project which alas ends poorly and then some time later Lowell is assigned to Enceladus (Moon of Saturn) to babysit another science project but his past catches up to him and he finds himself in the middle of a mystery that has been hidden for thousands but will soon be revealed as various military powers race to uncover the secrets.
This was a strong start to the series of novels, as I said the beginning through me but adds the foundation the series requires to build upon as events take place in the near future. There is plenty of action, lots of well developed characters and the beginning of some solid narrative which will take us forward, highly recommended.

View all my reviews

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

 

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the city of Riverbraid both the weak and powerful folk who can harness magics are welcome, the warrior wizards serve the army while hundreds of others whose talents are small and varied live perfectly normal lives under the protection of the Duchess and the Council. However wizards are now being killed and when young Mona (a wizard who has a talent for dough and bread) discovers the body of a young woman in the bakery she is thrust into the mystery that puts her life at risk as well as every soul in the city. Well I wasn't sure what this book was going to be, the blurb sounded fun and while it may be aimed at the younger reader I enjoyed the story and the characters as well as the scope of the story from smalltime street levels events to the larger political and military aspects of the city itself. Highly recommended for someone looking for something a little different or maybe a youngster who expects their stories to have a bit more meat on the bone and have consequences.

View all my reviews

Prodigals by Alan Dean Foster

 

Prodigals by Alan Dean Foster
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First contact is here and arrangements are made for a number for groups of people (with certain skills and capabilities) to meet the "aliens" in specific places across the globe. Devali Mukherjee is chosen to be part of the American group who meet the alien craft near Lake Surprise in Texas. The aliens make demands hand in hand with some threats but during a subsequent meeting the humans are allowed to visit the alien mothership but with no explanation the aliens declare an emergency and their ship leaves orbit and accelerates out of the solar system. Devali and his companions are now faced with understanding multiple aliens species who inhabit the ship as well as trying to understand the situation they are in with little help it seems for returning to Earth their survival may depend upon them being useful to the ship.
Prodigals is not a large and complex novel, the story is pretty compact but the scope is almost limitless. We are introduced to a good group of central characters which sets the narrative on a solid footing and offsets the fantastical nature of first contact and aliens who like humans are not all cut from the same cloth. A solid novel with a few surprising twists and revelations which are most satisfying.


View all my reviews