Renaissance Writer: Gordon A. Long

REVIEW

“The Trickster’s Sister” by R. Chris Reeder

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-07-18 • 0 Comments

This is a YA Fantasy, following the plotline of the teenager who discovers she is not like all the other humans. In this case, it’s not all nicey-nicey like usual, because Brynn and her family are goblins. This is Book Two in the series, so the newness has worn off, and she is left to…

“Love in Another Time” by Lexa Dudley

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-07-11 • 0 Comments

This is a two-part novel, encompassing the parallel love stories of a grandmother and her granddaughter. The first part is the better section of the story, with good character development and entertaining setting descriptions. Part 2, in which the scene jumps two generations, seems a bit rushed. Instead of the slow, enjoyable filling in of…

Sunlight on Venus” by John C. Sable

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-07-04 • 0 Comments

This is a well-thought-out Dystopian Fantasy that should scare the pants of everyone living on the planet right now. It predicts one possible ending for our present abuse of the environment and brings it home through two ordinary people trying to control their day-to-day lives as humanity comes to an end. It is the first…

“Idriel’s Children” by Hayley Reese Chow

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-06-27 • 0 Comments

This novel is what I would call Epic Fantasy on a reduced scale. It has the same vast conflicts between races and realms and the same depth of metaphysics as the regulars of its genre, but the characters are restricted to a confined group, and the battles are smaller in proportion. Conflict exists at many…

“Blood of the Ràej” by Hayley Rae Johnson

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-06-20 • 0 Comments

This is a Young Adult fantasy tale about a world where magic is held to a restricted level because of a history of repression by the Ràej, a dynasty of magical rulers. The main character, Terhese, is a secret descendent of the last king, with all sorts of forbidden magical talent she doesn’t even know…

“Naida” by Scott Overton

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-06-13 • 0 Comments

Many novels start out with two main characters and two separate plotlines and run them parallel to each other until they merge to create a more complex whole. “Naida” is one of the more extreme examples of this technique, and it doesn’t quite work. The main story is about Michael, an ordinary guy who finds…

“Ned Wakes Up” Short Stories by John Wells

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-06-06 • 0 Comments

This is a book that gives gentle pleasure, like sitting on a porch on a warm spring evening, listening to a favourite uncle ramble on. The tone of each tale is much the same: intimate, placid and entertaining. These stories are distinguished by incredible attention to detail. The settings are described lovingly, and the minutest…

“Zombies for Everyone” by Kimberly Wylie

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-05-30 • 0 Comments

This book is advertised as a “YA Paranormal Cozy Mystery,” and it pretty well checks all the boxes. Like most Cozy Mysteries, it’s light on the blood, gore, and violence. As a Cozy Paranormal about vampires, it’s likewise light on the horror nastiness. The conflict is balanced nicely between the supernatural danger, the solving of…

“Transcription” by Tyler Michael

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-05-23 • 0 Comments

This is a good attempt at an interesting Sci-Fi idea, but the writing flies in the face of too many tried-and-true writing conventions, and so the novel never really leads us into the world the author has created so meticulously. The first error is one I must admit I have committed in my own writing.…

“The Revelation” by Jared Beasley Sharpe

by renaissanceadmin • 2021-05-16 • 0 Comments

I found this to be an enjoyable read in a limited sense. The main character is intimately real to us, and his motivation and reactions are realistic and engaging. However, there is an unfortunate reliance on one conflict area typical of YA fiction that undermines the suspense, leaving us with a reduced level of commitment…

Page 1 of 37

1 2 3 … 37 »

Reviews, Editing, Writing Hints