Renaissance Writer: Gordon A. Long

REVIEW

“The Battle Beyond the Veil” by Cassie Sanchez

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-04-05 • 0 Comments

This book is a Paranormal subgenre of the Harlequin Romance, following a tradition stretching all the way back to Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, where twenty-somethings talk and act like hormonal teenagers. For true fans of this type of book, it comes off quite well. It starts off with an interesting and realistic spate of rather nasty…

“Discovery” by Louise McLaughlin

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-03-29 • 0 Comments

This novel is a blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, with magic blended with modern science. It’s a risky proposition, but it would work except for the weakness of the writing style. Unfortunately, the author’s self-conscious intrusion between the reader and the story, making sure we get all the jokes by explaining them, rather spoils the…

“Navvy Dreams” by HMH Murray

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-03-22 • 0 Comments

This is a difficult review to write, because the author has made a bold attempt at a complex writing style, and hasn’t been completely successful. To put it simply, he has tried to replicate the nuances of a socially and politically advanced culture, where the art of diplomatic conversation is paramount. This results in long…

“The Falling Sky” by Marcus Snow

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-03-15 • 0 Comments

This novel is a Space Opera that transcends its genre in form and creativity, breaking all the rules and making it work. Let me explain. One of the main strengths of a good story is a main character who makes emotional contact with readers, drawing them in until they feel vicarious connection with the conflict.…

“The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan” by M. H. Foster

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-03-08 • 0 Comments

Word has it that James Cameron summed up “Titanic” with, “In the end the boat sinks and everybody dies.” And then he proceeded to make an award-winning movie about it. This book has the same problem and a similar solution. Because we know from the very start that it has to be a happy ending.…

“Cristobal Ritter” by Mijo Rebic

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-03-01 • 0 Comments

This novella updates the old Noir Detective form with a modern and subtly humorous twist. The electronic cityscape blends in with reality, which I assume is the intended effect, but in places (especially flashbacks) the readers could wish for clearer clues about where and when we just jumped to. Except for that, the setting creation…

“Hypgnosium” by J. E. R. Sanderson

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-02-22 • 0 Comments

This novel shows an example of an author who has planned a book of great scope but then doesn’t have room in a single volume to “show” readers everything, and thus is reduced to “telling” all the creative details. Characters are carefully thought out and described in great physical detail., and they develop in interesting…

“Trans Porter Ada” by Steven U. Allen

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-02-15 • 0 Comments

Novels usually continue the way they start out. Weaknesses and writing errors we find in opening chapters usually repeat themselves throughout the read. Likewise, a top-notch character, if developed properly, can help carry a lot of baggage for the rest of the book. This is especially true of Ada, a musician who is constantly finding…

“Dad vs Evil” by William T. D. Feeley

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-02-15 • 0 Comments

This is the first book in a Paranormal/Sci-Fi/LitRPG series. There are a lot of books coming out in this style, but this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Many of them are written for gamers, and the results read like a play-by-play announcer from a hockey game. Mr. Feeley goes in the other…

“Caenogenisis” by Tasha He

by renaissanceadmin • 2026-02-08 • 0 Comments

This novel is a classic example of Rebels-in-Dystopia Sci-Fi. It has multi-layered conflict, tightly related to the themes and to the emotions of sympathetic characters. It starts out with an attractive opening: evocative setting description teasing us with an interesting character puzzle that keeps us reading through those tricky opening pages. Then we are presented…

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