This is classic Action Fantasy involving a large cross section of people in a society struggling against civic corruption. Set in a world equivalent to our late 19th century, it still echoes problems we have today. Authors take note; this story has used the marvelous technique of having an important backstory which is revealed slowly…
Tag: amwriting
REVIEW
“The Callista Alignment” by Steve Gay
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
This is a serious Science Fiction story about social change, dealt with at all levels of society. The cast of characters includes members from the lowest feral human to the highest ruling alien, and we see fragments of the story from the points of view of all of them. This presents a problem in the…
REVIEW
“The Engineer’s Mechanic” by L. K. Winter
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
This novel is an example of a modern sub-genre blending hi-tech Science Fiction with gladiatorial combat digital games. The creative advantage which this author uses to great effect is the imaginative choreography available to fighters with a creative variety of skills and powers. The technique, as the scenes in this book show, is not to…
REVIEW
The Drunken Dragon, by George Morrison
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
This is a fascinating novel. Billed as humour, with all the trappings of an Action Fantasy, it also manages to draw us in emotionally on a deeper level. Let’s put this story into perspective. It has towns called Spittlesburg, Whatadump, and Bristol. (What does the author have against Bristol?) It has a Province of Malevolentia,…
REVIEW
“Miss Universe” by David M. Jones
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
Okay, don’t be fooled by the title; this is true Science Fiction. Don’t think, “Miss Congeniality.” Think “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,” filled with thousands of alien races and myriads of inconceivable scientific and technical wonders. But, rich in technological and social setting though the story may be, it is the characters that drive the…
REVIEW
“Mayatte’s Catharsis” by Jack E. Mohr
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
This is a difficult book to review because while it has definite strengths to recommend it, it also has weaknesses that distract from our enjoyment of its originality. It is Fantasy based on South Seas myths, giving it a feel of magical realism in a tale that is in total quite fantastical. The setting is…
REVIEW
“Sandorn’s Command” by Thom Bedford
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
“Sandorn’s Command” To enjoy Science Fiction, the reader must suspend the disbelief that all those technological wonders are possible. Fans of Space Opera need to practise this technique to a greater degree, because the situations and the coincidences are even harder to believe. We are willing to trade this effort for the enjoyment we get…
REVIEW
“Sandorn’s Command” by Thom Bedford
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
To enjoy Science Fiction, the reader must suspend the disbelief that all those technological wonders are possible. Fans of Space Opera need to practise this technique to a greater degree, because the situations and the coincidences are even harder to believe. We are willing to trade this effort for the enjoyment we get from the…
REVIEW
“Why They Came” by Chris von Halle
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
When a problem appears in a story, there are two possible reader responses. Some readers will say to themselves, “Hey, that’s not right…” and then, when the author deals with it, they say, “That’s better. I saw that coming.” Other readers will see the author solving the problem, and they will say, “Oh, yeah. I…
REVIEW
“Cut from Stone” by Brendan O’Meara
by renaissanceadmin • • 0 Comments
The start of a Fantasy Military Action series, this book is mainly concerned with the training of a Special Ops team and their first live engagement. It presents a sanitized version of the usual training-up-to-fight plotline. Competition is minimized, bullying and hazing are not present. These are people focused on becoming the best of the…