Continue reading »]]> I have been asked many times what constitutes a “FIVE STAR REVIEW”… What makes a book THAT special?

The truth is it takes more than just a criteria or a grade. It’s something that you need to feel from a book. A FIVE star book has to be well written. It has to be a great story. It has to be completely enthralling. It has to be something that people will just go crazy for…

At Novel Ideas we don’t usually write anything less than FIVE star reviews. I refuse to pan a book or degrade a book that many others may see as a FIVE star read. I refuse to break the authors dream to bits. Therefore, any book that is less that FIVE stars is returned to the writer, and we ask them to submit it when they feel it is a FIVE star book…

We believe that every writer has the right to know why we feel their book isn’t a FIVE star read…. We are happy to privately tell them why the book didn’t make the grade… But, we won’t do that publicly…

So, if you submit your book to Novel Ideas and you find an email in your inbox with a returned payment… Please don’t be upset! Re-submit later on and you may just get yourself on here…

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Jimmy Northrup has written a book called The Gold Slaves (or as I like to call it- “The Golden Slaves”) because his character development is so strong. What can I tell you about the debut novel from this great writer? Well, to begin with, when Jimmy approached me to write this review I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting to be asked to review this book. I think Jim could just tell how desperate I was to spread the word about it and gave in. Let me tell you a little about it.

The book itself is a politically-themed story of a brainwashed people who believe that by working hard they will reach heaven. The ignorant and enslaved people of “Space” believe that they are working together to benefit the gods and take their place in heaven….

In true sci-fi fashion, things are more sinister than they seem. J.W. Northrup has written a book that will turn on your thought-provoked brain cells, and soon you, too, will be wondering–just wondering–about the way our world is going.

J.W. writes fluently with a strong and detailed method. He has a completely individual style, one that shines through even on this his first novel. Some of you may find this book a little high brow. That’s the name of the game, unfortunately. Many of you will marvel as J.W. writes his way through a totally fascinating tale of political proportions. Will the slaves ever realise that they are actually slaves? Will they realise they are not working for the gods? Will they realise that they are actually being used? Treated as… Slaves?

Well, I can tell you that things get more complicated when two of the brainwashed miners find their way to the surface. The dilemma is…

What do they really know about freedom?

I think this novel will probably be the first in a long run of bestsellers for this writer. He has a style that can certainly find its way onto the big screen and this book is a prime suspect for that treatment.

Will this be a teenage sensation or a successor to “Fifty Shades of Whatever”? I doubt it. But is any serious author really after that kind of attention? Jimmy writes with the style and poise of a man with skill. He makes educated and fully-felt swoops with each new line.

Let me stop raving! Go buy the book; and yes, it is intelligent. Is that a bad thing?

Enjoy it!

The Gold Slaves is available through Amazon and through the publisher’s website.

Continue reading »]]> If you have taken the time to read the biography of Stephen H. Banks on his Amazon page, you don’t need to read any more of this review. The chances are you have already bought a copy of his book Chaos Theories and you’ve enjoyed it. You haven’t? Well… read on and you will find out why this book is such an incredibly enjoyable read.

When I read a book, I look for two things. I want to be captivated by strong writing and I want to be entertained. Chaos Theories manages both. I don’t know who said it first– perhaps me? But if it looks good, sounds good, and reads well then it’s a good book. I got my copy of Chaos Theories a few days ago. I professionally review books, so it was in the pile and I kept looking at it– it kept looking at me– I looked at it some more and closed the book I was currently reading (that’s pretty easy now with an ‘x’ at the top of the screen) and I opened Chaos Theories. I had read the blurb and it was already looking good. Let me ask you a question– a series of seemingly random events that by themselves are nothing more than small blips in a life, put together amounting to something huge? Is that feasible?

I think so, and so does Stephen. Take the character in his book, for instance. Jim Parish is traveling to work and minding his own business. Suddenly a car goes through a puddle and soaks his trousers. Okay, that’s an annoyance; but then he hears a scream and looks up. A body is falling from a third floor window. That’s a big event! Perhaps it’s a life changer? Jim holds out his arms and catches the falling body– the body of a girl. Three events: a puddle-happy driver who soaked the trousers of a man going to work, that man hears a scream, and catches a child… What are the odds?

I was caught up by this story in a big way. I don’t really have a lot of time, but I found myself sitting and reading this; ignoring my wife, ignoring the radio, ignoring clients, and just reading as I was drawn into the world of Jim Parish. Jim weaves his way through both big and small events. All of them seem random– just part of his life experience. I found myself grinning when Jim, not the most social of people, found himself entwined with a beautiful girl. I felt bad for him when he found himself going through a rough patch.  I identified with him. I could visualize him and he spoke to me. In many ways he is the ‘everyman.’ How many people have woken up one day and found themselves thrust into the spotlight? Given a huge break? Given the chance to make something happen? I think the chance is there for all of us and when that chance arises, we change. That, I feel, is the very nature of fate.

So why did I ask you if you had read the biography of Stephen H. Banks? Well, I think if you had taken the time, you would have realised that he, himself, has been very much a child of fate. Here is a man who was told by a school guidance counselor that he was so intelligent he could “do anything he wanted.” What did Stephen choose to do? He chose to forge his own path and didn’t go straight for the money or the fame. He chose to act, he chose to work as an electrician, he found himself in the computer industry. He built a career, he had kids… He trusted the actions of fate and found that all those little occurrences that seem like nothing are actually what build you into a person. This book is about life. Stephen has created a fascinating read that doesn’t need a gimmick or a ploy. It just needs a reader to open the first page and read. Once you start, you won’t stop. Stephen H. Banks makes sure you won’t begin to think about clicking ‘close’ until you’ve finished every last word.

Review by Nick Wale

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 ”An unmissable read worthy of any library and certainly one to keep and read over and over again..”

Meet Joey Ruff and his new book The Dark Communion. I was fortunate enough to be asked to review this one. What can I say? At first glance it sounds like a good read. Jono Swyftt is a hunter, a predator and his prey are those nasties you grow out of believing in when you start to grow up and realise about the real-life nasties. You know those monsters you grew out of believing about? You know– Orcs, Goblins, Trolls and such– well they exist in this world created by Joey Ruff. Jono meets them and dispatches them with relative ease– he’s a gun expert, an ex-cop and a priest. Supernatural beings beware! In this brand new novel, Joey Ruff has created a book that is nothing less than a rollicking action-packed journey from page one.

The Dark Communion opens with a preview story– rather like a TV show. Jono Swyftt is searching for a young girl called Julie Easter who has gone missing. To me, this book reads like an episode of The Shield– the reader feels like they are there as Joey Ruff writes with incredible skill in the first person. Jono is led to a disused and rundown house on the wrong side of town. What will he find inside? All I am going to tell you is that Joey had me riveted from the get-go with this one. I was up all night turning pages to find out what would happen next. What does happen next?

With Joey’s law enforcement background, The Dark Communion is technically brilliant. The history of weapons is touched upon, ammunition, and his own personal knowledge of weaponry shines through. This makes it great for a European like myself to sit and immerse myself in a book that really does idolise the gun. However, just as gun-mad as Jono Swyftt is, Joey created a second character called ‘Ape’ (otherwise known as Terry Towers) who doesn’t use guns at all. The name ‘Ape’ should be explained. Jono calls Terry ‘Ape’ because of his impressive size and strength. ‘Ape’ gave the book a balance that said to me, “I thought of all the bases,” and it works very well. Traditional action and gun toting action are two different things and work together very well in this book. The nasties sometimes need a kick up the ass to get them to give up.

About the nasties! There are Orcs, Goblins, creatures of the night, and the kind of thing you would never want to meet in a dark alley–that is, unless you had a Glock to back you up! Joey writes with great description about the monsters his characters run across. These monsters aren’t created to do anything other than roar, be mean and get killed by Jono. I found it a relief to read a book that just pounded out action in this way.

What about the writing style? In the first person, you feel as though you are actually there. I began edging around as I enjoyed the action. The Dark Communion is a very addictive read in that way. You are immersed into the world of a hunter and as a reader the action is very easy to follow. This is one of those books you pull yourself away from and realise you read fifty pages without even realising it. The dialogue is traditional hardman fare including quips and one-liners, but is intelligent enough not to end up as an Arnie picture. Events, guns, creatures, and backstory are explained as though Jono Swyftt is talking to you over a beer at the local bar.

Overall, I think for a reader looking for a story–a really entertaining, action packed, immersing story– this is one to pick up. It isn’t overbearingly intellectual; it doesn’t give you insight into your past or present; it won’t save your marriage; but it will entertain you! Well done, Joey! This one is a stomper! Jono ain’t bloody cheap… but the price of this book is! Buy it now!

By Nick Wale

Read an interview with Joey on Novel Ideas here!

Continue reading »]]> The book is “Courier” and the author is Terry Irving. I know Terry through my interviews and I know he is capable of some slam dunk work. This book is one of those thrillers that you just can’t ignore. Remember “Airport”? Well think along the same lines… Here we go… Back to the seventies….

I had the privilege of reading Terry Irving’s latest work, Courier. This is a fast-paced, nail-biting thriller combining intrigue, suspense, a bit of romance, and mostly, edge-of-your-seat action.
Rick Putnam, the story’s protagonist, finds himself unwittingly smack dab in the midst of one of the biggest potential political scandals of the era. It’s 1972, and Rick, an emotionally wounded Vietnam vet is a motorcycle courier for a news agency in Washington, DC. Doing his job as usual, he suddenly finds himself in possession of a reel of film which exposes Nixon’s acceptance of bribes in the form of campaign contributions by the South Vietnamese in order to extend the war for their benefit. This footage is so explosive, so volatile, those who want to see it buried will stop at nothing to quash it, regardless of who is expended in the meanwhile. Naturally, Rick is the primary target.

Rick is an interesting guy– he’s a man’s man, but utterly vulnerable and tortured by visions of horror suffered in the war. To attempt to dull these memories which haunt him nightly, he rides his BMW motorcycle to its limits on a daily basis– by riding hard, fast, and a bit maniacal at times, his mind can push the memories away for a just a bit. If you’ve ever ridden a bike or even been a passenger, the action-packed descriptions of Rick’s many hair-raising, adrenaline pumping rides will take you right back to being on that seat. I am a former rider myself and I was instantly transported back to that feeling of tremendous power between my knees and feeling my hand twist the throttle just a little bit more- pushing my personal limits to balance the fear with the utter exhilaration I felt.

There’s even a sweet romance – Rick, who normally is quite emotionally closed off, finds himself captivated by a strong-willed Native American law student who is able to access those parts of him he thought he had shut forever. It shows Rick to be incredibly human and brings to light so many issues we know vets continue to suffer to this day.

Mr. Irving based the book on his own experiences as a motorcycle courier during the same time. He describes Rick as “far more daring and much better looking than I ever was”; although I have to wonder if he’s being too modest. Only personal experience could have allowed the descriptions of that type of amazing motorcycle riding. Additionally, the descriptions of the news production process during the 70s, when Mr. Irving himself was right in the middle of that business, was fascinating. He describes the process of film editing and that sense of constant urgency in the newsroom. Since most of his life after being a courier was spent in the news production environment, you can feel the reality of the scenes through his descriptions which can only be gleaned by being there. One gets a hint at what life in Washington was really like during that heady time.

I don’t want to give away any secrets– suffice it to say the twists in the story will have you gasping in surprise and chewing at your nails. I don’t normally read thrillers, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I know you will, too. It’s quite the ride!

Review by LoriAnn Murray

See an additional article about Courier here. Also, there are two interviews with Mr. Irving here and here.