Continue reading »]]> Ellen Mae Franklin has turned in a winner with her first effort. Let me rephrase that. Ellen Mae Franklin has turned in THE fiction winner of the year with her first book “The Unseen Promise.” Why?

It’s all very simple really! This is fantasy fiction that will give you a kick in the ass and keep you rooted in its pages until you have soaked up every word. The story? Let me start by telling you about that…

The book is set on the alien world of Tarkeenia. It’s a world where everything happens–the good, the bad and the ugly. In many ways, it compares to our own world. Nothing is beyond the realm of possibility and morals, beliefs and attitudes change in a second. The research Ellen has put into making her creative world real is astounding. You really do come away believing that Tarkeenia is a real place. It also astounded me that she took such jaded and overused creatures and gave them fresh light. Think you know a dwarf? Hell, you don’t know ELLEN MAE FRANKLIN’S dwarf! Think you know about fantasy? Think again… She gives a brand new definition of the wordand you will not come away thinking that this is a million miles away from reality- trust me!

So, what drew me into this book? I guess the thing that really got me was that Ellen has such a dynamic writing style. She is really one helluva talented writer and I cannot rave about this one
enough.

On the downside–yes, there is a SLIGHT downside to this one–it is her first book and I would like to see how she progresses. I think by the time we get to the third volume of her Tarkeenia books, the world will really know how special Ellen is as a writer.

Want to travel to those exotic lands? Try Tarkeenia. You won’t regret it!

Visit Tarkeenia TODAY!

Continue reading »]]> What did I expect from A Sufi’s Ghost? Well, I expected it to be a great read–I always have that expectation from Mark Biskeborn–and I expected it to be action-packed. I expect a lot, don’t I?

Let me start by asking you as a reader what you thought of his last book, Mojave Winds? Now, don’t tell me you didn’t read it! That one was a slam dunk! Luckily, I am here to help you correct that small error. Mojave Winds was a great read and now, A Sufi’s Ghost is an even better read. Why? Because the writer has grown? Perhaps. Gotten better? Perhaps. Mainly because this is a top-notch action writer writing what he knows best– a rollickingly good story.

So, what actually happens? Well, I ain’t telling you… Okay, I will! I WILL! Just hold your horses and don’t keep pestering me! Larry Larson, after leaving the army, decides to be a bounty hunter. This in itself is a great thing! He finds himself in the Saudi desert… He…. nah, I am not telling you any more…

Okay, well let me tell you that this is a story that takes you through the secretive world of Saudi Arabia, religion, politics and a world we cannot see as Westerners.

 Just the words bounty hunter and Saudi desert should have you digging around trying to find the Amazon account password to buy this one.Then we come to a Biskeborn essential, he throws in a beautiful partner in crime, Carmen, and you will find yourself looking for the nearest camel to have your very own Harem Holiday.

What about his writing? Well, let me just tell you this first. Mark Biskeborn has really researched this book wonderfully. He has taken the time to paint a picture of a country, a desert seldom seen by most in the western world. He has researched all the nuances that could have made this book come unstuck. In short, he has written a book that I believe in and you will, too.

Yes, I have been raving about this one a lot. What can I say as a negative? Well, his writing style tends to wander sometimes, but then again, A Sufi’s Ghost itself is about wandering the desert. I do believe Mark Biskeborn has a fascination with the desert, you know? His last book Mojave Winds was set in the Nevada desert. Hey, Mark? Next time can we have a rollicking underwater adventure instead? Until then–go read this beauty by the man who could be the next king of the action writers…

 Click here to read an interview with Mark Biskeborn and learn more about the man behind the writing.

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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.

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My latest review is for a book that has recently started to climb again in sales. Night of the Cossack is the first and current published effort by Tom Blubaugh.

When I first opened the Kindle publication of this book I didn’t know what to expect. The idea of writing about pre-revolution Russia came to Tom, apparently when he discovered that his grandfather had been a Cossack. I kept this in mind as I got to the first page of the first chapter.

The book opens with two brothers, Nathan and Israel Hertzfield, startled awake to find that their village is under attack from the Cossacks. The action packed start doesn’t dim… The action keeps rolling and rolling as the story of Nathan unfolds. Blubaugh has written an efficient and fast paced action adventure story for kids of all ages. The characterization is strong and the reader grows to know Nathan as a character. Nathan is a well developed character who always wants to do the right thing. That said, I think the fact that this book is a fictionalized attempt to create a back-story for his grandfather has made him biased towards the character of Nathan. Is that a bad thing? Perhaps, if you want a character who is multicoloured rather than just black and white.

Blubaugh is a creative writer who without doubt has talent, but sometimes one does find oneself wondering how this book could have been better. I think it could have done with more edge, but then this is a book that will be enjoyed by pre-teens who aren’t in love with the trolls and goblins that seem so popular right now.

What does happen to Nathan and Israel? What do the Cossacks do with them? Where do they end up? Why did the Cossacks attack? All these questions and more spring to mind. The book does ask many questions from the first page… You definitely find yourself turning the page to find out the answers, and I think that is one of this book’s strongest points. It is a page turner and you will want to finish it.

I have interviewed Tom Blubaugh twice (click here and here for those) and I find him to be engaging and honest. He is a deep thinker and that comes across in the book, too. Perhaps he hasn’t written with a plan in mind, but subconsciously he has developed the characters and given them purpose. I found all the characters had purpose and all acted quite realistically, without the wooden behaviour some writers use.

I will give Tom great credit for researching his subject thoroughly. The Cossacks are historically close to fact, the Okhrana, the troubles faced by a young Jewish boy living in an anti-semetic country; this book takes on the facts of the Russia we may have forgotten as history has moved on. The character of Nathan is always the Jewish boy trying to escape and Tom almost turns out his heart on some pages with poignancy and suffering. It is clear to me as a reader that this is the story that he has always wanted to write.

I will say that one thing that really frustrated me was the way Tom ended the book. There are few resolutions and the book leaves you with ‘what ifs,’ ‘what could be’ and ‘what happened?’

It was almost as though Nathan Hertzfield just disappeared from my life…

All in all, this is a pretty good romp through the Russia of the Tsars and it will delight many people around the world as it has already. I also think it is a good first attempt and shows signs of what may come from Tom Blubaugh later.

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“Pacy writing at its finest from the pen of Mark Biskeborn….”

 

I have just finished reading Mojave Winds: Second Edition by Mark Biskeborn. What can I say? Give me a few minutes to digest this one… It’s big… I have a lot to tell you.

I wonder if this is the first book that has been written about finding love in the desert? In case you’ve missed nature documentaries or planes recently– the desert is this big hot mass– just sand and bleached skeletons for miles around. So how do two people fall in love in such a place? Well, author Mark Biskeborn made it happen– he put two lost souls together on a bus and made them connect. Let me tell you about them. Sheila is a beautiful, talented Persian dancer who works in the best joints in Vegas. She has a huge void in her being, though– she feels like a trophy for men. It’s lucky for her that she meets freshly-discharged-from-the-army Kris Klug. The two meet and fall in love, but their love is endangered by the very fact that the bus they are traveling on is hijacked by drug dealers… What do the dealers want? I’m not going to tell you… But it isn’t sand!

Hooked yet? Well, it doesn’t end there. Kris is on the way to meet his Uncle Fred. Now, Fred is a wealthy trucking boss who wants to pass down the business. Before getting on the bus, Kris is told by a shady FBI agent called Jaeger that his uncle Fred may well have been involved in drug trafficking…

Are these two things related? Is Jaeger involved? Is Uncle Fred involved? What do the dealers want? What is Sheila doing on a bus in the Mojave desert? All these questions and more are asked and answered. Let me ask you… This is 386 pages of written work. Let’s take a few off for the front and back pages. Okay.. 380 pages. I normally read pretty quickly and try to review as quickly as I can. I ACTIVELY slowed myself down on this one. I slowed myself down to enjoy it and take it in. I wanted to prolong the experience because I was enjoying the experience. I am probably the only person in the world right now who is going to book tickets to visit the Mojave Desert, bleached bones and all. Here I come!

Hooked now? Hey! Let me tell you about the writing. ‘Detailed’ is a word I would use– detailed, but not boring. The writing is never boring. The story bounces– swings– smoothly narrates it’s way along. You can almost feel the heat of the desert. You can almost taste love dripping from the pages. The dialogue is never phoney, the story-line is never out-of-this-world. This is real life in book form in so many ways. Have you ever been in love? You will feel the bond between Sheila and Kris. Is this book dark? At times. I found myself hooked for the third time this week.  I don’t think I could ever put a Mark Biskeborn book down again. He has a real talent for getting a story across to a reader and adds those little flourishes that make the words as addictive as the drugs Uncle Fred is meant to be trafficking.

So what do I think? I think you should go buy this one! I don’t mean right now– I mean like a few minutes ago. I usually try to find fault in a book but this one makes it hard. If I have to find a negative, perhaps it is a bit long? But then the plot unfolds in such a way that actually the size is perfect. Open your change purse, folks, and go buy this one.

Mojave Winds: Second Edition is available on Amazon. Also visit Mark’s Author Page.

Reviewed 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!