Archives for reviews - Page 16
Chieftans by Bob Forrest-Webb [Book Review]
Chieftains by Bob Forrest-Webb My rating: 3 of 5 stars Chieftans is a speculative fiction piece on the Cold War going hot in 1985. It was written in the early 1980s and hasn't dated well. Like Game of Thrones everyone dies, but in less interesting and more predictable ways. Chieftans - review There are good points to Chieftans. For the most part the characters are believable and likeable. Bob Forrest-Webb clearly has done his research, and understands British Army soldiers and officers. That aspect of the book was excellent. One of things that didn't quite work for me though was that the book was clearly researched/written about four or five years before it was set (it was first published in 1982). This means that some of the kit wasn't deployed, or had its name/designation changed on deployment. There was also…
A.M. Griffin [Author Interview]
The Guicai Talisman by Griffin After a bit of a break I have another author interview with Griffin, a prolific author. She is promoting her most recent book The Guicai Talisman (The Undercity Chronicles of Babylonia Jones, ). As well as urban fantasy Griffin also writes romance. You can see all Griffin's work on her website. Griffin - the interview Do you write for a living, or do you also do other work? I have a full-time job that I love and I write part-time. Sometimes I think that I’d want to write full-time, but then it would turn into something that I had to do instead of something that I love to do. So for now I have no desire to write full-time. How did you get into being a professional writer, and how much effort did it take to…
EZICASH by Ian Thompson [Book Review]
Ezicash: How to Usurp a Totalitarian Behemoth with a Monkey Wrench by Ian Thompson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I laughed out loud reading this. EZICASH is a really good satire of health and safety culture and where it could go. Like the best comedy it makes you think, and reminds you how modern life can veer off track from what is really important. Review of EZICASH by Ian Thompson EZICASH is set a couple of decades in the future. The world has divided into those that take safety and health seriously, and those outside their safe bubbles. DOSH-UK-1 is a huge domed town near Milton Keynes. All its inhabitants live in houses rated for safety and wear high visibility protective clothing at all times. Rubber covers the pavements and roads and speed is limited to 5mph. Running violates safety…
Disaster at Havendale by Richard E. Davis [Book Review]
Disaster at Havendale by Richard E. Davis My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was sent a free copy of Disaster at Havendale by the publisher as a prize in a twitter competition. I started reading it when it arrived, but then lent it to a friend to read, and then it sat neglected in the bottom of my work bag when it was returned to me (because I was then in the middle of another book). Disaster at Havendale I finally came back to Disaster at Havendale a couple of days ago and read it on my daily commute over two days. It is a bit of a slow burn to start with, taking slightly more than half of the book to set the scene and establish the characters. This would be fine in a full length novel, but its…
What I Did For Love by M.G. Woods [Book Review]
What I Did For by Woods My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book. You might be forgiven for taking this as a romance at first sight, especially given the cover. What I Did For Love is a dry observational comedy. There is a cast of characters that would make it good for TV. Told from James Meade's perspective in a reflective manner, we get little clues throughout about future events that hook you in. We meet his oldest friend, the love of his life, her parents and his family. There's drama in it all, and the outcome is often funny. Some of it even has a slapstick element to it. One of my favourite characters was his work colleague Tessa, married to a debt collector. Her dialogue and behaviour was amazing. The premise is straightforward, but…