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The Originals by William Voigt
The Originals by William Voigt is one amazing book that takes place in the early 50s.
Willow Rogers an adolescent girl on vacation on the rustic and dangerous wilderness Dumas Island encounters a wild boy claiming to live on the Island. She knows only that he's saved her life and that she's inexorably drawn to him.
As she grows from an awkward teen to a beautiful young woman she is still haunted by her wild boy. Her thoughts and dreams are filled with his memory though each year that she returns to the Island she is unable to find him.
As the years go by and the Island business is closed and Willow goes to college she tries to forget the wild boy. Her fiance, Barry, coaxes her to take a camping tour of the Lake Superior shore line in Canada. Willow once more finds her life in danger and everything changes.
The wild boy, Mike, has returned from a tour of duty in Korea. When a service buddy and friend gets into trouble he helps him out. This puts them both on the run. They head for the now quiet and deserted Dumas Island.
Two separate sets of thrilling and deadly circumstances are destined to somehow bring these two together again
This book is a story containing mystery and suspense along with a deep romance. What is woven into or around it is a mystical mythos that has the Island and Lake Superior moving things in a specific direction.
This is a well crafted tale I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys suspense , romance, and a bit of the fantastic.
I was fortunate to obtain a copy of this in a small used book store in Charlotte MI.
I'm not sure how obtainable copies of this book are.
J.L.Dobias
Fifth Man by John B. Olson & Randy Ingermanson
Having been surprised to find the Fifth Man in e-book I devoured it in one day.
I love that John and Randy put their definition of High Concept in the back.
It's quite different from the other definitions I've seen.
I liked the story and it was a page turner for me. I'm not sure that it was because of the High Concept.[even by their definition]
It reminded me of the survivor and big brother reality shows.
I don't watch reality shows much.
But over all the interaction worked to keep my interest so I must not be averse.
I suppose that the finger pointing in both settings kept the excitement going but you'd have expected by this time they'd learned some lesson from the flight out in Oxygen.
[minor spoilers here and below]
Some of the more die-hard fans might raise a fuss about communication taking 40 min while the robots often appear to react too appropriate to the moment as though they are getting instructions instantaneously from long distances.
In most cases I could resolve it in my mind to mostly serendipity.
The excitement was a lot like the movie leviathan and It was perfect that they ended it mostly with rational explanations for almost everything.
I really did like it despite my apparent tone above and I can at least say that I read this from cover to cover without judging it by its cover or its blurb.
Which is something that can't be said about everyone.
J.L.Dobias
Once We Were Human by Randall Allen Farmer
"When I screamed myself awake, nothing had changed. Metal cot. Straitjacket. Legs shackled together. A single tiny light bulb on the ceiling, behind a metal cage, bright enough to hurt my eyes."
Farmer, Randall (2011-11-09). Once We Were Human (The Commander) (Kindle Locations 39-41). MajorTransform Unlimited. Kindle Edition.
For me this is where the book begins. There is some preface and it does have relevance. But, as a reader the line above is where the story grabbed hold of me and began to draw me in.
There seems to be some discussion about genre- I have no qualms with calling this Science Fiction. There were many similarities that I could draw between this and the Novel Darwin's Radio. And for anyone who liked that book this book will be a satisfying read to you. For those who felt as I did that Darwin's Radio had a tendency to dwell too much on the stale scientific end of things ;then this book will not disappoint you.
There are some similarities- but mostly about the conjecture that there is some disease involved in what is happening.
This book is what I would term an Alternate Universe story - the story takes place in the 1960s. And in many places there are hints at speculation that what is happening may have happened one or more times in the past. This might create a feeling that its dwelling on myth and fantasy, but I believe as with other books like this it still stand strongly in the category of Alternate Universe Science Fiction. I'm not sure that it needed to be in the 60s, but it was a good place for these characters to be coming from.
In this story the reluctant Heroine is thrust into a nightmare that she would only relegate to what in her mind was the worst of sinners and criminals. She has to face her own prejudice and self loathing in order to cope with what she's become. And all around her are the barriers and abutments of a society that is living in fear of what she and others like her represent.
Randall Farmer takes us into our own paranoid 60s and creates some believable characters who are all working sometimes at odds with each other to try to contain something they can't begin to understand.
It's been a while since someone has written a novel that has kept me as engrossed in the story and immersed in the characters. This was both a thoughtful and fun read that I had difficulty putting down. There's a lot of room left for the next story in the series. I shall move to that after I catch my breath.
J.L. Dobias
Chasing Power by Genevieve Pearson
I really liked this book- that's a sort of mirroring of what that star selection says. I might have given into one more star but there were elements of the style that kept me rolling back to clarify what I'd just read. The sad thing is that I believe its the fault of the Kindle book and not the author.
Chasing Power is a really good book. It grabbed my interest and kept it most the way through. Though it took a while before I started seeing elements of something new or surprising. Some of the sequences were predictable such as Harry being thrown off from his protective guard duty by an attractive females uncanny attention to someone like Harry. Eventually though the author , Genevieve Pearson, shows her stuff as she begins to throw in a few twists to the plot.
I really enjoyed the main character, Samantha's, distrust of the others. Of course it's only fair that she doesn't trust Lane, Al, and Harry while she views them as her kidnappers. She has trust issues. I think that this was all handled well and the subsequent miscommunication because of mistrust was quite believable adding much to the story.
The one little issue- and it most cases it works just fine to use this style- is that there were whole sections of dialogue without any classifiers as to who was speaking. And though in most cases when I went back I could sort it out there were e-book related formatting problems that munged dialogue together at some of these points.
I'm certain this boarders on nit picking since it might work the other way for other readers who would be put off with the inclusion of too many he said- she said - cluttering the pages.
I recommend this book to anyone who reads Science Fiction or Fantasy or who loves those super hero graphic books. This has elements for all those people put together with some original plot twists and it's begging for a sequel.
Or maybe that's just me begging for the sequel.
J.L. Dobias Author of Cripple-Mode: Hot Electric
Vivid by Andrea Murray
The novel Vivid by Andrea Murray is definitely YA though I would add Mature to that- that's just me.
There are some familiar elements- that's not a bad thing - in fact it made my hair stand on end to see Vivian and her friend Abby in high school facing the usual angst that life dishes out plus being the target of Trista and the bully elite. When Vivian displays some rather remarkable powers that's when the chills start and I got shades of Stephen Kings Carrie.
Fortunately we have Easton Garrett and Cooper McNeal to ground them. These fellows are almost unbelievable. That might be why it takes the girls so much time to figure out that they are real.
Just when things begin to look like they are getting better Vivian discovers her families dark secrets and it supplies some answers to some rather frightening memories she's been having. Vivian is beside herself trying to keep her secrets and live a normal life. But, prom is on the way and we all know what that could lead to.
Because she's been using her powers- even though its sparingly- she's running the potential for putting a pin on the map for some very bad people.
By the time things get rough we have moved on into something similar to Stephen Kings FireStarter and the feeling that this could get really bad.
And though I mentally draw these similarities Vivian and the people surrounding her are nothing like the characters in those other books. Andrea Murray uses her knowledge to draw us into the lives of some convincing teens trying to deal with their normal lives while they get thrust into something that is far from normal.
By the end of the story you will definitely want to know what is going to happen in the next of the trilogy.
J.L. Dobias Author of Cripple-Mode: Hot Electric
Shiva Winters Once Upon Another World
The title and the cover almost had me thinking 'fairy tale'.
Once I dove in feet first it was more like Zelazny's Amber series and Farmers Tier series rolled together and given a special Shiva Winters touch. Raven Sinclair is a powerful character well matched by his counterpart LeShana, who is not only lovely but also as powerful and kick-ass as Raven.
Suffice it to say, I loved this book, and there is only one reason I give it 4 stars instead of five. There are so many errors in spelling, grammar, and questionable usage of some words and missing words- sometimes extra words that just don't belong there. I can live with some of this in dialogue- no one speaks perfectly all the time. But it leaks heavily into the narrative portion and that gets me to believing that maybe those characters don't really speak that way either. This book is offered free, but as a representative of self publishing it could have used a bit of polish. (Another couple of pairs of eyes.)A number of people I know might toss this book down after the first 50 pages and that's their loss.
One thing I disagree with other people about is that an editor could have pared it down some. I'm not a fan of muting the authors voice. An edit will help the spelling grammar and other but the author's work should stand unless the author decides some portions might not be necessary or should be reworked. I did not see anything that just jumped out at me and said I don't belong here.
As it stands Once Upon Another World is a well packed novel with a fairly tight plot that has plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing. It also demonstrates some skill in world making that Shiva should be proud of. She has a writing style that I was comfortable with, though I'll need to read more of her work to see if the style changes as she becomes more polished.
If this book ever goes to paper print copy I would suggest a strong look at some editing and a signed copy for me.
Bravo! For an awesome first novel.
J.L. Dobias Author of Cripple-Mode: Hot Electric
Fizz nothing is as it seems by Zvi Schreiber is the thoroughly enjoyable story of a young girl coming of age in a community that shuns technology blaming it for everything from war to global warming.
This is a great novel for anyone who loves physics and anyone who thinks they cant understand it. And maybe even a few who hate physics. It's also a great novel for anyone who loves historic novels. Though In both these cases I'm not sure I'm the best qualified to attest to the veracity of the content.
We pick up Fizz in her life when she is given a possible choice to leave her protective community and mingle with the evils of the outer world while making an informed decision about where to spend the rest of her life. Unlike some other communities that shun the modern world that have sprung up throughout the ages this one doesn't seem to have any firm roots in religious beliefs in a god and creator. It does have strong opinions about and against the study of science. Fizz finds herself questioning many things around her which she is expected to take at face value. So,though it is common for most who reach her age to take a pass on this option to strike out into the world, she is strongly considering it because of her inquisitive mind.
Add to this the notion that her father (who has already left the community before she was born) has spearheaded the construction of a time machine and you have the beginnings of an odd but engaging experiment.
This novel takes the reader and Fizz on a historic journey back through time to begin the study of physics on a quest to answer a few simple questions that Fizz is certain will be solved in one simple visit with one of the great minds of the past. As the story builds we not only get a glimpse of Fizz but we get a glimpse of what must be a universal principle that the more you know the more you need to know. We get to see Fizz grow and the reader perhaps begins to question the wisdom of a community that has stifled someone with such a brilliant intellect and thirst for knowledge. And somewhere in all of this she may begin to see the work of a creator.
J.L.Dobias
Shiva Winters - Of Forgotten Days and Lost World - continues to weave the magic of the Salak'Patan series.
The story picks up after the life changing and somewhat life shattering first book with Monorth out in the field trying to continue the work of rebuilding the Salak'Patan. As his reward he is subjected to backstabbing and treachery until he has no choice but to retire from that, which he has been so driven to complete.
So begins the wandering through the halls and out to the very Rim of the Empire. His ever strange sometimes dysfunctional family growing around him and their support for him also growing. Out on the Rim his destiny brings him to Phoenix or Nix as he calls himself. And I was almost fooled into thinking this was going to be another man with ultra intelligent cat stories of which many abound.
In a way it is. But the rich detail of the story- often confuse as Purple Prose- yet in fact it is Purple Patch. And for those who don't know- there is a difference. Purple prose detracts and takes from the story. Purple Patch enhances it with its poetic beauty. The consistent depth of the characters that walk through this story - though sometimes it seems they can do no wrong - are all painted with their own quirks that give this story its excitement and adventure and romance.
I've already warned those who are distracted by the occasional misspellings and grammatical errors so this time I'm going to rate the book on what it did for me.
It gave me a pleasant exciting good read filled with a patchwork of poetic beautiful worlds, characters and ideas. Getting us ready for the next great book.
I won't recommend this for everyone- but, then some of you are going to miss some really good stuff.
Keep them coming Shiva.
J.L. Dobias
Murder on the Pier by Jere Myles and Murder Behind Closed Doors by Jere Myles.
I love a good mystery and I thrive on good drama. The best old movies were well acted dramas taken from stage productions and put onto film.
In Murder on the Pier I feel that the author Jere Myles has woven a drama entwined in a mystery that is more evident to the readers than to the players. For the players it’s the story of their search for love and affirmation in a world that seems to have gone mad. Though the world would argue the players are the ones gone mad. The nature of their lives as it all unfolds is at the very least thought provoking.
"The biggest hurdle we have to leap in this world is the one we place in front of ourselves. No one cares whether you live or die unless you care.” –Dr. Mieko Mitchell
This is life seen from a place many people I am acquainted with do not often want to go. And yet in this place I found many words and ideas I've often tried to express, put on a page in such an eloquent way it drew me in.
In Murder Behind Closed Doors Jere Myles brings the players up to the level of the readers regarding the mystery, while continuing to resonate with the same voice.
"How can you expect someone to say they love something they have been taught to hate? My friends would never have let me turn my back on my...my faith.”-Eleanor Evelyn JoyLynn Moore.
Anyone who likes mysteries or suspense or drama will love these books. But, more so, if you don't mind stepping out of your comfort zone to examine yourself.
This series is like a multifaceted mirror with page upon page of interesting unusual reflections.
As for the mystery; Taking place in the 90s and considering the main characters race and sexual orientation this could easily be construed as a hate crime. Adding the dialogue of the killers to that would almost add affirmation. But, remembering the rule of mysteries; nothing is as it seems…
I don’t plan on missing the third book, Murder on Michigan Avenue, which promises to be a thriller.
J.L. Dobias author of Cripple-Mode: Hot Electric.
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