Thought Provoking SciFi/Horror Story
343928
Luke Smitherd's presentation of a man with a terrible tale to tell is well written, with a thorough treatment of how someone might feel with the weight of the world on their shoulders. How would you feel, and what would you do, if you knew the future of the world depended on you? Interesting concept, and excellent treatment throughout. I think Luke's ending is excellent and appropriate for the story, and completely disagree with anyone who thinks otherwise. Thumbs Up!
2320261
Well written and thought provoking doomsday virus scenario.
680463
This is quite a strange book, there are god like beings, alternate universes, people who talk to animals, and plenty of plot twists, I would consider it to be Science Fiction because of the subject matter.
I found the story to be a very immersive read, there are lots of things going on, and it is a very complex story.
The ending was a bit on the soft side considering how high energy and violent the rest of the book was, but still a good read and worth
reading more than once.

Recommended
550831
Intelligent science fiction with a disturbing tone. Does a terrific job of creating a thoroughly "alien" experience for the viewer.
Don't expect a standard narrative here - this film is challenging and begs to be be watched more than once. Highly recommended.
4302334
This quick tale was a great mixture of sci-fi and horror. The characters were well-developed and there were a lot of twists and turns.

I liked the other book I read by William Massa (Fear the Light) but I liked this one even more.

I will definitely be reading more of his books.

Mark Lukens - Author of Ancient Enemy
622954
Ethical dilemmas, science fiction and a courtroom thriller all in one, thought-provoking novel...

Daniel Athley, while awaiting news of whether his actions at a work party will result in dismissal, gets recruited into the shadowy Le Dpartement de la Dernire Justice in Geneva. And so begins a tale of moral checks and balances, legal imperfections, and ill-advised use of scientific advancements...

The plot was tight, the writing descriptive and suspenseful, the ethical issues raised provided food for thought and the sci-fi element was realistically incorporated into a contemporary legal thriller. A good read.

*I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
4125491
As a fan of science fiction, I really enjoyed this book. It takes a little while to get used to the very detailed writing style, but by several chapters in I was engaged with the characters and the intricate plot.
A few things I really liked:
The relationships between the characters. They grow throughout the story, becoming well-rounded and interesting. The story focuses on a specific family and the dynamics between each of the members.
The stunning imagery, particularly of one unique location (which I won't spoil).
For the most part, I was impressed by how convincing the dialogue was, especially between the younger characters.
The plot is very well thought out. The different pieces are confusing at first, but they come together at the end in a way that I found beautiful and satisfying. In addition, certain plot elements are very creative, which I enjoyed.
A few things I liked less:
This is a complicated story, and so some aspects of the plot were either not addressed as much as I would have liked or were a bit hard to follow at times. I think that a familiarity with the science fiction genre helps make some of these things clearer.
Though there are some action-focused scenes, a lot of attention is given throughout the story to detailed descriptions and some scientific/technological language, which is not particularly quick and easy to read.
Overall, I would recommend this book. It combines a lot of interesting science fiction content, like robots, memory alteration, and AI, with relatable character struggles related to illness, growing up, family, and finding/understanding oneself.
411488
I really enjoyed this novel, which follows the classic survival-horror genre. If you've ever seen the movie "Pitch Black" then you will feel right at home here, which similarly has the main characters deserted on an increasingly hostile planet. The whole book is one tight moment after another as the characters struggle to survive. Meanwhile, amidst the turmoil, the backdrop is laid for the over-arching story, which is about a recent war between the Evagardian Empire and the Gaeran Commonwealth.

One of the fascinating parts about this story is the main character himself, who never gets a name (purposely). Instead, he's just considered the Admiral. We see the story from his first-person view, and its intriguing because even though we see the story through his eyes, we don't know who he is. We are as in the dark about his background as the other crewmembers stranded on the planet. It rapidly becomes apparent that he's not your typical soldier. Gradually hints get dropped, more and more gets revealed about who he really is, but I like how it kept me guessing. By halfway through the novel I had more or less worked out who he was, and I loved it. What a character. The novel left me very intrigued on how his story would continue, which is good considering this is supposed to be the start of a series.

True to the survival-horror genre, this isn't the kind of book you read for heavy plot or deep characters. You do gradually get to know the other characters and their backstories, but nothing too exciting there. This is the kind of story where the setting itself is its own character, though. This deserted, unnamed planet came alive throughout the novel, as mystery upon mystery surrounded the main characters and horror after horror was revealed. Very much appreciated this thrilling story, and very curious what the sequel will be like--another survival novel, or maybe something with more action? Looking forward to seeing how this universe expands.
468362
This was a hard book for me to get into. For one thing, I have a difficult time visualizing things in 3D and since this story focuses around a world that does almost everything in Virtual Reality, it took me probably at least half the book to really "feel" the story. Normally I would have quit reading before the halfway mark but I was understanding enough to be intrigued.

There are many great concepts in this story of a future Los Angeles - self-driving vehicles; zippering; I loved the idea of ghosting; KANGAROO KORT; and the PanOpts, which are VR glasses for law enforcement.

Author McPheeters has created a dense, scary view of what 2050 might look like. As I hinted at before, it's almost overwhelming. LAPD Detective Terri Pastuszka is assigned a case with her partner Zack Zendejas that starts snowballing immediately.

This story is chaotic and crazy and too believable at times. If you like cyberpunk, science fiction, post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction check this out.

Oh, and I would have given a 4 star rating if the ending had been
beefed up. After pages and pages describing all the details of this future L.A., the author devoted very few pages to a satisfying ending. I do think the book is still worth reading but be forewarned about the ending.

I received this book from Talos Press through Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.
3376559
Yet another young adult dystopian creation, this book looks at what might happen if the US finally compromised on the abortion issue in a way that is both completely unexpected and mutually beneficial (and twisted) way. The premise, though appalling, is quite thought-provoking and it's difficult to look away. Instead of dying, those who are "unwound" live on in another's body in a "divided state," so no lives are ever "lost-" or so the proponents of the law convince themselves. It's disturbing, but somehow logical at the same time. The intriguing chapter that describes a character's unwinding is all at once heartbreaking and horrifying.

The characters are nicely developed and realistic for their ages, given the bizarre situation in which they are placed. I love the way the author chose three very different experiences upon which to focus. Risa is a ward of the state whose musical talent isn't enough to escape her fate of being unwound; a victim of a small budget in tight times. Connor is a boy who can't stay on the right side of trouble, and his parents have had enough. He's not worth the energy it takes to keep him on the straight and narrow, so it's off to be unwound. Finally, we have Lev. Lev has preparing for this his entire life. He is a tithe, chosen from birth as an offering for a higher purpose. He has trained and prepared for this sacrifice, and to him it's an honor. Each of these main characters has a different experience, and, thus, a very different viewpoint on being an unwind. There are several other primary characters who help round out the cast, and each of those characters comes to life on the pages.

Written with a voice that speaks to a young (and older) audience, this book was hard to put down and is full of thought-provoking themes. While many of the "norms" in this time are alien to us, the author does a good job of normalizing them in the context of the book while still allowing us to see the horror. The idea that a parents can retroactively choose to "abort" a child, a child who happens to be going through the emotional and angst-ridden teen years, is almost unfathomable. And yet, when you read this story, it somehow isn't.

It will be some time before I get this book out of my head.

Full review on GraceKrispy's MotherLode blog
444084
McKinney has a way of describing this post-apocalytic world without being too wordy, and yet the images stay with you, even when you've finished the story...very disturbing images.

This story takes place 30 years after a zombie apocalypse...a man-made plague. The town of Arbella can barely contain the population of ten-thousand people, offsprig of the First Generation to survive the initial outbreak. A group has set out to see if it is possible to safely expand their borders; however, their decades of isolation has left them unprepared for First Contact.

The people of Arbella live by a strict Code, which has helped them survive and thrive, but a betrayal of trust will jeapordize the expedition. There is also the mystery of the exotic airships, which appear to be able to herd the undead hordes.

McKinney basically brought together science fiction and horror to create what I believe is his best story to date. He ties in the cause of the plague to the reason there are still zombies 30 years later, and provides one hell of an explanation for the movement of the hordes.

Last, but not least, McKinney includes four short stories that are extremely entertaining. They include a type of survivor called a Faker, which is devastatingly haunting.

You don't have to be a zombie fan to appreciate the sci-fi horror between these pages.
1693869
Having read this story some time ago,  the 'flavour' of the tale still stays with me.  Very differnt from your usual fare of sci-fi reading.

This book works from the premise that instantaneous travel has caused mutations at the genetic level and in many cases has resulted in degeneration of the humans that use it.  The end result is numerous 'families' who have disabilities or strangenesses linked directly to this.

The world in which this stoory is based is filled with alien characters,  bonded by their defeat at the hands of mandkind eoans ago.  Indeed,  mankind has abused his power it seems,  by wholesale slaughter of varuous aliens for the purposes of commercial need; i.e food for example.

Aliens have formulated a cult or which some humans are a part of.  This cult seeks to rid the universe of mankind and exact revenge for the abuses for which they were subjugated.  However,  in many cases this subjugation was deserved..

The Master of Paxwx tells a story of a young man new into the inheritance of his estate upon this world and how he struggles to adhere to the culture of the 'families'.

This story follows the conflict that ensues between the master of paxwax and the families  and the opening of the pandora' box that is the unleashing of the alien hordes into the unprepared an unexpecting decadent worlds of man...

This is followed in more detail in the sequel
4616721
The premise of this story may seem farfetched, but I found it to be a very interesting read.  It's psychological and thought-provoking.  The concept (a human mind inside a chimp body - and not all that was chimp is gone) is unique.  The book may be marketed for young teens, but the writing is adult in its complexity and the fact that there is no kid-speak.  Generally I prefer my science fiction to have spaceships and aliens, but I enjoyed this book and would read it again.  I hope those who read the negative reviews of this book will keep an open mind and give it a chance (if they are fans of scifi).  I think I understand the themes this book covers better now in my 40's than I would have as a teen.  If you enjoyed "Flowers for Algernon", then my guess is that you would like this book.
2360516
I received a printed copy of this book for review purposes.

This was a strange story.  I was getting worried that it was going nowhere and I was inching closer and closer to page 118, the final page.  The author was able to bring it all in for a cohesive ending though.

Initially, it feels like a horror story, and then later on, it reinforces the importance of both world and personal history, in order to make sense and provide direction for the present.  The characters were well chosen and presented.  The writing style was engaging and held my attention up to the end.  The book was cleanly edited.  Its strong point is the concept and theory behind the story.

This is a book that promotes introspection, and advocates learning from our elders and our past.  I know it isn't meant to be a religious novella, but I cannot help but associate it with how the scriptures were written to document experiences of people in the past during the time of the patriarchs and the first century church in order to provide basis for modern day believers to make better decisions in the present, on top of learning from personal experience.

Personally, I believe our entire physical life here on earth should be our liminal state, and not in that intermediate state prior to eternity.

Con:  I wish the Authors Note at the end was not included as part of the book.  While I like bonus features like this particular post script, I like them as interview material, or as a featured post in the books website, rather than right there, after the last page of the story itself.
4101243
One of those "What if..." kinds of stories that makes you thinks long and hard about what you believe. Lots of intrigue with spies from various governments but also a medical sci-fi flavor with mental programming, amnesia, visions, etc. Couldn't put it down once I started!
952181
This was a different type of novel from the typical sci-fi genre. The characters from Commander Nathan to the exotic beings on the newly discovered world seem very real...the depth of the character development is meaningful in a number of ways. Some may almost find the book a little blasphemous in the same way some see The Shack.  Are their broader truths at work in the story?  I like to think so. Well done story!
2200551
This science fiction title has a mix of sci-fi as well as fantasy, with some religious undertones that will get you thinking.  The author has an engaging writing style that quickly gets you into the story and was hard to put down.  The technology in the future wasn't too over the top (you could get your hands around it), and the author wound it up nicely and it could either be a standalone novel or possibly continue on with a sequel  if there is a sequel, Id probably buy it just to see where the authors imagination takes us next.

I originally picked this up for free during a Kindle promotion vs. the normal Kindle price of $5.99  I certainly received more than $5.99 worth of entertainment value.  If you like a sci-fi book with a mix of fantasy, I would recommend this one.