Category Archives: Speculative

Alternate HIstory, Fantasy, Reviews

A Crack in the World  by James Mordechai

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A Crack in the World 

By James Mordechai

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

This next book we are going to look at was of particular intrigue for me personally because of its premise. Once I started to flip through pages I quickly realized this was one of those rare indie works that instantly comes across as very professionally put together, competent, and well-thought out. In that sense, it reminded me of titles such as Bridgehouse by J. Sebastian King or The Hand of God by Yuval Kordov—though the genre in this case is not sci-fi but dark fantasy, rather.

MAGIC/THE OCCULT:

When we talk about fiction novels, we might find ourselves dealing with 1) ‘pure fantasy’ novels or 2) novels specifically centered around ‘the occult’. It’s important not to confuse the two.

In pure fantasy, the writer can have total creative freedom and can make up any and all fantastic or magic-based concepts they so choose for the sake of producing a good story.

The occult is trickier, though, and in many aspects more challenging, because it is based on facts and historical data: real historical characters and real historical events. Occultism is real and has been practiced for a long time in many civilizations and across many nations all around the world.

A Crack in the World  centers around the occult and I am happy to report that the author has done a stellar job in staying true to the history and the reality of it all. This is crucial in any story claiming to deal with the occult and its practices. There is too much history and too much lore on this subject to deny it or to try to make up something that departs from it, or else we would just fall back into the ‘pure fantasy’ genre.

PLOT:

The story revolves around the adventures of two members of the RPI, the Royal Paranormal Institute of London: Gino and Carter.

Gino is a qualified occultist following in the footsteps of his late father, also a former Italian occultist who had relocated to the UK after WWII. Carter is an agent of the British police force who had taken a job at the RPI a few years back basically to be Gino’s bodyguard, in a nutshell, and has zero experience or knowledge of the occultic practices.

When a few entire towns begin to mysteriously disappear into thin air, Gino and Carter are assigned to the task of solving this big mystery which is obviously stemming from occult activities.

 

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON?

The synergy between the two main characters, Gino and Carter, can be easily compared to some degree to that of Sherlock and Watson, or also to that of Poirot and Hastings. Here you have two individuals who could not be more opposite in personalities and perspectives, yet must work together to solve a mystery. One is the ‘scalpel’ while the other one is the ‘power drill’ – metaphorically speaking. One is fine-tuned to those supernatural activities which are far removed from the realm of the rational mind, whereas the other is a skeptic through and through, and only believes in what he can see.

Their relationship offers grounds for some comedic relief of course, but also for a real friendship and brotherly love to develop. There is never a dull moment with these two. What a stellar job by the author in fine-tuning the back-and-forths these two main characters engage in throughout the story, with just enough humor.

 

HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS:

Going back to the historical accuracy presented in the book: particularly when it comes to the history of the occult during the period of the events of WWII in Europe, the author is able to insert his narrative flawlessly, and that takes some skills. We learn how the Axis wanted to tap into the power of the occult to win the war. Gino’s father, Amilcare Marcotti, was then recruited by the Brits at the end of the war:

“Amilcare Marcotti was supposed to bring Great Britain back to the glories of the lost Empire. He had promised Churchill he would take Great Britain to a future of unending energy independence, the biggest navy fleet in the world and the return of the Commonwealth colonies back to the Motherland.”

UNEXPECTED TWISTS:

Yes, yes, yes, we do have some nicely planted unexpected twist towards the end of the story and I myself must admit I didn’t see it coming. This refers to a particular secondary character of great importance in the plot. But you will have to pick up the book to find out more!

NEGATIVES:

The only real issue I had, overall, was the insertion of Amilcare Marcotti’s personal journal from 1941 during his expedition in Africa. This is found around the end of Act 2 (?) and to me all it does is disrupt the nice pace of the story thus far, by taking a time out from our main characters and info-dumping about things we pretty much already learned from Giino himself. I know the author has disagreed on this:

“I disagree. The two stories intertwined until the very end. Without it you would miss a lot of context. It’s a story that revolves around the relationship between father and son across space and time. You will see when you read the end.”

Well, I’ve read the end and I still feel those entries from babbo’s journal (babbo = dad) were unnecessary and everything that was achieved could have been achieved just fine without disrupting the overall pace. Maybe it could have been included as a prologue and perhaps it wouldn’t have felt so out of place – for me personally, at least.

 

CONCLUSIONS:

If you enjoy occult-based stories that truly respect the history and lore rather than merely offer a pure fantasy trope, this book is for you. In addition, the level of professionalism, editing, and proofreading is outstanding; way above the current indie standards. The synergy between the two main characters is engaging, entertaining, filled with humor but with good balance too, never going into those MCU-level jokes we’ve all come to roll our eyes to. There are some good twists and turns to satisfy even the most demanding of readers. My only complaint is the addition of Gino’s father’s journal ¾ of the way in, which really doesn’t add much to what we already learn from Gino in relation to his father’s role in all this. But again, that is MY take on it. You should grab a copy, read it, and get back to me with your personal opinion.

All in all, job well done. This is how you put indies on the map.

🦀

 

Reviews, Sci-Fi

THE SAKURA ELEMENT By S.C. Vincent

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THE SAKURA ELEMENT

By S.C. Vincent

A Review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

Before we dive into this book, I must confess that I am not the biggest fan of the ‘YA Romance’ genre. So, when this title first popped into my queue I was not too thrilled about it. But, as a reviewer, I always make it a priority to read, analyze, and review ALL books suggested to me, impartially and objectively. Particularly when a book has zero reviews and its author very kindly requests an official review of me, I just can’t refuse the challenge.

I like to work for the underdog, to put it bluntly. At this point, I feel more motivated to cover those indie books nobody knows they even exist, and give those authors with a passion for good storytelling a platform to let their works be seen.

The Sakura Element turned out to be much more than just your next YA novel—in fact, I’d dare say it is more of a sci-fi/utopian novel disguised as YA romance. As I kept flipping pages, I soon realized I was reading first caliber fiction, with all the ingredients and extra spices of a five-star novel. This all in spite of what I consider an horrendous cover. Not only do I personally feel the cover is ugly, but I also feel that it miserably fails at catching the essence and vibes of the story.

FIRST LOOK:

It seems that the story takes us into the aftermath of a post Third World War society, and we are quickly introduced to the concept of the ‘mods’. Mods are genetically modified human beings who had a big role in this utopian WWIII:

“In the end, it wasn’t the war between the nations that lead to nuclear fallout, but rather, the war between the average man and the Genetically Modified.”

As a result of the war, the mods have now become the pariah of the new established society. They are mocked and ridiculed by their ‘natural’ neighbors and have become outcasts—easily identifiable by their unique hair colors which are selected for them at birth. THIS is, in fact, the Sakura Element, described as:

“The genetic sequence added to those modified, as per law, to make their hair some silly color.”

This is done in order for a mod to be easily identified as such. Colors like pink, green, blue, are included in this category.

PLOT:

When 16-year-old, pink-haired mod Oka, daughter to a wealthy business man, decides to continue her education at the prestigious Alia Academia, in Sil Quarter, students quickly find out she is a mod and thus the bullying begins, as it is the norm in this society where mods are looked down upon. Oka’s resilience and complex personality, however, allow her to not only overcome all challenges that come her way (including a troubled  past related to her mother, who died when she was still an infant), but also to help in making all the students equal, and get bullying banned.

A romance will eventually develop between her and 18-year-old Allan, the son of the school’s owner. Basically Allan rules the academy by privilege and at first he joins the mob in mocking and belittling Oka. However, through an attempt at blackmail on his persona, he finds out he is a mod himself, and his entire world as he knows it comes crashing down on him. 

Secrets will reshape these young individuals, egos will be broken, and new hopes will rise.

DIALOGUE. SUPERB.

S.C. Vincent is truly a master at writing dialogue for these characters. So compelling, riveting, introspective, and clever. Whether it’s the back-and-forths between Oka and Allan, or the spirited conversations between Allan and his father and mother, this is where this book really shines. The psychological aspects of the characters transpire through the dialogue in a magnificent display of cleverness. 

Teenagers today wouldn’t have the depth of thought and eloquence that these teenagers showcase, but hey, it’s supposed to be in the future so we can fully accept it without much argument.

THE SCI-FI ELEMENT:

When Allan finds out he is a mod just like all those mods he has been bullying, the writer introduces us to the origins of these human modifications and how they impacted society as a whole:

“Humanity reaches for heaven, perfection, but in every attempt they do so without God.”

Allan finds out that the Sakura Element has not been applied to all mods and that many roam among the non-mods unnoticed and unaware, just like him. He now has two choices: use what he has learned to redeem himself or wallow in his own sorrow and play along by the cruel role he was assigned in society by his father.

As Oka will say at the end to Allan’s former best friend, Jason, after he is defeated in a fencing match:

“The loneliness you feel now is how people like me feel every day of our lives. I would simply ask that you be kinder in the future, as kindness begets kindness, and it’s something you’ll need a lot of.”

FENCING/SWORD FIGHTING:

Worthy of mention is the choreography of several fencing sessions they hold at Alia Academia. From foot placement, to how to hold the sword, to all the fine details of fencing technique, each fight is brought to life in a remarkable realism and I must wonder whether the author might not well be a fencing expert himself. Truly impressive fight sequences!

THE WORLD/THE PROSE:

I found this world quite intriguing for the fact that, though it is futuristic by all means, it has elements of the Victorian era in the way characters dress and behave, their methods of transportation, and the architecture. Which brings me to the prose, and the only minor grudge I have with the book.

The prose is really inconsistent because it keeps going from a stylistically more classical style to modern XXI century English style. I’m not sure whether this was done intentionally to emphasize a futuristic society that has adopted a Victorian era aestheticism, or if it’s something the author did not think much of.

For example, we go from something like:

“Hold your breath, lest you speak so ill of yourself? Are you not of this very same ilk which you despise?”

To something like:

“No way…!”

“Yes way, my friend, Timothy.”

To me, that creates a very weird feel overall. But I must give the author the benefit of a doubt. Maybe he only tried to create a more futuristic urban slang?

CONCLUSIONS:

This title is currently sitting on Amazon with zero reviews, which is a shame, for this is the type of book that should rise from the ashes of the indie circles in a mighty way. I cannot praise it enough, minus some very minute issues I had with inconsistent prose and the ugly cover. The concept, clever dialogue, the mix of the romantic element and the sci-fi elements, everything here is top notch and I couldn’t be any happier with it. 

The story offers an emotionally satisfying ending, its plot lines are virtually bullet-proof, and even when I felt Vincent left a door open for a glaring plot hole here and there, he immediately shut those doors a few chapters later by providing reasonable explanations for everything.

Labeling this novel ‘YA’ is an insult, in my opinion. You want to read something different, something smart, something clever  and mentally stimulating? Do yourself a favor and go get a copy of The Sakura Element today!

🦀

Adventure, Speculative, Superhero

This is not Your Father’s Cape Comic!

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I’m pleased to inform you that the first episode of my graphic novel, Threat Quotient, is  now available for you to read online!

 

These are busy but exciting times for me. This coming autumn is when I’m planning to crowdfund. Head over to the shiny new Substack where I’ve already got Episode One live, so you can start reading for free. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

It’s been a long, arduous path to get here and I’ve documented parts of the journey.  But you can catch up later. Right now you should head over to the Tales of the Earthbound site and start reading the actual comic.

Support what you like, if you want more of it.

 

Adventure, Alternate HIstory, Marketing, Sci-Fi, Time Travel

Alternate History Fiction on Sale

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The Based Book Sale is spinning off an alternate history specialization. As the Paradox Series progresses, it becomes increasingly alternate history.

All six books are on sale for 99 cents from March 19-25. Only one link is posted at the Based Book Sale site—to Book 1: Escaping Fate.

So, I’m providing a link to the entire series:

Escape to adventure in an alternate world!

Don’t miss the savings train. (It’s got a spectacular caboose!)

A young fatherless boy living in a 1980s trailer park is saved from a cross-dimensional death squad by a time-traveling uncle who takes him under his wing. As the boy grows to manhood, learning what his biological father would never have taught him about life, love, and full-contact sports, strange dreams plague him at night. The dreams turn out to be quantum echoes across dimensions from parallel realities. Which reality he winds up in depends on the path he chooses. But he doesn’t know which path leads where.

The Paradox Series will stimulate your mind, enrich your intellect, engage your emotions, and explore your imagination. But mostly, you’ll have fun.

Check out the other alternate history books at the Based Sale, too. I plan to.

Action, Reviews, Sci-Fi

The Loki Exodus by J. E. Tabor

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The Loki Exodus: A Novella

by J. E. Tabor

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

This sci-fi/action novella is an interesting title for several reasons. Ultimately, it shows to me that good stories sometimes shouldn’t be rushed into publication, if they fail at delivering a sense of fulfillment to the readers. 

The Loki Exodus, in my opinion, is exactly what would make a reader like myself very frustrated because it offers such a compelling story, and characters, but in the end fails to bring it back home due to the length of the work itself. With a total of 64 pages, TLE reads and feels like a mere prologue, not like an epub you would purchase at retail price. Within those 64 pages, we merely get a glimpse of everything. Did it make me interested in the world we are presented with? Certainly. Did it introduce characters that are relatable and even memorable? Absolutely. Did it leave me a satisfied customer? No.

PLOT:

The story begins with a 3-member crew navigating a spaceship to make landings on the prison moon named Loki. The mission: pick up an individual, an inmate, who can help on a mission which involves finding a derelict ship called the Leviathan, and the dangerous content this mysterious ship holds.

Jane is the leader of this mission, along with her colleague Bhutto. Yes, two ‘strong, independent’ women who are actually not annoying, and fun to read. The mission presents only one small issue, this key person needed to find the Leviathan, is now working for the jailer who runs the prison with an iron fist as – take a guess – his personal torturer! He doesn’t want to quit his cushy job and the jailer certainly wouldn’t want to give up his torturer without having something to say on the matter.

Basically all 64 pages of this short story are about rescuing the inmate/torturer without getting killed by the jailer and his crew of prison guards.

 

CHARACTERS:

Some readers might complain about the lack of strong masculine leads in fiction today. However, we can’t jump to conclusions when encountering a strong female character (or two, such as is the case here) if that strong female character is written in a way that feels spontaneous and organic. Jane is a fun female lead because she is relatable and has her limitations. What I liked about her is the devotion to her sense of duty. She has strong beliefs and she will stick by them.

But my favorite character is Jane’s mission partner, Bhutto. Now, maybe I’ve got this all wrong, but from how the author describes Bhutto, she kinda reminds me of a Teyonah Parris, who plays Monica Rambeau in The Marvels, but with a ‘brain transplant’ that now makes her cool, smart, likable, of good judgement, level headed, and funny, to top it all off. Bhutto to me is the character who steals the show, and every time the ‘camera’ centered on her my interest peaked (Mr Tabor, give us a Bhutto spinoff please!)

 

CONCLUSIONS:

It is very hard for me to rate a story of this size and with so many stones left unturned. This felt like a movie trailer, no, like a movie teaser trailer, actually. It left me frustrated not to learn more about the characters, the world and the Leviathan and her dangerous cargo. This is a 64-page title that should have been 640 pages, if done to customer satisfaction. Obviously authors can act as they please, but in my opinion, paying customers deserve more. There is a time and a place for short stories: Substack, anthologies, bonus content to other books.

I really hope the author will indulge us with a more ‘meaty’ book next time around, and give the readers what they pay for: a fulfilling experience with a sense of completion once they reach the last page.

🦀

Fantasy, Marketing, Sci-Fi

Based Books that Don’t Break the Bank

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Have you noticed the change in the zeitgeist in the last couple weeks? This might be the most confident and optimistic you’ve felt for decades, or ever. Amirite?

The clusterbomb of revelations that began exploding when DOGE hit the ground running is the culmination of planning, preparation, team-building, wargaming and fine-tuning which took long years.

Some of us are not surprised about the information coming out–just surprised that it IS coming out and that it appears something may finally be done about a  full of corruption, treason, and worse.

The reason there are any unsurprised Americans at all is because they were well-informed despite the corporate, globalist-controlled Swamp Media and its legions of glowing clown influencers who regurgitate its lies. The dissident right is well-informed because of culture warriors who have been tirelessly sounding the alarm.

Some culture warriors are investigative journalists who built their own alternative media platforms. Some are livestreamers and podcasters.  Some are meme-makers; some are meme-sharers. And some are based authors.

Based authors have been offering their books at steep discounts for the Based Book Sale four times a year, dropping forbidden truth bombs even in that aforementioned status quo when American citizens could be arrested for sharing a meme. That status quo wherein you would be classified as a domestic terrorist by the FBI for reading excerpts in a school board meeting from a perverse book that the school board made your children read.

We sounded the alarm. We revealed suppressed information. We questioned Establishment-approved assumptions. But most of all, we told good stories (unlike Hollywood and traditional publishing).

If you missed out on those Based Book Sales from the exciting (and fearful) days of the Cancel Culture Era, never fear! The Based Book Sale rolls on and you can still get those good stories. But now there’s a new sheriff in town who won’t be putting you on an enemies list because you read something without the Establishment-mandated daily dose of Marxist agitprop, sexual deviancy, and America Hate.

Don’t make the assumption that “based” means “preachy.” What it really means in this context is that story quality is the priority. Some books are controversial and name names, but most is actually apolitical. Based authors don’t lace their books with woketardery.

Speaking of controversial, I understand Vox Day will be offering his fantasy novel Throne of Bones at this sale. Other well-known authors like John C. Wright and Devon Eriksen  (at the Fall Sale their books finished first and second in sales, followed by my very own magnum opus: Paradox) have discounted their books for the sale in the past and might this time, too.

I plan to have three of my sci-fi novels available through the sale for 99 cents. My readers know I write adventure of one flavor or another. These novels mix that with conspiracy thriller, sports, romance, time travel, some coming-of age and a little bit of alternate history.

Get yours for 99 cents while you can!

Crime, Reviews, Sci-Fi

Murder on the Stellar Schooner

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Illustrated Detective Sci-Fi

by Brian Heming

 

I’ve read some of these genre mash-ups written in the heyday of pulpy paperbacks. Whether written for laughs or not, it was obvious that the authors had a good time taking a hardboiled P.I. character and giving him a case to solve on an extraterrestrial planet or a futuristic Earth. Bladerunner is the most popular such mash-up (based on Phillip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), and was not played for laughs.

Murder on the Stellar Schooner is not exactly played for laughs. That is: no jokes are cracked by the narrator. The humor is there for the eye of the beholder, spawned simply by the scenario of a hardboiled detective from 1930s Los Angeles solving a murder on a space ship.

The attitude, lingo, and illustrations are lifted from a Depression-era noire milieu–only the technology is different.

A freshly-minted widow hires our hero to solve the murder of her erstwhile boyfriend. He was snuffed shortly after winning big in a card game. There’s a short list of suspects and it doesn’t take long for the murderer to be identified.

Honestly, that’s my only complaint: I wish there had been more. I didn’t check the word count beforehand, and was expecting a novella. That length would have served this story well. The “facts of the case” wouldn’t even need to change much, if at all. Simply fleshing out the characters and action would have done the trick. Nevertheless, an enjoyable read.

 

Speaking of mash-ups, check out my Paradox Series, which blends time travel with conspiracy thriller, sports fiction, a little coming-of-age, and a whole lot of men’s adventure!

 

 

Reviews, Speculative

A Song of Bones by Isaac Anderson

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A Song of Bones by Isaac Anderson

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

“When the rats come, you run. If you can’t run, you hide. If you can’t hide, you bow. You can always bow.”

 

A Song of Bones is a high-octane, action-packed rollercoaster ride featuring some not-so-adorable rats and some ‘oppressed’ mice as main characters. As the author Isaac Anderson tells us:

 

“I was a big fan of the Redwall books as a kid and I wanted to write something that a younger me would have enjoyed discovering on the library shelves.”

 

This is book one of a series. Anderson wrote the whole thing over the course of several years but quickly realized it was too big to fit into just one book. The ‘ending at the window’ (read the book for more on that scene) was the cleanest break between parts. 

The next book will be released in the summer/fall of 2025, according to Anderson.

 

PLOT:

Naturally, when we think of a story with talking animals who act and behave very human-like, we immediately think of some of the most popular Disney or WB characters and their general features: cute, clumsy, light-hearted, and fun-loving…

Not these fellas! 

The rats and mice featured in A Song of Bones are very jaded, stoic, and at times very bitter characters overall.

 

Basically the story can be summarized as a ‘mice prison outbreak’ by a group of our little furry friends. 

Several mice have been kidnapped and put to slave labor in the caves of Dorgue’s Tree, an infernal system of caves and caverns where a group of mean rats lead by rat Dorgue are forcing these mice to dig, dig, and dig some more for reasons that are slowly revealed as we keep reading  further.

Our main character, Richard, finds himself at the head of a small group of insurgents and slowly a plan forms to escape and regain their freedom.

JADED:

I think the approach (talking animals that act human, use tools, wear clothes, and build equipment) can work, but in this case I felt like even the backstories of these rats at times felt too grim and death-filled. Even when Richard recalls his childhood there’s very little joy to speak of, overall. Death is the main theme no matter which way we look. 

It was a bit awkward to visualize these talking mice but to also see them being so jaded and really not having a good time overall.

I think there could have been a little more of a balancing act, but they are mostly doing hard labor in deep caves and in horrendous conditions so this aspect is not a deal breaker. I just felt like at least their memories of the outside world would have been more filled with joy and cheerfulness.

 

WHERE THE STORY SHINES:

When we look past the talking rats, the breath-taking action scenes, the claustrophobia of the deep caves: 

 

“Ultimately this is a story about singing over your loved one’s bones. About remembering them.”

 

as Anderson puts it.

This driving concept is present from the very opening scene all the way to the closing scene, and it is delivered efficiently through the intense action that will keep you on the edge.

Also credit to the author for succeeding at ingraining the images of the characters as rats and mice in the reader’s mind even when they act and behave very human-like. At no point was I picturing humans trapped in dark caves. All I envisioned was RATS!

 

CONCLUSIONS:

If you want one reason to pick up this book here it is: the story is a rich example of honoring our loved ones who are gone. As Richard recalls the passing of his mother first, then his father, and now some of his newly acquired friends, we can feel the sense of loss along with him.

I’d say Book 1–though not perfect–can be the beginning of fantastic things to come, the door to a fascinating world similar to what former Disney animator Don Bluth did with some of his animated characters. I would certainly recommend the book to both children and adults alike and hope you’ll pick up a copy and discover this new and exciting universe of rats!

🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀

Fantasy, Reviews, Speculative

The Fall of Selvandrea by T. J. McKay

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The Fall of Selvandrea – Volume 1 of the Draemeir Chronicle by T. J. McKay

A review by INFAMOUS🦀

 

I’ve been acquainted with McKay’s writing for a couple of years now ever since I read his first official edition of Book 1 of the Draemeir Chronicle, Rise of Dresca, and I always thought there was something special and quite unique about his style and the type of fantasy he was exploring. The Fall of Selvandrea represents the culmination of everything previously seen in Books 1 and 2 (Seas of the Zovah) in what I can only describe as a spectacular edition.

 

GENRE:

Although this is clearly a fantasy novel, it’s very difficult to pinpoint exactly WHAT type of fantasy category it falls into. McKay likes to call it ‘flintlock fantasy’ although there are some elements of science-fiction involved we will discuss later on in this review. The only other fictional works that might fall in this same category are A Sea of Broken Glass and to a lesser degree Gunmetal Gods. Some other smaller titles like in The Sendyne Flintlock Fantasy Chronicles by Seth Hobbsand could also fit the bill.

I personally feel like TFOS occupies its own niche, and it represents some of the most original and exquisite fantasy writing of late.

PLOT:

Discussing the plot here can be difficult for one main reason: the author has chosen a narrating style with very little exposition, throwing readers right into the midst of the action. We see WHAT characters do, we see HOW they do it, but very little is unfolded as to WHY they do it. We’re fed little crumbs here and there but no ‘info dump’ at any rate. 

Other reviewers have expressed that this style of delivery can stir up confusion; however I can respect this as being the author’s artistic choice and cannot view it as a negative remark in itself.

We will learn of a technologically advanced world plagued by the draemeir strains (sort of a supernatural plague) which is pure evil and chaos, using humans as hosts. Our protagonist Valdaris Drascar-whom we may call in this review Future Vald-creates a new draemeir strain that he can control unlike the other strains of pure chaos and destruction. In order to save his world from the draemeir, Future Vald sends his consciousness (preserved inside the ruby attached to his sword) into the past via a vortex he is able to generate.

Here is where Past Vald takes up the sword with the ruby, and now we have Future Vald’s consciousness and Past Vald’s consciousness merging as one being (thus a dual personality of sorts).

It is also of relevance to mention that as Future Vald opens the vortex to the past, a group of ‘strangers’ led by Alessa Sinclaes also travels to the past through the same vortex, finding themselves in a world on the brink of war between the kingdoms of the Selvar and the Naemredd. This is also where the sci-fi elements come into play, since these time travelers carry very sophisticated gadgets and weapons (Ambrovian technology).

DARK, DREAMLIKE, FANTASY:

The narrative feels very dark and mysterious, but also beautiful and dreamlike. On several instances it was difficult for me to understand where dream and reality separated. As the author puts it:

 

“It’s not meant to be an easy read (though I try to keep the writing style line-by-line easy/simple).”

 

What I noticed most is that this style doesn’t really look or feel like anything else that is currently out there, and this is saying a lot considering the oversaturated market of fantasy books. It can be disorienting at times, with its multiple POVs and thin exposition, but in a sense that is part of the lure.

If we ask McKay what or who might have influenced his story, he will tell us this:

 

“The Judas Strain by James Rollins and the Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton both influenced the sci-fi elements… plus the movie Transcendence with Johnny Depp. On the fantasy side, Wheel of Time and The Pendragon Cycle (Stephen R. Lawhead). To a much lesser extent, The Count of Monte Cristo had some influence too, and Les Miserables. And I’d also give some credit to Revan from Star Wars (Knights of the Old Republic).”

CONCLUSION:

It is important to point out that McKay is not your average indie writer. He has mastered his writing skills and it transpires all throughout TFOS. He is a writers’ writer folks!  Am I saying that McKay is as original as he is an objectively talented writer? That’d be a big YES.

Sure this is a challenging read with obscure characters, intricate plots, little exposition, and multiple POVs, leaving me with more questions by the end of the book than I had at the beginning, but not everything must be spoon fed in order to be a fantastic experience.

And The Fall of Selvandrea is a fantastic and unique experience indeed!

🦀

Reviews, Sci-Fi

The Waking Nightmares by M.D. Boncher

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THE WAKING NIGHTMARES by M. D. Boncher (and a word from the author)

Reviewed by Infamous 🦀

This is the third volume of the Tales from the Dream Nebula, and truth be told, at this point it feels like Boncher is truly spoiling us with great book after great book. What’s scary is that what he is creating can only get BETTER as he keeps exploring this universe.

But more on that later in this review!

 

CHARACTERS:

By this stage in the plot development we are clearly beginning to see a more defined outline of a team, and I use the word ‘team’ very loosely here:

 

  • Winston – our ‘flyboy’ and main character
  • Billy Joe – the ‘mechoid’ and Winston’s best friend/co-pilot
  • Mother – the AI entity who guides Winston and his team
  • Doctor Amanda – wealthy and knowledgeable ally to Winston
  • Professor Quentin – passionate about history preservation and with the ‘funds and resources’ to make things happen

 

PLOT:

In this third installment we find Winston and Billy Joe as guests of Amanda and Quentin, who own the entire island-planetoid of Puala’Lolo. This place is not just a lush and beautiful 5-star resort but it’s also headquarters to the most advanced R&D in all of the Dream. Here, Dr. Amanda and Prof. Quentin have the funds, tools, and resources to study, research, and create. Amanda even provides Winston with nano implants to enhance his fighting skills and aggression in combat and she rebuilds Winston’s ship after it was  badly damaged beyond hope (see Book 2).

When an unknown package is delivered by an anonymous sender, a creepy alien infestation breaks out on the island and things get out of control.

WRITERS TAKE HEED:

One thing I need to always mention is how professional this whole series comes across, which is rare in the indie circles. The sharp prose, the witty dialogue, the attention to detail with bulletproof plot lines…This is how a product should be presented to customers to make them feel confident in their purchase. 

INDIE should NOT be synonymous for poor writing/editing, and Boncher is a true professional.

 

ONLY SCRATCHING THE SURFACE: 

As infectious, compelling, and fascinating this world of The Dream has been in these first three volumes, the pace and relentless action scenes  have perhaps pushed some of the other elements on the back burner for the time being. We might have caught glimpses of the overall atmosphere, feel, and look, but for the most part we’ve taken for granted that this must be a ‘Star Trek’ kind of world, which can’t be further from the truth. Our assumptions are mostly a result of how sci-fi and futuristic tropes in general have been presented to us in the past, generally speaking.

As Boncher put it:

“I’m fighting against a cultural idea about sci-fi. The audience generally believes that nothing they have in the current world is going to be there in the future. That people won’t think about the past, have even minorly recognizable slang or enjoy the simplest pleasures without it being some advanced level technology that replaces it. Meanwhile, I’m going to a society that is very traumatized and fragmented so it looks back to the old days, romanticizing them despite it being inherently flawed as a coping mechanism” 

 

And it follows: 

 

“Everyone has access to something like the holodeck as well as still watching entertainment the old fashioned way because they have a desire to connect with what had been taken from them. So movie theaters would still exist, even vaudeville. People still construct their homes in the ways they find in ancient re-discovered media. There will be people who want from the 1980’s Miami art deco inspired mansion to the Tudor revival house”. 

This world called The Dream and ruled by Emperor Xiao, though advanced in technology, shouldn’t be viewed as a gray, aesthetically industrial-looking environment. People still have a sense of beauty, a sense of taste for the classic styles of the past. For example when our friends arrive to Puala’Lolo, Prof. Quentin takes them to visit one of his research centers and says:

 

“It’s a reconstruction of the Chateau de Sceaux, a rescued art museum from the late nation of France.”

As this series progresses we should be able to further admire these original aspects. We often have these preconceptions of what a futuristic society should look like but Boncher is trying to avoid cliches:

 

“And that’s where my fault comes in. I did not set the universe well enough to make this seem natural. In my head, it tracks perfectly. But that’s my error. I didn’t explain it well.”

 

I  cannot express how gratifying it is to witness authors like Boncher putting out such high-quality content yet never getting too complacent and always striving to improve on their craft. 

If you haven’t picked up this series I recommend buying all three volumes at once since they are quick 5-star reads and I am confident that Boncher will continue to fascinate and awe us with more original content soon. And THAT is the exciting part! 

🦀