Catch This Book- A Review of Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider

My Book Review of Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider by Ellen C. Maze:

Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider by Ellen C. Maze is a unique entry in the vampire genre, portraying its characters as neither tortured romantics nor soulless bloodsuckers. Her Rakum are more of a race of lost people, embracing darkness or seeking Truth.

Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider tells the story of a novelist, Beth Rider, who is targeted by the ancient race of blood drinkers, the Rakum, because her books have inadvertently caused dissent in the ranks of these vampire-like creatures. As she tries to survive, she finds friends, enemies and a far greater purpose awaits her.

This novel constructs an appealing plot, taking the reader in an uncommon direction. The author has effortlessly tied the modern vampire myth with Biblical teachings and Hebrew tradition to achieve a fascinating fictional folklore of her own. She has also managed to bring a great deal of spirituality and spark to a well-trodden horror sub-genre. Her characters are strong, determined and vividly depicted as the sides of good and evil are slowly drawn.

Although I did find some of the prose intermittently veered into the “tried and true” area for my taste, I was quite captivated by the book and look forward to reading more of Beth Rider and the Rakum in the author’s other books. Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider is a stellar offering and a wonderful read.

Fantasy and History Spring to Life: A Review of The Ash Spear

My Book Review of The Ash Spear by G.R. Grove:

The Ash Spear by G. R. Grove is an entertaining fantasy novel with a lyrical, engaging narrative; it is a spirited book with a strong voice. The book is the third entry in the author’s Storyteller series (Storyteller and Flight of the Hawk being the others). I haven’t read the other books, but I found this novel stands on its own without confusing the reader on what went before.

The Ash Spear is set in sixth century Britain and tells of the continuing adventures of the bard-in-training Gwernin as he encounters kings, politics, war and hardship. I was impressed with the setting and background; the author did impeccable research and the history is brought to life with magnificent detail.

Written in the first person, the tale is spun with an effective tone, well flavoured in nuance and the right inflections. The narrating character is a genuine portrayal, coming across as a three-dimensional person with flaws. He was at various times amusing, heroic, irritating and unsympathetic, but always interesting. The book also does a nice job in depicting other characters and having them interact as a whole.

The Ash Spear does have a few problems, with occasional lapses in grammar and some poorly compiled sentence structure in the beginning of the novel. Also, the author ended the chapters with the same sentence, which I found quite annoying and repetitive. The novel, perhaps, could have benefitted from a shorter length as well; while beautifully written, some of the scenes had expansive descriptive passages which caused the pace to meander a bit.

Still, it was an enjoyable novel to read and appealing enough for me to consider reading the rest of the series.

The Ash Spear is available through Smashwords
and Amazon:

















Bonus Review:

My Book Review of Storyteller Songs by G. R. Grove:

Storyteller Songs by G. R. Grove is a unique mix of bardic style poetry and book excerpts. It is more of an introduction to the form and flavor of the author than a book of poetry, as the book consists of various poetic selections from the author’s Storyteller series, and a few passages of text. It basically gives a quick sampling of the novels without excessively spoiling their plotlines.

I enjoyed the poetry; it is excellent, nicely crafted, lyrical, and captures the essence of ancient Celtic culture. There is a graceful, evocative quality to the poems and it isn’t hard to imagine sitting in an archaic feasting hall listening to the words. Also, the surrounding prose that accompanies the verses is a tantalizing tease that piqued my interest in the books.

The book was a pleasant short read, and I think it makes a nice companion volume for the Storyteller series.

Storyteller Songs is available at Smashwords

and Amazon:

Love Letters for Valentine’s Day

A Book Review of From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War by Jessica James:

From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War by Jessica James is a fascinating glimpse behind history, into the lives of individuals that lived and died during the American Civil War.

The non-fiction book is a collection of love letters written during this era, by people famous and not so famous, with explanatory tidbits by the author regarding these people and their circumstances. It is a short read, but a captivating one.

There are several sets of letters featured, including ones from Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart, and not only do you get insight into the writers of these letters, but also into the time in which they lived. They paint a vivid picture of a culture and values far different than what we know today. The book also brings an intimacy and a poignant touch to a war that many know only through harsh facts and statistics. These letters tell the story of the human beings involved, what they sacrificed and sometimes lost.

It is a gem of a book for a history buff, and a great read for all.


From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War is available at Smashwords

And on Amazon Kindle:

A Luminescent Book: A Review of Refracted

My book review of Refracted by Sheila Deeth:

Refracted by Sheila Deeth is a book where religion meets existential thought, wrapped in beauty. The novel is, technically, science fiction, but it is far more of a love story spun through history, theology and the human spirit.

The tale in Refracted is woven through a series of vignettes, always revolving around two people set against history and religion, which pull the thread of the story through to its conclusion, where we find one man in a pivotal life struggle.

There is a certain poignant tone lilting through the graceful prose and the reader is inexorably drawn into the mysterious and multifaceted story. Ms. Deeth pours genuine emotion into her characters and manages to convey remarkable continuity, despite the rapid changes in settings. This novel is a delicate and affecting piece of writing.

The book offers an apparent scientific explanation for the events that unfold, but the brilliant heart of the story is that details don’t matter; whatever is happening, the inspired essence would stay as heart-rending if it were a dream, past life remembrance, or as the author depicts.

The only flaw I found in the book was the occasional modern language usage in the historic passages; it was a bit distracting and sometimes jarred me out of the narrative. But such a defect can be easily overlooked considering the total quality of Refracted.

I can only give this book my highest recommendation.


Sheila Deeth at Gyspy Shadow Publishing:  http://www.gypsyshadow.com/SheilaDeeth.html

A Trip Worth Taking: A Review of Gone to Gonega

My book review of Gone to Gonega by Brenda Lee Renwick:

Gone to Gonega by Brenda Lee Renwick is a sci-fi novel with a quirky sense of humour, a buoyant pace and a well-spun narrative. A customary alien abduction/experiment plotline is re-done with a nice fresh take and some interesting religious undertones.

The novel is Lorna’s story, an average woman with a failed marriage and bipolar disorder, who finds out she is part of an alien hybrid experiment and the aliens are back to collect her. She is not entirely thrilled with that plan, but eventually goes with them and finds out that life with aliens might not be so bad after all.

"She gasped and put a perfectly manicured hand to her glossy mouth. Without another word she turned and flounced away, her high-heeled sandals clacking her outrage across the brick walkway. I saw her fling her parcels in a creamy tan Lexus and tear out of the parking lot, no doubt on her way to pour out her adjusted version of the story to her new lover, my Greg."

This is a sci-fi book about themes and characters, with emphasis on emotion, opinion and personality as opposed to high action, although there is some dramatic tension near the end of the book. It is the likeability and real nature of the main character that makes the story work and charmingly draws in the reader. The novel has wit, an interesting plot direction and accomplished character interaction that includes a little romance and sexual heat. The subplots and background are intriguing and I found the matter-of-fact spiritual plot support (a sort of “God exists, deal with it” attitude) especially fascinating.

"I stared out the space portal at the absolute blackness of the first wormhole and shuddered. I understood that it made the trip possible within a single lifetime, but its resemblance to a black hole was chilling—especially after Professor Tamalrankai’s lecture on the subject of hell. Janalla had assured me that we would be coming out of the first wormhole soon, but that the next one was longer and would bring us nearly home. She explained to me that if we didn’t use the wormholes, even the Lazarrolians wouldn’t be able to get us there before the fourth generation from now. The nice thing about it is that we were just past the halfway point of the trip. We now had less ahead than behind."

There were one or two things I found less than stellar, such as the ease at which Lorna went with the aliens, after their full disclosure. The situation wasn’t implausible, but it seemed a bit rushed to me. And while the ending was sufficient and wrapped up the plot lines, I was hoping for more planetary scenes; I guess I have to wish for a sequel. There were also a few minor grammar errors or typos in the copy I read, but nothing too glaring.

Gone to Gonega is an enjoyable book and well worth the time to read.

On Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7902470-gone-to-gonega