Drabble Wednesday: Past Silliness

Today on Drabble Wednesday I yank a few things out of the vault due to a busy schedule. Read on for some silliness...

 Lassie Comes Home

Across a field of emerald grass, a white and golden collie loped, barking furiously. The tired farmer, Jim, looked up from his weeding and sighed.

“Dagnabbit, Timmy’s down the well again!”

“Shoot!” His wife spit on the ground. “That’s the second time this week, Clem. I don’t know what we’re going to do about him.”

Jim let out another sigh. “Yep. Our alien masters missed the mark cloning that boy. He’s dumb as a sack of rocks.” He waved to the dog, who stopped and sat back on his haunches. “Come on, Lassie, show me where he is this time.”

~*~

Just Short of Eureka

Being sheriff of Dry Patch ain’t easy. Not with these crazy inventors running ‘round the town making wild contraptions near every week. Lands sakes, today they had a three wheeled stagecoach running down Main Street!

Course now, those mad scientists did come in handy the time I had to arrest Black-Eyed Pete. Those tin-plated smoke gadgets they conjured flushed out that outlaw from the stables slick as could be, and the varmint stumbled out a coughin’ like he had the consumption.  

Now if I could just get ‘em to stop explodin’ things, the town would be a mite more peaceful.

~*~

Talking with Fish

Stupid nosy neighbour!  A pox on him and his dumb cell phone! A person can’t leave their kitchen curtains open these days!

He showed me the video yesterday. Clear as day, with me using my magic pendant while chatting with Percy, my talking, puce-coloured carp. I tried to laugh it off, but conjuring a shower of gold from thin air is hard to explain.

The weasel threatened to sell the video to the tabloids if I don’t cut him in on the wealth. I may have to pay him off, unless I can get him to drink this poisoned tonic.

© A. F. Stewart 2017 All Rights Reserved

Drabble Wednesday: Silent Stars and Skies

Today on Drabble Wednesday look to the sky...

Instant Nightmare

Help me!

Someone, anyone! I can see you. Down there on the street. Look up! Someone look up!

A downdraft blew across the sidewalk stirring dust. A man clamped a hand on his hat and a child jumped over a gusting newspaper. He was rebuked by his mother.

Help me! Don’t let them take me! Do something!

Another flurry of wind blustered over the gathered crowd.

Please do something! Help me! Save me!

They all stared at the body. One whispered, “He just collapsed. So sudden.”

While above it all, black winged creatures dragged the man’s soul higher and higher...

~*~

Dream a Little Dream

I used to stare into the night sky, and wish upon the stars.

I imagined the day I would fly into space, when I would soar among those pinpricks of heavenly light, exploring. My goal was to glimpse new suns, set my foot upon the dust and dirt of unfamiliar landscapes. I dreamt of discovery, delving into the mysterious beauty and strange alien existence of the universe.

I used to stare into the night sky, and wish upon the stars.

Before I knew what was out there.

Before they came to our planet.

Before we became their new feeding ground.

~*~

Mission Alpha

“Twinkle, twinkle little star

Above our world, so near, so far

Like a time bomb in the sky

Boom, boom, and now we die.”

First Engineer ZYF779 scowled, or as close to the expression as an android could approximate. “Stop being so morbid. The Sunstar Station hasn’t gone critical yet. We can fix the reactor before it detonates.”

Second Engineer THX732 turned away from the transport window. “Yes. This time. But you know the moon colony is living on borrowed time without an upgrade.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen. We’ve been abandoned by Earth Command.”

“Twinkle, twinkle little star.” 

© A. F. Stewart 2017 All Rights Reserved

Interview with Kevin S. Chambers, Author of God's Rogue

Today I have an interview with writer Kevin S. Chambers, who chats about his new novel God's Rogue, his screenwriting and other tidbits. Enjoy.

Interview with Kevin S. Chambers

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

First off, thanks for taking the time to post this. I generally try to let my work talk for me, but this I guess is more about me right? Anyways, I currently reside in the North West, where I attended school at Western Oregon University, for Earth Science. Since about 2009 I’ve been writing, or attempting to write my own novel. Originally I had Awakening, that I shopped around, and never got anywhere with. After a few years attempting this, I made the switch to screenplays, where I’ve had more success, including two produced shows/web-series, Starship Orion, and Daughter of Time. The first season of DOT should be coming early next year.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest book?

I have a list of novels to write, and a list of TV shows and movies I’d like to produce. When I was down in LA last February, I met up with a potential distributor/production company for Daughter of Time, which is about Time Traveling Assassins. Anyways, when I was down there, they mentioned they were looking for movies, Naturally, I brought up God’s Rogue, which was meant to be a TV show. Well they asked if I could write it into a movie, which I did.

As I wrote, I realized there was a lot there. As such, I decided to turn it into a book. Which combines the concept of Ancient Aliens, and the value of human life. Personally I believe in the value of life. An individual only has one life, and it’s theirs to live. The main character Kaden Hunt, who has discovered hidden talents in the human genome, takes up a fight against two Annunaki. During his fight, he begins to discover who he once was in previous lives. As he begins to discover, he realizes there are enemies much more powerful out in the universes.

Who is your intended readership?

Young adult and up, who like to have a reading experience take them on an adventure, while challenging them mentally. I ask questions, that I want the reader to think, what if I was in the position.

Can you tell us about your writing process? Where do your ideas originate? Do you have a certain writing routine?

My writing routine is a bit different I guess, I usually get all of my ideas from dreams. Where I will write them down. Sometimes I’ll let the stories play out in my head, and leave it at that. Others, if I really love the characters, and story I will begin to write either a novel, short story, movie, or television show.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Growing up I had a learning disability in English and Grammar. It started as an IEP, which I worked hard to get down to a 504. Even now I have trouble with English and Grammar. My editor would often call me, as he pulled his hair out in frustration.

Do you have a favorite author, or writing inspiration?

First let me dive into a bit of my reading history. When I entered Middle School, I stopped reading, thinking it was uncool. Well in 2007 a teacher gave me a copy of Eragon, which I sat on for over a year. Finally I started reading it, and I fell in love with the series and reading. Well in the fall of 08 I saw two actors from Power Rangers were in Legend of the Seeker. Once I saw what it was about I began to watch it. I noticed that it was a book. Well since that time, I’ve been a huge Terry Goodkind fan, you can see similar themes in God’s Rogue.

What do you like to do when you're not writing? Any hobbies?

I do love to dance, especially line dancing. I don’t mind kayaking, fishing, exploring. I have this idea of going to Ireland, and letting my feet guide me, get me lost. Really just exploring the world around me, is such fun. I have great friends who like to go along with me.

Are you working on another book?

Spoilers. Yes, I’m working on The Travelers Tower. Which is the second book in the series. I’m also beginning to rewrite Rogue Mage, completely unrelated.

What did you hope to accomplish by publishing your book?

I want to tell stories, and entertain people. Let’s also be honest, I want to make a good living off this, to allow me to do other things.

In addition to writing novels, Kevin S. Chambers has a series, Daughter of Time (Time Needs an Assassin) currently in post production that should be available next year. When not writing, or on set, he’s at home with his wife and dog, out playing baseball, or fishing.

God's Rogue by Kevin S. Chambers

Kaden Hunt has been fighting a hidden war for humanity, alone. A war that changed one night when his oldest friend tried to kill him. Now Kaden the most powerful human in existence has drawn the complete focus of Enki and Shamash the two warring leaders of the Annunaki; the aliens who created humanity. Both are determined to stop Kaden from becoming what he once was, who he once was. For if he becomes the Traveler a more powerful enemy will be freed.

God's Rogue is available on pre-order at Amazon and launches November 14th.

Drabble Wednesday: Violets and Aliens

We head to space today on Drabble Wednesday, with a very colourful voyage…

Purple Haze

See the universe, it said.

That damn poster.

Join the Galactic Space Corp.

I should’ve never let it draw me in.

Now I am stuck on this backwater world. Stuck in a dumb menial security gig at the spaceport. And worst of all, I am stuck where everything—and I mean everything, the sky, the clouds, the rain, the soil—is a damn, rotten shade of purple!

Sighing, I lean my body against the bar and signal for a shot of Reposado. The bartender pours and slides the glass over to me.

Oh, frak! Even the damn tequila is purple.

~*~

Falling Petals

“She loves me.”

He yanked the oversized petal free of the plant, and smiled at the accompanying screech.

He let the violet frond fall from his fingers. It floated softly earthward.

“She loves me not.” Another yank, another screech, and smile. Another petal drifted free.

Repeatedly he took this action, ripping away sections until one last petal remained.

“She loves me!”

He let that petal fall with the others. The last piece in a patchwork of sentient alien flora, a mauve blanket covering a bound and gagged woman.

“You love me.”

The woman and mutilated alien plant wept in unison.

~*~

Home

I miss the mountains most of all.

I loved to wake up to that view. With their snow capped, amethyst spires stretching to the heavens, and the lavender mist enshrouding their foundations. The sky painted itself in vivid colour, mauve and tangerine, with a hint of cerise. The hues reflected in the river, tinting the water as it wended through our village. You wanted to fill your lungs with crisp morning air.

Space is nothing like that. It’s frigid and black and the escape pod’s dwindling air supply is stale. I don’t want to die. I want to go home.

~*~

© A. F. Stewart 2015 All Rights Reserved 

Drabble Wednesday: Mishmash

An apology is needed, as I totally forgot to write some new drabbles for today's post (in part to the good news that one of my story submissions was accepted). So I dig into the vault today, and pull out some stories and dust them off...

He Had A Dream

Professor Maynard P. Gimmell built a spaceship, a green platypus-shaped spaceship, and no one knew why, not even the professor.  One morning he awoke with a burning desire to build, so he went to work and declared, “I’m going to build a rocket to the stars!”

After three years, seven months, two days and forty minutes, he finished and launched himself into the cosmos, leaving behind colleagues green with envy.

So what was the Professor’s motivation?

Some say it was the call of strange aliens, some say he watched too many cartoons with his grand-kids.  Only the universe knows now.

Avoid the Lure of the Free Cookie

A poet decides?

Who the heck made that rule?

How did I get roped into this crazy contest anyway?

I mean, all I wanted was a free chocolate chip cookie, so why am I locked in this hut with twenty writers, twenty-one pieces of paper and three crayons?

Oh, why must there be chaos and in-fighting as we jockey over the crayons?  Why must some dangle their participles?

And why does it have to be a poet that decides the winning entry?

Most of all, why did I let Tom and Jeannie talk me into appearing on Survivor: Writers Island?

Meeting Up With Your Ideal Supernatural Mate

These days, the hot new trend for women is to connect with that sizzling vampire, half-demon, slayer, fallen angel or even have that kinky zombie fling.  However, dating the paranormal has its pitfalls.

Some advice on things to avoid if looking to date that supernatural cutie:

•      Creatures with excessive drooling
•      Requests to “hook up” with his vampire pals
•      Any rendezvous in a dark alley
•      Offers of dark-coloured or strange looking drinks
•      Dates in unfamiliar places
•      Suggestions to meet “the family”
•      Any and all “road trips”

So use your common sense and be safe.

The Movie Inspiration for Reconquest: Mother Earth - A Guest Post

Today a guest drops by the blog, author Carl Alves, to chat about the cinematic inspiration for his sci-fi book, Reconquest: Mother Earth.  Enjoy.

The Movie Inspiration for Reconquest: Mother Earth

I like to describe my novel Reconquest: Mother Earth as a combination of the movies Independence Day, Red Dawn, and Gladiator.  Admittedly, that’s a strange combination.  In this post, I discuss how these three movies relate to my novel. 

Independence Day

I remember when Independence Day came out, the trailers and promotion for the movie were tremendous.  The buildup of the movie was so great that instead of releasing the movie on July 3, 1996, they released it a day earlier, which coincided with when the movie starts.  The buzz was huge, and the movie became one of the all-time biggest blockbusters. 

            It’s not the deepest, most thoughtful movie ever made, and you had to suspend your disbelief in many places, but it was a lot of fun.  I enjoyed the portrayal of human spirit that the movie displayed, when against all odds, in an impossible situation, the humans used intelligence and ingenuity against a far more powerful enemy. 

            Those are elements that I adopt in my novel Reconquest: Mother Earth.  In my novel, I incorporate a very different kind of large scale invasion that the movie uses, but that is a small part of the novel.  The much larger part of the novel is the response by former Navy SEAL Mitch Grace, who wakes up from a coma five years after the initial invasion.  He personifies that same never-say-die attitude that even though the humans are badly overmatched, they can still find a way to defeat the alien conquerors.  Mitch must do so in a planet conquered by the aliens, where humans are used as slaves in mine, but much like in Independence Day, he will not stop fighting the aliens as long as he is still breathing.

Red Dawn

            I was in the fourth grade when Red Dawn came out in theaters.  As a kid, this was an amazingly cool concept for a movie, and I was psyched to see it.  I didn’t get to watch too many movies in the theater when I was a kid, so it was a few years later by the time I finally watched it.  Despite some of the silliness in the movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

            Admittedly, the execution in this movie didn’t always work.  There are many aspects of it that aren’t particularly believable, and there were many testosterone filled scenes in the movie, but as long as you don’t delve too deep, it’s a fun and enjoyable film.  It fit the attitude of the time well, but it doesn’t particularly hold up many years later.

            My novel, Reconquest: Mother Earth, shares some elements with Red Dawn.  In my novel, aliens take the place of the Soviets, and they have now overrun the planet.  Mitch Grace is devastated to find that most the world’s population has been decimated, and humans have been thrust into slavery in mines working for the aliens.  He can’t accept this and gathers followers to start his own guerilla war against the aliens.  They have vastly superior technology and weaponry and he must go into hiding, but much of that never say die feeling is captured in the novel. 

Gladiator

            Gladiator is simply put one of the best movies I have ever seen.  It is epic in scope, the story of Roman general Maximus Meridius, played by Russell Crowe.  Maximus is loyal to the emperor, but is thrust into slavery when Commodus, expertly played by Joaquin Phoenix in one of the greatest acting roles I have ever witnessed, kills his father and seizes the throne.  Through his incomparable skills as a warrior, Maximus becomes a renowned gladiator with one thing on his mind – vengeance. 

            When I first came up with the concept of my novel Reconquest: Mother Earth, before I even started writing it, I had an image in my head of my main protagonist, former Navy SEAL Mitch Grace, in an arena battling it out with aliens.  I didn’t know how I was going to incorporate this into my book, but one thing was certain, somehow, someway it was going to be part of it. 

            In my novel, Mitch Grace, during his guerilla campaign, is captured and enslaved much like Maximus.  He becomes an intergalactic warrior, even taking the moniker of “The Gladiator”.  He becomes an intergalactic sensation, a human that can kill aliens in single combat.  Much like Maximus, he is single-minded in his focus, which is to reconquer the planet.

Reconquest: Mother Earth by Carl Alves

SEAL Mitch Grace was among the first humans to see the aliens when they landed at the naval base in Coronado, California.  Like the other humans, he was powerless to stop them.  
Five years later, he awakens from his coma under the care of an alien physician to find that the aliens now control the planet.  After Mitch heals himself physically and mentally, he starts a resistance movement to take the planet back from the alien conquerors.  After his capture by the aliens he is forced to become an intergalactic gladiator, fighting for the human species and the redemption of Mother Earth.

You can find Reconquest: Mother Earth at: Amazon

Book Spotlight: The Court of Stars

Today we're venturing into strange worlds with the spotlight on a debut sci-fi novel, The Court of Stars by Malcolm Schmitz. The book is the first in the planned Commonwealth Quartet series, so read on and enjoy...

The Court of Stars by Malcolm Schmitz

The universe is bigger and stranger than Christian Arundel could ever have imagined- and right now, almost everything in it is trying to kill him.

On the eve of Christian's betrothal to a woman he doesn't love, the castle where he lives is attacked by a force of demons from the sky. When he tries to fight against them, he's taken prisoner. One of their other prisoners, a sarcastic miniature dragon named Miriet, agrees to help him escape.

Christian must learn how to use the demons' weapons to escape their clutches, but that's only the beginning. To rescue the people he loves, he must cross half the world and return to the invaders' ship.

You can find The Court of Stars on Amazon

And check out the Kickstarter campaign for the book and proposed series

Author Bio:

Malcolm Schmitz was born in a small-town hospital in Ohio, where the doctors said he was a girl. Shortly after that, a doctor said that he was autistic. Only one of those things proved to be true.

He currently lives in the American Midwest, where he writes books full of aliens, dragons, and gay people. The Court of Stars is his first novel.

Drabble Wednesday: Holiday Cheer

I’m bringing that strange festive touch to the blog this Drabble Wednesday, with a variety of odd Holiday themed bits of short fiction. Plus, when you've finished reading, there's an opportunity to win a free book at the end of the post. Enjoy.

First up some flash fiction, two stories about the danger of holiday parties…

Don’t Touch the Eggnog

Spiking the eggnog was a bad idea.  A very bad idea.

I just wanted to liven the family Christmas party, get the aunts, the uncles, the cousins, and the siblings to loosen up a bit.  Who knew a few dollops of rum would have such an effect!

Aunt Lucy was the first to go, climbing onto the coffee table to do the Can-Can.  Oh, the memory of that will haunt me forever.  Uncle George chimed in with some French song I didn't understand and then transitioned into “Who Let the Dogs Out”.

From there everything spun out of control. Cousin Fred curled into a human ball and kept calling for someone named Daphne. My brother Dave and my other brother Daryl played keep-away with the porcelain Santa and my sister Jane started a food fight with the rest of my cousins. Aunt Jessica kept muttering “he’s dead” and something about a cove, while Uncles Bob and Bert got into a fistfight.

By the time they all passed out, the drapes were cover in pate and cream cheese, Santa was shattered with pieces embedded in the floor, the coffee table was missing a leg, two uncles had black eyes and someone vomited over the ficus.  I can see Boxing Day will be spent making hangover cures and apologizing.

I've learned my lesson.  That’s the last time I take advice from Mom and Dad.

Never Put Your Pate Near The Blender

Everyone loved Bob’s New Year’s Eve parties.  He never invited too many people and his house had a good view of the fireworks in the Town Square.  He always had tons of food and his New Year’s cocktails were famous around town.  He was responsible too; you could stay the night if you didn't have a designated driver or afford cab fare home.  Bob never let anyone drink and drive.

That’s why everybody from Harrisville and the surrounding area mourned him the year he had the fatal accident...

It was the year he decided to serve Margaritas.  He usually saved them for the Fourth of July party, but that year he changed the menu, serving Sangria instead at the Independence Day barbecue.

It happened in the kitchen while he was mixing drinks in the blender.  No one is certain precisely how it happened, but the end of his tie fell unnoticed in the liquid as he prepared the ingredients. What is known is that Bob’s cat leapt on the cupboard (the police concluded the feline was after the salmon pate) and her paw hit the puree button on the blender. It was over in minutes, the tie catching in the blade, Bob’s face turning purple, his breath choking in his throat.  He collapsed to the floor in a mess of margarita mix and broken blender.

Now, on every New Year’s Eve in Harrisville, we all raise a cocktail and give a toast to Bob. And curse the salmon pate.

And now for our feature drabbles…

A Fairy Tale Christmas Story

Once upon a time, far from the land of BB guns, there was me, Rutherford B. Hasenpheffer, and like all boys (aged 6-12) I had a Christmas wish. I wanted a dragon (yes, you heard me, a dragon), one legendary, fire-breathing, winged lizard.

I badgered my parents night and day for a year, following them around the castle, begging for a dragon. “No,” they said. Repeatedly. Consistently. But I persisted until somewhere around November they relented. So I found a baby dragon under the Christmas tree.

The only problem, the darn beast burned down the castle and now we’re homeless.

An Out of This World New Year

After I mentioned the polka-dotted aliens, Jean insisted she had to see green snow, so I hovered the spaceship (shaped like a streetcar and named Desire) from the garage, and we flew to their planet. We arrived in time for their Lunar Ice Festival and celebrated the New Year dressed in lavender thermal fusion snowsuits and fuzzy party hats, drinking alien hooch.

Unfortunately, the morning found us five light-years from Earth in a bizarre hotel suite full of passed out aliens, Jean with a new pink comet tattoo and me with a raging hangover.

We’re never drinking Romulan Ale again.

And here’s a bonus half-drabble…

Broken Lights

I just couldn't take my husband’s criticism of my decorating skills anymore.  I wrapped the cord around his neck, strangled him and watched his face turn red as he gasped for air.  At least I finally found a use for that broken set of Christmas lights I never threw away.

Now on to the chance to win a free ebook.

I'm offering to gift one of my ebooks from Smashwords (winner's choice) to any person who lists one of the TV shows subtly referenced in the above stories.  All you have to do is leave a comment with the show's name, and some way to contact you if you win (such as an email, Twitter account, Google+ profile, etc.).   Here's a hint: you can find the answers in Don’t Touch the Eggnog, A Fairy Tale Christmas Story, and An Out of This World New Year. You have until Dec. 23rd to win, and the winners will be posted on Dec. 24th, the Christmas Eve edition of Drabble Wednesday.

You can check out my list of books on my Smashwords profile:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/scribe77

Redeye Cover Reveal

My fellow writer, Michael Shean, author of the Wonderland Cycle (Shadow of a Dead Star and the upcoming Redeye) and the novel Bone Wires has a new book debuting in April.
Today he's previewing the cover art for that book, the aforementioned Redeye, (and sequel to Shadow of a Dead Star) around the internet and he's kindly asked me to be a part of the big cover reveal, so here it is:

For more on Redeye, you can pop over to Michael's website and read this post:  http://michael-shean.com/wordpress/?p=857



Check out the Wonderland Cycle:

SHADOW OF A DEAD STAR:

Seattle, 2078. The future hasn’t been kind to the spirit of humanity; commercial obsession and technological fetishism rules the day, religion and belief has died screaming in the fires of war, and what remains is moral decrepitude. Life in the future is hard on the soul.
As an agent of the Industrial Security Bureau, Thomas Walken knows that better than anyone. His job is to keep the worst kind of black-market technology out of the hands of citizens, technology born out of the shadowy nation nicknamed Wonderland. But the kind of fantasies that come out of that place aren’t for the good people of the world. Wonderland technology is like black magic made real.
Walken’s newest assignment starts out simply: intercept a smuggled shipment of Princess Dolls, little girls turned into sex toys, and bring them into custody. But when the girls are hijacked from federal custody and Walken gives chase, he finds a trail of bodies in their wake. Before he’s through, Walken will find himself confronted revelations that will answer every question that the troubled lawman has ever had about himself and the world he lives in – but his mind and soul may not survive it.

"A dark, brooding piece of future noir, SHADOW OF A DEAD STAR will take you down the rabbit hole on a ride you won’t soon forget."


REDEYE:

Two years have passed since Agent Thomas Walken and Bobbi January found themselves at the heart of a conspiracy of unimaginable greed and cruelty. The Genefex Corporation remains shrouded in mystery and Bobbi January faces a life of unanswered questions and mounting disillusionment to look forward to. But when she receives a mysterious message from one of Walken's former comrades, she is drawn back onto the trail. Now, Bobbi will find herself newly equipped to discover the truth - about Walken, about Genefex and the Yathi race - and the key to unlocking those secrets rests in the hands of a cyborg terrorist known only as Redeye.
But the road to truth will be a dangerous one, from the glamour of Seattle's ultramodern core to the sprawling wastelands of the Old City and beyond. Alongside a band of lethal comrades, Bobbi will face death and worse amidst urban rot, abandoned subway tunnels, and ultimately the nightmarish halls of the Yathi themselves in a race to stave off what may prove to be the death of humanity itself. For the Mother of Systems will not be denied, and it will take all of Bobbi’s intelligence and wit to stave off annihilation. Drenched in blood and neon, Redeye is a tale of humanity on the edge of a new and terrible reality.


BONE WIRES:

A thrilling mystery set in the same world as the Wonderland Cycle, Bone Wires is a grim trip into the streets of the empty future.

In the wasteland of commercial culture that is future America, police are operated not by government but by private companies. In Seattle, that role is filled by Civil Protection, and Daniel Gray is a detective in Homicide Solutions. What used to be considered an important – even glamorous – department for public police is very different for the corporate species, and Gray finds himself stuck in a dead end job.
That is, until the Spine Thief arrives.
When a serial killer begins harvesting the spinal tissue of corporate employees all over the city, Detective Gray finds himself plunged into the first truly major case of his career. Caught in a dangerous mix of murder, betrayal and conflicting corporate interest, Gray will find himself not only matching wits with a diabolical murderer but grappling with his growing doubt toward his employers in the dawning months of the American tricentennial.

You can find all the latest details and updates on Michael's website: http://www.michael-shean.com/

Sophisticated Science Fiction: A Review of Mine

My Book Review of Mine by Lin Sten:

I believe the book Mine by Lin Sten can best be described as literary science fiction. It is a contemplative, sometimes challenging, book of intriguing concepts and scientific theories, draped with the idea of aliens visiting earth.


Mine tells the story of Selena, a sudden celebrity who claims she is an extraterrestrial, and how her life becomes connected to two scientists and the fate of the Earth, perhaps even the universe.

This is an erudite novel, written to explore issues.  I enjoyed the converging undertones and themes in this book with their weighty and interesting views on science, life and the nature of the universe.  The author examines aspects of cultural values, precepts and science from both human and alien outlooks, creating fascinating subplots.  Another highlight was the solid characterization and the mature outlook the author took on relationships. There are many appealing layers unfolding in the book, swirling about in socially relevant, well-written stew.

I did find the book’s prose a bit dry at times, due more perhaps to the scientific and somewhat academic nature of the characters and the storyline than the author’s style.  Because of this, I feel the book may appeal more to hard-core science fiction fans as opposed to the action oriented sci-fi types.  But I think this novel is worth reading, and I can happily recommend it.


You can find Mine on:
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca

Sci-Fi, 1950's Style: A Review of Die Laughing

My book review of Die Laughing by Louis K. Lowy:

What do you get when you cross a 1950’s sci-fi satire with a gangster flick and throw in some emotional subplots for good measure? One heck of a good book, that’s what. Die Laughing by Louis K. Lowy is an impressive and terrific novel.

Sam E. Lakeside is a 1950’s Las Vegas comic on his way up the show biz ladder, until he finds himself on the wrong side of some gangsters and gets kidnapped by aliens. And the trouble keeps coming, as Sam lands right in the middle of a plot to steal the world’s oil that involves his guest spot on the Steve Allen show. Now it’s up to him, and his two friends Lee and Cricket, to stop the aliens.

On the surface, Die Laughing is both a satire and homage to the culture of the 1950’s, rifting through such icons as comedians, gangsters, science fiction movies, comic books and television. The author knows the era and recreates 1950’s America -from Las Vegas to New York- perfectly. There are subtle touches masterfully done and as a sci-fi geek, I loved the references to the old movies and comic books. It even has a good dose of jokes, sprinkled in 1950’s cheese.

But Die Laughing also has a subtle and well crafted emotional depth that lifts it above light entertainment and gives the reader strong, flawed characters. There is also a multi-layered plot undercurrent that moves the pace and tension of the book to keep the reader hooked. This novel steers you in familiar directions, but still manages to keep you guessing until the finish with ambiguous possibilities and outcomes. Even the end itself was left a little up in the air, while still concluding the storyline. Die Laughing is complex, fun and highly enjoyable.