Fantasy, Dreams and Heroes: A Review of Becoming

My Review of Becoming by Marc Johnson:

I found the book an allegorical and metaphorical banquet, full of symbolism, with many of its characters standing as fantasy archetypes. Part myth, part dark fable, Becoming by Marc Johnson is a swirling gathering of lyrical thoughts, characters and images dancing outward in a non-linear story.

Becoming follows the quests of several characters: a boy, his father and their companion, a sister and brother and a hero as they wander through dreams and darkness. They embrace and fight against destiny but are inevitably drawn to their fate.

The book is a wonderful exposition that muses on the concept of the epic fantasy, while telling a rousing tale of good and evil laced with a sense of the unreal. It is a caprice of obscure complexity that makes your head spin (in a good way). Threads of thought on culture, religion, human nature and society seem to float through the pages as well, sweeping into the mix and blending well.

The book is poetic prose, imagery, parable, and character study strung along a twisting surreal road, and the narrative is beautiful to read. I had no problems with the existential nature of this book, but it may not be for all tastes. But if you are in the mood for a mind-bending, thought-provoking voyage, I recommend Becoming.

A Wonderful Mystery: A Review of Madness and Murder

My Book Review of Madness and Murder by Jen Hilborne:

Madness and Murder by Jen Hilborne is a taut crime mystery, with a terrific underlying narrative of character interaction and a theme of second chances. There is a splendid interweaving of subplots, overlaid with a chilling murder spree.

In Madness and Murder the plot unfolds on twins recovering from childhood tragedy, a homicide detective, and a girl who met the wrong guy. Their lives intertwine on the streets of San Francisco headed straight for a collision course with a serial killer.

The novel is well-plotted with some nice twists and turns, red herrings and multiple possible suspects that keep you guessing and in suspense. The characters are realistic and human, plus the female characters do not come off as helpless victims even when targeted by less than scrupulous people. The flow of the book engages and keeps the pages turning effortlessly.

The plot does hinge on a couple of coincidences of fate, but nothing that stretches the bounds of credibility and the author’s style makes it believable. Also, there were a couple of minor plot points that left me wondering a bit, but they don’t distract from the overall quality.

Madness and Murder is a great mystery novel and recommended.

Chilling and Thrilling Paranormal: A Review of Dead Man’s Eye

My Book Review of Dead Man's Eye by Shaun Jeffrey:

Dead Man’s Eye by Shaun Jeffrey is a nice, solid paranormal thriller, with a strong engaging plot. The prose is realistic, well-written and the story holds your attention from start to finish.

Joanna Raines has enough problems with failing eyesight, a troubling cornea transplant when she discovers she’s seeing strange shadows. She thinks she is going mad, only to discover there’s something far more sinister and supernatural is happening. And she may be the only person who can stop it.

The author does a splendid job of throwing a poor ordinary person into an extraordinary, unbelievable situation and making it both realistic and logical. The heroine reacts and behaves in a genuine, plausible manner that grounds the narrative beautifully. I also found the simple motivation of the antagonists (they’re just looking to wreak mayhem) refreshing; sometimes old-fashioned evil is enough.

Some readers may find the ending unsatisfying, but I loved it. I thought the unresolved, dark closer was the perfect finish. I look forward to reading more novels by this author.





Dead Man's Eye is also available on Smashwords

Unique Sci-Fi: A Review of 300 Nights

My Book Review of 300 Nights by Kriss Perras Running Waters:

300 Nights by Kriss Perras Running Waters is a high-tech cyberpunk end-of-the-world story with a style that fluctuates between tech-speak and hard-boiled thriller. It even has some surreal and satirical musings in the mix.

300 Nights tells two parallel stories set in the near future: one in the underground cyber security complex of COG and the other above the surface in the everyday world. Both places come under threat, one from a horrific natural disaster, and the other from a hacker breach.

The pace of the novel is fast and hard (if occasionally disjointed) with information popping at the reader rapidly. Normally I might find such a narrative disconcerting, but it does seem to work as a whole for this book. The author does a nice job with the tension and suspense and maintaining the forward momentum.

The tone of the book is distinctive, perhaps even experimental, and this is definitely not a character driven novel with deep angst and moral conflict. The characters here all about action and reaction; it is the plot that’s the primary focus. However, you do get suitable characterization blended with some nice metaphor and social commentary.

I think the story could have benefitted from a little more background on the interconnected government and security complex as well as the world catastrophe; I was left with some questions and I thought there were a few loose ends dangling. Also, I felt the narrative lagged a bit towards the end, but it did pick up for the taut finale.

Overall, 300 Nights is an intriguing sci-fi novel with an interesting voice and I enjoyed reading it.

Interview with A. M. Harte

We're welcoming author A. M. Harte to the blog today, who (much like me) writes dark, speculative fiction.  Come and enjoy this wonderful interview:

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

I’m a London-based chocolate addict and avid reader, with a penchant for dark speculative fiction tales. On top of being an indie author, I’m a strong webfiction (or online fiction) enthusiast, and am writing several ongoing series available for free online: Above Ground, a post-apocalyptic fantasy; and DarkSight, a contemporary horror serial.

How long have you been writing?

I like to say I’ve been writing far longer than anybody’s been paying attention -- although I imagine that’s true for most writers! Ever since my early teens, I’ve been scribbling out stories, although it is only in the last couple of years that I decided to take the next step and approach writing from a more professional point of view.

Can you to tell us about your latest book?

“Hungry For You” is a zombie love speculative fiction anthology which takes a hard look at love and death, because at the end of the day, what else is there to write about? The collection is a study of extremes, from all-enduring love to twisted relationships, from traditional brain-eating zombies to thinking, sentient creatures.

Perhaps my favourite description of the book is from one of my reviewers, Lauren Smith (from Violin in a Void) who said: “Hungry For You makes zombies less scary, more revolting, but also morbidly fascinating. It’s smart and spunky, bringing together horror, tragedy, romance and dark humour.”

Why did you decide to write in the speculative fiction genre?

I don’t think it was a conscious decision -- speculative fiction has simply always fascinated me, and the books that have moved me the most have nearly always fallen into this genre. Perhaps it is a question of escapism, being able to daydream about what my life would be like in an alternate universe where magic exists, or demons are real, or everyone lives in space. It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a daydreamer!

What do you find different about writing short fiction as opposed to longer novels?

I like to think of short stories as the summer flings and novels the long-term relationships. Writing a short story can be very quick and intense, because your space is limited – you need to convey a lot in very few words, which means it’s a constant challenge to tighten your prose and hone your writing. But overall I would say more of my heart and soul goes into writing a novel; the characters are dearer to me because I’ve invested so much more time in them.

What is the hardest part of writing speculative fiction?

Making everything seem plausible. As much as a reader of speculative fiction is looking for something different, your story always needs to be coherent and consistent. You may have werewolves or cabbage-eating fairies or cars that run on toothpaste, but they’ve all got to make sense in the world you’ve built, and you need to remember what the rules are so that you don’t contradict yourself later. For example, you can’t say that cars only run on fluoride toothpaste and then have someone fill up their car with mouthwash (unless the car then breaks down or explodes).

How did you research your books?

I don’t, mostly! Actually, that’s a lie. I generally end up asking unusual questions on twitter, or otherwise Google odd requests like, “What does snake poo smell like?” (Yes, really.) I don’t know how writers in ye olde days managed, but I rely heavily on the wealth of expertise available online. And if worst comes to worst, I’ll invent an answer.

What advice would you give beginning writers?

Read critically. Write furiously. Experiment with ideas and styles; don’t pigeon-hole yourself into one plot, one novel, one genre. And accept all feedback and criticism graciously, no matter how much you may disagree.

Who has inspired you as an author?

One of my favourite novels of all time is “The Golden Compass” by Philip Pullman; I would love to write a novel like that. Other favourites include “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Margaret Atwood), “The Postmistress” (Sarah Blake), “The Bell Jar” (Sylvia Plath), and Dune (Frank Herbert) – very much an eclectic mix, I know!

As for fellow indie authors, I’m very much inspired by fellow 1889 Labs author MCM’s professionalism and dedication. Horror author Zoe E. Whitten deserves recognition for being enviably prolific; I wish I could write as quickly as her! And from the online fiction community, MeiLin Miranda (historical fantasy) and MCA Hogarth (science fiction) are absolute stars, lovely ladies, and great writers.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently editing my first novel, “Above Ground”, which will be released as an ebook and in print in September 2011. It’s a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy where humans live underground and monsters live on the surface. “Above Ground” follows the adventures of Lilith Gray, a human girl who is trapped on the surface, and struggles to survive as she fights to return back home.

After that, who knows? I still have many stories to tell.



A.M. Harte is a speculative fiction enthusiast and a chocolate addict. She’s a writer, editor, practical joker, and the author behind the online dark fantasy publishing project Qazyfiction. She is excellent at missing deadlines, has long forgotten what ‘free time’ means, and enjoys procrastinating over at http://amharte.com.

On Twitter: @am_harte

And for more on her book, Hungry For You, check out this spotlight: http://afstewartpromotion.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-spotlight-hungry-for-you.html