My Review of “Daybreak” by Matt Gallagher

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Amazon link: Daybreak
Author: Matt Gallagher (Twitter: @MattGallagher0)
Website: mattgallagherwriter.com

Thumbnail sketch: Exceptional, nuanced fiction grounded in reality from an author hitting his stride. Still thinking about it four days later.

5 Stars

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My take on Daybreak

I finished this beautiful novel four days ago, and have been thinking about it constantly since. I haven’t written a substantial review in more than four months (‘substantial’ = more than the minimum 20 words my Kindle says is necessary to post to the mother-site & Goodreads), but knew I wanted to say something about Daybreak, Matt Gallagher’s third novel.

Full disclosure: I’ve attended two of the Words After War writing workshops co-hosted by Mr. Gallagher, even though I haven’t written a lick of fiction in … well … years (sooo many years). The workshop sessions were a outstanding opportunity to read some excellent writing excerpts and engage in thought-provoking discussions with a variety of folks, some veterans, some not.

Fuller disclosure: I read and greatly enjoyed Mr. Gallagher’s second novel, Empire City (my review).

My Review of “Accidental Intelligence” by Bryan Chaffin

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Amazon link: Accidental Intelligence
Author: Bryan Chaffin Threads: @geektells; BlueSky: geektells.bsky.social)
Website: geektells.com

Thumbnail sketch: Fast-paced futuristic thriller with memorable characters and a twisty plot. A fun and satisfying read as well as a promising debut for this author.

4 Stars: An excellent story that I recommend. A fun, thrilling, exciting or enlightening book that I wish had not ended.

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My take on Accidental Intelligence

The debut novel from Bryan Chaffin, Accidental Intelligence is a fast-paced futuristic thriller shot through with elements of tech noir. This review is based on an advance copy provided by the author for that purpose. The book will be available on November 14, 2023.

More than a century from today, it seems like the life of a private investigator hasn’t changed much: Mason Truman specializes in tracking errant romantic partners and low-level corporate espionage, and he’s not exactly rolling in eagles – the currency of the day and a nice call-back. When he’s approached by a woman looking for her missing brother, he passes on the job until his contact in the local police warns him to steer clear of her.

My Review of “Fae Planes Drifter” by Tammy Salyer

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Amazon link: Fae Planes Drifter: Otherworld Outlaws 4 (a Weird West Celtic Mythology Adventure)
Author: Tammy Salyer (Blue Sky link / tammy-salyer.bsky.social)
Website: Link Tree (linktr.ee/tammysalyer_writer)

Previous reviews of this series:

• Gnome on the Range (Book 1)
• Deadwood or Alive (Book 2)
• Hex ‘Em High (Book 3)

Thumbnail sketch: Lula Cullen’s quest to free her father continues in this fast-paced and fun series featuring fae, witches and other assorted magical creatures romping through the Old West and beyond. 5 Stars

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My Take On Fae Planes Drifter: Otherworld Outlaws 4

The adventures of Lula Cullen continue in Fae Planes Drifter: Otherworld Outlaws 4, and I must say given all that’s going on in the world settling in to tag along felt pretty good. Like catching up with a dear friend you haven’t seen in too long or finding out a new season of your favorite show is available to binge on the streamer of your choice.

When last we saw her, Lula and her band of fae, witches and dragons made a key acquisition necessary for success in her quest to free her father from the clutches of the powerful fae, the Morrígan. Of course, with Lula it’s always two steps ahead and one back (and to be fair, t’wouldn’t be much of a story otherwise), so in less time than it takes Hattie Dumas to draw Judgment, her Colt Peacemaker, new obstacles crop up.

My Review of “Sly Fox Hollow” by Brett Allen

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Amazon link: Sly Fox Hollow: A Novel
Author: Brett Allen (@hogwashwriting).

Thumbnail sketch: Smart, funny satire involving monsters both real and mythical. Razor sharp portrait of small-town America and a fun-house mirror look at our political landscape.

5 Stars

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My Take on Sly Fox Hollow

Before I tell you how much I enjoyed this funny and frequently biting (figuratively and literally!) look at the relatively recent heart of America, it’s only fair to share something about myself: I was born and raised in a small (pop: 6,000 +/-) farming town in the Midwest. I left that town when I enlisted in the Navy, a decision it took me a few years to realize was without a doubt the smartest thing I did in the first two decades of my existence. I can’t imagine how my life would’ve unfolded had I stayed, or who I would be today – but I’m sure neither would have been … good.

So, Sly Fox Hollow by Brett Allen tickled me on several levels. First, the sharply drawn snippets of small-town life peppered throughout. The gossiping. The way a person’s life can be reduced to one event or action from their past – sometimes them doing good things, sure, but more likely the other way. The nursing of grudges over decades/generations. How incredibly hard it is to change or grow as a person in such an environment. Or, if you do manage to remake yourself, how hard it is to convince others you’re no longer who they believe you to be.

My Review of “Combat Orders” by Jim Kiernan

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Amazon link: Combat Orders
Author: Jim Kiernan (@JimKiernan4)

Thumbnail sketch: Outstanding military sci-fi tales with great characters and thrilling action.
4 Stars

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My take on Combat Orders

Combat Orders by Jim Kiernan is the latest great read discovered through my social media feed. For all the negatives associated with the leadership change of that certain micro-blogging site, I’ve been fortunate to continue to get solid recommendations for entertaining reads from followers and followed alike.

The four stories of Combat Orders, set in the same fictional sandbox, include a pulse-pounding run and gun escape from a starship captured by unknown hostiles and a mind-bending tale melding Zero Dark Thirty and Quantum Leap.

Those are the closing and opening stories, respectively, bracketing slightly quieter tales about a wartime romance that’s truly long distance and a grizzled vet’s meditative look at a career of war in the stars. Each story features solid and interesting characters and thrilling action, and there are moments of dark humor anyone who’s served will nod at knowingly.

I can’t wait to read more from this author.

My Review of “Gundog” by Gary Whitta

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Amazon link: Gundog
Author: Gary Whitta (@garywhitta)
Website: YouTube channel

Thumbnail sketch:
A by-the-numbers sci-fi story set in a dystopian United States after Earth is conquered by alien machines.

3 Stars

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My take on Gundog

To echo another reviewer of Gary Whitta’s forthcoming sci-fi novel Gundog, I wanted to like it more than I did. The premise – a young woman finds a hidden weapon and starts a rebellion after Earth is conquered by aliens – is intriguing, and I remember fondly the author’s stint as editor of PC Gamer magazine. But the story just never grabbed me and pulled me in.

This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book will be available on August 1, 2023.

My Review of “Emergent Properties” by Aimee Ogden

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Amazon link: Emergent Properties
Author: Aimee Ogden (@Aimee_Ogden)
Website: aimeeogdenwrites.wordpress.com

Thumbnail sketch: A unique and intriguing protagonist with a ten-day memory gap and a lunar mystery to solve. Fast-paced and enjoyable; I read it twice.

4 Stars

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My take on Emergent Properties

The top-line blurb for Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden suggests the novella is a great way to get your Murderbot fix while waiting for the next installment of Martha Wells’ series. As a fan of Murderbot, a self-hacked android security unit with a love of human entertainment media, that’s a tough piece of marketing to pass up.

It’s also not a fair comparison. Scorn, the AI protagonist of Emergent Properties, is both more and less than that other artificial life form but above all is deserving of consideration on zir own merits. This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book will be available on July 25, 2023.

In a dystopian future of nearly unfettered corporate governance, income inequality and environmental calamity, Scorn is an independent investigative journalist – ze’s chosen occupation. Zir’s two mothers are brilliant scientists and corporate bigwigs who created Scorn to explore the galaxy. Their bitter divorce and on-going feud may have given Scorn the opening to reject their plans for ze’s future.

My Review of “The Blighted Stars” by Megan O’Keefe

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Amazon link: The Blighted Stars (The Devoured Worlds Book 1)
Author: Megan O’Keefe (@MeganEOKeefe)
Website: www.meganokeefe.com

Thumbnail sketch: Promising opener to sci-fi trilogy with elements of action, mystery, and horror. Some cleverly realized ideas including an unusual villain. Bring on the next book.

4 Stars

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My take on The Blighted Stars

The opener to author Megan O’Keefe’s “Devoured Worlds” trilogy, The Blighted Stars sets the stage for a promising series with elements of sci-fi action, mystery and horror, as well as a star-crossed romance between the lead characters and an unusual and imaginatively realized villain hiding in plain sight until a reveal that upends a lot of what was thought to be true.

This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book will be available on May 23, 2023.

 The story begins as two mining ships of the Mercator family arrive at a planet expected to be both a source of the essential element relkatite and a terrestrial refuge for humanity. In due course it’s revealed that Earth and other habitable planets have been blighted by an aggressive lichen known as the shroud, forcing humanity to relocate to space stations. Human society is dominated by five rich and powerful families, of which Mercator is the largest. Each family specializes in one essential area – farming, mining, banking, construction, and medical – which leads to an uneasy peace monitored by spies placed within each by the others.

My Review of “Titanium Noir” by Nick Harkaway

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Amazon link: Titanium Noir
Author: Nick Harkaway (@Harkaway)
Web: harkaway.substack.com

Thumbnail sketch: Smart, entertaining blend of sci-fi and noir mystery, over-stuffed with atmosphere, memorable characters and crackling dialogue.

5 Stars

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My Take on Titanium Noir

Longtime readers of my book reviews know I appreciate both a well-executed genre mash-up and an imaginative premise. Titanium Noir, by Nick Harkaway delivers on both counts, and is a size-15 gumshoe full of fun that I tore through in just a couple days. It’s Sci-Fi Noir, over-stuffed with atmosphere, memorable characters and crackling dialogue.

This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book will be available on May 16, 2023.

My Review of “Hex ‘Em High: Otherworld Outlaws 3” by Tammy Salyer

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Amazon link: Hex ‘Em High: Otherworld Outlaws 3
Author: Tammy Salyer
Website: TammySalyer.com

Thumbnail sketch: The adventure continues. Fae, dragons, werewolves, hobgoblins — er, sorry! — gnomes, and more fantastical creatures haunt the Old West and Dr. Lula Cullen and her band.

5 Stars

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My take on Hex ‘Em High: Otherworld Outlaws 3

Another rollicking entry in the ongoing adventures of Dr. Lula Cullen, a half-blood Fae trying to free her father from enchanted imprisonment. Facing new — and very cool, by the way — monsters and the return of an old threat, Lula and her intrepid band travel to Denver in search of a magical artifact.

Working through my To Read stack these recent dark days of winter, I’ve had my eye on “Hex ‘Em High” as it moved to the top. Returning to Lula’s Old West was like stepping into a pair of boots at the end of a cattle drive: comfortable and reassuring.

Before starting page 1, i knew there would be great characters, a few chuckles and unexpected plot twists, and few write action scenes with the verve of Ms. Salyer (and the set piece capping “Hex ‘Em High” is a doozy!).

More, please.

5 stars