Tag archives for book review - Page 17
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Book Review – Warriors of Eternity by T.E. Hodden
Warriors of Eternity by Hodden My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this story, and hope that there is more still to come. The author created a very interesting and rich world, with little bits of fantasy type things in it, although it becomes clear that these are to do with a combination of advanced bio-engineering and technology. The plot revolves around an almost royal family, the key protagonist is a teenage girl in the third generation who wants to explore but is hemmed in. In the background consequences from an earlier war are playing out, which come to a head in the last third of the story. It turns into a nail biting finish, leaving me wondering how it was going to resolve given the essentially invulnerable nature of two of the opposing players. I definitely would…
Book Review – The Kingdom on the Edge of Reality by Gahan Hanmer
The Kingdom on the Edge of Reality by Gahan Hanmer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was offered a free copy by the publisher. What made me say yes to this offer was that the story was about an attempt to set up a fake mediaeval kingdom in the modern world. As a (lapsed) 17th century re-enactor it ticked my 'experimental archaeology' box and I thought it would be worth reading. Member of The Montgomery Levy displaying archery in mediaeval times (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Having read The Kingdom on the Edge of Reality it was much more than I had expected and I really enjoyed it on a number of levels. Firstly there is a very interesting piece of straight literary fiction here. It isn't a work of fantasy and there is strictly no magic. Given a billionaire determined enough this…
Book Review – Engines of Extinction (episode 1) by Chris Martin
Engines of Extinction: Episode I - The End & The Means by Chris Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars Chris Martin has spent a lot of time with Special Forces soldiers writing about their exploits, and that shows with this work of fiction. The primary character, written in a first person epistolary format, is a former special forces operator who has got in too deep and regrets it. The setting and character is completely believable, there is a life story narrative for a chunk of the story as the narrator tries to establish enough bona fides for us to believe the story he wishes to leak. Being the first in a series the whole story isn't played out, there are clearly more parts to come and this is an excellent hook to get us interested and paint the scene.…
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Book Review – The Middle Kingdom Ride by Ryan Pyle & Chris Pyle
The Middle Kingdom Ride: Two Brothers, Two Motorcycles, One Epic Journey Around China by Ryan Pyle My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to watching the accompanying DVD as well. It is an interesting book, both because of the travelogue and the epic nature of the journey and because it has two authors. Both brothers have written their own point of view, based on their contemporary video diaries recorded at the end of each of the 60 days that they spent on the road (and in some cases off it) on the way round China. The book is very much a narrative of the journey and the effect it has on the brothers. There are lots of unusual aspects pointed out, like the fact that no-one seems to have a proper motorbike in…
Book Review – Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Insurgent by Veronica Roth My rating: 4 of 5 stars Reading this book made the issues I'd had with Divergent make more sense. This starts right where Divergent finishes, and they can be seen as a single long story. The world makes a lot more sense when you get to the end of Insurgent, and there is more to be explained in Allegiant (I haven't read it yet, so I cannot be sure whether or not things are explained). I'm not going to go into detail, because that would involve major spoilers. I like Veronica Roth's writing style. She keeps me wanting to keep on reading just to find out what is going to happen next. Stuff is trailed as a teaser and I want to crack on through the story to find out what happens next. I hadn't intended…