DPA announces new chapter to coincide with World Book Day – with launch of books division

For those of you who have been following my updates recently, I now work at Diane Phillips & Associates, a PR and marketing firm that was kind enough to offer me a chance for something new! And... well, DPA has something new of its own coming soon - (rather exciting!) details below.  

DPA announces new chapter to coincide with World Book Day – with launch of books division

With decades of experience in telling Bahamian stories, the public relations and marketing firm Diane Phillips & Associates (DPA) is preparing for a new chapter – the launch of a books division.

The announcement comes amid celebrations for World Book Day on April 23 – with DPA eager to help Bahamians share their voices with the world.

DPA Books & More will offer services that help shape, design and promote Bahamian books as well as organising book launches.

“Telling other people’s stories has always been at the heart of DPA,” said company founder Diane Phillips. “We have shared your stories on the pages of our nation’s newspapers, on TV and radio, on social media and to listeners and readers far beyond our borders.”

Now, she said, both the time and the team are right to boost books and authors with a story to tell, giving life to everything from the short story to the full-length epoch, inviting readers to hear the tales of individual, corporate and institutional stories.

The firm has expanded with skilled graphic artists and creative social media content specialists. Most recently, DPA landed former Tribune managing editor Stephen Hunt, who has published 16 books in recent years.

“We cannot wait to hear from people who want their stories heard,” he said. “Our team is full of book lovers – for World Book Day on April 23, our team shared the books they love on our social media. Follow us, and share the stories you love too. We look forward to hearing from you.”

“I did it the hard way and learned the right way, as a journalist for many years,” said Phillips. “Now I am surrounded by talent in the office every day as we tell others’ stories and the book division is a natural step in the journey.”

DPA has been in business more than 35 years, winning numerous awards and commendations, and building long-term relationships with clients.

“We have helped paint a picture of life in The Bahamas from the underbelly of poverty to the pinnacles of commercial success, but there are a thousand untold stories that deserve to be heard and we are excited to let the stars of those stories shine.”

Diane Phillips is a familiar name in The Bahamas. A former journalist with a career ranging from daily broadsheets to the National Enquirer along with magazine writing and editing, she spent the 90s as executive director of two national tourism boards. More recently, she’s written more than 300 columns in The Tribune. She’s a past radio co-host on Guardian Talk Radio and GEMS, adjunct professor at UB, Paul Harris Award recipient for community service, director of NGOs, and organiser and emcee of national press conferences and events. In 2025, she was recognised for her contributions and awarded National Honours. Although she has marched for Freedom of Information and campaigned successfully to protect sea turtles and introduction of Sunday shopping, when asked what she does, she says simply, she writes.    

“We are always looking for new ways to share people’s news – and there are so many talented silent storytellers in The Bahamas,” said Paula Welch, DPA chief operating officer. “We look forward to helping them find their voice and their audience, to connect with readers and have their stories heard. Diane has been doing that for years, working with local authors, writing forewords to books and sharing stories that matter. This new division opens the door for others, as well as building the community of authors here in The Bahamas.”

The full details of the new division will be announced in the near future – but those interested are encouraged to contact dpa@dpa-media.com to register their interest.

 

BOOK REVIEWS: Elvira Wonders, by Sanna Hines; Monkey's Luck, by Bonnie Milani; Just A Minor Malfunction issue 3; Bloodchild, by Octavia Butler; Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A new year, a new selection of books up for review. First up, regular guest Brent A. Harris reviews Elvira Wonders, by Sanna Hines, before I hop in with my latest round-up - including two Black Panther graphic novels as the countdown is on to the new Marvel movie. 

Elvira Wonders, by Sanna Hines

Elvira Wonders is, at times, an unfocused entangling of the lives of too many characters overstuffed into a disarray of storylines. It doesn’t know what story it wants to tell, so it instead tells all of them. I got the sense in reading this, that perhaps Hines had hoped to create a TV series out of the town of Elvira. If so, that makes sense. There’s a loose thread involving a murdered fairy that could connect the pilot to the end of the first season, with subsequent chapters/episodes producing their own mini-threads and soap-opera antics before stumbling back to the murder mystery bits.

Now that it’s been quite a few years since True Blood has left the air, this book may quench the thirst of those looking for more Sookie Stackhouse. And make no mistake, Elvira Wonders takes its cue from the series: Fae, Werewolves, Vampires, Ghosts all exists as obstacles to each other on the streets and entangle in the sheets. Fans of the former who’ve run out of mystical material may wish to sink their teeth into Sanna’s story.

However, where True Blood takes its time developing the monsters, mayhem, and ahem – romantic encounters, Elvira Wonders takes everything at once and plunges it into the first book. Every fae and fable that exists in stories lives in the sleepy town of Elvira – whose residents decide to capitalise on the mythic creatures by opening sightseeing tours. However, not all of these creatures get along, and the tourism is threatened by infighting and murder.

It’s therefore up to Josh, car mechanic, ghost hunter, and Fae investigator (nobody is just one thing in this town, it’s an odd mixture for sure) and full-time leer-er of Elviran women, to solve the murder of a Red Fairy. Why the police are unconcerned over the death is a bit odd, nor do the Fae themselves lend a hand. So, it’s not surprising Josh gets distracted by relationships, as do all the other denizens of the city, while the story dissolves into a dozen characters, toys around with different genres (romance, horror, family drama, etc) until Josh basically stumbles onto the murderer. At no times are the characters tasked with providing reasons or motivations behind any of their actions, nor is the reader asked to consider any deep themes or dwell on any subject matter. It’s Vampire Diaries for the page.

Elvira Wonders isn’t a deep look into social strata, nor does it take time to flesh out any of its characters like the Stackhouse novels do. However, Elvira reads briskly, the characters function as quick go-to figures that are easily distinguishable from one another, and the world-building is fun and at times a good type of campy. It’s not a serious book – one of the most consistent storylines is the continued destruction of a Hummer and another features a writer who constantly complains about her critics. It’s a book that could be read through in one or two sittings. If you’re missing some Sookie, and you want something fast and light, I would check out the Wonders Elvira has to offer. 3.5 Stars, rounded to 4.

AI Rating: 4/5

Brent A. Harris 

Monkey's Luck, by Bonnie Milani

Bonnie Milani is a smashing writer. If you haven't discovered her before, then really, you have a treat awaiting you. I still say the best place to start to discover the universe she has created is her novel Home World, but Monkey's Luck is a rollicking bit of action to jump into too.
Kat is a wayward refugee, survivor of torture and space marine, caught up in a whole new world of hurt when the spaceship she's serving on gets blasted to hell and pitches her into an uneasy alliance with the ship's only other remaining crew member and a menacing Lupan named Romeo.
Lupans recur regularly in Bonnie's tales - an offshoot of humanity with wolf DNA wrapped in the mix. Both Kat and the other crew member have their own altered DNA cocktails going on, each bringing with it certain behaviour patterns and strengths - or weaknesses.
This is one of the nicest things about this tale - in that, despite rattling on at a fair old pace with explosions aplenty, there's a consideration at the heart of it of what makes us who we are, and what drives us to fight, or to love.
There's romance, betrayal, drama and stakes that grow increasingly higher as the story goes on - all told, my only complaint is that I wish it was longer so we could spend more time with this intriguing trio.

AI Rating: 5/5

Just A Minor Malfunction, issue three

Twitter's a wonderful place for connecting with authors - and it was out in that digital playground that I discovered the Just A Minor Malfunction magazine.
It's reached its third issue, and it's bristling with tales from contributors. Now, as devotees of short stories anthologies know - and goodness knows I'm one - some stories you'll love more than others, but there's a good mix in here.
The opening tale is a cracker, Left To Her Own Devices, by James Armer, about an expedition to a planet where the ship's AI is perhaps more adventurous than the crew. I really liked this one, pulling together some neat character work in its short span and doing what good sci-fi should do, making you ponder wider horizons.
Editor Michael S Alter has two tales of his own here - both good, but the pick of them is The Disappearing Cube, a story of a science experiment into folding space that has unexpected consequences for the scientists involved.
If you're looking for light-hearted tales, then Kim M Watt's Anatidaephobia, which certainly fits the bill.
A couple of the stories feel a little underdeveloped, but all told this is a nice addition to the magazine landscape. I'll certainly be looking to go back and check out issues one and two, so look for reviews of those in the future as I play catch-up.

AI Rating: 4/5 

Bloodchild and other stories, by Octavia E Butler

I feel it is a terrible sin of omission on my part that until now I have never read any works by Octavia Butler.
I mean, sure, everyone has their gaps in their reading history, where there's an author here or there who you've always meant to get round to reading but just haven't. But Butler has been a glaring hole in my reading - until now.
She freely admits in her introduction to this short story collection that novels are where her heart truly belongs, but this is a good way to delve into her writing, a gentle starter with the main course ready and waiting to follow, if you will.
There are seven stories and two essays in this collection, kicking off with the award-winning title story. Bloodchild is a complex story of interdependent relationships, with humans being used as hosts to nurse the infants of an alien species, but at a cost. There are questions of what one is willing to exchange in order to survive, issues of abusive relationships and personal sacrifice, all heady topics swirling within the confines of a short story.
Award-winner that it is, though, personally I prefer another story in the collection, The Evening and the Morning and the Night. It's a story of a society where a drug created to cure ailments such as cancer has after-effects, with the descendants of those who took the drug affected by a condition which can cause them to "drift", losing touch with the society around them and slipping into dangerous psychosis. Told from the perspective of the children affected by this disorder, as they face a future which seems inevitably to slip towards madness and death, it's a deeply poignant tale of how society deals with those it cannot cope with, and what happens to those individuals themselves - whether they can carve out their own future in a world that offers them none.
These two stories stand out above the others, but there's still plenty of great reading to be had in the collection. There's no binding theme - though a recurring focus is on issues of biology and illness. One nice feature is that each story has notes after it with the author detailing her thoughts on the tale. For example, she addresses the fact that many think Bloodchild is about slavery - it isn't, though talk in the story of selling people hints that way. It's more complex than that, though, and very much worth discovering if, like me, you've been lagging behind on exploring Butler's work.

AI Rating: 5/5

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Black Panther, A Nation Under Our Feet, books one and two, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

With the new Black Panther movie looking astonishingly good from its trailers, a timely Amazon sale sent some of the recent comics starring the King of Wakanda tumbling my way. 

Well, I suppose from 2016, so not the most recent - but the run by Ta-Nehisi Coates has been raved about by fellow fans of T'Challa so it was about time I took a look. 

I've long been a fan of Black Panther - I tend to gravitate towards heroes who aren't mighty gods or universe-menacing Phoenixes - and so the combination of genius scientist and stealthy warrior has long appealed. 

I'll confess, though, that I'm awfully glad that I bought book two at the same time as book one. Coates takes his time to find his feet with his story - or rather, more to the point, he has a big story to tell but sometimes in volume one rushes through the actual telling, and you end up piecing a couple of the parts of the tale together in your head rather than reading it on the page. He's much more in his stride by the second volume, so if you find yourself put off a little by the opening collection, stick with it, it comes together much better as the issues go by. 

The story itself tackles the tale of Black Panther as king, fighting to hold together his kingdom from threats within and without. He isn't all-seeing or all-wise, rather he's a man underneath the legend, making political choices that might not always be for the best, but are mostly made with the best intentions. 

The tale tackles issues of nationalism, identity, monarchism and democracy - weighty matters that go beyond the usual supervillain hokum of many comics. Sometimes, that strays into territory of infodumping, but as I say, the method of telling the story keeps improving. 

I'm not terribly sure it will serve as a great introduction to readers for the Black Panther movie - but it's a powerful look at the world the comics character inhabits - with a wider landscape than his stories are often afforded. 

AI Ratings

Book one: 3/5

Book two: 4/5

BOOK REVIEW: A Time of Need, by Brent A Harris; Dying To Be Friends, by Jane Jago and EM Swift-Hook; Fractured, by Nikki Landis;Anthology Askew: Askew Communications

The latest review column spans alternative history, fantasy and a short story anthology - and starts off with a book regular readers may have heard mentioned before...

A Time of Need, by Brent A. Harris

First things first, I need to make full disclosure. I've been following the creation of this book for some time as Brent A. Harris has chiseled words out of his brain. He even mentions me in the thanks at the front of the book, so be aware that I may be a little bit biased. But I'm biased in favour of quality.
A Time of Need tells the tale of an alternative America. In this tale, George Washington sides with the British and Benedict Arnold becomes the figurehead for the US forces aligned against Britain.
Instead of the course that history took, we instead see a new shape to the battle for the continent, with Arnold's ruthlessness put to a new use.
There's a real depth and thoroughness to this novel - I freely confess not being an expert on the history of the period, but Brent really brings the period to life, and you can tell the amount of research he has put in to get the details right.
Beyond the battle between Washington and Arnold, the parts of the novel I really loved were those focusing on the soldiers underneath the generals, as they faced difficult choices about where their loyalties should lie, and the reasons for making the choices they do. The character of Stevens, particularly, struck to the real heart of the novel. Just as he tries to decide his path, so too this young nation is working out where it is going to go, and what exactly it will be when it gets there.
The novel is unflinching in some of the horrific parts of the nation's history, such as the way in which slaves are treated, but the better for that. No one in the cast is wholly virtuous, but neither is anyone entirely villainous. Brent has created a story of the red, white and blue that is made up of many shades of grey.
In the end, I can heartily recommend this novel - it's an alternative history that taught me real history, and which brought to life the throes of a nation truly being born.

AI Rating: 5/5

A Time of Need is available on Amazon here.

Fractured, by Nikki Landis

Do not judge a book by the cover, they say. And they'd be darn right here - for while the cover of this book screams horror story, perhaps thriller, it's actually a romantic fantasy, filled with supernatural powers and dashing knights of derring-do.
Renee is a young woman who falls in love with a Guardian knight, Kellen, and the two form a swift and deep bond with one another - until Renee signs up to a deal with a devil to become a shadow hunter, taking the deal to spare her brother from punishment.
The deal forces a rift between the two lovers, and forces Renee down a dark path.
There's a lot in this novella to like - I presume it falls into the novella range rather than full novel, but it packs a lot of story into it. In fact, that's a bit of a downfall, in that while the start is very nicely done, we kind of rush through much of the rest of the story, when we could do with taking a little longer and dallying with our heroes as they wrestle with tough decisions.
That said, this seems really a sample of stories set in a much wider canvas, as both Renee's story and her brother's are explored in further series, so if you love what you read here, you'll find more of it and in more depth elsewhere.
It leans more toward the romance side than my usual fare, but that said, I still liked it.

AI Rating: 4/5

Fractured is available on Amazon here.

Anthology Askew

"Pee is warm."
So begins the story that really most caught my attention in this, the latest in the Anthology Askew collection.
The theme this time around is Askew Communications - and the collection is filled with messages gone awry, diaries and letters telling their tales, and so on.
This leads to an array of genres on show, from romance to horror, sci-fi to literary. It's that opening line above that really made me sit up and pay attention most, though, and the story that goes with it, from Rayona Lovely Wilson, is worth noting every word. It's a story of a young woman in a bad situation, with parents hooked on crack cocaine and feeling awkward and out of place in her school and the social structures within it. It feels like there's more to come at the end, but it's the kind of story that opens your eyes to the experiences of others.
Elsewhere, there's also smashing tales from P.A.O'Neil, whose tale Sara Hemming, Psychic Redecorator, is full of warmth and charm even as it deals with the supernatural and unknown; Karl Taylor and his space horror New Houston, with a Martian expedition facing a gruesome terror; and Josh James' Last Will and Testament, which might make one think twice or three times before approaching that pretty soul in a bar.
As ever with an anthology, some stories resonate more than others, and some of the tales here were quite slight in their substance, but the hits make it well worth the read.

AI Rating: 4/5

Anthology Askew: Askew Communications is available on Amazon here.

Dying to be Friends, by Jane Jago and E.M.Swift-Hook

This is the second in the Dai and Julia series from the authors - the first of which I reviewed not so long ago - and the first book was such a good set-up that I was itching to see what the new detective partners would get up to.
You see, the two have been matched up in a modern Britain where the Roman Empire never faded, and so the mystery is against a backdrop of a very changed world. I'm not generally a big mystery fan, but that really changed the game.
Sadly for me, I don't get my wish just yet to see what happens with this new partnership, as this book takes a look at the background of each individually - the stories are smashing, with Briton Dai forced into the most dangerous of games, and Roman Julia uncovering corruption and making alliances destined to last into further books.
Other than my selfish wish to see more, it's a cracking read, full of flavour and detail of this altered world. But seriously, give me some more of the two together now... oh, what's that you say? Book three, Dying for a Poppy is over there? Excuse me, readers, I'll be back...

AI Rating: 4/5

Dying to be Friends is available on Amazon here.

BOOK REVIEW: Before You Leap, by Les Lynam; Too Wyrd, by Sarah Buhrman; The Accidental Cannibal, by Dale Rutter; and Dying To Be Roman, by EM Swift-Hook and Jane Jago

In today's review column, Brent A. Harris sinks his teeth into The Accidental Cannibal, by Dale Rutter, and E.M. Swift-Hook and Jane Jago's collaboration Dying To Be Roman, while I dive into urban fantasy Too Wyrd from Sarah Buhrman and time travel caper Before You Leap, by Les Lynam. First up, Too Wyrd. 

Too Wyrd, by Sarah Buhrman

Some books just get you. They just catch you right - and Sarah Buhrman's first book in her Runestones saga does that with me. 

It's the story of single mother Nicola - who discovers her sister is mixed up with a cult and sets out with her best friend Joseph to try to rescue her. The kicker? Nicola's also a heathen witch. And it turns out this cult actually could bring about the apocalypse. 

Plunging headlong into a world of urban fantasy, with Norse gods and the possible coming of Ragnarok, this is a great ride of a tale. It kinda slows up a little bit in the first third, but then rushes onward towards... maybe... the end of the world? 

Nicola is a great character, brittle with the authorities investigating the supernatural shenanigans but passionate in her friendships, and a reluctant heroine, drawing on her own strength even with the cost that using magic imposes upon her. 

If you're a fan of urban fantasy, this is squarely in the genre - with a great female lead character, and a swirl of magic and mythology. Honestly, I enjoyed this more than Jim Butcher's Dresden series - definitely a world worth discovering. 

AI Rating: 5/5

- Leo McBride

Too Wyrd is available on Amazon here. 

Before You Leap, by Les Lynam

Okay, I'm going to recommend something for readers considering this book. You all know the old adage about not judging a book by its cover. That one doesn't apply here. Smashing cover, smashing book. No, I'm going to say don't judge this particular book by the Look Inside feature. 

You see, Before You Leap starts off far away from the action of most of the rest of the book. It starts in a distant future, where characters have names like LX and who speak in awkward, stilted dialogue, the kind of speech you might expect from someone like Data in Star Trek. The dialogue isn't awkward because of bad writing - it's how these humans of our future speak, and it sets the scene before we get catapulted back in time, as LX uses a time machine to travel to 1990s America. 

From there, we have a charming tale of high school America. There's cliques and outcasts, there's football and friendships - and in the middle of all this we have Sean Kelly, a 16-year-old still in the midst of discovering how the world works. Into his life comes Alexis, a strange girl who speaks in an odd way and who has a weird tic when he asks her something as she seems to be finding the information from... somewhere else. Is this the start of a romance? And why is she so weird? Then her sister Nicole shows up and things begin to get complicated for Sean. 

Part comedy, part sci-fi, part coming-of-age tale, this is a genre-busting, gender-bending caper written with real warmth and sincerity. You really feel Sean's confusion as the truth of the situation begins to be revealed, and my only complaint is that perhaps not quite enough happens in this, the first book of the series. But then... leaving the reader wanting more is not necessarily a bad thing when book 2 is already ready to buy. 

AI Rating: 4/5

- Leo McBride

Before You Leap is available on Amazon here.

The Accidental Cannibal, by Dale Rutter

This book almost became a Did Not Finish (DNF) for me. But I kept at it because I was given the book for an honest review.

The accidental cannibal follows the coming-of-age of Samuel, a young boy caught amidst the wake of famine in a medieval sort of dystopian village (where everyone talks like 21st century teenagers). His parents are forced to resort to cannibalism, but hide that secret from their son, who later develops super-powers as a result. He becomes addicted, and the more he hunts, the more his super-powers develop. Luckily, he doesn’t have to eat anyone else to get more powers, he only has to hunt them. And later on, other villagers spontaneously develop abilities without having to eat anyone at all, leaving the whole central conceit of cannibalism murky and inconsistent at best.

This continues until our hero meets a stranger, who complicates Samuel’s life for at least a paragraph of every chapter, before Sam explains it away and everyone continues their merry, dystopian life, (where apparently the famine is over). Eventually, Sam masters his abilities and confronts the villain where he uses none of his super-powers in the climatic, uh, confrontation.

All this would make me rate the book three stars, for a unique idea that goes nowhere. Unfortunately, this book is 2-stars, as it was difficult to read. The author made a stylistic choice to write in third person present tense. It’s “Sam stops to listen.” That isn’t a deal-breaker, just odd. Third person present usually creates a disconnect because we know the action has already happened: we’re reading it (not watching it, which is why it works for scriptwriting). It could work, as Chuck Wendig shows, but it’s insanely difficult to pull off. Props to Rutter for trying his hand.

However, clincher is that 90% of the story is told, rather than shown. We are consistently told how Sam and others feel. “Sam feels bad.” We’re hardly ever the ones to decide for ourselves what Sam is feeling. Finally, everything is repetitive. We’re told the same thing across multiple chapters, characters, and viewpoints. Sam feels bad.. The author has made the decision to tell the reader, then to have Sam tell his parents, and his girlfriend, then next chapter, we will read it from their perspective too in dialogue that is very slow, repetitive, and not at all how normal people speak, especially given the setting.

Our character floats through much of the book, making no real decisions for himself, from the central conceit, to the final showdown. There is no real conflict, no real growth, nothing that doesn’t get resolved paragraphs later with a hug and a smile. Anytime the author hints at real emotion or character, it ultimately goes nowhere.

There will be some who will enjoy third person present. There will be others still who enjoy the straightforward story and interesting concept. I sincerely hope those people find this book and that the author will continue to please them with many books to come. For me, it was as if the author had tried to write a screenplay and then decided to make it a book instead without playing to the strengths of the media. Two stars.

AI Rating: 2/5

- Brent A. Harris

The Accidental Cannibal is available on Amazon here. 

Dying To Be Roman, by E.M. Swift-Hook and Jane Jago

Dying to be Roman is an alternate history novella that is both fun to read and a poignant reflection of our own world. Swift-Hook and Jago deliver on what alternate history does best in a fun and flirty murder mystery set in a Rome that never collapsed.

Dai and Julia are investigators. Dai is a Briton and a second-class citizen of a Roman-controlled Europe. When the murders involve the son of a Senator, Julia is brought in to oversee the case.

Now, I confess that Roman history is not my strength, so I’m unsure if the Point of Departure that enables Rome to endure for 2,000 years works. It’s unlikely the Roman Empire would have survived that long, so one must suspend disbelief, but not too much. The setting and characters are believable, interesting, and the story is fast-paced. So it's easy to lose yourself in the narrative.

While on the surface, Dai and Julia must solve the mystery of the murders, Dying to be Roman is really about the inequalities of the elite vs everyone else, which can be mirrored onto our world. But what’s great about the story is that this theme carries on silent under the surface of the story, so that while the social commentary is there (important that it is), it still delivers on an entertaining and believable read. It’s a great alternate history and murder mystery mash-up!

AI Rating: 5/5

- Brent A. Harris

Dying to be Roman is available on Amazon here.

BOOK REVIEWS: FountainCorp Security, by Watson Davis; AZ: Revenge of an Archangel, by A A Bavar; and Horn-Horn, by A D T McLellan

In today's review round-up, Brent A. Harris, that old scallywag, reviews sci-fi action read FountainCorp Security, from Watson Davis, while Leo McBride reviews the Biblically-influenced AZ: Revenge of an Archangel, by A.A.Bavar, and young adult tale Horn-Horn, by A.D.T. McLellan.

FountainCorp Security: Diaries of a Space Marine, by Watson Davis

Space zombies.

Space. Zombies.

I considered leaving my review at that, as one might pick up this book at reading: Zombies. In Space.

But Watson Davis delivers a story much deeper than just the orbital undead up against an elite team of interstellar marines. Hero is a butt-kicking heroine with a difficult past who connects with a child rescued from a station ravaged by a nefarious shadow group that have created nano-tech zombies. 

While this book doesn’t tread new ground and it relies on many established tropes (the rape-as-plot-device, especially) Davis deftly maneuvers around them, only bogging down a bit in the middle but recovering to deliver on its premise just in time for an actiony-climax. When Davis deals with Hero’s emotionally charged past, FountainCorp shines at its brightest. I enjoyed this book. It’s easy to delve into, the characters behave realistically, and the writing is solid. I did find it a bit jarring moving from the first person ‘diaries’ to the third-person narrative, but I recognize that’s a personal aesthetic and most won’t be bothered. 4 stars for a fun ride with a dynamic cast and… Space freaking Zombies!

AI Rating: 4/5

You can pick up Davis’ book here.

Brent A Harris is a frequent collaborator of mischief with Leo McBride. Sometimes they review books too. You can reach out to Brent at his website www.BrentAHarris.com.

AZ: Revenge of an Archangel, by A.A.Bavar

Gosh, I wish this book would have started at its half-way mark. 

This is the story of Azrail, the Archangel of Death, and as it turns out in this tale, eons-long opponent of Lucifer. 

Those eons stretch out across the first half of the novel, with Azrail - not Azrael, the spelling I'd be more familiar with but hey, no harm in a bit of variation - getting into confrontation after confrontation at scenes of Biblical significance. Crime Scene Bible, you might say, with an archangel taking off his sunglasses as The Who scream Yeaaaahhhhhh. 

So we have conflicts over Cain and Abel, we stop by Sodom and Gomorrah and see how Lot and his family were urged to leave and the unfortunate ending of his wife, and so on. This vast timespan makes it a little hard to engage with the first half of the book. We drop in and out over centuries. We leave Lot and pop up at the crucifixion of Jesus - what was happening in the intervening time? Does it matter? 

And then we leap again and come to... a really good bit of storytelling. The reaper Azrail discovers a girl who he spared from drowning as a baby, and becomes her guardian. Suddenly, we're more rooted to our world and connected to an intriguing tale, of an innocent child being protected by an angel - who she nicknames AZ - in the face of Lucifer's machinations. If we'd started here, this might have been a great tale, but I can't help but feel the first half of the book is going to lose a lot of readers before they get here. There are some odd anachronistic references too - the angel's dialogue can use slang that's a bit too modern at times, and there was one bit where he referenced a computer game that really broke me out of the novel.  

All in all, it's an intriguing premise, but a tighter focus on a shorter period of time would have done it the world of good. 

AI Rating: 3/5

AZ: Revenge of an Archangel is available here.

Horn-Horn, by A.D.T. McLellan

Power games can manifest in many forms - and the story of Horn-Horn has lead character Cassie Gellar caught in the middle of them. 

Whether it's the power games going on in the cliques of her new school, or those being played by the supernatural forces from the world of Danube, it's hard to tell which is the more perilous for Cassie. 

Horn-Horn is the name of the town that Cassie and her family have moved to, and just as she's starting to get to grips with the oddness of the town's residents, she discovers Zag, a mysterious child with the power to grant wishes, stranded in the nearby woods. She takes him in, only to find he is being pursued by Ursula, a dangerous being from Danube - which seems part a distant world in our solar system and part an almost faerie court. There's a bit of perspective hopping along the way - Cassie's tale is told in first person, while others are told in third person, which is a bit jarring. 

As a YA tale, it's great in terms of the details of teenage life that it paints - the cruelties, the eagerness to find friends, the delights and the loneliness. This is both a strength and a bit of a flaw, in that the book spends such time on this aspect that the main plot itself takes some time to get going. I'm not sure I'd want the snark and the details of teenage life to be slimmed down, though, because they're the best thing about this book.

That, and its quirkiness, make me give this book a thumbs-up, even if it feels as if the otherworldly aspects don't quite make their mark.

AI Rating: 4/5

Horn-Horn is available on Amazon here.

BOOK REVIEW: Seeds of Hatred, by Christian Nadeau; Dead Ends, by Ken Newman; Zin's Wild Ride, by Lyra Shanti

Seeds of Hatred, by Christian Nadeau

You know, there's a real love and care that's been put into the creation of this book. From the cover, with its beautifully balanced image that draws you in, through the characters who could have just sauntered in from a Fritz Leiber or Katherine Kurtz tale, you can tell the amount of effort the author has put into the book's creation.
The story itself tells the tale of a war between the Lightbringers and Darkbringers - opposing sides often treated as myth until their conflict bursts brutishly into reality.
It's a world of assassins and mercenaries, of magic wielders and shades, most often just trying to stay alive as the protagonists move from urban landscapes to seagoing adventures and more.
The focus is perhaps sometimes a little too wide, but when we catch up with the adventures of the sword-for-hire Marac or the refugee Lightbringer Alex, the story really takes off, bustling with verve and flair.
All told, I'm delighted to have discovered Christian Nadeau's work - this is the kind of carefully crafted world that evokes the spirit of classic old-school fantasy. I look forward to more!

AI Rating: 4/5

Seeds of Hatred is available on Amazon here.

Dead Ends, by Ken Newman

There are certain rules, they say, when it comes to writing. And by golly if Ken Newman doesn't break most of those over one knee and laugh while doing so.
Dead Ends is a sci-fi romp where science often takes a back seat to buccaneering and where the plot veers around like a spaceship piloted by Zaphod Beeblebrox wearing his sunglasses in the presence of danger. And yet it works.
A reject battle cruiser gets a last-minute reprieve to be used for an experiment involving a black hole as a power source. It's a massive thing, kilometres in length. Oh... and it's haunted.
Once the crew-to-be overcomes hurdles such as an alarming inability to retain one's clothes in the company of the opposite sex, off they go to the stars, where somewhere along the way they will face ferocious alien invaders, deceit and betrayal and... possibly angels? And where there are angels, there are of course demons.
It's not as straightforward as all that - Newman has his very own spin on such matters, and the detours he takes the reader on are often unpredictable but always enjoyable.
It's a bonkers space opera - and all the better for that.

AI Rating: 4/5

Dead Ends is available on Amazon here.

Zin's Wild Ride: A Shiva XIV Story, by Lyra Shanti

I've been looking forward to reading Lyra Shanti's work - her Shiva novels are on my Kindle awaiting an opening, but I stole a march to read this short story set in the same universe.
It truly is a short piece, you'll zip through this on a coffee break, but it's a nice little dip of the toe into the Shiva setting.
I won't give too much away about the story - suffice to say an eight-year-old prince is about to learn a lesson when going on the wild ride of the title. But it's fun, the author writes with zip and enthusiasm, and it makes you want to know more.
I suspect I'll come back to read this after the novels again, when it'll feel more like a DVD extra to the series - but as an introduction to the world goes, it's a fun read that reads like a fable in the midst of the sci-fi landscape.

AI Rating: 4/5

Zin's Wild Ride is available on Amazon here.

BOOK REVIEW: The Gaia Effect, by Claire Buss; Unbalanced, by Courtney Shepard; Ad Astra: The 50th Anniversary SFWA Cookbook

Regular blog guest Brent A. Harris reviews Unbalanced, while blog host Leo McBride also gets in on the reviewing action - with reviews of The Gaia Effect and... a cookbook?

Unbalanced, by Courtney Shepard

Unbalanced is a paranormal/urban fantasy romance that tells the story of Asha and her journey to discover herself, her powers, and the sisters she never knew she had, all while staying one step ahead of The Order, an ancient cult bent on destroying Asha and her sisters and taking their powers for themselves, generation after generation.

Shepard succeeds more often than she fails in this, her debut offering. Asha’s story is tightly told. She attempts to give each sister their own distinct voice. The POV is tightly adhered and the story keeps to its through line without wandering too far off. Shepard sidesteps many struggles that sometimes rob first-time authors of success.

Where the book didn’t work for me was in the distant and often repetitive narrative, the going-through the-motion motivations of each character, and an emotional detachment of the characters to the events surrounding them. At one point, a flautist responds to the brutal death of the only family she’s ever known by throwing her life’s work into the ocean and heading to the hills to escape. That’s fine, and perhaps the author’s intent was to keep it mechanical, but all throughout the story the same was repeated and I was expecting an emotional gut-punch that never came. The same dissonance carries over to the books climatic steamy scenes. They are well-written, but favor the physical response over the emotional. I realize its subjective, so pepper to taste, but it made it difficult for me to invest in the characters.

This book has a large cast, and as such, it would difficult for any writer to juggle. Shepard is smart to keep the focus on Asha and her would-be captor. But I wondered at times if he really shouldn’t be the main character instead. Where Asha’s arc is about discovering herself, to me the story was at its best when it focused on the growth of Clay who underwent the greatest amount of change -- from cold killer and cultist, to someone who redefined his roots an overcame his rocky past through a kindle of flame.

There are some brilliant bits in this book, and Shepard shows real promise as a writer (I love the line about the Kool-aid!) but it’s overshadowed by an emotional void that will perhaps be better balanced as the sisters re-unite to fight the forces of evil once more.

3.5 Stars rounded to 4

You can grab a copy of Unbalanced here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y6A2RVU/

Brent A Harris loves to be told how wrong he his. Go read a copy of Courtney’s book then head over to www.brentaharris.com to let him know. He also likes snickerdoodles.

The Gaia Effect, by Claire Buss

This review took a little longer to write for one simple reason - my wife kept stealing my Kindle to finish the book before me. 

Not only that but she wanted more too - which has to be a good sign. She said it was like walking into a movie 20 minutes in and wishing she had more of the back story. 

When I finally wrestled the book from her grasp, I really enjoyed the tale. Let's set the scene - we're in a future where babies are collected, not born, and where becoming pregnant is an impossibility. An impossibility that comes to pass, pitching a group of friends in the middle of a battle between the Corporation that runs society, and those who would resist it. 

There's a very realistic feel to the nature of the friendships at the heart of the book, as they face up to the situation they find themselves in. As the strict order of society begins to unravel in the wake of the revelation of a pregnancy, science and mysticism both play a part in the ongoing story. Is it Gaia playing her part? Or simple science? 

Honestly, it's a really enjoyable tale - and one I thoroughly recommend. As for my wife? She hollers over that she wants a sequel. If one comes along, I'll be sure to read it first before I tell her it's on my Kindle. 

AI Rating: 4/5

You can pick up The Gaia Effect here.

Ad Astra: The 50th Anniversary SFWA Cookbook

A little while ago, I picked up a Humble Bundle with a host of books from big-name authors - and in the middle of the bundle was this unexpected treat - a cookbook, with recipes from those authors. 

As you might expect from such a collection of creative minds, this isn't your ordinary cookbook. Whether it's Larry Niven offering up his recipe starting with 14 bottles of Irish whiskey to make Irish coffee, or Ken Schneyer and Janice Okoomian's brilliant idea for a Prancing Pony Party that I'm absolutely going to steal, there's lots of fun in here. 

There's Star Wars-inspired recipes, and Lovecraftian offerings that could just as easily eat you if you don't eat them. And a host of beverages to wash them all down in tipsy fashion. 

You'll recognise lots of the names here, from Cat Rambo to Elizabeth Bear, John Scalzi to William Gibson. As an aspiring author, I may never write as well as them but with this book, I can eat as well as them!

So to get in the spirit, I'll round this off with my very own favourite recipe. My family always bugs me to make this for parties, and it's a great dish to have ready as people arrive to tide them over until the main food is served. 

Asparagus and cheese

I learned this recipe during a visit to Barcelona. There was a fancy hotel opening, and a chef in charge fresh from a Michelin-starred restaurant, but it wasn't from those kitchens that this recipe came. No, on a stroll around town we went to the Bocqueria, a market full of the freshest food you could possibly find, and right there a market stall holder offered some divine asparagus. I've modified the recipe a little to family tastes, so here it is. 

Ingredients: 

Asparagus spears (about four per person)

Olive oil

Black pepper

Sea salt

Cheddar cheese, grated (original recipe used parmesan)

Method: 

Take the asparagus and bend it gently until it breaks at the natural point, discarding the lower, woody stems. Place in a container that has a lid and drizzle with olive oil. Don't put in so much that it pools, but that it covers particularly the upper parts of the asparagus. Season with reasonable amounts of salt and pepper - don't get too heavy handed, but give it a good sprinkle. Place lid on container and shake it all up. Place the container in the fridge for 15 minutes. 

Warm your oven - get it good and hot. I recommend about 450F (230C). Take the asparagus out of the container and arrange with ends all facing one direction on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for about ten minutes. Knock down the temperature to about 350F (175C) and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the asparagus. Place back in the oven until cheese has melted (no more than five minutes, probably less). 

Take out, place on a pretty serving dish and offer to your guests as they walk through the door. 

AI Rating: 5/5

You can pick up the Ad Astra cookbook here. 

BOOK REVIEW: Uncanny Magazine #16; Lineage, by C H Clepitt; Exiles of Ascension, by Drew Cordell; Man of Two Planets, by Judith Rook

Uncanny Magazine, issue 16

Growing up, I loved reading short stories in a whole bunch of magazines. Some were publications that came and went - others endured and became touchstones in the sci-fi and fantasy world.
Interzone was one of the magazines that most connected with me - and it's Interzone that Uncanny most reminds me of. It bristles with style, verve and attitude, not shying away from cocking a snoot at the powers that be, while embracing a modicum of silliness too with its love of Space Unicorns. But then, frankly, who couldn't love a Space Unicorn?
This latest issue features some smashing short tales - and some challenging essays too. Both LGBTQ issues and liberal resistance to the election of the latest US president feature strongly here, but eloquently expressed and argued.
Of the stories, I loved Sun, Moon, Dust, by Ursula Vernon, in which a farmer is bequeathed a legendary sword filled with spirits ready to offer their powers to help him conquer the world - only he's got some potatoes to harvest and isn't really aiming to conquer anyone. It's at first light-hearted and comic, and then touching as the story, like the farmer's plants, digs its roots in.
I also loved Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time, by KM Sparza - though it's a challenging read. It tells the tale of a transgender individual bitten by a vampire, and the consequences - and changes - that brings. It's a bubbling mass of blood and desire, despair and anger, and there are issues of non-consent that aren't quite confronted head-on in the text. It's messy - not in the sense of the story construction - but in the way in which the vampire's victim grapples with her life, looming death and potential unlife. It's the kind of read that makes you think about the issues within - and that makes it a top-notch story in my mind.
There are other stories which aren't quite as successful - John Chu's Making The Magic Lightning Strikes Me features a bodybuilder who alters his form through surgery and drugs to fit his illicit job of moving people from country to country with no questions asked. Elsewhere, the story dwells on the main character's love of theatre - and on the complex, fractured relationship with the friend who shows concern for his well-being, and perhaps love. For me, the different elements in this story just didn't quite come together - so while there was much that was compelling, the story didn't quite click into place.
The issue is rounded out by essays looking at gender issues in Deep Space Nine, how to get involved in politics, poems, interviews and more. If you haven't checked out Uncanny, it's well worth doing so - not as hard to track down as a Space Unicorn, and just as fabulous.

AI Rating: 5/5

Lineage, by C H Clepitt

CH Clepitt has a knack of making you want to read more.
Lineage - subtitled A Beginning - does just that. This is a tale of vampires and vagrants, in which a down-on-her-luck girl who makes bad choices in boyfriends ends up caught between gang bosses and something a whole lot more dangerous - and the key to her survival lies in, fittingly enough, her blood.
For Emma, the lead character, has an ancestry - a lineage - that marks her out as more special than she believes herself to be.
It's a touching tale - full of neat little touches, such as the explanation for why vampires don't go out in daylight being that natural sunlight shows them as they would look at their true age.
The end - without offering spoilers - gives a launch point from which I want to know more, and look forward to finding out where this tale will go next.
It's only a short story - probably about 5,000 words or so - but great for a quick read for the bus or train.

AI Rating: 4/5

Exiles of Ascension, by Drew Cordell

There's no messing around in this novella from Drew Cordell - the action comes at you right from the start faster than the deadly missile that's launched at the crew of the International Space Station who form the cast of the piece.
Now, first off, you should know this is a prequel novella that serves as a lead-in to Cordell's novel series, so if you're expecting everything to be neatly wrapped up by the time you read The End, then this isn't the place to look. Rather, this serves to introduce the world of the series, highlight its dangers and keep your pulse pounding.
There are explosions aplenty, some bad choices that leave characters facing the most perilous of consequences, and questions that linger after the finish of the book.
I wish it perhaps had answered one or two of those questions within these pages - but heck, leaving me wanting more is exactly what a prequel novella should do. I should get on with reading the follow-up!

AI Rating: 4/5

BOOK REVIEW: Books with advice for writers and self-publishers

Self-Publishing and Libraries, by Denise Weldon-Siviy

Stop. Wait. Before you open the first page of this book, I'm going to make a very important recommendation. Go get a pen, go get some paper. You're going to want to make some notes as you go through this book - because wow, does it have a wealth of useful information.
Without a doubt, Denise Weldon-Siviy knows her stuff, and in the case of this book, that is all about opening the doorway to libraries for authors in the self-publishing world.
To start with, Weldon-Siviy sets the scene by discussing the nature of the self-publishing world. A lot of this authors will already know, but it sets a good baseline for the rest of the book, which looks in detail at the requirements for self-publishers to get their work placed into libraries.
This isn't a step-by-step guide for you to follow in order to get from A to B, it's not as simple as that. Rather, it enlightens you to the whole process and the essential steps to take in order to be considered.
There is generally useful information too - such as how to approach some of the review locations that libraries pay attention to.
This is an incredibly thorough book that will reward re-reading. And, like I say, take notes, you're certain to find them useful. Now I'm off to set about getting on the library shelves!

AI Rating: 5/5

Self-Publishing and Libraries is available on Amazon. 

Original Fantasy: A Practical Guide to Writing Genre, by Emily Craven

Emily Craven is a passionate advocate of writing and self-publishing - and of learning the craft of a writer.
This book is a close look at the process she went through in writing a fantasy novel under the mentorship of Isobelle Carmody, and it's both insightful and surprisingly personal.
There are a lot of vague rules discussed in the world of writing - how you should show not tell, how you shouldn't overwrite, how you should pay attention to what characters can perceive rather than have them describe things they can't see. This takes that process and applies it to Emily's Priori novel, and seeing how those steps are applied is a great way for writers who might struggle with the general concepts to understand them in practice.
It is of course especially useful for those wanting to write fantasy, discussing such issues as the importance of worldbuilding and how to reveal that, and how to approach issues of naming characters and locations.
It is perhaps at times a little too specific in relation to Craven's own work - but then it's a great companion volume to a more general work. Don't think of this as the first book you pick up about writing so much as the one you pick up afterwards to try to put flesh on the bones of the concepts whirling around your head.
You can also follow the work on the Priori Podcast site, which turned the novel into an audio performance with a cast of actors, which might be a handy site to visit as you read the book and see how the final work turned out after all that polishing.

AI Rating: 4/5

Original Fantasy is available on Amazon.

The Self-Publishers FAQ, by Jacqueline Church Simonds

This book does exactly what it says - offering a lengthy list of frequently asked questions for those entering the self-publishing game.
It's pretty darn brilliant - it's hard to think of a question that isn't covered here in some way, though admittedly the book is a couple of years old and a couple of things in the market have changed since then. That's no fault of the book, the market moves pretty fast, and the vast majority of the information here is still completely on the mark.
The Q&A format is better suited to looking up as specific questions come to you rather than as a regular read-through. The quantity of useful info is so large that it can almost be overwhelming on a single read, but break it down into chunks, and take notes as you go and it's incredibly helpful. This is the sort of book that might be better in paperback form, so you can break out the highlighter and post it notes for markers.
I've been in self-publishing for a couple of years now and I wish I'd read this before I started - it would certainly have smoothed the path and help me avoid some of the mistakes along the way.

AI Rating: 4/5 (though if there's an updated version, I reckon you can add a star)

The Self-Publishers FAQ is available on Amazon.

Successful Self-Publishing, by Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn is one of the big names in self-publishing, and for good reason. I've reviewed one of her fiction books before - a few years ago now - but I've been a regular follower of her website, which is ceaselessly helpful in regards to advice for writers.
This book gives a great overview of the process of publishing and marketing your book. This isn't about writing the book, it picks up after the point at which you've written The End and your editor has carefully ticked off every element within.
In some ways, it's a lighter read than some other books on the subject, not being quite so stuffed with details as others. That said, the book itself is only a starting point, with lots of helpful links to outside websites for more information. Think of the book as the tip of the self-publishing iceberg, and the gateway to a host of websites recommended by one of the foremost experts in the field.
On its own, it's a little lighter than I hoped - but if you make the effort to go beyond the pages to the linked websites, you'll find it well worth an extra star.

AI Rating: 4/5

Successful Self-Publishing is available on Amazon.