Lead Story | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Race to the Blackened Nevers by Douglas Bain

A new pantheon of fantastic gods is unveiled by author Douglas Bain in The Woeful Wager, the first installment of the The Race to the Blackened Nevers series. Boasting more world-building than some authors attempt in a lifetime, this thrilling new realm is bursting with potential, supported by a passionate writer who demonstrates his deep appreciation and mastery of language.

In a world of mischievous, vengeful and deeply competitive gods, their followers are conniving in their own ways, though most are committed to staying on the good side of the divine. However, when a new race to the edge […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T08:25:19+02:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Douglas Bain, Fantasy|

Review: The World Without Flags by Ben Lyle Bedard

Armed to the teeth with subtle world-building and a powerful narrative voice, The World Without Flags by author Ben Lyle Bedard is a formidable standalone sequel to his first novel about this dystopian world. Kestrel, an indomitable young survivor, pulls readers on an epic journey across the American wasteland, and in the spirit of Cormac McCarthy, brutal beauty is everywhere in the prose.

The Homestead has been Kestrel’s roost for as long as she can remember, and the writing provides an intimate introduction to a safe haven amongst a world gone mad with a brain-infecting pandemic called Worm. Depicting a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T08:24:51+02:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Ben Lyle Bedard, Post-Apocalyptic, Zombie Fiction|

Review: Snatch 2&20 by Luke E. Fellows

A raucous story told by a brilliant mind becomes something both satirical and insightful in Snatch 2&20 by Luke Fellows. Following the misadventures and addled mind of one Giles Goodenough, this book is both a riveting read and a whimsical magic trick, spelling out a story so strange, and populated with such unique characters, that you’ll regret reaching the final page.

This foppish protagonist is depicted in sparkling detail, and readers quickly understand the caricature being painted – entitled, privileged, and used to skating through life without having to expend too much effort. In some ways, Giles is reminiscent of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-27T04:27:34+02:00May 25th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Satire|

Review: Stormheilm by Richard J. Blanco

Royal intrigue, long-buried magic, and a time-traveling scheme to save the human kingdoms collide in Stormheilm, the new fantasy novel by author Richard J. Blanco.

After 13 years of peace between the ancient Concord and Fehr families, rumors of war in the East prompt the king to send his son on a quest of honor, but the king’s long-buried past threatens to explode a fragile balance. Tainted by lies and deception, Prince Nathaniel sides against his father and falls in league with a dangerous clan of witches who promise to help him secure the throne – provided he kills […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-13T10:09:51+02:00May 11th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy, Richard J. Blanco|

Review: The Mortal God (The Infinity Chronicles – Volume 1) by E.F. Skarda

Interstellar warfare and sinister plots abound in The Mortal God by author E.F. Skarda, the first volume of The Infinity Chronicles. Following the exploits of a super-soldier with incredible abilities and devastating secrets, the saga rockets into high gear with this first installment, for an explosive and surprising sci-fi thriller.

Millennia in the future, Earth has frozen to an icy ball following a catastrophic solar system event, forcing humanity to the brink of extinction, but also driving them to explore the galaxy and spread. After more than 6,000 years of wandering the stars, they were saved by the Lord Gentry, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-05T08:18:41+02:00May 4th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction, Space Opera|

Review: Colors by J.M. Ferreira

Colors, J.M. Ferreira’s stunning literary debut, paints a startling picture of race and sexual discrimination in a not-so-distant future Hawaii.

The year is 2026. Thirty-six-year-old Pualani “Pua” Kahahawai is an educated native Hawaiian living in the shadow of her older brother, Kalani, the “jailbird sovereignty messiah of the Kahahawai clan,” now doing 30 years in state prison. Having lived the first half of her life in a tent on the beach, Pua now lives in an old plantation-style house with her parents, her aunty and her aunty’s son and wife, and their son. Her father is confined to a […]

Marta Cheng2020-04-17T04:57:16+02:00April 16th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Literary Fiction, Speculative Fiction|

Review: Garden of Locusts by J.T. Ruby

A vicious murderer, two twin boys, and a determined sheriff swirl at the center of Garden of Locusts, a gripping new novel from author J.T. Ruby. In the pressure cooker of small-town Alabama in the 1970s, this family drama is a sweeping Southern epic that embraces everything from young love and parental loss to fraternal conflict and institutionalized racism.

Ben and Owen Hood are twin brothers trying to find their own ways in the world, deeply connected but also vastly different. Simon Singleton is a detective now sheriff from across the pond whose nose for serial killers and penchant for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-04-14T10:25:15+02:00April 13th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: J.T. Ruby, Thriller|

Review: The Meaning of Life by Nathanael Garrett Novosel

A professional researcher has considered and compiled data from various fields to create a goal-oriented exploration of life’s meaning in the informative and impassioned The Meaning of Life: A Guide to Finding Your Life’s Purpose.

At the outset of the comprehensive tome, author Nathanael Garrett Novosel offers a “Pre-Book Assessment,” allowing the reader to rate his/her current “ability to derive meaning from life,” with a simple analysis of the resulting rating. He propounds that no important information about how to live can come from one of our most basic questions: How did life come to be? Instead, we should […]

SPR2020-04-14T11:06:40+02:00April 12th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Nathanael Garrett Novosel, Self-Help|