Science Fiction | Self-Publishing Review

Wardens by Jonathan Staten

Fast-forward to the war-torn future of the solar system in Wardens by author Jonathan Staten. An unlikely hero is forced into the heart of a shadowy, interplanetary war, but also into the middle of his own mysterious family secrets. As he learns more about the Wardens – essentially sci-fi super-soldiers of the future – he becomes embroiled in the deadly deceptions and the savage conflicts that may have taken his father’s life.

This is a classic adventure Bildungsroman of training, failure, revelation, and meaningful battles against increasingly impossible odds, but there are also splashes of humor and connection, a strong […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-08T03:03:26+02:00October 8th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Science Fiction, Space Opera|

Umlac’s Legacy (Entangled Galaxy Book 2) by Jim Meeks-Johnson

Author Jim Meeks-Johnson serves up a weird and wonderful space romp with his second book of the Entangled Galaxy series, Umlac’s Legacy: Rogues and Misfits.

After defeating Umlac, a ruler of the Immortal Ascendency, the Earthling heroine at the center of this series must deal with the deadly halls of cosmic power and the backstabbing blobs she now rules. The problem with loyalties divided across the galaxy is that conflict is inevitable, and these universally significant stakes make for epic storytelling. The author’s unique universe expands even further in this installment, yet the minute details of alien tech and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-16T04:05:20+02:00September 15th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Jim Meeks-Johnson, Science Fiction, Space Opera|

Review: Seraph (Voidstalker Book 3) by John Graham

Gabriel Thorn continues to thrill and challenge every stale paradigm of a sci-fi hero in Seraph, Book 3 of the Voidstalker series by John Graham.

Following the first two breathless installments of this series, readers have grown accustomed to the boundaries of this future world, allowing the author to dig deeper into the intensity of his characters and the increasing cosmic stakes. Blending philosophical elements of “Star Trek,” tangled familial knots of “Star Wars,” and a twisted plot that would make George R.R. Martin take note, Seraph is a gutting exploration of legacy and power – a surprising story […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-09-23T04:34:00+02:00August 26th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: John Graham, Science Fiction|

Engage at Dawn: First Contact by Edward M. Hochsmann

The puzzling discovery of an abandoned and mysteriously destroyed ship launches a deadly race for power in Engage at Dawn: First Contact by Edward M. Hochsmann.

Primarily set onboard a Coast Guard Cutter, readers are immersed as a maritime crew come to life and seek out the unknown attacker – something from out of this world. Simmons and Ben make for a dynamic duo at the heart of this book, an unlikely team that balances duty and honor with deep respect and brotherly love. The added layers of shadowy government agencies with sinister intentions, hinted at from the first few […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-08T01:35:45+02:00August 20th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Edward M. Hochsmann, Science Fiction, Thriller|

Review: The Albatross: Contact by Connor Mackay

Author Connor Mackay makes an impressive debut with his epic space adventure, The Albatross: Contact. With precise language, unforgettable characters, and a twisted plot that feels primed for the big screen, this knockout of a novel wrestles masterfully with alien forces and some of humanity’s darkest demons.

Forged in the crucible of war, Will is one barfight or drunken night from ending his painful stint on Earth, perhaps even at his own hand, but when an opportunity to escape to the stars presents itself, he and his ride-or-die vet pal Frank decide to join a much grander battlefield. There […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-20T02:53:42+02:00August 19th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Connor Mackay, Science Fiction, Space Opera|

Moraturi Lost: The Paradisi Chronicles by Marti Ward

A risky journey across the stars becomes a wild adventure through both time and space in Moraturi Lost, the second book of The Paradisi Chronicles by Marti Ward. Existing in the same universe as the first book, but focusing on a different journey with a different fascinating protagonist, this biblical quest to reach Andromeda and New Eden is rich with drama, action, and near-future technologies that are quickly slipping from theoretical into reality.

When the unthinkable happens in the middle of wormhole travel, Eva Hughes is thrust from plant caretaker and junior officer to the best hope for the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-20T02:44:14+02:00July 20th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Marti Ward, Science Fiction|

Review: Shock Wave 2: The Book of Vallora by Florian Louisoder

Author Florian Louisoder digs deep into dystopia with Shock Wave 2: The Book of Vallora. Despite a bitter victory over the nihilistic forces of evil in the first book, the ripples sent out through time have had a devastating impact on the future, which means that there is still a world to save.

Following their epic quest to the past, and Linda’s reclamation of the title Juno of Atlantis, she and Scott are shocked to wake up in the 21^st century having failed. Their world-killing nemesis somehow escaped to the future, won the war for Germany in Hitler’s […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-10T06:53:48+02:00June 26th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Florian Louisoder, Science Fiction, Time Travel|

Review: Shock Wave by Florian Louisoder

When the world begins to crumble like deadly dominoes, rewriting the past will be the only way to save the future in Shock Wave by Florian Louisoder. In a race to stop the complete destruction of life on Earth, two heroes with secrets of their own are sucked into the heart of a legendary kingdom that is suddenly all too real.

Scott DeSantis and Linda, his ex-wife, have a decidedly unique relationship, but they must put their personal strife behind them when a nuclear detonation off the coast of Cuba plunges the world into chaos, followed by rifts in the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-04T02:52:27+02:00June 26th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Florian Louisoder, Science Fiction, Time Travel|