John Staughton, Senior Reviewer | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Sandbox by JW Patrick

An intense and unpredictable adventure set against a rich narrative landscape, The Sandbox by JW Patrick is a memorable new work of YA science fiction. When three young teenagers’ lives collide after a mysterious impact event, their worlds are thrown into a fascinating and potentially dangerous spiral driven by forces beyond their control or understanding.

The focal characters of this novel – Isla, Sonny and Dan – make for a brilliant trio of protagonists wrestling with powers they had previously thought were impossible. When they discover a world – The Sandbox – where they can do anything they want in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-03-11T12:37:04+02:00January 27th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Scent of Distant Worlds by W.D. County

Leaving behind all you have known for worlds that humans have never seen may sound like a grand and honorable adventure, but troubles – both internal and external – are bound to arise. In The Scent of Different Worlds by W.D. County, the crew of The Far Traveler is on a mission to explore an inhabitable world in the Goldilocks Zone, a potential new home that can support life, but the sacrifices they must make are daunting no matter where or when you’re from.

The crew has the opportunity to explore some of the first intelligent life forms to have […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-28T12:07:27+02:00January 26th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Infinity: The Secret of the Diamonds by Tejas Mathai

Every family has its secrets, but for Jack Stone, the hidden parts of his family and his father’s ambitious inventions could very well change the course of the universe. In Infinity: The Secret of the Diamonds, young author Tejas Mathai welcomes readers into a world of fantasy and magic, unraveling a sci-fi thriller that pulls from all the best parts of various popular genres, both past and present.

Jack Stone always knew that his father was a brilliant man, but when a team of otherworldly defenders ends up on Earth with a clear interest in his family, this 18-year-old […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-21T12:45:48+02:00January 18th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Quigsnip: The Untold Tale of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist by Sean Phillips

It takes an impressive amount of confidence to write a sequel to a Charles Dickens novel, given his titanic status in the history of English literature. In Quigsnip, author Sean Phillips expands a seemingly insignificant detail from Charles Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist and delivers an entire novel in his legendary style.

Following Oliver Twist’s near-death experience and the subsequent discovery that he was a son of the aristocracy, his life has changed in innumerable ways. He is no longer begging for extra gruel, nor is he struggling to make ends meet in the criminal underbelly of London. Even so, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-03-05T12:28:07+02:00January 18th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Rideshares, Wrecks and Sex by Joe. F. N. Schmo

In Rideshares, Wrecks and Sex: Confessions of a Convicted Uber Driver by author Joe. F. N. Schmo – a bold pseudonym in any genre – readers are given a front-seat view to the madness that can unfold between the doors of an Uber ride.

The interesting twist in this non-fiction tale is that the author is not your average ride-share driver: he is a convicted felon with a lot to lose, but knows that Uber may be a good game in town for a steady income that he can control. Gainful employment for ex-felons can be few and far between, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-03-04T11:56:46+02:00January 15th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Prince Must Die by Edward Anthony

In The Prince Must Die, author Edward Anthony pulls directly from the front pages of America and England, as well as the personality of President Donald Trump and the increasingly volatile issue of immigration and refugee movement. However, in this well-penned allegory, vampires exist, along with other mythical creatures, but they are the subject of extreme controversy in “Londarium” and “Great Bretan.”

When a decidedly Trump-like Colton Grant shockingly wins the election to become Grand Chancellor, he quickly institutes his brutal and merciless approach to the problem of vampires attempting to enter the country. He promises to build a massive […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-28T13:19:16+02:00January 11th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Satire Book Reviews, Vampires Book Reviews|

Review: The Dragon’s Harvest by Jason F. Boggs

Once the boundaries of reality are broken, authors have a seemingly unlimited space to play, and author Jason F. Boggs certainly takes advantage of that in his writing. His latest book, The Dragon’s Harvest, the second installment of The Dragon Trilogy, is complete with moral dilemmas, space battles, savage dialogue and extraordinary characters that will expand your definition of strange.

Nearly a century in the future, the world is a very different place, and was recently controlled by a fascist New Era regime that sought complete control, by whatever means necessary, in order to protect against the alien threat. After […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-09-11T07:09:57+02:00January 8th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Demon Heart 2: Never Say Die by David Crane

Mastering the demons within ourselves is a popular theme in literature, but in Demon Heart 2: Never Say Die by author David Crane, this battle is not contained to the philosophical realm. In the second installment of this series, the powerful and deadly Naoko Kitamura has a new life, but when you’re the descendant of an ancient, mystical tradition, it’s hard to leave the past behind.

Six years have passed since Naoko sacrificed herself in Osaka to save the city from a nuclear disaster. She has created a new life for herself and fallen in love, even sharing the secret […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-08T08:42:29+02:00January 8th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Urban Fantasy Book Reviews|