John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Paradise Girl by Phill Featherstone

What dark places can a mind go when it is left alone in a world that is falling apart? This is a core question of Paradise Girl, a soulful and innovative work of YA post-apocalyptic fiction by Phill Featherstone.

This work is an intensely personal book detailing the inner thoughts of Kerryl, a young girl who has survived the death of her entire family. As a virus ravages the human population, Kerryl chooses to detail her experiences in what she assumes will be her final days. Written in the form of extended journal entries, diatribes and stream-of-consciousness ranting, this […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T05:36:42+02:00April 2nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction Book Reviews, Post-Apocalyptic Book Reviews, Young Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Rising (The End Time Saga Book 3) by Daniel Greene

This third installment of Daniel Greene’s End Time Saga pushes the envelope even further in its post-apocalyptic hellscape, making The Rising one novel you should not miss, whether you’re new to the series, or you’ve been along for the ride in this oddly addictive work of zombie fiction.

The survivors from the first two books are still plowing through their harrowing missions, fending off the living dead and fighting for a cure. The virus that threatens the planet has laid waste to society and the rule of law has shattered. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and with the ultimate […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-21T09:37:19+02:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Zombie Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Freeze by Ron DeBoer

In The Freeze by Ron DeBoer, readers are given a glimpse not only into the author’s own life, but into a dynamic and challenging period of American history.

In New York City, the late 1950s and 1960s were a time of social revolution, alternative lifestyles, alcohol, drugs, music and cultural change. Growing up in that era, and in that place, represents a seminal experience in American life, and this novel is an evocative portrait of both time and place.

The Dunn family takes center stage in this novel, particularly Kate, an ambitious and bold young girl who doesn’t accept limitations, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-04-13T14:05:32+02:00March 20th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

The Pinochet Plot by David Myles Robinson

Historical fiction often lends itself to a time that unfamiliar to the modern age. However, when historical fact is blended with modern fiction, as it is in The Pinochet Plot by David Robinson, a truly special book can be born.

With a rich cast of characters embedded within well-researched contexts, this book exceeds its categorization as a thriller and becomes an endlessly fascinating drama. As an ex-lawyer, Robinson imbues Will Munoz with brilliant believability, and the sheer depth of the main character carries this novel through its slower moments.

This novel tackles difficult topics like parental betrayal, suicide, nationalism, corruption, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-11-08T13:24:38+02:00March 19th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: The Separation by Thomas Duffy

A striking vision of an extraordinarily strange future, The Separation by Thomas Duffy imagines a world where the sexual divide has never been greater – a world where men and women are unaware of the opposite sex, and kept apart for the purpose of social advancement and peace. With a small but dynamic cast of fascinating characters embroiled in this bizarre premise, this novel sings with social commentary, both about present gender conflicts and how those issues may develop in the future.

Finn is a young man who has only recently learned of the existence of the opposite sex, and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-12T10:02:00+02:00March 15th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Dystopian Fiction Book Reviews|

Afterlife Code by J.M. Erickson

Sci-fi novels often give readers a distant glimpse into a potential future, but Afterlife Code by J.M. Erickson may provide a peek into future events for this generation. In this story, neural implants have been designed to treat many different diseases and disorders of the brain, but for Dr. Melanie Sage and Robert Cobb, her therapist, an unexpected malfunction of this new technology tosses them into another world…a world they each possess in their own mind.

This thrilling novel combines religious philosophy, scientific exploration, and the limitations of the human mind with brilliant clarity. Rather than giving one picture of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-03-16T11:20:10+02:00March 14th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Chainsaw Honeymoon by Steven Ramirez

Written with a manic energy and a tongue perpetually shoved in its own cheek, Chainsaw Honeymoon by Steven Ramirez is a brilliant new novel that balances humor and horror in an unforgettable way.

Ruby Navarro is a young girl with big dreams and a tangled mess of family that she is determined to fix. Spending the summer with her father sets the stage for a fast-paced and unpredictable ride through the wild world of Los Angeles, complete with a maniacal killer and the chance for Ruby to live out her wildest dreams.

The writing throughout the novel is sharp and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T07:22:21+02:00March 13th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, New Adult Book Reviews|

Review: The Freak God by Peter Kornis

In The Freak God by Peter Kornis, an intriguing and eye-opening parable about the value of knowledge over belief, readers witness what gods and humans could achieve if they worked together for honest, honorable goals.

This sci-fi novel is set in a far-flung human colony in the far reaches of space, where the unique atheistic beliefs of one nation there have given rise to a new god – one who does not seek adulation or submission from the humans around him. Readers are given an intimate look at this “non-god god” as he grows up alongside humans, similar to what […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-04-04T09:56:49+02:00March 12th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Atheism Book Reviews, Science Fiction Book Reviews|