John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Plagued: Book One: The Girl Who Chased The Shadows by Garrison Scott

In Plagued: The Girl Who Chased the Shadows, by Garrison Scott, readers are introduced to a world that has been irrevocably changed by an alien asteroid that destroyed all semblance of normalcy on Earth. More interestingly is the main character, Skyler, who is infected with an alien pathogen moments before the asteroid makes its deadly impact. This isn’t a normal infection, however, and as it begins to transform the infected survivors, the division and fear among those still alive becomes a new battle for survival.

The novel flows at a rapid clip and the characters are rugged and well-defined, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T05:36:49+02:00January 14th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Apocalyptic Fiction Book Reviews, Post-Apocalyptic Book Reviews|

Review: The Chief and His Marine by B.A. Sherman

★★★★

Few can understand the horrors of war if they have never put their lives on the line for their country, but the family members of soldiers have an intimate knowledge of that stress and pain. In The Chief and His Marine, author B.A. Sherman brings some of the challenges and tragedies of war into stark detail, shedding light on a subject that is pushed under the rug, or tacitly avoided, far too often.

This novel wastes no time in getting into the action, introducing readers to the titular Chief Platte character, who appears to still be reeling from […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:18:46+02:00January 10th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Military Book Reviews|

Review: Soul Census by AJ Vega

★★★★

Finding purpose after a life-changing event is something to which all readers can relate, and such is the fate of WWI veteran Willem Maddock, feeling the sense of despondency and alienation following the impossible tragedy of war. However, in Soul Census, written by AJ Vega, the story delves much deeper than a standard novel about post-war America. Instead, it penetrates the veil between mortality and spirituality, hinting at a form of existence that doesn’t end, but simply transcends.

Returning to find a cold world that doesn’t worship the right heroes, the tone is set for Maddock to be granted […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T15:17:08+02:00January 8th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|

Budland by Tom Kranz

While there is typically nothing funny about murder, author Tom Kranz manages to draw out more than a few smiles in his new novel Budland. The protagonist and a professional smart aleck, Bud Remmick, finds himself in jail after killing his intolerable boss, and he doesn’t seem to regret the choice in the least. The novel skips back and forth between life behind bars and the life Bud left behind, giving readers a better picture of why a seemingly smart and driven man would throw his freedom away for a single act of reckoning.

Bud is a fascinating character […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-12-07T10:12:54+02:00January 2nd, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Serendipity by Thomas J. Thorson

The big picture that we’re taught in school is rarely the completely accurate picture, and curiosity can bring you down some fascinating and unforgettable rabbit holes. In Serendipity: Seemingly Random Events, Insignificant Decisions, and Accidental Discoveries that Altered History by Thomas J. Thorson, readers are welcomed into a long and disparate list of historical tales that exemplify the uncertainty of life, and the unbelievable ways that luck has influenced our common existence.

The book is a series of stories about well-known historical events and figures, but these are stories that few have ever heard before. Did you know that Handel, […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-12-22T03:32:20+02:00December 18th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: History Book Reviews, Social Science Book Reviews|

Review: The Last of the Sages (The Sage Saga Book 1) by Julius St. Clair

★★★

When the world is threatened by the sinister forces of evil, heroes always rise from unexpected places. In The Last of the Sages, the first book of the epic Sage Saga by Julius St. Clair, readers are pulled into the mystical world of Allay, where magic and danger are everywhere, and where the life of young James is about to change forever.

After being told by his father that he is being sent to the Sentinel Academy – the mysterious training center that shapes young men of the kingdom into warriors – he decides to run away, but […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-01-31T10:05:59+02:00December 18th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: HARDBARNED! by Christopher J. Driver

In Hardbarned!: One Man’s Quest for Meaningful Work in the American South, an amusing and insightful memoir by Christopher J. Driver, readers are invited to commiserate with a hardworking American in a tough world, trying to pursue the happiness of writing over potential riches doing anything else.

Before this book was born, Driver spent years staring down some of the hardest questions of the last generation, namely: What am I supposed to do with this degree? What do I want to do with my life? Am I ever going to find a job that makes me happy? While these […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:36:08+02:00December 14th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Non-Fiction Book Reviews|

Terror by Eamonn Hickson

Author Eamonn Hickson brings the fascinating, dingy, and complex streets of Boston alive in his new novel Terror, a probing novel of survival in the modern world.

In the uncertainty of a post-9/11 America, issues of patriotism and racism mesh every day with issues of unemployment, poverty, and rising crime rates. In the harsh streets of Boston, the eternal struggle between money, power, and influence are displayed in a microcosmic story that is beautifully told. Seemingly disparate characters come together and begin to overlap – from would-be bank robbers to dishonored heroes – which packs this urban tale with intention […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-07-05T09:53:15+02:00December 7th, 2017|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Terrorist Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|