Book Reviews

The latest indie book reviews from Self-Publishing Review

Review: Magic, Machines and the Awakening of Danny Searle by John McWilliams

Magic, machines reviewTyler Cipriani is a programming prodigy and prodigal son to two brilliant parents – a pushy philosopher-scientist who even used Tyler for his own studies growing up, and a mathematics professor whose ambition and love for her son overlap with her bitterness at her now-ex-husband. His life is by no means average, but despite his talent (whether natural or induced) he holds himself back from a proper education and the constant offers of work in his field, insisting on dreams of bike trips and a period of self-exploration.

The stalemate is broken the day Danny Searle stumbles into a chance […]

2019-01-22T15:57:31+02:00June 11th, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |

Review: The Gospel According to Yeshua’s Cat by C.L. Francisco

yeshuas catThe Gospel According to Yeshua’s Cat is a Christian fiction story by world religion expert C.L. Francisco.

Mari, a little black cat, travels with Yeshua, tucked inside his robe as he fulfills his destiny as the son of God. Through the eyes of a cat, details of his life and times are elegantly described to the reader for an especially spiritual Mashup Fiction experience.

There is a comparison to the bestselling book,  The Fire Gospel by Michel Faber, in which an Aramaic translator finds a lost scroll that turns out to be a controversial testament to Jesus’ life. In that […]

2014-06-03T14:28:45+02:00June 3rd, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: GunKnight by Cynthia & Scott Green

Gunknight ReviewGunKnight, the first part of The GunKnight Chronicles by Cynthia & Scott Green, is a quirky sci-fi story set in a world where guns are sacred tools which the desperate and the proud alike must live by. Colt, the only known surviving GunKnight – a technoreligious warrior clad in a powerful suit of biotech armor – wakes up in a dusty crater, alone, with only a crippling pain and a flickering heads-up display to jog his memory and guide his path through what may be a dead Earth.

As his memories return, his “mission” becomes more and more clear, […]

2014-05-30T14:11:07+02:00May 30th, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Kisses in the Wind by Forbes Skinner

FSkinnerCover1

Kisses in the Wind is a near-future apocalyptic story written by ex-pat South American writer Forbes Skinner, writes SPR’s Cate Baum.

As attorney Neil Myers recovers from a mental illness in the heart of Washington DC,  he imagines that women have taken over the world. Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama are locked in their struggle to win Democratic Party presidential nominee, and when Clinton’s supporters are ruffled by a snub to womankind, Myers sees what he always suspected: Women are headed to crush males into extinction, and it’s going to happen soon.

While the concept of this book is very […]

2020-08-24T09:12:02+02:00May 30th, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Cat Eyes by Teneca Meeks

Cat Eyes Teneca MeeksCat Eyes by Teneca Meeks follows Tia, a hardworking single girl who one night finds herself abducted by the Equestrians, an extraterrestrial species of tiger-like creatures intent on breeding with human women to save their race. But will Tia be able to help them with their mission before Diane, a scientist with her own murderous agenda, threatens the future of the Equestrians?

There is a sub-genre in sci-fi and fantasy at the moment known as “monster erotica”. These stories entail a creature of high intelligence in animal form, somehow forcing sexual relations on a human woman.

The problems that books […]

2020-02-21T07:16:03+02:00May 27th, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: Straight Lines by Gregory Sacchet

92a35148e90e21b9e8f3831752413ca8ee5e69ffAddiction memoirs are an interesting genre, because really they’re all variations on the same basic story. A person gets involved in their drug of choice, hits rock bottom in a myriad of ways, and then climbs their way back up. The very fact that there’s a book implies that the addict has pulled his or her life together to a degree, so by design the book is uplifting, even when telling tales of degradation. Given that there isn’t a lot of difference between the nuts and bolts of an addiction memoir, it really needs to have a unique spin in […]

2014-05-27T17:20:26+02:00May 27th, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Poe: Nevermore by Rachel M Martens

Poe:Nevermore ReviewThis Edgar Allen Poe-themed story follows Elenora Allison Poe, a desperate young woman suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after a terrible event. She meets homicide cop, Caleb Frost and is dragged into a new truth about her life – and possible demise.

As an opener to the works of Poe, this novel definitely will have you reaching for the nearest anthology. Personally, I don’t enjoy Poe but that doesn’t really matter because it’s his legacy that enthralls here – so even if you aren’t a Poe fan, this book goes deeper than just his works – this is a […]

2014-05-21T12:42:26+02:00May 21st, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Adventure Inward: A Risk Taker’s Book of Quotes by Jonathan Wunrow

adventureinward_frontcover1Adventure Inward is a collection of inspirational quotes by mountain climber Jonathan Wunrow. I should preface this review by saying I’m not an avid rock or mountain climber or extreme sports enthusiast of any kind. Actually, more than that: I’ve never been climbing once. That might actually put me in a good place to review this book, as it’s a test if it can appeal to someone outside the niche. While this is a niche book, it’s not so niche as to not be interesting to, well, virtually anyone. The reason is that everyone has challenges. So really, you can […]

2014-05-14T12:35:31+02:00May 14th, 2014|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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