Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The End of the World: Rise of the After Lord by H.S. Gilchrist

Bitter enemies become unlikely allies and chart a new course for the shattered remnants of humanity in The End of the World: Rise of the After Lord by H.S. Gilchrist, a stunning work of genre-bending sci-fi.

Cut off from the mind-controlling force that has dominated her existence, a mechanized killing machine wanders the wasteland, reckoning with mortality and nearly forgotten sentience. A brother and sister, horrifically traumatized by their own dark secrets, encounter this enemy on the edge of death, and an unexpected peace is struck. When their mutual enemy comes to collect, however, their uncertain alliance is sealed in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-01-26T15:24:53+02:00January 21st, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: H.S. Gilchrist, Science Fiction|

Review: Archipelago by H R Hawkins

A character-driven leap through a gateway to the future, Archipelago by H R Hawkins is an immersive thrill for fans of cosmic drama and technological prophecy. When a splinter civilization on the edge of the galaxy reaches out with a bizarre message after fifty years, it pulls a long-lost son back into the chaos and beauty of liberated space, for a work of top-shelf sociological science fiction.

Assigned to a high-level delegation to the distant Archipelago cluster, Ren Markov represents multiple interests seeking to re-establish contact after a violent coup cut the “Arc” off from the rest of the galactic […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-03-13T15:09:51+02:00January 15th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction|

Review: Loves and Entanglements by Lewis Bogaty

An intense collection of characters in emotional tumult, Loves and Entanglements by Lewis Bogaty demonstrates the author’s sensitivity to the human condition, and the impossible choices we are so often forced to make.

These thirteen quick-moving vignettes vary in time period, subject matter, writing style, and tone, but are tied together by enticing human drama – desire, disappointment, heartbreak, and possibility. Some tales end with a sudden twist, others with a single powerful line that leaves the emotional weight hanging thick, without resolution, yet still somehow satisfying. Manipulating readers’ expectations and emotions with ease, this collection is a masterclass in […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-03-01T11:41:34+02:00January 11th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Short Stories|

Review: Little Boy, I Know Your Name by Mitchell Raff

Gripping autobiographical reflections from a child of Holocaust survivors, Little Boy, I Know Your Name by Mitchell Raff is a visceral, heartrending, and timely work of history and memoir.

Growing up in a non-traditional Jewish family permanently scarred by concentration camps and gulags, young Mitchell also had to navigate split custody with his unpredictably violent mother, acting as guardian to his half-sister while having to endure familial abuse. When he is uprooted and moved to Israel, he doesn’t escape his mistreatment, which is compounded by a life of isolation and uncertainty about the future, without his beloved family members there […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-01-08T19:10:17+02:00January 8th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: History, Memoir|

Review: Stone Angel by Charles Buday

A raw and emotionally charged tale of loyalty, love, and the lives we hide behind the scenes, Stone Angel by Charles Buday is a conspiracy-fueled and captivating thriller.

Paige, a fresh-faced darling of Hollywood, starts an unwitting culture war with America’s conservative Christians, seemingly putting her in the crosshairs of the radical right. Her sister, Mitzi – photographer, publicist, advisor, and guard dog – is fiercely loyal and reliably fearless, while Paige’s absentee husband, Russell, seems more concerned with his career as a screenwriter than the frightening threat to his wife and daughter. Even so, he enlists the help of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-02-29T12:47:27+02:00January 6th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Hollywood, Thriller|

Review: Mask of Dreams by Leigh Grant

Mask of Dreams by Leigh Grant is a huge, sprawling achievement, a marvelous historical novel that brings together elements of the romance and adventure genres with grittier realism and acutely observed period minutiae. With its addictive plotting and believable characters backed up by clearly thorough research of the era, the novel is sure to linger long in the memory as an expertly woven, richly detailed, and thoroughly gripping work of historical fiction.

The title alludes to its period setting – Venice in its golden age around the year 1500, a city that is also an empire, and a world of […]

Marina Dora Martino2024-02-28T15:07:49+02:00January 3rd, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction|

Review: A Place of Vengeance by David Lafferty

Gypsy curses, gym class crushes and ghostly visions haunt the pages of A Place of Vengeance: Tales from Windward Cove by David Lafferty, a clever piece of supernatural teen drama.

An aspiring young psychic trying to find his way in life by getting in touch with the afterlife, Ben Wolf is the humbly cool protagonist of this wild tale, boasting the perfect blend of self-deprecation and untapped potential. High school is hard as a new kid in town, and while Ben’s noble nature and crew of summertime friends make things a bit easier, something paranormal is going on at Silver […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-02-18T15:42:58+02:00December 22nd, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Paranormal, Young Adult|

Review: Harmony: The Saga of the Earth by Apala Banerjee

Harmony: The Saga of the Earth by Apala Banerjee is a moving collection of poems and illustrations celebrating nature and urging readers to take action to save the planet. The teenage poet focuses on issues ranging from pollution to war, animal cruelty to capitalism, while also imbuing her writing with a joyful and passionate approach to life.

As the title suggests, this book is about the balance of nature, something we have lost in our own relationship to the natural world. However, this work doesn’t only express the nostalgia and sadness for our loss as a species, it raises political […]

Marina Dora Martino2024-02-16T19:03:15+02:00December 15th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Poetry|