Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Historical Accuracy by Steve Campbell

Utilizing a remarkably wide range of references, author Steve Campbell has gathered a lengthy aggregation of historical facts to explore the biblical accounts of the life of Jesus in Historical Accuracy.

As Campbell makes plain, there is ample reason to question one’s ordinary assumptions about Jesus, as it is limited to biblical text and standard accepted lore. This is especially the case when examining the notion of the promised land, the afterlife, and the oft-cited apocalypse. His goal is to uncover the real fact upon which such issues are based.

Beginning with Old Testament history, the author catalogs and […]

SPR2021-08-04T03:19:23+02:00July 17th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: History, Religion|

Review: At the End of Everything by G.W. Lücke

At the End of Everything by G.W. Lücke is a second fantastic dive into the realm of Ostamp, following on from the sprawling adventure of Book 1, When Darkness Descends.

An already epic quest takes an unexpected turn, a la Game of Thrones, and casts the core characters in different directions, where their own destinies will find space to develop on their own. The Relevation Trilogy is curiously but aptly named, as the depth of this series’ plot continues to spiral and expand in this middle chapter. Tom is forced to navigate new depths of grief, alienation from […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-08-03T07:55:34+02:00July 16th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy|

Review: Kaleidoscope of Colors II by Robert A. Cozzi

Poet and author Robert A. Cozzi has forged another powerful and personal collection of poetry in Kaleidoscope of Colors II.

Delving through his own painful and passionate life, and laying out what he has learned and felt over the course of his life, this second dynamic installment certainly earns its name. Showing impressive poetic flexibility, Cozzi moves through themes and metric styles with ease, whether it’s a pair of hard-hitting haikus or a lyrical, exploratory wander through a memory.

There are gorgeous homages to the past, such as the poem titled “Rebecca,” a portrait of a portrait, with abstract […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-08-03T01:52:16+02:00July 15th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Poetry, Robert A. Cozzi|

Review: “B” is for Baylee by Kay M. Bates

Author Kay M. Bates has crafted a hard but hopeful YA novel in “B” is for Baylee, a story that shines a light on life’s unpredictability and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

After taking a line drive head-on during her softball game, young Baylee Harker’s life is changed forever, as there is no promise that her vision will ever return to normal. Beginning a new year at Stoutland Middle School as a legally blind student means a constant cycle of struggles to adapt and persevere, while also managing the emotional and psychological turmoil of being an “official […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-07-29T08:42:21+02:00July 15th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Young Adult|

Review: Behind the Paint by Marve Hendry

In his second poetry publication, Behind the Paint, Marve Hendry emphasizes the masks we wear to hide ourselves from a multitude of life’s quandaries, and occasionally, even from ourselves.

This emotive and engaging collection is divided into five sections, with each heading beginning with “Behind the…” In “Behind the I” the poet opens with “to whom it may concern” in which he examines and questions some common assumptions:

I can’t begin to imagine
where do beautiful things go
sometimes I can
but then I feel I shouldn’t

In “Diaries of an Insomniac,” the poetic protagonist tries to stay awake […]

SPR2021-07-28T08:34:05+02:00July 9th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Poetry|

Review: Human Rising by Roar Mikalsen

Author Roar Mikalsen has crafted a powerful argument against totalitarian thinking, the war on drugs, and other ills of a broken society in Human Rising: The Prohibitionist Psychosis and its Constitutional Implications. The title may be a mouthful, but this is a fascinating dive into the historical precedent, policy, and liberation from the prohibitionist mindset.

Beginning with a psychological and philosophical foundation for the status quo, and explaining how the masses are controlled with relative ease through a multifaceted strategy of fear and scarcity, the author wastes no time in reminding readers that they’re living in a carefully controlled […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-07-12T07:46:05+02:00July 6th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Roar Mikalsen, Social Science|

Review: The Lost Princess of Story by Suzanne de Planque

Author Suzanne de Planque weaves a marvelous new world for fairy tale and high-fantasy lovers alike in The Lost Princess of Story (The Chronicles of Story: Volume One). Blurring the lines between the hard and charming streets of Brooklyn and the mythology of Story, the place where all our fairy tales are true, this endlessly creative novel is an immersive new chapter to the tales we’ve known for generations.

Following a youthful band of unsuspecting heroes as they discover what a true adventure means, the Doors to Story begin to open, and these unsuspecting children are pulled back into […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-03-16T04:31:59+02:00July 5th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, Suzanne de Planque, YA Fantasy, Young Adult|

Review: To Right A Wrong by Roar Mikalsen

Unleashing a torrent of evidence and critical analysis on the concept of constitutional law and our troubled relationship to it, To Right A Wrong: A Transpersonal Framework for Constitutional Construction by Roar Mikalsen is a captivating read, and a critical argument for our times.

From the very first page, readers understand that this will be a unique book, one focused on deconstructing the status quo from the foundations through logic and innovative viewpoints, and break down the accepted paradigms of American life. The psychological influence that leads us to collective living, political rule, and ultimately subjugation, is explored in accessible […]