Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Surviving the College Admissions Madness by Kevin Robert Martin

An unflinching and savagely honest review of the college admissions process and modern-day higher education as a whole, Surviving the College Admissions Madness by Kevin Robert Martin is a must-read for those who are entering the convoluted system of university life.

Unlike so many other books on the admissions process, this revelatory read begins with the author’s simple premise – that elite colleges don’t care about their applicants or future students, seeing them merely as investments. Martin argues that the process of gaining admittance has become so cutthroat and competitive that it is genuinely traumatic for tens of thousands of […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-09-28T03:02:10+02:00August 15th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Education|

Review: The Wolf Lords by F.T. McKinstry

A masterfully detailed second installment of the Fylking series, The Wolf Lords by F.T. McKinstry is an immersive fantasy novel mixing well-known mythology with complex layers of magic, political intrigue, ancient traditions, and noble heroes.

Vaethir, the immortal warlock and destroyer of the Math Gate, has gathered an army on the other side of the Veil, but his single-minded drive for revenge against the woman who permanently wounded him means returning to Math by other means. Then there is Leofwine, a ranger and apprentice to the Order of Fenrir, who bears a mountain of grief for his dead lover and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-09-27T09:22:08+02:00August 14th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Venus World by Hywel Richard Pinto

A femme-dominated future falls into fracture and peril in The Venus World by Hywel Richard Pinto, a sprawling slice of post-apocalyptic and speculative fiction.

Men are reduced to reproductive necessities after a freak biohazard virus is unleashed on the world, wiping out males across the world in staggering numbers. With their population diminished and their power contained, it seems that the future truly is female, but not all are in agreement about the way forward.

Six queens rule over this new world, and each of their regions has its own supplies and demands, leading inevitably to conflict and decidedly bad […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-09-17T06:54:42+02:00August 13th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Dystopian Fiction Book Reviews, Speculative Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Pike’s Passage by John J Spearman

Taking an unexpected turn in the Sandy Pike series, Pike’s Passage by John J Spearman is a stellar second installment of his sci-fi saga. Capturing the same authenticity in terms of detail and world-building, this follow-up turns inwards to a more adventurous and character-driven drama, rather than a sprawling epic.

When Sandy Pike sees his lifelong dream of being a starship captain slipping away as the Alliance stumbles into an unthinkable cosmic defeat, he refuses to let the mistakes of other men steal his shot at happiness. The idea of entering the freight business means a smooth transition away from […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-09-16T03:50:24+02:00August 12th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Eudora Space Kid: The Great Engine Room Takeover by David Horn

A precocious little rebel with her eyes on the stars makes a name for herself in dramatic fashion in The Great Engine Room Takeover by David Horn, the first book in the Eudora Space Kid series. A fun-fueled tale of a young girl chasing down her dreams at light speed, this is an accessible and entertaining start to the series.

With a gentle bipedal wolf for a mother and an octopus-headed humanoid father, Eudora Jenkins’ family is anything but normal. She also lives on Athena, the flagship of AstroFleet, and has a very hard time staying out of trouble, meaning […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-05-02T10:54:59+02:00August 10th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Pandemic by Dieter Gartelman

A novel that strongly argues the point that reality is stranger than fiction, Pandemic by Dieter Gartelman is a fictional retelling of the pandemic still wreaking havoc around the globe, and a hypothetical fate we all may still face. Blending true history with semi-hysterical visions of the future is a storytelling gamble, but Gartelman hits the mark in this prophetic and troubling portrait of America.

Having a diverse range of protagonists provides a uniquely well-rounded perspective on the global crisis at the center of this story. Michael Thompson’s expertise in public health, his wife Dorothy’s intrepid reporting skills, John Othallo’s […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-08-09T02:49:26+02:00August 9th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Dystopian Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Vice Chairman’s Doctrine by Ian Domowitz

A denizen of both the academic and the corporate worlds, author Ian Domowitz offers a look at the inner workings of industry from the perspective of those tasked with leadership while being denied any specific guidance and any real authority in The Vice Chairman’s Doctrine: A Guide to Rocking the Top in Industry Version 4.0.

Receiving the role of “vice chairman” was Domowitz’s entry into the behind-the-scenes realm of corporate oversight. He soon noted that job descriptions for this title indicate that it “typically goes to a top executive who has been shafted.” Reorganization and other factors can result […]

SPR2021-08-25T04:09:28+02:00August 8th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Business Book Reviews, Leadership Book Reviews|

Review: Tokyo Zangyo by Michael Pronko

A spectacular plunge into the dark heart pumping beneath Tokyo’s shining streets, Tokyo Zangyo by Michael Pronko is the fourth stellar installment of his Detective Hiroshi series. From the gripping opening scene that sets a deadly tone, to the breakneck investigation’s dramatic climax, this novel rarely lets up in intensity or intrigue.

Detective Hiroshi Shimizu is once again summoned to the site of a grisly mystery – a bucho businessman named Shigeru Onizuka found splattered on the pavement beneath the building where he’d done his life’s work. However, his work at Senden Infinity also included being a notorious bully and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2021-08-24T02:38:20+02:00August 5th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Detective Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|