SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
A Buzz by Jacob Lightman
An imaginative and immersive plunge into a futuristic landscape set 6500 years in the past, A Buzz by Jacob Lightman is a sci-fi rainforest adventure amidst a barely recognizable world.
Jaway, Pama, Serra, Krizzles, and a myriad cast of other future soldiers lie at the heart of this story, as they try to unite The Land and avoid the insolent incursions, and explosions, of the Rebels. This classic premise of good and evil takes place in an insect-infested world that nature has begun to violently reclaim, which ends up posing more of a threat than enemy soldiers ever could. Many […]
A wide-ranging short story collection in both content and form, Erick Drake’s Elashom the Great Refuses and Other Stories is a lush, clever, and quick read for fans of the supernatural and strange.
An uplifting work of non-fiction particularly geared toward young girls, Roots in Iran: Stories of Visionary Women by Yasmine Mahdavi recounts the lives of groundbreaking Iranian women and informs readers about Iran’s unfortunately undervalued culture and history.
A “Western-born author with Eastern sensibilities,” Barton Johnson delivers a one-a-day collection of intimate haikus with Five Seven Five. Drawing less on natural imagery and more on deep, personal introspection, these 17-syllable offerings are stark and powerful, each one polished and tightly edited for maximum effect.
The third installment of the thrillingly unpredictable Housekeeper Mystery Series, The Church Murders and the Cat’s Prey by F. Della Notte is a wild, bullet-riddled ride.
A gentle, melancholic collection of poetry about longing and love, Isabel Scheck’s Can’t Think Straight makes a profound and heartfelt emotional impact through simplicity and symbolism.
A deep-sea thriller with a paranormal twist, Hunted by Damian Dawes is the first throat-clenching book of The Abarath Trilogy.
A refreshing and raw splash of dystopic creativity, The Terminal Code by J.W. Galliger is a futuristic crime thriller that will leave you hungry for more, though not necessarily eager for the decades to come.