SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Fid’s Crusade (The Chronicles of Fid Book 1) by David H. Reiss
With the current saturation of superhero stories in films and television, Fid’s Crusade offers a fresh perspective on the genre.
Terry Markham is a Bruce Wayne-ish character who runs a company that creates and develops technologies that are used to help those in need. Under that guise, however, Terry Markham moonlights as Dr. Fid – a kitted-out supervillain who despairs at how the world treats superheros, despite their frequent failures.
The novel is immediately engaging because it feels like Dr. Fid is talking directly to the reader, as if in a diary – a personal touch that is often missing […]
Graphic novels may have spent decades in the shadow of comic books, but the genre continues to expand and progress, as shown in the electric new graphic novel, Genesis II, by Allan Ling and Christian Boe, a stunning artistic and storytelling achievement.
The challenges of being a young boy are uniquely showcased in Boys, Bears, and Bubblegum, an eclectic collection of short stories and poems for children written by Carolyn Madero and illustrated by Giovanni Munari and Jane Brusetti.
Layers by A.G.R. Goff is a riveting thriller that keeps you on edge throughout; it’s claustrophobic, tense, and contains a mystery that is revealed slowly, while still reading at a fast pace. 
Clouds: On the Wind is another lovely book of poetry by Gary Burns, adding another naturalistic collection to his oeuvre.
The Samui Conspiracy by Michael Peart is the entertaining sequel to the breezy legal thriller, The Fanling Conspiracy, and the last installment in the series.
A fun and witty thriller, The Fanling Conspiracy is the first in the Conspiracy Series by Michael Peart, appropriately dubbed “A light-hearted legal thriller.”