Scipio Rising (Scipio Africanus Saga Book 1) by Martin Tessmer
In Scipio Rising, the first book in the Scipio Africanus Saga, Martin Tessmer has done an expert job of weaving historical fact and narrative into a well-structured plot. The mirroring of Hannibal with Scipio works to weigh them both as military geniuses, bringing the forgotten Scipio to the historical stage that Hannibal has dominated for so long.
The novel is well-paced with carefully drawn characters, which gives the book the entertaining flow of fiction, rather than seeming like a dry retelling of historical events. The prose is clean and smart; Tessmer’s background as a former university professor shines through […]





I Am Not Nothin’: The Serpent Handler’s Daughter by Tommy G. Robertson takes readers back to a time and place where things might seem simpler on the surface, but in reality they are not. Centered in a coal mining “company” town, the cast of characters are dealing with a type of indentured servitude to the owner of the coal and coke company while they are just trying to get by in life.

