I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to violence and mature language, I categorize this book/novel as R January Cole is the primary character of this novel. She is head of security at the Paradox Hotel.
Hotel security is never easy, especially when most clients are among the most powerful and wealthiest people. All at the hotel for their excursions back in time. Being located near the only working time portal has introduced its own set of weird problems.
The days ahead look particularly stressful for Cole. The US government owns the time portal, but it is about to put the facility up for sale. If that was not enough, Cole saw a corpse in room 526. But only she has seen the body. Her earlier work with the Time Enforcement Agency has caused her to become Unstuck in time, an affliction that will eventually prove fatal. She knows she is getting worse, but is unwilling to leave the hotel. At least being there she can experience flashbacks of her deceased girlfriend.
Then things get worse. Something goes wrong at the time portal, causing pending trips to be canceled. The master clock in the hotel atrium begins to malfunction. There are deaths in the hotel. Cole has to get to the bottom of the mystery while she can still function.
I enjoyed the 9.5+ hours I spent reading this 321-page science fiction novel. This novel was a little weird. Unlike most novels I have read, I didn’t really like the main character in this one. Previously I read The Warehouse, one of Hart’s earlier novels. I liked it, but I think that this one was more enjoyable. There is a touch of LGBTQ in the story, but it is not the main part of the plot. I give this novel a rating of 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.
(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – I read and reviewed the science fiction novel Fall of Zona Nox in March of this year. Afterwards, I reached out to the author, Nicholas Woode-Smith, requesting an interview. He graciously accepted.
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Myself: When did you first realize that you wanted to become a writer?
Woode-Smith: I have always adored coming up with stories and interesting worlds. This started in school, when I used to come up with scenarios and worlds for my friends. Later on, I started playing video games. In particular, a game called Spore: Galactic Adventures. The game allowed the player to craft scenarios and stories for other players to enjoy. I created a series of sci-fi stories, detailing the exploits of birdmen warriors, pig-headed merchants, and an army of masked troopers.
The story-telling capacity of the game had its limits, but I still had more stories to tell. So, I decided that I wanted to write. And it seemed I became half-way decent at it.
Myself: What is the first piece that you remember writing?
Woode-Smith: The first book I remember ever creating was a little illustrated book with a stapled spine. It was based directly off the 1st level of an old game called Age of Mythology and was a gift for my grandparents. Not sure where it is now.
Myself: It seems that video games had a significant impact on your early writing efforts. Do you think that video games are a way to stimulate the imagination?
Woode-Smith: Definitely! Games are like any other form of escapism, with one crucial addition. While you are definitely being inspired and gaining ideas from books, film and TV, it is ultimately a linear and passive experience. When in video games, you are actively participating in the story, making choices and shaping your experience. What is that but storytelling? Video games, at least for me, were my first foray into storytelling.
Myself: What was your favorite class in High School?
Woode-Smith: Definitely history. History, when studied properly, is essentially just a story. It’s a narrative of humankind and I find it fascinating to this day.
Myself: That is an interesting way to look at history. I too find it fascinating.What is your academic and work background?
Woode-Smith: I studied politics, philosophy, and economic history at the University of Cape Town. I have worked as a social media director for a non-profit, and a managing editor for a political commentary website. I write non-fiction articles commenting on politics and economics in South Africa. My main job is my fiction writing.
Myself: That is a bit backwards from most authors I have spoken with. They have to make writing their second job. What part of the world do you currently live in?
Woode-Smith: Cape Town, South Africa. The real-life location of Hope City, the setting of my Kat Drummond Series.
Myself: Do you think that living there has affected your writing?
Woode-Smith: Definitely. My urban fantasy series, Kat Drummond, is set in Cape Town. And people familiar with the city can see the flavour of the city infused into my writing.
Myself: How do you relax? What are your hobbies?
Woode-Smith: I love video games and have been playing a wide variety of games since a young age. I also enjoy painting, building and playing Warhammer 40k. Of course, I enjoy reading as well. Fantasy, sci-fi, and history.
Myself: What’s the earliest book you remember reading for yourself?
Woode-Smith: Probably a Goosebumps. Maybe Narnia. I loved both.
Myself: Did you read much growing up?
Woode-Smith: I was lucky to have parents who instilled in me a love of reading. I read constantly growing up.
Myself: What book that you read as a child stands out in your memory?
Woode-Smith:The Rift War Saga by Raymond Feist. I adored this series and it definitely had a profound influence on my writing.
Myself: What have you read recently?
Woode-Smith:The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. A true horror.
Myself: What is your favorite genre and book?
Woode-Smith: Fantasy has a special place in my heart. But, I’d consider Catch-22 to probably be my favourite book.
Myself: Where is your favorite place to read?
Woode-Smith: I have cultivated a habit of reading before bed. So, I struggle to read anywhere but in bed.
Myself: Do you prefer paper or eBooks? Do you listen to audiobooks?
Woode-Smith: I prefer paper but don’t mind reading on my Kindle. I struggle with audiobooks.
Myself: What books do you recommend to others? Give as gifts?
Woode-Smith: I recommend Catch-22 to everyone. It’s an amazing book.
Myself: What are your ambitions for your writing career?
Woode-Smith: My dream is for my books and my worlds to become a part of the lives of my readers. I’d love for a fandom to develop around my books, with my stories eventually making their way into series, games and other mediums.
Myself: How did you pick the genres for your stories?
Woode-Smith: I adore fantasy and sci-fi. Reading it, playing it, and watching it. So, it was easy to pick my genres.
Myself: Where do your story ideas come from?
Woode-Smith: A combination of inspiration from games, film, other books, and real world history.
Myself: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just to see where an idea takes you?
Woode-Smith: I am an intense outliner. I like to create a scene by scene outline before I begin writing in earnest.
Myself: Do you ever find yourself ‘becoming’ one of your characters as you write?
Woode-Smith: Probably. But I always adore it when the characters are their own separate individuals. When it feels like I’m truly interacting with a thinking being, that is when I’m pleased with my writing. So, my goal is for me to not become them, but for them to become their own persons.
Myself: About how long does it take you to complete the first draft? How long do your revisions take?
Woode-Smith: Usually 1-2 months. This is more because I’m balancing my time between marketing and my freelance writing. If I could dedicate more time to writing, then I would be able to churn out a book reliably once a month.
Myself: That is an impressive writing schedule.How much research do you put into a novel?
Woode-Smith: A reasonable amount. A lot of the time, I am basing my writing off research I’ve already done.
Myself: What are the hardest and easiest things about writing?
Woode-Smith: Hardest thing about writing is self-doubt. It’s incredibly easy to doubt one’s own abilities, and this leads to low enthusiasm, inconsistency and, at worst, giving up. Easiest is getting better. Just keep practicing, learning, reading and honing the craft and you will improve.
Myself: What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Woode-Smith: Just write. I know this sounds trite, but there is no better advice. Just keep writing, practicing, honing the craft. And most importantly, don’t overthink the writing. Perfection is a scam. It doesn’t exist. If someone out there enjoys reading your own, it is perfect enough.
Myself: What novels/works have you published?
Woode-Smith: There are 14 main novels in the Kat Drummond Series, with two side novels. In the past, I published 9 sci-fi novels but I unpublished them so I could re-write and combine them into 4 novels.
Myself: Looking at your website you have a very aggressive schedule for future Warpmancer book releases. Is that the rate which you normally produce a new work?
Woode-Smith:Warpmancer is mostly already written. Books 1 – 3 are already written, with book 4 being 50% done. I am spending most of this year re-writing the existing books and then writing the final 2 and a half books. As I mentioned before, I can produce a book in 1-2 months. So, it is at my general rate.
Myself: What are you currently working on?
Woode-Smith: I am currently working on the latter half of book 4 of the Warpmancer Saga, Conquest of the Defiant.
Myself: How should your fans follow you or get in touch?
Woode-Smith: The best ways to get in touch would be to sign up to my newsletter and my Facebook group. Links below:
(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Brendan Simms and Steven McGregor are the authors of several history books. The book The Silver Waterfall: How America Won the War in the Pacific at Midway was published earlier this month.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to some scenes of violence, I categorize this book as PG.
This book covers the battle at Midway. Unlike many works of history, this story is told from both the Japanese and the US perspectives. The book tells the history of US dive bombers and, in particular, the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A lot of consideration is given to the development of the Dauntless. Many consider the battle at Midway the turning point of the war in the Pacific. The US Navy achieved an unexpected victory over the more experienced Japanese. The procedures and tactics of both the Japanese and US fleets are reviewed. Some of the exploits of individual pilots on both sides are followed.
I enjoyed the 6+ hours I spent reading this 354-page WWII history. Unlike so many books on history, this book was an exciting read. If you are interested in the history of the Pacific Theater or naval aviation, you will enjoy this book. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a rating of 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.
If you have an interest in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest.
The “World War II Resources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 590 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II era in history.
The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII. Included are links to many fiction and non-fiction books on WWII that I have read and reviewed. There are also links to WWII oriented podcasts.
With the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review, I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com. I categorize this book as G. The book contains 160 photos from WWII battlefields around the globe. Many locations are depicted both during the war and today. The book gives a high-level look at WWII.
I enjoyed the 3+ hours I spent reading this 224-page photo history. The photos were very nice, but I didn’t really learn anything new. The one thing I would have liked to have seen added was maps. I would say that this is a coffee-table-book. I give this book a rating of 3.3 out of 5.
If you have an interest in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest.
The “World War II Resources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 590 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II era in history.
The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII. Included are links to many fiction and non-fiction books on WWII that I have read and reviewed. There are also links to WWII oriented podcasts.
(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Patricia Gibney https://patriciagibney.com is the author of seven novels. The novel The Stolen Girls was published in 2017. It is the second book in the Detective Lottie Parker series.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to scenes of violence, mature situations, and mature language, I categorize this novel as ‘R’. The primary character is Irish Garda Detective Lottie Parker.
Parker is facing many issues in her personal life. She became a widow only four years before. Involvement in an earlier investigation has traumatized her three children.
One day a foreign woman appears at Parker’s door asking for help but then disappears. Later, the body of a young woman is found. More bodies and missing women follow. A close friend of Parker’s teenage daughter has gone missing. Could there be a connection?
One suspect implies that Parker’s deceased husband is somehow linked. The Garda has a suspect, but Parker doesn’t think he is responsible. Can she find the killer before there are more bodies?
I enjoyed the 9.5 hours I spent reading this 465-page mystery. While this novel reads OK on its own, it would be better to start reading with the first novel in the series. The cover art is a bit drab, but the story is also a little dark. It seems to fit. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
In the email I received from them today they noted that the ebook edition of Dieppe 1942 by Ronald Atkin is currently available from Amazon for FREE. I have downloaded it but not yet read the 343 page volume. The book was published in 2021.
If you are a student of WWII history you should act now to add this book to your bookshelf. These sales often last only a few days, so better to act soon.
If you have an interest in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest.
The “World War II Resources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 580 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II era in history.
The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII. Included are links to many fiction and non-fiction books on WWII that I have read and reviewed. There are also links to WWII oriented podcasts.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to some violence and mature language, I categorize this novel as PG. As you might expect from the title, the main character is Mickey Barnes.
The novel is set in a distant future. Humanity has begun to spread out to the stars. Barnes is unique among his group of colonists. He is their designated expendable. That is because his body and brain have been scanned. A new body can be grown and his consciousness downloaded. Why? So that Barnes can perform any dangerous task that the colonists need to have done. So far, he has died and had to be regenerated six times. That is why he is called Mickey7.
The colonists have traveled to the planet Niflheim. It was thought to be Earth-like. Once they arrived, they found it to be an ice-covered world. The colonists can survive, but just barely. The story begins with Barnes called upon again for a dangerous mission on the planet’s surface. Native life has become a threat to the colony, and Barnes is sent on a scouting mission.
Barnes becomes lost. By the time he makes it back to the colony enclosure, there is a Mickey8 waiting for him. The idea of regeneration is loathed by many of the colonists. Strict rules govern regeneration, limiting one living copy. Now one or perhaps both Barnes could be terminated. Not only must Mickey7 deal with this threat, but he finds himself the only one in a position to handle the local inhabitants.
I enjoyed the 7 hours I spent reading this 288-page science fiction novel. This is a different take on human colonization. Being the one and only colonist to be able to regenerate gives the Barnes character some unique plot opportunities. The chosen cover art is eye-catching but does not have much to do with the main plot thread of the story. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
In the email I received from them yesterday they noted that the ebook edition of Hitler’s Heralds: The story of the Freikorps 1918–1923 by Nigel Jones is currently available from Amazon for FREE. I have downloaded it but not yet read the 350 page volume. The book was published in 2020.
If you are a student of WWII history you should act now to add this book to your bookshelf. These sales often last only a few days.
If you have an interest in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest.
The “World War II Resources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 580 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II era in history.
The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII. Included are links to many fiction and non-fiction books on WWII that I have read and reviewed. There are also links to WWII oriented podcasts.
John's Notes 