CRIME THRILLER REVIEW: Cold Series 2: A Cold Silence - Alison Littlewoods

Release Date: 03/09/15
Publisher:  Jo Fletcher Books

SYNOPSIS:

Ben Cassidy has strict instructions from his mother, Cass, never to return to his childhood home of Darnshaw. But when an old friend dies, he returns to investigate a computer game she was playing named Acheron.

Acheron claims it will give you all that you ask for, something Gaila, Ben's sister, knows all too well. But there is a price, and hers is to get Ben to London.

As Ben and his friends delve ever deeper into the world of Acheron, good motivations and morality begin to slip, and they find themselves falling further into corruption. Ben and Gaila could save them all, but the price for doing so might just be too high to pay . . .


REVIEW:

I remember reading an Urban Fantasy by Alison a couple of years ago and what I recall was a story that was well written with a cracking crime element so when I noticed this Thriller coming out I couldn’t wait to embark upon another journey with her. As with the original book I read this one brings a lot of the elements that I fell in love with into this story. It had good pace, a solid storyline and when you throw into it a characters that I enjoyed spending time around really made this a book that I had a hard time putting down.

SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: Everness 1: Planesrunner - Ian McDonald

Release Date: 03/01/13

SYNOPSIS:

There is not just one you, there are many yous. We're part of a multiplicity of universes in parallel dimensions - and Tejendra Singh has found a way in. But he's been kidnapped, and now it is as though Tejendra never existed. Yet there is one clue for his son, Everett, to follow: a mysterious app, the Infundibulum. The app is a map, not just to the Ten Known Worlds, but to the entire multiverse - and there are those who want to get their hands on it very badly. If Everett's going to keep it safe and rescue his father, he's going to need friends: like Captain Anastasia Sixsmyth, her adopted daughter, Sen, and the crew of the airship Everness.


REVIEW:

I love a Science Fiction novel that brings heroes that the young reader can get on with as well as villains that they’ll just love to hate especially when a well-established author brings his talent to the fore for that market. What unfurls within is a story that travels multiple universes with a lead character that the younger reader will love to spend time around, he’s believable, is fully rounded and when added to the authors wonderful way of moving a story forward really generates a story that young readers will find hard to put down.

Back that up with cracking prose, some top notch dialogue which when backed with an author who loves to weave magic with words really gives you something special.

FANTASY REVIEW: Snowmelt River - Frank P Ryan

Release Date: 02/08/12

SYNOPSIS:

On the summit of the fabled mountain Slievenamon in Ireland there is a doorway to an ancient land of terrible power. The gate of Feimhin has lain closed for centuries, the secret of its opening long lost. But now four orphans drawn together by Fate must pass through the portal to face their destinies. What they find beyond is the enchanted but war-ravaged world of Tir, a strange land peopled by beings of magic. Here death waits at every corner and they must learn to fight if they are to survive. And they'd better learn quickly, because their enemy, the Tyrant of the Wastelands, is growing in power.


REVIEW:

Books that are centred around young characters are usually for the young reader however this title transcends that and takes fans of fantasy into a world of adventure, double dealing, warfare and also personal expansion, its wonderfully written with solid prose and great pace.

Yet for me the real quality of this book is the author’s depiction of the central characters who are not only well rounded but each have flaws yet together make up a stronger whole. It’s cleverly crafted, wonderfully woven and all round really does give you something special.

NEWS: Writing Competition

Hail Mighty Readers,
Our friends over at Jo Fletcher Books are running a competition in Scienec Fiction, Fantasy and Horror short stories conjunction with National Short Story Writing Week. Here's the details:

A while ago we ran some very successful contests on Twitter with each story having to be 140 characters long…

Well, this time we have increased the limit to 140 words to give you a bit more room to spread your creative wings.

The top 3 stories will each win a copy of the wonderful collection of horror stories A Book of Horrors and Mazarkis Williams’ wonderful fantasy The Emperor’s Knife.

The Deadline for entries is midnight on Sunday 13th of November.

Terms and Conditions apply.

In order to enter your piece please go here:

Entry Form