THE ATROCITIES by Jeremy C. Shipp

The Atrocities by Jeremy C. Shipp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: THE ATROCITIES by Jeremy C. Shipp

A Gallery of Grotesqueries, a House of Possession and Utter Madness, a Merging of Twin Realities. If Agatha Christie had fallen through a Lovecraftian Portal, and then penned a locked room mystery, with illustrations by William Blake, the result might resemble the vast estate, "The Atrocities," and its family, in this stunning Gothic panorama. (Or consider "The Fall of the House of Usher," if a collaboration by Lovecraft and Mary Shelley.

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2018_CAN YOU READ A SERIES?_Challenge

April Challenge

My choice is the quartet, WITCHING SAVANNAH, by J. D. Horn. I own the first three, and I will get the fourth via Kindle Unlimited. In fact, #1-3 will be checkoffs on 2 other challenges: 2018 Blogger Shame, and 2018 Bookish Resolutions.

THE LINE #1

THE SOURCE #2

THE VOID #3

JILO #4

GOODREADS Shelf

Changing in midstream, I am instead reading Books 1-6 of the Liv Bergen Mystery Series By Sandra Brannan.

Book 1: IN THE BELLY OF JONAH, read April 20-21 See my review HERE

Book 2: LOT'S RETURN TO SODOM, read April 22 See my review HERE

Review: A PLACE FOR PLUTO

A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: A PLACE FOR PLUTO

Totally delightful, with lovely, friendly, illustrations, and gentle text guiding children as Pluto is first stripped of his planetary status and then wanders the galaxy, accompanied by his five moons, as he determines his new identity. Is Pluto a comet? An asteroid? A meteoroid? Follow along as this former planet finds a home. (As a Pluto purist, I really enjoyed this story.)

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Review of A STITCH IN SPACE by Christopher Lansdown

A Stitch in Space by Christopher Lansdown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review of A STITCH IN SPACE by Christopher Lansdown

Priest in Space? Sounds like an unusual premise...not so much when one considers that since the 4th century A.D., priests (and monks, and brothers) have been travelling to the far-flung outposts of this planet, bringing their faith and philosophies. So why, in the future, should it be at all unusual for priests to travel into space, to serve on new space colonies, perhaps to act as chaplains on space vessels?

This premise gives author Christopher Lansdown the opportunity to present Father Xristopher Guerin, a highly intelligent, vastly-read, devoted priest, who is traveling to the colony of Xanadu to replace the current priest who is in his 90's. Through Fr. Guerin, the author riffs on philosophy, religion, faith, and metaphysics, classic science fiction tropes, and explores the multitude of human emotions, seen here in the microcosm of a space-faring cargo vessel traveling to a distant colony.

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NIGHT FALL by Simon Green

Night Fall by Simon R. Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: NIGHT FALL by Simon R. Green
(Secret Histories #12)

Author Simon Green brings to a conclusion his Secret Histories and the alternate dimension of London known as the Nightside. Where good and evil are not white and black but infinite shades of gray, where literally anything imaginable is available and so is the unimaginable, where anyone can lose wallet, life, soul: this is the Nghtside. Suddenly it's boundaries expand, so the Droods, the extended and extensive ancient clan sworn to protect Humanity, leaps into the fray. The results are disastrous, but the pace is unrelentingly riveting. I'm sorry to see the Nightside move offstage--but Mr. Green sure did it up right. An amazing finale.


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PROJECT ATLANTIS by Brandon Ellis_Review

Project Atlantis by Brandon Ellis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review: PROJECT ATLANTIS by Brandon Ellis
(ASCENDANT CHRONICLES BOOK 1)

Thrillers need to start with a strong reader's hook; PROJECT ATLANTIS zooms into space with powerful impact, riveting readers to the page. As a born conspiracy theorist, I reveled in the multiple layers of conspiracy riddled throughout the plot, cheering on several characters, wishing others would just disappear. PROJECT ATLANTIS is meta-sci fi thriller--so much is delved into: astrophysics, space travel, space battle, the Solar System, aliens, geology, Atlantis, Pyramids...The author has a wide-ranging imagination and a thirst for research and knowledge (rather like protagonist Kaden Jaxx) and he delights to share it with readers. Now, on to Book 2!


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MY HUNGRY FRIEND by Daniel Barnett_Review

Review: MY HUNGRY FRIEND by Daniel Barnett Literally I devoured this novella in one evening (and "devoured" is apropos here). This is my third read by Mr. Barnett {the first was THE SAFE, the second LONGREAVE} and once again, I found my mind and horizons incredibly stretched. (Again, "horizons" is apropos.) I was not fond of the protagonist (though I did appreciate his literate mother and her highly intelligent and perceptive caregiver). I just found dentist Mike one who took the easy road way too often (and was quite a bit a spoiled brat). But the protagonist wasn't my focus in the story. Although he did undergo a character arc (devolution, then evolution), what fired my imagination was the truly Lovecraftian overlay. {It is not true that as a Lovecraft devotee I find Mythos anywhere.} The overlay world that Mr. Barnett illustrates is wildly imaginative and highly creative, and deserves a wild audience. If you like the imaginative ponderings of author Tim Meyer, do snatch up MY HUNGRY FRIEND.