For your consideration:
- A collection of steampunk short-stories (Boston Metaphysical Society: Prelude);
- Two, interconnected novellas (Daedalus: SWIC Basejump from Fred Noonan Skyport and Daedalus LEO: SWIC Drop from Low Earth Orbit) - two more are planned by the author;
- An entertainingly bizarre, steampunk novel (The Diplomat and Desperado Stories); and
- A self-help book (Turn Your Happiness ON).
Bruce
Boston
Metaphysical Society: Prelude: A Seven Story Collection by Madeleine
Holly-Rosing
Coming-of-Age
Short Stories Set in a Well-Crafted, Steampunk Alternative History
Prelude,
a short-story collection, is one of three literary paths into an alternative,
steampunk world that is the Boston Metaphysical Society. The other two paths
are a novel, Storm of Secrets, which I have read, and a comic book/graphic
novel, which I have not. The two I've read lead to a fascinating world where
steam power and gauges replace the electronics and digital readouts of our
world. And it's not just technology that's different, but history and society
as well. Then, add a supernatural element with mediums, ghosts, and demons, and
you have a fertile setting for the imaginative tales that make up Prelude.
For the complete review, see
Daedalus: SWIC Basejump from Fred Noonan Skyport by Robert G. Williscroft
A Death-Defying Feat Told with the Swagger of a Navy SEAL
Imagine, if you will, riding something like an extremely high-speed elevator 80 kilometers into the sky (that’s almost 50 miles or over 262,000 feet). And you’re doing this in preparation for jumping with nothing but a hard-shell, wingsuit with a steerable rocket while aiming for a small island 379 kilometers away. I can think of a lot of phrases that might describe people’s feelings as that elevator starts its ascent—paralyzed by fear, hearts pounding in their ears, stomachs in their throats. Now consider how the narrator of the novella Daedalus, Tiger Bailey a Navy SEAL, described it. “I felt a faint tug that rapidly increased to about the same pressure produced by a chick sitting on my chest.”
For the complete review, see https://amzn.to/36xPwiO.
For the complete review, see https://amzn.to/36xPwiO.
Daedalus LEO: SWIC Drop from Low Earth Orbit (Daedalus Series Book 2) by Robert G. Williscroft.
An Interesting Blend of Science and Fiction with a Larger than Life HeroLike the first installment of the series, the focus of Daedalus LEO is on using a wingsuit to deliver SEALs to a trouble spot, a concept that is part science and part fiction. And like all good hard-science-fiction writing, the boundary between current theory and the author’s imagination is difficult to determine. Leave the readers guessing, make them sweat. That tension, however, generally comes from trying to guess the dividing line between current, beneficial theory and the story’s disastrous side effects of the same technology. Just where in the development of technology X did it stop being the savior of mankind and become our downfall? In this book, however, there is no catastrophic side of the wingsuit and so, the distinction between fact and fantasy is interesting, if not particularly tension producing.
For the complete review, see https://amzn.to/2NPKZQt.
The Diplomat and Desperado
Stories by PanOrpheus.
I read
PanOrpheus’s books with a search window open.
PanOrpheus’s
books—and I’ve read a few—involve a bizarre collection of recurring figures
from history and mythology, not to mention from the author’s imagination.
Phoebe, the Spirit of the mythical Third Oracle of the Temple of Delphi and her
consort, Mister E, the afterlife spirit of Nikola Tesla are a couple of
examples. In this installment, these two assign their agents—the Diplomat and
the Desperado—to travel to other times and realms to correct certain anomalies
that have or are about to occur. And these two, let me assure you, have unique
ways for dealing with anomalies!
For the complete review, see https://amzn.to/2Qsnmjz.
Turn Your Happiness ON: How to Light up your Days and Fill your Life with Joy by Norma Nikutowski
Consider Your Impediments to Happiness Before You Pick Up this Book
"Happiness means different things to different people." That’s just one of dozens of quotes in the book. I wanted to use it because it highlights why this book can’t be completely successful. It can’t because, in 196 pages, it cannot deal with everyone’s impediments to living a happier life. I’d guess the author has addressed a large portion of the population. But on the other hand, I’m certain the book doesn’t address everyone. Why? Because you won’t find much on issues such as the lack of self-esteem (other than the fact that it suffers when you’re unhappy), learned helplessness, bullying, most work issues such as dealing with glass ceilings or learning to delegate, fear of success, and so on. And there is certainly nothing like living with phobias, addictions, or compulsions. So, my advice to the potential reader: consider what blocks your happiness and compare it to the topics covered in the book. To help with that process, I’ll try to summarize the book’s primary points.
For the complete review, see https://amzn.to/2QLMBxy
Turn Your Happiness ON: How to Light up your Days and Fill your Life with Joy by Norma Nikutowski
Consider Your Impediments to Happiness Before You Pick Up this Book"Happiness means different things to different people." That’s just one of dozens of quotes in the book. I wanted to use it because it highlights why this book can’t be completely successful. It can’t because, in 196 pages, it cannot deal with everyone’s impediments to living a happier life. I’d guess the author has addressed a large portion of the population. But on the other hand, I’m certain the book doesn’t address everyone. Why? Because you won’t find much on issues such as the lack of self-esteem (other than the fact that it suffers when you’re unhappy), learned helplessness, bullying, most work issues such as dealing with glass ceilings or learning to delegate, fear of success, and so on. And there is certainly nothing like living with phobias, addictions, or compulsions. So, my advice to the potential reader: consider what blocks your happiness and compare it to the topics covered in the book. To help with that process, I’ll try to summarize the book’s primary points.
For the complete review, see https://amzn.to/2QLMBxy
(I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.)
