Roll the Dice on Orconomics and Gain +4 Happiness

Orconomics: A Satire
(The Dark Profit Saga Book 1)
Author: J. Zachary Pike
Publisher: Gnomish Press
Pages: 385
Genre: Satirical Fantasy
Twitter: @jzacharypike
Facebook: JZacharyPike
Website: JZacharyPike.com

One of the things I love most about the fantasy genre is the how easily I can emerse myself in that particular world. While I never had the opportunity to play Dungeons & Dragons as a youth, I did play World of Warcraft. What an amazing experience! A world of endless borders where I could walk end-to-end, and even without seeking out battles or quests, I could simply explore the world of Azeroth.

Of course it was easy to lose oneself for hours, nay days on end: Farming for coins and saving to purchase epic armor or weapons, traveling to city centers to get the best deal on a trade, selling items I created through my “talents”, talking to Non Player Characters (NPC) and searching for quests. I definately can not leave out the time honored tradition of looting our defeated enemies, ending up with either torn animal hides or a Legendary Weapon.

It’s been a few years now since I last played since I played WoW and I have to say I often miss it.

Why the walk down nostalgia lane? Because while reading Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike I was immediately transported to those fun days running quests and looting my dead enemies. When I was approached with an offer for a free copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review, I did not know wha to expect. My past camping experience aside, the premise of the novel is intriguing enough to pick up.

J. Zachary Pike

The adventuring industry drives the economy of Arth, a world much like our own but with more magic and fewer vowels. On Arth, professional heroes are hired to slay fantastic creatures with magic weapons. The beasts’ treasure is hauled back to town and divided among investors.

Since his career as a professional hero ended in failure decades ago, Gorm Ingerson’s life has been a cycle of petty crime, heavy drinking and avoiding the Heroes’ Guild. But when the Dwarf helps a Goblin secure its NPC documents, he quickly finds himself in the clutches of the guild’s enforcers.

It will take all of Gorm’s Dwarven resolve to survive political intrigue, fundamentalist lizard men, purse kobolds, healing potion addicts, and worse. Yet even if he succeeds, it may not be enough to protect his party from the dark secret behind their quest.
Orconomics is a joy to read. J. Zachary Pike is a Master Dungeon Master and weaves a fantastic tale that is funny, full of adventure and

If you’ve ever sat around a table with multi sided dice, creating wild adventure and trying to determine if the spell your wizard cast indicted +4 physical damage or -2 Intellect drain, or if you’ve immersed yourself in an MMORPG, then this novel is for you. Even if you have NO. IDEA. WHAT. I. JUST. WROTE,  but you enjoy the lighter side of Fantasy, then this novel is for you.

Roll the Dice. Get ready to Level your Fantasy Reading this Summer.  Orconomics should be on every fantasy lover’s reading list this summer.

+4 Stars out of 5.

Download your copy of Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike today! CLICK HERE. 

Special thanks to Sage Adderley and Sage’s Blog Tours for letting me participate in this tour.

Gelineau and King’s A Reaper of Stone Is The Start of Something Astonishing.

A Reaper of Stone
(Echoes of the Ascended Series)
Authors Mark Gelineau and Joe King
Publisher: Gelineau & King (September 2015)
Pages: 106
Twitter: @GELINEAUandKING
Facebook: Gelineau&King
Website: GelineauandKing.com

Warning: A Reaper of Stone is highly addictive.  Make room on your calendars, cancel appointments, find a dog sitter because, once you realize there are more novellas by Gelineau and King, you will not be able to physically stop yourself from reading them.

To say I’m very selective of my fantasy reading is a bit of an understatement.  As is often the case nowadays, fantasy series are frequently sweeping epics with publication dates spanning years, if not decades (I’m looking squarely at you George R. R. Martin). With a cast of thousands and story arcs that are more intricate than a trigonometry class book written in Klingon, these epics demand my full attention so much so that I often forsake all other series in the hopes of not confusing plot-lines or characters.  Then there are those epics that begin wonderfully, but after many years the writing declines and you merely stay along for the ride just to get a sense of fulfillment only to have the author pass away before the tale is finished. True story.

I received a request a few moths back from Mark Gelineau and Joe King  to review their novella Best Left in the Shadows. At the time I was still wary of attempting to start another fantasy series (being currently embedded in a popular one) that I promised to promote their novel in my Astounding Authors feature and call it a day.

Later, while looking for a short novel to review while on vacation, I came across the novella A Reaper of Stone by Gelineau and King on the Net Galley site. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this novella in exchange for a fair and honest review.)  The first thing I noticed was that it’s part of the Echoes of the Ascended world, as was Best Left in the Shadows.  But it wasn’t until I read that the authors had a plan to publish a new novella each month set in the world of Aedaron that I came to realize the utter brilliance of these stories.

In the authors’ own words: “Echoes of the Ascended is a series of series. Each follows the lives of five orphans. Each features a different orphan. Each is a different kind of tale.”

A Reaper of Stone, centered around  Elinor – strong, confident heroine who is a Reaper in the land of Aedaron – is mesmerizing. The old world has passed and the inhabitants of Aedaron have decided that the world must move on – all keeps of the old world must fall. But in doing so, they’ve lost their connection to the old gods, the old heroes.  The world Gelineau and King created is deep and rich.  They seem to draw from the best of fantasy: a dash of magic, a pinch of politics, and a whole lot of just waiting to be revealed history. Very much like a dealer, Gelineau and King are giving us just enough of this world to keep us hooked for the near future.  No five year waits for the next novel. No complicated plot lines that require a wikipedia page. Just five stories published in a (for now) timely fashion. Just what I needed to keep my fantasy fix going strong.

A Reaper of Stone is  suitable for young adult readers of fantasy and adults that are looking for an inventive, engrossing plot lines and captivating characters.

Next week I’ll continue the review with #2 in this particular series: Broken Banners. I definitely have more to say.  Till then, I highly recommend CLICKING HERE and downloading A Reaper of Stone. Then, after reading it, forward this review to family and friends and get THEM to read Gelineau and King.

But when you find yourself skipping your favorite TV show, avoiding sleep or not walking the dog just to keep reading the next story, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Five Astounding Stars Out of Five Stars

Spotlight on Astounding Authors

We have a wonderful selection of novels from independent and self-published authors this week. While we here at Astounding Books can’t review every request we receive, we hope you will take a look at these Astounding Authors and let us know what YOU think.  Click on the highlighted links to purchase their novels. You not only support their efforts to write more Amazing Stories, but you also help support this site to Spotlight more Astounding Authors!

 

In The Blood
Author:  R. L. Martinez
Publisher: Lakewater Press (March 2016)
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pages: 356
Twitter: @RobinLMartinez
Facebook: Robin.l.martinez400
Website: www.robinlmartinez.com

The Warrior
The war may have ended, but a new battle begins for disgraced prisoner-of-war, Ottilde Dominax. Dreams of her witchbreed twin are visions of death and betrayal. Driven by their grim warning, she escapes her captors and races across nations to save her sister.
But she may arrive too late…

The Witch
Lady Oriabel Dominax has kept her healing magic secret while she cares for her family’s struggling estate. But the arrival of a new lord hiding secrets of his own, the discovery of a dark and addictive magic and threats from a cruel blackmailer push her closer to disaster.
Through it all, the Witch’s Tree calls…

Read the exciting new novel from R. L. Martinez, In The Blood, available HERE.

 

The Keystone Staff (Aeonlith Saga Book 1)
Author: Danny F. Santos
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services (November 2015)
Pages: 62 (Novella)
Genre: Fantasy, series
Website: words.dannyfsantos.com
Twitter: @dannyfsantos
Amazon: author/dannyfsantos

The Aeonlith powered the magick abilities of the Wardens for centuries.

Kera is just a young Warden working in the Citadel’s library when the High Council orders her to accompany Jorthen deep into rival territory to find a powerful holy relic. Tensions run high but when they charter a merchant airship to smuggle them across the Disc Sea, she’ll begin to unravel secrets as their covert trip threatens to cause an all out war.

Don’t miss Book 1 of the Aeonlith Saga. Pick up your copy of The Keystone Staff today! Click HERE then come back and let us know what you thought!

 

Travel the Wicked Road
Author: M. L. Sanford
Publisher: ArchitectM, Inc (Oct. 2015)
Genre: Paranormal  Suspense / Thriller
Pages: 272
Website: www.mlsanford.com
Goodreads Author: mlsanford
Amazon Author: MLSanford
Facebook: author.mlsanford

Eaton Prescott’s young life, and path, was so far—well, in his words ‘lacking in everything that one could possible desire, or achieve’. Love, money, self-esteem, good looks, outgoing personality . . . well the list could go on and on. Little did he know that his path, the one that he would just as soon throw away and start over, was about to cross with a few other important ones—and something else. The ‘something else’, something wicked, he could do without, but then, do we have much choice on what road we take, which path we travel, or collide with?

Sheriff Bud Bustovf’s life, and path, was about to tumble into retirement, and in his mind, retiring only meant ‘sinking into uselessness, no longer of value to the citizens of New Gamore’. Little did he know, retirement was going to be anything but boring and quiet, his path too, about to cross many others, all unexpected, all life changing for him, and them. His new road, the one forced on him, uncovers buried secrets, missing people that turned into unexplained deaths, and new ones, deaths that is, all testing his grasp on reality, and his long held understanding of the family history, not to mention, his little town’s death and rebirth.

These are just a few of the odd and interesting characters introduced in the supernatural, suspense and mystery thriller, Travel the Wicked Road, by author M. L. Sanford. Oh, and don’t forget the little town of Gamore, its horrific end and curious reincarnation as New Gamore. Their paths cross, and twist, in a most unnatural way, the road leading to one of them fraught with that wicked something that many, including Eaton Prescott and Sheriff Bud Bustovf, would do anything to avoid—if only they knew.

See why happens when you Travel the Wicked Road by M. L.. Sanford. Click here to download your copy.

 

Curse of the Purple Pearl
Author: Adrian Speed
Publisher: Amazon Publishing (July 2015)
Pages: 315
Genre: Sci-Fi Mystery
Facebook: AdrianSpeedAuthor

Hannah Delaronde has an unusual hobby for a university student. While her classmates head home on their vacations, she seeks out the enigmatic Sir Reginald Derby and his steam powered time machine to solve the mysteries sent to the Derby and Delaronde Time Travel Company. They are called to Roman Vienna to solve the death of Marcus Aurelius. Who plucked the purple pearl ring from his finger? Who killed him in a room locked from the inside? Which villain will rise to claim the Roman Empire? Even as these questions pull at them a darker thread emerges that will drag them forward to Medieval France, 20th century Nigeria, the 23rd century lunar colonies and in the depths of the 99th century something evil stirs to whispers of the Purple Pearl.

Solve the mystery of the Curse of the Purple Pearl. Get your copy today!

 

 

What Lies Beneath The Surface’s End? A Good Parable.

The Surface’s End

Author: David Joel Stevenson
Paperback: 218 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (November 2, 2015)
Website: davidjoelstevenson.com
Twitter: @geekoffgrid
Facebook: Davidjoelstevenson

Jonah Whitfield lives in a small farming village near the Deathlands, a strange desert in the middle of a lush and green landscape. The inhabitants of his village live a pastoral life, one free of excess, electronics and sloth.  Hard work is valued, family life is cherished and citizens strive for a strong sense of community. But the land holds many secrets.  Rusting mechanical machines litter a nearby junkyard.  Tools and homes are crafted from the remnants of objects  whose original uses are lost to time.  One day, while hunting, Jonah explores the forbidden Deathlands area only to find a passageway to a hidden complex, a series of tunnels filled with glowing lights, working machines…and the voices of other humans.  Here he finds questions that may very shake his view of the world.

Thus begins David Joel Stevenson’s Young Adult (YA) Dystopian novel, The Surface’s End. I have to say this was a welcoming and pleasant surprise, if not a bit formulaic.

The YA and Dystopian novel market is booming, helped in part from the success of The Hunger Games, and the self-published sensation Wool.  It seems we all can’t quite get enough of a futuristic world filled with crushing authority, bleak lives and young protagonists that offer a glimmer of hope for a better future. I know I can’t. I practically thrive on it.

Stevenson turns the tables on the basic dystopian formula by starting off in a quite comfortable place where residents have found a bit peace after what appears to have been a time of violence many generations past. History is forgotten, but not altogether gone. The shells of the former world litter the landscape, raising questions for those brave enough to ask.  Only after Jonah discovers a hidden world do we begin to see a society living in a questionable future, a future filled with laziness, lack of values and systematic separation of classes. A future that looks surprisingly like our own present.

The author did a fine job of building the mystery in the first half of the novel. Unfortunately, the second half fell into the trap of revealing too much information too fast. While I have no doubt Stevenson has more to tell of what lies beneath the Deathlands, revelations seemed to come faster than expected. The fun is in the build-up! I like my dystopian stories dripping with dispair and a protagonist that struggles  with a world that makes little sense.  There is also a not-so-subtle message that Stevenson is trying to convey to the reader – a philosophy of hard work, good values and unquestioning loyalty to family and community.  But here too, the delivery is  a blunt object over the head. Stevenson needs to trust the reader to make their own conclusions to the message he’s sending.

That aside, this was a quick, enjoyable page-turning read. The author provided me with a review copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.  My foray into the world of first time authors and self-published novels from up-and-coming independent writers, continues to be a welcomed experience. Finding a small jewel like this in the stacks of requests is what makes my hobby of book reviewing so enjoyable.

The Surface’s End was engaging, creative and hopping with energy. The author has a clean and tight writing style that is effective and affective.  Readers will eagerly want to learn what comes next. I know I do. But let the mystery build a little slower next time, ok?

Three Stars out of Five. A good, enjoyable novel that you will not be disappointed in reading.

To read The Surface’s End, pick up a copy by CLICKING HERE.  When you are done, head on back here to Astounding Books and let us know what you thought!

Spotlight on Astounding Authors

We have a great selection this week! This installment of Astounding Authors features a fantasy crime noir, a sci-fi action adventure, a dystopian tale and more. Support our Astounding Authors by reading one of these exciting novels today. Stop by our Facebook page and let your friends and family know you found an exciting new author on Astounding Books!

 

Best Left in the Shadows
by Mark Gelineau and Joe King
Publisher: Gelineau & King (2015)
Pages: 80
Genre: Fantasy Crime Noir
Twitter: @GELINEAUandKING
Website: gelineauandking.com

The body of a Highside girl is found dead in Lowside, beaten and murdered. Daxton Ellis, Magistrate Inspector, and friend to the girl’s noble family, comes to find answers.

He knows the doors of the underworld open only to its own kind. His only hope lies with an old lover, Alys, a daughter of the underworld gangs, and the one person he swore he would never see again.

She agrees to help him, but for a price.

First they must gain the approval of Blacktide Harry, the boss of Prion and the king of rats. Then, deeper they go, traveling into the dark heart of the underworld in search of a killer.

Like everything in Lowside, nothing is as it first appears, and everything has a price.

Interested? Click here to read Best Left in the Shadows and support our Astounding Authors!

 

Inevitable Ascencion
by V. K. McAllister
Publisher: KZA, LLC (September 2015)
Pages: 242
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action, Adventure
Twitter: @VK_McAllister
Website: Inevitableascension.com
Facebook:  Inevitable Ascension

The innocent never waver from doing what’s right, even if it means drowning the world in fire.

Violina, a girl polarized by love and loathing, finds herself thrown into a post-apocalyptic world with mankind on the brink of extinction. Discovering the means to travel back in time, she sets out to save the world by preventing the events leading up to the apocalypse. But as her quest advances, she becomes increasingly disgusted by the evil inherent to humanity and seeks lethal justice against all who wrong her—a list that grows exponentially until it encompasses all of mankind. By the end of her crusade, she realizes the future cannot be changed, and it was she who brought about the apocalypse in the first place.

You can purchase a copy of Inevitable Ascension here!

 

System_Failure
by Justin March
Publisher: BookRix (March 2015)
Pages: 300
Genre: Futuristic/Dystopian
Twitter: @AmericanHex
Website: Americanhex

In the near future, wealthy “patricians” access the internet through a chip embedded within their flesh, while scavengers eke out a meager existence in the slums that surround their walled cities. All technology that is not approved by the company running this network, known as the “bionet,” has been banned, so scavengers live off the grid.

A teen scavenger named Clark finds an illegal laptop and befriends a fellow scavenger named Starla who gives him access to a power supply. Together they learn how to hack into the bionet, but in doing so, Clark is intercepted by agents working for the CEO of the mega-corporation that runs the network. Impressed with Clark’s brilliance, he offers to make Clark a patrician. The operation to insert a biochip will wipe out Clark’s memories of Starla.

Clark must choose between remaining a scavenger and becoming a patrician, between freedom and wealth, between Starla and absolute power. When the plan Clark hatches to have it both ways goes awry he finds himself in a fight for his life against the world’s largest corporation and its CEO.

Read System_Failure! Click here to purchase.

 

Immaculate Conception 
by Guilherme Solari
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services (October 2015)
Pages: 81
Genre: Cyberpunk / Young Adult
Website: Guilhermesolari.com
Twitter: @Solari
Facebook: Guilhermesolaricom

The year is 2116. Millions of American and European refugees run from the destruction of the war-torn Northern hemisphere and flood into Megasampa, the urban sprawl formed by the combined metropolitan areas of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

They gather in the Novo Bronx ghetto, a place of vice, death and hardship, but also of refugees just trying to rebuild their lives. Novo Bronx was never a quiet place by a long shot, but now unrest grows as a series of macabre murders strike fear into the heart of the populace. Murders attributed to a creature the locals are calling Bebê Diabo, the Devil Baby.

The Proctech private police quells the rebellion for the time being, but the gruesome deaths are unlike anything they have ever encountered. Reluctantly, they call out of retirement the only detective insane enough to solve an insane case.

A detective called Cascavel.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION is the first book in the CYBERSAMPA series.

Your door to Immaculate Conception starts here! Click to purchase a copy.

Thanks for stopping by this week. Stop on over to our Facebook page and let us know what you thought.

Spotlight on Astounding Authors

Welcome to a new year of Astounding Authors. Check out this week’s offerings from exciting and new independent writers. Don’t forget to come back later and tell us how you enjoyed it. Please tell your family and friends about us. Now to this week’s Astounding Authors!

Moore Hollow
Author: J.D. Byrne
Publisher: CreateSpace (October 2015)
Pages: 253
Genre: Paranormal/fantasy
Website:  JDByrne.net
Twitter: @JDBAuthor

Ben Potter’s life is a shambles. As a journalist he’s hit rock bottom, writing dreck about monsters and ghouls to make ends meet after a big story blew up in his face. As a son he’s a disappointment, unwilling to follow his father, grandfather, and great grandfather into the family business. As a father, he’s mostly just not there.

Now a new assignment could change all that. All he has to do is go from London to the hills of West Virginia to investigate the strangest of stories his great grandfather told. Did a sleazy politician really raise the dead to try and win an election? And if he did, what happened to the zombies? Could they still exist? Ben needs to find out, to solve the mystery and find a way to get his life back on track.

But finding the answer only presents Ben with a whole new batch of problems. Does he use what he learns to put his life back on track? Or will he be compelled to do the right thing, even if it leaves his life a mess?

The hardest part of a mystery is deciding what to do once you’ve solved it.

Click here to learn more about Moore Hollow.

 

Basquiat Bounce
Author: Chris Murphy
Publisher: CJM Publishing 2015
Pages: 227

Acclaimed Abstract artist Sun Yat Pill has just had his most successful Gallery opening. After the exhibition, he goes home and retrieves the painting he has been working on for the last 2 years, his masterpiece, ‘The St. Matthew’. With painting in hand, he takes the subway to the South Bronx. On a deserted ghetto block, he leaves ‘The St. Matthew’ in the backseat of an abandoned, rusted Volkswagen Bug. With his mission accomplished, he returns home and promptly hangs himself, committing suicide.

Where is ‘The St. Matthew’ and why did Pill take his own life? As these questions grow in the media, a Basquiat Bounce begins to creep into play.

The Basquiat Bounce is a novel that highlights the talent and absurdities of the contemporary art world. A business where Terence Koh’s ‘Dialectic’ (A dried turd wrapped in gold foil) or Mark Kostabi (Who has his assistants paint for him) can command hundreds of thousands of dollars and have solo exhibitions around the globe. Through its cast of eccentric characters, The Basquiat Bounce tries to make sense of this industry in an often hilarious and always entertaining fashion.

Click here to purchase Basquiat Bounce by Chris Murphy.

 

Alawahea: The Azellian Affairs, Book One
By Sara L. Daigle
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fiction, Fantasy
Book Publisher: Merry Dissonance Press
Pages: 478
Web: SaraDaigle.com
Twitter: @SaraLDaigle
GoodReads:SaraDaigle

Tamara Carrington always felt different. One event in high school left her wondering if maybe she really was a freak, although she’d managed to leave that experience in the past—buried deep in her psyche. With the arrival of the exchange students from the planet of Azelle to her college, Tamara’s long buried memories threaten to erupt. As Tamara’s emotions build and her friendship with the Azellians grows, so does the knowledge of secrets within her own family.

With the deterioration of her mother’s health, Tamara doesn’t know where to turn for answers or solace. What has her family been hiding? Why does she feel inexplicably drawn to the Azellians? What will happen if she unleashes her long-suppressed passion? Will she survive or even recognize herself afterwards? Wanting answers, yet being afraid of what she might find, Tamara wonders if it would be better to remain asleep.

Click here to read.Alawahea: The Azellian Affairs, Book One by Sara Daigle.

That will do it for this week. Be sure to Like the Astounding Books Facebook page so you won’t miss any updates.

Floor 21 Offers Post-Apocalyptic Fun

Floor 21
Author: Jason Luthor
Publisher: Amazon Press 2015
Pages 144
Twitter: @jl_TheProfessor
Website: Jasonluthorwriting.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/JasonLuthorWriting

 

I have to say this is one of the best surprises I’ve read this year.

I’m a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic / dystopian story, so it’s no surprise Floor 21 by Jason Luthor hooked me from the start.

Jackie is a curious, independent and headstrong 17 year old female living in one of the top floors of a Tower that is besieged by a black, oozing muscle-like mass that reacts to pain and emotions. Everything below Floor 21 is unlivable. The higher you live, the better the conditions. Jackie lives on Floor 4. No one knows or remembers before the Creep infested their massive tower, or what lies below or beyond. Questions and inquisitiveness is frowned upon by the secretive and reclusive Authority who live on Floor 1. Follow the rules and everything is fine.

Except everything isn’t fine. No one talks about the Creep. Jackie’s parents are acting weird. People disappear; some return acting different after going through Reinforcement. When Jackie begins to ask questions, the answers she seeks might just bring the whole tower down around them.

Jason Luthor crafts a compelling, fast paced, mysterious story that creeps up while you are reading. (See what I did there?) At only 144 pages, it’s a short read that seemed like a prologue to a much larger adventure.

The author uses recordings of monologues made by Jackie as a narrative device to tell her story. Halfway through the novel the recordings switch from Jackie to that of a Commander on a Scavenging team, instructed to go below Floor 21 and look for food, materials and any secrets that may unlock the reason the Creep came to the tower.

Luthor expertly manages the release of information that explains the backstory of the Tower. I like that. New information is introduced in a matter-of-fact way and I never felt at a loss. [(Except for the steaks. Like, seriously…Where do the steaks come from? It’s not Creep Meat is it? Gross!) in my best 17 year old voice]. He also doesn’t give away the farm. There is obviously more to the story and that’s the sign of good world building.

A few nitpicks:

It’s often hard to get a good deep look at the secondary characters of a novel when the narrator is “recording” their actions. These important characters often come across as one dimensional or cardboard-like. Also, I think Luthor had to explain a few times how Jackie was actually recording given what she was doing.

Jackie’s use of modern slang was a bit distracting. The events of the novel are set decades or centuries in the future. Her dialogue just didn’t come across as that of a 17 year old girl; maybe 14 years old. Of course it’s been a while since I was a teenager so who knows.

The ending felt a bit rushed, but the plot wrapped up nicely, paving the way for the next installment in the series. (There will be a next installment right?) It’s certainly not a stand-alone novel.

All-in-all this had the feel of a very good novel in the Young Adult category. NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT. Personally? I think there are some fantastic YA novels out there today that I wish were around in my time. My point being, while it’s not deep-thought science fiction, it’s light enough to hook the most adamant of sci-fi fans, while appealing to a much broader audience.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to read and review this novel and look forward to more stories from Jason Luthor. Floor 21 is a wonderful start to what looks like a promising series.

Discover a new indie author today. Head on over HERE and pick yourself up a copy. At 144 pages, Floor 21 is a quick, enjoyable read that I know you will appreciate.

3 stars out of 5.

(Looking for more independent authors? Check out The Indie View. )

Spotlight On Astounding Authors

Back again with one of my favorite features: Astounding Authors! Every week we get a number of requests to review novels from independent and up and coming authors. As much as we’d love to have the time to read them all, we just can’t. Instead, we will periodically feature a few aspiring authors with novels that look interesting. Check them out, buy their books. Hopefully you’ll give them a look. Then come back here to Astounding Books and let us know what you thought!

Storming: A Dieselpunk Adventure Novel by K. M. Weiland
Website: www.kmweiland.com
See the book trailer here: YouTube

In the high-flying, heady world of 1920s aviation, brash pilot Robert “Hitch” Hitchcock’s life does a barrel roll when a young woman in an old-fashioned ball gown falls from the clouds smack in front of his biplane. As fearless as she is peculiar, Jael immediately proves she’s game for just about anything, including wing-walking in his struggling airshow. In return for her help, she demands a ride back home…to the sky.

Cocky, funny, and full of heart, Storming is a jaunty historical/dieselpunk mash-up that combines rip-roaring adventure and small-town charm with the thrill of futuristic possibilities.

Click to purchase Storming: A Dieselpunk Adventure Novel

 

The Crimson Claymore by Craig A. Price
Visit his website at: www.craigaprice.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CraigAPriceJr
Twitter: Twitter.com/craigapricejr

The brave warrior Searon is haunted by the deaths of his wife and children at the hands of the savage reptilian draeyks, who are on a bloodthirsty rampage. He walks the land of Calthoria alone and thirsty for vengeance. He hunts the creatures down one by one, showing no mercy.

But Searon is a one-man army—and no match for the legions of murderous draeyks. Lucky for him, the powerful wizard Karceoles finds him during his travels and enlists Searon in this coming war. Karceoles believes Searon can unite the races to defeat the draeyks once and for all.

Searon discovers he can do more damage with Karceoles and a band of warriors they find along the way. But as the war rages in earnest, Searon must make a choice: Is it more important to destroy the draeyks at all costs, or will his quest for vengeance endanger the lives of his new brothers and sisters at arms?

Click here to purchase The Crimson Claymore.

 

Pieces Like Pottery by Dan Buri
Twitter: @DanBuri777
Goodreads: Dan Buri & Pieces Like Pottery

Pieces Like Pottery is an examination of the sorrows of life, the strength of character, the steadfast of courage, and the resiliency of love requisite to find redemption. Offering graceful insight into the human condition, each linked story presents a tale of loss and love. Charged with characters mercifully experiencing trials in life, the book reminds us of the sorrows we all encounter and the kindness we receive, oftentimes from the unlikeliest of places.

Click here to purchase Pieces Like Pottery by Dan Buri

Spotlight on Astounding Authors

New Feature here on Astounding Books. Writing and publishing a novel is an incredible accomplishment. Every week we get a number of requests to review novels from independent and up and coming authors. As much as we’d love to have the time to read them all, we just can’t. Instead, we will periodically feature a few aspiring authors with novels that look interesting. Check them out, buy their books. Hopefully you’ll give them look. Then come back here to Astounding Books and let us know what you thought!

This Week’s Astounding Authors:

The Betrayal of KA by Shea Oliver

As the spaceship secretly lands on Earth, Ka’s mission is clear: find and kill Transprophetics. His shipmates think of him as a killer. On his home planet of Koranth, he is considered a murderer. Haunted in his dreams by the boy whose life he stole, Ka struggles to define who he really is.

A girl in a temple in Thailand. A boy kidnapped in Mexico. Both can do the impossible. Both can move objects with their minds. These two Transprophetics pose grave risks to the Donovackia Corporation as it plans its invasion of Earth.

With a blade in his hand, Ka’s decision to kill, or not, will reverberate across the galaxy.

The Red Wraith by Nick Wisseman

As magic awakens in Early America, Naysin, a child of the Lepane nation, manifests talents that cause him to defile his tribe’s harvest ceremony. His punishment is exile. In the years that follow, Naysin’s twin fathers keep goading him into misusing his abilities. On the island of Bimshire, he inspires a slave rebellion before abandoning it; near his former home, he marches European settlers to their deaths; and in the forests of Edgeland, he ends a battle by massacring both sides. Such acts cause much of the New World to see him as the Red Wraith, an indigenous monster who delights in butchering white innocents. The infamy is well-earned, but that’s not who he wants to be. And when he encounters a group of fellow magic-users, Naysin realizes how he can set everything right…

Dark Destiny by Thomas Grave

Great friends. A perfect girlfriend. Life is good for 17-year-old Sebastian until tragedy shatters his blissful existence, awakening a dark power inside him. Visions of a ghostly and broken world lead to a mysterious woman who tells him that he’s the reincarnation of Death. With the title comes great power. Will he use it for good? Or, will he drown in the darkness of his own selfish purposes?

 

 

Sharon Cho Weaves a Good Fantasy Yarn with A Slice of Quietude

A Slice of Quietude
Woven Myths Book 1
Sharon Cho
Published – 2015
366 pages

A Slice of Quietude is the story of Kat, a guild assassin, as she struggles to transition from her old, solitary life as a ruthless, unquestioning killer to one filled with friends, love and myths come to life.

Along this journey Kat befriends a Bard, a Warrior, and Tristian – the Scarred Woman. Together the four women deal with their often, and quite literally, tortured pasts. They ready themselves to come to terms with their previous lives and embrace what fate and the gods have in store for them. In between, there is The Quietude, a sort of psychic realm, overlaid on reality that helps characters who use it focus. Not all can use the Quietude, those that can co-exist in both realms simultaneously; some better than others.

Sharon Cho has created a very deep, vibrant, mythical world and crammed it into 366 pages, which can be a bit much. Honestly, the first third of the novel is a bit hard to get through. It’s tough. There are a lot of new places, words, names to take in and Cho goes all in. There were times I found myself screaming “Ease up a bit”!

But Patience! Focus. Stick with it and you won’t be disappointed.

Kat’s journey is fascinating and thrilling. She is a strong character and a powerful personality. It’s fun to read a novel where you can’t predict where it will go next. But at times it seemed like events went too fast. For example, Kat is an assassin. Yet it seemed like I never really got to see the true, hardened, killer side of her before she started falling in love with Tristian. On the other hand, Tristian’s story is rich and mysterious. You will quickly lose yourself in her past.  Cho did a great job here introducing us to this skilled hardened fighter, then slowly showing her vulnerable side and mysterious past.

I particularly liked the character of Kinjara, the almost famous (or famous in her own mind) bard. She weaves tall tales around campfires and in taverns. Are the stories Kinjara tells real or simply myths? They are expertly woven into the novel. As the story progresses, the line between myth and reality blurs, not unlike reality and The Quietude. This was a good technique. Cho does a fantastic job of laying clues throughout the novel, gently teasing the appearance of gods, jesters and mystical realms.

Cho has a fine eye for detail….Almost to a fault. She has some beautifully written passages that draw the reader into this world. Unfortunately at other times, she’s a bit verbose in description, whipping you back out. The fight scenes are well choreographed, but overdone. Some of the dialogue is repetitive and clunky. But as the novel moves forward, Cho quickly finds her own slice of quietude and her writing really starts to flow well.

I was pleasantly surprised by the time I finished the novel, even forgetting that this was “Woven Myths #1” and happy there would be more to the story.

A Slice of Quietude has humor, adventure, action, fantasy, comedy and romance. Overall I recommend this book. Sharon Cho is an author to keep an eye on. Get on over to AMAZON by clicking HERE and pick up a copy.

I received a copy of this book from the Author in exchange for a fair and honest review. A big Thank You! to Sharon Cho for the honor of letting me read her novel. I truly enjoyed it and look forward to her next novel.

Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5.