fuonlyknew

Lost Solace

by Karl Drinkwater

Genre: Science Fiction

My Review

I’m not going to go into a description of the book. The synopsis, which hooked me immediately, does that. What I will tell you is that two characters carry the plot, and what a thrilling one it is.

All through the book I was wondering what Opal was looking for. What made her take such a desperate step and steal a ship and it’s A.I. to search space for lost ships that might be just rumors. Was it a particular ship she was looking for? And was it the ship or what it contained that she was seeking?

The author put me in Opal’s shoes from the opening scene where Clarissa, the A.I. that Opal had stolen and named, woke her from sleep to say they were approaching something. I really enjoyed the dialogue between these two women. Yes, I’m going to refer to Clarissa as female. I know having Clarissa to talk to kept Opal sane, and safe. They were a formidable team as trust was built.

Once they find the lost ship it’s all action from then on. From the moment Opal donned her weaponized space suit to when she boarded the ship, I felt the tension build. Everything is checked and double checked. Space is unforgiving and there can be no mistakes.

I read the rest of the book at warp speed. So much is revealed about Opal, and what’s in the ship is the stuff of nightmares. I pictured many of the scenes from a movie I’d seen years ago and a book I read recently. The book took place in a cave, and space gave me the same enclosed, trapped feeling.

I hear there will be more written about these character’s and I’ll be waiting for their next journey.

I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.

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Synopsis

Sometimes spaceships disappear with everyone on board – the Lost Ships. But sometimes they come back, strangely altered, derelict, and rumoured to be full of horrors.

Opal is on a mission. She’s been seeking something her whole life. Something she is willing to die for. And she thinks it might be on a Lost Ship.

Opal has stolen Clarissa, an experimental AI-controlled spaceship, from the military. Together they have tracked down a Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space.

The Lost Ship is falling into the gravity well of a neutron star, and will soon be truly lost … forever. Legends say the ships harbour death, but there’s no time for indecision.

Opal gears up to board it. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But perhaps with the aid of Clarissa’s intelligence – and an armoured spacesuit – Opal may stand a chance.

Can she face her demons and survive?

Amazon

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About Author Karl Drinkwater

Karl Drinkwater is originally from Manchester but lived in Wales for twenty years, and now calls Scotland his home. He’s a full-time author, edits fiction for other writers, and was a professional librarian for over twenty-five years. He has degrees in English, Classics, and Information Science.
He writes in multiple genres: his aim is always just to tell a good story. Among his books you’ll find elements of literary and contemporary fiction, gritty urban, horror, suspense, paranormal, thriller, sci-fi, romance, social commentary, and more. The end result is interesting and authentic characters, clever and compelling plots, and believable worlds.
When he isn’t writing he loves exercise, guitars, computer and board games, the natural environment, animals, social justice, cake, and zombies. Not necessarily in that order.

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Links
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter

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You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

A CHAIN ACROSS THE DAWN
BY DREW WILLIAMS

Publishing 8th August 2019
£20.00 | 9781471171154 | Hardback

My Review

Almost immediately upon starting this book I realized it wasn’t the first in the series. My bad for not taking a closer look at the title. But, that didn’t take away from the fun. I quickly connected with the main characters and gleaned some facts about what happened prior to this act.

Jane and Esa are a hoot. They are working out the kinks in their team work and learning to trust each other in some really crazy situations.  There’s this ongoing joke about Jane’s age. Esa keeps upping it and Jane denies it. I got so curious as to just how old Jane was.

And their ship, Scheherazade, Schaz for short, became a favorite character for me. Artificial intelligence with personality and humor.  If I ever traveled in space, I’d want to be on that ship.

The action is immediate and continues throughout, making this a super fast read. So much happening and so unpredictable. At one point I was thinking I was glad I hadn’t read the first book after all as the unpredictability made guessing how the character’s would respond to events even more suspenseful.

I recommend this to science fiction fans who like the ride without getting bogged down in lots of tech stuff. Those who just believe and enjoy the trip, like I did.

Amazon

Goodreads

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Bigger spaceships. Bigger explosions. Bigger planets. Bigger problems.

It’s been three years since Esa joined the ranks of the Justified after her rescue from the fanatical murderers the Pax. Together, Esa and her mentor Kamali travel from planet to planet, searching for children with supernatural abilities. It’s hard work, but Esa has never felt more assured of her place in the universe.

On a visit to a planet so remote that its inhabitants never learned that the Sect Wars ended over a hundred years ago, they learn that the Justified are not the only people searching for gifted children. There is a creature with unexpected powers who will stop at nothing to get its hands on the children that Esa and Kamali are trying to rescue.

With their latest recruit in tow — a young Wulf child named Sho — Esa and Kamali will travel halfway across the galaxy in pursuit of answers. But the answers only lead to more questions, and the danger will only increase as their terrifying nemesis turns his eyes on them.

* * * Praise for Drew Williams and his debut novel, THE STARS NOW UNCLAIMED* * *

‘The only thing more fun than a bonkers space battle is a whole book packed with bonkers space battles. Come for the exploding spaceships, stay for the intriguing universe’ Becky Chambers, author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

‘A total blast’ Rob Boffard, author of Tracer

Pirates, smugglers, soldiers, spies, snarky spaceships, and really big guns . . . and that’s just the first chapter. The action gets bigger, the stakes get higher, and I loved it!’ Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

‘A  rollercoaster of a read’ Jamie Sawyer, author of The Lazarus War

‘A massive, galaxy-spanning tale of war, betrayal, friendship, and the kind of commitment people make to a better future even at the cost of their own lives. You don’t want to miss this amazing, kick-ass book’ K.B. Wagers, author of Behind the Throne

‘Kamali is a kick-ass heroine who gets the job done and never loses her sense of humor . . . The action is non-stop, and filled with brilliant and unexpected laugh-out-loud moments… a sci-fi thrill ride from start to finish’ Catherine Cerveny, author of The Rule of Luck

‘A fast, fun, and heartfelt adventure through a truly unique universe. From the first page to the last, it’s impossible to put down’ K.S. Merbeth, author of Bite

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About Author Drew Williams

Drew Williams was born and raised in Birmingham,
Alabama, in the southern United States of
America. He is a bookseller at the Little Professor
Book Center in Homewood, Alabama. A Chain
Across the Dawn is his second book.

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You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

Welcome to My Tiny Review.

Today I bring you Junction.

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Junction

by Daniel M. Bensen

Genre: Science Fiction

My Review

The team sent into the wormhole might have seemed random. But they were carefully chosen and an ulterior motive emerges as you follow their fight for survival in a dangerous alien world.

I didn’t worry whether this scenario was even possible or if the science worked in this story. I just enjoyed the ride and the very strange alien beings.

And I think this would be so enjoyable as a movie. I already have some actors in mind.

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Synopsis

When Japanese nature show host Daisuke Matsumori finds himself on an alien world, he hopes to rekindle his passion for his work. Traveling through a newly-discovered wormhole in the Papuan highlands, he joins biologist Anne Houlihan on Junction, a patchwork planet of competing alien ecosystems. When their exploratory party crashes in the alien wilderness, Daisuke and Anne try to lead bickering soldiers and civilians back to civilization alive. As they trek across one unearthly biome after another and members of the party continue to die, however, Daisuke wonders whether human politics might be more deadly than alien biology. One of his companions might be a murderer. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Amazon

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You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

Got a chilly one for you today. Thanks to Flame Tree Press I received this beautiful paperback ARC of Night Shift by Robin Triggs and I’m happy to share my review with you.

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 Night Shift

  by Robin Triggs

Genre: Science Fiction

 My  Review

I was really wanting to love this. Stories that are set in Antarctica are a big draw for me. The harshness of frigid temps and the isolation from society. It brings group dynamics into play. Another favorite aspect for me.

It was fascinating to see how this group of miners would handle the challenges that were thrown at them. The long night is coming. A new Chief of Security, Anders Norvekdt, arrives. The crew lacks confidence in his abilities as the winter over starts. His own self doubt is evident and when the commander’s body is found frozen outside and communication with the outside world goes down, he’s the likely suspect. But, trust is in short supply, and the crew also turn their suspicions on each other.

Who would fall to the hunger, fear and isolation and who would rise to lead was the best part of this story. I can’t say it was the character’s personalities. I didn’t warm up to any of them. And I was disappointed in the world building. I gathered it was in the near future as the mining operation was a last ditch hope to discover a new energy source to keep society alive. But it was never really explained. You’re left to draw your own conclusions.

The last quarter of the book was pretty thrilling. As the last remaining crew members have to rely on each other to survive, despite their mistrust, their situation gets more dire. Lack of food and water and a way to stay warm force them into smaller and smaller locations. The author put me in their shoes as they despair, grow weaker and weaker. Crammed together, they wait for the night shift to end.

 The issues that kept me from loving this book weren’t major, yet, they did add up. I can say I never wanted to stop reading and I did enjoy it.

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Synopsis

Antarctica. A mining base at the edge of the world. Anders Nordvelt is over-promoted and he knows it. Arriving at Australis base on the last transport before the long night falls, he is to take over as Chief of Security. It should be an easy job. The crew have all been rigorously psychoanalysed and he’s there only because the rulebook says the position must be filled. The biggest challenge Anders anticipates is to find his place within an established group. But shortly after his arrival communications to the outside world are cut. Suspicion immediately falls upon Anders. It’s his job to uncover the culprit – but how can he find answers when the rest of the crew, bound by relationships, resentments and passions he knows nothing about, see him as the threat? Surely no-one can have crossed thousands of miles of wasteland – the sabotage must have been an inside job. But how could a criminal have got past the screening process? Then the commander’s body is found in the ice. The running of the base falls to the senior staff, Anders included, but there is open hostility towards him. Only the uncertain support of the engineer, Max, gives any hope. But can he trust her? Is he giving her too much leeway as it is? Amidst the fear the work must continue. In a world where every last scrap of fuel is precious, the minerals must keep flowing. But the attacks continue, leaving them with no heating and little food. As they shelter in a basement room, claustrophobia, starvation and madness become as big a threat as a murderer. Will Anders live long enough to find the killer? Will anyone survive the night shift, or will future explorers find only ice and frozen corpses in the last remaining wilderness on the planet? FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Amazon / B&N

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