WHEN THESE MOUNTAINS BURN by David Joy is his fourth novel, but my first exposure to his work. Despite the dreary nature of the North Carolina Appalachian world he describes—counties with crumbling communities overrun by drugs during a summer of intense wildfires, I enjoyed it. However, an obvious warning: it is not a feel-good book. I found the prose well-written. … Read More
Review of Martha Wells’ Murderbot Series
I really enjoyed Martha Wells’ four-volume hardback Murderbot Diaries. The series was recommended by a friend who thought I’d enjoy Ms. Wells’ dry humor. Well, I sure did. I also enjoyed the future-verse of space travel, AI, and government by soulless corporations which she created. Ms. Wells describes her universe through the experiences of a rogue security “bot” who still … Read More
July 3 to 5 Only: Free Kindle copies of my books available at Amazon
2 Free Novels: 22 Dutch Road and The Evil Men’s Book Club
Review of Pretty Lies by Jessica Scurlock
“Pretty Lies” is a debut dystopian novel by Jessica Scurlock set in a near- future United States, now called the Northern Unity, which, after a second civil war, has been drastically reordered into four semi-autonomous zones. The Enlightened Society, as the government is called, has brought about some positive changes, vast reductions in crime, for instance. The general message to … Read More
Review of This Never Happened by R. Tim Morris
“This Never Happened” is a psychological speculative fiction novel written by R. Tim Morris about a young misfit New Yorker named Cepik Small. In addition to more mundane life difficulties (a poor relationship with his father, an ex-love, a mundane job, few friends), Cepik has prosopagnosia (face blindness) and therefore must memorize someone’s appearance quirks (like the way they wear … Read More
Review of Thunder, AZ by Ari Loeb
“Thunder, AZ” is a debut apocalyptic horror novel by Ari Loeb based in the Western America and New York City. The book recently won gold for best horror novel per the Reader Views 2021-2022 annual contest. Mr. Loeb’s writing is tight and fast-paced, as is his action. The plot follows a young college student, Jimmy Johannsen, whose twin sister dies … Read More
Review of The Defect by Jeff Bailey
“The Defect” by Jeff Bailey is a nuclear energy thriller based somewhere in Southern California. The story unfolds through the point of view of a handful of powerplant workers—security staff, plant operators, managers—who, through their thoughts and interactions, allow us to understand from the bottom up how a nuclear power plant works, what the safeguards are, the good work that … Read More
Chapter One of 22 Dutch Road (10 of 10)
Though retired, Stan Rutmeyer still worked hard. He’d had three jobs before getting the gold watch, the longest and most enjoyable being his last, working as a handwriting analyst for the Secret Service, a position he took in the early seventies. It was a desk job reviewing whatever was brought to him, but there had been travel—a fair amount of … Read More
Chapter One of 22 Dutch Road (9 of 10)
Bates looked at him as if the last thing on Earth he’d do was touch a sweating human being. He regarded Stan briefly, then turned his back on him, muttering, “Make sure you cut the back,” before making his way toward the front doors. Stan took no umbrage being mistaken for a landscaper; it turned out to be the highlight … Read More
Chapter One of 22 Dutch Road (8 of 10)
Stan Rutmeyer let Mr. Peebles out for his afternoon potty. The dog bolted, hustling down the deck steps to inventory the backyard pee spots. Some dogs are one-spot dogs, but Peebles, an industrious dachshund, liked to spread it around, hitting previous marks before trying anywhere new. Stan stood between open back doors, watching the dog’s tail waggle as he went … Read More