REVIEW: "The Milieu Principle" by Malcolm Franks

Mike Daniels is not the most social man in the business world. He has a good heart, but it's deeply hidden under his rough exterior. He's a man of numbers, and has no time for social niceties. Business is business. When Mike receives a memory stick in the mail, he thinks nothing of it... until he takes a look at what it contains. Now his life is in turmoil as he changes his identity and goes on the run to protect this secret. His race against time takes him around the world and puts him up against highly trained opponents who want nothing more than to see him dead. Can he stay alive long enough to save the world?

In this thriller by Malcom Franks, an ingenious plot has been hatched that will address overpopulation. Ingenious, and insidious. The masters behind the curtain get to control who is worthy of life and who is superfluous. I thought this concept was really intriguing, the stuff of blockbuster thrillers. It's the type of storyline that really pulls you in and has the potential to take you on a breathless ride. As Mike/Matt plows his way towards answers, he encounters so many twists and turns that he doesn't know what- or who- to trust.

Even with an exciting plot with such potential, the actual writing really varied for me. I started the first page thinking the writing was really nice- descriptive and varied in language and structure. However, as I read on, I felt like the writing was trying too hard. Some sentences felt as if the author worked really hard to craft each sentence as a work of art. The result didn't have the effortless feel that my favorite books have had. Additionally, there was inconsistent comma use, occasional tense changes in a single sentence, missing punctuation, a confusing use of "Matt" instead of "Mike" early on (apparently a foretelling of a new identity down the road). Some sentences were somewhat confusing as written. For example, I took these sentences from two consecutive pages (and there were others I could have chosen): "Neither it is not safe for you to go outside." "Their attentions were appeared fixed more upon examining the human presence in the other streets, leading away from where they were standing." and "Though not in the EU he had much influence with people here and I was rescued from the situation." A more effective use of punctuation would have really helped clarify those sentences. Additionally, there is a lot of smirking from the bad guys in the beginning of the story, and I had no idea someone could actually "smirk harder." A really thorough editing would elevate this story quite a bit.

There are many characters in this story, some only slightly developed, making it difficult to keep track of everyone along the way. Mike goes through a major metamorphosis in this book- interesting and necessary, but the actual changes were sometimes unrealistic and obvious. This story is really driven by plot rather than characters, and the result is an uneven development of the characters, with some a little more interesting than others. Even though it's the plot events that drive the story, some events in the story seemed to have been done for the sake of convenience just to get to the next event, and the overall effect lacks some fluidity and realism. Some events didn't seem as logical as I would have expected, and I couldn't always follow the "why" of the choices made. At times, the plot dragged enough to make me forget where we were going and why. The overall effect felt somewhat disjointed to me.

An intriguing concept with tons of potential, but would really benefit from some editing of the writing and tightening of the plot events. I'm giving it a slight boost in star rating soley based on the fact that I loved the underlying concept.

3 /5 stars

Available at Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

REVIEW: "The Noble Pirates" by R. L. Jean

If you know the future, would you be able to change it? 

Should you be able to change it? 

Sabrina finds herself treading cool water after a storm hits her party boat near the Bahamas. When she is rescued by brusque, smelly men with funny accents, she's relieved but irritated. She's ready for them to stop playacting so she can get back to where she needs to be. Slowly, she realizes that it's not an act put on by drunken pirate re-enactors, it's the real deal. She's a woman in the wrong time, in the wrong place, and she must figure out how to survive amongst pirates until she can find her way back to 2009.

I must admit, I've never had much of an interest in pirates before. Bloodthirsty, smelly, scurvy-infested thieves who spent ages at sea, looking for unsuspecting prey... it's just never been my thing. Even Captain Sparrow, undeniably an attractive pirate who probably really does bathe in real life, doesn't do much for me. Howel Davis, on the other hand... there's just something about him...

In this well-edited, time-travel, historical, adventure/romance, R. L. Jean  has brought to life some of the most famous pirates of the Golden Age. Sure, they were bloodthirsty and cruel, but the author brings out a very human side to some of these pirates, and manages to spin a tale that was quite difficult to put down. The characters are well-developed, and it was easy to lose yourself in the adventure as you followed Sabrina on her unbelievable journey in history.

Although the idea behind this book was unique enough to appeal to me, I have to admit that, not only are pirates not my thing, historical fiction isn't usually high on my list of favorite genres. But this book did what few other historical novels have done for me; made me interested enough in the main characters to do a little googling. These pirates did exist, and R.L. Jean has given them new life. This book had just the right amount of facts seamlessly woven together with just the right amount of fiction to make the story thoroughly engaging throughout. Although most of the characters spoke in the manner of the 18th century pirates that they were, Sabrina's comments and thoughts were so perfectly modern, it offered a nice balance in the tone and added just the right amount of humor with perfect timing.

It's difficult to find anything I didn't like about this book. I think the only part of the book that dragged a bit for me was towards the end, when Sabrina is listening to Robert, and then she's thinking about the choices that he's made. Those pages seemed to drag a bit for me, but it wasn't long before we were quickly back in the story. I think I normally wouldn't have thought of that section as dragging, except that the rest of the book moved along at such a great pace.

Overall, this was a fantastic story that came together quite nicely with a very satisfying ending. I think the events of the last 5 chapters really clinched the 5 star rating, as it offered a few surprises and left me wanting more, in a good way.

5 /5 stars

REVIEW: "The Ghost of a Flea" by John Brinling

Roger, momentarily transfixed, could only

stare at the blood thirsty demon’s strong naked body, short neck,

and sadistic face. Half-human, half-animal, its scaly skin

glistened a green, dusky gold. One murderous eye was in profile,

and its eager tongue whisked out of its mouth toward a bloody cup

held in its clawed left hand. The grotesque creature stood against

a starry background traversed by a flaming meteor. 

......

"What is it?"

Gideon waited an infuriatingly long time

before answering. "The Ghost of a Flea."

Strange things are happening in Roger's life. His wife is saying bizarre things she later denies, his coworkers are sending him on wild goose chases, he's missing things that mysteriously appear right where he's just looked. Nothing is making sense anymore, and Roger questions his sanity. His close friend introduces him to a mysterious and entrancing woman who confuses and intrigues Roger. When that close friends meets an unexpected end, Roger's life goes into overdrive. Soon, the little, nagging things turn into big, baffling things until, suddenly, Roger is running for his life with a mysterious, alluring woman by his side. Who is behind it all? Who else is involved? What are they all after? Most importantly, who can he trust? Someone is chasing Roger and will stop at nothing to get what Roger has. Problem is, Roger doesn't know what they're after, or even who "they" are. Every new development throws him further into confusion, until Roger is desperate just to stay alive. 

I was immediately drawn into the strange happenings in Roger's life. I tried to figure out what was going on right along with him. Each new development drew me further into the mystery, and the plot winds and twists in a confusing thrill ride. I was never sure what to expect next, and I was almost always surprised. Although the book took me on a few more turns than I thought necessary, I followed along on every topsy-turvy twist, anxious to find out where it would all end. 

The characters in the story were well-described and easy to picture.  Roger is the only character who is what he seems, and every other character is under suspicion (correctly or incorrectly) at some point in the story. There are many levels to each character, and the story peels away each layer like an unending onion. Roger doesn't know who to trust, and neither does the reader, which makes for a series of guesses and false starts as you attempt figure out what's going on even as Roger does the same. 

On the downside, I do think this book could stand another quick edit, as there were several small errors (you're for your, there for their, etc), and occasionally some missing or misplaced quotation marks. Taken separately, each error was minor, and book was not at all riddled with them. Taken together, there were enough that I did a double take here and there. Towards the ending of the book, I felt there was an excess of exclamation marks in places that sometimes surprised me. ! Although I noticed these things, and may have been momentarily thrown a bit, they didn't detract from the complete story.

Overall, this is a fun read that maintains your interest. Just like a roller coaster, it has high points of excitement, followed by momentary lulls as it begins the climb again. Just like a roller coaster, it may have one or two climbs too many for some; nevertheless, a thrilling ride. 

4 /5 stars

REVIEW: "Verdant Skies" by Steven Lyle Jordan

Space-- the final frontier. It's 2229, and humans have recklessly used up many of Earth's precious resources. They have been forced to think of other options to relieve the negative impacts of overcrowding and limited resources. Many people now live aboard four different space satellites. Each satellite has its own leader and population, tourism is alive and well, and life goes on.

The satellite Verdant is a sovereign nation, yet it is dependent on Earth for necessary resources and as an outlet for waste products. It's not Earth, but for most people it's a comfortable life. They have recreated some of the amenities of Earth, and daily life goes along much the same as it always has on Earth, with some minor adjustments. Verdant is a great place to visit, and a comfortable place to live. Until Yellowstone explodes.

Suddenly, the satellites are inundated with immigration requests from Earth. The satellites are already filled to capacity, but the humans on Earth are not willing to accept that fact, and will go to great lengths to get where they think they'll be safe. Suddenly the satellites become the most attractive options, and each has its share of tragedy as they struggle to remain sustainable amidst an attempted influx of people. The citizens of Verdant are unwittingly thrown into turmoil as Verdant becomes a pawn in the plans of several factions, including that of the US President. As the desperation of the residents of Earth grows, people are forced to make some very difficult decisions that test the relationships in their lives, as well as challenge their sense of right and wrong. These decisions may change the way humans think about Earth, space, and what is truly needed to sustain life.

Steven Lyle Jordan has written a page-turning adventure that, unfortunately, doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility.  His characters are pretty well-defined, and the science is thought-provoking. (For readers who are interested in the basis of the science included in the book, there is a nice explanation at the end of the book.) It was a difficult book to put down. As I read, I found myself thinking about how easily this truly could be our reality in 2229, or even sooner. I think that connection to what is going on in our world right now is what makes this book so fascinating. It's the kind of science fiction that could truly become our reality down the road. The people are recognizable, even if the situation seems a few years out. Although the storyline seems to lead you to an inevitable ending, you realize that even amongst the despair, hope is born. The story points to the resourcefulness of mankind, and the strength and integrity that is needed for humanity to move forward in difficult times.


Some characters are referred to by their last names in the narration, while most are referred to by their first names. The inconsistency seemed a bit unusual to me, but not a problem. Perhaps it helps denote those characters with which we form stronger attachments in the story; the characters we connect with most are called by first names. At one point, however, during a scene between the President and his girlfriend, she calls him by his first name, as does all the corresponding narration. This is the only place in the book where the narration uses his first name. I had to really think about who was in that scene, as I had long since forgotten his whole name since he was always referred to by his last name. It was a very minor inconsistency that didn't detract from the story, overall, but left me momentarily confused.

This is a great read. The story is captivating, and you find yourself thinking "what if?" What if satellites are the frontier of the future? What if Yellowstone erupts and forces humans to look into other options? What if desperate times result in equally desperate measures? As I turned the last page, I was left to wonder what happens next, for the Earth, and for Verdant. I think the riveting storyline and the fascinating physics push this story into a 5 star read. Strongly recommended.

5 /5 stars