Indie Author Kia Heavey - Night Machines

Night Machines is another great indie novel. I received this book in the mail, and it came with a few other goodies which I got fairly excited about. First thing I noticed was an Anadreme pill bottle with little blue pills in it. Of course, they were blue sugar candies, but I will admit, I was caught off guard. There was also a CD and a Night Machines bookmark. Excellent attention grabber. The best way to grab my attention, however, is to write a good book that is well edited and proofed. Kia Heavey managed to get my attention on all fronts. I will admit, having the paper back in hand brought the book to the top of my to be read list, but if the story hadn’t been compelling and well written it would have been pushed back down to the bottom.

Night Machines tells a story about Maggie, a wife and mother of two small children. Her husband Rowan is a police detective who works long hours and, in the beginning of the book, becomes emotionally distant with the onset of a new, horrific case that he is working. His emotional distance increases until he is rarely home, and when he is home, he is also physically distant from his family.

Maggie begins a new job at the start of the book. When she goes to interview at a large pharmaceutical company, she feels completely out of place. Upon meeting founder and president, she is surprised to learn that she has a connection with him that she barely remembers.

As time goes on, Maggie’s relationship with her husband continues to deteriorate. While sleeping and dreaming vividly, Maggie conjures up a romantic scene with a man from the office. Upon awakening, Maggie decides that a little fantasy romance can’t hurt anyone or anything. Especially since no one needs to know the details of Maggie’s dreams…or do they?

As her fantasy world grows larger, Maggie’s life begins to spin completely out of control and she doesn’t see a way to stop it.

Night Machines had me hooked. I didn’t want to stop reading at night, and on more than one occasion I stayed up much too late reading only to pick it up again in the morning. When I came to the last 40 pages, I locked myself in my bedroom leaving my husband and children to fend for themselves for a while so I could read the conclusion.

The characters were all likeable and real. I was hard-pressed to dislike even the distant husband because the author showed inside his head, the reasons he was distant, and his true feelings toward his family.  Maggie was the most likeable character in the book. She always wanted to do what was best for her family, especially her children. She took her wedding vows very seriously; she just needed a little romantic outlet, and she chose to do so completely in her head. The man whom Maggie becomes secretly involved with is also likeable, and, despite my better judgment, I found myself cheering him on throughout most of the book. Of course, the author doesn’t always show his true colors.

The plot was well laid out and detailed. There were parts that I thought had been left to chance, such as some of the husband’s police work, but in the end, the author was able to logically and thoroughly explain how each piece of the puzzle fit into her story. The only hazy point in the plot that I can come up with was how Maggie’s future, secret-romantic interest was able to know that she was going to apply to work for the pharmaceutical company. Unless he put his plan into action after seeing that she had applied. If so, that was some amazing planning and follow-through in a short amount of time.

Without giving away the ending, I wished that it had happened a bit more dramatic. The selflessness that was seen was very uncharacteristic. It did provide the story with a neat, clean, completely final ending, but neat and clean isn’t always the best way to end a story. The finality of the ending could have been achieved a number of ways that aligned better with the character’s nature—selfish and crazy.

Kia Heavey didn’t disappoint. Excellent story, well written, and more than decently proofread. She will certainly be on my list of authors to look for in the future. 

Indie Author Robert Clear - The Cambridge List

James is living a miserable existence. He has a crap job teaching English to mature students rather than the nice, cushy job that should have been his with a degree from Cambridge. He never got this job because he was cheated out of his degree so the college could push through another student, a special student.  James’s brilliant paper on Greek gods mysteriously lost pages in a file transfer, and due to this, he was failed.

James went on his way and began to merely exist in a dense fog of depression. When offered experimental antidepressants, he agrees with the assurance of the researcher, and friend, that they will be great. Soon after he begins these unapproved and untested pills, he starts to hear voices and singing in his head.  Finding this pleasant, he keeps taking the pills and never tells his prescriber. 

But who do these voices belong to?  The Greek Gods, of course.  They take up occupancy in James’s brain after he begins the antidepressants. Throughout the book, the gods lead him to exterminate everyone on the Cambridge List, everyone who had a hand in destroying the brilliant paper James had written. The gods do not do this for James, he is merely a vessel to carry out their revenge; they only want justice for themselves.  With the creation of the Cambridge List and the demise of all on it, they feel vindicated.

The fighting that goes on between the Gods, specifically Hera and Aphrodite, causes James much discomfort and stress, and sometimes pain.  He never knows what to expect and has almost no one on his side. Muse is the only god who seems to care what happens to him, but she must be careful to avoid detection of Hera and her wrath.

When I first began reading The Cambridge List, I was a bit disappointed. I felt that the plot was flat and too straightforward.  WRONG!  As the story grows, there is much more going on than originally expected.  A war among gods, fraud, murder; The Cambridge list truly delivered.

My typical complaint about a lot of self-published books applies to The Cambridge List. It needs to be proofed, badly. Commas seemed to be the author’s biggest weak point, but there were other minor formatting problems. The story was compelling enough that it didn’t stop me from reading it, as this problem has in the past.   

I found myself cheering for James despite his serial killer status. Even though others lost their lives in horrific ways, it was somehow still humorous, even if not laugh-out-loud funny. None of the plans that James concocts happen as expected; his plans tend to unravel rather than unfold. James was a bad guy that didn’t seem so bad, and his victims were far from good guys. It was a case of who was worse. Obviously the killer, right? I’m not so sure.

Even in the end, you just couldn’t hate James.  You couldn’t even dislike him; you wanted to like him.  Sometimes there are those bad guys that you want to hate but can’t.  James just wasn’t that guy.  You will find yourself cheering him on until the last sentence.

The ending, while complete, left itself open to a possible second book.  A book of revenge.  I felt the ending lacked nothing and was very pleased with how the author ended James’s madness. I may have picked a different drug, but that is inconsequential; the ending was good.

Be on the lookout for my first author interview with Robert Clear, author of The Cambridge List and check him out on twitter @SleevesRolledUp.

Indie Book Authors E.D. Linquist and Aron Christensen - In the House of Five Dragons

Fantasy novels aren’t generally my ‘thing’, but when given the choice between fantasy and sci-fi, I decided that fantasy was the way to go.  I think I chose well, although I’m going to have to read more by Lindquist and Christensen just to be certain.  

The only way I can describe this novel is to call it epic.  I haven’t read anything this gripping, and time consuming, in months.  Unfortunately, I got busy and finishing this book took longer than I care to admit.  The first three-quarters of the book took me days, however, that last twenty-five percent flew by in one night, keeping me up until 3:30 am.  (I was not pleased when my alarm went off a few, short hours later.)

Honestly, I had a hard time getting into the book, but I believe that this was because of the genre of the book, not the book itself.  As I said earlier, fantasy novels aren’t always my ‘thing’.  However, after finishing it, I was ready to go back to the beginning and read through it again (something I’ll do later) and see what I missed the first time around.  

The book opens with a man stumbling through the wilderness trying to find his way home.  The first problem that he faces is he can’t remember where home is or the right words to describe it.  The story then goes to two people, but not people, two beings, talking about this man and wondering if he will make it in time, if he will remember.  Already, I was confused.  I don’t like to be confused, so frustration quickly followed.

On a basic level, the book has two worlds, Terra and Alterra.  Terra being the human world, and Alterra being a world formed of thoughts, emotions, and curiosities.  I found the Alterran world harder to wrap my head around in the beginning of the book, but I think I wasn’t supposed to understand until the main character, Rikard, also began to remember.

Terra was changed thirty years ago at the battle of Njorn Pass, when Captain Rikard Mazrem, a VEIL knight, made a blood pact with the Alterrans to save his men in a battle they were sure to lose.  Rikard disappeared from the field and was believed dead for thirty years.  After the battle, life began to change, and a huge empire was built.  Flash forward thirty years to Rikard’s return; nothing is as it seems, and nothing is as he remembers.  

With an unusual, but eventually helpful, talent, Rikard is soon able to begin changing life within the empire, restoring honor and helping the masses.  

Where is The House of Five Dragons?  It is an underground criminal organization has spent years infiltrating the honorable ranks of VEIL knights and other positions within the empire.  Their goal was to control the heir to the throne, Rikard’s son, so they can one day control the entire empire.  When Rikard returns, The House decides to switch their focus and try to control him with the help of a caretaker, Thainna, since he is now likely to be the next emperor in place of his son.

There are others who are not pleased with these developments and form plans of their own to keep Rikard from getting the throne.  These characters must, however, be very careful not to draw suspicion upon themselves because of the new ability that Rikard has gained after spending so much time in the Alterran world.  

Once the stage was set for the story, there was never a dull moment.  I found myself disappointed when the story shifted from one character focus or plot line to another, only to be sucked in to what was going on with those particular characters and then mildly disappointed again when the focus shifted once more.  This continued on and on throughout the story.  Needless to say, I was never truly disappointed, especially not when secrets were finally revealed.  

The authors so clearly developed the Terra world and characters that after a few chapters I felt like I was walking through the town with them.  Thainna, the main character, is a complex, good-natured girl who had to make the best of the life that she was born into and even managed to remain good as a lowly thief in a large criminal organization.  Her love of her brother and bettering her community drove everything that she did, even when it was a detriment to herself.

As a mother, and sister, Thainna was not a hard person to understand.  She simply loved her brother so much that no matter what the price, she would pay it to make sure that he was taken care of.  She believed so fully in him, that everything she had was put into buying him the throne of The House of Five Dragons.  Growing up, I certainly would have done anything in my power to protect my brothers and sister, even lying, cheating, and stealing.  Now, as a parent, I would go farther than one could ever imagine to protect my children.  I know where Thainna is coming from; if put in her place, I would have made her decisions, no question about it.

Rikard Mazrem, the other main character, is a simple, honorable family man who was put into a situation where he had to make a decision or perish.  When he made his decision, he became a hero.  Rikard never wanted to be a hero, and never considered himself one.  He simply wanted to return home to his family and continue his life.  When he realized that life was not how he left it (after all, thirty years had passed) he decided that honor needed to be restored to the VEIL Knights.  Rikard was a hero, and in his return, proved once again what a hero is.

Many of the ebooks that I read and review have numerous grammatical and punctuation mistakes.  Comma placement and periods are a serious source of frustration for me as a reader.  Noticing these mistakes detracts from my reading experience tremendously.  I find it hard to enjoy a book that the author hasn’t taken time to completely proofread and learn the proper use of the punctuation they are relying upon.  That being said, In the House of Five Dragons had the least mistakes of any book that I’ve read and reviewed, along with Hungry for You by A.M. Harte.  Until the last few chapters, I can’t recall finding any mistakes in the book.  I didn’t keep track, but I would be surprised if there were more than three or four issues in the entire book.  

This is a book that I highly recommend, and I already have a copy of my next read by E.D. Lindquist and Aron Christensen.

Indie Author A.M. Harte - Hungry for You

Zombies. Brain eating Zombies. Well, not all of these zombies are brain eaters. Some are down-right thoughtful and compassionate. Sound strange? Well, it is. Strange in a good way.

A.M. Harte does an excellent job bringing the zombie world to life, that is if zombies can be considered alive. She gives the reader just enough details to want more and force them into reading another tale before bed. There are stories of zombies that feed from human meat, sex, and even some who feed off of animal products so they don't have to kill humans.

This is a collection of short stories is filled with horrifying tales and love stories, sometimes mixed into one truly disturbing tale. One of which is that of a man who doesn't want his wife to know that she is quickly dying and becoming a zombie, but also doesn't want the zombie horde to kill her before her transformation is complete.

The story that inspired the title of the book, “Hungry for You”, was my personal favorite. In this alternate reality, zombies are 'legalized' and some people allow zombies to feed off of them through sex. Without feeding, of course, a zombie will begin to decay more rapidly and die. To protect the zombie population, laws have been put into place simply because 'zoobs' lack any brain function to defend themselves, or even open doors so they are able to find food.

Police officer Retta is a zombie sympathizer who is guilt ridden after her sister and boyfriend became zombies and eventually meet their final death. While on patrol with her unsympathetic partner, Officer Retta sees some suspicious signs and enters a building to find a zombie who has been assaulted and tied to a bed. Retta decides to bring the zombie into the station and try to question him about what happened inside that old building. Eventually, Retta decides that the zombie needs to feed before they can continue their questioning. The problem arises when he refuses to feed off of any of the willing donors, something that has never been observed before. It turns out that this zoob has eyes for only one person, and is willing to die for, or because, of her.

How far would you go to save someone? What would your guilt drive you to do if it meant saving one life? Would you even consider zombies alive? These are the questions I found myself asking as I thought, she needs to save him, and, how romantic, he loves her. Then I got to the thought of, eww, he's a zombie, he isn't even alive. I quickly reminded myself that zombies are, as of right now, only fiction, and I wouldn't be faced with any of these hard decisions any time soon.

This is a great book of zombie tales to read in short bursts, or all at once if zombies are your thing. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to my next A.M. Harte read.

Indie Author Kit Iwasaki - Vampire General Intern with the Vampire

Another vampire novel? Yep, another one. Vampire novels seem to have taken over the bookstore and ebookstore shelves. Try telling someone that you are reading a fantasy novel about vampires. You may be shocked by their reaction, or you may be that person, the one looking down on me for reading “yet another vampire novel”. Well, here are the ins and outs of this particular debut novel by Kit Iwasaki.

Vampire General opens with a steamy scene in which Aline, resident doctor and human being, is in a supply closet with her boyfriend, also a resident and human being. The cliched scene is quickly interrupted by pagers sounding, alerting Aline and Tim to an incoming emergency.

As they rush to the Emergency Room, Tim gets a critical patient who eventually codes while Aline gets stuck with a patient who is capable of walking himself in. Aline's patient, Dr. Rocque, is insistent that he be able to see his patient, Clive. Clive is, of course, Tim's patient.

Aline is reluctant to grant Rocque's request, but eventually gives in to Rocque's charm. In her attempt to help Rocque, Aline succeeds in stopping Clive's heart while Tim and another doctor watch. After the stunt of killing a patient, Aline is dismissed by this hospital, and Tim, for good.

Depressed, Aline heads home only to become more depressed with the lack of comfort food available in her apartment. Her self wallowing is cut short by Rocque knocking on her door in the middle of the night.

Aline finds herself following Rocque to a hospital unknown to her in a questionable part of town. Before entering the hospital, Rocque has one condition that Aline must abide by: she must keep her mouth shut.

When Aline walks through the doors of the hospital, she is horror struck. She steps off of the street and into a world that she never imagined could exist. There were things in this hospital that didn't exist in Aline's worst nightmares. She not only has to treat patients that could harm or kill her, she has to work with those who are far scarier. From vampires to mermaids, Aline finds herself fighting for her patients' lives, fighting for her right to treat her patients, and could find herself fighting for her own life if anyone were to find out that she is human and not the vampire that Rocque has claimed that she is.

Vampire General is a new twist on Vampire culture that I haven't seen in the past. I've seen variations of vampires as doctors with human patients or supernatural patients, but this was a first for me. What makes this twist so desirable to the reader is that the doctor herself has no idea what she is walking into and has her assumptions of the entire world thrown out the window all in the course of a few moments.

This novel seemed to read like a single episode of a television drama. I often find myself wishing that my favorite television show was a novel instead of an hour long show. Books are far better at expanding on ideas and scenes and one episode would be plenty of material for a well written book. The book followed a simple story line of a girl who lost her job, got a new one, and had to overcome problems in the her new workplace. Granted, her workplace problems were far greater than her coworkers not liking her or a treacherous commute. The story, however, lacked a subplot. Yes, there was lust and sexual tension, but it never went anywhere. There was no scandal, no deceit. Aline was able to keep herself in check despite the impossible pull of vampire pheromones.

I found it odd that the author never discussed vampire diets. Aline, who is pretending to be a vampire, sits down the the hospital cafeteria, orders a salad and proceeds to eat it without anyone questioning her. I know vampires live only in the fantasy world, but I found it odd to think of a vampire, even someone pretending to be a vampire, eating a salad. I found it even weirder that no one in the book questioned her “diet”. It seems like a loose end that the author could easily clear up for the reader.

As a reader, I found myself wanting to yell at the book, “Okay, I get it already!” The author had the ability to give a great description and lead the reader to a conclusion, but then also spelled out what the reader had already understood. An example of this is the last sentence of a character description. The book reads, 'On his left hand was a thick, heavy golden ring; Kessler was married.' The point of the ring description is to show that Kessler is married.

I have to admit, the cliff hanger ending has me awaiting the publication of future Vampire General novels. I have confirmed with the publisher, and author, that there will be more in this series coming out soon. Aline was a likeable character, and I see her becoming stronger and holding her own at Grace General Hospital, even after the transhumans discover that she isn't one of them. My biggest question is, when does she become a vampire?  

Vampires....Fantasy-Lite?

"Ugh, another vampire novel?"  This is the response I got when telling someone about the book that I'm currently reading.  My first reaction was to defend myself and the book that I had chosen out of thousands of other books.  My second thought was better, however.  You could respond this way to any book.  "Ugh, another romance (science fiction, crime thriller, mystery, serial killer) book?"  The list could go on forever.

People write books because they have a story to tell.  Yes, the main character in this book is a vampire, yes, vampires are "teh new hottness" but that is because they work.  People like them.  I chimed in on a discussion in a forum about why people love vampires.  Here is what I had to say:

I think that vampires became popular, so everyone with a story wrote it and it worked for them, so viola, more vampires.

I think readers became so interested in vampires because they are so human-like, that the characters in stories can pretend to be human and interact with the human world without the author having to necessarily drawn in "weird" or "strange" creatures that would require descriptions that may turn some readers off. It would also be difficult to create romance between humans and a non-human like group, so again, vampires work better here as well.

I also think that vampires are a good fantasy story for those of us who aren't usually fantasy novel readers. I admit that I've read a fair share of vampire books. I'm reading one right now, as a matter of fact. Think of vampires as Fantasy-Lite.

If I were to be asked, "Do you like fantasy novels?"  I would reply with a simple no.  I suppose this isn't the truth though.  Vampires are fantasy, but because in novels they tend to live in the human world and act human I just don't seem to classify them with fantasy.  I think they add a dimension of danger to a story that couldn't be incorporated otherwise.  People, including myself, like that danger.

Here is what I don't like in a fantasy novel.  Far away lands where the inhabitants of the world are certainly not human, strange creatures, foreign (not of this world) languages, and descriptions that I am unable to picture because the world exists only the the creator's mind.  I guess you could call those things alternate realities, but that doesn't seem to fully express what I mean.

This is why vampires are great for non-fantasy readers.  They are here, in our world, doing things that we do so that we are able to relate to them.  On the other side, vampires are great for authors because they can turn their vampires into anything that they want.  Some shape change, burn in the sun, have superhuman powers and heightened senses.  Some kill humans with a single bite while other drink just a little, some sustain themselves on fake blood and others on animal blood while still others can buy blood from butcher shops or blood banks.  The list is endless, and new authors are creating new stories and spins constantly.

My philosophy is this:  If you enjoy writing it, then write it.  If you enjoy reading it, the read it.