Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: chanti

2023 Winners CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction
The Cygnus Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Science Fiction, Steampunk, Alternative History, and Speculative Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs).

Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring space, time travel, life on other planets, parallel universes, alternate reality, and all the science, technology, major social or environmental changes of the future that author imaginations can dream up for the CYGNUS Book Awards division.

1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners were announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony by Robert Phillips on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at the Four Points by Sheraton in beautiful Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2024 Chanticleer Authors Conference.

This is the OFFICIAL 2023 LIST of the CYGNUS BOOK AWARDS First Place Category Winners and the CYGNUS Grand Prize Winner.

Join us in celebrating our First Place Category Winners in the 2023 CYGNUS Book Awards, a division of the CIBAs!
- Alexandra Almeida – Unanimity
- N. John Williams – In the Shadow of Humanity: A Novel
- Gareth Worthington – Dark Dweller
- Timothy S. Johnston – The Shadow of War
- Dylan McFadyen – Oblivion’s Cloak
- Sarena Straus – ReInception
The Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2023 CYGNUS Awards for Science Fiction is:

The Shadow of War

By Timothy S. Johnston

Here is the link to the 2023 CYGNUS FINALISTS for Speculative Fiction:

The 2023 FINALIST CYGNUS Book Awards for Science Fiction

We want to CONGRATULATE ALL CYGNUS FINALISTS!

And here is a link to the CIBA’s Levels of Achievement:

The 2023 Chanticleer Int’l Book Award Finalists for Fiction!

PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!

Attn CIBA Winners: More goodies and prizes will be coming your way along with promotion in our magazine, website, and advertisements in Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards long-tail marketing strategy. Welcome to the CIBA Hall of Fame for Award Winners!

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A Note to ALL the WINNERS: You will receive an OFFICIAL EMAIL NOTIFICATION with Digital Badges and more information.

The coveted CIBA Blue Ribbons will be mailed out starting in June. We will contact you with an email to verify and confirm your mailing address and other items. We thank you for participating in the 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards!

NOTE: We will post at least two 2023 CIBA Divisions’ OFFICIAL Winners per business day starting April 24, 2024. We do a final sweep and reconciliation prior to making the Official CIBA Posts for the 2023 First Place and Grand Prize Winners. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. There are many moving parts involved with the Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.

Thank you for participating in the 2023 CIBAs! We are looking forward to reading your future entries.
April 24, 2024
EARTHLY VESSELS by David T. Isaak – Metaphysical Fiction, Coming of Age, Mystical Fiction

In Earthy Vessels by David T. Isaak, Crystal Keeling encounters a mystical power that sends her on a journey of true chaos.

Crystal wasn’t necessarily seeking spiritual enlightenment on the streets of Manhattan, but there were certainly plenty of fools and charlatans peddling it back in 1969 – as well as both legal and illegal means of achieving ‘higher consciousness’ one way or another.

Fortunately – and unfortunately – for Crystal, the man who found her, cult leader Anton Reginald LaMarr, and his Children of Pan were the real deal, whether they knew it or not. They had discovered a ritual that could draw down the soul of a Hero, and planned to implant that Hero’s soul into Crystal – using the usual orgiastic methods.

Crystal was fine with the ritual sex but had not signed up for imprisonment and pregnancy. She ran far and fast and never looked back.

When she discovered that she really was pregnant despite the birth control regimen she religiously maintained, she took it in stride – as did all the other members of whichever commune or co-op she happened to be living in at the time.

The child, however, a boy she named Rainbow Bounty, rebelled against her counterculture lifestyle every bit as much as Crystal had rebelled against her conservative upbringing before him.

Thus, readers follow Rainbow Bounty, who calls himself by his initials RB, pronounced ‘Arby’, because having people in the early 2000s think you’re named for a brand of fast food is much better than advertising that your mother was and still is a ‘flower child’. Arby makes his way from a job in the oil fields of Bahrain to Portland, Oregon because his mother hinted that there is a life-threatening event on the horizon.

But she’s not the one whose life is about to be threatened and thrown off its course.

The ritual that gave Arby life is about to come crashing down on his head – one way or another – and the fate of the world rests on him reconnecting with the abilities of his past lifetimes.

Whether those abilities will help or hinder is a crapshoot of the highest order, because Arby isn’t the avatar of some long-dead Hero or God. That would be much too easy. Arby is, as he has so often been in his life, the avatar of chaos, the embodiment of Murphy’s Law.

Arby is destiny’s Fool, and his purpose is to cast all plans into disarray. Even his own.

Earthly Vessels, beginning as it does in the counterculture movement of the 1960s, reads with a sense of nostalgia for that brief era, and Crystal’s acceptance of and equally brief involvement with the Children of Pan fits right in with books of the time, from the Harrad Experiment to Stranger in a Strange Land.

As the story moves from Crystal to Arby, a different perspective emerges, as the reader learns Arby’s place in the post-9/11 world right along with him. Arby discovers his expected role at a compelling pace, as there are forces beyond his understanding searching for him – on both sides of the cosmic balance that human shorthand calls ‘good’ and ‘evil’.

The scope of Arby’s story, diving deeply into that longest of long-running battles, with avatars fighting on both sides of the divide, will remind readers of both Good Omens and American Gods.

Earthly Vessels is both a deep exploration of the philosophy of the cosmos and a compelling thriller in one breathless story.

Arby is a protagonist readers can easily empathize with, an Everyman who rises to an occasion he never dreamed was possible, doing his damnedest along a path he doesn’t fully understand.

This story will keep readers turning pages as fast as they can, from the first until the surprising, fitting, and delightful last.

April 24, 2024
TOMORROWVILLE by David Isaak – Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Satire

As Tomorrowville by David Isaak opens, it is in fact yesterday. 2008 to be specific. Toby Simmons, a Gen X programmer/engineer/hacker, is in the midst of something professionally fascinating but personally stupid.

Toby uses a state-of-the-art virtual reality system to surreptitiously peek into the apartment of the woman across the street. But he’s three stories up, and loses track of where his real feet are walking as he’s too busy following his virtual eyeballs, leading him to one of Wile E. Coyote’s famous maneuvers. He discovers that there’s nothing underneath him but air and a three-story drop to the pavement.

But just like that cartoon coyote, Toby comes back from the dead. It only takes a silly prank, a forgotten gin and tonic, and 80 years, as medical science makes great strides in bringing cryogenically frozen bodies back from formerly life-ending spinal destruction. Along with a whopping bill from the U.S. government– nearly five million dollars for all the many, many costs of Toby’s revival.

It’s 2088, and Toby Simmons has unwittingly become Rip Van Winkle. The world has changed while he’s been sleeping– although not, perhaps, nearly as much as it should have.

This compelling story follows along with Toby’s learning curve/adaptation to a not-nearly-so-brave new world. The government relies on asset reclamation for funding, and issues mandatory, automatically-dispensed mood enhancements to keep its population from noticing that fewer and fewer people manage to stay out of the prison industrial complex.

The late 21st century that surrounds Toby has idealized the era from which he came to the point that, as much as they want to hear the account of the person who lived it, they are only interested in that account if it reinforces their mythology. At the same time, this new society’s faults are clear to both Toby and the reader– but concerns about safety and security eclipse all other concerns from the powers-that-be, leaving the U.S. a totalitarian regime that has lost ground to the rest of the world and has medicated itself into not caring about all that much.

The world in which Toby has found himself is a dystopia without having ever experienced an apocalypse, made all the more fascinating because they did it to themselves, using tools that they claim the late 20th and early 21st century gave them.

It’s a future that is all too easy to see from here. Toby begins to feel himself superior to those around him, and as he’s not drugged up to his eyeballs, it’s easy for readers to slide into his perspective on this world.

In the end, Toby wants out of 2088, and the story leaves readers with the hope that he might manage to avoid the destination his journey is leading to– prison– by doing something professionally interesting but quite possibly, and quite personally, stupid, once again.

April 15, 2024
STAY With The WAGONS: Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail Book 3 by David Fitz-Gerald – Historical Fiction, Oregon Trail, Mystery Edit | Live

The wheels roll relentlessly westward. In Stay with the Wagons, book 3 of David Fitz-Gerald’s Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail series, the families upon those wheels must face not only the consequences of the trail behind them but also new dangers that lie ahead.

Dorcas, the resilient mother, widow, and adventurer will need to summon forth all her remaining strength– physical and emotional– to survive these new challenges. Especially with her children to protect. Their community of waggoneers have supported each other through great hardship, but cracks are growing between them.

Amongst its incredible beauty, the country they travel through contains great danger, wild animals, and a hidden evil energized by greed and violence. There is a promise, a hope of happiness on the trail west if you Stay With The Wagons, but nothing is guaranteed.

There’s no turning back now for Dorcas and her children, as they near the halfway point to Oregon.

She can’t give up on this dream, facing down their long way to go into the unknown. Dorcas yearns to truly become a strong and independent Athena-style woman, yet doubts linger.

It’s the first day of summer, so the weather conditions are improving, but even this helpful development brings forth new challenges. So far the graves left behind them due to illness have been isolated cases. Dorcas buried her husband, but now she faces her own possible demise as she falls deathly sick.

While she fights desperately for life, her children must step up to responsibilities beyond their years. Their friends in the wagon train do what they can to help, but can this family carry on and can their mother summon the vitality to recover? Like a mustang out on the plain, will the family’s wild spirit prevail?

Along the trail there are many spirited encounters. Some are animalistic, some are devilish, some are affairs of the heart– none are predictable.

Grizzlies, snakes, even scorpions seem to conspire against the invaders of their lands. But true evil lurks in human form, and paranormal forces hovers over the wagons.

The complications of love are woven within the community, and even beyond. It’s not only romance that provokes trembles, but also the love for family, and wishing only the best of dreams for those who are cherished. When they reach a fork in the trail, life choices must be made with dire stakes.

Don’t fall behind now. This series continues west to the promised future.

Author David Fitz-Gerald propels readers through the 1850 American West, alongside the people of that era in the journey of their lifetime. We all know the destination, but no one knows whether– or how– this wagon train will arrive. Fitz-Gerald wields an amazing talent for suspense and surprise twists.

Readers will feel as if they’re walking the trail step by step with Dorcas and her family, sharing the emotional heights of rocky precipices as well as the depths of valleys in all their vivid beauty and daring, as they continue onward to Stay With The Wagons.

April 12, 2024
WOKELYND by George Denny – Dystopian, Political Fiction, Contemporary Social Issues

Wokelynd by George Denny transports readers to a futuristic New California, where the government’s benevolent rhetoric of equity and inclusion disguise instead an insidious quest for power and dominance.

A panoramic view of New California as an independent nation in 2066 sets the scene. The authoritarian JSS (Justice of Social Soldiers) wields absolute control over the population of this nation, where despotic policies stifle human autonomy. The ‘intersectionality score’ of an individual governs their position in the social hierarchy; the higher the score– the higher the chances one has experienced historical oppression– the higher their privileges. The result is chaos: an ideological rift has taken over the nation as the Liberati challenge the status quo with a stance of ‘Anti-Anti-Racist ideology’.

Distrust and division pervade New California. The story opens on a fierce military operation between the JSS and Nevada at Lake Tahoe over ideological disputes. The ambiguity and perplexity of soldiers are embodied through Quinceton, a teenage sniper with the identity of a straight cisgender boy of African descent. A soldier under the JSS government, Quinceton straddles his commitment to JSS and his dilemma due to a growing awareness of the complexities in the despotic system. Wokelynd ushers Quinceton along a journey of self-discovery and resistance, along with companions Sarah and Bones, as they navigate the treacherous paths of identity politics and societal change.

The climax throws Quinceton into the throes of uncertainty as he grapples with the JSS’s professed motive of universal equity versus their thirst for power.

The horrors of warfare with Nevada further disillusion Quinceton, leading him to question his duty and the greater good of all. As Quinton and his companions navigate through the apocalyptic landscape of post-war New California, they encounter the elderly Tinh, living off the grid with his family. Tinh reveals his involvement in the secret network ‘Rooftop Railroad’, aiding refugees out of JSS’s grasp, as well as opening clandestine chapters in the history New California, which were otherwise written only from the regime’s viewpoint.

The encounter foreshadows a critical juncture for the three soldiers, especially Quinceton, as they turn to the precarious roles of revolt and defiance. The peril of Anti-Anti-Anti Racist (AAA), the muscle of JSS, awaits them. To AAA patrolpersons, dissenters are terrorists who end up in the ‘DIE’ camp– offers either indoctrination or death. With AAA’s manipulation and severe disciplinary measures in place, the trio is headed for a future where equality reigns supreme.

George Denny makes an intriguing correlation between language and power dynamics.

The JSS government exercises control by shaping the discourse of citizens. Phrases such as “Anti-Racist” and “Anti-Anti-Anti-Racist” (AAA) reinforce the ideas that the New Californian Society stigmatizes. Likewise, the title “Knowers”, for the top members of society with the highest influence over people and policymaking, reflects the government’s implied justification for their every decision. But this use of language to maintain authority is echoed in the linguistic tactics of the opposing Liberati to mobilize resistance.

Social and political allegory of frail government policies and the erosion of freedom manifest through Tinh’s family. Tinh disregards the JSS’s programs aimed at promoting equality and welfare. He stresses autonomy and self-reliance, recognizing the inherent limitations of government projects that perpetuate exclusion and dependency despite their professed objective of encouraging fairness.

“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.” This quote by Steve Biko reverberates in the pages of Wokelynd. This piece lays bare an insatiable desire for power and control contrasted with the indomitable spirit of human agency.

April 10, 2024
There are a few seats available for D.D. Black’s (A.C. Fuller) Fabulous Master Class on Incorporating Mystery & Suspense Elements into any Genre
CAC 24 Master Writing Classes

Thursday morning, April 18th. Registration Required. Seating is Limited.

Morning Master Class will address Advance Writing Craft with D.D. Black, Amazon Best-selling Author

“D.D. Black evokes comparisons to John Grisham’s finest —The Firm and The Pelican Brief— with a touch of Woodward and Bernstein’s All the President’s Men.” ROBERT DUGONI – #1 Amazon and New York Times Bestselling Author of My Sister’s Grave“

Incorporating Mystery and Suspense Techniques Into Any Genre—Fiction OR Memoir

Learn How to Create Tension, Pacing, and Interest in your works no matter the genre by incorporating Mystery and Suspense Elements along with elevating Scene Level Craft Elements in your writing.
- Using examples from best-selling literary fiction, mysteries, fantasy, and even memoirs, you’ll learn professional techniques for weaving compelling mystery and suspense into your book, regardless of genre. In the class we will:
  - Discuss how to incorporate the mystery novel structure into non-mystery genres, such as literary fiction, memoir, sci-fi, and fantasy
  - Study the use of the elements of mystery in wildly different award-winning and best-selling books, such as: “The Round House” by Louise Erdrich, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, and “Dreams from My Father” by Barack Obama
  - Learn to ask questions both big and small to keep readers intrigued
  - Talk about how to craft clues, red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers for maximum intrigue
“Mystery is a whisper, not a shout.” – Kate Atkinson, best-selling literary crime novelist whose works have been adapted to a BBC One Series

Adam is a full-time author with more than 30 published books under two different names — A.C. Fuller and D.D. Black. Previously, he was an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University and has taught writing and book marketing at conferences and libraries all over the country and internationally. He lives with his wife, son, and three dogs in Kitsap County.

To find his Pacific Northwest mystery series: ddblackauthor.com

Click here to register for D.D. Black’s Master Writing Craft Class, CAC24, Thursday morning at 9:15 – 1 p.m., Coffee, tea, and drinks will be provided in class.

Seating is limited. Register today.

We are excited to have such an incredible line up at CAC24 this year!
April 6, 2024
Spotlight on Jayne Entwistle – Award-winning Audiobook Narrator and Actress

JAYNE ENTWISTLE – Award-winning Audiobook Narrator and Actress

Jayne Entwistle is an award-winning audiobook narrator known most notably for her narration of the Flavia De Luce series by Alan Bradley. She has received the Odyssey Award, Odyssey Honor Award and Voice Arts Award for narration. In addition to several Earphones Awards, AudioFile Magazine has included her narration on their list of Best Audiobooks of the Year. When not immersed in books, Jayne can be found on-screen in television programs such as: The Good Place, Grey’s Anatomy, Winning Time, and You’re the Worst. Originally from the north of England, Jayne currently lives in the PNW.

Jayne will present: How a Narrator Brings Your Words to Life

Behind the mic with award-winning audiobook narrator Jayne Entwistle. What goes into recording an audiobook? From receiving the manuscript to uploading finished audio files, Jayne will outline the process of creating an audiobook and how instrumental authors can be in that process. From hours of pain-staking research to decisions about accents and character’s vocal traits to the myriad ways a line can be read, get a glimpse into how a narrator brings your words to life. Q&A will be included.

She will also participate in panels.

Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

Register Today!

We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

Find out why The Writer Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

April 6, 2024
Spotlight on Nicole Persun – Award Winning and Bestselling Author and Creative Writing Instructor

NICOLE J. PERSUN – Award Winning and Bestselling Author and Creative Writing Instructor

Nicole J. Persun is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author with a master’s degree in Creative Writing & Instruction. Nicole has written and published in multiple genres, most recently book club fiction under the pen name Jennifer Gold. Her most recent novel, Halfway to You, was an Amazon First Reads selection in March 2023. Learn more at nicolejpersun.com. Discover her recent novels at jennifergoldauthor.com.

Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

Register Today!

We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

Find out why The Writer Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

April 6, 2024
Spotlight on Christine Fairchild- Author and Book Doctor

CHRISTINE FAIRCHILD – Author & Book Doctor

Christine Fairchild offers 35+ years experience as a writer, editor, and book doctor. She’s conducted celebrity interviews (XFiles, SciFiMall.com), edited for technical giants (Microsoft, Hitachi), and served as a marketing/readability specialist for consumer products (DHL, Cingular, AT&T). She now specializes in Suspense fiction and helps authors take their work, and their career, to the next level through her online workshops, classes at conferences and one-on-one book-doctoring of clients’ novels. She also writes suspense and historical fiction, so she understands the challenges authors face in their craft and the publishing industry.

Find more of her tips & tricks at: EditorDevil.blogspot.com

Christine will be leading sessions on:

• Power Moves to Make Your Story UNDENIABLE
• Look Out! He’s Behind You! Effectively Using Suspense to Insure a Page-Turner Story
• And more to be announced!

Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

Register Today!

We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

Find out why The Writer Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.

April 5, 2024
Spotlight on Mark Berridge, Award Winning Author of A Fraction Stronger and Motivational Speaker
MARK BERRIDGE – Author, Leader, and Motivational Speaker

By melding his professional background with the lived experience of his personal recovery journey, Mark brings his unique insights, perspective and practical tips and strategies to every custom-curated presentation he delivers.

Mark’s authenticity, openness, expertise and practicality profoundly impact the individuals, teams and organisations he presents to, helping them build the resilience they need to succeed in today’s challenging business environment.

His book, A Fraction Stronger was the Grand Prize Winner for the 2022 Journey Award.

Most recently, Mark presented at TedEx Brisbane.

We’re excited to have him back for CAC24! Mark will be presenting two sessions for us that will focus on:
1. Success comes in many shapes and sizes. Explore his 3 tips for amplifying it.
  - Notice how / when your goals creep.
  - Reward yourself for achieving your original goals and for re-calibrating new goals
  - Embrace and celebrate all the other gains / outcomes from your action that seem ancillary to your goals.
2. Plan well, adapt better. Why he is firm on purpose but flexible on pathway.
  - Good preparation is a valuable foundation, but we can never see all the possibilities.
  - Action (especially when embracing uncertainty) liberates possibilities.
  - Things work, things fail. Own where you are at and make plans, take action to keep going.
Still thinking about Registering for the Chanticleer Authors Conference?

Register Today!

We have a stellar line up of speakers for CAC24, with multiple options to attend.

Find out why The Writer Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
April 5, 2024