Tag: Fantasy

  • The Thinara King by Rebecca Lochlann – Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Mythology

    The Thinara King by Rebecca Lochlann – Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Mythology

    There’s only sorrow for Aridela, the heiress to the throne of Kapthor when she learns her heart is not hers to give freely and every decision she makes concerning her love life brings about dire consequences for her people in Rebecca Lochlann’s The Thinara King, Book 2 of The Child of the Erinyes series.

    When Aridela meets Chrysaleon, a Greek “barbarian” by the standards of her people, she falls in love. Chrysaleon, young, bold and brash, is as smitten with Aridela as she is with him, but he has been promised in marriage to her sister Iphiboë, who is bland and boring by comparison.

    The marriage is all important, though, as it will consolidate his father’s power, linking his lineage with that of the Aridela’s culture, a culture that reveres the power and station of women. Kapthor is ruled by Aridela’s mother Queen Helice and guided by the powerful female oracle Themiste.

    Aridela and Chrysaleon cannot help but consummate their forbidden love, yet as they do, a volcano erupts, devastating the island and killing many of Aridela’s relatives and friends. The volcano, seen as goddess Athene’s handiwork, is blamed on Chrysaleon, who has been identified by Themiste as the “lion” or the Thinara King, foretold in an ancient prophecy linking him to Aridela and a mysterious, unidentified bull figure. The prophecy states that this triad has the power to restore or destroy the world.

    Rebecca Lochlann skillfully immerses the reader in a semi-fictional world of ancient rites and conflicts where characters live, die, and are reborn throughout her series The Child of the Erinyes.

    The product of many years of study and fascination with the era and the mythology, The Thinara King establishes Lochlann’s connection with the novel’s setting and genre by smoothly combining many convincing elements: the handsome hero determined to win the strong-minded fair lady, the dark anti-hero plotting on the sidelines, the wise demi-goddess who keeps her own counsel and manipulates outcomes behind the scenes, the grisly battles fought at close range, and the spectacular festivals marking the passing of the years.

    Lochlann’s over-arching narrative, switching from character to character, is deftly composed, making for many surprises without deviating from the backdrop with its elaborate history-rich trappings.

    A tale of ancient kingdoms, of love promised and lost, heralded victory and hopeless defeat is the second novel in her much-acclaimed series, The Child of the Erinyes – another masterfully written historical fiction novel of Ancient Greece from Rebecca Lochlann.

  • The DRY by Rebecca Nolen – Middle-Grade Fantasy/Adventure

    The DRY by Rebecca Nolen – Middle-Grade Fantasy/Adventure

    This middle-grade fantasy sends a determined 12-year-old into a coal mine to find his missing father. Instead, he finds a phantasmagoria deep inside the earth, where first appearances can’t always be trusted. Heads-up to insectophobes: You’ll encounter plenty of creepies crawling through this spine-tingling adventure for middle graders.

    It’s 1895 and years before child labor laws when Elliot Sweeney’s father fears for the town’s children, who are being sold to the company running the coal mine and never seen again. When his investigation swallows him up as well, Elliot, apprehensive but resolute, sets off to find him. Along the way, he picks up increasingly strange objects, companions, and stalkers: a watch that runs backward, a fierce girl named Lefty, a mysterious key, a blind burro named Beulah, a rat-faced mine recruiter. But that’s nothing compared to what Elliot and Lefty find once they enter the secret entrance to the boarded-up mine.

    Like Tolkien’s Mines of Moria, this underground realm is palatial and studded with stone carvings and gems. And like Moria, within the cold beauty of this place called Penumbra is an ugly truth. Here Elliot and Lefty discover the lost children living in brutal conditions, mining gems for the cruel and vainglorious Wicked Prince of Every Place. Forced to work with their hands and without their shoes, the children’s blood gives power to the prince’s Water Moon, which absorbs all water, above and below ground. Hence, the title of the book, The Dry.

    Elliot’s father is here too, weakened and powerless to defeat the vast army of insects and amphibians under the prince’s command: giant wasps, salamander servants, evil beetles, stinging caterpillars, and more.

    And here is one of author Nolen’s greatest strengths: creating talking critters who not only possess unique personalities but suffer moments of existential crisis as well. Chief among these is Morrigan Wasp, Foundress of the United Vespid Kingdom, who imprisons Lefty but, after much soul-searching, realizes she is as enslaved by the prince as are the children. Morrigan helps Elliot escape to the other side of the mountain, where he finds the diminishing water queen Tosia, whose watery world is receding. Emboldened by his escape, Elliot rallies the creatures there—otters, dragonflies, horses—into the climatic, and inevitable war between good and evil.

    Kids, teens, and fantasy-loving adults will find much to marvel over in this classic hero’s journey through a strange land that tests his courage at every turn. While the myriad of invertebrates may at times overwhelm the youngest readers, we encourage you not to fear; Elliot Sweeney is a bona-fide twelve-year-old hero, one who perseveres in spite of his fears and because of his unwavering love for his father, his new friend, and justice.

    5 Star Best Book Chanticleer Reviews round silver sticker

  • OZMA Book Awards for FANTASY Fiction 2016 Short List (Semi-Finalists)

    OZMA Book Awards for FANTASY Fiction 2016 Short List (Semi-Finalists)

    Ozma Awards for Fantasy FictionThese titles are in the running for the 5 First Place Book Awards for the 2016 OZMA Book Awards novel competition for Fantasy Fiction!

    The OZMA Book Awards  Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Fantasy Fiction. The OZMA Book Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and  Novel Writing Competitions.

     

    These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from SLUSH pile to FINALISTS LIST and now has moved forward to the SHORT LIST of the 2016 OZMA Book Awards. They are now 2016 OZMA Semi-Finalists as they compete for the limited First  Place Category Positions of the 2016 OZMA Book Awards in the last rounds of judging.

    Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring magic, the supernatural, imaginary worlds, fantastical creatures, legendary beasts, mythical beings, or inventions of fancy that author imaginations dream up without a basis in science as we know it. Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Dragons, Unicorns, Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Gaslight Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, or other out of this world fiction, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.

    The First Place Category positions in the OZMA Awards are: Magic, Heroes & Villains, Coming of Age, Steampunk/Dieselpunk/Gaslight, Historical Fantasy, Modern/Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tale/Fable/Myth & Legend.  

    Congratulations to these authors for their works moving up from the 2016 OZMA Finalists to the Short List (Semi-Finalists). These novels will now compete for the First Place Category Positions!

    • Susan Buffum – Black King Takes White Queen
    • Kristen and Daniel Sheridan – Elementals
    • Matt Kilby – The Road Cain Walks
    • Allie Mendelsohn – The Stone Keepers
    • Gary J. Hurtubise – Darksea
    • Murray Lee Eiland Jr – The Emperor of Babylon
    • Murray Lee Eiland Jr – The Sword of Telemon
    • Rebecca Lochlann – The Sixth Labyrinth
    • James Malone – Rainbow Gardens
    • Brad Farley – A Pallid Moon
    • Christopher Leibig – Almost Mortal
    • Nicole Evelina – Camelot’s Queen
    • Elizabeth Crowens – Silent Meridian
    • Alec Hutson – The Crimson Queen
    • Woody Carter – Narada’s Chldren: A Visionary Tale of Two Cities
    • Raven Oak – Amaskan’s Blood
    • Phillip Buchanon – Aquatic Bourne
    • Sam J. Charlton – Journey of Shadows
    • V. Lakshman – Mythborn 2
    • April Holthaus – Legend of the Fae
    • Sydney M. Cooper – Forsaken Lands Book 1: Tragedy
    • Elisabeth Hamill – Song Magick

    All Short Listers in attendance to CAC17 will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.

    Good Luck to all of the OZMA Semi-Finalists as they compete for the coveted First Place Category positions.

    The OZMA Grand Prize Winner and First Place Category Winners will be announced at the April 1st, 2017 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.

    We are now accepting submissions into the 2017 OZMA Awards Book Awards writing competition. Please click here for more information.

    More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2016 writing competition winners! Enter your manuscript or recently published book today!

  • Gateways by Jessica Schaub – Y/A Fantasy

    Mind bending is one thing, but when teenager Victoria Nike paints her landscapes – and then falls through them into another dimension – you know you’re in for a treat in this charming and intelligent fantasy, Gateways.

    There are many similarities between Victoria’s story and that of Dorothy Gale: the emerging of special powers, real or imagined; companions both human and beast; an ultimate confrontation with a wicked witch.

    That said, in Gateways, Jessica Schaub has created a wonderful fantasy that takes readers on a journey into parallel worlds, where mages – beings who can invoke the elements and use their energy – coexist with sphinxes and other fantastic beasts. It’s also a tale of self-discovery, of innocence lost and wisdom gained. Schaub succeeds in placing teenagers into a story of mystic powers and magical without her characters losing their modern savvy and their wisecracker-y. This refined skill in storytelling keeps the elements of this story believable.

    When Victoria sees her mother’s growing distress, she notices her world changing in subtle ways as well. She retreats into the art room at school, where she paints. When she abruptly finds herself inside of her painting, she has no idea of how to climb out. Her art teacher, Anna Witherspoon, comes to her rescue. Anna is a Painter of gateways, and so, apparently, is Victoria.

    When she returns home, Victoria and her twin best friends, Tucker and Bobby Martin, are told by their parents to flee. “No matter what,” Mr. Martin tells his boys, “keep her safe.” Victoria takes Tucker to hide with her inside a painting of a forest.

    But that particular painting holds a prisoner, Lucian – a fallen mage accused of murder. Lucian wastes no time in escaping with the painting – the portal leading back to Victoria’s world – and so she, Tucker, Bobby, and Anna have no choice but to set off to recapture him in order to stop him from perpetrating further harm.

    This is a coming-of-age novel, and much like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Victoria learns that things aren’t always as they seem. Bad people turn good, and good turn bad. Family history enlightens and relationships shift. But that is life and Victoria realizes that though her world has suddenly opened into ever-expanding opportunities, there truly is no place like home.

    A great read with a magical – air-bending quality that will draw the reader in and not allow them to leave until the very last page.

    5 Star Best Book Chanticleer Reviews round silver sticker

  • The OZMA AWARDS for Fantasy, Magic, Steampunk, Fairytale, Swords & Sorcery Fiction Book Awards 2016 Official Finalist List

    The OZMA AWARDS for Fantasy, Magic, Steampunk, Fairytale, Swords & Sorcery Fiction Book Awards 2016 Official Finalist List

    Ozma Awards for Fantasy FictionThe OZMA Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of  Fantasy, Magic, Steampunk, Fairytale, Swords & Sorcery Fiction. The OZMA Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Book Awards & International Writing Competitions.

     

     

    We are pleased to announce the OZMA  Awards Official Finalists List for 2016. They will now compete with each other for coveted spots on the “Finalist List” from all the 2016 entries received. The Official Finalists Listing is comprised of works that have passed the first three rounds of judging from the entire field of entrants. To pass the first three rounds of judging, more than sixty pages of the works below have been read and been deemed worthy by the CBR judges of continuing in competition for the Short List  and then compete for the 2016 OZMA Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY positions and their prize packages.

    Congratulations to the OZMA AWARDS 2016 FINALISTS and Good Luck as they compete for the Short List Positions:

    NOTE: This IS the  OFFICIAL LISTING of 2016 OZMA FINALISTS as of January 24, 2017.  Please check back as we add to the list.

    • April Holthaus – Legend of the Fae
    • Jennifer Morse – Fairy Godmothers of The Four Directions
    • Rebecca Lochlann – The Sixth Labyrinth
    • Murray Lee Eiland Jr – The Emperor of Babylon
    • Brad Farley – A Pallid Moon
    • Luke Taylor – Vault of Dreams
    • Alec Hutson – The Crimson Queen
    • Katherine Leannan – Fantasy
    • Tyrean Martinson – Champion’s Destiny
    • Sydney M. Cooper – Forsaken Lands Book 1: Tragedy
    • James Malone – Rainbow Gardens
    • Wayne D. Penney – VALHALLA: The Saga of Leif the Lucky
    • Susan Buffum – Black King Takes White Queen
    • Elizabetta Holcomb – Category Jeremy
    • Maighread MacKay – Stone Cottage
    • Kristen and Daniel Sheridan – Elementals
    • Zakary J Bennett – The Archmage Trials: Trial by Deception
    • Allie Mendelsohn – The Stone Keepers
    • Gary J. Hurtubise – Darksea
    • Keith W. Willis – Traitor Knight
    • Murray Lee Eiland Jr – The Sword of Telemon
    • Sam J. Charlton – Journey of Shadows
    • David H. Luz – TALLOK
    • V. Lakshman – Mythborn 2
    • Nicole Evelina – Camelot’s Queen
    • Woody Carter – Narada’s Children: A Visionary Tale of Two Cities
    • Alan Sproles – Billy Bedivere in the Quest for the Dragon Queen
    • Elizabeth Crowens – Silent Meridian 
    • Elisabeth Hamill – Song Magick
    • Michael Joseph Murano – Epic of Ahiram: Age of the Seer (Book One)
    • Phillip Buchanon – Aquatic Bourne #4
    • Bruce Graham – Visitor from the Reich 
    • Christopher Leibig – Almost Mortal
    • Andrew Craven – The Curse on Long Autumn Valley
    • Raven Oak – Amaskan’s Blood

    Good luck to all the OZMA Awards Finalists who made the Finalist Listing as they compete for the Short List and then the First In Category Positions !

    More than $30,000 dollars in cash and prizes are awarded to Chanticleer International Blue Ribbon Awards Winners annually.

    cac16The OZMA First Place Category book award winners will compete for the OZMA Grand Prize Award for the 2016 Best Fantasy Fiction. Grand Prize winners, blue ribbons, and prizes will be announced and awarded on April 1, 2017 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash.

    The First In Category award winners will receive an book award package including a complimentary book review, digital book award badges, shelf talkers, book stickers, and more.

    We are now accepting entries into the 2017 OZMA Awards. The deadline is October  31st, 2017. Click here for more information or to enter. We have split CYGNUS Awards in to two separate competitions: Cygnus for Science Fiction and the OZMA awards for Fantasy. Visit our Contest Page for more information.

    More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2016 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Fifteen genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.

  • The AURORA AFFAIR by Carolyn Haley

    The AURORA AFFAIR by Carolyn Haley

    A psychedelic ride through a world of mystics and musicians, rock concerts and psychic powers with the car-racing supermodel, Madeline LaRue, in the driver’s seat, trying to make sense of it all.

    Madeline has been summoned to New Atlantis, the estate of her twin sister’s boyfriend, rock superstar and cult leader, Dru Montclair. Upon her arrival, Madeline sees auras around the guests, including her former lover, turned roadie, Buck Williams, and the sinister promoter, Raoul Lamont, who, she intuits, is stalking Dru.

    Despite her energy readings, Madeline resists her psychic abilities, and even more so when her sister, Blanche, asserts that Mad will destroy the evil encroaching on the rural Vermont compound.

    That is until Madeline’s prophetic dreams and visions come true.

    While re-examining her beliefs, Mad is also preoccupied with the concept of soul mates whom she believes stimulate her psychic powers. The only trouble is, she can’t determine whether her soul mate is Buck or Kit Douglas, the handsome jack-of-all-trades. Kit has the ability to set off her visions, along with her pheromones and sexual cravings. Both men are at times suspect, as is the enigmatic and arrogant Dru. Her sister’s boyfriend invades Mad’s dreams and forces mystical challenges on her, yet ultimately needs her power to keep the Evil One from destroying both him and his New Atlantean world.

    Whether or not you believe in the supernatural and mystic philosophies, Haley’s story will thrill you with its feverish pacing, plot twists, and ever-unfolding action. Madeline makes a bewitching protagonist: multi-talented, free-wheeling, and quick-tempered. She’s equal parts skeptic and believer, seeking truth and power through the ritual of intimacy. However, the love scenes are never explicit or overlong, and just descriptive enough to imply a sacred sexuality. This restraint pairs well with an abundance of inspired language. The sky was “a Parrish blue pricked with stars,” the valley a “cauldron of liquid gold,” an aura that was “gas-burner blue.” Lovely stuff.

    As suspense builds, the psychic warfare ratchets up. Madeline wants to leave New Atlantis but gets pulled back by indecision, persistent visions, and the chance to hide out while contemplating the nature of reality. Then, just as the compound returns to routine, Raoul’s psychic attacks come back with a vengeance, forcing Mad to not only accept her psychic powers but push them to their limits and beyond. This book is a pleaser for those who are drawn to fast action, fun, and a trip on the wild side.

  • The BROTHERHOOD of MERLIN: Book One by Rory D. Nelson – an intriguing twist to Arthurian legend

    The BROTHERHOOD of MERLIN: Book One by Rory D. Nelson – an intriguing twist to Arthurian legend

    The book centers around a sort of feudal fantasy world, where guns mix with magic-ish swords, and King Herod and other dastardly villains of history plot against Merlin and his brotherhood, who seek to defend the righteous and the innocent. A couple of innocent girls are taken captive by a coalition of villains early on, and we meet a roving cast of heroes who seek to bring down these evildoers.

    Nelson has a real gift for action scenes. His action sequences are quick and brutal and carefully plotted out; as the characters run from arrows or crouch to prepare a shot or disarm (often literally) a roomful of weapon carrying warriors, you will feel your breath pound in your chest. It helps that Nelson has painted a brutal world, full of quasi-feudal warriors in service to various degrees of corrupt royalty, a world that only gets more corrupt and darker as the work goes on.

    However, the work loses momentum in the dialogue and the character development elements. Nelson uses a pseudo-Elizabethan constructed kind of slang, but it never stops feeling formal and slips into the constructions and the humor of actual slang. I think most readers will have issues connecting with the characters because of the way they talk. I’d have liked to see the slang toned down to a few different phrases. I was especially disappointed because some of the phrases seemed familiar, so I Googled “Ai cully” and a few other phrases and found out they are common slang from Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower.”

    Female characters were also a bit thin, with the most important one being a prisoner throughout the majority of the book, although, there was one wicked villainess. The male characters were developed as warriors, but I never quite felt like they were well-rounded, strong characters outside of the battlefield—most of the book focuses on their skills in battle and keeps returning to these gory action scenes.

    While this was a fun read for action–it’s obvious that Rory Nelson has potential as a talented writer as shown by his carefully crafted battle scenes, which are known to be difficult to write– I would like to see him bring this unique story concept to its full potential by developing his characters and make them more multi-dimensional along with original dialog to give them voice. Again, “The Brotherhood of Merlin” is an intriguing twist of Arthurian legend fantasy with science fiction elements with a lot of battle action.

  • NAZI WEREWOOFS by Karl Larew — a zany and fun vampire spoof for adults

    NAZI WEREWOOFS by Karl Larew — a zany and fun vampire spoof for adults

    In Karl Larew’s second humorous and highly entertaining vampire spoof, the battle continues in which the Good Vampires seek to protect their own (and all good people) against the greedy aspirations of the power-seeking Bad Vampires.

    The Good Vampires, Lance Blodgett and sidekick Nigel, along with their normal human and gorgeously sexy girlfriends Carol and Becky, are called to action again.  The book has refreshingly laugh-out-loud humor with a smidge of the burlesque for the middle-age and over set who appreciate the irreverent early James Bond flicks, the original Wild Wild West and Star Trek series as opposed to the angst of the Twilight’s vampire and werewolf stories.  All in all, a hoot of (or should I say a “woof”) of a read to be enjoyed with your favorite cocktail.

    (If you’ve read Larew’s Bad Vampires, you already know of course that Good Vampires, while human in most respects, have a metabolic need for a periodic sip of human blood. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Carol has become Lance’s quite willing donor, as well as very human lover.] Bad Vampires, on the other hand, are common and uncommon criminals in every respect, not only hungering for money and power, but also cruelly biting and killing innocent humans to gorge on their blood.)  

    This second tale, an especially furry one, begins exactly where the first left off, with Lance and Carol snug in bed…that is, until they are abruptly interrupted by a pounding on their door. Lance finds a disheveled and distraught Becky, crying that she has been attacked and bitten by a Bad Vampire in Central Park. Lance and Carol get the tall, beautiful Nigerian to the Good Vampire Dr. Griswold. Seeing fleas on Becky, Dr. Griswold tells the three that he has just been informed by Arleigh Granville, head of the New York Association of Good Vampires, that a Bad Vampire in Germany has concocted a drug to turn people into werewolves (good hosts to fleas), who then infect their victims with ‘werewolfism’. Becky must be such a victim—a diagnosis immediately confirmed when she appears to be transforming into a werewolf. Becky, however, turns out looking more like a Labrador retriever and is soon recognized as a ‘werewoof’, wagging her tail. Fortunately, the good doctor Griswold has an antidote, injections of which return Becky to normal—thank goodness!

    When Mr. Granville learns what has happened, he explains to the foursome that a Bad Vampire in Bavaria, Baron Wolfgang von Verdammte, is behind the werewolf plot. He appoints the four as Good Vampire secret agents, and they are soon on their way to Europe, tasked with squelching the werewolf plot and its aim of a Bad Vampire takeover of the world!

    Starting in Paris, the action moves on to Germany, with Carol ending up at the Baron’s castle in Bavaria (perhaps Mad King Ludwig’s Summer Palace).  One incredible (believe it!) adventure follows another for the secret agents, with more human-werewolf or werewoof transformations, double agent and mole (not that little rodent) infiltrations of both the Good and Bad Vampire contingents (until neither side is sure who’s which!), a one-upmanship struggle over a coffin purportedly containing the remains of the Baron’s mentor, no other than Adolph Hitler (no kidding!), wild goose and car chases, one-sided shootouts (guess who always wins), and pussy galore (with even the werewoofs wanting their share). Be it known, however, that no matter how hard the Baron, aka Wolfie, craves Carol, both as his “little ginger snap” and as “the most Aryan uterus conceivable” (for his planned Fourth Reich), this sexy secret agent is one skillful evader whose heart belongs to Lance.

    If you’re not willing to join in this cock-eyed parody between the Vampires and cheer the Good Vamps on to victory, go find some other book (something by Mary Shelley, perhaps?). But if you’d like to laugh yourself to sleep, Larew’s zany tales—both Nazi Werewoofs and Bad Vampires—will offer you a fun and entertaining diversion.  Then you can ponder how this retired college history professor came to write these amusingly unconventional tales.  

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  • SHADOW OF THE LAST MEN by  J. M. Salyards, a dystopian sci-fi fantasy series

    SHADOW OF THE LAST MEN by J. M. Salyards, a dystopian sci-fi fantasy series

    A futuristic Earth turns into a dystonia. Its inhabitants are a blend of the best and the worst, the good and the evil. Survival is all that matters. Readers of sci-fi and fantasy will will love this apocalyptic, fictional universe.

    A societal hierarchy born out of greed and gluttony created a rift in the world’s population. Two factions emerged: the Outlanders and Order of the Last Men. The Outlanders make up the population’s majority, but they’re oppressed by the wealthy and elite group known as the Order of the Last Men.

    The Outlanders face a constant struggle for survival, while the Order enjoys the privileges of life with little regard for those beneath them. Sitting in the middle of the two factions are the Mystics. The Mystics seek unilateral reconciliation between the two groups in the hopes of a more peaceful world.

    Compelling characters are introduced that embody the tensions of a bitter dichotomous society. Harrow represents the Outlanders. He is a futuristic Robin Hood with little compassion for any particular group of people and a low threshold of tolerance for the Order. Alouine Morningstar is the daughter of the dead Chairman of the Highest Circle; she is nobility within the Order.

    Quintain, the mystic, is fully aware of the struggle between the Order and the Outlanders. He strives to help Harrow and Alouine find common ground against a common enemy, rather than the heritage of one another. Each character creates a connection to readers; seducing them into exploring the dystopian world further.

    As the plot progresses, the narrative dives deeper; transcending beyond a philosophical story about two groups on opposite ends of a societal spectrum. The story surpasses fiction and may be a reflection on modern-day society. We endure class-ism daily, but could the gap become wider? Where is the Quintain in our world to bring people together to eliminate hardship?

    J.M. Salyards writes a thrilling and profound novel that will keep readers hooked until the end. The ensemble of characters build up the tension until you are hanging off a cliff, anxious to read the second volume. Salyards crafts a balanced backdrop that portrays a world as futuristic, yet realistic.

    Shadow of the Last Men is a worthwhile read that holds its own in the sci-fi fantasy genre.

  • LEGACY by Jesikah Sundin, Book One of the Biodome Chronicles

    LEGACY by Jesikah Sundin, Book One of the Biodome Chronicles

    A captivating YA hybrid of sci-fi and medieval fantasy, mystery, and romance, Legacy opens The Biodome Chronicles series with divergent worlds on a carefully planned collision course.

    Cyberpunk culture in 2054: hard-living, nihilistic youth who hate themselves as well as the world. Fillion Nichols, a brilliant but dissolute hacker, can claim a third object of hatred: his father, Hanley Nichols, mastermind—and, as Fillion suspects, cult leader—of New Eden Enterprises. He is the creator of New Eden, a hand-picked community living within the real-life Biosphere 2, to test the psychological effects of long-term isolation. To study the second generation of Biospherians who’ve never interacted with the Outside world, Nichols’ team created The Code, a strict set of rules to which the inhabitants closely adhere.

    The first generation play along—quite literally, as LARPers role-playing per a script created by Hanley Nichols, one that includes a noble class divided into four houses and social mores gleaned from medieval times. For the young people of New Eden Township, however, although they have a vague sense of being an experimental colony, all they really know of life is that it’s an agrarian affair based on ritual, work, and the laws of nature.

    Heirs to the Earth Element noble house, chivalrous Leaf and temperamental Willow Oak Watson, discover all is not as idyllic as it seems. They learn soon after their father’s death that secrecy and murder have also been scripted into the game. A mysterious death card, a lost scroll, and a secret underground room lead the siblings to a portal to the Outside world, and to Fillion Nichols, self-professed Dungeon Master of New Eden.

    Once Willow conquers her terror of “magic” satellite communications, she finds herself spellbound by the strangely dressed, tattooed, and pierced young man. Fillion is equally captivated: not only by Willow’s beauty, but by the fact that the Watson children supposedly died nearly six years ago. His father went to trial on charges of negligence and manslaughter, and though never convicted, the infamy lingered on the family name.

    Although he is now the Earth Element, Leaf finds that the other Elements are determining his future, even making conditions for his marrying the daughter of the Fire Element, whose son passionately pursues Willow. Meanwhile, Fillion endures his own trial for falsifying IDs, resulting in a 90-day sentence, which, as he’ll soon find out, was also manipulated by his father from the start.

    As Leaf and Fillion grapple with understanding their respective legacies, New Eden Enterprises begins preparation for the project’s completion, Even as their increasingly twining paths are set out by their elders, the two young men are determined to discover the mystery behind Joel Watson’s murder and the unexplained faking of his children’s death.

    Laced through with excerpts from news reports and interviews with both the real Biosphere 2 participants and the fictional members of New Eden Enterprise, and infused equally with near-future technology and ancient ceremony, Legacy will entice readers into its unfolding story.
    2014 winner of Chanticleer Book Reviews Great Beginnings Cygnus winner for Sci-Fi/Fantasy, National Indie Excellence Award Finalist for Science Fiction, Cygnus Award for Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk, Dante Rossetti Award First in Category for Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk, and the Dante Rossetti Grand Prize Award for Young Adult Fiction.