Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: SciFi

The Other Side of Life by Andy Kutler – World War II/Civil War, Time Travel

The Other Side of Life by the first-time author Andy Kutler will take you by surprise. This time-spanning book covers two major wars in United States history: World War II and the Civil War – but not how you might think. Kutler pulls this off with an intriguing storyline and well-orchestrated action sequences that put us in place and time.

The story opens on the deck of the battleship Nevada, part of the U.S Naval fleet on December 7th, 1941. The Japanese fighters rip apart the battleships moored in place. During the attack, Commander Malcolm (Mac) Kelsey is severely wounded – and this is where the story gets interesting.

Kelsey encounters a certain Mr. Leavitt who offers him a choice: stay right where he is in his broken condition; or, go somewhere else – a place known as The Other Side of Life – where all of his memories are wiped clean. A do-over, if you will.

Kelsey chooses the latter, but this other side of life is no better – and in some respects worse – than before. He’s fighting for the Union Army in the Civil War. But something has gone wrong: he has retained all of his memories, making him a man outside his own time.

For four years Kelsey fights for the Union Army, and throughout this period, he struggles (understandably so) with trying to make sense of why he is where he is, and how this all come to be. Upon the conclusion of the war, Kelsey encounters Mr. Kelsey again and faces another choice.

That choice is perhaps the most interesting and most jarring aspect of the book. The author never does explain quite where it is that Kelsey has gone. A brilliant move! Any reader having even the slightest bit of religious background or spiritual awareness will quickly associate this with heaven – or maybe purgatory – or even nirvana. Using this ambiguous device enables readers to ponder questions like, what would they do in a similar circumstance – the same thing, or maybe something different?

A captivating historical military story that blends genres and crosses through time and space. Kutler has a flare for describing situations at hand – his descriptions of the Pearl Harbor attack are impeccable – and he brings in multiple characters to help the story unfold. The story may be a bit unwieldy at times, but in the end, Kutler manages it well even providing an unexpected twist making The Other Side of Life is a satisfying and worthy read. Highly recommended.

March 2, 2017
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.

February 8, 2017
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.

December 22, 2016
OLD EARTH by Gary Grossman – an ancient secret, a secret society, intrigue and espionage

A historical fiction thriller in the vein of “The DaVinci Code.” An ancient secret, safe-guarded for 400 years discovered. A fast-paced thrill ride with a secret society determined to keep the discovery hidden from mankind.

Old Earth is a gripping tale of historical intrigue and espionage that leads readers on a journey that spans 400 years. The book weaves science, politics and religion into a high-octane thriller. With locations ranging from a cave in Montana to Vatican City, Grossman has created a tale that often leaves you wondering if you are reading a work of fiction or an actual historical account.

As the book opens, the year is 1601 and you find yourself crawling through a cave in Italy with none other than world renowned scientist Galileo Galilei. He discovers a mysterious black “wall” buried deep within the cave, something that will have implications later in the story and will impact many people. The composition of the wall fascinates Galileo as it absorbs all light and is covered in odd markings. In fact, this discovery plays a role (in Grossman’s telling) in Galileo being accused of heresy by the Catholic Church. What Galileo fears more than repercussions from the Catholic Church is the unprecedented turmoil on all fronts, including religious and secular governments, that will befall mankind if his discovery is revealed.

The plot thickens as a secret society of powerful individuals is formed to safeguard this secret — a secret so big that, if revealed, will cause society to fall apart — for 400 years.

Fast forward to the present when a group of students, led by Professor Quinn McCauley, is on an archaeological dig in Montana with high hopes of finding dinosaur bones. What they unearth instead is the well-guarded secret Galileo discovered some 400 years before, a black wall. When the secret society reveals itself, Dr. McCauley finds his life in danger. What ensues is a thrilling global quest for the truth that makes for a page-turning read.

The book does have spots that take some effort to wade through. This mainly occurs during the early stages of the book where a fair amount of time is spent setting the stage for the story and developing characters. However, the reader’s persistence will be well rewarded in the end.

October 18, 2016
TIME TRAVEL TRAILER by Karen Musser Nortman – a quick fun read to take you on an armchair vacation

When Lynne McBrier acquires a vintage camping trailer, she can’t imagine that her camping trips will be journeys not just to new places, but to former times.

Struggling to raise rebellious teenaged daughter Dinah after separating from her husband Kurt, Lynne buys the 1937 camper on impulse from her old friend Ben, who used it to take trips with his now deceased wife, Minnie. Dinah, who like most adolescent girls considers anything her mother wants her to do as boring, agrees reluctantly to go on one sentimental weekend camping trip before Lynne converts the trailer into an office.

It’s pretty cozy as Lynne and Dinah settle into a local campground and tuck in for the night. But when they wake up, things around them have changed—there are no big trees, no paved roads, and the large cement bathhouse is gone, in its place, two wooden outhouses.

They are forced to realize that, impossible as it seems, the trailer has transported them back in time; people talk to them about their fear of Russian spies, and everyone is dressed in outmoded costumes. Certain clues to the transformation allow them to reverse the process and return to 2014. They agree not to talk about their misadventure.

But Lynne secretly takes a time trip on her own and Dinah wants to visit the past once more, having become obsessed with classic books about time travel. Each jump lands them in a different portion of the twentieth century. Lynne tries to get the truth about the trailer from Ben, but he is in hospital, raving incomprehensibly about Minnie. Then Lynne and Kurt are forced together to test the mysteries of time travel when Dinah goes missing, almost certainly carried away by the camper.

Author Karen Musser Nortman has cleverly constructed this fantasy with many small but important particulars. Mother and daughter, whose testy relationship is realistically portrayed, visit a vintage store to get mid-century clothes and add an old-fashioned radio and other details to the camper so they’ll seem plausible to people they encounter in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Reminders of historical events—teen hobos in the Great Depression, Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile, the McCarthy hearings—contribute authenticity to the story, while touches like the strong family similarity in appearance and rebellious temperament between Dinah and her then teen-aged ancestor add poignancy.

Well-drawn characters, tight plotting and the alluring possibility of returning to, and possibly changing, the past make The Time Travel Trailer an engaging, mind-tickling trip makes for a fun armchair vacation.

October 12, 2016
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.

August 3, 2016
NEWORLD PAPERS: THE WARRIORS’ TALE by KB Shaw, sequel to the Neworld Papers series

The highly-anticipated sequel to Neworld Papers: The Historian’s Tale brings readers back into the mysterious Neworld, a world founded by former inhabitants of Earth who fled after the planet fell to chaos and war. Deemed genetically superior and above violence, these founders created a utopia that appears to be free of war, greed, lust, and the worst of human nature.

When Fallon, a teenager with a photographic memory and an unusual drawing talent, was thrust into the middle of an underground movement, he discovered that his world has deep, dark secrets. He ventured into the depths of the world, documenting the planet’s true history, the motives behind the world’s leaders’ acttions, and the heinous crimes they had committed. Fallon became Neworld’s very first truthful historian.

Now, in Neworld Papers: The Warrior’s Tale, Fallon is revered as a hero in the Solarist movement as his written records of truth make their way around the world. As everyone in the movement looks to him for leadership, he must choose the direction of the rebellion: reverting to ancestral violence or embracing a path of peace.

Once Fallon rallies the Solarists, he finds himself once again exploring Neworld to uncover ancient secrets as his underground companions discover how their enemies have been controlling their forces and are working to regain manipulation of the truth ad history.

Shaw has expertly built a world that draws readers into its rich and complex past. Neworld was founded with the purpose of eliminating everything that is wrong with human nature and to create a utopia that dictates the lives of its inhabitants through contracts and emotionless interactions to maintain peace. But, as we know, human nature doesn’t like to be controlled.

Beyond the fascinations of Neworld, readers are coaxed into the lives of complicated and endearing characters. Fallon and his companions cope with the scars of violence and loss, while coming to terms with fiery emotions in a world that tries to suppress them. Fallon and his companion, Addie, to navigate a tumultuous relationship while they come to terms with how they came to this world and what they must do to take it back.

The Neworld Papers series by KB Shaw is a beautifully sculpted work of science fiction that delves into the complexities of human emotion through characters who battle grief, explore romantic ties, and defy global suppression.

July 30, 2016
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.

June 17, 2016
The Official List of the Chanticleer 2015 Grand Prize Winners of the Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions

We are excited and honored to have announced the 2015 grand prize award winners at the third annual Chanticleer Authors Conference’s Awards Banquet held on Saturday, April. 30th, 2016 at the Hotel Bellwether by beautiful Bellingham Bay, Wash.

We want to thank all of those who entered and participated in the fiercely competitive 2015 Chanticleer International Writing Competitions.

Our next Awards Banquet will be held on April 1st, 2017, for the 2016 winners. Enter your book or manuscript in a contest today!

CBR– Discovering Today’s Best Books with the CBR BLUE RIBBON Writing Competitions!

The Chanticleer Grand Prize Award 2015 for Overall Best Book:

Daughter of Destiny by Nicole Evelina was awarded the Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize for the Best Book in the 2015 Chanticleer International Writing Competitions. Congratulations to author Nicole Evelina.

The Chanticleer Genre Grand Prize 2015 Winners are as follows:

The Cygnus Grand Prize for SciFi and Fantasy Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Great Symmetry
by James Wells

View Cygnus Category 1st Place Winners

The Journey Grand Prize Ribbon for Narrative Non-fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Rhythm for Sale
by Grant Harper Reid

View Journey Category 1st Place Winners

The M&M Grand Prize Ribbon for Mystery & Mayhem Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

There’s Something About Marty
by Wendy Delaney

View Mystery & Mayhem Category 1st Place Winners

The Dante Rossetti Grand Prize Ribbon for YA Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Girl and the Clockwork Cat
by Nikki McCormack

View Dante Rossetti Category 1st Place Winners

The Chaucer Grand Prize Ribbon for Historical Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Valhalla Revealed
by Robert A Wright

View Chaucer Category 1st Place Winners

The Laramie Grand Prize Ribbon for Western, Pioneer, Civil War Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Doctor Kinney’s Housekeeper
by Sara Dahmen

View Laramie Category 1st Place Winners

The Chatelaine Grand Prize Ribbon for Women’s Fiction and Romantic Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Daughter of Destiny
by Nicole Evelina

View Chatelaine Category 1st Place Winners

The CLUE Grand Prize Ribbon for Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Blood Relations
by Lonna Enox

View CLUE Category 1st Place Winners

The Paranormal Grand Prize Ribbon for Paranormal/Supernatural Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Aurora Affair
by Carolyn Haley

View Paranormal Category 1st Place Winners

The Somerset Grand Prize Ribbon for Literary, Contemporary, & Mainstream Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Alexandrite
by Richard Lenz

View Somerset Category 1st Place Winners

Now this is something to CROW about!

Enter Your Book or Manuscript in a contest!

Please note that the above awards are for submissions that we received in 2015. The award winners were acknowledge at the 2016 annual Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 30th, 2016.

The winners of the 2016 Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions (works entered in 2016) will be recognized at the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Banquet held April 1st, 2017. Reserve your spot now.

We invite you to read the Chanticleer editorial book reviews of these stellar works. The reviews will be published on our website and in the Chanticleer Reviews online magazine. If they are not currently posted, they will be posted as they are reviewed! Congratulations, again, to these award winning authors!

For more information about the Chanticleer International Writing Competitions, please visit our Writing Contests pages.

We are currently accepting 2016 and 2017 contest entries: CBR International Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions.

We would like to thank our sponsors who make the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions and the Chanticleer Authors Conference possible.

May 2, 2016
CYGNUS Awards for Science Fiction & Speculative Fiction FIRST PLACE Category Winners 2015
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category Winners for the Cygnus Awards 2015, the science fiction, speculative fiction, and steampunk fiction genre division of the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Award Writing Competitions.

The Cygnus Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Science Fiction, Steampunk, and Speculative Fiction. The Cygnus Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Competitions.

Please note that Fantasy, Myth & Legend, & Magical Systems entries were moved to the newly offered OZMA Awards for Fantasy Fiction. This contest will be awarded for the first time in 2016.

These First Place Category Winners will be recognized on stage at the Chanticleer Authors Conference on April 30, 2016 Awards Banquet. Good luck to them as they compete for the CYGNUS 2015 Grand Prize.

First Place Category Winners for the Cygnus Awards are:
- John Yarrow for The Time Forward Project
- James Wells for The Great Symmetry
- C. A. Knutsen for Janus Unfolding: Emergence
- Janine A. Southard for Cracked! A Magic iPhone Story
- Jessica Schaub for Gateways
- L.S. Kilroy for The Vitruvian Heir
- Tommy Partl for Mechanized
- Timothy S. Johnston for The Furnace
*This list is now complete 3/16/16

CONGRATULATIONS!

The 1st Place Category Winners compete for the CYGNUS AWARDS 2015 GRAND PRIZE position. The 2015 CYGNUS category winners will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala on April 30, 2016. See the Grand Prize Winners from 2014.

The submission deadline for the 2016 CYGNUS Awards is now closed. We are accepting entries into the 2017 Cygnus Awards Novel Competition.

To compete in the 2017 CYGNUS Awards or for more information, please click here.

THE DEADLINE TO ENTER THE 2016 CYGNUS Novel Writing Competitions was January 31st, 2016.

ENTER NOW

Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.

CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are why literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also why our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.

Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com about any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews International Writing Competitions.
February 26, 2016