January 2022 Indie Book Reviews

January 2022 Indie Book Reviews by Joseph Poopinski

The Fires of Treason
By Michele Quirke
Exploring Morality
4 stars

My delightful visit in Caracalla went fast! The siblings often disagreed & argued without swashbuckling. They hashed out sinfulness--don't lie, steal or kill excepting of course when forced to do so by life or death consequences--always admitted their mistakes eventually & proved loyal to each other by deeds of sacrifice similar to The Sword of Truth, in that respect in my opinion. Engaging conversations, with sprinkles of historical terms that thankfully didn't require Shakespearian footnotes, are the hallmark of this fine yarn. Did they save the kingdom? Nope. Will you see effervescent, frisson & spluttered printed within? Yup! Planning to travel but haven't selected a destination? Caracalla's a perfect vacation spot this time of year!

Dust & Lightning
By Rebecca Crunden
High Octane Rescue
4 stars

Humans have expanded in the future to all sorts of other planets & left a trail of ecological ruin at every step. Earth's the worst but has "still maintained its [political] power" without a drop of potable water, a wisp of breathable air, etc. The bad guy's essentially a galactic tyrant who's silencing his critics, including the hero's brother. Hero (with a cool face/hair mutation) plots a course to planet Kilnin & saves his sibling. Along the way he screws up, sees the stars for the first time, helps a damsel in distress & adopts a cat. Things move so rapidly I'd lost their destination or plan for a paragraph or so once or twice. Morals of the story: Enjoy the stars while you can and if you don't snoop around in walk-in freezers, you're doing it wrong. Also Dust & Lightning had a video game feel to it. Press start!

A Gathering Darkness
By Lyndsey LaVan
When Vampires Rule
4 stars

Prepare to be "sucked" into this post-apocalyptic, groovy world as told by the narrator & main character Emily using a daily briefing format. After the final nuclear war, vampires (Nyctros) take over & mostly enslave the remaining humans as cattle. A few pockets of humans (Nightshades) survive by hiding deep in the forests. In A Gathering Darkness a special, mistreated woman & the spoiled vampire prince heir battle, argue, joke around & fall in love. Somehow they forget about the hit squad bent on ruining their illicit union & go dancing. Problems increase & it ends harshly, abruptly (stand alone book lovers, take heed). Read to experience great names (excepting Scott, an evil vampire), very cool places, plenty of overcoming adversity (including hate), the whole Golden Blood condition & animal kinship talent (especially Gideon the pigeon) and reverent homage paid to reading, poetry & books.

The Drift
By Casie Aufenthie
Evolution & Parallel Universes
4 stars

Pardon my bare feet but The Drift knocked my socks off & now I cannot find them! In the book's present time & earth, humanity has evolved into either Professor Xs or Wolverines (my own shortcut labels) or stayed the same. After a war the telepaths divided up the spoils into seven sectors & ruled, cruelly. The science fiction & political elements were wonderful. Enter the well rounded, memorable characters packed with strengths, flaws, banter, love, personal growth, complicated pasts... There's feuds galore, some reconciliations, combat & ample intrigue. Now the parallel universes, explained so simply (and wisely too!) mostly without contradictions as ripples in water, of course actually had rules & unique pitfalls. One protracted visit to a different reality ingeniously offered "miniwave" & "lasterday" and let the good telepath & the good wolverine fall in love. Those chapters read much slower, like an entirely different story, but if you keep going... You'll learn who will turn the tables on whom & how that strategy works out for the most part (like tipping the first domino starts a chain reaction) plus receive a few hints about the The Drift 2, which is probably where my darn socks went. Who knew?

The Afterlands: After the Harrowing
By Boots
Whimsical & Wise Group Dynamics
4 stars

The main characters in Afterlands: After the Harrowing have valid reasons to both like & dislike each other, which interestingly enough reflects real life. Their personalities gel & clash as well. Circumstances, however, it seems, demand their proximity & continued association. Although they travel hither & yon, the primary journey is social. With quaint words, Boots weaves a simple tale of individuals' values necessarily summed together in a "family" structure: Poignantly, all contribute & all receive, sometimes in spite of themselves. Complexities & difficult issues exist, however more often than not readers must delve those profound depths silently by interpreting habits & mannerisms or gestures & expressions. This modest slice of their enchanting saga's present proves kindness, cooperation, understanding & tolerance are the imaginary tools our fractured society needs so desperately. Maybe, like me you'll easily identify with all four characters but just love that hopeful, trusting Hyrhyn so much it tickles! Also I wish to note the fantastic artwork (harkening to a bygone day), entertaining descriptions ("dirty sunlight") & apropos titles (of sections & chapters).