John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

About John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Providing exceptional writing, editing and publishing services to hundreds of international clients, ranging from nutritional copywriting and long-form ghostwriting to substantive editing, assessment/analysis of academic texts and structural/content editing for bestselling novels.

Review: P.O.VEE (The Chronicles of VEE Book 1) by Denis Jay Klein

★★★★★ P.O. Vee by Denis Jay Klein

There are many things we disagree about here on Earth, but the fact that we are in a period of rapid technological advancement isn’t one of them. Human beings are doing things every day that would have seemed like something out of far-flung science fiction fifty years ago.

In the cleverly titled P.O.Vee by Denis Jay Klein, readers are flash-forwarded two decades into the future, when android technology is beginning to find its footing, and the first real attempts at artificial intelligence are being fleshed out. Klein is a masterful storyteller who paints the future in completely believable terms, […]

2019-04-29T12:16:52+02:00March 22nd, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: The Authority (The Charismatics Book 2) by Ashley R. Carlson

★★★★★ The Authority

In The Authority, the second book by Ashley R. Carlson in the Charismatics series, steampunk, science fiction and fantasy collide in an unforgettable adventure of magic, intrigue, destiny, and a potentially collapsing universe.

Picking up directly where the first book left off, readers find themselves amid the wreckage of the dirigible crash where Duchess Ambrose and her rag-tag bunch of compatriots are choosing what to do next. Each has a special skill set, a particular ability based on Charisma, ranging from the ability to fly, becoming invisible, affecting the mind of others, seeing past facades or creating fire, […]

Review: The Diary of an Immortal (1945-1959) by David J. Castello

★★★★ The Diary of an Immortal by David Castello

In The Diary of an Immortal, author David J. Castello shows his skills as a wordsmith and creates an unforgettable narrative that looks at immortality from every possible side.

As a main character, readers can hardly ask for more from Steven Ronson, who begins as a hapless but heroic young man who stumbles upon something unimaginable – a formula that allows him to live forever. Readers are quickly taken away from the battlefields of WWII, but the fight is far from over. Ronson soon learns that chasing his every dream, without fear of failure or fatality, is not […]

Review: The Gambit by Brad Carlson

★★★★★ The Gambit by Brad Carlson

International intrigue and political thrillers have always been a popular genre, but in these tumultuous times, the fodder for such writers seems to have increased immeasurably. In The Gambit, Brad Carlson tears the tension from the headlines, postulating a world where Iran becomes a nuclear nation, and in the face of American hesitance, Israel must make a dangerous decision to protect itself.

Every chapter is packed with the gravitas of the present world, making this novel both timely and prescient. For those trying to escape these difficult times, this book may not be the most appealing read, but […]

Review: In Albuquerque, Abandoned by Tower Lowe

In Albuquerque, Abandoned by Tower Lowe

Keeping the adventures of a sleuthing duo fresh can be a challenge for any writer, but it seems as though Tower Lowe has figured out the secret to success. Within the pages of In Albuquerque, Abandoned, the seventh novel in her Cinnamon/Burro New Mexico Mysteries series, readers are not only sucked into the story of a mysterious fraternal murder, but also the strange depths of Cinnamon and Burro’s lives.

This uniquely named crime-solving team is not your average pair, and both have deeply rooted issues that define them as characters. From Burro’s schizophrenic visions to Cinnamon’s demons of abandonment, […]

2019-02-11T09:10:05+02:00March 1st, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Choice and Consequence of “Normality” by Albert Oon

★★★ Choice and Consequence of Normality

In Choice and Consequence of “Normality,” author Albert Oon challenges readers with a blunt and fast-paced tale of dangerous dreams and waking nightmares.

Rose, the heroine of this story, is having trouble sleeping through the night – what with the terrible nightmares that she’s been facing, which seem steeped in symbolism and prophecy, along with terrible monsters who seem determined to end her life. Reality and dreams begin to twist together, and this often-times terrifying story begins to get truly strange.

There are countless battles between Rose and unknown enemies, paranormal events and narrow escapes, set within a surreal […]

2017-03-15T07:19:13+02:00February 14th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Maybe God Was an Irishman by Bernie Donnelly

Maybe God Was an Irishman by Bernie Donnelly

The complexities of religion, faith, love and tragedy tangle in the pages of Maybe God Was an Irishman, an entertaining and insightful novel by Bernie Donnelly. With an overflowing cast of peripheral characters and multiple story lines that brilliantly overlap, this is an expansive novel that stretches across oceans and philosophies, making it an addictive read for anyone who appreciates clever writing and heartfelt narratives.

Initially, it is difficult to determine who the protagonist of the story is, but that is Donnelly’s way of setting the stage for what is to come. Readers are soon introduced to Sean, an […]

Review: The University of Corporeal and Ethereal Studies by Wolfgang Edwards

★★★★½  The University of Corporeal and Ethereal Studies

For readers who are looking for an exciting ride past the boundaries of the unknown, the wild tales of The University of Corporeal and Ethereal Studies are right up your alley. Author Wolfgang Edwards shows that his powers of creativity are not to be trifled with as he builds an unforgettable world of magic and supernatural science that rivals some of the great fantasy authors of the past.

The book is broken up into 8 stories centering around various students of this peculiar university as they face impossible challenges, life-changing decisions and their own unbelievable potential as practitioners of […]

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