Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Divine Dream by Christopher Schmitt

In The Divine Dream, author Christopher Schmitt finds a new – and quite brilliant – take on life and death. The novel explores the breaking point between science and faith, while also offering the author’s personal reconciliation between these two complex, dynamic subjects.

After suffering from an inexplicable collapse and tragically dying, young Apollo, the spiritual protagonist of this story, enters a strange realm between life and death, where souls and spirits mix and mingle – a waiting room after leaving the world of the living, which also acts as a time-bending training ground. While years of spiritual enlightenment […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2018-05-30T12:10:35+02:00May 29th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Visionary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Space Fandango: Backstabber’s Blues by Henry Mosquera

On the scorching, misfit-filled planet Abraxias, an enigmatic doctor assembles a crew of brawlers, outcasts, and outlaws to deliver a stolen, dangerous payload to the other side of an area known as Freespace. Cops, assassins and criminals give chase, while the crew of the Acheron participate in bar-fighting, starring in a murderous reality show, and competing in brawl ball, the number one sport in the universe.

In Space Fandango: Backstabber’s Blues, an incredibly wild and entertaining novel, author Henry Mosquera conjures up an array of beings for readers to fascinate over, making each character as page-turning as the story […]

Greg Rideout2018-07-05T11:52:22+02:00May 17th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Space Opera Book Reviews|

Review: The Final Departure by Epp Marsh III

Partially based on real history, The Final Departure by Epp Marsh III tells an alternate history where Marcus Garvey’s Greater Liberia Act is put into widespread effect. In 1929, Civil Rights pioneer Marcus Garvey strikes a devil’s bargain with the Ku Klux Klan to turn the United States into an all-white nation. Congress enacts the Greater Liberia Act, arranging passage for every black American to Africa, while leaving unprotected any black citizen who choose to stay behind.

The novel tells the story of Ruth Gaines who remains in the U.S. with her true love Lance Wainwright, the eldest son of […]

Greg Rideout2019-01-22T10:54:59+02:00May 16th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Jake, Lucid Dreamer by David J. Naiman

Jake, Lucid Dreamer by David J. Naiman is a charming look at a middle-schooler’s struggle to navigate grief and acceptance. With a touch of the surreal, Naiman has woven a fantastical tale with a powerful message about learning to face your demons, traversing the tricky plains of middle school, and how important compassion is in the face of adversity.

Jake wakes on his birthday after one of his lucid dreams. We see his life, a typical, moody teenager – his family, a darling little sister, and a father with patience to spare. They serve as a grounding force for Jake, […]

SPR2019-01-22T11:02:56+02:00May 12th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Sow’s Ear Café by Holly Quan

Ending up in Sweetgrass, Alberta, while on a drive to clear her head of thirty-nine years of bad decisions and emotional baggage, Lucie slowly finds love and acceptance in her new town. The Sow’s Ear Café by Holly Quan transports the tough and damaged Lucie from her shallow life in Vancouver to Sweetgrass’s potential for deeper human connections.

Staked to her journey by a friend, Lucie’s car breaks down in Sweetgrass. She soon finds herself renting a room from a goodhearted ranching couple, working as a waitress, and then dating Ray, the mysterious chef of the Sow’s Ears Café. The […]

Greg Rideout2019-01-22T10:59:32+02:00May 11th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Lady of the Lake by Jennifer Wherrett

There are countless stories of King Arthur and the Age of Camelot, and with Lady of the Lake, author Jennifer Wherrett adds a wonderful new chapter to this long and rich tradition. Taking a much more feminine perspective on this particular element of our collective culture, this book does away with the notion that women in Arthurian legend were merely love interests. Instead, in this world, they are holy accomplices to the epic tales we have known since childhood.

The story of how Arthur came to be the King of the Britons has taken many forms, as has the […]

SPR2018-05-16T11:57:58+02:00May 9th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Darziods’ Stone by Richard Smith

The Darziods’ Stone by Richard Smith is a fun middle grade adventure, reading like “The Goonies” set in Cornwall, which will certainly inspire young readers’ sense of adventure.

The book begins with a prologue, which sets the scene nicely, giving the adventure to come a sense of real history – namely Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and the British swift response to it. The reader then finds themselves stranded in Cornwall with a mystical stone that is being desperately hidden by members of the crew, which sets the story for a group of teenagers to crack the code of the missing […]

SPR2019-01-22T11:03:10+02:00May 8th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Action and Adventure Book Reviews, Middle Grade Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Footsteps in the Dark: Stories of the Bizarre and Unusual by Carlo Armenise

Although a collection of short stories, Carlo Armenise has managed to make Footsteps in the Dark: Stories of the Bizarre and Unusual a cohesive whole by creating an atmosphere that radiates through each page. Without delving into exaggeration or fantasy, Armenise has managed to capture what we all fear lurking in the shadows, providing a visceral experience for any reader.

The stories deal with a range of topics, from transference of consciousness to dialogues on evil itself. Reminiscent of Stephen King’s short stories, every story focuses on the human element; these are real, flawed characters who we can all relate […]