Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Struggle by Lincoln Gordon

The Struggle by Lincoln Gordon

The Struggle by Lincoln Gordon is a non-fiction work on the conformist attitude many people have about race and religion – especially in the African American community, of which author Lincoln Gordon is a part. He laments the ideas he found growing up about how one should behave as a person of color. A man who has lived his life by the beat of his own drum, Gordon’s The Struggle can be seen as something of a philosophical manifesto about identity in a multicultural society, as Gordon implores us to live by the rule that we’re all part of one […]

Naka Jackson2019-02-11T09:43:55+02:00April 15th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Non-Fiction Book Reviews, Religious Book Reviews|

Review: The Adversary’s Good News by Israfel Sivad

★★★★ The Adversary's Good News by Israfel Sivad

The Adversary’s Good News Israfel Sivad is a surreal, philosophical novel about Christian Michael Anderson who decides to end his life. He’s got the noose ready and aims to go through with it until he has a change of heart at the last minute. Fortunately, he’s rescued from his attempt by a mysterious stranger named Evius, who informs him that he has, in fact, died.

This leads Christian on an odyssey through the underworld, where he meets gargoyles, demons, a drug-dealing Tinkerbell, but most of all begins to confront the demons within himself.

Sivad is an erudite and ingenious […]

Henry Baum2016-04-27T01:23:26+02:00April 14th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews, Literary Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: God in My Head by Josh Grisetti

God in My Head by Josh Grisetti

God in My Head by Josh Grisetti is an honest and occasionally irreverent look at religion and the existence of God.

There has been a growing market for “spiritual tourism” books in recent years, particularly as religion once again comes to the forefront of our political and cultural attention. God in My Head, an unexpectedly poignant memoir from Josh Grisetti, doesn’t follow the traditional pattern. Rather than buttressing and confirming what many people already believe about religion and the existence of God, Grisetti recounts his bizarre story with a number of controversial elements, a fair bit of humor, and […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-02-11T09:43:45+02:00April 14th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews, Religious Book Reviews, Spirituality Book Reviews|

Review: Edge of Infinity by Larry Don Garcia

★★★★

Edge of Infinity by Larry Don Garcia paints a portrait of the world far into the future: the Earth has been subjected to devastating earthquakes, fossil fuel is now obsolete, and religion is on the wane. Jefferson Alvarez is sent on a quest throughout the galaxy, which ends with him finding answers to questions about God and faith – questions that have been long since abandoned by many on Earth. His answers will begin an upheaval for the human race greater than any that has come before – one that will change humanity forever.

Garcia’s novel has no shortage […]

Henry Baum2016-04-29T11:42:32+02:00April 11th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: The Stratosphere: The Birth of Nostradamus by Brian Cox

★★★★ The Stratosphere: The Birth of Nostradamus by Brian Cox

The Stratosphere: The Birth of Nostradamus by Brian Cox is a complex sci-fi epic depicting a chilling future.

In The Stratosphere, readers are welcomed into a bleak and dangerous future where humanity’s desire for an alternate reality has led to the complete demise of organized society. The book taps directly into recent growing fears regarding technology’s rampant rise by depicting our corrupted world far in the future, turning our modern molehill anxieties into futuristic mountains of prophetic prose.

The Stratosphere is an alternate reality platform where people can live out their every fantasy, be whoever they want, become […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:40:03+02:00April 8th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: When It Rained at Hembry Castle by Meredith Allard

★★★★★ When It Rained at Hembry Castle by Meredith Allard

Meredith Allard describes her usual style as “Historical Fiction with a Twist.” This should give any readers new to her work a good clue as to what to expect from her latest novel, When It Rained at Hembry Castle.

Set in Victorian England, the story follows the fortunes of an aristocratic family who are left holding the fort when the 8th Earl of Staton dies. In contrast to them, Edward Ellis – the unlikely hero of the story – is an aspiring writer in the mold of a young Charles Dickens (and incidentally his grandparents happen to be […]

Helen Chenaf2016-04-27T04:00:17+02:00April 6th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fiction Book Reviews|

Review: Smart by Joel Mentmore

★★★★ Smart by Joel Mentmore

Smart by Joel Mentmore provides a tangled knot of conspiracy, technology and corporate intrigue.

Armed with a bizarre cast of characters and a twisted knot of a plot, Smart definitely lives up to its name. While there were a few weak points and the occasional stumble in continuity, the rabbit hole of this strange narrative is too fascinating to avoid. The ambitiously complex plot, full of shadowy goons, threatening government agents, artificially intelligent (homicidal?) technology and backdoor business interests, is the strong foundation of this truly riveting and prescient ride.

Jon has gone missing, his sister Jac is on […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-02-21T06:40:10+02:00April 6th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Tangled Shadows by Xavier Richards

★★★ Tangled Shadows

Tangled Shadows by Xavier Richards is a dark, brutal, and self-reflective novel of modern life.

For readers seeking a painstakingly honest, post-modern crawl through the life and times of a nearly lost soul, Tangled Shadows is an excellent choice. However, for those expecting a traditional narrative with peaks, valleys, growth, and a satisfying conclusion, it might be best to look elsewhere. Xavier Richards delivers a probing and thought-provoking look into a listless and seemingly depressed man, Alex, who is caught in the sludge of Chicago’s millennial class – broke, alone, uncertain of the future, and relatively certain that he […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2016-04-11T04:18:27+02:00April 5th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|