Book Reviews

The latest indie book reviews from Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Maredian by Susan B. Iris

The Maredian by Susan B. Iris

A futuristic sci-fi thriller with a wildly unique hook, The Maredian by Susan B. Iris delivers a riveting dive into human identity and the powerful threads that connect all life in the universe.

When Gracie Pinto goes out for a last-minute 80s-themed birthday celebration, little does she know that reality on Earth is about to irrevocably change. The Maredian, an advanced alien civilization, makes first contact that same night in a cataclysm of fire and destruction, killing billions outright and capturing countless others, including Gracie.

Onboard the alien megaship of mangled prisoners, torture, enslavement, and death, Gracie miraculously finds a […]

2024-12-05T12:46:04+02:00November 6th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: A Life’s Journey by Robert Furmaga

A Life's Journey by Robert Furmaga

Paging through the chapters of his own adventurous existence, Robert Furmaga delivers a thoughtful and nostalgia-heavy memoir in A Life’s Journey: Choice and Circumstance.

Revealing the seminal moments and unforgettable events that shaped him, this is a compelling anthology of essays and treasured memories, combined neatly with professional achievements and personal accolades. From even the author’s earliest years of life, he recounts clear-eyed scenes and nuanced details of his successes, failures, and hard-won lessons, from terrifying tumbles out of bed and touching instances of parental bonding to the overindulgences of his teenage years and those first stumbling errors of […]

2024-12-03T14:28:38+02:00November 4th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: The Monarchs by Mark Sabbas

The Monarchs by Mark Sabbas

Stunning in its messaging and epic in scale, The Monarchs by Mark Sabbas is a remarkable work of visionary science fiction.

A powerful young child with uncontrolled psychic abilities, Samuel Helen is unlike the other cognitively evolved children in the military research facility he begrudgingly calls home. Some people view these gifted “new youth,” born in increasing numbers each year, as the next stage in human evolution, while others see them as potential weapons. Isolated from the other research subjects in the facility, for fear of a rebellion, Samuel is experimented on like an animal, in an attempt to free […]

Review: Conspiracy By Means of Natural Selection by Sherman P. Bastarache

Conspiracy By Means of Natural Selection by Sherman Bastarache

A poignant dissection of cognitive and cultural history and their dynamic relationship to fact and fiction, Conspiracy By Means of Natural Selection by Sherman P. Bastarache is an eye-opening contemporary thesis.

To achieve its stated purpose of interrogating how natural selection can create conspiring minds that, in turn, create conspiracy theories, this book delves deeply into cultural, evolutionary, and psychological trends across time, singling out points of overlap, conflict, and uncertainty before digging down into what those intersections and contradictions mean. Whether touching on Star Trek, quantum entanglement, Immanuel Kant, or anthropomorphic projection, this sprawling examination of thought, science, […]

2024-11-26T13:12:20+02:00November 4th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Quiet Love (& Growing It) by Matthew Hess

Quiet Love (& Growing It) by Matthew Hess

A guide for people who want to understand the intricacies of love and wish to better navigate their current relationship – or search for one – Quiet Love (& Growing It): 14 Rules to Find, Build, and Keep the Best Relationship of Your Life by Matthew Hess offers insightful, well-organized, and down-to-earth tips for keeping a long-term relationship.

Exploring the ebbs and flows of love, and revealing the chemistry behind our feelings, Hess elucidates on his titular concept of “Quiet Love.” Despite what Hollywood may tell us, we should not necessarily be looking for a flashy or overwhelming infatuation at […]

2024-11-18T14:58:39+02:00October 31st, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Mr. Average and the 12th Stone by Ben Run

Mr. Average and the 12th Stone: Watch Your Mandibles by Ben Run

A microcosmic drama with existential implications, Mr. Average and the 12th Stone: Watch Your Mandibles by Ben Run is a mind-bending work of experimental fantasy, told from a thoroughly unique perspective.

Ave may be the best optimizer in the Ant Nest ant colony, but even his eternal loyalty and devotion to Hari isn’t enough to make him forget about the woman who has been visiting him on New Year’s Eve every year for the past eleven years. She is the reason he has been saving up all of his reflection time – all those carefully guarded seconds and emo-seconds – […]

2024-11-13T13:46:25+02:00October 31st, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Hope: A Journey of Self-Love by Renee Louise

Hope: A Journey of Self-Love by Renee Louise

A visceral and unflinching memoir, Hope: A Journey of Self-Love by Renee Louise is an outpouring of raw honesty that holds nothing back.

Reflecting on the decade-long turning point in her life from self-loathing to security, love, and self-confidence, this impactful memoir examines the pain and struggle through which so many people quietly suffer. From the lowest lows to the highest highs as a mother, wife, child, friend, and professional, this is truly a journey of overcoming the mountain of stressors and insecurities that make up our lives, which ultimately don’t need to define us.

Louise reveals herself completely, letting […]

2024-10-30T14:34:30+02:00October 30th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: |

Review: Cutting-Edge Ideas by Laura Fienor

Cutting-Edge Ideas by Laura Fienor

A bold and visionary proposal for a better world, Cutting-Edge Ideas: Empowering Agents of Positive World Change by Laura Fienor is a wide-ranging treatise on what’s wrong with modern society and what we as individuals can do about it. Revolutionary change is intimidating for many reasons, but Fienor defiantly and articulately argues that we are collectively approaching too many points of no return, and that drastic measures must be taken.

Unapologetically pointing the finger at capitalism and consumerist society, as well as militarism, colonialism, misogyny, racism, and other ideological divides, Fienor’s voice is brazen, righteous, and refreshing, fearlessly laying out […]

2024-11-07T18:41:38+02:00October 25th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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