Book Reviews

The latest indie book reviews from Self-Publishing Review

Review: 1871: Rivers on Fire by Paul Buchheit

1871: Rivers on Fire by Paul Buchheit

Danger, adventure, romance, and sweeping social commentary are all part of the dramatic meld in the novel 1871: Rivers on Fire by progressive author and thinker Paul Buchheit.

Liz and Robert meet in London where both will study neurobiology, overseen by Dr. Alexander Bain, a pioneer in the exploration of thought patterns. Liz is American, drawn to education overseas because of better prospects for females in academia. Robert is involved in the science of conservation, especially forest depletion.

They soon find common ground in intellectual pursuits, especially the realm of word cognition. They also hold similar views regarding social justice, […]

2021-02-24T08:35:56+02:00January 24th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: 36 Moons by Chris Guest

36 Moons by Chris Guest

The magic of young love can have deadly consequences in 36 Moons, a new work of historical fiction by Chris Guest. Set near the turn of the 17th century in the countryside of Salem, Massachusetts, this tangled tale of love, innocence, and puritanical suspicion is a shadowy escape.

Fabian is just coming into manhood, and while his family has certain expectations for his romantic future, fate has other plans for the handsome farm boy. When a beautiful young stranger named Emma Radcliffe appears on his land, he is captivated in an instant, sending Fabian down an eye-opening, life-changing, […]

2021-02-23T09:31:43+02:00January 19th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: This Was Always About Basketball by Craig Leener

This Was Always About Basketball by Craig Leener

Author Craig Leener hits nothing but net in the third and final installment of his Zeke Archer Trilogy with This Was Always About Basketball. Perfectly balancing young adult drama with time-traveling fantasy, this novel is a thrilling, heartwrenching, and mind-bending read.

Diving back into the strange science of the 7th Dimension, and with help from his unusual and darkly humorous sidekick Lawrence, Zeke Archer once again finds himself facing impossible odds. After his archenemy Brock Decker finds a way to travel back in time and change the history of basketball, Zeke must tap into sacred geometry and the secrets […]

Review: Vatican Shadows by Ray Keating

Vatican Shadows by Ray Keating

Ray Keating and the holy warrior of endless talents are back with Vatican Shadows, the 13th installment of the author’s Pastor Stephen Grant novels. Back in disguise and reunited with some of his oldest comrades, Grant is set to stop a murderous band of zealots in The Eternal City.

There is dissension in the holiest ranks on Earth, and as the Pope moves towards a more modern and conciliatory church, there are some who would do anything to stop such perceived heresy – even if it means committing a few cardinal sins along the way. Pastor Grant returns to […]

Review: The Giants’ Dance by J.W. Webb

The Giants' Dance by J.W. Webb

J.W. Webb invites readers back to the magical world of Ansu in The Giants’ Dance, the savagely good second installment of the Berserker Trilogy. Carrying on from the cliff-hanging conclusion of Book 1, this novel finds the heroes scattered but resilient, determined to face the mounting evil together, in this classic action-packed fantasy.

Jaren and Finvar make for an unlikely but entertaining team, as usual, as they journey to rescue Savarna in chivalric fashion. With the mythical axe Griner firmly in hand, Jaren heroically leads the pair against demons, stone giants, ghosts, and all other manner of ice realm obstacles […]

2021-02-03T09:02:06+02:00January 16th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: The Iljjock Yoke by Anita Vaani

The Iljjock Yoke by Anita Vaani

A young cowherd’s life is turned upside-down when he’s whisked away from the 3rd century BC to an incredible realm of the divine in The Iljjock Yoke by Anita Vaani, the first book in the Yadduk and the Gods of Seabor series.

This is an endlessly inventive novel,  filled with ancient mythology, plenty of humor, plot twists, time warps, and a seemingly hapless protagonist discovering the untapped strength inside himself. After being dragged through the cosmos and arriving on Seabor, Yadduk’s eyes are opened to the bizarre lifestyles and plans of the fickle gods, who seem to hold a […]

Review: Cooking for Cannibals by Rich Leder

Cooking for Cannibals by Rich Leder

Combine a group of cannibalistic young-again octogenarians with a traditional tale of the fountain of youth and you’ve got a unique, dark thriller in Cooking for Cannibals – part zombie fiction, part something you’ve never read before.

Thirty-five-year-old Carrie Kromer is a behavioral gerontologist who works for Alsiko Labs, a top secret facility in the San Fernando Valley trying to develop an age-reversing drug. When the Greek Gods – Carrie’s nine lab rats – suddenly regain their youth, she realizes that their experimental drug actually works. Hatching an elaborate alibi, she steals the pills to help her elderly mother, who’s […]

2021-01-15T04:28:11+02:00January 14th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |

Review: Ungodly by Braedon Riddick

Ungodly by Braedon Riddick

Author Braedon Riddick unleashes a sinister story of dread and doom with his debut novel Ungodly, a grim, spine-chilling horror show.

On a mysterious mountain in the wild parts of North Carolina, an unassuming town suffers the dark creep of horror as tragedy begins to strike in increasingly terrible ways, pushing the unprepared citizens to the brink of sanity and desperation. In this time-jumping, non-linear novel, readers are plunged into a puzzle of action from the very start, and must put the pieces together as they are introduced to the town’s various inhabitants, and victims.

Amanda, the central figure, […]

2021-01-29T05:43:54+02:00January 12th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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