SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Decay by Mark Lingane
Decay by Mark Lingane is the second book in his YA steampunk/science fiction series, “The Tesla Evolution.” Set in a war-ravaged dystopian future, Decay follows Sebastian, his friend Melanie, and others fighting off a cyborg threat to kill off humanity once and for all. Sebastian, along with some other survivors, find that they have enhanced psionic abilities.
Dubbed the “Teslas,” they now need to fight off embittered and terrified humans suspicious of their powers, as well as the cyborgs. Like other effective dystopian novels, Decay offers good commentary on contemporary society. The cyborgs who are hunting down Sebastian seem to […]
Lost Library by Kate Baray is the first novel in the “Lost Library” urban fantasy romance series, which so far comprises three novels and three short stories. That investment in world-building is very evident in these pages: the book is both carefully detailed and fast-paced, which will appeal to more readers than those interested in romance.
Supernatural Hero & The Witches by Eran Gadot is the follow-up to the award-winning Supernatural Hero. The first book follows Andy, a protypical nerd, who is bullied mercilessly by seemingly everyone in his life. When his beloved grandfather dies, Andy’s gifted with the power to see and talk to the dead. Andy uses his supernatural abilities to win the girl and go from zero to hero.
Losing Heart by Donna Brown is a fast-paced novella that covers a wide range of emotions in a small number of pages. Helen is facing the most difficult of issues: she is in need of a heart transplant and has only five months to live. Cut to 6 months later and Helen is very much alive and isn’t quite worried about living life on the edge: she’s having an affair with her doctor, Jack, while her husband and the mother of the donor become more and more suspicious.
The Representative by Thomas H. Cullen is a completely unique approach to writing a book, often with less that two sentences per page with many spaces and blank pages between, with an empty black cover. The writing follows a prose-like form, and speaks of a father and daughter, Mariel and Croyan and their relationship, which is enveloping the latter’s current three-Trokan crisis.
