SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
In the world of this novel, magic is alive and well in the deepest core of global politics, and psychological sorcerers have managed to infiltrate every level of society, orchestrating the greatest trick […]
Author Brendan Ball creates a clever satire that shreds the vapidity of nationalist pride in The Cretin Gene. He takes junk food, television, and the […]
Dee Plecic’s autobiographical account of life in a war-torn city presents a world where racism and religious tyranny gradually replaced multiculturalism and tolerance is an amazing tale of one woman’s endurance.
In 1992, the city of Sarajevo, the capital of the Balkan country Bosnia and Herzegovina, fell under siege in the Bosnian War. The center of a multi-ethnic, multi-national power struggle among Serbs, Croatians, and Bosnians erupted, bringing the term “ethnic cleansing” into modern-day vocabulary. The author lived in Sarajevo during much of that time, and describes the daily conditions in harrowing detail: snipers firing on people getting water at […]
Colleens starts by breaking down human behavior by looking at the three types of ‘brain’: the dog brain, the reptile brain, and the master brain. While scientifically vague, it is true that there are parts of the brain that stem from the time humans were reptiles, or when we were bottom-feeding mammals. It is with these classifications that Colleens describes the behaviors that lead away from happiness– ego driven, pleasure-seeking, […]
Terry Markham is a Bruce Wayne-ish character who runs a company that creates and develops technologies that are used to help those in need. Under that guise, however, Terry Markham moonlights as Dr. Fid – a kitted-out supervillain who despairs at how the world treats superheros, despite their frequent failures.
The novel is immediately engaging because it feels like Dr. Fid is talking directly to the reader, as if in a diary – a personal touch that is often missing […]
Graphic novels may have spent decades in the shadow of comic books, but the genre continues to expand and progress, as shown in the electric new graphic novel, Genesis II, by Allan Ling and Christian Boe, a stunning artistic and storytelling achievement.
The core of the story is the friendship between two young boys who grow up to be incredible scientists in a strange, dystopian future. Joining forces to battle for freedom, they draw on their lifelong friendship and the strength that has brought to both of them, taking on a monster who would see the world’s population eliminated.
In […]
Although frequent readers of the Pastor Grant series by Ray Keating have gotten used to the fearless protagonist battling evil on a slightly larger scale, Heroes and Villains is an equally entertaining read that boldly demonstrates the author’s versatility.
Taking a more whimsical approach to Pastor Grant’s skill set, this story lands him in the thick of a comic book convention, surrounded by disguises, secret identities, and a penchant for the strange and mysterious. Within this amusing backdrop, he must uncover a new conspiracy to protect a comic book legend, and enlist the help of some unexpected heroes along the […]
The stories showcase challenges in the form of speech impediments, the terror brought on by nightmares, or the yearning to be seen as responsible – all while teaching valuable life lessons through a mixture of humor, empathy, and graceful prose. Poems like “Would You Like to Hear My Poem?” emphasize a child’s struggle to be heard over the demands of daily life.[…]