SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
The GreenSeed Conspiracy by Philip Benz
Though the novel focuses on Stone, the story is told from several characters’ point of view, which works both for and against the book. […]
The Path of Destiny (The Cremelino Prophecy #1) by Mike Shelton
The Path Of Destiny (The Cremelino Prophecy #1) by Mike Shelton is an exciting and character-rich young adult fantasy novel following the life of Darius, son of a councilor of the King of The Realm, who discovers he has the ability to create fire. Magic is forbidden in The Realm after a wizard rebellion a century before, so Darius is at risk of being banished from his home. Darius must choose whether or not to use his new powers, but finds he may have no choice at all.
Author Mike Shelton is expert at world building: both the world the […]
Planet Tome Reborn by Helene Pilibosian
Planet Tome Reborn by Helene Pilibosian is a continuation of the story begun in her earlier work A New Orchid Myth. In this volume, Amethyst, Granite, and their daughter Taralee travel to Earth from their home planet Tome. Taralee meets and marries Ted in Boston, and the four protagonists embark on a mission to collect plant life and technology vital to Tome’s continued prosperity.
A hybrid of sci/fi fantasy and lyric poetry, the plot is a bit difficult to tease out from Pilibosian’s figurative lexicon and it is not always clear who is speaking or who is being referred […]
Art and Faith by Cherie Burbach
The expository passages in the book are brief and to the point, but they provide personal insight into Burbach’s background and the reasons she strives to bring hope to others through her creative skills. […]
Evelyn Dunbar and Other Comedies: Five One Woman Plays by Josie Peterson
These are challenging monologues that could be hit or miss with the wrong actress. Obviously, that’s the case with any theatre piece, but this is especially true for one-woman monologues as linguistially compact as these. There’s so much information […]
The Jellyfish Monster by Bryan Kwasnik
The Jellyfish Monster by Bryan Kwasnik, with illustrations by Jackie Hahn, is a sweet good-natured children’s book about Billy, who’s playing at the shoreline and comes upon a jellyfish creatures with arms and legs who he dubs the Jellyfish Monster. The Jellyfish Monster takes Billy on a journey through the undersea world, where sea life acts a lot like humans, and Billy gets to participate in things like a shark race, and getting swallowed by a whale.
The illustrations are professionally-done and full of detail, though they could have done with a splash of color to make them as lively […]
Astronomical by K.G. Bethlehem
Devon’s Blade by Ken McConnell
Devon’s Blade by Ken McConnell is a short novel companion to McConnell’s Starforgers series. Commander Devon Ardel is sent to a planet that’s mainly comprised of water to head a struggling starfighter squadron. The squadron is no match for their much better equipped adversary, especially since they are utilizing a newer and deadlier fighter. Devon has to rally the troops and adapt new inventive strategies if her squadron isn’t going to be wiped off the map.
The interesting conceit in this novel is just how much it veers away from science fiction to a present day story about fighter pilots […]