Review/Launch - The Leviathan Chronicles: the Last Stand at Aeprion

The Leviathan Chronicles: The Last Stand at Aeprion

By James Mascia

Genre: Sci-fi

Synopsis:

Still reeling from his wife's murder, Joel tries to escape the alien hunter and fulfill a promise he made to her. Years of searching for the fabled planet, Aeprion, has left the space freighter captain torn between giving up the search or giving himself up to Kraxem, the alien hunter.

When Kraxem and his minions attack Joel's ship again, he is forced into the nebula, where he'll have to do repairs. Once there, his thoughts revert back to the final day of Kate's life and the promises that were made. Learning to come to terms with her loss and release the guilt that he feels will be a hard battle to fight, but giving up will prove to be even more difficult and, perhaps, deadly.

Steeling his resolve to forge on, Joel vows to find the fabled living planet before guilt devours his soul.

REVIEW

James Mascia has recaptured the pulp fiction of the 1930s, the era of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. It is corny, fast-moving, incredibly funny, and, improbably possible. It is a short, marvelous romp through space, time, humor, and the imagination. Highly recommended.

Mr. Mascia sent me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

He fights evil across the known universe and crushes them between his fingers (at least, he does this with his words). 

James Mascia is an accomplished writer with a bestselling series, High School Heroes, as well as a bestselling graphic novel, The Poe Murders. He has always been a fan of sci-fi, and is glad to be delving back into the galaxy once again.

James teaches in Maryland, where he also writes. He has a lovely wife and a tiny terror (a two-year-old) driving him mad, but making him laugh.

Check out some of his other work below:

https://www.islandofdren.com

https://www.twitter.com/masciajames

https://jmascia.deviantart.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/AuthorArtist-James-Mascia/353933315067?ref=hl

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1521602.James_Mascia

The author is giving away an ebook copy of his book to 5 lucky readers!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review - Secrets of the Elders

Book Synopsis:

After their peaceful village, Riverbell, is raided by the foul monstrous skex, brothers Logan and Corbin Walker find themselves caught in a race against time, desperate to warn the capitol before the dangerous skex arrive to wreak the same havoc upon the unsuspecting people of Fal.

Never could they imagine, that this would only be the very beginning of their unforgettable journey, when Logan is suddenly exiled from the kingdom for a crime he did not commit. On the run, doggedly avoiding his own brother, sent to pursue the wanted criminal, can Logan Walker possibly hope to stay free long enough to unravel the Secrets of the Elders?

And So the Fourth Age of Acadia begins...
  

Author Bio:

David Matthew Almond has been working in the restaurant and IT industry for the last 19 years. Over the last two, he has made time to focus on his true passion, writing stories.

David grew up in the small Upstate NY city, Utica (home to such rare delicacies as Tomato Pie, Utica Greens, Pusties, and Chicken Riggies) and attended "Buff State" in the amazing city Buffalo NY, where he would eventually return to run his bakery café, meet some of the best people in the world, and fall in love with his wife Julie.

David currently lives in beautiful Monkton, Vermont and would love to hear from you...

Social media:

twitter @DavidMAlmond

http://www.facebook.com/davidmatthewalmond

http://www.davidmatthewalmond.com/under-the-almond-tree

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KSFZSU4

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KSFZSU4

Review: 

Mr. Almond writes well and has great ideas. Unfortunately, there seems to be too much of a good thing crammed into this book. At times I thought I was reading epic fantasy, at others science fiction, still others dystopian fiction. The idea of living in a vast underground world illuminated by a vaguely defined god-crystal with forests and fantastic beasts is fascinating. However, I got lost in the sometimes tunnels and sometimes underground mountains. There also seems to be a lot of very dangerous animals and monsters, most with tentacles AND stingers; it is a wonder that anything survives! 

IMHO it would be a better story if there were fewer elements. Xenocide and the story of the lost technology OR the political intrigue at court, OR the fascinating environment and societies. But, with everything jumbled together, it was too much for me to keep straight.

The Dragonmasters by Jack Vance

This book is really a novella, about 100 pages, that won the Hugo for novella in 1963 and was originally published as one half of an Ace Double (with The Five Gold Bands).

I read the copy pictured above (an Ace reprint from 1980 with just this story).

This is an interesting book with many moving parts. It centers on two valleys on the planet Aerlith, both inhabited by humans who have bred lizard-like aliens to be war machines of various sizes and capabilities. There is a third group of humans who are mystical ascetics. The two valleys are essentially separate kingdoms who are engaged in a periodic war that is heating up during the story with the Carcolo attacking the Banbeck.

However, the aliens, the grephs, return. They are a mirror of the humans with the lizard-like grephs breeding humans to be war machines of various sizes and capabilities. In the battle that follows, the humans are near defeat but a stratagem by the leader of the Banbecks, causes the grephs to find the ascetic sacerdotes secret workshop where they are working on a spaceship.

The sacedotes use the engine of their spaceship to disable the greph ship and Banbeck seals the victory. The sacerdote spaceship is destroyed.

I will leave to the reader deeper symbolisms of the mirrored societies and the role of the advanced engineering mystics. I do recommend this as a science fiction story that is just as readable now as it was in 1963, and just as enjoyable.

Today's poem... following on the science fiction theme:

Alien Night

Over an alien landscape

Of blood-red sands

And blue-green trees

With yellow-orange flowers

Rises a deep green moon.

A puff of wind stirs

Tiny sand dervishes

Which vanish as quickly

As they were formed

Under the deep green moon.

A mik-mok tosses

Its gray-blue head

And darts from shed

To tree and back again

As the moon passes overhead.

Stately  ee-taus graze

On the highest flowers

In the coolest time

Of the early morning

While the moon curves to ground.

The fiery white sun chases

The blue-green shadows

To their hiding places

As it rises above

And the moon sinks below

The alien planet’s horizon.

From Observations, by Greg Schroeder

Happy National Poetry Month!!

I'll use the fact that April is National Poetry Month to be inspired to start blogging again. "Life" was a little too busy in March, especially with the never-ending winter, but it IS time to diversify again and get back to at least some writing.

That said, I am going to try to participate in Think Out Loud, Throwback Thursday, and Feature and Follow each week. Then I am going to try and run a feature each week of one Newbery winner (or should have won - young adult book), one romance novel, and one science-fiction/fantasy novel.

Finally, I will try to post a poem a day. This is all very ambitious, please let me know how I'm doing and send me suggestions for any or all of the above!

Today's poem (from my upcoming collection, Moments to be published in multiple eBook formats through Smashwords.com, April 5):

Spring Sky

Spring has come;

There are buds on the lilacs

The sun no longer is its weak

Winter self.

But the sky, the sky

This spring night

Harkens back to the winter.

Cold air gives a sharpness

The scarcity of clouds

An open vista

To thousands, nay, millions

Of tiny twinkling pinpricks.

Throwback Thursday - Heinlein's Friday

 

 

I read this for the first time as a teen ager and was impressed mostly with the idea that the protagonist was female doing all the things associated, at that time, much more chauvinistic than now, with men. Friday was a soldier, a survivor, and a mechanical engineer. She survived on her wits and skill. She was tough and gritty.

 

I also found the society that Heinlein wove in a spacefaring, resource-tight, world, very intriguing. Draconian in part, progressive in part, egalitarian yet police state-like. It drew me in as a very complex and conflicting world view.

 

Heinlein's more popular Starship Troopers never piqued my interest, and I found Job too didactic but Friday was, for me, a very good read.

 

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