The Summoner by Layton Green

Article first published as Book Review: The Summoner by Layton Green on Blogcritics.

In Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, life is often difficult and fraught with danger and hunger. It is here that Dominic Grey finds himself, working in the capacity of Diplomatic Security. Often quick to speak his mind and not always the first to follow rules, he has bounced around on different job. Always a fighter, an expert in self-defense and a practitioner of jiu jitsu, he is not someone you want to mess with. After a stint with Marine Recon, he was later recruited the CIA, where he might be too much of an independent rogue who does what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. Though he may not always be the most political figure, Dominic Grey has been crafted by author Layton Green to be a superb character, one who engenders trust in others and someone to be relied on to handle most situations.

In The Summoner, Layton Green’s character Dominic works with Nya Mashumba, a liaison to the ambassador, and Victor Radek. Nya, a tall attractive young woman, seems quite capable, but Victor Radek is the real surprise. At almost seven feet tall, he is almost a giant. His demeanor showed that he was used to being taken seriously. What brought them together was the disappearance of William Addison, a close personal friend of the ambassador. His girlfriend reported him missing, but the disturbing and almost unbelievable part was that he disappeared at a traditional Yoruba ceremony. The young woman was quite hysterical insisting he disappeared, while in a circle in the middle of the ceremony, in full view of everyone attending. He was in the circle, a sort of fog appeared, she heard screaming, and when the fog cleared he was gone.

Grey is skeptical, Nya is introspective, having a secret of her own for agreeing to the investigation, and Radek is enthralled, his background deals with religious phenomena and how perception is often the precursor to many different alleged miracles claimed by those of faith. This is right up his alley. Beginning as with any investigation, by talking to witnesses and pounding the pavement the investigations goes forward.

Following up on leads guides them to some very unorthodox characters. One name continues to come up, it draws dread and expressions of concern a horror when brought up during questioning. N’anga, who is it and what does it mean. It does not take long to begin to stir up the wrong kind of trouble and Dominic receives a warning, a very dead and desecrated monkey in his lodgings. Grey is not one to take warnings lightly, and he hunkers down even further, pounding out even the smallest of clues. Can he and his companions find William Addison before anything happens to him?

When another disappearance happens in the same way, they need to step up further, to find the culprit behind this crime. When bodies begin to show up and Dominic himself is attacked, all bets are off. This has now become deadly, and he will stop at nothing to find the answers.

But, can they find the answers in time or will they only find more bodies? Will Nya explain her actions and bring more trust to their team? The case is bizarre, and the ceremonies seem almost magical, can this group of individuals find the truth, and stop further murder from happening?

This is one of those books that make you want to turn on all the lights in your house and lock the doors. You begin to look over your shoulder often to make sure someone is not there. It is chilling, yet strange, with just enough of realism to keep it spooky. The settings are authentic and you can feel and smell the countryside. Green does an excellent job at creating the vision.

His characters are quite bold as well. Each has their own reason for being involved and together they make a fierce team. Trust is not automatic but grows throughout the story as each action unfolds. The flaws that make his characters human also make them real, and you get to know them well. Dominic Grey will be a character to look forward to in further stories.

I would recommend this book for reading groups and book clubs; it is well researched and full of intriguing information. This is a wonderful read for those who enjoy both suspense and action stories. It is full of both as well as a light bit of romance. It is quite intriguing and has a very satisfying ending.

Rating 4/5
The Summoner

This book was received as a free copy from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

The Fire Inside: A Sidekicks Novel by Raymond Rose

Article first published as Book Review:The Fire Inside: A Side Kicks Novel by Raymond Rose on Blogcritics.

When we think of heroes and villains and better yet, superpowers, comic books are instantly brought to mind, with the slick Ka Pow, the cool costumes, and the vicious and yet famous moves. Even as children, many of us wanted to join the exalted ranks of Green Hornet, Batman and Robin, as well as Superman and all his friends.

In The Fire Inside: A Side Kicks Novel, by Raymond M. Rose, we are given an opportunity to follow up on the lives of a spectacular group of superheroes and villains, waging a war to protect the innocent. Rose has built Claremont into a city to be reckoned with; a place that once housed the Protectors, and the Teen Protectors. Of course, that was all before the Battle, when a large portion of the town itself was destroyed as well as most if not all of the Protectors and villains. To make matter worse, many innocents died that night so history no longer honored the Protectors, as was once the case.

While most were confirmed dead, a few still made it through yet remained hidden from public record due to their recorded deaths. The villains had moved to a lower income part of town, and most superpowers just disappeared into obscurity. Some of the names were Osprey, Rook, Sparks, Minotaur, Ox and Lady Nyx; they were people to be proud of. Yet for some unknown reason it all went to hell in one fell swoop.

Jack King is one of the survivors, confirmed dead and now leading a new life. He belonged to the Teen Protectors in another lifetime, but in time had found himself a new life. He now worked in a bookstore and took photographs. He was making a name for himself and doing well. His best friend Bruce Webster also survived and joined the Agents, but Jack had not seen or heard from him in some time. Life was mundane and he was getting used to it.

When Webster shows up in his favorite coffee shop to ask for his help, Jack assures him he is no longer interested in his old life. He is no longer the Jack that Bruce used to know. Bruce was easy at accepting his dismissal and they agreed to meet later at a gallery showing of Jack’s work. Little did Jack know this was the last time he would see his friend alive again. Bruce had a secret, and now there were those looking to find the files he carried. All paths now lead back to Jack.

As he begins to look into his friend’s death, unusual episodes begin to happen around him. Things are beginning to happen. Long ago names are beginning to pop up, some of the vilest villains of the past seem to have survived. For some reason they have locked on to Jack. As his life turns crazy and people begin to die, he along with a group of other superheroes decide to find the answers.

Rose’s characters leap of the pages with bold relief. Visualization is a quality that only the best authors consistently attain, and I would have to list Rose in that category. They are true to life, and very human, easily hurt, and not at all casual about their friendships. You are in there with them as they enter the fray and battle the bad guys, you feel the pain as they are hurt and you can actually feel their anger and grief. These heroes are the reason we all wanted to be superheroes as youngsters, the exemplify everything that is human and good. Yet with that good comes just a spark of darkness, the one thing they must constantly overcome to maintain their status.
Rose’s world building is well done and again quite a visual masterpiece. I really enjoyed this book. Usually when you read a book of superheroes there is an expectation of unbelievability, and yet Rose makes you believe. That is a trick all in itself.

I would recommend this book for a reading group or book club. This book is not intended for children. It contains some graphic death scenes. It is hard to put down and I read in in one setting, I did not want to wait to know what happened and then I wanted to go back and slow down because I missed the characters. It is a must have for your library.

Rating 5/5

The Fire Inside: A Side Kicks Novel

This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Pilgrennon's Beacon by Manda Benson

“Freak” It is a word Dana hears often at school. But what is it that makes Abigail consistently go out of her way to bully and hurt her. Using her ability to make technology work for her just by thought, she finally finds sanctuary in Pauline and Graeme’s rambling home. Her brother Cale ignores her as is his wont but she knows he understands and cares about her. He too is autistic, and she has to suppose that this difference in her is what draws Abigail’s ire.

Because of the constant bullying at school she hates it, and it extremely uncomfortable going. To make it even worse this time she has closed herself in the bathroom, and when Abigail finally gets in, a tremendous fight breaks out. Dana holds her own and actually smashes Abigail’s nose in the process, but as she falls backwards, she loses her balances and smashes her head on the porcelain. The next thing she remembers it being in the hospital having x-rays taken of her head. She is not afraid of the hospital, the machines and their interface’s sooth her, but when the x-rays show a piece of metal in her head, all of a sudden her life begins to change.

Trying to get away, feeling for the first time like the freak she is, she sneaks out of the hospital only to be found by a woman who claims to know about her, named Jananin. She knows about her abilities, and actually claims to be her mother. Convincing Dana that she can help her, she tells Dana stories about her own past. She also gives Dana a rendition of how she came to be. Ivor Pilgrennon features heavily in the story, and as the tale continues, Jananin includes her own plans to use Dana to destroy him.

As Dana is drawn into the scheme and finds Ivor, she finds him to be everything that is opposite of what Jananine suggests. Not wanting Ivor to know of her duplicity she nevertheless hangs around and finds a comfort that she has been missing. Ivor has realized the damage he caused in his youth and is doing what he could to reverse the damage.

Using Jananine’s computer Dana finds an interesting game called Cerberus to keep her occupied while on Igor’s island. Somehow, this game is the center of everything that is wrong in the country and once Cerberus realizes Dana is somehow able to react in ways it does not understand she then becomes a threat to its existence. Now not only is Dana in jeopardy but everything and everyone she holds dear is no longer safe. She has become the Pandora of modern times and released an evil, which is unrelenting. Can she stop it before it is too late? She is unable to undo what she has done. Will she be able to stop the consequences? Can Jananine and Igor come together in time to help Dana before it is too late?

In Pilgrennon’s Beacon, by Manda Benson we meet an unusual cast of characters. Dana is a young girl, autistic in nature but with extra abilities added through early experimentation by Pilgrennon. She is a product of some genetic splicing as well as the plate being added, which gives her the capability to speak with computers of all kinds. She can work with cell phones, GPSs, and Satellites to name a few. It is interesting to watch the interaction. This also brings her added attention, which at her age in school makes her a freak. This too weighs heavily on her. She is drawn into a life unlike anything she has ever known, and she has to change her concept of reality.

Igor Pilgrennon and Jananine are like an old married couple who hate each other, and yet also find they must work together to save the world from a technological menace. They are a great foil and bring a balance to the story.

This is a fun and fast-paced story, and if you or your child enjoy science fiction, it will be right up your alley. Well written, the characters are strong, and it is easy to visualize the scenes as they progress. This would make an interesting book for a reading group with many things to discuss.

Rating 4/5
Pilgrennon's Beacon

This book was received as a free copy from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the information.

Name of Alt by Kevin A Kierstead

If you were an alien living life on earth, how would you out yourself. If you had knowledge of the other aliens that lived and visited earth over the centuries, what would be the proper way to come forward? Especially if you needed something to fix your craft, so you could go home.

In Name of Alt, Kevin A Kierstead had brought us a story of an alien, one of the Douze, a crotchety 172-year-old named Altinison Borahamen. Because it is not really a true representation of his name, he has kindly agreed to let us call him Alt, must easier on our tongue. Accompanied by his companion Khan, a very sarcastic but intelligent alien, Alt is ready to show himself. Khan is different from himself, and yet even with his technology, his family cannot tell what or who Khan is. Not able to get home Alt needs some liquids and metals from earth to repair his craft so he can be on his way.

However knowing the human race is very warlike about things they do not understand, he has come up with a plan, a journal of sorts explaining everything thing he knows about his own race as well as those that have lived and visited the planet over the millennia.

Believing that introducing himself in this fashion will make actual contact easier, Alt has had to take a consensus of the other aliens to get approval of this plan. In Alt Kevin has created a real character, with sarcasm and humor. His friend Khan is the perfect foil to their odd relationship, and the interplay is often quite hilarious. Kierstead has used this mode of information to interject and explain sightings from around the world of different aliens. Through it all Alt has information and reasoning for everything. He has taken bits and pieces of alleged sighting in Europe as well and tied them all together with the help of Alt and Khan.

It is often a fun and fascinating look at the UFO sightings of history, and many of the sightings that have gone by the wayside. Through it all Kevin A Kierstead keeps up the pace and reminders of the different ages gone by.

This is a wonderful story, but I had difficulty getting through it. The paragraphs are long and it often reads a little more like a history text, sometimes just a bit dry. I also like to think I have a great vocabulary but found myself stopping to look up words. At first, I thought they were made up and just another part of the story, but surprisingly enough there was meaning. Periodically there were formulas for speed, and parenthathese were used frequently. I found them to be distracting.

These things created distraction for me and made the book much longer to read. However if you are a science fiction buff, and possibly an Art Bell fan, this will be the book for you. It has something for everyone. The beginning and ending were both fast paced and fun, but it bogged down a bit, for me in the middle. Kiersteads descriptions of his aliens are thoughtful and interesting, easy to visualize.

Rating 3/4

This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the informations.

A Model Railway Man by Alain Gomez

As addictions go, John Wilson was lost. No he was not into drugs and alcohol such as would be expected; he was addicted to model trains. There was a peace, an excitement as he worked in his basement, hard to give up. In dysfunctional families like John's, his wife was the one who suffered, night after night, sleeping alone with only herself for company. Even with company including Linda’s parents, he struggled to pull himself away a be part of the family.

When Linda finally resorted pushing him in the right direction, he agreed to counseling. Life got better for a time, even during counseling though John would drift to his sets, visualizing what needed to be done. As long as he was doing what Linda wanted, their life was better. When John got sick, it was finally time for him, his decision would be to put up his set and get more involved in his marriage. Being in the hospital scared him, and made him really look at his life.

Was it too late? Could Linda really believe him this time?

Alain Gomez has put together another creepy story and set it with people that you can relate to. John is a nice man but he is caught up in his addiction, something he cannot seem to control. But Linda while initially the sane one in the marriage, begins to ravel as well you have to admire her, and yet I found her actions just a bit bizarre. This short story gives me the feel of Hitchcock, the stories I watched when I was young that gave me nightmares.

While definitely written with an eye to horror, there was not a good understanding of how things came together as they did. I enjoyed the story but would like to see it tied together better at the end.

Rating 3/5

This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based of my reading and understanding of the information.

Doctor Fleischer by Alain Gomez

Dr. Agatha Fleischer has a job that others can only admire, her office itself would be the envy of any CEO she could think of. The best part is a state of the art lab where she can conduct experiments to her hearts content, as long as her employers are happy with her work.


So far, her employers have been happy with her work. She was still trying to get used to their appearance, which was a bit unnerving. Having been captured by Aliens, she took advantage of her education to ingratiate herself into their mainstream. Now they were asking for another experiment, and while she has been able to placate them thus far, she has still not shown herself to be invaluable.

This new challenge could set her career and make her safe in her new environment. Does she have the fortitude to continue? Will she succeed and find a place in this new society?

Dr. Fleischer is an enterprising person, and has no problem walking over others to reach her goals. Her life on earth actually stifled her imagination with the rules and regulations on experimenting on both animals and human. She finds there is not stricture against this in her new job, and she is overjoyed to utilize her skill to the fullest.

The Alien race is different and quite callus to outsiders. They care very much about their own survival and will whatever means necessary to make that happen. To them, Dr. Fleischer is a tool to be used.

This is a short but quick science fiction, full in interest and just a bit of the unsavory. With just a dab of horror, it will keep you enthralled to the finish.

Rating 4/5
 
This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Unsavory Delicacies by Russell Brooks

This book is a series of short stories full of suspense centered in either eating establishments or using food as a cover. An anthology of interesting and yet refined reading, Russell Brooks brings you a short novella that packs just enough punch to keep you looking for more. His protagonist shows up in several of the stories, but it is the suspense that ties them together. The individual stories are bundled together under the title of Unsavory Delicacies.


In Crème Brule, Brooks has used a dining experience to introduce his characters. Monique Beauvais is a beautiful young woman willing to use her looks to get what she wants. Working for the Arms of Ares she is more than willing to set up her date, collect the money and mark him for termination. As she completes the deal, she leaves him at the restaurant and as she walks away hears the rifle shot killing her patsy. However, everything is not as it seems. Her contact, Curtis, is not who she believed him to be, and everything she believes has just taken a turn. Her life now in danger and her cover blown, can she finalize the contract for her employers?

Things are not what they seem and Monique is taken aback at her naivety, believing and trusting in her ability to pull a swindle, she is trapped. Having always used her beauty to get what she needed she is at a loss when it is no long enough. Curtis too has his secrets, he is undercover and on to her tricks but will do what it takes to make sure she does not get her way. This is an interesting quick read with a twist to the ending.

In To the Last Bite, Russell Brooks brings us a bit of a creepy suspense, about a food critic. Dennis Kirby makes a living by giving terrible reviews to the restaurants he visits. Occasionally he will give a good review but the bad ones are the fodder that keeps his readers coming back. When he finds a French restaurant with food that he find quite palatable he is impressed. The owner is sweating bullets hoping to receive a rave review, and Dennis assures him he will receive it.

Even after leaving the restaurant, the food stays with him, but something is familiar to him about the owner. He cannot quite put his finger on it but it is there. Maybe he had seen him somewhere before but he is not sure. Calling his girlfriend, he again cannot reach her and begins to worry. He has been trying to reach her now for some time; she is always available so he is concerned.

After his eating experience at the French restaurant, he also finds that other food is not quite as good, but he is understandably surprised with the chef show up at his home with another meal. Something is not quite right, but the horror that unfolds will be so unexpected you will not see it coming.

This is a quick and quirky story with a somewhat creepy undertone. Brooks’ characters are bizarre and the chef is just a bit frightening. There could be a moral and yet it to too odd to list it as so. It is a strange and unexpected tale.

To wrap it all up, Brooks brings us another short but succinct story, Shashlyk and Morozhenoe, revolving around his hero Ridley Fox. Fox goes undercover with a few other CIA operatives, posing as inspectors looking for bad meat. Looking to find and expose some important documents from the Arms of Ares, Ridley realizes the safe is not set up as expected. He calls in his man Dobbs. Unaware of the circumstances, his team is caught in a tight spot when the Russian Mafia show up and inform them that they have been watched on camera.

Can they hold on until Dobbs show’s up. Ridley is not to be trifled with, yet can he get out of one more spot of danger?

This is a fun and fanciful set of stories with are suspenseful and interesting. They hit just the right tone to keep you reading. Each is just different enough to build the pace, and just intriguing enough for enjoyable reading. This is a quick and intense novella, put together with verve. The characters in each case are disingenuous and really keep you interested.

Rating 4/5

This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.

Unsavory Delicacies, and Pandoras Succession by Russell Brooks can be found at the following outlets.

Amazon

Amazon UK

Smashwords
B&N
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