Friday 26 September 2014

My review of A Brief Eternity By Paul Beaumont



PLOT
The Rapture begins on Jerry’s normal, everyday route to work. Jesus swiftly returns to earth to take all the believers with him back to paradise.  Jerry soon finds himself transported up in the clouds to live a new life in heaven; however the last thing he witnesses on earth is a heavily pregnant woman holding her hands to her ears waiting for the trumpet to stop, unaware this would haunt and question why she was abandoned by God.  After several weeks Jerry discovers that not everything’s perfect in paradise as the timing of the rapture was a mistake, due to error in software testing that had forced God’s hand with the Second Coming and that no one was really ready for it.  In order for Jerry to save his girlfriend, Rachael and his family and friends from their eternity in Hell and the threat of oncoming Tribulation he must put them through the re-trial process, but first he must get Jesus’ permission.  Jerry seeks the help of his mentor, Bob and his friends who are familiar with the passages in the Bible that will provide Jerry with a good argument in court, unaware his arch enemy, Nathaniel is out to destroy any evidence that may help his case in the high court.
Will Jerry succeed in his mission to rescue Rachael from an eternity in hell? If so, at what cost? Or could it be the main protagonists are left with a number of different choices?  

Dialogue
There are over a dozen distinctive voices that help to differentiate the characters; one example of this is Bob, Jerry’s mentor, who has a distinctive east end southern twang.  The general dialogue is easy to follow and understand and the conversations all stay on track.  No detection of unnecessary or forced or unnatural speech patterns.
  
Writing
A Brief Eternity examines a number of predicaments and paradoxes that are commonly believed concepts by Christians with regards to the afterlife. 
P. Beaumont writes beautifully, with rich descriptive scenes of heaven and hell, described in such detail, you can almost imagine you are there the whole time.  His ability to inject humour, comedy, satire and parody to engage, entertain, provoke and question the readers own religious’ ideology is pure genius and flawless.  I felt a strong connection to the main protagonist, Jerry who is initially naive, yet as the story unfolds he is forced to challenge the true nature and hypocrisy of early biblical scripture into his favour in an attempt to save Rachael.
A Brief Eternity has all the merits of a standalone post-apocalypse first novel however, with its unpredictable and highly memorable ending; I daresay it’s also set up for a follow on (fingers crossed) as I would love another instalment.
     


My Rating





Saturday 20 September 2014

My Review of Dance with the Enemy Written by Rob Sinclair



Dance with the Enemy
Written by Rob Sinclair

PLOT

Attorney Frank Madena, of the USA is kidnapped and Charles McCabe, an elite member of the Joint Intelligence Agency (JIA) insists upon hiring special field agent Carl Hogan to locate the attorney’s whereabouts.  However the JIA aren’t convinced that Hogan’s the right man for the job as they believe he’s a liability, unhinged and incompetent as five months prior Hogan had been tortured and left for dead by one on the world’s most wanted terrorist Youseff Selim, who the JIA suspect of having some involvement with the attorneys kidnap.  Hogan sees this as an opportunity for revenge and begins his search with some unlikely leads, he isn’t convinced that the kidnap of the attorney is by Islamic terrorists as the police and FBI initially suspected.  Hogan’s relentless journey for the truth leads to a string of lies and deceit that surrounds the real reason for the kidnapping and once again Hogan finds that his life is on the line.  Will his mission succeed? Or will it fail? There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing as the pages are turned in this fast paced espionage thriller.

Main Characters

Carl Logan: Special field agent.  He has a back story that unveils itself throughout the chapters.  Trained extensively in martial arts, instructed in knifes, handguns, rifles and psychological training that will help him stay alive. 
Charles McCabe: One of six commanders to the Joint Intelligence Agency (JIA) Also Carl Logan’s boss for 18 years.
Frank Madena: Attorney General to the USA. 
Youseff Selim: Biggest arms dealer in the Middle East linked to many Islamic extremists and one of the worlds’s most wanted men. 
Richard Blakemore: Drugs and arms dealer.
Angela Grainger: FBI agent.  

Dialogue

There are several distinctive voices and the conversations tend to stay on track within the chapter parameters. The dialogue is natural and flows well throughout the whole book with no signs of forced and unnecessary speech patterns.     

Writing

Dance with the Enemy is a superbly written Espionage thriller and deserves to be placed at the top of any Crime/Thriller/Action list and I imagine it’s just a matter of time before this book becomes an international best seller.
R. Sinclair is a genius story teller with an exceptional imagination, not only does he introduces us to a real life likable heroin, he also leaves the reader hungry for the next instalment.

This is a fast paced breathtaking edge of the seat thriller with plenty of twist, turns, thrills and excitement to keep the reader guessing and anticipating what will happen next and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys crime fiction. 

My Rating



Sunday 14 September 2014

My review of Sky City: The Rise of an Orphan





My review of Sky City: The Rise of an Orphan
Written By R.D.Hale
PLOT
The story is set in a dystopian city in India in the year 2045 and follows the conflict; struggle and efforts of young male protagonist, Arturo Basilides and his comrades who seek to overthrow the extremist and corrupt ruling elite in a desperate attempt to save what is left of humanity.
The biggest questions throughout the plot are will Arturo and his army of teenage orphans succeed to overthrow the extremists? And if so at what cost? Or will their rebellion fail?    

Dialogue
“Shit, we´re in trouble! We need Ivor to arrive before the gunner droid or we’re dust!”
It’s a difficult thing to portray Northern English dialogue, yet Hale manages to do this in such a way it’s flawless and flows naturally alongside the plot.     

Writing
Although a work of fiction Hale successfully highlights some of the current conflicts that are going on in the world today with regards to social inequality, the civilisation that humans, technology and advances in medical science can create in this thought provoking fast paced Sci-Fi thriller.
Hale is a master of depicting things of an unnatural nature and encouraging the reader to root for the underdog.



Monday 1 September 2014

A new wave of terror in fiction!: My Review of War Kids by H.J. Lawson

A new wave of terror in fiction!: My Review of War Kids by H.J. Lawson: http://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Kids-Syrian-Story-Book-ebook/dp/B00MS8QWYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409583553&sr=8-1&keywords=war+k...

My Review of War Kids by H.J. Lawson

http://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Kids-Syrian-Story-Book-ebook/dp/B00MS8QWYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409583553&sr=8-1&keywords=war+kids



War Kids by H.J. Lawson  
I received this book directly from the author in return for an honest review.
    
PLOT

This is a compelling tale of conflict, murder, chaos, and the survival of a group of courageous children who are trapped in the civil war in Syria who try to escape to Jordan.  The book depicts a number of horrifying realities of events that take the reader on an unpredictable journey through its young characters that are literally forced to leave their childhood and turn in to soldiers themselves, however the children are still naive and unaware of the political and religious ramifications of their worlds that surrounds them.

Dialogue

There are several shifts in the narrative voice from different character viewpoints which adds to the strength of the dialogue.  The dialogue itself was easy to follow and understandable which leaves me to conclude this is written by a very competent author.


Writing

H.J.Lawson successfully manages to combine a mixture of emotions such as anger, pity and an overwhelming sense of loss for the innocent victims of stolen youth.

This is a taunt thought provoking book that grips the reader from the very first page to the last.

I’d be interested in reading a sequel to this book and would definitely recommend it to my friends.