You are here: Library 
Recent reviews
Recent reviews
May
22
Wednesday
Risingshadow is one of the largest science fiction and fantasy book databases.
Here you can find detailed book information and absorbing reviews.
Run by dedicated speculative fiction fans for other bookworms!
Newsflash:
- A review of Lord Horror #7 (Hard Core Horror #5) and Lord Horror #8 (Reverbstorm #1)
- A review of Kenny Soward's Rough Magic
- GUEST POST (AND GIVEAWAY): Life (almost) imitating art by Sean Benham, author of Blope
- A review of D.E.M. Emrys' From Man to Man
- A review of Lord Horror: Reverbstorm (script by David Britton, art by John Coulthart)
Main Menu
Login
| Recent reviews |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave 
(May 21, 2013) Red Planet Run by Dana Stabenow Red Planet Run (A Star Svensdotter Adventure) I loved this story much more than the two previous. I felt the two previous were doing quite well at paying homage to Robert Heinlein. There is nothing wrong with that but for some reason I felt I was seeing more of the true Dana Stabenow throughout this book. I can't really say that with utmost aut ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 21, 2013) Molly Fyde and the Land of Light by Hugh Howey Molly Fyde and the Land of Light(The Bern Saga Book 2) by Hugh Howey I can't say enough about how good this book is. Each world is richly drawn out it such a fashion that it helps explain the motivations of many of the important characters- from within the context of their cultures. The cultures are often derived around the worlds themselves an ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 20, 2013) Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howey Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue (The Bern Saga Book 1)by Hugh Howey It takes a fairly riveting book to keep me up past bedtime. That Molly Fyde did so is not that hard to understand when looking at the whole. Everyone loves those stories where the female protagonist is strong willed well balanced and determined. I think in this case the stro ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 18, 2013) A Handful of Stars by Dana Stabenow A Handful of Stars(Star Svensdotter #2)by Dana Stabenow Entering the world of Star Svendotter is like entering the Worlds of Heinlein. There are so many elements of Dana Stabenow's world building that remind me of what I've seen in Heinlein's worlds. There is definitely an emphasis on Scientific Detail. I love both elements here and then t ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 15, 2013) Murder on the Pier by Jere Myles Murder on the Pier by Jere Myles I love a good mystery and have often reread Sherlock Holmes. I thrive on good drama; who didn't enjoy watching Bogart in Maltese Falcon. The best old movies were well acted dramas taken from stage productions and put onto film. None of those high energy special effects. Just high adrenaline dramatic dialogue and ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 15, 2013) Hindsight by A. A. Bell Hindsight by A.A. Bell I read Diamond Eyes- the first of the trilogy of this story and fell in love with Mira and all her quirky ways. So naturally its inevitable that I read Hindsight. The intensity of this novel just blew me away. Granted I'm not one to read a whole lot of suspense thrillers. I've enjoyed such greats as Six Days of the Co ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave 
(May 15, 2013) A Shattered Memory by Alan Halsey A Shattered Memory by Alan Halsey. A twisting suspenseful edge of your seat thrill ride! I picked up this book because someone gave it a bad review. There's a bit more to it then just that but that should sound intriguing enough. This story starts out a bit strange and I might compare it to a Philip K Dick novel-for anyone not acquaint ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 15, 2013) The Kingdom of Malinas by E. J. Tett The Kingdom of Malinas is a remarkable book. E.J.Tett's first effort at writing is by far one of the best first efforts I have read in quite some time. She puts together all the elements of story with her own style and class that have not been matched by her peers. She has tremendous characterizations, conflict, plot and theme nailed down. T ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave 
(May 15, 2013) Valens Rise by Sherrel Lee Valens Rise Book1(The Valens of Legacy) by Sherrel Lee This book took me by surprise. It was one of my first forays into the world of self published novels. The main character was someone who I found so engaging I could relate to her immediately. And the story is peopled with a magnificent supporting cast. Bravo on a first novel. Looking forwar ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 15, 2013) G's Future by Don Viecelli G's Future (A Novella)by Don Viecelli I love this story, but at times it was a trying experience. This book reminds me a lot of that movie Making Mr. Right. It stared John Malkovich and Ann Magnuson and was about an android made for the purpose of exploring space. It was also one of those movies that had a somewhat strong female character - ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave 
(May 07, 2013) The Beginning of the End: Book One by Michael Edward The Beginning Of The End:Book One by Michael Edward I strongly suggest first reading a bit about the author here and perhaps check the author information at Amazon.[...] [...] :: That's just to prepare you for his style. I liked the story. I love science fiction and it had some elements of that. It did have a bit of horror, which I'm not so ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) Yellow Horizon: War of the Auras by Jessica M. Acosta Yellow Horizon War of the Auras Book Two by Jessica Acosta This is a beautiful middle book to a trilogy. We have gotten to watch Jamie grow from an organized yet unfocused almost wandering spirit into someone who has found a purpose in life. Then almost at the height of that she discovers a great deception that could easily rip the heart out ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) The Sea of Storms by Mark Whiteway Lodestone Book One: Sea of Storms by Mark Whiteway This book peaked my interest right away. It has a prologue-I'm not sure it needs one- the author gave it one so I guess that's that. This is the story of Shann - a young girl with a history that puts her at odds with the prophet and his religious order. As it turns out a lot of people don' ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) Ordinary by Lindy Zart I borrowed Ordinary (The Anything But Series Book 1)by Lindy Zart from a friend. So I don't own it. I don't usually read zombie stories. So, it's a good thing this isn't really a zombie story. In this world where Honor is there are the UD's and the UDK's. They are both the product of a virus that's been accidentally let loose on the world ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) The Submersion by Jason Letts Powerless: The Submersion This book is number four in the series and its one of those series that you can love and hate. The reason for this is that the pace is one that keeps building the adrenaline pump, only bringing you half way down before the next pump and it can almost get tiring. Couple that with all the tension and wonder about how t ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) The Infinite Sea by Jeffrey A. Carver The Chaos Chronicles(1-3) by Jeffery A. Carver I've got to admit that I really enjoyed the first book of this trilogy Neptune Crossing which I received free from the author's website. So I purchased the Trilogy and it did not disappoint me. In the first book the reader is introduced to John Bandicut who is some sort of Neuro-link jockey who ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) Atlantida by Pierre Benoît Atlantida by Pierre Benoit Even though this is a bit of a classic I enjoyed reading it. It reminded me of those old Tarzan movies. What it is though is more of an example of the old Trope about the beautiful, seductive, feminine character whom the protagonists all fall in love with. It seems there was once some argument that Pierre plagia ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) Nine Inch Bride: Conundrum by Anonym Nine Inch Bride (Conundrum)by Anonym Can be just that at times, a Conundrum. There are some high points and it certainly is entertaining. The value of that entertainment might easily be measured by the fact that I finished it. There is a serious amount of exposition here and I hope that the sequel helps justify the need for it. The Story begi ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) She by H. Rider Haggard She By Henry Rider Haggard. I suppose were I a scholar of those languages the formatting might be a problem. This is a great book and a great classic and I suppose if I understood even a shred of Egyptian, Greek or Latin then I might be just as incensed as some others about the butchery of those parts of the book. As it is I thoroughly enj ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) Second Star by Dana Stabenow Second Star (Star Svensdotter Book 1) By Dana Stabenow Perhaps the title of this comes from everyone's favorite quote from Peter Pan by James M. Barrie. "Second to the right," said Peter, "and then straight on till morning." And then; perhaps making use of the often added Star. "Second Star to the right, and straight on till morning." ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(May 07, 2013) Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer Shadow of the Sun(Book One of the Timeless Series) by Laura Kreitzer Let me say that I loved-hated this book at the very beginning. As I got past that I could hardly put it down. For some reason the whole beginning sort of read like a paranormal Dragnet episode. Dialogue mostly devoid of emotions. It went on for about the first 15% of the boo ... (more) |
 |
mlbphd gave
(May 07, 2013) Rome's Evolution by Michael Brachman As the author, I am somewhat biased so rather than review this book, I thought I'd give you a few teasers. My goal for this book was to tie up all the loose ends left over the previous four parts (Rome's Revolution and The Ark Lords). Do you remember at the end of The Ark Lords, there were still a few crazies running around Deucado even tho ... (more) |
 |
Blue Six gave
(May 01, 2013) I Am Legend by Richard Matheson To be honest I think Dean Koontz is wrong, I found this book both cleverer and more riveting than Dracula, the fact that the antagonists are vampires is almost irrelevant, they could just as easily be zombies, werewolves or hells angels. The most important aspect is how and indeed why the last human continues to survive against the odds. It is o ... (more) |
 |
carlajp gave
(Apr 25, 2013) +1 people likes this More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon Ted Sturgeon - and through him, science fiction - came into my life when I was 11 years old babysitting for a very cool couple with twin baby boys in Pasadena, California in 1962. I was a voracious reader who spent most of my free time in libraries or upside down in a butterfly chair reading book after book. I also read dictionaries and encyclope ... (more) |
 |
luvbunny gave
(Apr 24, 2013) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling Despite it being a few years since I enjoyed this book, i can say Its well written so an intelligent 5th grader can understand (but not fully)and i enjoyed it. I remember thinking why was Harry's aunt such a "mean lady". Then my grandmother, who got me into the series, said the mother and aunt didn't get along. Ever since I've made a better ... (more) |
|
SuralXiong gave
(Apr 23, 2013) The Beginning of the End: Book One by Michael Edward The Beginning Of The End:Book One by Michael Edward I liked the premise of this book. I liked the internal story. I would have loved to be able to say I loved this book- but I can’t. And, I do understand that there is a certain kink in the method of this writer- I just think that someone reading this should come prepared. It might just ... (more) |
 |
SuralXiong gave 
(Apr 23, 2013) Gabriel: Zero Point by Steve Umstead Gabriel:Zero Point (Evan Gabriel Trilogy) by Steve Umstead Sometimes the problem with a short intro story to a trilogy; is that it’s difficult to fully capture the nuances of the character that shows up in the real story. Having not read the rest of the story I can’t make a judgement. I love Trevanian and especially his Shibumi and I l ... (more) |
 |
SuralXiong gave
(Apr 23, 2013) Adrift on the Sea of Rains by Ian Sales Adrift On The Sea Of Rains by ian sales Okay, in all fairness I will give this book a five in initially breathing life back into the images of space flight as we know it. But I truly don’t understand the praises given without any real reviews about the story being told and the content and continuity. And with all the five and four star reviews ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 18, 2013) Once Upon Another World by Shiva Winters Once Upon Another World (Book One of the Salak'patan Series) by Shiva Winters The title and the cover almost had me thinking 'fairy tale'. Once I dove in feet first it was more like Zelazny's Amber series and Farmers Tier series rolled together and given a special Shiva Winters touch. Raven Sinclair is a powerful character well matched by h ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 15, 2013) Better Than Real: Sensual Solutions for the Discerning Client by Huw Lyan Thomas Zendyne by Han Li Thorn Aka Better Than Real by Huw Lyan Thomas I'm not even certain where I acquired the original. There were formatting problems and that might have been why I didn't get to it right away. That was in June of 2012. Here it is ten months later and I'm just getting to it. This time I started reading despite the formatting p ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 15, 2013) Spots the Space Marine: Defense of the Fiddler by M. C. A. Hogarth Spots the Space Marine by M.C.A. Hogarth Is a delicious science fiction tale. Written in a somewhat play or screen play style that can put off many an average reader. For those who can tough it through, its beyond well worth reading. Though the story is told mostly through dialogue M.C.A has a way of crafting her characters through that dialogu ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 15, 2013) Oxygen by Randy Ingermanson, John B. Olson Oxygen(Oxygen Series,Book One)By John B. Olsen and Randy Ingermanson I purchased the book Oxygen for two reasons one of those being to read the bit at the end with tips for Authors. I've no idea if the copy other people get will have the same. I want to thank the authors for a very good read. I read the story first knowing the part at the en ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 14, 2013) Fizz: Nothing Is as It Seems by Zvi Schreiber Fizz nothing is as it seems by Zvi Schreiber: Is the thoroughly enjoyable story of a young girl coming of age in a community that shuns technology blaming it for everything from war to global warming. This is a great novel for anyone who loves physics and anyone who thinks they cant understand it. And maybe even a few who hate physics. It's al ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 10, 2013) The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw by Suzy Turner The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw (The Morgan Sisters)by Suzy Turner I was not sure how much I would appreciate this one. I got acquainted by reading the story about Daisy Madigan. I really enjoyed Daisy's character and the story sort of reminded me of Ghost Whisperer and then there were elements that were like Scooby Do and the Scooby gang except t ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 10, 2013) The Lost Soul by Suzy Turner The Lost Soul (The Raven Saga)by Suzy Turner Finally! The third and final installment of the Raven Saga. Lilly is growing in power. December is discovering more of her abilities. Both seem to be falling in love. And there's a lost soul crying out for help.Lilly's father is still missing. Tiffanimelicomelea the displaced Faerie is lost from ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Perfection Unleashed by Jade Kerrion Perfection Unleashed- A Double Helix Novel by Jade Kerrion. Might be considered YA and Science Fiction- It's also pretty good story telling. I recently started twittering- the doctor said that if I ignore it it will go away. It was to trace some specific activities and I hadn't thought to get too involved. What I did do was I started getting ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Castles: A Fictional Memoir of a Girl with Scissors by Benjamin X. Wretlind Castles: A Fictional Memoir of a girl with Scissors by Benjamin X Wretlind. I received this book through Amazon- free after having read a rant by the author. I enjoyed his words so well that even though this is out of my usual genre I decided to give it a try. I admit to being somewhat squeamish sometimes- more so with movies than books. Ofte ... (more) |
|
SuralXiong gave
(Apr 08, 2013) The Sea of Storms by Mark Whiteway Lodestone Book One: Sea of Storms by Mark Whiteway This is a really good book with some outstanding characters and world building. There are some interesting though sometimes confusing elements about the Lodestones, which I’m no way going to try to be expert about. The important thing to this type of fiction is that the author try to maintain ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Powerless Omnibus by Jason Letts Powerless Series (Omnibus 1-3)by Jason Letts I first tested the single first book(Synthesis) for free- I believe it is still offered as free. I would recommend that someone start with that and decide if they like it enough to try the rest then I'd recommend the omnibus because it will save a little money. I really liked the first book for ge ... (more) |
|
SuralXiong gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Ordinary by Lindy Zart Ordinary (The Anything But Series)by Lindy Zart So this is another in the series of free offerings. Unfortunately I'm not sure It's still free. Now, because it's free, I should at least be civil and nice. But at the risk of spoiling things- You can't end it like that. Granted I'll give that this is almost like a Zombie Apocalypse n ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Wisdom by Bonnie Watson Wisdom(Blue Moon Rising Trilogy) by Bonnie Watson This is one of those free books that have a bit of extra hook. The free book was the next one and I just couldn't see reading the free one without first reading this one. So I purchased Wisdom and it's a wise choice-I think. There are so many things to love about this book it makes it worth ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) The Jump by Alex Myers Time Change Book One: The Jump by Alex Myers I loved this book. Not only was it entertaining it was educational. There are a lot of historical characters here that I might never have met without this book. It's amazing how many inventors there are that are not household names. On the other hand there a quite a few household names in the book ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) The Foretelling: Quest of the Auras by Jessica M. Acosta I acquired this e-book free from amazon and I can emphatically say that it was a delightful surprised wrapped in the fresh voice of a new talent. Let me first warn that this book is best enjoyed on a kindle or in a kindle for PC app and not quite so friendly in the Chrome-book app that they have for it. I was test driving the chrome at the time ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) December Moon by Suzy Turner December Moon(The Raven Saga)book 2 by Suzy Turner I had just finished Raven by Suzy Turner and knew that I'd have to eventually revisit the world of Lilly Taylor aka Lillian Tulugaq. A universe where all imagined fantasy characters might exist- and possibly do. We certainly meet quite a variety. The next day after I completed Raven I came ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Raven by Suzy Turner The Raven Sage: Part 1 Raven by Suzy Turner This is one of those plots that sort of creeps along and holds you there for quite a while. Once you get to about 25% of the book it nails you. This does not have one of those page turner openings with the heart-pumping heart stopping hook. But Suzy Turner proves that you don't need that to make good ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Diamond Eyes by A. A. Bell Diamond Eyes By A A Bell I honestly didn't know what to expect from this novel. I had made it to the author's web page and looked at the covers, which were intriguing. I really did not read the blurbs. I was, in fact, taking a break from another tedious novel that I felt lacked some bit of style to keep me interested. So I decided to go ahead ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Inducing the Calm by Mel L. Kinder Weeping for Raven by Mel Kinder This book is a real surprise. I've been avoiding this one hoping Mel would put it on sale or maybe offer it free. Not that it's all that expensive; it's just a bit more than I pay for new author e-books. Plus I wasn't absolutely certain about the genre. And, I have all these other books here in my kindle th ... (more) |
|
SuralXiong gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Inducing the Calm by Mel L. Kinder Weeping for Raven Book One: Inducing The Calm by Mel Kinder This e-book was around five dollars. I've been doing the free ones and usually borrowing the money ones. This is not specifically Science Fiction- it tends more to Paranormal Romance. But, its got this kind of John Carter of Mars leap from one body to another thing going so in that res ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) Accelerando by Charles Stross Accelerando by Charles Stross The last thing this book needs is another review. It seems to run the whole gamut of stars in the system. It's that type of book that has a love hate relationship. There seem to be a lot of complaints about the overflow of cyber geek talk which doesn't surprise me. What did surprise me is that I went right thr ... (more) |
 |
J.L. Dobias gave
(Apr 08, 2013) The Convent of the Pure by Sara M. Harvey The Convent of the Pure by Sara M. Harvey is listed as a Steampunk novel. I'm not a fan of Steampunk though I have enjoyed the Girl Genius and I must admit that this novel as well as some others gave me good reason to look up the definition of Steampunk. Since I'm giving this one the possibility of a read that makes defining it almost paramoun ... (more) |
You are here: Library Recent reviews
Recent reviews