After the Fall: The Engineer and the Apocalypse

Gerry Gainford

2024

apoc

Review: I gutted this one out, only to pay respect to the cover art.

The timelines that follow our Irish Lesbian as she moves / runs through Wa. state is not temporally accurate. She starts in Seattle, and riding 35 mph, she is suddenly in Vantage. From Vantage the next day she is in Handford / Kenniwick. Next she is in Boise, then Elko with no mention of the Blue Mountains that would have been impossible to pass. She sure rides fast going 35 at top speed while crashing and looking for gas. The way the Columbia river flows directionally, is hit or miss as well.

I kind of liked this story line however overused it is. What limited the reach was the insertion of wokeisms. All the bad people are white men that love to rape and pillage for no reason. Mad Max and all that motorcycle rage. You also get subjected to a few chapters that have nothing to do with the story line other than proselytizing pride days in Ireland and her last kiss with snookums. No one gives a shjt, really.

This had some potential but the quest never gets off the fucking pot. Run………………….Hide / Fight x 45. Rinse and repeat until you land no where near where the book promised you would go.

Murder on the Interstellar Express

Gregory D. Little

2024

SciFi

I dunno about this novel. The interchanges and inner-dialogue are lengthy and rarely funny. Yeah Bell is OTT in personality and you get pounded with it, page after page. A lesbian cyborg might do for others, but me, not so much.

The aliens are drawn well and the conclusion is open-ended. Not sure I would follow this smart ass down another novel hole with constant inuendo trailing along. Still, faintly entertaining.

2.6/5

The Keepers

Night of Wings and Smoke

David Dalglish

2024

Fantasy

Review: A white scarfed effeminate pirate minces his way down the street, graces the cover. Minus 0.5 stars.

Fun read. I like a questing type of novel where the movement is constant and the scenes forever changing. Robin has a scathing if somewhat dry sense of humor that generates good development for those characters he chances upon.

Keep this series going along with Lyssa Mchottiepants and you got a winner.

4.2/5

Run

A Novel

by Blake Crouch

2024

Post-Apoc

Review: From the onset this novel follows a family as they escape, er crazy people and it goes like this…..”Oh shjt they are trying to kill us!” then a miraculous save and RUN AWAY!!!! They always find peace and respite not to mention convenient gas depots and places to stay. Rinse and repeat this sequence about 70 times and tag, yur it.

Dee was written as an asshat who makes it clear she is fucking another guy, so that is ok. When he tells her that he had a short affair (vs her open and long winded one) she has a tantrum and cries all day. But not without first telling him that he needs to man-up. Huh? There are a few instances where she was better left getting chewed on by coyotes. BUT, somehow through their trials of surviving multiple attacks with two kids in tow (riiiight) they find love again under da sheets.

Despite some character flaws, this was an ok read. I hung in there as the instances that constantly repeat are under different circumstances and settings. Yeah, Dee is tiring with her Super Slut persona, but who wouldn’t be, when crazy people that seem normal just want to kill you because they must. Not the best apoc novel I have read as reality dictates a grim outcome for 2 kids and city bred parents. If you want some light entertainment, then this is for you.

p.s. The idea that a POS modern Land Rover could even make it 30 miles overland is stretching the imagination. This hunk of shjt made by TATA survives bullet holes, mountain passes, extreme 4×4 country and 110 mph chases while running over harley bikers. Too funny.

3.0/5

The Warded Gunslinger: A Space Western Novella with Magic

Filip Wiltgren

2024

Fantasy

Review: A mix of SciFi and fantasy does a body good. A galaxy traipsing gun slinging mage bounty hunter. Hmmm, I like it.

Although too short by a mile, the characters on a back no-water planet are built with enough finesse and strength to warrant an A+. Imagine what this author could do with a full-length novel or series. Sign me the fuk up. The MC could have been named Mr. McTropey but a tried and true persona is only over used because it works. Double check on the bad guys and all the ingredients are in the entertainment pot. Now just go slurp it down yah mewling shjt-wit!

4.6/5

A Change of Place

by Julie E. Czerneda

2024

Fantasy

Review: This world has no explanation for being as it does which makes for a confusing read. What this lacked was descriptive detail that allowed for ease of visualization. The scenes were so compressed with information that there was no room to breath in any substantive characterization.

The story line reads like a confused fairy tale where snow white gets a new skin, has a pet invisible dragon and cowapses into her mans big stwong awms while sniffling and groping for a kiss.

I may revisit this work but for now this gets a DNF

Rating: 1.0/5

The Kingmaster: Book One of Ellunon

C.A. Doehrmann

2024

Fantasy

Review: Kyen. Hmmm. Pretty close to Kai in convention. Almost too close that it may warrant a star deduction. Fuking Kai.

For a novel built on and for the YA idiots amongst us, this was a damn fine read. Except for the Kai-en shjt naming. I liked following around in this douche bags footsteps as he at once disarming and self-deprecatory while brandishing skill with a sword from a famous land that is no longer.

The supporting cast is well defined and diverse in presentation. Princesses abound everywhere so fug me sideways on that. Finn’s sisters are Ten in number which may confound the reader. Is six not enough? A rando princess has the hots for Dummy but he is too shy, scrared blah, blah, blah to do anything about it. She wants it like a feral cat and all but sticks it in his face but dumbass cannot figure out what to do. Really? I am sure this is a slow build that grows within the series.

Anyhoo, the quests are many and the characters entertaining. Easy five stars but for the MCs name.

4.4/5