Carnifex: Legend of The Nameless Dwarf book 1by D. P. Prior - A Review

First things first, let me get this out there...........I don't particularly like fantasy sagas that focus on Dwarves. Their society bores me a little. Well, that was the case until I decided to have a look at Carnifex.

As this is the first in the Legends Of The Nameless Dwarf series it is, in effect, an origin story.  There is a good deal of set up and foreshadowing but that doesn't get in the way of a bloody good yarn.

Our hero is Carnifex, a member of the Ravine Guards. He is a likeable guy, a bit gruff maybe but I guess that's a typical Dwarf. He has a brother who is a scholar and a father who was told, in a kind of prophecy, that his sons were special (I'm really trying not to drop spoilers here)

The society of the Dwarves is very insular with absolutely nobody allowed to leave The Ravine. If any Dwarf does venture into the outside world they face exile and, more importantly, being stripped of their name (you can see where we are going here can't you) and having it erased from history.

As you would expect from a fantasy 'origin' book  there is a good deal of history but not enough to bog the story down, there are 'artefacts' and monsters (mainly in the form of Golems who provide a real test to our hero.

By the end of the story I thought I had an idea of what the outcome would be but I was wrong footed I guess.

And then we come to the final scene. It's not often I'm left speechless but this was one of those times. WOW!!

I like my fantasy big and sprawling but in this instance I was happy to just spend time with the Dwarves. The city/Dwarven Homeland was believable and well thought out, the society and hierarchy worked and, to be honest, I had a bloody good time with this book.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this series, a lot.

I'm going to give Carnifex 8.5/10 stars just because I'm expecting even better in future volumes.

A very, very good 1st volume

The Monsters Inside by Belinda O'Brien - A Review

Let's face it, all kids can be prone to temper tantrums when they cannot get their own way or if they don't get the attention they crave. It's all part of growing up.

What we have here is a story about a youngster called Jack who, as the title suggests, has monsters inside. These 'monsters' are the temper tantrums that come to the fore when he gets frustrated.

With some help from his mum Jack learns how to cope with his 'monsters' and keep them inside and making things nicer for everyone.

And that is, I guess, the main purpose behind this quite lovely book. The 'coping mechanism' that Jack learns with his mum is really quite easy to learn and will benefit children and parents both (I tried it for myself and it works).

As well as been a really nicely told story (nice rhyming verse style and quite catchy) this book comes with some really beautiful illustrations by Jemina Venter that capture the approaching storm as Jack's 'monsters' prepare to raise their heads and the return to happy Jack after.

It may sound corny to say every family should have a copy of this book, or at least give it a try, but I honestly believe it.

A lovely and informative tale with beautiful illustrations - 5/5 stars

Eye For An Eye by Graham Masterton - A Review

I have been a fan of Graham Masterton's horror fiction for 30+ years but this dip into his crime fiction left me feeling a tad short changed.

A priest is found dead in the garden of an old religious lady who has been threatened by 'Satan' on several recent occasions. 'Satan' told her, apparently, to sell up and move to somewhere else (although the police seemed to not notice when she told them that). The search for the murderer leads to a local tools firm who's land gives the only other point of access to the old lady's garden.

I made a point of finishing this as it was a short story but, to be honest, if it had been much longer I'd have probably bailed. The 'who' was pretty obvious from the outset and not exactly challenging.

There are several full length novels in this series so I may give them a try at some point but I don't have high hopes for them

Thoughts after reading 'Nineteen Nuns On The Number 15 Bus - The Southend Zombie Apocalypse'

 Earlier this week I had several adverts on my Facebook page for 'Nineteen Nuns On The Number 15 Bus - The Southend Zombie Apocalypse' by Simon G Gosden. I was in the mood for some ZA fiction so decided to give it a go - it was only 99p so what's to lose. A lot as it turns out.

 This has turned out to be one of the worst produced books it has been my misfortune to read, which is a shame as the story itself has a lot of promise. What lets it down is the fact there is no sign of an editor or proof reader having been anywhere near it (and if it has been edited and proofed those responsible should hang their heads in shame). There are errors on practically every page and even for 99p this is unacceptable.

 Several points to remember when you are writing or have completed your book (or whatever you are producing - even if it is only a leaflet)

     1) Always get someone else to look at it - there is more chance of fresh eyes spotting an error.

     2) If you are going to use big words at least make sure you use the right ones - and yes, that happened in this book.

     3) If you don't know Formatting then get someone else to either do it for you or show you how - your book will be more appealing if it is set out well.

 'Nineteen Nuns...' is a terrible example of how a book should be published (or an excellent example of how to get it so, so wrong!) It reads very much as if the author just wrote the story and pressed 'publish' which is a shame because it could have been a decent little book with the right amount of care and attention.

 I believe 'Nineteen Nuns....' is to be republished in 2016 with a full professional edit so I will look out for it then and give it another go - hopefully it will be readable by then.

 Oh, and I've looked on Amazon - it has 4 reviews, and each one (including one by a Mr Simon Gosden - remember that name from earlier??) is a 5 star review, full of praise and with no mention of the countless errors. So I guess that leads me to point number

      4) If you are going to give your book a 5 star book and glowing reviews at least make sure your work is worth it. A self appointed 5 star review of a mess of a book will do you no favours whatsoever.

 It's your book, you put all that work into it so do what you need to to make it the best damn book you can. It'll be worth it in the long run

Escape From B-Movie Hell by M T McGuire - a review

When Art Restoration student Andi Turbot hears voices in her head you would think the day couldn't get any weirder.........then she finds out her best friend Eric is a 7ft tall lobster shaped alien and the future of our world is at stake.

This book, as hinted at in the title, is very much in the style of B-Movies and, as such, is a whole lot of fun - so much so, in fact, that I got through this in 2 days (which was disappointing, in a good way, as I would have happily spent a lot longer in this universe). The rich cast of characters and non stop dashing about keep the reader engaged (to be fair books like this can lose pace and attenton in the middle ground) all the way through.

I'm certainly glad I decided to pick this up and give it a go, and I'll also be looking out for more from this author

A good, fun comedy space romp, more please

4/5 stars

Across The Terminator by David Tallerman

Two bases on the moon, one American and one Chinese while back on Earth these two countries are locked in a Cold War. Due to the way of things on Earth the two moon bases are not in contact at all. A scientific discovery by the Americans though could be about to change that as they need the help of the Chinese astronauts and scientists.

This is a very short story but, for all that, there is a good bit of story in it. Mr Tallerman does a really good job of bringing the characters to life, making me bothered about how things would work out for them and wanting to know more about events after the story.

One phrase in the book that summed it up for me was 'Science should be bigger than borders'. These people are a long way from home, should they class each other as enemies just because their respective countries tell them to?

Highly Recommended (even though it is short)

The Keeper by Catriona King - A Review

 The Keeper is the latest in Catriona King's series featuring Marc Craig and his Belfast Murder Squad. In my opinion it is one of the best so far (and I've been hooked on this series since book 1).

 The crime this time around is the murder of three people with links back to the bad days of 'The Troubles'. It's not an easy one for the squad to solve as the victims are not all from the same side so it is unclear what, exactly, the motives are and who could be responsible.........and who will be next.

 As usual with this series what makes it stand out are the characters. These have grown with each book yet their manners and characteristics have managed to avoid them becoming parodies of themselves. With 'The Keeper' though, upheaval is coming for the squad. Chickens come home to roost as events from previous books come to a head and not everyone will escape unscathed.

 Things may change for the members of  Marc Craig's squad but one thing that doesn't change is the quality of the writing and the storytelling. Catriona King has done it again. Bring on the next one.

5/5