Book Review - Defiance by Lucas Bale

This is the second book in the author's Beyond the Wall series and I enjoyed the first book a lot. It was an impressive debut novel. I was a little worried when I started reading this one as it didn't immediately grab me like the first one did. I'm glad I persevered with it as after a few chapters it found its stride and was a remarkable read for the rest of the book.

There's three main story threads in the book. The first concerns a young woman with the capability to navigate through the tunnels connecting star systems. The second concerns an officer tracking her for the murder she committed and the third follows intrigue in a world on the edge of the imperium.

All three threads are well written and provide a decent contrast between their experiences. The characters are well drawn up. I found the first two the most interesting, but I can see the third developing into something meatier in the next books. They revealed more about the world the book is set in and in particular we start to discover more about what lies beyond the wall.

As with the first book, the world building worked well for me. It has sufficient nuances to mark it as its own and with the reveals in this second book kept me interested and eager for more. There are still mysteries to be explored so I've picked up the third and final book. I'm always a fan of new and good science-fiction and the author provides that with a well thought out thriller. A recommended read.

Click on image to buy from Amazon

Earth is gone. Centuries have passed since life ended on the blue planet. Humanity's survivors are now dispersed among distant colonies, thousands of light years from the barren, frozen rock that was once their home.

At a time when power means everything, the ultimate power, the imperium, rests with the Consulate Magistratus. In return for its protection, citizens must concede their rights absolutely. The Magistratus controls interstellar travel, access to technology, even procreation. Every citizen is implanted with a device to monitor their location, health and emotions. Freedom, religion and self-determination are anachronisms. Humanity's true history only survives in whispers of a secret archive.

The murder of a man in the lowest caste is seen as inconsequential, but Weaver, one of the few Caesteri lawmen who still believes in justice, refuses to ignore it. Fighting his own indoctrination, and the voice inside his mind that forces him to ignore his conscience, he follows the trail of evidence all the while struggling to hang on to the thin thread of his humanity.

The killer he hunts is violent and unstable, and haunted by her own callous ghosts. A woman who sells her body to fuel her drug addiction. She possesses an almost supernatural ability navigate the wormholes which connect humanity's distant colonies - an ability the Magistratus fears and must eradicate. Weaver will follow her to a planet the Magistratus has abandoned, where the only law is that of criminals. And then to the furthest reaches of space, where the truth that awaits them leads to the corrupt heart of the Republic - a truth the Magistratus will do anything to conceal.

The war to control humanity's future is about to begin...

Defiance is the second book in the Beyond the Wall series, an epic, hard science-fiction space opera about the future of humanity and the discovery of the truth of its past.

Click here to buy Defiance from Amazon

New Drabble - The Pond

By Yostkr (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

A new drabble of mine has been posted in today's BookHippo.uk newsletter - visit them to sign up for a daily newsletter with a drabble and Kindle bargains. If you've writen a drabble then why not send it to them?

You can read some of my other drabbles here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/100-word-stories.html

The Pond

It’s hard to go back sometimes. The pond was once my hidden place, my refuge from a world too large to feel comfortable in. I always felt safe and hidden within the trees lining the banks like sentries. The lap of water and the sigh of the wind soothed my fevered thoughts.

Now it’s dark and rotten. A sombre reflection of the person I had since become. Its power to protect had diminished with time’s passing. When I look in the mirror of the water I am not surprised to see that it’s not my face looking back at me.

Two Weeks Left to Enter July's Short Fiction Contest

John Tenniel [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

There are only two weeks left to enter July's Short Fiction Contest. We have an Alice in Wonderland theme for this month's competition and there's already some imaginative tales of what the girl sees in the mirror. What do you think she sees? Why is she looking? If you know, or have another story that fits the picture then write it in no more than 500 words and submit it through the form on the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/july-short-fiction-contest.html

The closing date is July 26th and the winning story will win a £50 Amazon or PayPal prize. There are prizes for second and third places too.

If you haven't read the winning stories from June's contest yet then you will find them here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/july-short-fiction-contest-winners.html

Book Review - Milk-Blood by Mark Matthews

This book has been languishing on my TBR list for quite some time and I'm glad that I have finally gotten round to reading it because it is a fantastic horror read. The title comes from the rather unsavory practice of injecting blood taken from people who are high to experience their high. It also leads to other evntualities that become apparent as the story progresses.

It's a relatively quick read that packs quite a punch. It's not often I feel actual horror even when reading the most gruesome of tales but this book managed it on more than one occasion. It is, however, quite a sombre story that is quite heartbreaking in places.

The story is told from a few perspectives: A father trying to take care of his sick mother and sick daughter. The daughter who has been born with congenital defects. A crazy homeless man who hears voices and the author himself, a social worker whose life intersects the daughter's. Each perspective adds a unique viewpoint on the events as they unfurl. The author does a very good job with the shifting between characters. They also have have very different personalities which, when combined really add to the horror of the situation.

Often with stories there is a favourite character, but the strength of the author's writing brings a balance to the different characters so they are all integral to the story. Good or bad the story would have been diminished without any of them. The author's presence in particular is a small part for the most part but everything clicks into place by the end.

Beyond that the setting of the run down city provides a stark backdrop to the story and also a sense of social commentary throughout the story. The pacing is solid and the writing has a clear style that pulls you through the story.This is a highly recommended read for any horror fan.

Click on image to buy from Amazon

Lilly is ten years old, born with a heart defect, and already addicted to heroin. Her mother is gone from her life, and there are rumors that she was killed by her father and buried near the abandoned house across the street. The house intrigues her, she can't stay away, and the monstrous homeless man who lives there has been trying to get Lilly to come inside.

For her mother is there, buried in the back, and this homeless man is Lilly's true father, and both want their daughter back.

Click here to buy Milk-Blood from Amazon and it's a superb horror read)
 

Book Review - Islands in the Sky by Arthur C Clarke

This is one of the books that drew me into science fiction. That was about thirty years ago and it's been almost as long since I last read this book. Now there's always a danger when reading something pivotal in your childhood years that it no longer stacks up when you re-read it with adult eyes. Thankfully this didn't prove to be the case and I think I enjoyed more now that I have a more analytical mind - and it's still a cracking story to boot!

What attracted me then and still does is the solid engineering basis for the technology and the experience of living in space. In many ways it acts as an easy introduction into the key elements of hums surviving in orbits. There are some key differences though which reflect the time from which it is written. Most notably is the romantisism of mankind's expansion into orbit. We unfortunately haven't come close to this vision.

Following that point is that it's interesting to see what isn't there and that's a reflection of what we have learned since then. A good example is the issue of health, the problems suffered by stronauts on extended missions in orbits aren't mentioned. Another notable inaccuracy is the planetary science, there's life where we know that there isn't.

But these issues don't really matter because the story reflects the dream of anyone who has wished to go into space. It delves into concepts that are core to understanding that dream and fascinates with the imagination of the author's vision. It's a short, fast paced book that packs a lot in and reminds me just why I enjoy science-fiction so much.

Click on image to buy from Amazon

The story of 'Island in the Sky' centers around a young man, who, after brilliantly winning a space-related competition, requests a vacation on a space station as his prize. It is written with Arthur C. Clark's obvious knowledge of science, but moves at a page turning rate througout the entire narrative. The short novel gives a realistic possiblilty of work and play in future space, hightened with constant excitment and action. Character development is very good, as are the not-overdone (but still awsome) visual descriptions.

Click here to buy Islands in the Sky from Amazon (and it's a classic sci-fi read)