BOOK: The Gallowglass

by benmweilertNo Comments
The Gallowglass Year: 2019 Author: Jason Henry Evans Length: 337 pages In trying to expand the genres that I read, I ventured into historical fiction with The Gallowglass. Set in Ireland in the late 1500s, this book was quite educational for a time and place about which I knew very little. Sure, it has modern morals thrust into a historical context that makes them seem out of place, but that conflict between what we know as right and what the majority would have done is part of its charm. The action is intense and the details are impeccable, but the proofreading needed some work. The Gallowglass doesn’t shy away from the adult nature of war and romance in this era. Its injuries are brutal and the sex is somewhat explicit. Racism and sexism are also on full display, as you’d expect of the English from the 16th century. The realism felt authentic, and the clearly researched details of everything didn’t seem to impede the story...
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BOOK: Expeditions of the Mantis (2019)

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Expeditions of the Mantis Year: 2019 Author: Jim Henderson Length: 260 pages Sequels are interesting creatures. While the onus of the first book of a series is to lay out some ground rules of the universe and introduce us to the main characters, any follow-on books should dive a little deeper into the characters and explore some of the conflicts that drive the universe. Expeditions of the Mantis attempts a bit of the latter when compared to Jaunts of the Mantis, but ends up falling into old patterns by the end of the book. If anything, I have more questions about this universe now than when I started, since Expeditions of the Mantis only scratched the surface of some fascinating topics. Unfortunately, while the crew of the Mantis was the most interesting aspect of Jaunts of the Mantis, the dynamic didn’t work as well in this sequel. If anything, the inability to add in a strong “third character” (a role held by the preacher in the previous book) highlighted how one-dimensional these characters...
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BOOK: The Silent Invader (2017)

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The Silent Invader Year: 2017 Author: R.B. Thurman Length: 353 pages ***THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED FROM A GOODREADS GIVEAWAY*** I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this. In this case, that’s not a good thing. As a self-published author, I know how exciting it is to see my writing in print. Being able to hold a physical copy of my work in my hands feels good, but only if I know the content inside is worthy of the printed page. After struggling through The Silent Invader, I’m honestly wondering if I’m the first person, including the author, to read it all the way through (the only other rating so far is from the author, and he’s obviously biased). So much of the use of present tense, repeated word usage, passive voice sentences, and preposition-ended sentences just sound awkward and could easily be fixed if the author were to read this book out loud. Unfortunately, the grammatical errors that plague this book aren’t the only problem...
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