Phoenix Rising (Cynthia Vespia)

Phoenix Rising
Cynthia Vespia
Orignal Cyn Advertising
Fiction, Thriller
***+ (Okay/Good)

DESCRIPTION: Former military sniper John Phoenix only failed one job in his life: the day he missed the guerrillas who nearly wiped out his unit in Afghanistan. Discharged and drifting, he stumbled into a life as a freelance killer for hire, rationalizing his job by only taking hits on truly despicable people. The Army trained him well, and he trained himself even better. He's never missed a shot in his career.
Waking up in a pool of his own blood in Las Vegas, with no idea how he got there, doesn't bode well.
John has no time to brood or recuperate; he's on a job, and something's clearly gone very wrong. Worse, it seems an old girlfriend may be involved: Victoria, the one woman who almost lured him from the life of a hit man. If he gets her back alive, he may just leave this job for good... assuming he survives a mission that's already nearly killed him once.
A Kindle-exclusive title.

REVIEW: I figured I could use a change of pace, so when I saw this offered as a free download, I decided to try it. The story starts fast, rarely slackening its pace as John races to put the pieces of his shattered memory together in time to save his own life. Bullets fly, knives slice, blood spurts, and bodies fall at a prodigious rate, as John proves that sheer grit and testosterone can overcome medical science and even the laws of physics. The plot itself, involving gun runners and kidnappings and shady deals gone bad, does its job, if not in a stunningly original fashion; even though I don't read many thrillers, I saw one of the biggest plot twists coming a mile away. Actually, the whole book reminded me of a pilot episode for an action series, the sort of lone soldier-of-fortune show one doesn't see on the airwaves much anymore. It read fast, and was enjoyable for what it was, but I lack the testosterone levels to be fully absorbed by this kind of story.

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Dragon Poems for Smiletrain.org 2011 (M. R. Mathias, editor)

Dragon Poems for Smiletrain.org 2011
M. R. Mathias, editor
Amazon Digital Services
Fiction, YA? Anthology/Fantasy/Poetry
*** (Okay)

DESCRIPTION: A selection of poems about dragons, from silly haikus to epic retellings of classic tales. Proceeds from the sale of this volume benefit Smiletrain.org, a foundation providing cleft repair surgeries for children in need.
A Kindle-exclusive title.

REVIEW: It was a free download, and I needed something lightweight to read, so I gave this a try. I enjoyed some of the poems, and the worst of them were merely forgettable. I've read far worse.

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100 Web Sites for Fiction Writers (Ty Johnston)

100 Web Sites for Fiction Writers
Ty Johnston
L. M. Press
Nonfiction, Writing
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: The Internet can be an overwhelming place, with countless sites on any given subject... most of which are less than useful. For writers looking for information, inspiration, or a supportive community, it's no different. Writer Ty Johnston discusses 100 websites on all manner of topics, from beginning grammar to advanced e-publishing.
A Kindle-exclusive title.

REVIEW: This eBook starts on a shaky foot, with an introduction that sounds a little too much like an author tooting his own horn. Beyond that, he devotes a chapter to each website he mentions, explaining what he found useful about them and why a writer might be interested in them. I spot-checked some of these sites, and personally found them to be a mixed bag. A few proved less than interesting, making me wonder if they'd been redesigned since Johnston visited (or were simply promising something that the webmaster never delivered), while others quickly earned bookmarks for further explorations. On the whole, they balance out. Since this book delivers exactly what the title promises, I gave it the benefit of the doubt with a solid Good rating.

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Slow Your Prose (James W. Lewis) - My Review
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March Site Update

The previous six book reviews are now archived and cross-linked on the main site.

I also rotated the Random Recommendations.

Enjoy!

Extreme Science (Phil Clarke)

Extreme Science
Phil Clarke
Chartwell Books
Nonfiction, YA? History/Media Reference/Science
***+ (Okay/Good)

DESCRIPTION: Reanimated corpses, two-headed dogs, electronic brain control... they sound like the stuff of science fiction, but all have happened in the laboratories of real-life scientists, pioneers pushing the boundaries of their age's knowledge by any means necessary. Journey to the very edge of science, where the line between fact and fiction, triumph and tragedy, even genius and madness, is scalpel-thin.

REVIEW: This book attempts to encapsulate a vast subject - scientists at the very edge of knowledge, often ahead of their times - in accessible terms. It also delves into theorists, war atrocities, serial killers, and Hollywood treatments of extreme science subjects. That's an awful lot of ground to cover... too much to do more than merely touch on any given topic. It also can't help but feel random, insofar as topics and historical figures covered. The Hollywood section in particular is haphazard, picking and choosing among feature films (and omitting some landmark sci-fi in the process.) I would've preferred spending more time with the real scientists and experiments. As a general introduction to extreme science, though, this book isn't bad.

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