Tag Archives: Superhero

The Minus Faction: Episode 3 – Meltdown

minus_faction_3Once again, I was swept along in the story Wayne has created. This one is big on intrigue, as the new protagonist Ian finds himself on a terrorist watch list for no reason that he can fathom. He’s a sort of “every man” character, who’s devastated by his recent breakup when his life gets further complicated by the FBI and secret organizations. And then a foul-mouthed, super-intelligent 11 (and a half) year old girl comes into the picture – and, well, I think Ian was swept up in the story, too.

There are a lot of fantastic events along the way, and the characters from all three stories come together at the end of this one.

And here’s where this story fell down to 4 stars. I got confused when the POV hopped from one character to another without scene breaks. You’re in Ian’s head, then John without warning. I think it happened a couple times at the end where I wasn’t sure where I was in terms of head-space. I’d noticed very minor cases of this in previous stories, where something would be seen from a minor character’s viewpoint for one line, but it wasn’t a problem to follow. Don’t get me wrong, the story is still excellent, and I’m going to be continuing on with this series. I just hope future stories are clearer about whose POV we’re seeing through, and don’t become jumbled now that all the stories have come together.

About the Reviewer

ToxopeusRyanmedHusband, father, and researcher, Ryan Toxopeus spends his free time working on his epic fantasy trilogy, Empire’s Foundation. He started writing the first book, A Noble’s Quest, in 2010 and fell in love with all aspects of storytelling. He focuses on fast paced, character driven plots. His motto: “If I’m bored writing it, others will be bored reading it.”

Learn more about Ryan and his work at https://prcreative.ca/ryan/

The Minus Faction: Episode 2 – Crossfire

minus_faction_2This story was a slow build with a big pay off. After enjoying the first episode, I was hooked. When it started out, I noticed straight away that the writing style felt different from the first episode. The writing was in short, simple sentences. It felt a bit broken. But the reason for that became clear as we got to know Xana, the protagonist in this episode. She’s a hulking woman who can’t stop growing. She’s immensely powerful, but pretty simple-minded. So when we see the story from (mostly) her POV, it makes sense that it’s broken into smaller chunks.

The story itself is packed with emotion, as Xana looks for her son who has disappeared. There are layers to this story, and like a master storyteller, Wayne reveals them slowly, teasing the reader with bits of knowledge so you think you know what’s happening, and then another layer is peeled back. The character might think of herself as stupid and ugly, but I felt highly sympathetic to her plight. So far in these two episodes, Wayne has managed to take damaged characters and make them interesting and lovable – quite the feat for short segments.

I will definitely be picking up the third installment soon. The situations and characters that Wayne creates are too interesting for me to walk away. I need to know what happens next!

About the Reviewer

ToxopeusRyanmedHusband, father, and researcher, Ryan Toxopeus spends his free time working on his epic fantasy trilogy, Empire’s Foundation. He started writing the first book, A Noble’s Quest, in 2010 and fell in love with all aspects of storytelling. He focuses on fast paced, character driven plots. His motto: “If I’m bored writing it, others will be bored reading it.”

Learn more about Ryan and his work at https://prcreative.ca/ryan/

A Sip Of Fear

sip_of_fearGordon Greenbough is one of the Illuminated. That means that he is bonded to a familiar spirit and gifted with extraordinary powers. Being Illuminated can take a lot of forms. Gordon is a biomage linked to the spirit of life itself, Ela-Tu. This gives him power and influence over living things including the ability to heal, but it also makes it hard for him to keep love in his life as his connection to life makes him promiscuous. When trouble comes in the shape of Shadow, the bogey-man of the Illuminated world, Gordon has to rise to a whole new level if he’s going to survive.

In Sip of Fear, Brian Rush created a fascinating contemporary fantasy world and peopled it with engaging and sympathetic characters. From the very beginning I was intrigued by the world and by Gordon. The story is well paced and, while somewhat predictable in some aspects, quite well written. Rush’s prose flows well and pulled me through the more philosophical moments that might have had me skimming in another book.

I especially appreciated reading a male character who was comfortable with himself and with love and was cheering for his success throughout. The other characters were well developed and real, especially Rose, Gordon’s love interest. Rush gave his characters real-life struggles alongside their magical ones, which is a mixture I’ll fall for every time.

I recommend this one for readers who love magic and mystery, especially when they butt up against each other in a story with great characters.

About The Reviewer:

BRYANT-CroppedSamantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her Menopausal Superhero series is available on Amazon or can be requested at your favorite book store: Book 1: Going Through the Change, Book 2: Change of Life, and (upcoming in 2017) Face the Change.

Learn more about Samantha and her work at http://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/

Arena Mode

arena_modeMatthew Moxon isn’t a superhuman. But he is in need of a serious cash infusion if he’s going to have a life-saving surgery. So, when the chance comes to fight in The Arena, a televised extravaganza arranged by a billionaire multimedia mogul, he decides to fake it till he makes it. He puts his smarts and his friends to work developing a suit and a public presence until he makes the cut and gets in the contest.

From there, the story becomes an elimination match a la The Hunger Games, The Running Man, The Maze Runner, Battle Royale, and other such stories. Although the plot is nothing new, the characters and relationships are fresh and interesting. I really liked Mox and was cheering for him and his allies to make it through, as well as for him to progress in his personal character arc. I don’t necessarily need the plot to be groundbreaking and unusual as long I’m rooting for someone.

This is the first of a series. I haven’t yet read the others, but they are in my TBR. I recommend it for readers who are fans of comics and superhero stories.

About The Reviewer:

BRYANT-CroppedSamantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her Menopausal Superhero series is available on Amazon or can be requested at your favorite book store: Book 1: Going Through the Change, Book 2: Change of Life, and (upcoming in 2017) Face the Change.

Learn more about Samantha and her work at http://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/

The Villain’s Sidekick

villains_sidekickWhen I was first introduced to this book, I thought it might fall alongside books such as Grunts, by Mary Gentile, books that show a story from the “other side.” Sidekicks of villains rarely have a place in the sun and usually end up in dire straits as the good guys triumph. When I started reading, though, I saw a lot more of Terry Pratchett in it, but if this book is any indication, Stephen Brophy can give the esteemed Mr. Pratchett a run for his money.

This book is taut, well-edited, and well-crafted. Characterization is detailed without being tedious, and the storyline quickly draws the reader in. There is a good deal of literary tension that qualifies this book as a page-turner. On top of that, it is darn funny. The humor, though, does not get in the way of the plot, as it does in so many other books, but rather supports it. While it echoes Pratchett to an extent in the feel of the humor, where Pratchett elicits his humor in action and general observations, Brophy’s humor centers on the personal thoughts and attributes of the protagonist. To me, that brings a deeper relevancy to the humor. I could identify with it.

Duke “HandCannon” LaRue is a bad guy, have no doubt about that. He is an ex-con, a crook, a killer (although he’s killed fewer times than someone might suspect.) He isn’t concerned about what his boss, Dr. Eye, might do with an item he’s sent to retrieve. On the other hand, he dotes on his diabetic cat, Miss Lady, and loves his six-year-old daughter. He has the same problems as so many of us have—an ex-spouse, paying for a mortgage for a house in which he no longer lives, a job that interferes with his domestic life. He may be a baddie, but we can relate to him. I think that is a key to the book, and when Handcannon says he’s a bad dad for something he’s about to do, we’ve all been in that type of situation.

This is a funny book, but it is not just a platform for one-liners. There was nary a weak spot, and I enjoyed every page. This is one of the very best books I’ve read this year, and I give it my highest recommendation.

About the reviewer:

larryscatJonathan Brazee is a retired Marine infantry colonel who after years of writing non-fiction, wrote his first novel while serving in Iraq. He independently published it, hoping to sell a few copies to friends and family, and was pleasantly surprised when the book gained traction among the general reading public. Twenty-three novels later, he is now winding down his post-military career overseas to become a full-time writer. A majority of his books have a military bent in science fiction, paranormal, historical fiction, and general fiction, but he has also written non-military scifi and paranormal. He writes three to four hours each day with the help (or despite) the attention of two rescue cats who insist on sitting on his lap or keyboard.
Jonathan is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, the US Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Disabled Veterans of America, and is an officer in the VFW’s Department of the Pacific.

Learn more about Jonathan and his work at http://www.jonathanbrazee.com

A Change Of Life

Change_of_LifeThe novel is A Change of Life, the second book in an unusual superhero series by author Samantha Bryant. First the good: In the first few chapters, I found myself laughing out loud at the pluck of these ‘in-over-their-heads-and-know it’ women of unusual talent. Despite their ironic dilemmas, though, they muddle through quite well, actually. Much better than I ever would faced with the same indignities and dramatic physical changes to person and persona.

And that’s what I liked about this story. For me, it was like watching ordinary friends and relatives cope with a dramatic turn in their lives, in this case, women becoming superhuman, their personalities intact, despite the consequential transitions each has undergone, with all the accompanying discomforts and steep, uncomfortable learning curves.

Written in a very approachable, homey, ‘everyday suburban woman’ style, the story comes in from the up close and very personal perspectives of the myriad main characters. We follow their sometimes too detailed movements as they search for answers to something nobody is quite sure of, except for finding….

Never mind that. Almost slipped there, and I refuse to give anything away in this tale of reluctant heroines. But I will say this: This isn’t your ordinary superhero action-adventure. Not at all.

Now for the bad news. There are a couple of boo-boos here and there–stuff that’s easy to miss when you’re the author, deep in it, but which stand out glaringly to those coming new to the story. Physics gets bent and even defiled a couple of times, and there’s the odd grammatical faux pas, but, all in all, A Change of Life is a well-conceived, well-written read for those who enjoy the superheroine genre.

About The Reviewer:

DLKeur_1_400x600D. L. Keur is an artist, a musician, and an author in her own right. Her titles span multiple genres and include science fiction (Aeros), paranormal mainstream and psychological suspense (E. J. Ruek), and Western Romance/Family Saga (C. J. “Country” James).

You can find her and her novels online at DLKeur.com.