All posts by Nathan

Review

Breakaway

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Lest you think I only read fantasy and science fiction, today I want to disabuse you of that notion. Breakaway is a sport-themed romance. Hockey, to be precise. In Breakaway, Catherine Gayle creates a whirlwind of potential starting with the team captain and his long-time crush.

Honestly, sports themed anything isn’t exactly on my front burner but I got the first book in June, 2015, and I’ve gone through at least four of them. They’re like potato chips. A little salty, a bit of crunch, and a taste that kept me coming back for more. Hockey provides the stage – and I don’t know much about hockey – but the characters kept me coming back.

I’ll be putting more romance in my rotation going forward but for now, this is a great starting line. Grab a sample and see what you think.

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

Review

Princess Of Wonders

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princess-wondersI have a warm spot in my heart for alternate universe stories. Princess Of Wonders punched all the right buttons for me. Granted she’s an exiled half-breed who gets shanghaied back to the homeworld. Sure there’s steampunk airships there, but the story of the princess is what kept me turning the pages.

Daniel has this title listed as “Galactic Empire” but I think it’s definitely more in the line of “Alternate Universe” or even “Family Saga” as Kathy Pennington unravels a mysterious family secret and earns the respect of those whom she never knew existed. If Daniel leans a little too much on cliffy endings (and still hasn’t written the last unit), I had to forgive him because – even in my fit of pique – I had to go back to the well and get the next book.

Yeah, I’m a sap for this kind of story, but don’t take my word for it. There’s a sample waiting with your name on it.

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

Review

Into The Dark

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into-the-darkPeople have been recommending the Alexis Carew stories to me for a very long time. I think the combination of sailing spaceships and a young main character helped forge that link. I’ve tried samples a couple of times but – like many books – I just needed to be in a better head space to enjoy them.

J.A. Sutherland and I – along with six other authors – will be appearing together in a “first in the series” promotional anthology later this month (shameles plug: Rogue Stars now available for pre-order). Because I got a copy to make sure that Quarter Share merged nicely with the other players, I had the chance to revisit Alexis Carew. I’m very glad I did.

This is a space opera, swashbuckling tale featuring a precocious 15-year-old who finds herself plucked from the comfort of her family’s estate and plunked down as a midshipman in the Queen’s Royal Navy. The story owes much to the classic tales of sailing ships and war – from the shipboard organization to the questionable food, from the class struggle to the politics and on to the actual fighting with smugglers and pirates. Into The Dark pays back that debt to bygone ages with interest. Carew is entirely sympathetic, not overly glamorized, and prone to the self-doubt and failure anyone in her position might have. The universe is well thought out with a delicate balance between science and fiction. I’m looking forward to the next book – Mutineer – with a great deal of anticipation.

As always, don’t take my word for it. See for yourself by grabbing a sample.

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

Review

Ambassador 1: Seeing Red

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seeing-redI can’t believe nobody’s reviewed this series from Patty Jansen yet. This first in the series title sets up an amazing universe, rich in intrigue and politics.

The main character – Cory Wilson – escapes Earth only to find that the fire he’s hopped into might be a tad more dangerous than the frying pan he was in. Newly minted ambassador to an interstellar entity, he must find his way through the physical, emotional, and political dangers to save Earth. His struggles take him deep into the alien psyche as he tries to reconcile what he knows with what he finds out.

I’ve enjoyed all the books in this series. Cory is satisfactorily clever and only occasionally does dumb things. What I liked most was that the dumb things – while serving the plot – weren’t dumb because the plot needed it. Jansen does a great job in keeping Cory grounded, believable, and just likable enough to keep the pages turning. But, as always, never take my word for it. Grab a sample and see for yourself.

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

Review

The Fuller’s Apprentice

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fullers-apprenticeAs far as I know, I’ve never met Angela Holder. After the last few reviews, I thought I better get that out of the way right off the bat. I started the Chronicles of Tevenar in January, 2016, and devoured them as fast as I could get them.

I’m a sucker for different magic systems. Tevenar’s magic is different. The source of the magic is ineffable, of course, but the implications of the magic and the way it plays out in the lives of Josiah, Elkin, and the familiar, Sar, add a richness to what might otherwise be another traveling mage story. Trust me on this. While there’s a lot of traveling, this is not a traveling mage story.

The politics of the guilds, the difficulties that having magic and mundane living side-by-side, and even the nature of the magic itself led me along the path with nary a bump or jostle. I enjoyed each of the (so far) four book series. I’m probably being optimistic in hoping there’ll be a fifth, but hope springs eternal and this rich universe certainly has room for another.

As always, don’t take my word for it. Why don’t you grab a sample and see what you think?

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

Review

Rider’s Revenge

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riders-revengeI read this book last winter and it’s stuck with me–partly for the character, partly for the plot, but mostly for the world building.

Clarke has created a rich and tasty world of gods, goddesses, legends, and tales. The view through K’Irsa’s heart and eyes took my breath as I watched her making one horrible mistake after another. With each step, I watched a woman driven by her personal demons to pursue what she believes is her honor, only to watch each step mire her deeper and deeper. Through it all, in the end, she–well, you’ll have to read it to find out what. It’s a trilogy and the second book is now available, so let that be your guide.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rider’s Revenge, but don’t take my word for it. Why not grab a sample, fill you waterskin, and grab a sample to see for yourself?

[Transparency: I met Clarke online and recently have met her in person. She’s local here in Colorado and just as delightful in person as she is behind the pen.]

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

Review

A Deadly Blessing

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deadly-blessingEvery so often I go off the leash and wander around in other genres. I don’t see it as being unfaithful. More like taking a look around to see that else is out there. That’s how I found Kathy Bennett and Maddy Divine.

A Deadly Blessing is the first in a four book series and I ripped through the first three in a matter of days. I don’t know if it was the way Bennett nailed the characters down in a terse, almost noir style, or maybe the truthfulness on the page. Each book has a mystery to be solved and if finding the bad guys wasn’t hard enough, the cops are all human, too. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody who thinks about it for a moment. Bennett made sure I thought about it.

Detective stories aren’t on my normal bill of fare these days. This book reminded me of why I needed to add more mystery to my diet. Why not grab a sample and see how it works for you?

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

Review

MindTouch

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mindtouchI “met” Maggie Hogarth when I joined SFWA. I’ve followed her on twitter for years and find her quirky, sometimes off-beat, sense of humor quite intriguing. She’s an artist in many media–including words.

After talking with Maggie online for a while, I wanted to try some of her fiction and I picked this one. When I first saw this book, I dismissed it as “cute.” The cover has these furry, anthropomorphic critters, you see. I found them to be tragic and daring, wondrous and wondering. But they’re not cute. Not even.

Maggie has a gift. She can take humanity out of people and show it to us through different lenses. In the Dream Healer series (MindTouch is book 1), she takes empathy and compassion, fear and foible and blends them into a breath-taking froth that hooked me from the first few paragraphs through this series and across space-time into a very different universe ruled by – for lack of a better term – dragons. Not cute. Bloody, clawed, sadistic dragons who were just as human as the guy in line at the coffee shop.

But my journey with Maggie Hogarth started here. With MindTouch and the Dream Healers. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Why not grab a sample and see what you think?

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

General

The Lord Son’s Travels

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lord_sons_travelsEmma Mickley brings us a tale in the mold of Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court. Our hero – Adrien Lord Son, fourth in line of succession – intends to lead as quiet and unassuming life in the service of crown and country. As usually happens to well-meaning fools, his plans are soon thwarted by visitors from another place and time.

I read this story last spring and loved it. A true hero’s hero facing confusing and insurmountable odds, collecting as motley – and dedicated – a crew as exist anywhere in literature. A well fleshed world with lively characters and engaging situations provides the stage for Adrien and Eleanna in their unlikely and deadly quest.

This is a comfort read. Mickley doesn’t freight the story down with a lot of heavy baggage. The themes that she weaves so skillfully unfold in good time without cluttering the narrative along the way.

If you’re looking for a cracking good story with evil villains and admirable heros, why not grab a sample of The Lord Son’s Travels and see what you think?

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]

Review

Dark Horse

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dark-horseMichelle Diener has combined alien abduction, rogue AI, intergalactic civilization, and a love story all in one tight package with Dark Horse. I read this some time ago and I still find myself pondering the story, the collection of seemingly disparate entities bound together in a tapestry that just works.

Part of the charm for me is that the aliens doing the abducting are the bad guys and much of the story is told from the perspective of a completely different set of aliens. The rogue AI is just icing on the cake which lets the good-guy aliens “capture” – sort of – one of the most closely guarded secret warships in space.

Rather than spoiler the heck out of a nicely told tale of derring-do set in the farthest reaches of space, let me just suggest you grab a sample and see what you think. I enjoyed the heck ouf of this one and grabbed book two in the series as soon as it dropped. In writing this review I just noticed book three is out there as well, so if you like a series, this one might be the next one on your TBR pile.

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com

[Note: You’re seeing more reviews from me because fellow authors aren’t sending reviews of the books they like. If you’re an author, consider the submitting a review about an indie book you loved. The submission guidelines link is at the top of this page.]