It's hard to be humble - especially when your constantly fighting evil armies!

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Delenas Farlong is the elven leader and things are going pretty well.  Delenas has no desire to be remembered for his exploits on the battlefield - in fact, he'd prefer just to lead the Elven race all the way into peace and prosperity.  

But something evil this way comes, and the sound of all those boots hitting the ground are the "Possessors" - Humans, Dwarves, and Elfs who all carry "the mark of evil" on them.  Part of their souls seem to have vanished and they fight with a wild abandon.

Delenas hears of this threat when a band of Dwarves bring the last two living Humans to his peaceful city.  Yes, your eleven ears did not deceive you - the last two Humans.  It is going to take Delenas some time - and the Annual version of the Eleven Olympics seem like a great distraction.  That is - until some Possessors decide to use the crowd as archery practice.  In the confusion, the last two humans are nowhere to be found.

Delenas rounds up a band of misfits and decides to go look for the Humans.  They consist of a refugee elf who is ready to overthrow the leadership in his home town and a band of Dwarves whose leader has his hands constantly full just trying to keep his Dwarves from using the Elves as practice for their meat cleaving axes.

Their epic adventure includes magic stones, magic weapons, a trip on the sea, and some illusions that rival David Copperfield.  Can they rescue the Humans and save their Race?  Whether they do or not, what are they going to do about the horde of Possessors that still inhabit the old Human city?  Delenas' army isn't large enough to do it by themselves.....  and ddesperate times call for desperate measures. 

Can someone tell those Dwarves to quit drinking and quiet down!  I am trying to write a review over here!!!

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A Humble Heart (Dark World Novel 1) by Tim Vander Meulen is an epic novel that will be enjoyed by any reader who loves the fantasy genre.  The author did an admirable job with a great plot, good sense of pacing, and set of fully developed characters.

I found myself really drawn in by the author's writing and descriptive style.  I am sure that part of the richness of the descriptions and depth of characters comes from the fact that the author has been mulling this story in his head since he was 12 and worked on it for 10 years.  With that kind of effort, it better be good!  And this book will not disappoint.

Let's just hope that the next two novels are not on the George R. R. Martin timetable of writing.  :).

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(This review is part of an ad package that was purchased by the author.  The package just moves the book to the "head of the line" and in no way has an impact upon this review.)

Without Remorse ... without a doubt a good book

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Tom Clancy's book Without Remorse is a good read.  The book is part of the Jack Ryan canon but its focus is on another character in the Ryan universe - John Kelly, a/k/a John Clark.  The novel also introduces us to a younger Admiral Greer (most know as a character played by James Earl Jones in The Hunt for Red October; Patriot Games; and Clear and Present Danger) and Robert Ritter (also seen in Clear and Present Danger). In addition to Greer and Ritter, the avid reader will notice Emmet Ryan, a Baltimore Detective, who is the father of Jack Ryan.

Without Remorse takes place in 1972-73 and has two parallel stories - one in Baltimore and one in Vietnam.  John Kelly/John Clark is involved in both story lines; although, most of the focus in on Baltimore.

The character of Kelly/Clark is well drawn by Clancy with a convincing backstory along with a development of his character through tragedies and his response to them.  The title of the book applies to Kelly/Clark's response to those tragedies.

Having read plenty of thrillers from Vince Flynn to David Baldacci, this story of Clancy is not an old yarn and contains many surprises.  However, the one plot twist in the novel is telegraphed early on.

Overall I recommend this novel as a great summer read.  Although written after several other Jack Ryan novels it is the first in the chronology of the Ryan universe.  If you find the novel in your travels, then grab it and give it a go.

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What happens when artificial intelligence meets a self created killer computer virus?

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In the not so distant future, people cellphones will be littering the junkyard like VCR's did once DVD's and digital recording were invented.  What invention could make us all care less about cracked screens on our iPhone?

Brain Prosthetics.

Need to answer a phone?  Look over at the white circle that pops up in your virtual viewing pane and choose to answer or ignore the ringtone that only you can hear in your head.  Dr. Hagan is the neurosurgeon to some powerful people - including the family of the richest person on earth.  Dr. Hagan can do what once was thought impossible, heal the brain - and when your last name is Devron and your son needs something - it gets done.

As a hobby, Hagan dabble in artificial intelligence.  Well, dabble might not be a strong enough word.  If a hobby causes you to constantly have your job threatened, have your wife walk out on you, and almost kill billions of people - it might just qualify for obsession status.

The trouble with super advanced prosthetics implanted in someones head is that when things go a little wacky - it isn't an easy fix.  And when the prosthetic is like a primordial swamp that can give "birth" to new virtual life forms - that's not good.  And you might get an idea of the character of this new "life form" by the user name it chooses for itself - RedDevil_4.

It is up to the odd couple team of cops to find the connection in murders popping up all over the city and put an end to it.  Krantz, an old curmudgeon of human, still is using outdated prosthetics in his head.  You know the type - still has his Beta and VHS VCR's so he can play his whole library of tapes that he finds in future antique stores.  Krantz is old school, solve a cases by hard work and gut feelings.  Tara is the former military, super-hot, super-cop partner that can't stand working with someone whose brain implant means she has to wait a whole 3 seconds to download an encyclopedia into Krantz's head.

When these three are forced to team up, they will need everything they have - and somethings that they don't quite have yet - to stop RedDevil_4 from wiping out everyone with an implant.  That means only the lost villages in Brazil and some pygmy tribes in Africa are left.  So whatever this team needs to do, including getting past robotic driveway gravel (I know, doesn't sound menacing - but you are sooooo wrong.....) must get done. 
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Red Devil 4 is a fast paced thriller with well developed characters and almost constant action.  The story had more than a few twists and turns that kept me guessing just enough to keep my interest.  If you are a fan of medical science fiction - this needs to be on your brain implant e-reader!

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An Epic Adventure!!! A Humble Heart by Tim Vander Meulen

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Book Description

An epic fantasy of war and adventure! Set in the world the Elves call Iělŗenväd, where peace has been upheld between the Elves, Dwarves, and men for a century, the human country of Gemdals is conquered by those that possess the Mark of Evil. Receiving this news from two young boys who escaped the battle, the leader of the Elves must decide, per their request, to take the long journey to the West and recapture the lands of men. 

As far as anyone knows, the two young refugees are the only remnants of the 

human race in the world. As they decide to comply with the boy's request and seek out the allied races to join with their cause, the characters find that the war is not only something external, but is within their own selves. They are not out to fight another race entirely, but they fight the Possessors - Elves and Dwarves and men who have chosen to abandon their old ways and join a cause that opposes the survival of their former kindred. 

It takes great courage to survive the growing night, and morality has no place in the grand shift of the world. "

A Humble Heart" is a term applied to Delenas Farlong, the leader of the Elves, who throughout the tale faces tremendous adversity and who shows great valor and humility as he leads his people on their dangerous journey.

From the Back Cover

Sightings of Northerners...

An attack on the Elven tournament...

The appearance of a band of Dwarves and two human boys who possess three magic stones...

Could it mean war?

For a hundred years there was peace in Elveran. Now the Elves learn that the kingdom of men has been invaded. The two young refugees, Henty and Clese, ask that the Elves and Dwarves go to recapture their homeland, and so the choice is laid before Delenas, leader of Elveran. But it is not an easy decision, for it would mean marching an army across half the world, facing unspeakable dangers, and joining forces with people who would not easily agree to the venture.

Can the boys succeed in their mission? Will the Elves and Dwarves agree to their request? Will they all be strong enough to resist not only the enemy but their own inner conflicts, both of which seek to destroy them?

"Whether we go to our deaths, or to end all darkness, now is the time of testing."

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(Not a review - cover and book blurb as part of paid ad) 

Author Interview with Theodore Singer - "Jabberwocky: A Novella"

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1.  What was your motivation in writing a book featuring such an enigmatic creature as the Jabberwocky?


I was simply inspired by the poem.  It describes the monster physically, but doesn't really say more than that.  It doesn't say what its essential nature and purpose are or where it comes from.  This left a lot of room for filling in the details and telling a story.

2.  How much did you try to mimic Lewis Carroll's style when writing your book - or wasn't that a consideration?

It wasn't a consideration.  I've been very careful to say that the book is inspired by the poem, rather than based on it.  I took the poem as a starting point and wrote my own story from there.



3.  Other than Astreus - who is your favorite character from the book and why?

Gssa.  I love cats, as you may have guessed, and Gssa is based on a cat I once owned.




4.  Do you have any other works floating around your head that you are going to be working on next?

Right now I'm working on a novel inspired by classic Sword and Planet (e.g. Edgard Rice Burroughs' Mars books) and Sword and Sorcery.  It's set partly on the moon and partly on a prehistoric earth where Atlantis still stands.  What makes it a little different is that the heroes are magicians rather than warriors.  This is obviously meant to be a light, fun book, and the first of a series, but I also have an idea for something longer and more serious - something that takes the poetry and melancholy of Jabberwocky and extends it further - which I will write at some stage in the future.


5.  What piece of advice do you wish someone would have given you when you started writing this book? 

Be disciplined!  Set aside time every week and push yourself to write during that time.  Even if it's rubbish, you can always edit it later.  It's better to write rubbish than nothing.

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In Search of - that most myterious literary cryptoid - the Jabberwock!!

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There are some who have all the choices of the world open to them, but for some there is but one choice.  That choice:  to fetch up the old family Vorpal Sword and heading out to track down the namesake of your house - the Jabberwock.

And that is just what the young Astreus does, much to the despair of his father.

And where to start a quest for this creature who, beforehand, is only know through the memory of a chance encounter over centuries before.  In true Lewis Carroll-like fashion - if you don't know where you are going - then any road will get you there.

One does not simply walk out of their home and run into the Jabberwock and cleave off its head.  That would not be a quest worthy of such a legendary recluse creature that is known only to the world but through a poem.  One must go through ill-fated romances on strange islands, become a servant to a chess playing cat, and learn the fate of the person who brings plight to a land that you have never heard of before you started your adventure.

After all of this - you will go through a mind bending trip that will have you thinking "maybe I shouldn't have ordered the mushrooms in that omelet" and cross over into yet another odder world.  Astreus may have second thoughts and may be content about just staying in an odd world, but when you have blood on your hands, the odder and unknown looks like a better choice every minute.

What will our young hero find at the end of this journey?  Will he even know what to do when he finds what he thinks he should find?  Why can't you ever just find a Mad Hatter and sit back with some tea to discuss things and sort them out when you need to?

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Jabberwocky:  A Novella by Theodore Singer is a story that picks up on the poem of the Jabberwock that was written by Lewis Carroll and included in the "Through the Looking Glass" installment of the Alice in Wonderland books.

Never has such nonsense created so much seeking for sense.  What is the meaning of this? Why?  I am sure a doctoral thesis has been done on this cryptid who only walks on paths of parchment in children's books.

And that brings us to this wonderful novella that Singer has created.  I am not going to fall into the trap of trying to look for the deep meaning of the quest of Astreus - that is for the wonkheads to wonk about.  They need to get paid for coming up with wonkish thoughts that only they can understand.

Sometimes the thing that makes the most sense to do with nonsense is to sit back and enjoy it for what it is - a fun and entertaining story designed to put a smile on the face of all who are lucky enough to pick up the book and lose themselves down a rabbit hole for a while.

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(This book review is part of a paid advertising package - this has no bearing on what I choose to include in the review)

Take the "Wool" off your eyes and get into this series!

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The air outside is toxic, and no one remembers how it got that way - but that is to be expected after living in an underground "silo" long enough to see generations come and go.  Underground living isn't for the faint of heart (or the weak of legs), but it sure beats asphyxiating on toxic fumes.

Every once in a while the sensors need "cleaned" - and this is a process that is truly on the job training since you only get one shot at doing this job.  Then the "protective" suit seems to deteriorate to the point of the cleaning turning into a literal death sentence.  But when you live underground, this is cause for celebrations and festivities.  Really, the people deserved to be sent to cleaning because the broke the #1 rule of silo fight club - and that is that one simply doesn't speak about anything outside of the silo.

But every twenty years or so, people start wondering what is REALLY outside of the silo.  People start to get a form of "silo fever" that starts to make them think that maybe things are not really what they seem.  And who is the evil empire who controls everything?  Howey goes straight to the depths of hell to pull out the ultimate bad guys - IT techs.......  

It really doesn't get any scarier than that, folks.  (shudder).

"Wool," by Hugh Howey is one of those books that should be on every science fiction fan's e-reader!   Do yourself a favor and just buy the Omnibus.  Howey is a self published author who started selling his short stories online - and then they went viral.  He has sold the movie rights to the book, and I think this would be a huge hit.

The plot, characters, and setting is enough to draw you into the world that Howey creates, and in a strange way makes you want to grab a shovel and start digging your own silo in your back yard.  I mean seriously - who can make a freaking underground silo sound interesting as a setting.  Hugh Howey can - and that should tell you all you need to know about this man's talent as a writer.....

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This was an unsolicited review.  I purchased this book out of my own interest and curiosity - and very happy that I did!