Author Archives: Mark R

Stellar Instinct, by Jonathan Nevair

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Another self-published Science Fiction Novel that really caught my eye (What a cool cover!) and various reviewers were talking about, Stellar Instinct was an action packed, intriguing ride. The author calls it a “spy thriller and space opera / adventure”, but there is a lot of “techno thriller” to it was well. The techno thriller thing isn’t always my cup of tea but the author paints a great picture of the world (or galaxy as it happens) and keeps it moving. If you read and liked Hannu Rajaniemi’s The Quantum Thief, this novel should really appeal to you.

Felan’s Rescue is available on Audiobook!

Felan’s Rescue is available in Ebook form (and Kindle Unlimited), Hardback, and Paperback!

The Descendants of Prontoth (Galactic Civilizations Book 2) is now available on Ebook and Kindle Unlimited.

The Descendants of Prontoth is now available in hardback and paperback!

In the Orbit of Sirens, by T.A. Bruno

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March is my slowest reading month because of the inordinate amount of basketball I watch instead, but I finally finished this book. It was excellent. I thought the story structure worked really well, though it changes fairly quickly. Early on we get a present-day story on Kamaria interspersed with flashbacks to the past and one of our main characters back in the Solar System. As the story progresses the past narrative jumps to the present story, but we get new, more recent, flashbacks that develop the Sirens and the mysteries of the planet. I thought both structures were deftly handled.

Kamaria feels meticulously imagined, with the author exploring the unique life and environments of the planet. The action scenes are well crafted and cinematically explored, and if you understand the author’s background that makes a lot of sense. But for me, the best part of the novel is the Sirens. Bruno really brings them to life. They are mysterious, scary, and a uniquely perfect villain to the story. Though very different in how they operate, I couldn’t help but think of Meiville’s Slake-Moths as the mysteries of the Sirens were revealed.

I look forward to continuing my journey through Kamaria down the road.

Felan’s Rescue is available on Audiobook!

Felan’s Rescue is available in Ebook form (and Kindle Unlimited), Hardback, and Paperback!

The Descendants of Prontoth (Galactic Civilizations Book 2) is now available on Ebook and Kindle Unlimited.

The Descendants of Prontoth is now available in hardback and paperback!

5 Star Novel – Deadhouse Gates, by Steven Erikson

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1. Something unique about it –  The Chain of Dogs.  The main plotline of the book is an army protecting thousands of refugees as they flee across a continent.  Just a phenomenal idea, executed so well.

2. A Scene or Scenes that just stay with you-  There are many, but the scene outside Aren toward the end of the novel is heart wrenching.  

3. Memorable characters- Coltaine is about as memorable of a non-POV character as you will ever get.  Kalam and Fiddler really come into their own in this book.  We meet Mappo and Icarium and the mystery that surrounds them.  And the novel, like all Erikson novels, is deep with characters that somehow stick with you.

4. Doesn’t lose you with the details –  For as dense as Erikson’s writing is, my favorite thing about Malazan is that things really do move.  He doesn’t waste that much time.  I may not love every plot thread, but he’s not slowing things down to bog you down in detail.  In fact he’s making you work to understand things.

5. Just plain fun to read- Not much to add here.  This was a fun book with great actions scenes throughout the novel.  And I left one character off the memorable characters section just to bring him up here…Iskaral Pust is always an incredible time. 

(My Review of Deadhouse Gates is available from my top 100 SFF Novels Countdown)

My Top 5 Qualities of a 5-Star SFF Novel

1. Something unique about it

2. A Scene or Scenes that just stay with you.

3. Memorable characters

4. Doesn’t lose you with the details

5. Just plain fun to read.

Felan’s Rescue is available on Audiobook!

Felan’s Rescue is available in Ebook form (and Kindle Unlimited), Hardback, and Paperback!

The Descendants of Prontoth (Galactic Civilizations Book 2) is now available on Ebook and Kindle Unlimited.

The Descendants of Prontoth is now available in hardback and paperback!

The Golbin Emperor, by Katherine Addison

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The Goblin Emperor is like nothing I have read before. At its core, it is a story of palace intrigue and political moves, which has been done many times. But it’s the dedication to the minutia of Maia’s day to day tasks as Emperor, the careful thought into every single detail, that define this novel. As someone who often hates when books get bogged down in descriptive details, I have to admit I scanned through some of the denser descriptive passages, but it’s a credit how well it’s done and how central it is to the story Addison is telling that I ultimately enjoyed the book and was thrilled I read it.

The other great part about this novel is that Maia is fundamentally good. There are other good characters, just as there are flawed characters seeking their own interest, but Maia is the definition of a ruler you can cheer for. And he is a reformer at heart. By the end of the novel how he treats his staff, those around him and those ostensibly viewed as less by society, has clearly made an impact on many. There is an incredibly touching seen at the end that brought some tears to my eyes. The scene is neither cheap, nor manipulative…it is fully earned by all the thought and care Addison put into Maia and the world around him.

Cheers to this one, which is unique in so many ways.

Felan’s Rescue is available on Audiobook!

Felan’s Rescue is available in Ebook form (and Kindle Unlimited), Hardback, and Paperback!

The Descendants of Prontoth (Galactic Civilizations Book 2) is now available on Ebook and Kindle Unlimited.

The Descendants of Prontoth is now available in hardback and paperback!

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V.E. Schwab

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This is a beautiful book about living life and finding little joys even when things are against you. Addie’s zest for life and wanting to do everything spoke to me. She forces herself to discover the full parameters of her curse and finds not just a way to go on living her life, but to find meaning in it. For me the wanting more time is completely relatable. There is so much to do.

And she goes three hundred years without anyone really knowing her until she finds one boy who can. The exploration of this human connection and our need for it worked wonderfully. I loved Addie’s stubborn refusal to give in. I loved her ability to turn her curse into a gift and to wait for the opportunity to change everything.

Schwab is a very descriptive writer, with beautiful pros…which I enjoy, but isn’t always my thing. I found myself skimming through a few of the overly descriptive parts. But that’s not so much a complaint as it is a preference. I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue quickly and kept wanting to know what happened next. It was a wonderful read.

Felan’s Rescue is available on Audiobook!

Felan’s Rescue is available in Ebook form (and Kindle Unlimited), Hardback, and Paperback!

The Descendants of Prontoth (Galactic Civilizations Book 2) is now available for Ebook Preorders.

The Descendants of Prontoth is now available in hardback and paperback!

Reading Update

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Thought I’d share a list of some of the books I’ve read and loved in the last year or so, as well as books on the horizon.

Recently Read:

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet; by Becky Chambers:

Do you like reading about a ragtag group coming together and becoming a family? Did you like Firefly? Of course, you did. And Becky Chambers’, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, is a quintessential found family story, in a purely space opera setting. It’s so much damn fun and the characters are so well fleshed out…we understand the bond of the crew and their loyalty to one another. Pick this one up.

The Goblin Emperor; by Katherine Addison:

The Goblin Emperor is like nothing I have read before. At its core, it is a story of palace intrigue and political moves, which we’ve seen before. But it’s the dedication to the minutia of Maia’s day to day tasks as Emperor, the careful thought into every single detail, that define this novel. As someone who often hates when books get bogged down in descriptive details, I have to admit I scanned through some of the denser descriptive passages, but it’s a credit how well it’s done and how central it is to the story Addison is telling that I ultimately enjoyed the book and was thrilled I read it.

The other great part about this novel is that Maia is fundamentally good. There are other good characters, just as there are flawed characters seeking their own interest, but Maia is the definition of a ruler you can cheer for. And he is a reformer at heart. By the end of the novel how he treats his staff, those around him and those ostensibly viewed as less by society has clearly made an impact on many. There is an incredibly touching seen at the end that brought some tears to my eyes. The scene is neither cheap, nor manipulative…it is fully earned by all the thought and care Addison put into Maia and the world around him.

Cheers to this one, which is unique in so many ways.

All Systems Red; by Martha Wells:

Fast, fun and a laughingly good time.

Currently Reading:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue; by V.E. Schwab

This one has been hard to put down so far. Beautifully written. It’s so internal, which generally isn’t my favorite kind of writing, but Schwab presents it masterfully.

On the TBR stack:

A Desolation Called Peace; by Martine Arkady

Iron Truth, by S.A. Tholin

Eclipse; by Herman Steuernagel

A Radical Act of Free Magic; by H.G. Parry

Jade War; by Fonda Lee

The Descendants of Prontoth – Release Date Announcement!

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The Descendants of Prontoth, book 2 of the Galactic Civilizations Series, will be released Tuesday, February 21, 2023. Preorders are available now.

I am so excited to share this book with you. It is written as as stand-alone novel that continues many of the character threads from Felan’s Rescue. Felan, Sandra, Dash, and Shira each have important parts to play in the story, and events from Felan’s Rescue shape their perspectives. However, the plot is a completely new story, dealing with issues foreshadowed in Felan’s Rescue, but you don’t have to have read Felan’s Rescue to follow it. Here are a few of my favorite aspects of The Descendants of Prontoth (in no order):

1. We get to better understand more of the Alien Species that constitute the Galactic Civilizations. While Felan’s Rescue was largely focused on Humans and Amons, and their connections (as well as the Primans, a developing civilization), we spend more time exploring the other 5 Galactic Civilizations, particularly the Timions and the Perioks (in fact both species have point of view characters).

2. The main antagonist is a point of view character, in fact he gets the most page time of any character. I had so much fun writing this character. I view him as my own Lord Admiral Thrawn (From the Star Wars EU), if Thrawn were a politician instead of an Admiral. He is our lens into Timion society.

3. I experiment with story structure. There is a standard narrative that follows a normal, beginning to end timeline. But there is another narrative that spans thousands of years. I don’t want to spoil too much of how this narrative fits into The Descendants of Prontoth, but I love the way it turned out. I hope readers will enjoy the structure of The Descendants of Prontoth as much as I do.

If you enjoyed Felan’s Rescue, I think you will love The Descendants of Prontoth. While Felan’s Rescue is special to me, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out, I think this one works even better. I felt the history and connection of the characters writing it. The scope and galaxy-spanning aspects of the universe really expand. I don’t want to say too much more, but I’m excited to hear what everyone thinks after they read it.

I hope you enjoy reading The Descendants of Prontoth as much as I enjoyed writing. If you like reading on your ereader, preorder it today. If you prefer another format, they’ll be available too. Sign up for my newsletter to get the latest news and developments.

Thoughts on Felan’s Rescue being an SPSFC quarterfinalist!

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I finished writing Felan’s Rescue roughly four years ago. Roughly a year later I had finished its sequel, The Descendants of Prontoth. For most of those four years after writing Felan’s Rescue I was submitting the books to various agents hoping it would find the one that would get Felan’s Rescue a book deal. Nothing materialized… the query process isn’t fun.

It was a chance discussion with a client’s mother that got me thinking about self-publishing. She had a law degree and was asking about running a private practice. She volunteered that she’d been successful as a self-published romance author and swore by self-publishing as the future of the industry.

When you are querying you become well aware of the longshot that is finding an agent. The chances they read more than a fraction of your novel are miniscule. Your work is judged by a 300–400-word query letter that has to be well written, but also uniquely appeal to the agent’s personal taste. And then there is the publishing industry which agents continue to complain about. Even if an agent likes your query enough (and finds it to his or her unique tastes) then reads your novel, thinks he or she can sell it, then signs you as a client, then sends off to publishers, then signs a book deal…you still need the book to be promoted and the publisher to get behind it. It’s an uphill battle.

With all that as the backdrop, I heard about last year’s Self-Published Science Fiction Contest. I began reading about it, following some of the novels, and made the decision to self-publish, hoping to get Felan’s Rescue in this year’s contest. The hope of getting people to actually read the book, not just a query letter was a huge factor in my decision.

But even the unique nature of this contest makes every reviewer reading every book impossible. In this first phase, the reviewers were charged with reading 10-20% of each book in their group. I know there are great books that don’t get through because they don’t click with the specific reader in that amount of time. I was happy to see a book from last year’s contest that didn’t get out of the quarterfinals, make it through this phase this time. Because now, reviewers/judges are going to read the entire book.

That’s probably the coolest part of being a quarterfinalist in the SPSFC. My book in particular is a book that takes its time, with point of view characters a galaxy apart, and 3 separate stories you have to trust will come together. I try to make the book fun, with action and humor from the earliest pages, but you have to trust me to bring everything together.

I’m so excited for the judges and reviewers to now see how things come together. I believe the novel really takes off as things start to make sense and the reader starts to understand the connection between the characters and the worlds the occupy. It’s an honor to be a quarterfinalist in the contest. Congrats to the other quarterfinalists! And to any authors that didn’t get through, a view of 10-20% of your book from a few readers will never tell the entire story. Keep on doing the work and telling the stories you want to tell.

1. (1) – Use of Weapons, by Iain M. Banks

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Banks is my favorite author, and this is his best work, the one I immediately admired and knew would be among my favorites of all time.  Subsequent readings have further cemented its place at the very top.  While this was my favorite Banks novel, I still think for grand action sequences the escape from the Orbital in Phlebas takes the cake.  In nearly every other way Use of Weapons surpasses all of Banks’ other brilliant work.

The book is riveting. Its style takes a bit of getting used to, as alternating chapters take you from a present tense story that goes chronologically to flashbacks which by in large go in reverse order. It is in these reverse-order chapters that much of the depth is added to our protagonist, Cheradenine Zakalwe. The added knowledge of Zakalwe’s background and motives that you have by the end of the book invites you to scroll back and re-read certain parts. In the end, events that happened early on take on significantly more meaning once you fully understand everything going on.

If you are looking for great action scenes, an intriguing protagonist and a brilliantly tied-together story, Use of Weapons will certainly fit the bill.  But this novel is so much more than that.  It’s a study of grief and self-loathing.  It makes you laugh, it’s a damn good time and then it surprises you in a climax that is perfectly earned.  It’s simply the best.  My favorite novel of all time. 

Felan’s Rescue is now available on Audiobook!

Felan’s Rescue is now available in Ebook form (and Kindle Unlimited), Hardback, and Paperback!

2. (2) – Hyperion, by Dan Simmons

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As far as Science Fiction goes Hyperion is as good as it gets (well I guess one place below as good as it gets). Written in the style of The Canterbury Tales with constant references to Keats, Simmons has constructed a masterpiece.  

The story is that of seven Pilgrims heading to the time tombs on the planet Hyperion. Each is making their journey for various reasons, reasons which we learn about from tales they each share. Each tale is written in a unique style that adds a ton of depth to each character. Your preference depends on personal taste…I will say I found the Priest’s tale to be exciting and mysterious, the consul’s tale to be touching, and the scholar’s tale to be emotionally excruciating (in the best way…so powerful).

I think the end of this novel is absolutely perfect, but it is impossible to be satisfied without reading the Fall of Hyperion… at the end, nothing has been resolved.  But that is beside the point.  This book is truly about the journey. 

Felan’s Rescue is now available on Audiobook!

Felan’s Rescue is now available in Ebook form (and Kindle Unlimited), Hardback, and Paperback!