Category: Book Reviews

by Alton Gansky

Published by Zondervan

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY VANISHED!!!

“You make radar contact with three unknowns flying at different altitudes when two of them power themselves into the ground at one thousand miles per hour without crashing, rise again to high altitude, and then combine with the third object. Do I have that right?” –Bettleman

            From the back of the cover:

            “From a Bustling Town to a Wasteland. What has happened to the citizens of Roanoke II?

What sinister secret lies hid in the town of Roanoke II? How did the entire population of this desert military installation simply disappear? High-level Pentagon orders call J.D. Stanton, retired navy captain, back to active duty to investigate.

Heading a crack team of military, government, and scientific experts, Stanton faces a bewildering scenario. Food still on dinner plates, gas nozzles still in the fuel ports of cars at the filling station…whatever happened took the people of Roanoke II completely by surprise.

But took them where? The answer—far beyond what Stanton could conceive in his wildest dreams—carries a steep price. For forces higher than the Pentagon are invested in the top-secret research of Roanoke II. And they’ll protect it ruthlessly.

Caught with his team between trained paramilitary killers and an unearthly and deadly enigma, Stanton faces a choice that will stretch his Christian faith to the limits. It could supply answers to the mystery of Roanoke II…or unfathomable and irrevocable horrors.”

            I love a good mystery science fiction that’s clean too—but I’m not talking about the characters. There are some very dirty government agencies involved in this otherworldly fantasy. Dark and sinister, but also hopeful, Vanished is a thrill of a read.

            This is the first of the J.D. Stanton mysteries that I’ve read. I enjoyed every moment in uncovering the secret of the lost town of Roanoke II—yes, there is a play on the old historical account of the lost colony of Roanoke, but that’s as far as it goes…I think.

            At first, I wasn’t sure if this was some Rapture-theory tale, but when more clues popped up, I started to really enjoy it. Gansky isn’t your regular Christian author, he doesn’t write to try to force his point of view down you throat. He writes for the love of it and I appreciated his sharing of this strange mysterious world of his.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: VANISHED.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by Rick Riordan

Published by Disney Hyperion

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE LAST OLYMPIAN!!!

“The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car.”—Percy Jackson

            From the back of the cover:

           “All year the Half-Bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing that the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and Half-Blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

            While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

            In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.”

            The Last Olympian is an epic conclusion to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series—yes, that did feel like a mouth-full to me too. But it’s true. This finale will have you laughing and crying—if you don’t cry, then you’re either a tougher individual or simply have no heart, which I would suggest at that point for you to go visit the Emerald City and, specifically, a certain Wizard.

            When I joined Percy and Annabeth and everybody else in the last days before Kronos’s return, I was holding onto the edge of my seat. I had no idea what to expect honestly. So many twists had happened already in the plot of the previous books. Riordan does a good job of not being cliché.

            I mean, it could be perceived as just another battle, just another adventure, of some young hero who has to face fearful odds. But what better way to stand?

            Yes, there will be pain. Yes, people will die—it’s war. But you’ll appreciate the ending.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: THE LAST OLYMPIAN.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by Sarah Domet

Published by Writer’s Digest Books

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY 90 DAYS TO YOUR NOVEL!!!

“So you think you can write a novel, huh? The difference between a novelist and a would-be novelist is that one person actually writes while the other person simply talks about writing. Which one are you?” –From the Introduction

            From the back of the jacket cover:

            “Many famous authors write their novels in a matter of weeks. William Faulkner wrote As I Lay Dying in six weeks. Joyce Carol Oates often cranks out two of three books a year. Stephen King believes first drafts should take no more than three months to complete. So, what’s the trick? Novel writing isn’t about inspiration. It’s about the time, energy, and discipline to see the project to its finish.

            With 90 Days to Your Novel at your side, now is the time. This inspiring guide will be your push, your deadline, and your spark to finally, without excuses, and in three short months, nail that first draft of your novel.

            The difference between wanna-be writers and real writers is the difference between talk and work. If you commit to the schedule and the techniques within 90 Days to Your Novel and invest two to three hours a day for twelve weeks, you will complete your book. An outline will appear. Characters will take shape. A plot will emerge. Scenes will come together and form a story worth reading. And then the talking can begin!

            I picked this book off the bargain price shelf around four years ago. Since then, it has truly lived up to its promises. Giving me insight and encouragement, 90 Days to Your Novel is a handbook for any beginning writer. The overall theme is, there is one key to finishing your novel and that is to sit down and write.

            I usually finish first drafts within a month’s time now, but in the beginning I found three months is the perfect amount of time to set—it does two things simultaneously: one, it allows breathing time, two, it gets you focused so you’re not dawdling.

            If you have a novel inside you, it’s dying and clawing, screaming to get out. Let it out, free it, let it soar, this is your duty. Do not keep something inside that is meant to be shared with the world. We’re all dying for something new to read, what if that next book is yours?

            Reading books like 90 Days to Your Novel will give you the knowledge and determination to do just that.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: 90 DAYS TO YOUR NOVEL.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by John Irvin

A commentary by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY STARQUEST!!!

“The ground began to crack and split open and fiery rays shot upward from beneath his feet. A few skeletons that lay on the floor near his position suddenly sat up and waved frantically at him.”

            StarQuest covers the adventures of the group of freedom fighters—led by Commander Johan Eryn—that left Earth to find a new world where they could start the American dream all over again. Along the way, they discover there are worlds upon worlds with human life—all in one galaxy.

            The mission for a new world becomes a new mission for a new union—a union of planets. First, the novel inserts a key event in the travelers’ visit to the Marcrie, a tribe of warriors living on a planet called Nitara.

            Bringing the reader back to the present (2041 AD), the team returns to Nitara to find the Queen—a good friend of Johan’s—has disappeared. She was kidnapped by pirates. A mission of rescue ensues in which Johan must return to a place he did not ever want to visit again: the Nitara underworld. But at least he has a friend to go with him this time. They uncover pieces of the lost history of Nitara.

            Once the Queen is returned, the team takes the USS Patriot Ultimatum and returns to Earth—the first time they’ve been there in over 4 years. The world leaders make alliance with this massive spaceship and a new plan is instigated. A plan to unite the galaxy against a common foe: the Clongoth.

            Will they succeed? Can thousands of mostly-primitive worlds stand against an enemy that has long held the majority in slavery for centuries?

            So, this book is my only in-print novel at the time of writing this blog—I will have a second in-print novel by the end of this month (Longevity, Book 1: Revelation).

            StarQuest was written around 4 years ago, if not more, and published maybe 3 years ago. It seems like forever ago. I look back on it and see major differences in my writing style and narrative. I can think of so many authors I’ve read—such as Orson Scott Card—and how their works change over the course of their writing careers. Sometimes they’re so different you almost have a hard time believing they’re the same author. But it still holds a special place in my heart. I prove this with the two ebooks I recently published last year: Forgetfulness and Epix. I wrote about them the last two Fridays. The StarQuest Anthology world is a favourite of mine to visit every once in awhile. I’m certain there will be more ebooks and maybe even another in-print novel in the near future.

Click this link to go check it out: STARQUEST.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by Rick Riordan

Published by Disney Hyperion

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH!!!

“The last thing I wanted to do on my summer break was blow up another school.” –Percy Jackson

            From the back of the cover:

            “Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.

            In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos’s army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth—a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

            Battle of the Labyrinth yanked me underground—not physically, of course—and I was holding my breath wondering what was around the next corner. Who would attack my good friends? What kind of denizen did they have to fight next? Also, then there’s the Arena duel, yeah, that was interesting.

            Already in his freshman year, Percy is beginning to learn things he will need in future battles. Plus, he’s getting so much closer to that specific age mentioned in the prophecy. A prophecy about some Half-Blood child of one of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) bringing the destruction of Olympus.

            I kept telling myself through this underground trip that every prophecy has more than one interpretation—while I kept turning the pages. As always, Riordan lived up to the expectations of his previous books in the series. This book should have its own movie just like the first two. In fact, I am of the mind that they should do a reboot of the entire series. But, I’m also content with simply reading for it’s just like watching a movie in your head.

            I felt like I was watching a virtual movie, standing right there among these young heroes. For young adults and older adults too, this Greek myth, urban fantasy could be one of your favourites.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

by Drew Karpyshyn

Published by Del Ray, imprint of Random House

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY REVAN!!!

“The Force can be bent to your will, but often there is a cost. The most powerful rituals of the dark side exact a toll few are willing to pay.”

            From the back cover,

            “Hero, traitor, conqueror, villain, savior—the man called Revan has been all of these. He left Coruscant a Jedi, on a mission to defeat the Mandalorians. He returned a Sith disciple, bent on destroying the Republic.

“The Jedi Council gave Revan his life back, but the price of redemption was the loss of his memories. All that’s left are nightmares—and deep, abiding fear. What happened beyond the Outer Rim that Revan can’t quite remember or entirely forget? One thing he’s certain of: Something dark is plotting to destroy the very existence of the Republic.

“With no idea how to identify the threat, let alone stop it, Revan may be doomed to fail. For he’s never faced a more powerful and diabolic enemy. But only death can stop him from trying.”

            An Old Republic follower, I’ve slowly been collecting all the books dating a thousand years before A New Hope—okay, the stories date back then, not the actual books themselves.

            I had heard and read snippets about this Jedi-turned-Sith by the name of Revan, but didn’t know much. So when the book came out, I was intrigued to discover more about this mysterious character.

            I’ll tell you, the plot did not disappoint—yes, I already knew Revan’s dark past before he remembers it in the story. But, of course, I didn’t know the details so waiting for him to find out the secrets and put a stop to this threat to the Republic had me turning pages.

            If you enjoy science fiction, or space opera, or anything related to the Star Wars franchise, you’ll enjoy this installment. Not too long either—I read it in less than three days. Some could read in less time, it was just a balance of work and other things.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: REVAN.

As a side note, I am required to inform you that my links provided are affiliate links to the said products. Hey, I’ve got to pay the bills somehow. I hope this is understandable!

I’m also a Patreon artist–the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com