John Irvin, Author

by Suzanne Collins

Published by Scholastic Corporation

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY HUNGER GAMES!!!

“May the odds be ever in your favor.”

            From the front flap:

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before – and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Collins delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

            I borrowed this book from a roommate back my last year of college—and I read the entire trilogy in less than two weeks, even with classes going on!

            That was how much I ate it up, the story is amazing, fast-paced and intriguing. There were times when I wanted to hug Katniss, comfort her, and other times when I was angry with her, demanding, “What on earth are you thinking?”

            The romance is a triangle—my guy doesn’t win. I was a little disappointed with that, but I’m over it now.

            There were lots of tears shed in these books also.

            Even if you’ve already seen the movies, I believe you can enjoy the books just as well if not more.

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

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!

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by Baroness Orczy

Published by New American Library

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL!!!

“Know her? Know Lady Blakeney—the most fashionable woman in London—the wife of the richest man in England? Of course, we all know Lady Blakeney.” –Lord Antony

            From the back cover blurb:

           The year is 1792. The French Revolution, driven to excess by its own triumph, has turned into a reign of terror. Daily, tumbrels roll over the cobbled streets of Paris bearing new victims to the insatiable Madame la Guillotine…Thus the stage is set for one of the most enthralling novels of historical adventure ever written.

            The mysterious figure known as the Scarlet Pimpernel, sworn to rescue helpless men, women, and children from their doom; his implacable foe, the French agent Chauvelin, relentlessly hunting him down; and lovely Marguerite Blakeney, a beautiful French exile married to an English lord and caught in a terrible conflict of loyalties—all play their parts in a suspenseful tale that ranges from the squalid slums of Paris to the aristocratic salons of London, from intrigue on a great English country estate to the final denouement on the cliffs of the French coast.

            I’d seen the movie since childhood and loved it, but it wasn’t until about a year or two ago that I finally picked up the novel. It was nothing I expected.

            The first half of the story is similar to the film starring Jane Seymour, but the second half surprised me and took me on several plot twists I did not expect at all.

            At first, I didn’t think I liked the surprise, but when I continued reading, I fell in love with the characters and the plot and was happy for a difference setting that I wasn’t sure which way it would go since it wasn’t related to the movie!

            If you enjoy classics and French history, this short little English translation of the original might be for you.

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

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!

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by Martha Alderson

Published by Adams Media

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE PLOT WHISPERER!!!

“It takes a lot of energy and a lot of neurosis to write a novel. If you were sensible, you’d do something else.”—Laurence Durrell

            From the back cover blurb:

            When it comes to writing bestsellers, it’s all about the plot. Trouble is, plot is where most writers fall down—but you don’t have to be one of them. With The Plot Whisperer, you’ll learn how to create stories that build suspense, reveal character, and engage readers—one scene at a time.

            Celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson has devised a plotting system that’s as innovative as it is easy to implement. With her foolproof blueprint, you’ll learn to devise a successful storyline for any genre. She shows how to:

• Use the power of the Universal Story
• Create plot lines and subplots that work together
• Effectively use a scene tracker for maximum impact
• Insert energetic markers at the right points in your story
• Show character transformation at the book’s climax

The Plot Whisperer is the ultimate guide for you to write page-turners that sell!

            Being an author takes a ton of work—you need an ever-flowing reservoir of imaginative creativity. I read somewhere that there are a billion ideas everywhere, most people don’t even notice, and the great authors catch at least six or seven.

            But the thing is, it takes work molding that simple idea into a full-grown novel—or even more for a whole series of full-grown novels!

            So when someone like Martha Alderson comes along with her 233 pages of wisdom, I and you can be most thankful for the help. Reading this book helped me form a few better strategies for plotting my own works.

            Someone else stated, there are no masters in this field—we are all apprentices, each growing at our own degree and learning at our own pace. Some of us are more advanced as writers, but we should never let that keep us from reaching back and pulling someone else up.

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

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!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

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!

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by Alan Grant

Published by Pocket Star Books

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE STONE KING!!!

“They were tombs, especially built to house the bones of the tribe’s religious leaders. Our pyramid would appear to have been built for a different purpose entirely. Religious, perhaps.””

            From the back cover blurb:

            Something has been unearthed in Gotham City, something that should not have been disturbed. An ancient pyramid has unleashed supernatural energies throughout the world.

            Drawn to the eye of this arcane storm, the heroes of the JLA become caught in a grip of a force far beyond their extraordinary powers. Only Gotham’s protector, the Batman, manages to escape—but to free his allies and stop the chaos that is fast engulfing the world, the Dark Knight must somehow unlock the pyramid’s secret curse.            Starting off at a hook point—the Gotham City dam breaking up—this book pulled me right in. When the ancient pyramid was uncovered by the flood waters, I wondered what was going to happen next.

            The struggles thrown at the Justice League are powerful. This urban fantasy is an intriguing volume of arcane mystery and ancient lore. Will the Caped Crusader be able to rescue his friends? That’s the question asked and the question answered in the end.

            I enjoyed the brisk and to-the-point style of the writing. Being a Batman fan as well, I was rooting for him the whole way.

            Plus, it’s not too long of a book either—you just might enjoy it.

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

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!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

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 Arcturus Holdings Limited

Published by Arcturus Publishing Limited

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY SHORT STORIES!!!

“Each tale is an adventure into an unknown world—one that will not be easily forgot.”

From the back cover blurb:

            Wondrous worlds abound in the stories within. Heroes go on great adventures through magical realms, encounter alien races, and use their ingenuity to overcome impossible difficulties.

            From Robert E. Howard’s thrilling stories of Conan the Barbarian to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s subtle tale “The Artist of the Beautiful,” the power of the imagination is breathtaking. The settings range from the frozen wastes of Antarctica to the red plains of Mars.

Themes of space travel, apocalypse, magic, and power permeate these stories, but at their heart, as with all good fiction, are the characters—who remain as human as you and I.

            There’s something about being able to base my reading sessions on short stories. Usually you read a chapter or two or three before putting in the bookmark to go take care of life’s issues—unless it is just that awesome of a book you can’t put it down. But when it is a book filled with a collection of short stories, you read one for the day and you feel like you’ve accomplished a good piece.

            I enjoyed the classic tales shared in this collection of a book. To hop into the minds of men mostly all dead by now, to see what they envisioned the future would be or what a world of magic revealed, to see some of their subtle predictions already become reality—these are all amazing stories.

            Naturally, I lean more to the fantasy genre, but the science fiction collection were all intriguing and held my interest just as much as the fantasies. To think people would try to transform carbon from the air into edible blocks and thus destroy the planet—that’s insane, but sounds like humans to me.

            If you enjoy science fiction and fantasy and also would like to read a bunch of short stories—stories that can be read in one sitting—then I’m honestly certain you’ll enjoy this one.

            Next book in this series that I’d like to buy is the Supernatural short stories. They’ve also got Horror and Mystery and other such collections too. Quite a variety.

Check the link out: SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY SHORT STORIES.

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!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Mondays and Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

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 Orson Scott Card

Published by Writer’s Digest Books

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY!!!

“Stories start working on you in a thousand different ways.”

From the back cover blurb:

            You’ve always dreamed of writing science fiction and fantasy—tales that pull readers in to extraordinary worlds and fantastic conflicts. Best-selling author Orson Scott Card shows you how it’s done, distilling years of writing experience and publishing success into concise, no-nonsense advice. You’ll learn how to:

• Wield story elements that “define” the science fiction and fantasy genres
• Build, populate and dramatize a credible, inviting world your readers will want to explore
• Develop the “rules” of time, space and magic that affect your world and its inhabitants
• Construct a compelling story by developing ideas, characters and events that keep readers turning pages
• Find the markets for speculative fiction, reach them and get published
• Submit queries, write cover letters, find an agent and live the life of a writer

The boundaries of your imagination are infinite. Explore them with Orson Scott Card and create fiction that casts a spell over agents, publishers, and readers from every world.

            This was the very first Orson Scott Card book I ever picked up. From reading it, being inspired with several ideas that have been developing over the years since I bought and read this work, I now want to collect many of his other books.

            Even when he’s talking about writing Science Fiction & Fantasy, I was drawn into his world. The examples he gave lit my imagination! I could see the creatures he described, the cloaked characters possessing magical powers, the serene landscapes on other worlds—there is something about Card’s writing that allures me.

            I want to write like that. I hope one day my own writing will be just as desirable. I want my readers to be so swept up in my stories they forget to turn off the rice boiling on the stove—wait, no, I don’t want that. That’s mean and also dangerous. But you get what I mean, right?

            Are you a beginning writer? Or maybe you already have one book published under you belt? Either way, I believe this book is a must need for anyone wanting to write science fiction or fantasy. It’s one of those you’ll re-read!

Not sure? Check the link out: HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY.

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!

If you enjoyed this review, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails–usually just focused on whatever book review I’ve written that day–on Mondays and Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

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