John Irvin, Author

by Stephen Lawhead

Thomas Nelson

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY THE BONE HOUSE!!!

“Time…strange stuff. Time is the central mystery of our existence. It confines and defines us in many ways. We are obedient to its inexorable mechanism throughout our lives, and yet we know almost nothing about it. Why does it flow in only one direction? What is it made of? How is it regulated? Is it everywhere the same for everyone? Or might its substance or speed be altered by mechanisms as yet undiscovered?” –Thomas

            From the description:

            One piece of the Skin Map has been found. Now the race to unravel the future of the future turns deadly.

            Kit Livingstone met his great grandfather Cosimo in a rainy alley in London where he discovered the reality of alternate realities.

            Now he’s on the run—and on a quest—trying to understand the impossible mission he inherited from Cosimo: to restore a map that charts the hidden dimensions of the multiverse. Survival depends on staying one step ahead of the savage Burley Men.

            The key is the Skin Map—but where it leads and what it means, Kit has no idea. The pieces have been scattered throughout this universe and beyond.

            Mina, from her outpost in seventeenth-century Prague, is quickly gaining both the experience and the means to succeeded in the quest. Yet so are those with evil intent who, from the shadows, are manipulating great minds of history for their own malign purposes.

            Those who know how to use ley lines have left their own world behind to travel across time and space—down avenues of Egyptian sphinxes, to an Etruscan tufa tomb, a Bohemian coffee shop, and a Stone-Age landscape where universes collide—in this, the second quest to unlock the mystery of The Bone House.

            Starting off where Kit disappeared, in the middle of a Stone Age civilization, this book whisked me away to new heights in the ever evolving multiverse unraveling.

            Lawhead delivered an amazing depth of fantasy, spirituality, and adventure in this clean and delicious second installment to the Bright Empires series.

            Along with its predecessor, The Bone House implanted Lawhead on my Top Favourite Author’s list for forever.

            Over the next week and a half I’ll be blogging reviews for the rest of the series, so if you want an amazing read that will make you forget this reality as you quest with Kit and Mina into other realities—and if you already haven’t done so—order the Skin Map through my blog archives from the first week of June. Then you’ll want this next book too.

Here’s the link to The Skin Map’s Review: https://johnirvinauthor.com/the-skin-map-a-bright-empires-novel-by-stephen-lawhead/

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy: THE BONE HOUSE.

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 Ilona Andrews

Published by Ace Books

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY MAGIC SHIFTS!!!

“I rode through the night-drenched streets of Atlanta on a mammoth donkey. The donkey’s name was Cuddles.” –Kate Daniels

            From the back cover blurb:

            After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate—former Beast Lord Curran Lennart—are adjusting to a very different pace. While they’re thrilled to escape all the infighting, Kate and Curran know that separating from the Pack completely is a process that will take time.

            But when they learn that their friend Eduardo has gone missing, Kate and Curran shift their focus to investigate his disappearance. As they dig further into the merc’s business, they discover that the Mercenary Guild has gone to hell and that Eduardo’s recent assignments are connected in the most sinister way…

            An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it—before it takes their city apart piece by piece.

Yes, I’m going to say the same thing I’ve said about every last one of the previous books in this alternate universe series about an urban fantasy of Atlanta drenched in magic. This was an amazing read—filled with dark intrigue and more of that humor I’ve found endearing about Kate.

Her view on time, life, and the universe is both sobering and hilarious. Her tough exterior merely hides the gushy softness of a woman who loves, but is afraid to lose those she cares for—seeing her past, one could only understand.

But she is no coward, it takes nothing else but courage to let someone inside your heart.

I was right there with Curran and Kate as they discovered this eerie-strange new powerful creature from eons ago. My eyebrows were raised when the cat corpse turned into a bunch of deadly lizards.

Yes, strange. I was hooked.

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

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 Ilona Andrews

Published by Ace Books

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY MAGIC BREAKS!!!

“I stood in a small concrete room and watched the undead blood lying in a placid puddle at my feet. The magic in it called to me, eager and encouraging, whispering a soft seductive song. Sometimes the Universe smiled. Mostly she kicked me in the face…” –Kate Daniels

            From the back cover blurb:

As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, but she must now deal with the affairs of the Pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel, ancient being with godlike powers.

            As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend a gathering of leaders from Atlanta’s supernatural factions. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered by a shapeshifter, Kate is given less than twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war that could destroy everything she holds dear…

            Book seven in the Kate Daniels series has a special history with me. This book, in fact, was the book that got me interested in the series. I can remember when it first came out—I was still in college—I saw it at the bookstore and thought, woah, that’s a good looking cover. I read the back and the opening on the inside.

But, the fact that it was book seven in a series sort of deterred me. I don’t know why, I think maybe because I was struggling with finances as usual and didn’t feel like spending so much on the first six books just to get to this one.

            Well, then, almost seven years later, I made the smart decision of buying the first book. I finally made it to book seven.

            I consider Magic Breaks to be a climax of its own for the series. It’s also a conclusion in several of the subplots. But, being the seventh in a ten book series, there are plenty more questions raised.

            Sticking to the Kate Daniels dark urban fantasy theme with her amazing dry humor, Ilona Andrews satisfied my expectations. I was up late flipping pages, feeling like I couldn’t read fast enough.

When it was over, I felt bittersweet—as I have with all of the Kate Daniels novels—in the fact I finally finished a book I’d taken over half a decade to finally buy, but then, it also means I’m that much closer to finishing this amazing and brilliant series that ranks in my top three!

Seriously, if you like this genre, you must collect this book and the rest of its family that I’ve already listed in my Archives for my Book Review Blog!

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

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 John Irvin

A commentary by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY MERMAID SEAS SALVATION!!!

“Twenty-three families…do you think that’s enough to start the human race over again?” –Arthur

            Arthur Eden is a best-selling fantasy novelist with a secret plan. He knows of the ancient prophecy the Mermaids deciphered several years back.

            The human race is going to perish.

            A fish-bred virus will wipe out the entire world population.

            Arthur has known mermaids exist for years, ever since he met Cassandra.

            She has a secret too—one he doesn’t even know.

            Working together, they plan a cruise trip for the winners of a TV game show about Arthur’s life and works.

            But will everything go as planned? What are the people going to think when they discover their cruise trip is actually a rescue and survival mission?

            Join the mermaids in this finale of the Mermaid Seas Trilogy!

            Salvation was the climax of this trilogy. While writing it, I figured out that each of my main characters from each book is actually related in some way to each other. Not directly, of course.

            Though this book is an earlier work so maybe not as professional as I’d like it to be, it still holds a special place in my heart.

            I enjoyed being able to add in some apocalyptic themes into this one. I’ve always had a thing for such stories. But to be able to fit in one of a my top favourite mythic species into such a story was just a blast. Mermaids are amazing creatures—though most stories have them as sinister people-killing beings. There are a few good stories about good mermaids though.

            Having the Mermaid race being the means of salvation for the Human race was a cool idea to me—kind of an opposite-of-the-norm theme. So that’s how this trilogy sprang into being.

Click this link to go check it out: MERMAID SEAS: SALVATION

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!

by Orson Scott Card

Published by St. Martin’s Press

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY A PLANET CALLED TREASON!!!

“I’ve endured having four arms, an extra nose, and two hearts pumping away before the surgeon took me under his knife to cut away the excess.” –Lanik

            From the inside jacket cover:

            Time, the elements, and the human mind are Orson Scott Card’s playing cards in this daringly imaginative story of uprising on a planet of exile.

            Lanik Mueller, heir of one of the richest Families on the planet of Treason, is used to the occasional growth of an extra limb or organ; it is just surgically removed and his body heals within the hour. But when transsexual growth occurs—in his case a rather voluptuous set of breasts—he faces the fact that he has become a radical regenerative, and a humiliated outcast in a nation where military exploits are of the first importance.

            Three thousand years after the crime their forefathers committed against the Republic, the Families are subservient to a race of prisonkeepers with which each barters. The commodity: iron, with which an escape craft may be built, for Treason is a planet without hard metal resources. The currency: a refinement of the skill each original ancestor possessed. The first Mueller had been a geneticist specializing in regernerative research, and Lanik’s Family barters with surplus body parts.

            Lanik’s personal disaster sends him on a journey across Treason, and as he travels he assimilates some of the special gifts of each Family. And they are various indeed: the original Nkumai had been a physicist, the first Schwartz a geologist, Allison a theologian, Drew an interpreter of dreams, and others. And as he learns he conceives a plan for unity among the Families, long separated into warring clans, and an end to their subservience.

            Its extraordinary blend of wild adventure and metaphysical inquiry sets A Planet Called Treason apart. It is guaranteed to attract science fiction’s new audience and to delight seasoned readers with its evidence of a major new talent.

            This is there very first Orson Scott Card book I ever read—I didn’t know what to expect. I knew he was a good writer according to friends and family.

            The weird science within these pages will keep you fascinated if that is up your alley. Some might think this story a bit strange, but I found I enjoyed A Planet Called Treason. The title was intriguing as well, who would name a planet after a cause? But once you read the background story of this strange new world, you begin to understand.

            Lanik is pretty cool too. When the opening scene laid out his problem, I first thought, What on earth did I just pick up and start reading? But as his journey begins, I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I always enjoy exploring new worlds and this is exactly what Lanik’s journey consists of.

            As he learned each new skill and power, I grew more proud of the hero. His mentality to the world and its warring clans and their issues also changed, preparing him for his destiny you might say.

            If you like Orson Scott Card and science fiction or fantasy adventures, this book would be an amazing read to add to your collection.

            So, take my recommendation and click this link to go buy it: A PLANET CALLED TREASON.

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 Ilona Andrews

Published by Ace Books

A review by John Irvin

CLICK HERE TO GO AND BUY MAGIC RISES!!!

“Curran had the strangest look on his face. I realized I was hugging myself. Hey, baby, do you want to have my children? Here, let me curl into a fetal ball in response. Ugh. I was a moron.” –Kate Daniels

            From the back cover blurb:

            Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

            Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

            I must say, Magic Rises is one of my favorites among this favorite series of mine. Why? Because Kate and Curran and their allies actually travel to Europe and not just Europe but near the area where I actually grew up—give or take a few hundred miles, but still.

            There are several jokes and histories that I actually knew and recognized while reading this amazing urban fantasy. I’m certain my neighbours think me insane from all the laughing I did—no, I didn’t do any squealing, none at all, not sure what you’re talking about.

            But, like all the previous books, this sixth installment in the edgy, kick-butt dark fantasy just adds to the amazing Kate Daniels series. Even the Night Owl Reviews remarked how each book just gets better and better.

            This alternate-universe Atlanta is still full of surprises—most not so fun, more like dangerous and terrifying—keeping you on your toes as you follow Kate along on her new mission.

            But as soon as we got to Europe, the sense that there was some ulterior motive or a plot or something was just too strong. But what’s a girl to do? Keep going and hope she makes it out alive.

            Which, I mean, it’s Kate—and Curran—she’s got to make it, right?

            Of course, there is a heart-wrenching part. But that’s life, I guess. I feel like it just pulls your heart closer to Kate and Curran. You will finish this book feeling like you’ve lost friends and gained new ones, not wanting to leave them. If not, you might want to check your pulse.

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

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!