awake by andrew palmer

Indie Book Rec’s : Thrillers

Lee Hall Leave a comment

There are some wonderful indie books out there, I’ve put together a series of posts recommending some awesome works I have read over the years.

This post is dedicated to the Thriller genre so here are some books I highly recommend:

‘The Silent Betrayal’ by Momus Najmi 

‘Original, eloquently written and thrilling. A tale of deception that reads like a spy thriller but carries a much deeper meaning…’ 

Full Review

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‘The Player Without Luck’ by Kristina Gallo

‘A thrilling page turning story that will keep you immersed from the start….’ 

Full Review

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‘Fee Simple Conditional (Arcadia Chronicles Book 1)’ by H.C. Helfand 

‘A gem of a read about life, love and land…’ 

Full Review

‘We Watch You’ By N.S. Ford 

‘Cleverly plotted British mystery thriller with darker psychological tones and twists…’

Full Review

‘Wonder Rush’ by Dan McKeon

‘An immersive and suspenseful teen spy thriller with some darker edges, a positive message, originality and depth…‘

Full Review

‘Awake’ by Andrew Palmer

‘An original techno-psychological thriller that captures the essence and surrealism of dreams with a sinister edge…‘

Full Review

‘Scarred’ by Damien Linnane

‘A brutal tale of justice blinded by revenge…‘

Full Review

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‘The Good Kill: A Killian Lebon Novel’ by Kurt Brindley

‘An enthralling, gripping tale of epic proportions taking the reader on a ride full of twists, turns and action…‘

Full Review

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Thanks for stopping by and be sure to use #indieApril over on Twitter to show your support for indie authors and their awesome works!

A Year of Reedsy Discovery Reads

Lee Hall 2 Comments

Time flies when you’re reading books and I’ve been reading a lot of them in recent times. Last year Reedsy Discovery; a platform for reviewing indie books approached me to be a reviewer. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and it that time I have discovered some gems, and so here they are…

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‘American Blasphemer’ by By John Gillen

4 Stars

‘A masterful labour of modern honesty, told through the lens of a lonesome soul trying to figure out this world and life…’ 

Full Review

‘The Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles: Rites of Passage’ by Chad Lehrmann

3 Stars

‘A twisting unpredictable creature feature set in a small town with a big secret…‘

Full Review

‘The Dreamophile’s Diary’ by Shazrina

4 Stars

‘A descriptive collection of tales that capture the very essence of dreams from surrealism to their deeper metaphoric meaning…‘

Full Review

‘Senescence’ by Denver Scott

5 Stars

‘One giant leap into the future of humankind via the cosmos through the vessel of science that makes for a fascinating read!‘

Full Review

‘Noxious’ by Bruce Knapp

4 Stars

‘An enjoyable yet sinister tale of the macabre that’ll keep you turning pages…‘

Full Review

‘Fly Fearless & Fear Less: Eliminate your Fear of Flying with Knowledge!’ By Peter Brandt

4 Stars

‘A concise, insightful and reassuring read that’ll help you cope with the irrational fear of flying…‘

Full Review

‘Big Noise’ by J.P. Biddlecome

3 Stars

‘A tale that walks the fine line between survival and madness through solitude…‘

Full Review

‘A Diary in the Age of Water’ by Nina Munteanu

5 Stars

‘A truly important once in a generation read that flows like a wild river right through your imagination and heart...’

Full Review

‘Awake’ by Andrew Palmer

4 Stars

‘An original techno-psychological thriller that captures the essence and surrealism of dreams with a sinister edge…‘

Full Review

‘Amazon Keywords for Books: How to Use Keywords for Better Discovery on Amazon’ by Dale L. Roberts

5 Stars

‘Essential reading for marketing books effectively while gaining a better understanding of Amazon key words and beyond..‘

Full Review

‘Deadly Odds’ by Allen Wyler

4 Stars

‘He’s in deep with the big fishes and the odds are hardly in his favour…‘

Full Review

‘Raven Woman’s Tavern’ by Laura Koerber

4 Stars

‘There were many things the people of Warrentown didn’t know about Raven…‘

Full Review

‘Sex, Violence, Mars’ by Walrus

4 Stars

‘A short but fun sci-fi story with great world building, action and some laughs…‘

Full Review

‘Operation: Palmetto’ by R.T. Breach

3 Stars

‘The chase is on for one man on a mission to prove his worth and the stakes are high…’

Full Review

‘Spook City, U.S.A.: A Shadybrook Community Patrol Novella’ by Drew Purcell

4 Stars

‘un, unconventional easy-to-read comedy that never takes itself too seriously while delivering a good story with plenty of laughs…

Full Review

‘Wonder Rush’ by Dan McKeon 

5 Stars

‘An immersive and suspenseful teen spy thriller with some darker edges, a positive message, originality and depth…‘

Full Review

There are some fantastic indie books on this list that were indeed awesome discoveries. Reviewing books has become the central pillar to my blogging and authoring brand and without it I would never have connected with so many awesome creators. Some of these books made me laugh, made me think, informed and inspired while most importantly they got me through the past year. You can find me over on Reedsy Discovery here.

Thanks for reading!

‘Awake’ by Andrew Palmer – Review

Lee Hall 2 Comments

An original techno-psychological thriller that captures the essence and surrealism of dreams with a sinister edge…

In the not too far future ‘Edward Morrison’ is a computer programming prodigy with a million dollar corporation behind him. His main objective in life is to create and complete a ‘dream machine’ prototype that looks to replicate REM sleep conditions while also providing a virtual reality that cannot be distinguished from the real world. And what exactly is real and just a dream? Well that’s the partial genius readers face in this story as the lines become blurred capturing the surreal element of what our dreams can be.

While Edward is determined and engrossed in the work he also carries a complex childhood trauma that plagues his nightmares throughout the story, hence the connection between him and the dream concept. He’s a reclusive type and initially helped only by ‘Athena’ who eventually serves as something with too much control and power which becomes a threat – like the technology in this story, it’s created with the best intentions but humans have a tendency to foster the worst outcomes. Control seems to be the metaphor that holds everything together here.

In the latter stages there were a few moments that felt a little hard to follow as the concept of what was a dream and what wasn’t played out. While readers will need to pay close attention at this point it also heightened the psychological sense of what was going through the MC’s mind. The writing style is descriptive and easy to follow with chapters that are well paced.

The concept of connection through the unconscious as mentioned by Andrew Palmer in the acknowledgment brings a twist and satisfying resolve via the estranged ‘Cura’ who serves as an important character throughout. Dreams and the human mind make for a fascinating subject which is put beside the perhaps danger of technology making this story an interesting and imaginative read.

4 Stars – This review first premiered via Reedsy Discovery