reading

‘Split Personality’ by David Noë – Review  

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Assassin’s linked by their minds seeking redemption through the ChaosNova Universe

The space sci-fi ChaosNova Universe is back and this time tells the tale of two ‘Reclaimers’ who are uniquely linked by their minds and find themselves on a journey.

‘Luna’ and ‘Rogue’ and two very different characters who are banded together in the universe and work as assassins but their latest mission takes them on another path – from being set up to hitching a ride to then eventually being incarcerated but given an option for redemption. Their punishment becomes a mission and their freedom is at stake. An original concept and focus in the story is how these two characters communicate telepathically and it is delivered in a unique way. They use this communication method to talk, fight, get in/out of the occasional bit of trouble and eventually succeed.

Combined with the high end space sci-fi universe already established in ChaosNova universe it makes for an action laced space story with a difference. There is some great description and sequences in this story that is perfect for anyone who enjoys space sci-fi.

‘Rogue strode along the corridor, her movements rendered staccato by the strobing light, like a series of still images strung together…’

4 Stars

Awesome Recommended Indie Reads #11

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The road to reviewing indie books continues and so here are some of my recent reads, all of which I recommend and were awesome!

‘The Insatiable Hunger of Trees’ by Samantha Eaton

‘I’ve done something unforgivable, and it followed me here…’

Full Review

‘NO ROAD HOME Book One: Echoes’ by John Prescott

A quick-to-read and fun post-apocalyptic action adventure...

Full Review

‘The Guard of Woestynn’ by E.M. McConnell

Unique, descriptive and original

Full Review

‘Catching Up’ by Mary Lay

Wonderfully written tale of life and adventure in the 1920’s

Full Review

‘The Re-Emergence: An Augment Saga Novella’ by Alan K. Dell

Well-written imaginative and original space sci-fi

Full Review

‘The White’ by Matt Micheli

The uninvited and unwelcomed turns in to the unexpected as a blizzard brings much more than the cold…

Full Review

And so that wraps up another edition of awesome recommended indie reads, thanks for stopping by! Peace out, rock and roll and reading!

Weekly Ramble #168

Lee Hall Leave a comment

Indie April 2023 is here and I am proud to see many already celebrating on social media. Whether you’re a reader, writer or any other type of creative – that creativity driven by independence is something worth celebrating and shouting about.

My success as an author, blogger and creative has been largely driven by the inspiration indie books have given me over the years and as a writer who proudly writes, I need those books to guide the way. Reviewing them is just a small slice of the cake because they have also given me vital blog content when the creative well was perhaps running dry.

This month you can expect me to be sharing plenty of reviews for indie books I have published over the years, since 2018 I have been actively reviewing some fantastic books by some equally wonderful creatives. Today the total is near to 200 and embracing fellow authors as an author myself has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made – from finding books to read to authors then finding me to just knowing there are others out there like me. This world has more than enough room for all type of creatives to find success and Indie April is a staple of that.

To those who have supported indie creatives, I salute you. Have an awesome indie April!

‘The Guard of Woestynn’ by E.M. McConnell – Review

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Unique, descriptive and original

When new recruit ‘Ford’ arrives on a desolate planet to report for duty at ‘Woestynn’ prison, it appears he may have bitten off more than he can chew and this short but unique story follows his journey.

E.M. McConnell presents this original tale with some cool concepts and wonderful description that kept me reading and I completed this experience in just a few late night sittings. The idea of a prison that requires inmates to earn their rehabilitation is an interesting concept that could easily be explored in further tales or even expanded and the same goes for the main character’s journey from intimidated newbie to someone with an applied mind to make better of everyone’s situation. The descriptive vibes in this book are its true strength and McConnell’s writing style is very much on display here in this sci-fi/dystopian story set in an original universe.

‘…the desert sand and winds took the brightness off everything. We all became matte, dusty…’

5 Stars

‘NO ROAD HOME Book One: Echoes’ by John Prescott – Review

Lee Hall 1 Comment

A quick-to-read and fun post-apocalyptic action adventure...

When ‘Raven’ wakes up with no memories his path is quickly revealed in the post-apocalyptic setting he must navigate to find answers. On that journey he befriends a robot, gets attacked by wild animals and finds difficulty in trusting anyone as slowly pieces together what happened to the world he now resides in.

With no recollection of the apocalyptic events that unfolded some years previous our hero travels this new but familiar world littered with reminders of those events. Abandoned places, vehicles and those left behind to fend for themselves. There were some fun moments throughout this short but action laced story where one man must try to find answers – from befriending a robot to joining a band of renegade soldiers who may or may not help the cause. John Prescott gives every character a fun level of charm that could easily be seen in a popular action film or video game but who is ‘Raven’? There are answers and even some interesting flashback moments or echoes, all enough to entice me to continue this journey for the next book soon.

Favourite Quote:

‘The most disturbing wrecks were the ones still containing human remains. Drivers leaned halfway out of their stalled vehicles. The unforgiving desert mummified them, forcing their dried mouths into unrelenting screams that echoed ten years on…’

4 Stars

Every Book I have read in 2022 Pt2

Lee Hall 3 Comments

Welcome to Part 2 of every book I have read in 2022. Let us dive in…

‘A Stranger From the Storm’ by William Burton McCormick

Brilliant fun – a historical mystery with plenty of atmosphere

5 Stars – Full Review

‘Witch in the Lighthouse’ by Azalea Forrest

A quaint and fun magical tale…

5 Stars – Full Review

‘The View From Here’ by Leon Stevens

An exploration themed sci-fi novella not of this world…

4 Stars – Full Review

‘The Caverns’ by Olen Crowe

In The Caverns an ancient evil lurks…

4 Stars – Full Review

‘Red on White’ by J.P Biddlecome

‘The Wolves came, rising from the waves…’

4 Stars – Full Review

The Perfect Athlete’ by Olivier Doleuze

The Perfect overview and resource for the fit and healthy conscious…

4 Stars – Full Review

‘The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music’ by Dave Grohl

A masterful collection of wonderful and powerful tales…

5 Stars – Full Review

‘SurReality’ by Matt Doyle

‘Everything that happens in SurReality is entirely real’

5 Stars – Full Review

‘The Mermaid From My Nightmare’ by Kristina Gallo

A thrilling and twisting tale with so much beneath the surface…

5 Stars – Full Review

‘Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown’ by Drew Faraday

A unique and immersive vision of survival and life during apocalyptic times…

4 Stars – Full Review

‘The Liar, The Bitch and The Warmonger’ by Morton R Leader

A family affair with darker edges…

4 Stars – Full Review

‘House of Tigers’ by William Burton McCormick

‘We’re innocent lambs in a house of hungry tigers…’

5 Stars – Full Review

‘The Watchmaker: A clock can talk’ by Ellen Khodakivska

An enchanting tale of life, destiny and time…

5 Stars – Full Review

‘Of Swans and Stars; Finding my own North Star, one poem at a time’ by E.M. McConnell

A uniquely emotive and descriptive collection of poetry…

5 Stars – Full Review

‘Love’s Ragged Claws’ by Gary Gautier

A short read with plenty of literary depth…

4 Stars – Full Review

‘They Lie Here’ by N.S. Ford

Thrilling and unputdownable with unique themes…

5 Stars – Full Review

‘The Man and The Crow’ by Rebecca Crunden

A short sharp enjoyable tale of magic and the unexpected…

5 Stars – Full Review

‘Sex, Violence, Mars: The Ballad of Left and Right’ by Walrus

Sex, Violence, Mars is back and just as entertaining as the first encounter

4 Stars – Full Review

‘Eileen’s Promise’ by Matthew Villeneuve

A space sci-fi tale of one salvager and his thoughts which are uniquely alive…

4 Stars – Full Review

And so that wraps up part 2 of every book I have read in 2022. To all of the authors who have shaped my reading this year, thank you!

Peace out, rock and roll and reading!

‘The Man and The Crow’ by Rebecca Crunden – Review

Lee Hall 2 Comments

A short sharp enjoyable tale of magic and the unexpected…

Having just read this book in one sitting I found myself enthralled by page 4 where the story unexpectedly flips and takes the reader on a journey of folklore, witchcraft and murder.

With darker tones and a magical theme that merge together well, Rebecca Crunden delivers a well-written tale that might only be twenty four pages long, but it represents hundreds of years of history and lore for the title character. Throughout, the addictive writing style carries a humour that is both fun and perfect for the genre while the imagination is also given plenty of room to work alongside that history and lore suggested here – as the ending promises, that’s the start of the next story!

For anyone looking to be whisked away only for a short time but through some imaginative literature, this is the one for you.

‘Screaming would have been the sensible thing to do; it also proved impossible. Screaming would mean she’d be able to unlock her jaw and at the moment it felt like her jaw had rusted shut…’

5 Stars

‘SurReality’ by Matt Doyle – Review

Lee Hall

‘Everything that happens in SurReality is entirely real’

Clever and unique, ‘SurReality’ is a combination of speculative and addictive fiction that I read in just a couple of sittings.

This short read shares the same title as the smash reality TV show it is about focusing on the paranormal and urban legends. After experiencing a sharp rise to fame with online viewers after their 2015 Christmas special turns gruesome, the story follows the fallout and subsequent reaction through the mode of transcripts, blog posts and news articles giving it a unique but modern Dracula-esque touch.

With one host missing and a lot of chatter online, this is modern look at how a TV show tries to live off the ‘reality’ of certain events whilst capturing the imagination in a unique way. Sometimes shorter reads are all you need to pique our interest and imagination, ‘SurReality’ is a perfect example of that. Great cover also!

5 Stars

The Story Wars YouTube Channel has Launched!

Lee Hall

The greatest writers from around the world are gathering virtually in front of live audiences to tell true stories from their real lives…

And now you can watch/listen to these stories as Story Wars now has a on official YouTube Channel.

Check it out via the link here where you can listen to me talking about my disaster story and you can also listen to the first winning story by Roni Keller.

Click Subscribe for more updates and for information on how to participate in Story Wars, check out the site here.

Awesome Recommended Indie Reads #9

Lee Hall

The road to reviewing indie books continues and so here are some of my recent reads, all of which I recommend!

‘A Stranger From the Storm’ by William Burton McCormick

‘Brilliant fun – a historical mystery with plenty of atmosphere‘

Full Review

‘Witch in the Lighthouse’ by Azalea Forrest

‘A quaint and fun magical tale…‘

Full Review

‘The View From Here’ by Leon Stevens

‘An exploration themed sci-fi novella not of this world…‘

Full Review

‘The Caverns’ by Olen Crowe

In The Caverns an ancient evil lurks…

Full Review

‘Red on White’ by J.P Biddlecome

‘The Wolves came, rising from the waves…’

Full Review

And so that wraps up another edition of Awesome Recommended Indie Reads. Keep reading and keep reviewing!