Review: Sandorn’s Prison by Thom Bedford

This book started with a bang. Action and suspense were apparent from page 1 as marines were sent to rescue their comrades imprisoned in a mining facility that hasn’t been used in 100 years. Things go incredibly wrong and lots of people lose their life.

The story slows down after the initial scene as the reader is transported from the distant planet to a well-inhabited space station. From there, a good chunk of the book is dedicated to character development and showing the ins and outs of being an administrator during a war. There is some action during these parts, but it’s not as exciting as the beginning of the book.

I didn’t totally hate learning about the characters. They were pretty interesting individuals, and I was fairly surprised that the marines weren’t stereotypes that you normally see in space operas. They were given credible human qualities, including emotions and flaws.

I also liked the images included with each chapter. I thought that added something nice to the story.

The last few chapters of the novel were just as exciting as the beginning, and I found myself completely engaged with the end. It’s apparent that there will be another one in the series, and the author revealed just enough to make me want to find out more.

The biggest issue I had with this story was the fact that it kept referring to a military campaign that had taken place several months before this story occurs. I kept thinking that if that battle had been so important, why wasn’t it focused on more? Then, I found out that this is the second book in the series.

While reading the first book would have given me some more background information, I was still able to tell what was going on without having to have read the first one. I wasn’t overly lost and still enjoyed the story.

If you enjoy space opera stories that focus on battles and military campaigns, you may want to check this book out. Maybe start with the first one...

Review: The Playful Mind by Paul Daniel

I have been procrastinating writing this review because I am unsure of what to say. I requested The Playful Mind: How to Restore the Happiness We Experienced as Children because I thought it sounded incredibly interesting. I read a lot of self-help books, mainly as they pertain to narcissism and trauma, so I thought this would be a good supplement to those and give me a different perspective on how to heal my wounds and change my thought processes.

I don’t know if it was my mental state at the time, but I had a really hard time getting into this book. The ideas seem sound, but the presentation is challenging to get through. It feels incredibly repetitive and overly general. I get that the author doesn’t want to be too specific, as he wants all types of people to apply his advice to various situations, but it comes off bland and unhelpful.

It might have helped if the author included some examples from his own life into the text to drive his point home—and maybe he does later in the book. I only read 17% of the book. Still, to get to that point, it felt like a trudge. It’s possible to recognize that what he went through may not be the same as what others are experiencing, but it would give him credibility and make the book feel less general and more focused.

I may come back to this book at some point. There are times when I get burned out reading self-help books, and maybe that was my state of mind. If I give it another try, I will amend this review and give more insight into how I felt about the book.

Book Review: Interview with a #Vanlifer by M.K. Williams

The other day while scrolling through Instagram, I came across an ad for “Voracious Readers Only.” Intrigued by the name and the bright colors, I clicked on the link to find out what it was all about.

Long story short, it’s a site that connects readers to authors who are looking for reviewers. I decided that since I’m not planning on writing anything anytime soon and since I’m always looking for new books to read, I would give it a try. This review is for the first story I finished reading.

I’m hoping to make reviews a regular occurrence. I have a list of stories that I want to read, and I also want to stay connected to the publishing world (even if I’m not currently contributing). I thought this would be the best way.

Enjoy! 

Interview with a #Vanlifer by M.K. Williams

I really enjoyed this short story. It was such a great take on vampires and environmental stewardship. You may not think that those two things go together, but M.K. Williams makes it work. It highlights environmental topics in a new and interesting way, and it made me want to do better.

It did NOT want me to become a vampire. There are way too many complications with that.

The other thing I really liked about the story were the allusions to traditional and pop culture vampire stories. From the title, you can tell that the author was influenced by Anne Rice, and she nods to her throughout the story. She also nods to other vampire authors and creators throughout the narrative as well. I don’t want to give them all away, as you should experience them as you read the text.

Her inclusion of current social trends and technology also give this story an incredibly modern and “trending” feel. What the characters want to achieve and how they are setting out to accomplish their goals doesn’t feel outdated or “old.” Despite the fact that the vampires have been around for several decades at this point, they are able to change with the times to get their missive across. The message here is clear: being heard means finding the best tool to speak to the right audience.

In addition to environmental issues, the author does an amazing job of bringing other social concerns to the forefront, including the spread of viruses and “human” nature. There is no shortage of scientific realism mixed with fantasy, and it makes the story believable yet also a great escape.

The story is only about 12,000 words (or 64 pages, according to Amazon), but there’s a lot of information and entertainment packed into these pages. Whether you search out vampire stories or like a message about being better stewards to the planet, you might delight in this story. If nothing else, it’ll get you away from the horrors of reality for a short amount of time.