Tag Archives: book review

Book Review of “Ghost Dog: Military Science Fiction Across A Holographic Multiverse” (2018)

ghost dog

Cover art for the 2018 novel “Ghost Dog.”

And so ends the “Dog” trilogy by Ashley R. Pollard.

I just finished reading the third installment in the “Gate Walkers” trilogy, Ghost Dog: Military Science Fiction Across A Holographic Multiverse. I should say I bought all three novels for my Kindle just over two years ago so this is the completion of my reading and reviewing saga.

Just as I said in my reviews of Bad Dog and Strike Dog before it, “Ghost Dog” is faithful to military procedure and culture and at least what we imagine might be the inevitable conflicts between the military and civilian scientists on a joint mission to another planet.

In this book, the protagonist Lara Tachikoma has been promoted to Captain and is charged with leading yet another team of mixed military personnel and various scientific experts through the “pillars,” this time to a moon in orbit around a gas giant whose sun in a red giant. The site is an advanced alien civilization that seems to now be extinct. The mission is to locate and retrieve as much of their advanced technology as possible.

There are two hiccups.

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Book Review of “Cold Days” (2012)

cold days

© James Pyles

This morning I finished reading Jim Butcher’s Cold Days (2012), the 14th book in “The Dresden Files” series.

Chicago’s resident wizard, Harry Dresden, is back from the dead. He’s also now the Winter Knight serving the often cruel Winter Queen Mab, and has to figure out what to do since everyone he’s ever known thinks he’s literally six feet under.

Spoiler Alert: This review’s loaded with them so if you haven’t read the novel and want to be surprised, stop here. I will say that the book is well worth your time as are all the others in the series.

Anyway…

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Book Review: “In Shadow Spawned: The Shattered Throne Sequence Book One”

in shadow spawned

© James Pyles

I’ve worked with authors Jason Russell and A.S. Charly before, but as an author submitting stories to a publisher, namely Starry Eyed Press. I’ve also read and reviewed books they have previously written. Since I believe one good turn deserves another (and I hope they’ll review some of the stuff I didn’t write for them), I decided to buy and review their latest offering In Shadow Spawned: The Shattered Throne Sequence Book One

It’s available from Amazon in Hardcover, paperback, and Kindle formats. I chose the latter for affordability and instant access.

NOTE: There are some spoilers in my review so keep that in mind before continuing.

The story takes place in the mythical realm of Delandaar, an ancient time of Kings and Empires which also includes wielders of something called Glyphs. These are conceptual objects that existed before the first human languages and adepts can learn to manipulate the power of their meaning.

The novel opens with one such practitioner, Daks, in pursuit of someone or something that has attempted to assassinate his King. He fails to catch it, but whatever force committed the deed is not an isolated occurrence. Other mysterious and terrible events have been happening across the countryside. Those activities spur not only Daks, but a number of other people and groups into the adventures we see in this novel.

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Book Review of “Memory’s Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection” (2022)

memory's legion

© James Pyles

A few years back, I read all of the Expanse novel series by James S.A. Corey (really Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) thanks to a suggestion from someone I used to work with and my local public library. I’ve never seen the television series, though I’ve heard it was quite good. I really enjoyed the books though.

You can search my blog and read all of my reviews of them.

A number of weeks ago, I was killing time in the library when I came upon a copy of Memory’s Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection (2022). They were the only Expanse stories I hadn’t read, so, of course, I checked it out.

It was different than what I expected. Still good and entertaining, but the tone felt, I don’t know, more depressing maybe?

The stories, almost all of them really, are prequels or “origin” stories to certain Expanse characters, other viewpoints of existing storylines, and even “how did this get invented?”

I won’t throw out too many spoilers so don’t expect to find out from me which Expanse characters you’re familiar with make appearances here.

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Book Review of “Time and Again” (1970)

time and again

© James Pyles

This review requires some explanation.

Spoiler alert: Before I get going, just be warned that there are tons of spoilers in this review. If you want to be surprised, stop reading after the break.

I originally saw the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time on cable TV within a year of it being in the theater. I became a fan of Christopher Reeve after seeing him in Superman the Movie (1978) and it was a pleasure seeing him in a very different role.

I was looking up the movie (not Superman) online a while back and came across a reference to the book upon which it was based. That would be Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson. Matheson is best known (to me anyway) for his novels I Am Legend (1954) and The Shrinking Man, both of which have had movies made from their material.

So, what does all this have to do with reviewing Jack Finney’s 1970 novel Time and Again?

The Christopher Reeve movie, Matheson’s book, and Finney’s book all have to do with a unique form of time travel, that a person can be hypnotized or so conditioned to believe that they belong in a certain place and year that they are actually transported there.

I read Finney’s rather than Matheson’s book because it was supposed to be a superior treatment of the subject.

Stephen King called it “The great time-travel story” and even science purest Carl Sagan said that it was among stories:

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Review of Mystery Novel, “Two Peas In A Pod” (2025)

two peas

© James Pyles

Seven years ago, at his request, I reviewed author Rick Sulik’s supernatural murder mystery novel Death Unmasked. Seven years is a long time, and I ultimately forgot all about it.

Then I got an email from Sulik asking if I’d be willing to review the book’s sequel Two Peas In A Pod. My memory was jogged and of course, I’ll generally review a book for a free copy. I said “yes.”

I didn’t revisit the first novel or my review so I could approach “Peas” fresh (as opposed to “frozen” – okay, bad joke). Here are my impressions.

First, the stuff I liked.

The novel’s strength is the accuracy of police procedure. That’s no surprise given Sulik’s extensive background in law enforcement. He worked three-and-a-half years with the Houston Police Department, twenty-two years with the Pasadena (suburb of Houston) Police Department, and ten years as a courthouse bailiff with the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Department. That also helps in that the setting of both books is in and around Houston.

I’ve never been near Houston, but I’ll take it on faith that Sulik’s description of the area is accurate and that residents of Houston and Pasadena would be impressed with his rendition. I’ve watched movies and TV shows set in places where I’ve lived and just shook my head at how inaccurately the locations were portrayed. Anyway.

Where the book could have been better.

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Book Review of “Bowl of Heaven” (2012)

bowl of heaven

Cover art for the Benford and Niven novel “Bowl of Heaven”

I just finished reading the 2012 novel Bowl of Heaven authored by two science fiction heavy hitters: Gregory Benford and Larry Niven.

The basic idea is that a colony sleeper ship from Earth on its way to a new system encounters a megastructure in space. This is a sun that has been manipulated so its light thrust is directed allowing the entire solar system to be navigated across the galaxy.

At the back end of the system is essentially a bowl with the surface area of millions of Earths.

It’s more than curiosity that causes the command crew of the starship “SunSeeker” to investigate. Their ramscoop technology has become increasingly inefficient threatening the success of their voyage, so they enter the bowl system looking for answers.

They send a shuttle into the bowl and the landing team, lead by lovers Cliff and Beth, encounters a number of differing beings that seem intelligent. However, when Cliff’s party breaches the airlock, the aliens try to capture them. Beth’s team is scooped up immediately, but Cliff’s people escape.

As you’d expect from “hard science” writers Benford and Niven, details about the “shipstar” system and “bowl world” abound. Parallels to Niven’s “Ringworld” are inevitable.

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Book Review of “Ghost Story” (2011), Book 13 in “The Dresden Files” Series

ghost story

© James Pyles

I’ve been systematically going through The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher and late last night, I finished Ghost Story (2011) the thirteenth in the series.

Oh man.

Spoiler Alert!

Stop here if you haven’t read the novel and want to be surprised (and there are a lot of surprises to be had). You have been warned.

This story begins six months after the end of the preceding novel Changes. In that book, everything Harry ever possessed was taken away from him including a daughter he didn’t know he had.

In order to save her from the Red Court vampires, Harry literally sells his soul and ultimately has to murder the love of his life and his daughter’s mother to save his child and really, the whole world.

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Book Review of “Changes” (2011): A Dresden Files Novel by Jim Butcher

changes

© James Pyles

I just finished Jim Butcher’s Changes (2011), book twelve in The Dresden Files series and it is over-the-top great.

Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read this book yet, are a fan of the series, and want to be surprised STOP READING HERE!

You have been warned.

One of the dangers any series faces is falling into a pattern or formula. After all, as a writer, if you’ve found something that works, you tend to repeat it over and over for the sake of success. Publishers like success too, so they might even encourage such repetition for the sake of profits.

But as we’ve seen in all forms of entertainment, becoming “formulistic” can also mean the death of creativity and the loss of readers.

So Butcher changed all that.

Here’s the “spoilers” part.

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Book Review of “Strike Dog: Military Science Fiction Across a Holographic Multiverse” (2018)

strike dog

Cover art for Ashley Pollard’s novel “Strike Dog”

Way back in 2023, I read and reviewed Ashley R. Pollard’s military SciFi novel Bad Dog: Military Science Fiction Across A Holographic Multiverse.

It’s part of the “Gate Walker” trilogy and today, I just finished book two: Strike Dog. This continues the adventures of Marine Sgt. Lara Tachikoma and traveling through these gates to different worlds.

Spoiler Alert! This book was published in 2018, but you may not have read it yet. You have been warned.

Actually, Tachikoma is sent off to officer’s training school (as mentioned in the first novel) so she becomes Lieutenant Lara Tachikoma. She’s also somewhat unusual in being able to stay mobile while the gates are active and to pass through them to alien destinations.

Thus the search is on to find others like her so teams of scientists and military support units can explore these worlds.

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