Indie Author Robert Clear - The Cambridge List

James is living a miserable existence. He has a crap job teaching English to mature students rather than the nice, cushy job that should have been his with a degree from Cambridge. He never got this job because he was cheated out of his degree so the college could push through another student, a special student.  James’s brilliant paper on Greek gods mysteriously lost pages in a file transfer, and due to this, he was failed.

James went on his way and began to merely exist in a dense fog of depression. When offered experimental antidepressants, he agrees with the assurance of the researcher, and friend, that they will be great. Soon after he begins these unapproved and untested pills, he starts to hear voices and singing in his head.  Finding this pleasant, he keeps taking the pills and never tells his prescriber. 

But who do these voices belong to?  The Greek Gods, of course.  They take up occupancy in James’s brain after he begins the antidepressants. Throughout the book, the gods lead him to exterminate everyone on the Cambridge List, everyone who had a hand in destroying the brilliant paper James had written. The gods do not do this for James, he is merely a vessel to carry out their revenge; they only want justice for themselves.  With the creation of the Cambridge List and the demise of all on it, they feel vindicated.

The fighting that goes on between the Gods, specifically Hera and Aphrodite, causes James much discomfort and stress, and sometimes pain.  He never knows what to expect and has almost no one on his side. Muse is the only god who seems to care what happens to him, but she must be careful to avoid detection of Hera and her wrath.

When I first began reading The Cambridge List, I was a bit disappointed. I felt that the plot was flat and too straightforward.  WRONG!  As the story grows, there is much more going on than originally expected.  A war among gods, fraud, murder; The Cambridge list truly delivered.

My typical complaint about a lot of self-published books applies to The Cambridge List. It needs to be proofed, badly. Commas seemed to be the author’s biggest weak point, but there were other minor formatting problems. The story was compelling enough that it didn’t stop me from reading it, as this problem has in the past.   

I found myself cheering for James despite his serial killer status. Even though others lost their lives in horrific ways, it was somehow still humorous, even if not laugh-out-loud funny. None of the plans that James concocts happen as expected; his plans tend to unravel rather than unfold. James was a bad guy that didn’t seem so bad, and his victims were far from good guys. It was a case of who was worse. Obviously the killer, right? I’m not so sure.

Even in the end, you just couldn’t hate James.  You couldn’t even dislike him; you wanted to like him.  Sometimes there are those bad guys that you want to hate but can’t.  James just wasn’t that guy.  You will find yourself cheering him on until the last sentence.

The ending, while complete, left itself open to a possible second book.  A book of revenge.  I felt the ending lacked nothing and was very pleased with how the author ended James’s madness. I may have picked a different drug, but that is inconsequential; the ending was good.

Be on the lookout for my first author interview with Robert Clear, author of The Cambridge List and check him out on twitter @SleevesRolledUp.

Hey Authors, Interested in an Interview?

I'm considering adding Author Interviews to my review site.  I'm not sure if it will stick, but if you are interested in talking about your writing and your book, let me know.  I would really love to interview some of the amazing authors whose books I've already reviewed.  Of course, I'm open to all indie authors who have published a book.  Leave a comment or email me if you're interested. 

Indie Author Eva Pohler - The Mystery Box

Yvette has her entire life in order.  She has a husband, three kids, a dog, and a good relationship with her parents.  Her biggest gripe is a mean neighbor full of complaints about Yvette’s barking dog.  Cruella de Vil, as she is called, soon becomes a mystery to Yvette after a box is accidently delivered to Yvette’s house.  After some time, and UPS repeatedly failing to pick it up, Yvette opens the box to see if the contents can be useful.  This is when she learns that the box was meant to be delivered to Cruella.  In going to Cruella’s house, Yvette is sucked into a horrifying tale that led her neighbor to become the reclusive, crazy woman that she is now. 

While staying behind from Spring Break vacation, Yvette learns not only her neighbor’s story but secrets about her own life.  Nothing is as it seems in her life, and she soon becomes reunited with family that she never knew she had.

Yvette learns that Cruella, also known as Mona, is in hiding from a once college professor turned lover, and eventually, captor.  Mona made the first move to ruin her life when she left her long time fiancée in college to pursue her philosophy teacher, Ahmed.  Ahmed turned out to be a crazy man working part time for the Taliban.  He also claimed to be a scientist and focused his research on reasons people commit suicide.  He captured people, typically women, to perform his experiments on. 

Over just a few days, Yvette learns more about her family, where she came from, and the twin she never knew she had.  She also learns about a large inheritance from a family member which raises more questions.  It also leads her to wonder if she is being taken advantage of and manipulated as Mona once was; if her tale is true.

The Mystery Box was a real thriller, with a bulk of the action happening through the story Mona tells Yvette each afternoon.    This didn’t detract from the flow of the story, only added a layer of mystery.  Having the narration switch from Yvette thinking and talking to listening through Mona kept me on my toes and paying attention to what was going on more than I would have if there had been one narrator.  It also allowed the reader to see where the character ended up without knowing their story until it slowly unfolded before their eyes. 

In the beginning, the puzzle was simple; there was a box and Mona’s story.  It seemed fairly straightforward.  Slowly more pieces were added and it seemed as though these pieces couldn’t possibly be part of the same puzzle, just the stories of two people who happened to meet.  Slowly, the reader was able to see the connections forming, no matter how unbelievable and unlikely. 

I began to think about how I would feel if my entire world was tipped upside down the way Yvette’s was.   Would I allow myself to possibly be conned simply because I wanted to believe, wanted something to be true?  Could I turn my back on the possibility that I was being taken advantage of just to make myself happy?  Would I ever truly be happy with this scenario?  Truth be told, I probably would—allow it, not be happy.  I would probably give a person the benefit of the doubt, simply because I could never scam someone else.  I know it happens, but after getting to know someone, after trusting them, I just don’t see how they could follow through with such an awful plan.

I also found it odd that Yvette stays home from a family vacation to learn more about Mona.  My first thought was, doesn’t her husband mind?  Wouldn’t he be a little suspicious?  I know I would be.  I then saw the connection, whether the author intended it or not.  Mona stayed behind from a Spring Break vacation with her fiancée.  This is when her life took a turn in the wrong direction.  Then, Yvette stays behind from a Spring Break vacation, and although her life didn’t turn in such a direction, it did turn. 

Yvette seems to take everything that she learns about her family in perfect stride.  I’m not sure that I would be so cool-headed if my life, and all of the beliefs about my family, were turned completely around.  Even when Yvette learns a new fact, only to later learn that it isn’t completely true, she doesn’t lose her composure, she simply accepts it and moves on.  She says that she is upset, but her actions are rarely frantic or irrational the way mine would be if I were truly upset and freaking out. 

The ending to the story didn’t tie up all of the questions that I had about the plot.  It also didn’t leave them untouched upon.  The author simply left the reader to make their own determination about what happened.  The fact is, the main character isn’t quite sure about motives by the end, so neither is the reader.  This was a source of frustration for me.  After investing time into a story, I like to know the outcome, not guess upon it for days to come.  I’d like to believe that authors use this as a way to make a sequel. Unfortunately, this story doesn’t seem to leave room for much of a follow-up.

Eva Pohler appears to be an excellent story teller, and Magpies in Winter has been bumped up on my TBR list.  

Indie Author MCM - Fission Chips

When I read the blurb for Fission Chips from 1889 Labs I expected a serious PI story with a lot of tension. (I don't know what I was thinking!) What I ended up with was hilarity and ridiculous pseudo-tension.  These were not bad things, but they were not on my list of expectations.

Gare Marx is having one hell of a first day.  He and his partner are trying to open their own PI firm, but nothing seems to be going right, and they haven’t even opened for the day, yet.  Marx is battling with a worker who is putting  his and his partner’s names on the outside of the office.  When Marx loses this first battle, he runs downstairs to try and yell at the man on his way out of the building.  He never gets his chance, but he does manage to run into (yes, literally) a woman with three large, hot coffees.  Guess who she is, yep, his new secretary.

Things go downhill for Marx from here.  His partner, the only person in this operation with detective experience, Matt Richardson, is no where to be found, and Marx’s day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.  He encounters mob bosses, police who want to arrest him for murder, a tiny Asian woman who kicks his ass repeatedly, an ewok, and a mischievous dog, among other crazy things.  He also gets beaten up periodically throughout the day.

This book didn’t get the reader thinking any deep, profound thoughts, but it was good for a laugh.

The only drawback that I found to the entire book, and this is purely personal, is the heavy use of comments regarding all things ‘retarded’ and even one regarding a ‘severely autistic person’.  I do realize that the main character is meant to be a class one jackass, so I understand the use of these terms, but that doesn’t mean I like, or approve, of it.  Unfortunately, by making these jokes, it only perpetuates the stereotype and makes it harder for those individuals with disabilities.  Now, I will get off of my soapbox.

I’m going to end this review with my favorite line in the entire book: “It’s like a fucking Hallmark moment.  From the Fight Club aisle.  I’m all teary, honest.”

Indie Author MCM - The Virus Coder's Girl

I received The Virus Coder's Girl from 1889 Labs for review.  I was initially drawn to this book simply by the title and, yes, the cover art.  Being married to a computer programmer, I’m always intrigued to read about programming, hacking, virus creation, and the like. 

This is a story about Greg, an IT guy who is targeted by his boss to become a hacker and virus creator.  Just before being offered this amazing promotion, which Greg is under qualified and under educated for, he had fallen for a woman named Ilana at a company party.  Upon receiving news of this undeserved opportunity, Greg is told to stay away from Ilana at all costs because she is one of her boss’s favorite girls.  Greg assumes that he knows what this means and decides that staying away from Ilana is in his best interest.

As time goes on, Greg becomes good at his job, but it is not what it seems.  He becomes overworked during the months following his promotion, and appears to also become paranoid.  However, knowing the reach of his boss, his paranoia may be justified.

I really enjoyed the premise of this story, but unfortunately, I cannot say too much about it without giving away the ending.  I can however, recommend it to readers, even if you aren’t into the hacker/techie scene.  You don’t need an in depth knowledge of computers to understand, follow along, and enjoy this book.

The idea that Greg thought that he was programming one thing, and in reality he was programming something altogether different made no sense to me, until I had it explained.  He was using prewritten code, or tools, and putting these blocks of code together like a puzzle for a desire effect.  The effect that he was striving to create actually did something similar but in a different medium.  This is a very simplified explanation of the way Greg built his viruses.

The author’s use of pop culture buzzwords makes the story seem more dated than it should after only a couple years.  A reference to the once overly popular Digg website made me, as a Redditor, cringe.  I quickly checked the publication date to find that yes, Digg was the ‘top dog’ when the story was written.  Also, in the beginning scene, Greg is wearing a t-shirt with the word ‘pwned’ written across the chest.  While this colloquialism is still relevant, it will eventually fade and be replaced with something equally confusing for outsiders.

The story itself is intriguing and well written, and if I’d had the uninterrupted time to read the story from start to finish in one sitting, I certainly would have.  I did manage to sneak read throughout the day and finish the story before bedtime.  For now, I’m looking forward to my next MCM read, “Fission Chips” which I am starting tomorrow.  

Indie Book Authors E.D. Linquist and Aron Christensen - In the House of Five Dragons

Fantasy novels aren’t generally my ‘thing’, but when given the choice between fantasy and sci-fi, I decided that fantasy was the way to go.  I think I chose well, although I’m going to have to read more by Lindquist and Christensen just to be certain.  

The only way I can describe this novel is to call it epic.  I haven’t read anything this gripping, and time consuming, in months.  Unfortunately, I got busy and finishing this book took longer than I care to admit.  The first three-quarters of the book took me days, however, that last twenty-five percent flew by in one night, keeping me up until 3:30 am.  (I was not pleased when my alarm went off a few, short hours later.)

Honestly, I had a hard time getting into the book, but I believe that this was because of the genre of the book, not the book itself.  As I said earlier, fantasy novels aren’t always my ‘thing’.  However, after finishing it, I was ready to go back to the beginning and read through it again (something I’ll do later) and see what I missed the first time around.  

The book opens with a man stumbling through the wilderness trying to find his way home.  The first problem that he faces is he can’t remember where home is or the right words to describe it.  The story then goes to two people, but not people, two beings, talking about this man and wondering if he will make it in time, if he will remember.  Already, I was confused.  I don’t like to be confused, so frustration quickly followed.

On a basic level, the book has two worlds, Terra and Alterra.  Terra being the human world, and Alterra being a world formed of thoughts, emotions, and curiosities.  I found the Alterran world harder to wrap my head around in the beginning of the book, but I think I wasn’t supposed to understand until the main character, Rikard, also began to remember.

Terra was changed thirty years ago at the battle of Njorn Pass, when Captain Rikard Mazrem, a VEIL knight, made a blood pact with the Alterrans to save his men in a battle they were sure to lose.  Rikard disappeared from the field and was believed dead for thirty years.  After the battle, life began to change, and a huge empire was built.  Flash forward thirty years to Rikard’s return; nothing is as it seems, and nothing is as he remembers.  

With an unusual, but eventually helpful, talent, Rikard is soon able to begin changing life within the empire, restoring honor and helping the masses.  

Where is The House of Five Dragons?  It is an underground criminal organization has spent years infiltrating the honorable ranks of VEIL knights and other positions within the empire.  Their goal was to control the heir to the throne, Rikard’s son, so they can one day control the entire empire.  When Rikard returns, The House decides to switch their focus and try to control him with the help of a caretaker, Thainna, since he is now likely to be the next emperor in place of his son.

There are others who are not pleased with these developments and form plans of their own to keep Rikard from getting the throne.  These characters must, however, be very careful not to draw suspicion upon themselves because of the new ability that Rikard has gained after spending so much time in the Alterran world.  

Once the stage was set for the story, there was never a dull moment.  I found myself disappointed when the story shifted from one character focus or plot line to another, only to be sucked in to what was going on with those particular characters and then mildly disappointed again when the focus shifted once more.  This continued on and on throughout the story.  Needless to say, I was never truly disappointed, especially not when secrets were finally revealed.  

The authors so clearly developed the Terra world and characters that after a few chapters I felt like I was walking through the town with them.  Thainna, the main character, is a complex, good-natured girl who had to make the best of the life that she was born into and even managed to remain good as a lowly thief in a large criminal organization.  Her love of her brother and bettering her community drove everything that she did, even when it was a detriment to herself.

As a mother, and sister, Thainna was not a hard person to understand.  She simply loved her brother so much that no matter what the price, she would pay it to make sure that he was taken care of.  She believed so fully in him, that everything she had was put into buying him the throne of The House of Five Dragons.  Growing up, I certainly would have done anything in my power to protect my brothers and sister, even lying, cheating, and stealing.  Now, as a parent, I would go farther than one could ever imagine to protect my children.  I know where Thainna is coming from; if put in her place, I would have made her decisions, no question about it.

Rikard Mazrem, the other main character, is a simple, honorable family man who was put into a situation where he had to make a decision or perish.  When he made his decision, he became a hero.  Rikard never wanted to be a hero, and never considered himself one.  He simply wanted to return home to his family and continue his life.  When he realized that life was not how he left it (after all, thirty years had passed) he decided that honor needed to be restored to the VEIL Knights.  Rikard was a hero, and in his return, proved once again what a hero is.

Many of the ebooks that I read and review have numerous grammatical and punctuation mistakes.  Comma placement and periods are a serious source of frustration for me as a reader.  Noticing these mistakes detracts from my reading experience tremendously.  I find it hard to enjoy a book that the author hasn’t taken time to completely proofread and learn the proper use of the punctuation they are relying upon.  That being said, In the House of Five Dragons had the least mistakes of any book that I’ve read and reviewed, along with Hungry for You by A.M. Harte.  Until the last few chapters, I can’t recall finding any mistakes in the book.  I didn’t keep track, but I would be surprised if there were more than three or four issues in the entire book.  

This is a book that I highly recommend, and I already have a copy of my next read by E.D. Lindquist and Aron Christensen.