Author: Clifford M. Scovell
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ISBN: 9781935605058
"Before you can break out of prison, you must realize you're locked up." ~Author Unknown
Imagine that the planet Earth is use by Aliens from other far away universes as a prison for their worst offenders. The life forces of the criminals are extracted from their bodies are implanted in to an unborn human fetus. The individual life force can not die so they are transferred to other fetuses as their current body ages and dies; the persons good and bad characteristics are carry through each. Until the offenders sentence is complete and their life force is extracted back to the original alien form they were, their lives are consisted of living and dieing on planet Earth. Thoughts or actions are inserted into the minds of the prisoners, to make them do things they might not otherwise do. This process is to give them empathy for their former victims and make them better people for it.
This the world that author Clifford M. Scovell, has developed in this book. There are several different alien species that have lived among the inhabitants of Earth but are confined by the physical limitations of your bodies. Their memories are also repressed by an elaborate monitoring system which become damage and allows some to start recalling past lives they are lived. Next comes a live and death scrabble to save the life of an convicted killer of not just one or two persons, but a whole planet. But did he do it or not.
"Prison Earth" gives the reader an adventure to remember. It has the sci-fi aspects as wells as romance, mystery and intrigue all rolled in to one. I would just caution the reader that because the names of the aliens are very different it maybe hard to remember who is who. I found that if I wrote them down as I read it was easier. I would recommend this book to adults who are lovers of sci-fi, but like "human-like" story line built in.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Prison Earth
Rendezvous Rock
Author: Rickey Bray
Publisher: Robert D. Reed Publishers
ISBN: 9781934759257
"For my part, I have ever believed, and do not know that there are witches."
~Thomas Browne, Sr.
Ah, young love and the promises they try to keep. The lovers to be are Susan, a beautiful green eyed, red haired, 15 year old, witch and Eric, a dark eyed, dark haired, handsome, 15 year old, Halfling. They meet on a camping trip that Eric and his uncle Ned have taken for some male bonding. As the time to leave draws near Susan makes an offer to Eric that seems to him too good to be true. Their bonding is forever and is sealed with a tryst and a braid of Susan's hair placed on Eric's ankle. However, Susan has put a condition on this relationship that forbids them from seeing each other for the next ten years and after this time they must meet right back to the rock that they made their vows to each other on. The book "Rendezvous Rock" follows them both during this ten year span, where both have changed and grown in many ways. There are witches, spawns and enchantresses that Eric has come to know and learn from in order to understand and appreciate the world he is now a part of without even knowing it. The most important realization is that of the Three Circles and how for the rest of his life, he must protect all within them with his life, if necessary.
Do not judge the book by the author, Rickey Bray. He has spent time in jail, but it doesn't show in the way he writes with the grace and pose of a seasoned writer. He has the gift of telling a tale of love, beauty and also drama and suspense. Mr. Bray keeps the reader engrossed in the lives of people with special gifts and talents that are used mostly for the good of the world. I highly recommend this book, it has everything a reader may crave in a good read. The characters are believable and draw you into their world with their vast belief systems and religious rites. It is a great read and I look forward to more books from Mr. Bray soon.
Flashes and Specks
Author: Mark Pogodzinski
Publisher: No Frills Press
IBSN: 9780578047119
"Listen, my friend, there are two races of beings. The masses teeming and happy --common clay, if you like --eating, breeding, working, counting their pennies; people who just live; ordinary people; people you can't imagine dead. And then there are the others --the noble ones, the heroes. The ones you can quite well imagine lying shot, pale and tragic; one minute triumphant with a guard of honor, and the next being marched away between two gendarmes." ~Jean Anouilh
Just in time for the Christmas holiday season comes a story of comfort and joy, guess again. Even if the book "Flashes and Specks" takes place close to Christmas it is far from being a holiday classic.
"Flashes and Specks" begins at the funeral breakfast for a troubled young man, Carter, who decided to try once more to end the anguish he was suffering. Carter was the cousin of Henry Kent, who is the main character of the book. Let me try and sum up the life as Henry knows it. When Carter was still alive they were comic book buffs. In reading them they found that characters, although you wanted them to stay the same, changed as their writers changed. In the present time he is a 8th grade Math teacher who hopes he is shaping young lives as he teaches his formulas and solutions. Henry's wife has left him with no word as to why and even if she plans on coming back, he is hopeful she will. He has seen his father go through the same situation and his mother, after a time, returned home. He has a young son, Arthur, who takes random pictures of people and adds them to the "city" he has made out of milk cartons and a vast amount of imagination, in the basement of their home. Playing in the background of Henry's life are the rumors of nuclear bombs and of World War III, as seen on news reports and heard of the radio. Even his teaching mentor is having delusions of having the exact date of the end of the world by using random numbers in a secret formula he has developed.
This book will lure the reader into the psyche of a man who craves for a hero to fix things and make the villains go away. On the surface Henry seemingly lives a normal ordinary life, but underneath its really full of complex relationships and circumstances that are out of his control. The book is a fast read and I recommend it to adults who want to read a present day story that shows how life can get in the way of real life. But I would not recommend reading it during the holidays!
Deer In My Garden, The Yucky Flower Series
Volume 1: Perennials & Subshrubs
Author: Carolyn Singer
Publisher: Garden Wisdom Press
ISBN: 9780977425105
" How deeply seated in the human heart is the liking for gardens and gardening" ~Alexander Smith
Although I have not had a problem with deer eating my plants, knock on wood, I would like to plant perennials and subshurbs next year that I can be hopeful will not become a meal for our four legged friends. The book "Deer in My Garden" seems to be the book that I can use as a reference as I plan out my gardens. It has 53 plants that are tested by the author in her own gardens and are only the ones that deer don't eat at all.
Each plant includes: Description of it which lists the height and spread information; Cultural Requirements that has Zone numbers, soil and sun needs; Bloom with bloom times and color only if the plant blooms; Seasonal Interest of the plant during the changing of the seasons; Companion Plants and Landscape Uses; Propagation in other words how to grow from seed or divided it from another plant; Maintenance of the plant as it grows. With all this information it makes it easy to prepare my garden for the new plants and how to take care of them once they are planted.
In the back there are Appendixes that are also lists of plants:
Appendix 1: Deer-Resistant Edging Perennials, Appendix 2: Other Perennials That May Be Deer-Resistant, and Appendix 3: Plants That Are Not Deer-Resistant, But Are On "Deer-resistant" Plant Lists. Again very informative lists to use in the decision progress.
In reading through this book, I actually become bummed that we are heading into winter. The spring season for next year is going to fun and easier thanks to the helpful information in this book. I recommend "Deer in My Garden" for the beginning gardener especially the ones with the problem of deer munching on their plants. Also the experienced gardener may be interested in planting ideas and the lists.
Still love the deer, even if they eat the bird seed out of the feeders and now I can buy the plants that they will think are yucky.
The Blue Fairy and other tales of transcendence
Author: Ernest Dempsey
Publisher: Loving Healing Press
ISBN: 9781932690927
"Death ends a life, not a relationship."
~Robert Benchley
Even though life and death are intertwined as a everyday occurrence, most people and cultures have a fear of dying and what happens after we die. Although the death of his Aunt affected him at a very young age, the author Ernest Dempsey, has used that experience to examine the event of death from the perspective of the survivors.
In his book "The Blue Fairy" Mr. Dempsey writes 25 short stories that includes several different example of the dying and grieving process. Each story gives the reader a glimpse into people's lives when they have been touched by death and shows how they are able to handle it. The old says of "everyone handles grief differently" comes to life in these beautiful written tales. This is not a morbid or even a sad book, it is just a look into a subject few people want to talk about even when they are in the grieving process.
I found that life lessons, not necessary death lessons, are found in each story. It showed how to look at death as a part of life and living. We must be prepare for aspects of the process we will not understand, for example a need for someone to die or how someone else death was in vain. As we are not all the same in life nor are we all going to leave this life the same way. The people we leave behind are the ones that will have to come to grips with their lost while you just cease to be a part of their lives. One of the stories, was about the concept of "death" even when a person is alive. They are living life just going through the motions and not breaking out of the rut they have made for themselves. Another story shows also how someone can be obsessed with death; when, why and how it will happen, that they too can not live a full life.
Living with the idea that death may be just around that corner can scare many individuals, but it is the truth. In this book I feel readers can get a new prospective on "living" through the many looks of death. It is not a depressing book it is actually a book of hope that all who read it will chose to live life; really live life.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Sandman
Book Title: Sandman
Author: Ian Kingsley
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
ISBN: 9781907756757
Reviewed by Michele Tater for The Couch Tater Review
“Until we accept the fact that life itself is founded in mystery, we shall learn nothing.” ~Henry Miller
Paul Vincent, an architect, is married to Shasa, a stunning beautiful woman, and father is their fourteen year old daughter whom thankfully took after her mom in the looks department. As their dream home is having its finishing touch done, they decide to take a much needed time off at a beach hut at Mudeford Sandbank in Dorset, England. What could be better than toes in the sand, fresh sea air to inhale and hearing the breaking of waves. As they lazily enjoy their holiday, they are not aware of trouble brewing in a nearby area.
The meeting of the “Sandman” aka Stevie Clark, and the Vincent’s on the beach is anything but friendly. Stevie seems to be unable to communicate without a knife in his hand. Could he be behind the recent unbelievable violent attack on an aspiring actress, Carol Davis?
During a party hosted by the Vincent’s, Paul has to come face-to-face to the realization of what his wife’s constant flirting has resulted in. This momentous occurrence starts a series of events that has Paul questioning his marriage, Stevie accused of crimes that he insists he has not committed and a family forever changed.
That is just a small taste of the story line in Ian Kingsley’s “Sandman”. I am giving only a sampling of it so not to ruin the main courses available for the reader to savor. This book is, a no-brainier really, a day at the beach or pool side read, but I think reading it in the dead of winter can give a reader reason for warmth. You are able to relate to the Vincent family and are able to sympathize with them as well. Although you may think you have this book all figured out, trust me you don’t, wait until the end.
