Tag Archives: Fantasy

Dead Forever: Apotheosis by William Campbell

Posted on by
Reply


Dead Forever: Apotheosis
by William Campbell
Glyd-Evans Press, June 2010
ISBN: 978-0-9717960-5-8
Trade Paperback
366 pages
Science Fiction/Adventure

Buy now at Amazon.com
Buy now at Amazon.ca

Adam is an important man, perhaps the leader of the resistance against the planetary destroying “Association.” We’re not sure, because Adam isn’t sure himself. You see, Adam is in an extremely dangerous line of work: he gets killed a lot. And while he’s dead, the man’s past lives are open to him. He doesn’t like this at all. He dislikes it so much, in fact, that he chooses not to remember his past lives when he acquires a new body.

His friends, having been through this many times, won’t help him remember who he is. It’s my belief (it’s not spelled out in the story) that these people feel that since Adam chooses to forget, it’s up to him to remember what he’s lost. As you might imagine, this makes it almost impossible for Adam to do his job.

In book one of the Dead Forever series, Adam is a complete amnesiac under the control of the Association. The book follows him as he struggles toward what may be his rightful place in a galactic war. I found the story a fast paced, sometimes funny, space adventure I could really get into. This second book in the series: Apotheosis, left me with mixed feelings.

One of the reasons for my mixed feelings is that Campbell once again drops us into a situation where Adam has no idea of what’s going on. However, with one book already dedicated to this story, there should have been a bridge between the books. There is none. A few references occur here and there, but I can guarantee you that had I not read the first book in the series, I would have been completely confused.

Apotheosis, by the way, means: The fact or action of becoming a god; deification; Glorification, exaltation; crediting someone with extraordinary power or status; A glorified example or ideal; the apex or pinnacle (of a concept or belief). In short (in this novel), elevating someone to the level of a god.

The second book in the series opens with Adam in this exact fix. The two warring races indigenous to the planet he’s on insist on treating Adam as a god. Adam finds this inconvenient, as he’s only interested in finding his missing lover. But as time progresses, he discovers the only way he’s going to get what he wants is to end the war. He might also have to consider that he is a god. Anyway, much of Apotheosis deals with this situation, but the writing lacks the sense of speed I experienced in the first book. It’s not until the war is over (you’re in for a surprise) and Adam heads back to his home planet does the story regain the sense of adventure Campbell managed in book one.

With all this said, I still believe Apotheosis is a solid science fiction adventure with a unique idea that drives it ever forward. At the end of it all, I didn’t resent the slower pace, and I enjoyed the complexities of Adam’s life.

I’ll happily read the third installment.

Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye

Quest for the Simurgh by Marva Dasef

Posted on by
5


Reviewer’s Note: Since Marva Dasef and I review for the same company, I feel it is important to mention that I purchased my copy of Quest for the Simurgh, Marva did not ask me to write a review (this is an unsolicited, independent review) and I always write what I think.


Quest for the Simurgh
by Marva Dasef
Texas Boy Publications, 2009
eBook, 82 pages
Fantasy/adventure

Buy Now at Amazon.com
Buy Now at Amazon.ca


Four teenagers discover their magic teacher, Wafa, has disappeared. The condition of his home suggests he didn’t leave willingly. On a table, his teaching book lies open at the section devoted to the mythical bird known as the Simurgh. Someone has chalked a large X across the open pages. Some of the youngsters think he has been kidnapped by mountain raiders. Others feel the X means they are to go in search of the Simurgh. All agree they must go after their mentor.

So begins a quest that takes the young adventurers from their small desert village into the mountains and, with the aid of a strange little man they encounter, right through one of the mountains into an enchanted land, a place full of natural beauty, life, mythical creatures, demons, gods and spirits.

Faiza, the only girl in the group, is unknowingly the tie that binds them all: Bahar, who lives mostly on his own, while his brother works and travels with the region’s trading caravans; Harib, the son of the village’s richest trader; and Parviz, a recently freed slave who is new to the group.

It is her strength of character, quick wit and natural magical powers that keeps the group alive and together. Although, there’s nothing she can do to prevent the fact that all will return home fundamentally changed.

Marva Dasef’s Quest for the Simurgh is a well written, solidly edited and smooth reading novella—something of a rarity in this wild, new world of self-publishing. Targeting what Dasef calls Middle Grade readers, the novella is what most would know as juvenile fiction (preteen). Yet I didn’t feel bored or as if I was “reading down.” No, I was reminded of The Arabian Nights, somewhat modernized. I was definitely introduced to mythological creatures I had never heard before, and I had no difficulty believing I was in a different land.

Dasef’s website indicates the Quest for the Simurgh is the beginning of a larger work she calls The Faiza Chronicles. I hope this work is successful enough to see that series come to light.


Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye

Scary Mary by S. A. Hunter

Posted on by
Reply


Scary MaryScary Mary
by S. A. Hunter
Lulu.com, 2008
144 pages
ISBN: 978-1-84728-924-7
Print
Young Adult Fantasy

Buy now at my Amazon.com store
Buy now at my Amazon.ca store


Mary is living in teenager hell. Known to one and all as Scary Mary, she’s a social outcast and the brunt of all kinds of verbal abuse. You see, Mary not only hears ghosts, they become more active in her presence, causing all sorts of trouble. It doesn’t help that Mary is a fierce individual with a scorching tongue and an acid wit.

When Mary is befriended by a new boy at her high school , she can’t believe her good fortune. Which is probably a good thing, since the relationship quickly sours due to competition from the School’s reigning diva and a malevolent spirit.

What happens when Mary fights back is entertaining, and the entire novella races along–being written in the sparse style made famous by James Patterson.

S. A. Hunter wrote Scary Mary as a Young Adult Fantasy, so it doesn’t have the depth to make it satisfying for an adult. For what she intended, however, the story is finely crafted, solid entertainment.

The only suggestion I would make to the author is to remember that teenagers of today are much more knowledgeable and sophisticated than ever before: they demand and deserve a rich, complicated fantasy world. Write up to your audience, S. A. Hunter, not down. They will love you for it.

Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2009