MindFlights Monday 3

For the third week of my MindFlights Monday, I am reviewing "Counterfeit World" by George L. Duncan.

The Spacehawks have to evaluate a new race called the Troka. Everything they have seen shows a peaceful race without any form of religion. They have advanced technology that humanity needs. But the Christians in the group have reservations about their lack of religion. It is very interesting story. Should people(or in this case a race) be taken at face value? Should a leader follow the advice of Christians or are they upset because the aliens do not agree with Christianity? This is a story that is definitely worth reading. I would like to read more stories in this series.

MindFlights Monday 2

Welcome to the second installment of MindFlights Monday, my weekly look at the MindFlights site.



This week the featured artwork is "The Appeal" by Marge Simon.



The new story on the site is "The Sixth Swan" by Kathryn Yelinek. The author tells the story of a fable, a small town, a family, swans with human eyes and teeth, and the use of natural resources. She has crafted a modern day fable that is very interesting. I think that this will be a very popular story. I liked the way the mystery unfolded. The writing was very natural. The dialogue was realistic. Anyone who has spent time in a small town will recognize a place like this.

Kathryn Yelinek is an author whose stories I am looking forward to reading in the future. After reading this story, you will be looking for more from this author. Kudos to MindFlights for publishing this tale.

MindFlights Monday 1

This is the first in a new experiment for me. My plan is to post a review/overview of the internet site MindFlights each Monday. With today being Memorial Day, I did not have the opportunity to write a review. So, I thought I would show this image by the very talented Victoria Zamudio. This shot should be enough to show you the level of quality that is produced at MindFlights. This would make a great poster. The sky reminds me of the classic covers painted by Rick Sternbach. I have many fond memories of Rick's painting for Analog SF magazine.

Next Monday I will have reviews of some of the fiction in the current issue.

Wayfarers Journal Fall 2007-"Phobos" by Stoney M. Setzer

One of the new features for The Bedford Review in 2008 is the addition of regular short story reviews. The first story featured is one that I was going to review last month.

"Phobos" is the second of Stoney Setzer's stories that I have read. My review of "The Watchman" can be found here.

This story deals with an expedition to the Martian moon called Phobos. The natives trash the shuttle and start killing the crew. The twist is all of the crew are being killed by what they fear the most. As the crew is being eliminated it becomes apparent to Travis Lyle that he is about to face his greatest fear. The fear of being alone.

Setzer does a great job of making the crews' fears believable. Overcoming your fears is something that everyone can relate to.

I am looking forward to more stories by this author.

Recommended.

For an interview with the editor-in-chief of The Wayfarers Journal follow this link.

The Begotten/The Betrayed by Lisa T. Bergren

The Betrayed(book two of the Novels of the Gifted) is now out in stores. Somehow, I missed book one(The Begotten) when it came out. The Begotten was a finalist for this year's Christy Award.

I am in the middle of reading book one now but I can already recommend buying both books. The author has an excellent set up for the series. Bergren was impressed with the writing in The DaVinci Code but hated the heresy. Inspired by the Lord of the Rings movies she was thinking of writing an adventure story on an epic scale with a large cast of characters. She then took Paul's comment of "previous letters" to the Corinthians and mixed in characters who display the various spiritual gifts. Add a classic style villain(the Sorcerer) and you have the epic that Bergren was looking to write.

I will post a more in depth review as I finish the books.

Fearless by Robin Parrish

In a blink, he became the most powerful man in th universe. But is that enough to keep him fearless when the world begins to crumble around him?

When you read this on the back cover of a book, you know that you are in for a "summer blockbuster" type of novel. Fearless does not disappoint. From the start to the end, Robin Parrish keeps you on the edge of your seat. The pace will remind you of an action-packed summer movie. The storyline is influenced by comic books. Larger than life characters, evil villains, large scale catastophes and done at a relentless pace.

This book is very good but not perfect. Characterization sometimes suffers from the fast paced storytelling. If you are looking for a great summer read, pick up Fearless. But be aware that it is the second book of a trilogy. Robin Parrish does a good job of filling you in on what happens in the first book but I would recommend reading Relentless first. You will want to read all three books in the Dominion Trilogy.

Rating: 4 stars.

Light at the Edge of Darkness edited by Cynthia MacKinnon

"When forced to the edge of darkness, there’s only one way back: embrace the Light."-from the editor's introduction.

I thought editor Cynthia MacKinnon's quote from the introduction did a good job of summarizing this collection. She(and the Lost Genre Guild) did a great job with this anthology. I enjoy the variety of stories. It is rare to find an anthology containing horror, fantasy, far future fiction, alien worlds and more.

Undeniable by A. P. Fuchs is not for the squeamish. Duncan James and his son are captured and tortured for their faith. The author wanted to explore how much he would be willing to endure for his faith. He does a great job conveying this to the reader. Any parent will get chills reading about Duncan's trials.

Credo features the origin of Stephen L. Rice's character-Martin. He is one of the Heralds(divinely appointed lawmen who deal with demonic attacks). Fans of westerns will be looking for more adventures after reading this story.

With the popularity of Dr. Who, it is the perfect time for Joseph Ficor's The Timeship of Semak. This touching tale of a young boy running away from his foster home and his meeting with 'Ol Bill was a favorite of mine. The writing reminds me of the work of the great science fiction writer Clifford Simak. Look up Simak's Way Station and I think you will see what I mean. I wonder if the name Semak is a tribute to Clifford? I will definitely be looking for more stories by this author.

Fans of speculative fiction will be excited by Light at the Edge of Darkness. Visit the publisher's(The Writer's Cafe) and check out their other publications.

Please visit the following sites for more information/reviews...

Wayfarer's Journal
Unseen Worlds
Just a Minute
Dorsey Publications
Virtual Book Tour de 'Net
Fiction Fanatics Only
The Bedford Review
Never Ceese
Timothy Hicks - Fantasy Thyme
Christian Fiction Review Blog
Grace Bridges
Casual Cogitation
Write and Whine
S.P. Hibbs' Journal & Musings
Lost Genre Guild Blog

CSFF Blog Tour - The Sword Review Day 2

This month's Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy blog tour takes a look at The Sword Review. Day 2 brings us to the start of the column reviews.

The column that was most interesting to me is called Speculations. This is the place where Bill Snodgrass(the co-founder of The Sword Review)writes about a variety of subjects. I always find it interesting to learn about the people who are behind the website.

Some of Bill's column titles are:
Battle Victorious(about a musical group)
One More Thing to Love About My MacIntosh
MySpace Faces
Returning Humanity to the Fast-Food Counter
Children, Black Holes, and Their Effect on Time

Stop in and read them. Bill will get you thinking about subjects that you might not normally think about.

Please take the time to visit the sites participating in the blog tour.
Brandon Barr Amy Browning Jackie Castle Valerie Comer Frank Creed CSFF Blog Tour Gene Curtis D. G. D. Davidson Chris Deanne April Erwin Kameron M. Franklin Linda Gilmore Beth Goddard Marcus Goodyear Andrea Graham Russell Griffith Jill Hart Katie Hart Sherrie Hibbs Holly Heather R. Hunt Becca Johnson Jason Joyner Kait Karen Dawn King Tina Kulesa Lost Genre Guild Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium Terri Main Rachel Marks Eve Nielsen John W. Otte John Ottinger Rebecca LuElla Miller Robin Parrish Cheryl Russel Hanna Sandvig Chawna Schroeder Mirtika Schultz Steve Trower Speculative Faith Jason Waguespac Daniel I. Weaver

CSFF Blog Tour-The Sword Review Day 1

This month's Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy blog tour takes a look at The Sword Review.

The Sword Review website has this description...

The Sword Review is a publication project of Double-Edged Publishing, Inc. (ISSN 1556-5416). We strive to provide quality fiction, poertry, valuable reviews, and meaningful exposition, all in a means that respects traditional values and Christian principles. The Sword Review actively seeks works from new and student authors and artists, but holds high standards of quality for all contributions.

During days 2 and 3 of our tour, I will be posting reviews of the various columns.

Please take the time to visit the sites participating in the blog tour.

Brandon Barr Amy Browning Jackie Castle Valerie Comer Frank Creed CSFF Blog Tour Gene Curtis D. G. D. Davidson Chris Deanne April Erwin Kameron M. Franklin Linda Gilmore Beth Goddard Marcus Goodyear Andrea Graham Russell Griffith Jill Hart Katie Hart Sherrie Hibbs Holly Heather R. Hunt Becca Johnson Jason Joyner Kait Karen Dawn King Tina Kulesa Lost Genre Guild Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium Terri Main Rachel Marks Eve Nielsen John W. Otte John Ottinger Rebecca LuElla Miller Robin Parrish Cheryl Russel Hanna Sandvig Chawna Schroeder Mirtika Schultz Steve Trower Speculative Faith Jason Waguespac Daniel I. Weaver

Light at the Edge of Darkness edited by Cynthia MacKinnon

"When forced to the edge of darkness, there’s only one way back: embrace the Light."-from the editor's introduction.

I thought editor Cynthia MacKinnon's quote from the introduction did a good job of summarizing this collection. She(and the Lost Genre Guild) did a great job with this anthology. I enjoy the variety of stories. It is rare to find an anthology containing horror, fantasy, far future fiction, alien worlds and more.

Undeniable by A. P. Fuchs is not for the squeamish. Duncan James and his son are captured and tortured for their faith. The author wanted to explore how much he would be willing to endure for his faith. He does a great job conveying this to the reader. Any parent will get chills reading about Duncan's trials.

Credo features the origin of Stephen L. Rice's character-Martin. He is one of the Heralds(divinely appointed lawmen who deal with demonic attacks). Fans of westerns will be looking for more adventures after reading this story.

With the popularity of Dr. Who, it is the perfect time for Joseph Ficor's The Timeship of Semak. This touching tale of a young boy running away from his foster home and his meeting with 'Ol Bill was a favorite of mine. The writing reminds me of the work of the great science fiction writer Clifford Simak. Look up Simak's Way Station and I think you will see what I mean. I wonder if the name Semak is a tribute to Clifford? I will definitely be looking for more stories by this author.

Fans of speculative fiction will be excited by Light at the Edge of Darkness. Visit the publisher's(The Writer's Cafe) and check out their other publications.

Trackers by Kathryn Mackel

Fans of Jack Vance's Dying Earth series will enjoy Trackers. This was originally conceived as book 2 of the Birthright Project. Book one, Outriders, is available but the publisher does not plan on continuing the series. This is the readers loss.

The young men and women of the Birthright Project are on a mission to preserve God's original creation from the fallout of the Endless Wars and human depravity. They battle future sorcerers, warlords and their mutant creations. Kathryn's imagination is displayed in this series. Starting with the new ark beneath the polar ice cap, people being delivered to the surface world by whales, to the description of the decadent city. This is a world with with gargants(giants), the shroud, mysterious sorcerers, and many other interesting people and things.

What makes this book stand out is the combination of Kathryn's imagination and her focus on the human heart. Despite the many physical changes that the sorcerers have brought about in their effort to become like God, the core conflicts of humanity are the same as we face today. Can the Birthrighters overcome their individual desires to keep the group intact and accomplish their mission? This is the same type of conflict that began in the garden of Eden and conitinues through our time.

Highly recommended for fans of speculative fiction.