Some Based Book Sale Reviews
Stuff I've reviewed on sale for 99 cents!
Today, the
begins. It runs for a week, and all titles in it are free or 99 cents. It occurred to me that there are a number of titles in it I’ve already written reviews for, and I should just make a post aggregating those reviews. Here goes! Note: 3 of my own books are also in this sale, including God Emperor Trump (Trump Imperium 1) *FREE* Weds - Sun.
Books Free Today:
Transmutation Texas (Watcher of the Damned Book 1) by R.H. Snow
Black Amazon of Mars by Leigh Brackett
God Emperor Trump (Trump Imperium 1) by (ME) Brian Heming
The Trilisk Ruins (Parker Interstellar Travels Book 1) by Michael McCloskey
Eta Cancri by Russell May
Fire Ant (The Navy of Humanity: Wasp Pilot Book 1) by Jonathan P. Brazee
The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin(The Books of Unexpected Enlightenment) (Volume 1) by L. Jagi Lamplighter
American Stasi: The Domestic Surveillance Targeting You and Your Children by Michael Trust
On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington Book 1) by David Weber
Howling Wilderness: An Engines of Liberty Tale by
Steampunk mecha and gryphon riders race across America
Imagine a cross-country race across many of the United States. Put some of the racers in steampunk mechs powered by 4 and 6 cylinder engines, and some riding beasts from horse or moose to gryphon or hippogriff. Set this in an alternate history United States, with magic, mech, and the West still wild.
Make no mistake, though, this is no /Wacky Races/ with mechs and mythical creatures. Stakes are high, life is cheap, and our villains are villainous. Cheating is rife, and not just by the bad guys.
Buy it for epic heroes, dastardly villains, mecha and gryphon racing good old fashioned horse and motorcycle, majestic mountains, glorious landscapes, and life and death hanging in the balance, in a magical, alternate history America.
(note: you can check out more of Mr. Bradley’s fiction, some of it free, on substack at Graham Bradley)
The Santara Commentaries 1: The Padri by
Military Sci-fi meets Wyvern Riders. Epic and Awesome.
Imagine the tactical military sci-fi of Jerry Pournelle, e.g. in Janissaries. Take that tactical mindset, put it in the mind of an amnesiac protagonist, and have him direct a motley crew of 17th-century soldiers including swordsmen, musketeers, cannon, wyvern cavalry, elemental magic blasters riding pegasi, and more, against an evil empire. Set this all in an alternate history version of the many islands of Indonesia.
Epic? Yes. Awesome? Yes. Wargame-nerd well-thought out strategies, tactics, and battles? Definitely in this book.
I had the worry reading through it that the protagonist would have too much plot armor for the military realism to come through. I would say that's not the case. The book goes through its twists and turns, with epic battles, military strategy, and practical politics. And I never saw the ending coming.
Fans of tactical military S.F. and fans of fantasy battles in the style of Lord of the Rings will all find something to love in this book.
Paradox Book 1 & Book 2 & Book 3 by
Heartwarming, Epic, and massively entertaining
5 stars
Imagine you had limited change-the-past time travel. What would you do with it?
Somehow, Henry Brown’s answer to this question is different, and more heartwarming, than any I’ve previously read. We end up with a coming of age story from late childhood to adulthood, happening across multiple decades and timelines of the past century of U.S. history and beyond. But this isn’t to say this is just some story about adolescent romance and having Junior High friends. The stakes are high, and we have an epic multi-timeline time travel save-the-world story on top.
This is not a book for those who faint at anything which contradicts the prevailing political correctness of 2024, or whatever the current year is when you read this review. Henry Brown’s respect for the wisdom of the past, the pluses and minuses of every decade the story visits, and the ups and downs of US culture shine throughout the story. If you’re someone who respects the past and can admit that every decade gets things wrong, including your own, this is a book for you.
Somewhither by John C. Wright
The Golden Compass done right, by Wright (har!) who actually thinks things through, and makes a far more intense, action-laden book to boot. Think about it, if GOLDEN-COMPASS-SPOILERS-FOOTNOTE1 the hero would be morally virtuous, fight demons and their servants, kick major butt, and eschew this golden compass stuff.
Quick New Reviews
There’s a bunch of stuff for sale I’ve read, liked, but not substack-reviewed before. Quick one-liner reviews—assume 5 stars out of 5!
One Bright Star to Guide Them by
- The greatest torchbearer of C.S. Lewis’s legacy in many decades.Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton - Catholics, mystery fans, and lovers of hundred year old stories will all enjoy this one.
Hell Spawn: A Catholic Action Horror Novel by
- Title says it all. Epic, action packed, and seriously Catholic. Content warning: hellish evil does disturbing things.
My stuff
My own titles in the based book sale are as follows. I’d feel disingenuous reviewing my own stuff, so here are some quick reviews by others:
*FREE Weds-Sun*: God Emperor Trump (Trump Imperium 1)
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2024
This reads like a clever pastiche of several Sherlock Holmes tropes.
The Trumpian Empire is an interesting way to replace Victorian Empire.
I thought the idea people go to the evil Wokium Den to smoke Wokium is pretty funny.
It's a good solid read. A bit hard to follow sometimes, but enjoyable.
I recommend it.
99 cents: The Return of Woke-Masmoke (Trump Imperium 2)
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2025
This not all about Trump, it's a riff on Sherlock Holmes with Trumpian Empire filling in for Victorian England. The first book was a bit ambitious in trying to keep the same plot going for the entire book.
This second book is more of a collection of short stories with the same theme of advancing the overall plot.It's a great way to present the materials. Personnally, I found it to be more approachable and more "readable" as a collection of short stories. It's well worth reading, I think it's better edited than the first book. It definitely needs some illustrations. Write more in the series.
99 cents: Murder on the Stellar Schooner (Illustrated Detective Sci-fi)
(5 stars out of 5 basic review, Royal Road) Tim Craire 11/18/2024, 10:25 PM
Very nice so far, after just two installments. A film-noir-style private eye tries to solve a murder on a spaceship, surrounded by dames and wiseguys, etc. etc. The prose style is appropriately over the top.
Although WE KNOW WHAT A SLIDE RULE IS :) or maybe the younger waves don't, these days.
For more excellent books, 99 cents or free, check out:
GOLDEN COMPASS SPOILERS: if dudes communicated with demons using golden compasses in order to predict the future, these dudes would obviously be the bad guys, not the hero. And the hero would not be a liar who obeys demons, as in Pullman's version, but as in Wright's story the hero would be morally virtuous, fight demons and their servants, kick major butt, and eschew this golden compass stuff.