Assignment Darklanding
A frontier world. One Sheriff. And all the action one Spaceport can’t hold. Darklanding is the wild, wild west of known space.
Alien Texas
Alien invasions come in all shapes and sizes in this unforgettable book. But residents of Texas have their own unique methods for dealing with troublesome intruders from the stars. Read more
Diatomic Quantum Flop
Sure, the experience of the trip is euphoric, but what if you actually broke through the doors of perception? When four colleges friends are promised a psychedelic adventure that mirrors the Tibetan Kalachakra Time Travel Tantra, they discover the transcendental cost of tapping the wheel of time.
Tower
This is a short story, and sometimes it’s nice to read a short story. Sometimes it’s nice to read a story in a couple sittings and not have to worry about complex mind-blowing plots and two-hundred characters. Reading to be entertained is nice. But this doesn’t mean the story is simple by any stretch. It’s every bit as entertaining as a full-length novel; the short time you spend with the characters you see their qualities emerge. And even though this is a standalone, you can sense there’s more to the events unfolding. That’s nice too.
So Tower is a short story which ends, but doesn’t quite end in the sense that you understand all that’s going on. It’s only the beginning and that makes you want to find out more of what’s happening. Very nice. 🙂
Soda Pop Soldier
My take on it all:
A recipe for success: Take one-third future time dystopia, where the haves and have-nots are a world apart, one-third imaginary techno-Vietnam where the prize is marketing, and one-third old school Quake. Throw all that in a blender with ice, and then pour. And you have Soda Pop Soldier, a game noir science fiction novel that kicks conventional novel-wisdom in the teeth.
But don’t think this is just for fifty-year-olds who still live in mom’s basement and list “Level 100 Uber-Mage” as their best asset on a resume.
Nick touches on lofty ideas such as right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, and free will vs. determinism. While the hero PerfectQuestion doesn’t always make the best decisions, he’s understanding and growing, which is what we want to see in a hero.
This book is fun upon fun, sticking with you long after you finish turning pages. 🙂
Tango Desolado
Pablo Neruda’s Veinte Poemas de Amor y Una Canción Desesperada defined the heights of love and the depths of loss for generations of lovers, readers, and poets.
Tango Desolado is Samuel Peralta’s own canción desesperada, his song of despair, coming on the heels of this award-winning author’s book of love poems, How More Beautiful You Are.
In this collection, Peralta engages the reader in stories of loss – of love unrealized, unrequited, bereft – weaving hope, melancholy, and sorrow into a tapestry of emotion.
Poignant and intense, Tango Desolado is an extraordinary record of longing, one that will linger in the heart after its last words are read.
