Review: The Place of Voices (Time Drifter #1) by Lauren Lynch

The Place of Voices 

by Lauren Lynch 

Anna is devastated by a fire that left her orphaned, dependent on an uncle she never knew existed and far from the only home she has ever known. Brendan struggles with a life limited by crippling illness and a family torn by the loss of his mother. Tzutz Nik faces an arranged marriage to the prince of a ruthless dynasty in order to unite their fractured kingdoms. A mysterious invitation gives them each an opportunity to escape their struggles for a while and view their lives from a new perspective. Deep in a remote jungle, amid long-forgotten ancient ruins, they discover the true meaning of sacrifice. In the shadows, a relentless evil presence lurks, threatening to lead them astray. Will they triumph over their adversary or be trapped in his web of lies?

My Take:

 Anna faces an uncertain future at the hands of an uncle she never knew she had, all because a mistake of hers caused a fire that destroyed her home and killed her parents. Brendan has faced a life of near immobility thanks to the polio ravaging his body that took his mother. Tzutz Nik is about to face an arranged marriage to the prince of a ruthless dynasty, to avoid the destruction of her people. In each of their lives, a mysterious invitation pulls them to a jungle sanctuary, a Place of Voices where these three go on a vision quest together. Assisting them is a talking elk named Ben, but an evil enemy also is in this place and is bent not only on Ben's destruction but on their own downfall as well. To each of them, this tempter presents a web of lies geared to make them betray all they hold dear.

Content:

Drug Content:

G - There is none.

Violence:

PG - Animal and human sacrifice is discussed. Someone is terribly mutilated as they are being murdered. This happens off-screen.

Language:

G - Squeaky clean.

Adult Content:

G - There is a hint of romance. 

Christian content:

This novel is full of Christian symbolism. The evil found in the enemy is obviously a typecast of satan. In one instance he speaks to the children from smoke as a snake, and laments how he was forced to travel on his belly. Ben is a typecast of Jesus, giving his life for the sins of others. The animal familiars who escort the children into the Place of Voices parallel the activity of angels. This book is loaded with content for healthy Christian discussion - the battle of good and evil, the need for a savior, the importance of repentance and forgiveness, and the power of praying for others.

Final analysis:

The Place of Voices is a good addition to any Christian's library, but especially those who are fans of fantasy and looking for clean reads, especially if they are looking for something on the level of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. The world-building was stellar. The character interaction was engaging and believable. Each character had their own issues and arc. The stakes were high and the action was gripping. Five Stars!

About the Author:

LAUREN LYNCH writes faith-infused historical fantasies created to challenge readers of all ages. After many years of focusing on visual arts, she found she could also paint with words and now enjoys dreaming up stories where the real world collides with the fantastic. She lives in a log cabin in North Carolina with her husband, teenage son, a feisty dog, three cats, two escape-artist goats and even the occasional bat. To learn more about Lauren and her other books, visit www.laurenlynch.com.

Review: Frapps The Barbarian by J.L. Blenkinsop

Frapps The Barbarian

by 

J.L. Blenkinsop

Frapps, a lowly wen-picker from the Equatorial Girdle, is overwhelmed when he picks up a paperback novel in Catenary Jones' Trading Post. Its cover depicts the gormless Frapps himself, bestride the Globe; and the title is Frapps the Barbarian...
Flicking through he sees that most of the book is empty - but pages are being written as he reads.
How could any red-blooded wen-picker resist? He sets out to defeat the foul Dictator Unther Margate and save the fair Princess Amplex. Making his farewells the intrepid idiot sets off for the distant city of Campingas.
This short novella, the first in a brief series called The Knights of the Golden Drain, was written many years ago. It depicts a journey through great odds undertaken with the help of the All-Powerful. A journey we may all, idiot or not, embark upon. 

My Take:

When Frapps, the Barbarian, a lowly wen-picker from the Equatorial Girdle, visits Catenary Jones' Trading Post, he is surprised to see a paperback novel there with his own likeness on the cover, and his own name there, too. Recovering from the shock, he opens it to find that most of the pages are blank. But what is in there are the activities of his last few minutes. The pages are being written as he reads.

Inside the book he also discovers that a hapless land far to the north called Legoland is being taken over by a despot named Unther Margate, who is making plans to overthrow the kingdom by marrying the fair Princess Amplex. The rebel forces have called for the assistance of a Hero, by putting an ad in the paper. How could any half-wit resist?

Content:

Drug Content:

G - None, unless wens are cigarettes. I have no idea.

Violence:

PG - The bad guy in this story is not above chopping off heads, and his sword gets stuck in a dead guy. There's a knife in the back, but for the most part it's about on a Disney level.

Language:

G - squeaky clean. In fact, the book refuses to record one word the bad guy lets fly. :-)

Adult Content:

PG - This is a kids' book. Sort of. Not even kissing occurs here. There's a bit of potty humor with the choices of names in this hilarious romp, about on a level with Spongebob I suppose. There are several scenes, however, where the main character is rendered naked, a relatively obvious allegory to how we are all naked before God, unable to hide our sin.

Christian content:

Quite a bit. There is a significant amount of Christian allegory in it, with the Immortal Unicorn being the embodiment it seems of Christ. There are other parallels but some of that would be spoiling. There are no bible verses quoted, no preaching, per se. Self sacrifice and determination are bold and up front. The concept of the king being God's man found in Rom 13:4 is clearly displayed. 

Final analysis:

Frapps the Barbarian is a novella, which I rarely review. But this was an entertaining and quick read, with a nice moral outcome where good triumphs in the end. I found some of the thick English cockney accents a bit hard to interpret, but there were only a few areas where they were problematic. The characters are all whimsical and you can't take them too seriously, but even so there is definite character development and the world building is ingenious. I found it fascinating, entertaining, fast-paced and enthralling. Five stars!

About the Author:

After many years during which I've written plays, pantomimes and short stories for friends, I am now the proud possessor of a step-daughter, attached to a beautiful and intelligent wife.
I've never had a child to look after before, and it's a challenge. She'll be a teenager this month. Watching her trying to work out what life means to her, how to cope with friends and foes, made me write (for the very first time) a novel, just for her.

Review: Theodora's Children (Tales Of Hope #2) by Rick Nau

Theodora's Children(Tales Of Hope #2)

by Rick Nau

Gretchen is her name. She’s the heroine of the story. Some people call her Gretch the Wretch. Not a very nice thing to say about someone, especially if they suffer from a loneliness so intense it could blow the roof off the sky. Certainly she’s not the only person in the world who’s felt this way. You might have felt this way yourself. Or you might feel this way at this very moment, just as Gretchen felt at the beginning of her story. This isn’t to say she’s not a wonderful person. If you get to know her, you’ll find out how wonderful she is. If you don’t, you’ll never know.

My Take:

Jesse takes his great-grandchildren Daph and Josh to the lake each Sunday to enjoy time together and tell them a story. This time the story is concerning a rich daughter named Gretchen who, while showered with everything her heart could imagine, longs for a brother to share her life, fortune, and adventures with.

The brother she longs for is the only present she asks her parents for, but as the years slip by, she cannot understand why they cannot, or will not, answer this request. Sequestered on a sprawling estate with a multitude of staff to wait on her, there is not a single child anywhere she can play with. Until the day she is rescued from a fire by a mysterious child on the estate that nobody believes exists.

Did Gretchen imagine the child who rescued her from death? Was it the brother her parents would never give her? Or is she losing her mind, as her counselors believe?

Content:

Drug Content:

G - None.

Violence:

PG - Children are imprisoned, and there is an execution planned. There is a dangerous chase through a mountain pass. Kidnapping, imprisonment, and betrayal are all present, though no real violence, blood or death occurs.

Language:

G - squeaky clean.

Adult Content:

G - This is a kids' book. Not even kissing occurs here.

Christian content:

For most of the book there is very little content that goes beyond moral lessons and classic fairy tale oblique references to wisdom. But approaching the climax of the story the bible plays rather heavily, and the gospel message is clearly presented. Loyalty, self-sacrifice, and generosity are set against pride, malevolence, betrayal, and avarice. Good and evil are crisply defined with little gray area involved.

Final analysis:

Theodora's Children is a story within a story. And while the outer story with Jesse and his great-grandchildren held little to captivate me, the inner story, after some groundwork, was riveting. Slow to get started, the book gained traction a quarter of the way through, and was a page-turner throughout the remainder. Compelling, enthralling, and meaningful, Theodora's Children is a nice book to read aloud to kids ages 6-13. The setting is realistic, the action gripping, the characters well-defined. Five stars!

About the Author:

I remember writing my first story (a play) when I was eleven. A boy was digging in his backyard when he uncovered a tiny, silvery rock that could make you float through the air whenever you touched it. That story was written for a wonderful teacher who encouraged all of us to be creative.

Then, after a brief hiatus of fifteen years, I discovered an old typewriter that my mother had used in high school. Inspired by Jack Kerouac, I began banging away on it until I produced my first novel.

My favorite writers? Conrad, Hugo, London (the early years), Stevenson, Lewis, Dahl, Dumas, Kipling, Cooper, Hammett, Melville, Michener, Twain, O’Brian, Wilde, Bunyan, Kerouac and others. Whenever I open one of their books, it's like opening the wardrobe door that leads to Narnia. 

Review: The Space Between by Shawn D Brink

The Space Between

by Shawn D Brink

When Hunter and his wife Nora begin to have nightmarish visions of evil and death, they feel driven to find what truth lies behind them. But the truth that they find is terrifying. The enemy they must face is powerful and unless defeated, will mean the end of the world as they know it.
Only by standing firm and relying on each other as well as on God, can they achieve victory. But is victory even possible? For Hunter and Nora, only time can reveal these answers. 

My Take:

Hunter, a debilitatingly OCD office worker and stalwart Christian, has been having a frightening recurring dream. An ancient lady stands before him, stating, "I am the 100 year old woman in the 100 year old store guarding the 100 year old door." The door opens and something flies out and nearly kills him. Something evil.

Realizing that the dream portends rapidly approaching events, Hunter desperately searches for the woman and the door, not knowing whether it will spell his doom. Unbeknownst to Hunter, his wife Nora has been having similar dreams, leading her to the ancient antique shop of Nancy Love, just moments before Hunter arrives.

The door opens and sucks them through, into a fight to the death against the world's oldest and most powerful enemy - an enemy bent upon the end of the human race. Only by standing firm in their faith and relying on one another can they have any hope at all of destroying the monster in the Space Between.

Content:

Drug Content:

PG - A minor character has a seriously alcoholic mother. Another is a drug addict, alcoholic and prostitute.

Violence:

PG-13 - This book has a series of vignettes where lone victims are violently attacked and their brains consumed in a bloody mess.

Language:

G - squeaky clean.

Adult Content:

PG - One woman, as mentioned before, is a prostitute.  

Christian content:

Hunter and his wife are both believers, as is Nancy Love and several other characters in this novel. The main plot is based on end-times prophesy, and the spiritual enemy is very real. Faith and reliance on prayer plays a major part here, and the entire dark path is lit by an incandescent hope for the future.

Final analysis:

I found Hunter and his OCD to be endearing, and his wife Nora to be enchanting. While the back and forth plot and vignettes were a bit hard to follow, and the work needs polish, it was an intriguing and enjoyable high-stakes thriller. The three main characters were the best part of this novel, though the supporting cast and the main enemy were somewhat two dimensional. The split worlds idea was interesting, and the pace, although slow at the beginning, picked up pace about a third of the way through, accelerating downhill like a water slide. While I found the plot solid, the world-building intriguing and the main characters real, the pacing issues at the beginning and the polish needed kept this at a reasonable Four Stars.

About the Author:

Shawn D. Brink was born in Clovis New Mexico, but has lived in Eastern Nebraska since he was five. He holds an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education from Wayne State College and a graduate degree in Management from Bellevue University. His interests (besides writing) include church, playing guitar, and spending time with his wife and four children.

You can follow his writing adventures at his WordPress.

Review: The Wager: A Romantic Comedy as Christian Allegory by Mike Brister

The Wager: A Romantic Comedy as Christian Allegory

by Mike Brister

Sarah Morgan Leigh Dumont is rich, successful and famous. Matthew Ezra Shepherd is none of those things. Sarah, raised in Connecticut, is the oldest child in a prominent family. Matt, raised in Mississippi, is the youngest child in a farming family. Sarah is a winner in life’s lottery and has a home in Malibu. Matt, a former Marine, is putting the pieces of his life back together and would be homeless except for a 160 year old farmhouse that has no running water. Sarah is driven, focused, difficult, and intimidating. Matt is friendly and kind and smiles easily. Sarah is full of herself. Matt is full of mischief. 

They meet under false pretenses in New Orleans, the city built on false pretenses. She sees him only as the object of a wager; he sees her as an object to be avoided—and yet. 

What happens when love is uninvited, inconvenient, and demanding? When it keeps you up at night and distracts you during the day. When it counsels unreason, folly, and ruin. When it can breach any locked door, scale any high wall, or whisper above any noise. Fortunately, when it happens to someone else, it can be very funny. 

Seventy-five percent (75%) of the royalties from the sale of each book will go to But God Ministries and/or the Haiti Goat Project for the purchase of goats for the people of Haiti. Buy a book and help buy a goat. Buy one or be one. 

“Please buy this man’s book. It is a good book.” Pastor Mathurin Merystal, Thoman, Haiti. 

My Take:

Sarah Morgan Leigh Dumont has it all. Beauty, fame, wealth, power. Matthew Ezra Shepherd has none of these things. Sarah is the oldest child in a filthy rich family from Connecticut. Matt is the youngest child in a dirt poor family from Mississippi. Raised in the lap of luxury, a die-hard pacifist, Sarah has a home in Malibu. Matt is an ex-Marine, a soldier who has killed for his country, a vet with PTSD trying to put his life back together. Left scarred inside and out, he would be homeless except for a 160-year-old farmhouse with no running water.

Sarah is driven, focused, intimidating, full of herself. Matt is friendly, kind, with a quick smile, full of mischief.

They meet under false pretenses in New Orleans, the city built on false pretenses. She sees him only as the object of a wager; he sees her as an object to be avoided—and yet. You couldn't find two people more opposite, yet love scales any wall, breaches any barricade, crosses any divide.  

Content:

Drug Content:

PG - Alcohol is mentioned rather often. Matt is a dangerous alcoholic, and the sheriff will arrest anyone who gives him any. 

Violence:

PG - There is a description of some of the conflict in war. A bar fight sends three men to the hospital. A character is knifed, and a purse snatcher is nearly beaten to death. 

Language:

G - A couple mild expletives.

Adult Content:

PG-13 - This is a romance. There's no sex, though it's sought after, and plotted. A woman ends up naked in a bathroom, underwear and its lack is discussed. There's a bit of kissing. Women discuss men's finer attributes, there are a few oblique references to anatomy.

Christian content:

Scripture is used in a few places. Faith is evident throughout, and the sovereign guiding hand of Providence is exposed. Spiritual battles are evident, and prayer is a common practice. Spiritual issues are covered well. Faith, atheism, mission work, the gospel, the power of God's Word, the importance of fighting for what's right. This is a faith-filled hilarious romance.

Final analysis:

Like Rooster Cogburn and the Lady, or Crocodile Dundee, the interactions between the leading man and lady are what makes this book outshine most romances I've ever read, or viewed on the silver screen, for that matter. The conversations these two polar opposites have are hilarious, no subject is taboo, and for the most part the reader has to interpret the conversation. It would make an outstanding  film, an entertaining romantic Christian comedy. Well written, hilarious, thought provoking, fast-paced. North meets South in a clash of cultures, with sparks flying everywhere! Five Stars!

About the Author:
Mike Brister was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1952. His father worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and in 1955 was transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana. This began a lifelong relationship with one of the most unique cities in the world. Eventually, the family would return to Jackson. 

Mike received degrees in mathematics and spent his working career as a consulting actuary. Now retired, he has written his first novel. He has made numerous trips to Haiti and plans more. The hope is that the novel is a fun read and allows for the purchase of goats for families in Haiti. Seventy-five percent (75%) of all book royalties will go to But God Ministries and/or Haiti Goat Project.

Review: Alfred Arnold's Great Adventure of No Direction Whatsoever by Phoenix Ward

Alfred Arnold's Great Adventure of No Direction Whatsoever (The Alfred Arnold Saga #1)

by Phoenix Ward

Alfred Arnold, reader. Reader, Alfred Arnold. Although he is the hero of our story and has no knowledge of you, I would like you to get to know him. He is an eccentric man who finds himself in the fantastic and bizarre world of Serdame. With no memory of his arrival, he undertakes the first ever expedition in the land with the help of the retired knight Sir Procrastination and the curious Lavandra.

My Take:

Alfred Arnold is a reclusive writer trapped in his burning house. His life's work was a fantasy land called Serdame. While attempting to save his precious full color hand-drawn map of the fantasy world from the engulfing flames, he is transported into the world he created, with a serious case of amnesia.

With little memory of the world he came from, plagued by debilitating panic attacks, and threatened by the denizens of outlandish creatures and characters he created, Alfred Arnold undertakes a journey with the help of the retired knight Sir Procrastination to restore his memory and learn who he truly is.

Content:

Drug Content:

PG - Some drinking occurs. A magical brew is imbibed which gives all the effects of being drunk without actually 'being' drunk, or suffering the aftereffects.  

Violence:

PG - Much of the violence in this book is mild, nothing graphic. A zombie has its leg ripped off to use as a torch. 

Language:

G - There are two mild curse words in the entire book. No F-bombs.

Adult Content:

PG - Other than one incident of two men fighting madly over a sponge that appears to be a female object of 'lust', the book is very clean.

Christian content:

Nada. One cult in the book worships some deity and appears to have a practice of human sacrifice. None of which is described or occurs onstage. Some life lessons are apparent in the plot. For instance, Sir Procrastination is a personification of laziness and procrastination. The village of Villedge appears to be a lesson in isolationism, something the recluse Alfred Arnold deals with. A possessed glowing sponge appears to be a personification of lust. Revenge, greed, denial, all play a part in this odd tale.

Final analysis:

At the beginning I thought this would be a Christian allegory similar to John Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress', or perhaps a crass and humorous ride like Hitchhiker's Guide, but it ended up more like Through the Looking Glass. The bizarre collection of creatures and characters in the tale, from Sir Procrastination to the Singing Zombie Chorus, seemed to lead me to believe there were allegories and personifications everywhere. But if so, many were lost on me. The world building in this book was excellent, sort of a mashup of Hitchhiker's Guide, Through the Looking Glass, and Gulliver's Travels. The characters, especially the main character, showed significant character arcs, and were likable, but not tremendously realistic.

I entered this book with some great expectations. A writer trapped in his own created world was an opportunity to take advantage of his creative genius, as was done in the InkHeart series. The beginning lines and book title gave a strong impression we were chasing an Arthur Dent clone through another inept adventure. An allegory can powerfully communicate life lessons without coming across as preachy, while a political satire,  like Through the Looking Glass, which uses some of the same devices, can expose ills in the powers that be, and galvanize a country to right those wrongs.

In Alfred Arnold's adventure, there were some traits of all of these, which might be a bit problematic as it lost focus trying to do all of them. It began well enough, but lost some steam midway through the journey, and the so-so characters and flagging pace made it difficult to plow through the midpoint. Glad I did continue, though, as it gathered steam on the downhill stretch, giving Alfred Arnold more dimension, and resolution to the main conflict. The story has a decent ending, but definitely left room for a sequel or two, and left some major questions unanswered. Can't help but feel a bit disappointed with a relatively abrupt ending that left too much unanswered. All in all, this was a good read, but will probably require the sequel for a satisfying end. Great World-building, decent plot, likable characters, but some focus and pacing issues. Four Stars!

About the Author:
Phoenix Ward is the author of thought-provoking science fiction and dark thrillers. The inventive mind behind A Guardian Angel, Oneironaut, the Alfred Arnold Saga, and the Installed Intelligence series, Phoenix captures the bizarre eccentricities that make reading unique.

When he’s not writing foreboding tales of futures-to-be, Phoenix is an avid gamer. In fact, he is the owner and primary contributor for a video game blog called Ham Goblin Gaming.

Phoenix wears pajama pants under his jeans in the winter and has a ham tattooed on his chest. He draws inspiration from such science fiction legends as Philip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov. He currently resides in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Review: 3 Days: A Passion by T.M. Fairman

3 Days: A Passion

by T.M. Fairman

Within the aftermath of an epidemic that has been contained through sacrifice rather than cure, a young woman discovers she has contracted the Disease.

She has three days to live.

Society has deemed her irredeemable and requires her to pass her last three days in quarantine; a sacrifice for its own preservation. 

Her only link to the life she once had is her husband. Together they must try to battle with their demons. Together they must try to discover how their love can be expressed during separation and in the face of death. Together they must wrestle with the issues of love and loss, grief, depression and hope before finally having to say goodbye to each other.

My Take:

The telltale bright blue in the toilet gave the unmistakable and dreadful news - she had the disease. The worldwide pandemic that had decimated the population, that was incurable and terminal, and highly contagious. Her only course was to call the authorities, put herself into an isolation suit, and wait for pickup. To leave behind the man she loved immeasurably. Once you showed signs, you had three days to live.

He came home that afternoon, excited to spend his evening with her, the joy of his heart... only to discover the heartbreaking truth - that she was gone, self-quarantined to the Center for her remaining three days on earth. But he was determined she would not die alone.

Content:

Drug Content:

G - None.

Violence:

G - There is no violence whatsoever in this book, even the Disease simply causes the victim to succumb to sleep as they have less and less energy.

Language:

G - squeaky clean.

Adult Content:

G - While there is a great deal of passion between the husband and his wife, they are separated by miles, and can only talk via a tablet.   

Christian content:

The front cover is a cross, and the book is partially a parallel between Jesus and the Church, and His crucifixion. There are several scripture passages exposed in the book, and scripture is usually applied aptly. Death and the afterlife, dealing with grief, and loss, are bold-brush themes throughout.

The parallels however lost me a bit, as Christ was vilely treated, tortured, publicly executed in agony as a criminal, and bodily resurrected after three days. While the people infected were treated as criminals until quarantined, they were given every accommodation, and treated with every dignity, and their death yielded no pain at all. One of the characters had a solid grounded Christian faith, one had a character arc that indicated he was looking for answers. A bible was presented to one character, but it was never really read, even though they were facing death in a day. There didn't seem to be any conviction of sin or regret over past mistakes. Christ was presented, but His purpose in dying wasn't clearly defined. 

Final analysis:

This was an incredibly poignant story. The characters had an amazing love for one another, and the devastation they went through was raw and quite real. Many tears shed over the course of these three days, and several passages had me in tears myself. That having been said, the pacing was slow, and the action was almost lethargic. The author may have been reaching for that, as there's not a lot a person in a rapid convalescent debilitating disease can do. The settings were well-described, and the character depictions were spot-on. The stakes were high, and I was moved by the angst. But the pacing dragged and the allegory seemed to lose steam. Four Stars!

About the Author:

TM Fairman is something of an unexpected author. Currently residing in the South of England, the father of four studied Economics and Econometrics, leading on to a career teaching Mathematics and Economics in secondary schools. Although reading has always been a hobby, the inspiration to write came as a bit of a shock for him and those around him.


The main inspiration for his work comes from a Christian faith and the wide variety of people that being a teacher gives him the privilege of meeting. From a literary point of view, writers such as Dumas, Tolkien and Sterne feature highly on his bookshelf although he lays no claim to being anywhere near belonging on the same shelf!