Review: The Hunt For Seawolf 4: A War Against The Black Sun novel

The Hunt For Seawolf 4: A War Against The Black Sun novel by Dietmar Arthur Wehr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Hunt for Seawolf 4 is a historical fiction novel set in the last days of World War II and recounts an interesting “what if” tale of the last fragments of the Nazi regime as the war ended and they fled from Germany. It’s part historical fact and part creative storytelling with a bit of conspiracy theory thrown in -- but all great reading. After the book is over, the author sorts fact from fiction in an interesting (and educational) review of what is actually part of the historical record and what was created for the novel.

When you get right down to it, Dietmar Wehr just tells a damn good story. I’ve read at least 8 of his novels and his style has been fairly consistent through all of them. In The Hunt for Seawolf 4, the plot unfolds in snapshots or small scenes that skip forward in time; each scene reveals key events, conversations, and characters in the story. There is no ultra-immersive world-building or characters with incredible depth and development, but there is both a very active narrative and uncommonly compelling story. It’s reminiscent of a theatrical production and I think it works very well, particularly for this “historic” work.

Special thanks to Dietmar Wehr, who gave me this book as part of his mailing list promotion. If you like his work, I strongly suggest finding Wehr's website and joining his mailing list where you can find his latest updates, promotions, and occasionally free books!

For the audiobook version:
Luke Daniels always delivers a solid performance when narrating. Though he isn’t my favorite narrator out there, I’ll always give any of his books a shot if I see his name -- I know that the narration will be good. His narration of The Hunt for Seawolf 4 is well done and he tackles a variety of unique character voices, some with difficult accents. My only critique is that I think he struggles with some of the female characters in the story, but overall, it’s very good.

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Review: Fight the Good Fight

Fight the Good Fight by Daniel Gibbs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fight the Good Fight is a military science fiction novel set in a universe where humans have colonized many nearby star systems in a religion-driven exodus from the Sol system. At the opening of the novel, a war between the deeply spiritual, democratic Terran Coalition of the colonized planets and the atheist, socialist League of Sol from the earth has been ravaging both territories for years. The story follows the career of David Cohen, an orthodox Jewish naval officer, as he rises through the ranks of the military and battles with the conflicts of faith and war. The world-building is impressive, particularly the way religion shapes the social and military structures of the societies, but atheists (or socialists) may find this book defamatory, as the League of Sol is vilified for their lack of religious beliefs and portrayed much like a stereotype Soviet-era Russia. Even the title is a reference to a bible verse (“Fight the good fight of the faith,” 1 Timothy 6:12).

For a military science fiction story, Fight the Good Fight is a decent representative of the genre with a really fascinating sociopolitical system as a backdrop for the military action and political maneuvering. As far as action goes, I think the book was slightly lacking; though there were some exciting battles, much of the story either skips non-critical engagements as time was fast-forwarded or gets bogged down in dry dialog outlining the religious or bureaucratic systems of the setting. While I can appreciate the detail that went into the setting, sometimes I really wanted battles and explosions.

I’ve noticed that lack of deep character development is a flaw for many military science fiction novels, and Fight the Good Fight is no exception. The characters are very one dimensional -- generally, they are all business and very serious. Every character is driven by a strong sense of duty and little else: duty to the military, duty to their nation, duty to God, and duty to family. Though there’s an occasional reference to friendships or other interests (David’s “best friend,” for example), there’s not much interaction in the actual dialog that shows these social dynamics. If characters are social outside of work or worship, it’s not something the reader gets to see happening. I missed this insight into the dynamics of the personal relationships of the characters and as a result, I didn’t feel very invested in the characters or their fate as the plot moved along.

All-in-all, it’s a solidly good book in the genre, but not a great one. I feel like the plot could have been improved with more character development and better story pacing with great focus on the action for a military science fiction novel set in the middle of a decades-old, constant conflict. All that said, I was good enough that I would give the next book in the sequel a shot to see if these small issues are resolved.

Thank you to Aethon Books who provided me this book free of charge at my request.

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Review: Homefront

Homefront by Craig Alanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Don't listen to the haters. Trust the Awesomeness.

I know this audio drama has gotten some flak from fans of the ExForce audiobooks. Don't listen to them! It's amazing. Yes, the music and sound effects are loud at times, but there was never a time when I couldn't hear and understand the dialog. Like other ExForce works, the story is great and it's still full of the humor and action that makes the book series great. The full cast really brings a nice depth to the characters you already love and the sound effects and music immerse you into the narrative. I hope Podium decides to produce more of these audio dramas for the ExForce series. Also, I wish that Kate Mulgrew could get a permanent role as the voice of Nagatha for all of the audiobooks. Other than R.C. Bray, her performance was my favorite out of the full cast.

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Review: Soundtrack to the End of the World

Soundtrack to the End of the World by Anthony J. Rapino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A brilliant and unique take on a classic genre.

Soundtrack to the End of the World is a great story with a really interesting premise that makes it something unique and well worth reading. I’m going to try not to spoil it too much because part of the enjoyment of the book is in the unraveling of the mystery, but I have to say that it is very different from your typical zombie apocalypse novels. The separation from the traditional and predictable elements is smart and refreshing. If zombie apocalypse books aren’t your thing, you really should give this book a try. If the stories in that genre are your thing, then you REALLY have to give this book a try. I gave it a shot because I received the book for free, but after I finished it, I have no doubt I would have purchased it if I had known how good it was.

In addition to the interesting premise, Rapino just writes a damn good story. The characters had a nice depth to them, the plot development had a balanced pace, and there were plenty of twists and turns along the way that kept me engaged and interested. The ending left me with some unanswered questions, but I think the mystery was intended. As the book comes to a close, the audience and the characters are left with a shared uncanny sense of puzzlement over the events that occurred over the course of the narrative. You will be disappointed if you read the book thinking all the mysteries will be revealed at the end.

This is the second book I’ve listened to that was narrated by Eric Moore and he’s given a consistently great performance both times. He’s got some talent producing a wide range of voices for different characters, including both male and female characters that is convincing. His tone adds to the suspense and mystery to books like the Soundtrack to the End of the World. I’d recommend giving any book he narrates a try.

Thank you to Eric Moore, who provided me this book free of charge at my request.

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Review: Lost Colony

Lost Colony by A.L. White
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lost Colony has a classic science fiction plot and all the story elements you could ask for in a SciFi adventure. However, the delivery of those elements is a bit lacking. The dialog all feels forced as if it's just there to explain things to the reader and push the story forward. Other than the captain and ship's doctor, the characters are mostly flat and undeveloped -- which is odd because several attempts were made to introduce bits of background for some of the other characters, but those teasers were never fleshed out or affected the storyline. It made for characters that were easy to mix up but the characters pretty much served interchangeable roles in the plot -- primarily as military grunts to be ordered around by the captain.

There are definitely parts of the story I really enjoyed, however the end of the book felt rushed and the plot started to unravel a bit at the end. There are a few plot holes at the end that perhaps the reader is supposed to fill in, but it leaves much of the story feeling incomplete. If this is a prequel novella for a larger series, it does serve its purpose for introducing a series, but as a stand-alone story, it's average and ends leaving you with many questions. It’s not a bad book, but it’s not a great one either.

The narration may have led to the average feelings I have for the book. It's not the worse narration I’ve ever heard by any means (I wasn’t tempted to just stop listening), but there was little there that I would have even called a “performance.” The narrator pretty much just read the story and though the main few characters had unique voices, most of the voices were so similar you wouldn’t be able to identify a character without their name being mentioned. The action scenes were the worst part of the narration, as the narrator never sounded excited, scared, happy, or expressed much of any emotion; everything was delivered with the same flat, even tone.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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Review: Heart of a Dragon

Heart of a Dragon by David Niall Wilson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book felt like I had started in the middle of a series rather than the first book -- and maybe this is a spin-off series or something similar, but I couldn’t find any information on specifics. Anyway, this book is really odd. There’s a really interesting story and the world-building is quite fascinating. The lore of the world and the magic system are intriguing. However, the “main character,” Donovan DeChance, felt more like a back seat passenger to the main plot concerning two biker gangs and their arcane fueled turf war. His role could have easily been replaced with any other secondary character (or a combination of them) and the storyline would have pretty much remained the exact same from start to finish. And his character was flat and really interesting. He could have been killed off at any point in the book and I wouldn’t have felt anything at all.

The narration continued the oddness with Donovan. While the other characters felt alive and were given vivid and unique life through their voices, Donovan was monotone and spoke with almost no expression or emotion. I don’t understand the choice unless it was an attempt to capture the essence of being a “classy” wizard, but to me, the performance fell flat.

Overall, I liked the basic elements of the story, but not the overall implementation. In all fairness, I am not an urban fantasy fan but agreed to listen to and fairly review the novel. It may be that a listener really into the genre may be more forgiving of some missing details and odd characterization. In my opinion, the plot itself could easily have been a standalone novel, excluded DeChance, and been a pretty entertaining story set in a fascinating, fantasy world. However, the disjointed combination was confusing and hindered both the narrative and narration.

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Review: Banebringer

Banebringer by Carol A. Park
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Banebringer was a surprise. An extremely pleasant one. I took a chance on a new author and I’m not often wow’d by most of the newcomers I try out. The story has an interesting premise full of fictional mythology involving altered humans known as banebringers. Banebringers are the source of magic, but also the source of horrible creatures known as bloodbanes which rise when a banebringer dies. Because of this, banebringers are hated and feared; much of the book’s plot involves social issues from our own world, such as prejudice, discrimination, and political hypocrisy. It’s very well done and the social justice undertones do nothing to diminish the plot or enjoyment of the story.

Along with its unique premise, Banebringer also delivers solid storytelling and compelling, deeply flawed characters. Both of the primary characters in the story are antiheroes whose actions are driven by the pains of their past traumas. They wage a constant battle between their desire to forgiven for their sins and the fear of the vulnerability that letting go of their rancor and self-loathing would bring. Their distress is almost tangible at times. The characters are not unrealistic paragons of good and the “realness” of the presentation of their wounded psyche brought the point of view portrayal into dark and uncomfortable places. Banebringer is not a pleasantly light and happy tale and that is one of the reasons I loved it.

I suppose at its very core you could call this a love story. Or at least a love adjacent story. Ok, fine, it’s more of a story of lust, hate, and very painful sexual tension. I’ve never been so close to screaming “just screw and get it over with!” at imaginary characters from a book before -- but that should show just how real and authentic the characters sometimes felt.

Banbringer was performed by Eric Bryan Moore, a new-to-me narrator that brought the story and characters to life with vivid and engrossing execution. Moore produced unique voices for an entire cast of male and female characters but his best work was portraying the two primary characters, complete with their self-hatred, tortured psyches, and tension-filled interactions. Park and Moore have definitely been added to my respective lists of authors and narrators to look out for. A special thanks to Eric Moore who provided me a copy of the audiobook -- I was happy to write this voluntary review.


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Review: The Tournament of Supervillainy

The Tournament of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

C.T. Phipps kills it in the Tournament of Supervillainy. In a good way. After things were wrapped up nicely in book 4 of the series, I was very sad to think that we’d see no more of Gary, Cindy, Diabloman, and others -- but I was never so happy to be wrong. The Tournament of Supervilliany continues the adventures of Gary (AKA Merciless, the Supervillain without Mercy™) after the events of the first 4 books have wrapped up, but it doesn’t feel like the series is getting old or stale; in fact, the Tournament has been one of my favorite books since the first book in the series. It’s written in the same style as the previous books, but the formula doesn’t get old as each book takes on a different nostalgic element of those who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s -- this time it’s classic “fighting” games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.

The entire Supervillainy Saga is just plain fun, entertaining reading (or listening) that doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet still manages to tell some great stories and develop amusing characters that you’ll grow to love. If you haven’t tried any of the series, go back and start on book 1, The Rules of Supervillainy. Don’t try to think about it too hard and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

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Review: The Future of Supervillainy

The Future of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you like riding dinosaurs, killing Nazis, and, fighting terrorist Supervillains? Then the Future of Supervillainy is for you! But seriously, this book is great for so many reasons. Still the same irreverent, hilarious fun, but now Gary is in the center of the earth, kickin’ Nazi ass and trying to free the native kingdoms of the land from the evil tyranny of Tom Terror. It brings me back watching Land of the Lost on Saturday mornings -- but with the Nazis from Indiana Jones.

C.T. Phipps has kept this series going now into book six, often moving into new, interesting literary territory that I’ve never experienced in a book. I doubt the adventures of Gary will be an example of classic literature in 50 years, but the way that Phipps ties together the multiverse of his storytelling worlds is impressive. Having characters from different series “guest star” in the Supervillainy books (books 5 and 6) may seem like a silly gimmick, but it’s done really well and has gotten me to branch out and look into genres and series that I would have normally ignored.

Kafer continues his perfect performance in this series and provides an ideal voice acting to bring life to the different characters. His range is amazing and at times I feel like there’s no way the books are being narrated by only a single person. The only drawback for me is that Kafer is so good at delivering punchlines and narrating comedy, I may never be able to listen to him narrate a serious book again -- sorry Tyler Barron.

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Review: The Science of Supervillainy

The Science of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Science of Supervillainy is the 4th book of The Supervillainy Saga and neatly ties up the story arc and plot hooks developed throughout the first 4 books. One thing I really respect from Phipps writing style is his ability to write a crazy, insane plot full of ridiculous humor and situational comedy and still make me care for and connect to his characters. The Science of Supervillainy has some great, happy times, but also some really sad, heart-wrenching moments as well. All I can say without giving away too many spoilers is that you will understand what I mean by the end of the book.

I also really appreciate the diversity presented throughout the series. Though much of the series pays homage to the golden age of comics, Phipps has retained the nostalgic references to the classics while recreating the genre with a modern cast of heroes and villains in a way that shows clear respect for all people, diverse lifestyles, and personal expression. He doesn’t just play it safe and avoid these issues but instead makes them a major theme that runs throughout the series.

Jeffrey Kafer is perfect for this series. After four books in this series, his tone and ability to create a diverse cast of characters have made Kafer one of my favorite narrators. If you have never listed to him before, you should give this series a chance just to hear his performance. You will not regret it (unless you hate fun and laughing out loud while people look at you nervously because they don’t realize you are listening to a really hilarious audiobook).

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Review: The Secrets of Supervillainy

The Secrets of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Secrets of Supervillainy is the 3rd book in The Supervillainy Saga and while not my favorite book overall in the series, it does contain some of my favorite moments, quips, and character banter thus far. The series continues its irreverent comedy, entertaining pop-culture references, and satirical allusion to classic comics and reading or listening to this book (or any book in The Supervillainy Saga) is a guaranteed way to lift your spirits whenever you need to smile. However, the normally convoluted plot in previous books is elevated to an insane level of… well, insanity, and becomes almost impossible to follow. So its best to just sit back, don’t think too hard, and enjoy the ride (kind of like that psychedelic scene on the chocolate riverboat from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Much of it gets explained in the next book, so just go with it for now.

My only major criticism of this book is that both the start and end feel disjointed. This book is set almost a year after the end of the 2nd book and many of the events in the last are replayed through flashbacks, but they can get confusing and most feel unnecessary. I feel like there should have been a book between this one and the previous one (or even just a 2.5 novella). The ending is also a bit odd and feels as though it comes too soon. It doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger, but at the same time, it leaves major plot elements unresolved. That being said, The Secrets of Supervillainy is still great fun and well worth the listen.

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Review: Woven

Woven by Bree Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Woven is a retelling of classic Arthurian legend in a new, unique way. And for something that has been retold as many times as the stories of King Arthur and his knights, a story that can put fresh life in the classic tales and twist it in an unpredictable way deserves fairly high praise. I cannot say more about the story without risking giving away its secrets, but if you are a fan of Arthurian legend, you’ll enjoy it.

Woven is well written and fun, but I did have a few issues with the story. Many of the characters felt flat and did not have many dimensions, or did not gain many until the end of the story. Their reactions to tragic events and deaths were often odd and muted and many of the characters you would expect to have powerful personalities were underwhelming. I found that although I really enjoyed the story, I didn’t develop an attachment to or feel empathy for any of the characters. Also, much like true Arthurian legend, magical events and people are not really explained, the source and origin of legendary items are not revealed, and the true motivations (and fates) of many of the characters remain a mystery. While this may be a stable of a millennium-old classical genre, it makes this narrative feel incomplete in some places.

One more note about the book: The plot develops slowly -- perhaps too slowly for some people. I found myself confused about what is really going on for the first half or so of the book, and was double-checking character’s names and was tempted to go back to the previous chapters to make sure I had not missed details somewhere along the way. That puzzlement will pass and your patience will be rewarded when the twists and turns of the plot are revealed, but you have to get there before it happens.

Rebecca McKernan does a decent job narrating this novel, but her accent was often so melodic that I found myself tuning out to what she was actually saying during long monologues in her “narrator voice” when characters were not talking. However, I do think her voice was fitting for the book given the genre and setting. There were some issues with audio repeating lines, but nothing that occurred so often it was detrimental to the overall performance.

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Review: The Games of Supervillainy

The Games of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Games of Supervillainy is the next great book in The Supervillainy Saga. The first book in the series was full of superhero tropes and classic comic references and the second book continues the nostalgic fun, but this time Phipps alters the recipe -- he’s added some zombie apocalypse, a bit of evil cult, and a generous dollop of Lovecraftian horror with a dash of dragon and giant Nazi robot for extra tang. The entire book is full of witty humor and parodies of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror genres which are a clever and fun play on the classics. Even with the humor and spoofs, Phipps still manages to make his characters interesting and has created them with unique personalities and interpersonal relationships, which continue to develop throughout the story. The inner (and occasionally outer) dialog between Gary and Cloak remains one of my favorite parts of this series so far.

Jeffrey Kafer brings this book alive in the audible version. His performance continues to wow me as he narrates the story with engaging action, lovable characters (even the villains!), and hilarious dialog. Phipps and Kafer together make this book a great success.

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Review: The Rules of Supervillainy

The Rules of Supervillainy by C.T. Phipps
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Rules of Supervillainy (The Supervillainy Saga Volume 1) is a fun, light-hearted parody of the superhero genre that elicits nostalgia for the golden age of comics. The Supervillainy Saga is purposely packed with superhero tropes and comic references but is still wildly entertaining with a roller-coaster ride of a plotline. All the poking-fun at the genre does not prevent it from being a great superhero story (or supervillain story, I suppose) and its satirical approach is fun, clever, and unique; Phipps really enjoys writing Supervillainy Saga and it’s a labor of love by someone who has a life-long passion for comics. If you are only into serious superhero stories, this book may not be for you. However, if you love a good humorous story with witty characters that is not afraid to make fun of itself, it is a great read (or listen!).

The narration is excellent and really brings life to the book's characters. Jeffrey Kafer is a talented narrator that has really managed to capture (or create) the personality of the primary characters through unique voices and makes this book very entertaining to listen to. The narration for the audiobook has also made me realize that Kafer has a wide range and is an excellent voice actor; I’ve listened to Kafer narrate more serious stories and at first, I did not recognize his voice as the narrator for The Supervillainy Saga. I am very impressed with his performance and ability to match the narration with the overall tone of the text he is reading.

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