Matt Heckler at the Android Dreamer blog has put up a review of The Know Circuit as part of his cyberpunk month. I want to thank Matt for his great review. You can read the full review here. Overall, he gives the book a B+, rating it higher than he did Under the Amoral Bridge. Sometime during this month, he'll be posting an interview with me as well, which I'll post when I get the chance.
Read more...
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Friday, March 4, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Under the Amoral Bridge Reviewed by The Android Dreamer
Matt Heckler, of the sci-fi blog Android Dreamer, published a review of Under the Amoral Bridge a few weeks ago. I've been meaning to post about it but haven't had much of a chance over the last few weeks. I want to thank Matt for the great review! Read more about the review after the jump.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The Know Circuit Featured on The Indie Spotlight
My second cyberpunk novel, The Know Circuit, was featured last week on The Indie Spotlight. The Spotlight is a site run by the self-published authors Edward C. Patterson (founder of Operation eBook Drop) and Gregory Bernard Banks, owner of WheelMan Press. The article features an interview with me and an excerpt from the book. Click here to see the spotlight and if you'd like to buy the book, you can find out where to get it on this page. Thanks to Ed and Greg for providing indie authors a place to hawk their wares.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A.F. Stewart reviews Under the Amoral Bridge
A.F. Stewart, writing for the Canada Sci-Fi Examiner, recently reviewed my first science-fiction novel, Under the Amoral Bridge. She gave it a favorable review. The only negatives had to do with a few minor formatting mistakes and typos. That's a fair cop for a book edited by yours truly. Thanks, A.F. for your positive review!
Read more...Thursday, September 2, 2010
Red Adept Reviews Under the Amoral Bridge
Red Adept Reviews, one of the most well-respected Kindle eBook reviewers, posted a review today of my debut cyberpunk novel, Under the Amoral Bridge. She gave it an amazing 4 3/4 stars! You can read the full review here, and there's a taste after the jump.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Great Review of Under the Amoral Bridge at InkSplashD
Author David Alexander has a blog called InkSplashD and has recently reviewed the eBook version of Under the Amoral Bridge. He gave it a great review, with the only real negatives being the formatting of the ePub version - something he notes is a problem with many of Smashwords' ePub versions. From the review:
I downloaded the ePub version of the file from Smashwords and shuttled it to the top of my TBR pile. That was like a week ago. Off and on, over the course of the next few days, I managed to finish all 51,000 words.
And let me tell you, I need Book 2. The book was well written, dialog was sharp, and descriptions were pretty much on-point. Ballard doesn’t hit you over the head with pretty prose or pages upon pages of description. There’s nothing pretty in 2028 Los Angeles. His prose comes off sharp, the characters acerbic.
I'd like to thank David for his excellent review!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Featured on Bitsy Bling's Book Review Author Hot Seat
The author Charlie Courtland runs the book blog Bitsy Bling's Book Review. She recently began a series of author interviews to promote unknown, indie authors called The Hot Seat. I've been featured along with my new novel, The Know Circuit, on the Hot Seat, found at this address. A big thank you to Charlie for her help promoting indie authors like myself!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Drunken Scholar Review Under the Amoral Bridge
Brandon over at the Drunken Scholar has reviewed my debut cyberpunk novel, Under the Amoral Bridge. He gave it 3.5 pints, a good review for someone who almost decided against reviewing the work because it was self-published. Thankfully, he got over his objections and enjoyed the book. His only criticism was that the ending seemed a little too neatly tied up - a valid concern. I can only repeat what I said in the comments on the review: it may seem neat, but later books in the series will prove that there are unintended consequences that come back to haunt Bridge. I want to thank Brandon for the opportunity to have the book reviewed. Don't forget, you can still get the Kindle and other eBook versions for only $.99 cents!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Feedback from the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards
In January, I entered The Know Circuit in the yearly Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards and received word in February that it had reached the second round of judging, as mentioned in this earlier post. The second round of judging ended in late March, and I am sorry to say I did not get through that round. The judging for this round was based on reading a 3,000-5,000 word excerpt, and the ABNA's expert reviewers would offer feedback to all entrants in the second round.
I welcome all criticisms. As you may have noticed, I link to every review my work gets on this blog, and they've all been positive. That worries me: positive reviews are great, but I know good and well that the work isn't perfect. I want as much negative feedback as I can, otherwise I run the risk of believing that nothing is wrong with my work. Tear my book a new one, as long as the review fairly considers the book, I'm happy to hear it. With that in mind, here are the reviews from the ABNA in their entirety.
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?
Has potential. Interesting cyber-effects and gadgetry, interesting cyberpunk New World. When the psychic attack hits, a new element is introduced.
What aspect needs the most work?
It's hard to say on the basis of this short a segment. The three segments presented here are all setting the scene for the longer term plot development.
What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?
Pretty strong but needs a rewrite for clarity and focus.
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?
The foul language is strong, but not in a good way.
What aspect needs the most work?
Words like goddamn bullshit, fucking, damn, etc. could be toned down a bit. This is offensive and detracts from the storyline. Some of the language isn't even discernable.
What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?
You lost my interest in Chapter 1 with all of the foul language. This needs some work.
I'll be honest, their feedback is pretty sparse. Understandable when you have 1,000 entries to go over. I do take exception with the second reviewer, even though the criticism is fair. As a matter of fact, when I gave my mom Under the Amoral Bridge to read, her first criticism was the abundance of foul language. I'm well aware of my tendency to swear like a sailor, both in real life and in my writing. I consider myself a gourmand of profanity, a veritable connoisseur of cursing. I love the idea of coming up with entirely new swear combos like some wacked out avatar in a street fighting video game, only instead of fighting with fists, I fight with words.
I expect my mother to get offended by curse words. She's my mother. But an impartial reviewer of a literary contest? This person ought to be able to take a few f-bombs now and then. I made a very conscious choice about the profanity in the novels. Profanity is the verbal texture of the criminal world. A criminal world without excessive profanity is the sanitized, unreal world of television pantomime, a caricature that lacks punch and menace. Could it be removed? Certainly, but my opinion is that to do so drains the world of character, of believability. Obviously, this reviewer feels differently. I think it's a damn shame my book would get kicked because someone can't stand a bit of the salty talk. By my count, there's 15 swears in that 5,000 word excerpt. That doesn't seem excessive enough to warrant a thumbs down.
As I said, it's a fair criticism, but a very disappointing one. How is the ABNA going to pick interesting work if they are more concerned with potty mouth than interesting subject matter? What do you think? Am I being the pissy artiste? Is this criticism a valid reason for bouncing the material from the competition? Does the profanity turn you off?
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Under the Amoral Bridge Featured on A.F. Stewart's Canada SciFi Examiner
A.F. Stewart maintains an Examiner page focused on science fiction available in Canada. She graciously agreed to post a spotlight of myself and my cyberpunk novel, Under the Amoral Bridge. You can find the spotlight here. I'd like to thank A.F. for giving me the opportunity to hype my book to my neighbors in the north who have real health care. Don't forget, the eBook version is still only $.99 cents at the Kindle Store and Smashwords.com. The paperback is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, {indie}pendent books. If you purchase the paperback through CreateSpace with the coupon code HC86CZSY, you can get it for the low price of $9 (plus shipping).
Friday, January 15, 2010
Interview with Spad's Literary Potpourri
Spad, of Spad's Literary Potpourri, has posted an interview with me as part of his Featured Authors Project. The interview covers a host of subjects, and contains an excerpt from Under the Amoral Bridge. Click here to read the interview. Thanks are due Spad for working to promote us indie authors.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Another Great Review of Under the Amoral Bridge
Josie at The Book Journal has posted a review of the first novel in the Bridge Chronicles, Under the Amoral Bridge. You can read the review here. She gave a fair, positive review of the book, having had it recommended to her by another book blogger. I'd like to thank Josie for giving this book her attention, and I should have another announcement in conjunction with this sometime this week. Don't forget, you can still get 50% off the paperback at this link by using the coupon code TN442MGR - that's the trade paperback for only $6 + shipping! You can also get the ebook version for $0.99 cents at Smashwords or the Kindle version for the same price.
Monday, December 7, 2009
SciFi Mafia.com Reviews Under the Amoral Bridge
The good reviews keep rolling in! Jason at SciFi Mafia has reviewed my debut novel and given it five stars! Head on over to read the review now. I appreciate Jason's feedback and am glad he enjoyed the novel. And don't forget the Christmas season discounts. You can now get 25% off the paperback at CreateSpace with coupon code HC86CZSY, and the Kindle and the Smashwords ebook versions are only $4!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Guest Blogging & Book Giveaway Contest
Heather over at the book blog Book Obsessed has posted a mini-review of Under the Amoral Bridge in front of the guest blog post I've written for her. Head on over to Book Obsessed and read The Genesis of Inspiration. I talk about some of the influences that first led me to write, ranging from my mother to cheesy B-movies and role-playing games. Heather is also giving away a copy of Under the Amoral Bridge, so don't miss out on your chance to win a free copy. And don't forget that from now until Dec. 1st, you can get 25% off the paperback or ebook version of the novel - click here for details. I'd like to thank Heather for the kind words about the book, and for the promotion.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Interview with Mihir of Fantasy Book Critics
I wanted to drop a small post here pointing everyone over to my first interview as an author! Mihir from Fantasy Book Critics has posted a long interview we conducted via email. I ramble on about the Bridge novels, the Cold War zeitgeist and anything else that came to mind. Head on over and enjoy! And don't forget to buy Under the Amoral Bridge, my first published cyberpunk novel available now on Amazon.com, CreateSpace, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble Ebook Store.
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