Fiction – Page 35 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Review: ‘White Gold’, by David Barker

Blurb
VENGEANCE ALWAYS HAS A PRICE
Sim Atkins, Overseas Division agent, returns to Earth, having saved the Moon base from a deadly terrorist plot (see Rose Gold). All Sim can think about is finding the criminals responsible.
But his fury and lust for revenge are put on hold when a nuclear warhead is stolen by Terra Former leader Matthias Larsson. Can Sim and his colleagues track down the terrorist cell and disarm the device in time?
White Gold is the gripping finale in the compellingly original Gaia Trilogy, page-turning thrillers that provoke as well as excite.

Children’s Book Review: ‘The Dream of the Tortoise’, by Nyako Nakar

**Release Date:** 30^th April 2019
**Genre:** Picture Book
**Page Count:** 36
**Publisher:** Clink Street Publishing
**Goodreads Link:** https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45360211-the-dream-of-the-tortoise
**Amazon Link:** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Tortoise-Nyako-Nakar-ebook/dp/B07QP2GB4C

Summary:

This is the story of a tortoise with very big dreams.

Review: ‘Dear Jane’, by Allie Cresswell

Blurb
The final instalment of the Highbury trilogy, Dear Jane recounts events hinted at but never actually described in Jane Austen’s Emma; the formative childhood years of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, their meeting in Weymouth and the agony of their secret engagement.

Orphaned Jane seems likely to be brought up in parochial Highbury until adoption by her papa’s old friend Colonel Campbell opens to her all the excitement and opportunities of London. Frank Weston is also transplanted from Highbury, adopted as heir to the wealthy Churchills and taken to their drear and inhospitable Yorkshire estate.
Readers of Emma will be familiar with the conclusion of Jane and Frank’s story, but Dear Jane pulls back the veil which Jane Austen drew over its remainder.

Purchase Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Jane-Highbury-Trilogy-inspired-ebook/dp/B07PXGL93S

US – https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Jane-Highbury-Trilogy-inspired-ebook/dp/B07PXGL93S

Review: ‘The Greenmen’, by Linden Forster

Blurb
Aereon has found the Creators.
He’s crossed seas and mountain ranges to reach them, tangled with dwarves and ogres along the way, escaped the clutches of an icicle wielding irate yeti to rescue them and now they tell him that they weren’t in any great need of help.
A revolution has sparked in the realm of Hudikvar, because of something things Aereon might have said to a troop of homeless youths. Now, King Victarian is after Aereon and anyone associated with him.
Local woodsman, Lars, has agreed to help them flee and be their guide through Oak’s Wood, but even he cannot guess what lies in wait for them within. Not now the Lord of the Primes is about to wake.
‘He’s got a touch of destiny about him, that one,’ said the Dealer.
‘Aye. He’s got a date with her, I’d say,’ said the Trickster.
‘And she’s ordered the lobster,’ said the Teller.

Purchaase Link:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greenmen-Heros-Arc-Linden-Forster/dp/099579491X/

Children’s Book Review: ‘Ting-A-Ling The Old Ambulance’, by Harry Goldstar

**Information about the Book**
**Title:** Ting-A-Ling: The Old Ambulance
**Author:** Harry Goldstar
**Release Date:** 30^th April 2019
**Genre:** Picture Book
**Page Count:** 50
**Publisher:** Clink Street Publishing
**Goodreads Link:** https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45162409-ting-a-ling
**Amazon Link:** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ting-Ling-Ambulance-Harry-Goldstar/dp/1912562863

Summary:

Blurb
Welcome to the world of Ting-a-Ling. The friendliest old ambulance there ever was. With line drawn illustrations for YOU to colour in helping you to familiarise yourself personally, with Ting-a-Ling, his owner and restorer Alf, his mum, and Mr .Grimsby the boss of the big ambulance station. Open the cover and jump into a whole NEW world of ambulance stories and adventures.
Designed in a quirky style encompassing story telling, entertainment, colouring and education, suitable for both younger readers and adults alike. Truly an all in one compendium. Just like the filling in a sandwich, the best bit’s inside.
Simple and easy to read. The stories are written with a smattering of comical northern dialect in bite size chapters so as not to be taxing on the brain.
Have difficulty in reading? Written by a dyslexic who knows what a struggle it can be. This book really is here to help YOU!
If Ting-a-Ling had wings I would say welcome to the flying start. This book is the first in a series in the making where you will meet Ting-a-Ling and his friends.
TRY ME. If not for yourself. Think of someone else. Possibly a little person who the stories are written for.
You will love Ting-a-Ling. EVERYONE does!

Review: ‘The Suspects’, by Katherine Johnson

**Purchase Links:**
**UK –** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suspects-Katharine-Johnson-ebook/dp/B07PRCJ785
US – https://www.amazon.com/Suspects-Katharine-Johnson-ebook/dp/B07PRCJ785

Blurb
Shallow Grave meets The Secret History in this quirky psychological thriller
Bristol, 1988. Five young graduates on the threshold of their careers buy a house together in order to get a foot on the property ladder before prices spiral out of their reach. But it soon becomes the house share from hell.
After their New Year’s Eve party, they discover a body – and it’s clear they’ll be the first suspects. As each of them has a good reason from their past not to trust the police, they come up with a solution – one which forces them into a life of secrets and lies. But can they trust each other?
“The hugely talented Katharine Johnson has, again delivered a tense thriller! This is a compelling novel – up there with Erin Kelly and Sophie Hannah.”
Val Penny, author of The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries.
“Gripping and frighteningly realistic. The twists and turns kept me guessing to the very end.”
Jo Fenton, author of The Brotherhood.

Unexpected Review #2: ‘We Are Legion (We Are Bob)’, by Dennis E Taylor

Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency; 2nd edition
14th April 2017
£9.31
9781680680584

Blurb
Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it’s a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street.
Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he’ll be switched off, and they’ll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty.
The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad — very mad.

Review: ‘The Beautiful Side Of The Moon’, by Leye Adenle

Published By: Hoatzin Books
Publication Date: 21st February 2019
I.S.B.N.: 978-1-912563-01-2
Format: Paperback

Blurb
Marking an exciting new departure by award-winning Nigerian author Leye Adenle (Easy Motion Tourist, When Trouble Sleeps), The Beautiful Side of the Moon raises an entirely unexpected and intriguing question – what would happen if God went on holiday?
In order to get a better understanding of what it’s like to be human, and to taste humanity’s joys and sorrows, God decides to have a holiday as a human being. During the course of his time off, though, he completely forgets that he’s God, which leads to some utterly unpredictable outcomes…

A delightful, playful, thoughtful adventure in speculative fiction by one of Nigeria’s most exciting new writers.

Review: ‘Divine Invention’, by Linden Forster

Blurb
Most stories begin with either an unforeseen turn of events or a problem.
Krank has a problem. For centuries, the people of the island have lived on the animals and plants to be found there. It was bliss and so the population grew. It was not until very recently anyone noticed that the quantity of plants and animals had not. The delicate balance of the ecosystem has tipped and food is dwindling.
The King assigned the island’s two resident self-proclaimed geniuses, the Creators, to find a solution. The fruits of their labour ripen into the invention of the world’s first aquatic transportation device and promises to provide passage from the island to search further afield for food and resources.
So, there it is. Problem solved. End of story. Barring any unforeseen turn of events…

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Divine-Invention-Heros-Arc-Book-ebook/dp/B01BU60DOA

US – https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Invention-Heros-Arc-Book-ebook/dp/B01BU60DOA

Unplanned review: ‘Artemis’ by Andy Weir

36426750 — Published By: Del Ray
Publication Date: 12th July 2018
Format: Paperback
I.S.B.N.: 9781785030253

Blurb

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you’re not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you’ve got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of Jazz’s problems, as she learns that she’s stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself – and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even more unlikely than the first.