It’s a new era, one where everything – from the calendar to clothing – are standardised. The Supreme Leader is the example to follow, while The Party is the organ responsible for implementing his decisions and preaching. His word is transmitted mainly through The Book, a document telling the tale of one man’s, Winston, victory over his own deviances. Each person is responsible to overcome their deviances, using the Book and other guidelines provided by The Party, but since no man is perfect and there is always room for improvement, there are some figures, known as deviance-guardians, who are responsible to check on the population and keep track of deviant behaviour. DV-8 is one of them. One day, DV-8 comes across a copy of The Book, and while he is turning the pages, he realises that there is an irregularity: the pages are thicker than they should be, and while he rubs one page in between his fingers, a secret in-print in between the regular text is revealed. It’s the work of The Resistance, a movement aiming to destroy the status quo. His flatmate, a girl called DV-9 who, just like him, is in charge of spotting and reporting any deviancy in the population, turns out to be part of the resistance. This is one of many plot-twists within the story, the most spectacular one right at the end.
‘Dave’s New World’ is a pleasant read, although not the most original. The numerous plot twists are probably the best part of it. The idea behind the book is full of potential, but unfortunately execution falls flat more often than not. We felt it lacked elements of the ‘good, old drama’, the one that creates conflict within a character, who is forced to choose between two contrasting things that are perceived as equal in value. Besides, being a dystopian novel along the lines of of ‘1984’ and ‘Brave New World’, it would have been useful to lead the readers inside the world’s conventions, dynamics, rules, architecture and so on. However, this is Richards’ debut novel and a commendable effort overall. The narrative is fluent and the prose is clean and expressive, leaving us with high hopes for any future endeavour. Definitely a story that deserves a chance.
Abducted. Trapped. Hunted. Grace Benson is running out of time. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt, Grace Benson believed she could finally return to a normal life. But that hope shatters when she’s kidnapped from her own home and thrust into a nightmarish scenario with no escape in sight. As Grace struggles to survive her captivity, an FBI investigation into the brutal murders of a congressman and his staff uncovers a shocking connection to her abduction. The stakes are higher than anyone could have imagined, with international stability in the balance. In the depths of a hidden bunker, Grace forms an unlikely alliance with a mysterious child who holds the key to their escape. But as they navigate a labyrinth of treacherous tunnels, the smallest mistake could cost them their lives. With a deranged captor closing in, Grace must rely on her wits and courage to stay one step ahead—or face a terrifying end. For fans of high-octane thrillers like Alex Cross and Gabriel Allon, this pulse-pounding story delivers twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
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Looking for a high-octane, fast-paced thriller without profanity? Check this out!
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
S.F. Baumgartner is a Christian suspense thriller author. She graduated from the University of Hawaii and the University of Cincinnati. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her cats, staying active, and binge-watching crime TV shows. She lives in Ohio with her family.
From the author of ‘The King of Gravesend’ Series.
Angelicum, Peter Draper, 2024
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Angel Trent fairly recently started painting, and several of her works won prizes in local competitions. Remembering something that her wife, Ro, once said about the paintings belonging in a gallery she decides to open her own gallery and auction house in an abandoned pub, that is a few hundred years old and once served the workers and travellers on the River Thames. More importantly she wants to feature artists that she considers “Angels” – people that have given selflessly to the community, and to use any money raised to fund an art therapy program at Besi’s Place, the shelter that she and her wife started together. Meanwhile a serial domestic abuser is released early from prison, seemingly a model and reformed character, but really he is hell bent on finding his ex-wife and daughter and teaching them a lesson. His descent into obsessive madness runs headlong into Angel’s dream project when he becomes convinced they are being kept at Besi’s Place.
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All of my latest books have dealt with current, and very real, issues. Including the surge in politicians and others seeking fame through divisive and hate filled rhetoric, human trafficking and modern slavery, organised and exploitative crimes being committed under our very noses (google Alice Guo, Philippines for an example) and in this book, the evil of domestic abuse and how abusers often justify it by quoting religious texts. I never met a cause I wouldn’t meet head on.
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Recently retired and living in the Philippines Peter draws on a lifetime of experiences to create unique characters and situations. Those experiences include having worked in the cinema and entertainment industry, in corporate business and over 25 years in military and civilian parachuting and skydiving, including over 10 years with the Qatar Special Forces. He boldly champions the LGBTQIA+ community and integrating many of his characters who are members of that community seamlessly into his plot lines.
Introducing ‘AJ and the Incredible Fish’, the new novel of the author of ‘The absolute true story of la Befana’.
AJ and the incredible fish, Paolo Mazzucato, 2024
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Eleven-year-old AJ doesn’t care much for impossible stories and fancy dreams. He lives in the “real” world, where adventure is limited to schoolroom pranks, and hopes get trampled by broken promises. So, spending the weekend on a ratty, old, Maui fishing boat, listening to his eccentric Grandpa’s wild fish tales, is not AJ’s idea of a fun time. But AJ will have to rethink his notion of what’s “real” when Grandpa casts off with him and his peculiar friend Livvy onboard, embarking on a quest to capture a mythical, giant fish that’s waiting for them somewhere out beyond where ordinary things happen. Into the eye of a storm and across the high seas, through a prison break and chase through the desert, beyond the grasp of quagmires and sea queens… they journey, pursued by doubt and a shadowy, peg-legged pirate intent on keeping them from their prize. And through the perilous adventure, AJ and Livvy come to realise that the only real danger in life comes from never leaving the shore.
WHATARE YOUR BOOK USPs?
AJ and the Incredible Fish” is both a fun adventure for young readers, and a deeper exploration of how taking a chance and believing in something incredible can be the key to a life well lived.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
Paolo Mazzucato is an American fiction author and screenwriter. He began his writing career as a Chicago playwright and award-winning student filmmaker before moving to Los Angeles where he won awards for screenwriting and scripted various projects for film and television. He is also the author of several children’s books including “No One Mocks a Panda” (an Amazon #1 Best Seller, Feb. 2019), and “The absolutely true story of La Befana” (an Amazon holiday Top 100 title). He is also the author of the fantasy/adventure novel, “The Gondoliers: The Secret Journals of Fanticulous Glim,” a “recommended” read by the US Review of Books.
Anger started billowing like a winter storm around crowd of us. We could feel it, smell it, taste it. It lifted us up and carried us.
Glossopdale, Derbyshire, 1570s.
Tasked by Queen Elizabeth I to look after Mary, former ‘Queen of Scots’ – her cousin and essentially her prisoner – Earl Shrewsbury’s finances are put under strain, this significant undertaking adding to already high household expenses and an overall challenging economic situation in rural England. For this reason, his Receiver William Dickenson tries to persuade him that rents need increasing across all his estate, which does not sit well with the people of Glossop: the extortionate new rates proposed would mean being unable to survive, let alone live with dignity. One man stands in the way of these controversial changes: ‘Black Harry’ Botham of Storth Farm. While he is well aware that the justice system won’t oppose these increases, given Lord Shrewsbury’s power and influence, he feels his and his fellow farmers’ grievances deserve to be heard, so he sets out for London – on foot – with other tenant farmers, determined to be heard by the Queen’s Privy Council. This huge undertaking will involve walking to the capital three times, in an ordeal that will last around seven years but will see them be granted fairer, more affordable rent increases:
[…] we ended up with rents as we could pay; and if what we’d done helped other folk in England get fair rents and all, well, happen we’d done God’s work while we were doing our own.
“Black Harry” is a delightful yet demanding read, a historical novel that is not for the faint-hearted. The story is told by two alternating narrators: Harry’s brother-in-law and close friend Tom ‘Spiderlegs’ Booth and William Dickenson. The change in narrator is paired with the use of a different language: while Tom speaks the vernacular – something the reader gets familiar with fairly quickly, to the point that it is no longer challenging to understand – and in first person, Dickenson speaks a more familiar English, his side of the story told in third person. While this could be considered a bold choice, it is totally in keeping with the ‘spirit’ of the book, to the point that one cannot help but wonder if Henderson deliberately sacrificed his potential for commercial success in favour of what appears to be essentially an ‘exercise in style’. The level of skill with which the author is able to give a voice to the concerns and challenges faced by ‘the common men’ around their living conditions is impressive. What is even more impressive is that this is done organically through dialogue alone: exposition does not belong to this book, something that makes it particularly special, as it prevents it from becoming a lengthy, pedantic lecture on Elizabethan England. Credit to Henderson for his extensive knowledge of this historical period (backed up by years of research, surely) and the huge amount of information on events, politics, culture, as well as beliefs and folklore he managed to pack in the book, also a sign of acute (and maybe ruthless?) editing, to create the best work possible. In terms of character development, I preferred Tom Booth and his child-like attitude and view of the world to Harry’s feisty and somehow ‘shady’ nature, which however does not take away from his remarkable achievements as a leader; Tom is his complete opposite (his faith in Harry unshakeable), the epitome of the ‘simple man’, but meant in the kindest way. The book contains a number of descriptive moments that are nothing but little gems, such as Tom’s thoughts when he is in front of the Privy Council for the first time and instead of concentrating on how crucial this moment is for him and his companions, he notices how, despite the council members’ higher position in society, they have ‘black teeth and foul breath’, while people like him, of a lower status, might be missing a few teeth, but they are white and healthy. There are no heroes or villains in Henderson’s recount, and the story maintains an enjoyable balance between historical accuracy and fictional aspects throughout.
If you are looking for an impeccably written historical novel, this book is for you. As a fan of the genre myself though, I advise you to take your time and enjoy the journey: this is not a book you should read in a weekend if you want to appreciate all its nuances. Do hold on to it for as long as it takes, it won’t disappoint.
