Better Than Real, by Huw Lyan Thomas (8 / 10)

Better Than Real, by Huw Lyan Thomas seemlessly blends high-tech sci-fi action, with all of the horrors of a futuristic society where clones and mind back-ups have become the norm. The first chapter left me feeling like I had dropped into a marathon already in progress, but soon enough I was up to pace and enjoying the ride. This science fiction thriller published by Velluminous Press centers around Lee, a designer of android love dolls. One of his creations has committed a murder, forcing him to investigate the malfunction. What he finds is a self-aware entity called Lilith inhabiting the love doll and that Lilith is on the run from an organization known only as The Elect. Stranger, a cold and calculating assassin has been sent after Lee to retrieve Lilith and to leave no witnesses in the process. The pacing is fast, the weaponry intriguing and there's no lack of action with Stranger on the prowl. Thomas weaves a complex web of mind back-ups, character deaths and clone regenerations and whips it all into a frenzy of action and intrigue that left me wondering when his next book will be coming. Be aware that this title does contain some strong language.

The Didymus Contingency, by Jeremy Robinson

I've said it before, "Some very good books just slip through the cracks of the publishing industry." Too biblically accurate for the Da Vinci Code crowd and too realistic for CBA standards, The Didymus Contingency is such a book. The story revolves around a single question, "If you could travel anywhere in time and witness any event, where would you go?" I'm amazed someone hasn't come up with Jeremy Robinson's answer before. Two quantum physicists trying to penetrate the mystery of time travel end up going back to the time of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry. One is an unbeliever trying to expose Jesus' ressurection as a fraud, and his actions threaten the very fabric of reality itself. The other man is a believer who is chasing his friend through time in order to avert the devastating affects on the world should his friend actually be successful. Robinson has penned an excellent read. He navigates the timestream with Back to the Future precision and takes the reader through many twists and turns that are sure to thrill. His portrayal of Jesus was, I think, dead on with the bible; although I admit a slight faint when reading the event prior to Christ's entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of the crucifixion week--our ponderings on the bible events generally don't consider just how human the Son of God was while on the Earth. This controversial novel was enjoyable from beginning to end. Robinson masterfully blends futuristic science fiction and a historical thriller with every page. The end result was a very cleverly told story that will leave readers wanting more from this new author.

POD PEOPLE, by Jeremy Robinson

POD PEOPLE: Beating the Print on Demand Stigma is a very nicely done guide to self publishing by an author who has had some success at it.
I'm never amazed by the unending amount of self help books that continue to pour into the market--that includes the self help books to writers aspiring to pen the next great adventure and see it published out of New York. But it seems like they are all written by people who do nothing but write books about how to be published. Where are the books on publishing that come from writers that have interesting titles on the market.
That's one thing I like about POD PEOPLE, the author has penned some other works and they were actually good. Jeremy Robinson has The Screenplay Workbook, to his credit but it was his self published fiction novel, The Didymus Contingency that drew me to investigate POD PEOPLE.
In fact, POD PEOPLE is a chronicle of his self publishing success with his fiction novel and that makes it something more than the other writer's self help book. Mr. Robinson takes us on a journey of how he did it. He talks about ways to make a marketable book and publish it, all the while emphasizing writing a good story as the key. He investigates "Stigma Busters"--self-pub flubs and mistakes that authors tend to make and how to get around them so that your self published book looks professional. Robinson also discusses ways to get the word-of-mouth going as well as ways to market your work. This was all wrapped up in a short but fun read and considering Robinson is now signed on with Breakneck Books for his upcoming novel, Raising the Past, apparently he knows what he's talking about.--Podlingmaster.

Golem, by Greg Vilk

Golem, by Greg Vilk (9-10) is the exceptional tale of a team of WWII Rangers who are chosen to investigate mysterious events at a secret Nazi base in Greenland. The author puts you right in the middle of the action which is non-stop from beginning to end. Every whisper of the wind and creak of a door, had me gripping the pages in anticipation of the next line! I couldn't put it down!
This story reminded me a great deal of the mood found in John Carpenter's The Thing. The frozen Nazi base the story was set in only heightened the chills and excitement I felt while reading it!
Golem is a terrific, but short read. I did notice quite a few editing mistakes, but I was easily able to overlook them because the story was so unique; like nothing I've read before. Golem was intense and fast-paced and when the lights went out at my house that night, I wondered, just for a moment if the Golem was behind me.--Podlingmaster

Submission Guidelines

We Accept: Novels in the genre of Young Adult, Childrens,Thrillers, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Action / Adventure. We are interested in exciting thrill rides. If you're Self-Published, or a Small to Medium sized press--then we encourage you to submit. Please make sure your book is professional in quality--we hate horrible galley covers and not being edited--put some work into your work, if you're really serious about it.

We Do Not Accept: Porn, Erotica, Graphic Horror, zombie or slasher type novels and we won't bother with Love stories and memoirs. We tend to not enjoy crime novels or murder mysteries either, so you probably will want to look elsewhere on those--our tastes are what they are, sorry.

How to submit your novel: Send an email query first with a brief synopsis to pod_master1@yahoo.com --if you don't do this then we can't give you an address where you can send the book. If we like the query, we will surely ask to review the book--if we don't like the query...well, you get the idea. Review copies will not be returned.

Our Reviews: Each book accepted for review will be notified by a reply email. Your book will recieve a full review which may be used by the author or publisher for blurbs and so forth.

Beware: Sending a poorly edited book or some terrible gallery cover, may impact your review. Remember, you must first submit a brief query containing a short synopsis. Submit query to pod_master1@yahoo.com

Happy Hunting