Book Review - The Crew by Sadir S. Samir

 So, where to start. How about the good and the not so good?

The good: fast paced, likeable characters, good story, intense climax, satisfying ending

The not so good: main character a bit childish

I did enjoy this book. The story was fast paced. As you can see, the good outweighed the not so good. The climax  was intense. Lots of action. The ending, was oh so satisfying. We got a bit of a happy ending. Yay! A rare thing is a fantasy. 

Extra good, the main character changed from what he was like at the beginning. I was glad to see him growing up & not being so childish. 

I'll give the book 4 *'s. It earned it. It took me a lot longer to read than it should have. That is on me. My bad. The last half of the book moved faster than the first half, making me want to read it more. 

Should you read this book? Yes. If you want to be entertained, you should definitely read this. You'll enjoy it. Oh & the cover. It's great. I always seem to enjoy a book that has a great cover.

Thanks to the author for a copy of it. Much appreciated. 

Book Review - The Big Bundle by Max Allan Collins

 I give this book 3.5 *'s. Why? It started off with a fast pace. The story was good, with good characters. What I didn't know was that this book was loosely based on some factual events. That's fine and all.  I don't mind a good historical fiction. 

What I didn't enjoy was the second half of the book. I found it a bit slow. The story lost is fast pacing. It seemed like it was dragging. I struggled to continue reading it. 

I'm glad I did finish it. Overall, I did  enjoy the story. Will I read more from Nate Heller? Not sure on that. Maybe, maybe not. I do still enjoy the Hard Case Crime books. Every so often, I do read one that I do not enjoy one. 

I thank Hard Case Crime for the opportunity again to read an ARC. I do hope that I get more of those. 

If you like Nate Heller, you'll enjoy this one. 

Book Review - The Shattered Walls by Ulff Lehmann

 Started on October 22, 2022

All I can say is,  Holy Crap!

What a book!

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this. Mostly those were the chapters that gave a review of all that had happened in the previous books. That review was much appreciated. 

The book also has maps at the beginning. I liked that. It's always good to see what their lay of the land & where they are sort of looks like. 

The story did not slow down at it. It picks up right where the previous book ends. The pace is fast. There is rarely a slow moment. That makes the story enjoyable. 

One of the most interesting parts of the book, at least to me, was when we learned more about Drangar's birth and his father Darlonter. No wonder they're both a bit fucked up. I would be too, if I went through what they did.

There's also a bit of comedy though out the book. Every time somebody said, "Fuck me" and was answered by "Maybe later" I gave a silent chuckle. A bit of comedy is such intense situations is always a good thing.

The only slow part of the book was when Lloreanthoran went back home to the elves. A lot of detail as to how that part of his world changed. I didn't mind the slow parts, it gave a bit of a break from all that intensity.

The ending! OMG! We ended on a cliffhanger. Did that just happen to Drangar?! How long until we find out? 

I look forward to the final book in this series, as I really enjoyed this book.

Oh & this cover. It's wonderful.

Book Review - The Shattered Spire by Ted Cross

 This book took me way too long to read. No fault of the book. Too many headaches.

This was a really good book. Fast paced. Likeable characters. Great world building. And of course, it has a dragon. 

The point of view changes with each character, so you know what's going on at that specific time. I've read many books like this. I enjoy it. You get to know the characters better. 

The dragon. It's big, huge and black. Nasty bugger. 

The world. It's not Earth, as it has three moons. This world was well thought out. 

I recommend this book, especially if you enjoy reading about dragons and sword fighting, kings and knights. This book had it all. Oh & that cover. It is amazing.

Book Review - MANY WORLDS - The Novelettes of T. E. Mark - Vol VIII

 Well....where to start. Let's start with the first story, SIM

SIM

The story is fast paced. The characters are likeable. It has a unique story. The one thing that I didn't enjoy in it, was the way it jumped back and forth from the SIM to the present world. It if would have been written with chapters, it would have been less confusing. After awhile, I got used to the way it was written. It didn't bother me quite as much. I did end up enjoying the story. The ending was fitting to the situation/plot. 

VINDICATION

This story too was fast paced. It had good, well developed characters. I had an interesting plot. This one wasn't as confusing as the first story. The future world was quite interesting. The ending was good. It had a happy ever after. 

 

MANY WORLDS

I didn't care, in the beginning, about this story. I found it difficult to like the characters. The story itself was good. It was a bit slow at first. After the climax, the story pace really picked up and I enjoyed it a lot more. By then, the characters became more likeable or disliked, depending on the said character. The ending was good. Everything seemed to have been resolved.

 

In summary, the stories themselves were all interesting and well plotted out. They were all resolved at the end, which each ending satisfying. I did end up enjoying these stories. Yet, I'm still not a fan of short stories.  

Book Review: The Next Time I Die by Jason Starr

 Well...that was a good read. What if? What if there are multiple universes and that when you die, you get placed in a different universe? What if...

That is the premise of this book. It was very well executed. The author did a great job at creating alternate universes. The characters are well developed and change along with the universe. 

What if, you woke up after something tragic happened to you & you were the same, but everybody else was different? This happens to our main character. He goes through his life, like nothing has changed, only things have. 

The story itself has a good pace to it. A little bit slow for the first few chapters, but once it picks up, it picks up. It keeps at that pace right to the end. With that happening, you keep on wanting to read to see what happens next. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good read. A bit of a mystery with some science fiction mixed into it. Things I enjoy reading. Read it. You won't be disappointed. 

Winter Storm Warning

 

4:27 AM CDT Tuesday 12 April 2022
Winter storm warning in effect for:

• Mun. of Emerson-Franklin incl. Roseau River
• R.M. of De Salaberry incl. St-Pierre-Jolys and St. Malo
• R.M. of Hanover incl. Steinbach Niverville and Grunthal
• R.M. of La Broquerie incl. Marchand
• R.M. of Ritchot incl. St. Adolphe and Ste. Agathe
• R.M. of Ste. Anne incl. Richer
• R.M. of Stuartburn incl. Zhoda Vita and Sundown
• R.M. of Tache incl. Lorette Ste-Geneviève and Landmark

Hazardous winter conditions are expected.

Major spring storm poised to wallop southern Manitoba beginning overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning and lasting until Friday morning. Widespread snowfall accumulations of 30-50 cm accompanied by northerly winds gusting 60-70 km/h giving zero visibility at times in snow and blowing snow.

A Colorado low will move towards Minnesota Tuesday night bringing a heavy swath of snow through most of southern Manitoba. The snow will start early Tuesday evening near the International border then push northward throughout the night. By Wednesday morning heavy snow will be falling in much of the area as the storm continues to push northward. Strong northerly winds will develop with this system and persist into Friday morning as the low slowly pivots through Minnesota on it's way into northwestern Ontario.

For the City of Winnipeg and points southeastward, a break in the snow may occur on Wednesday afternoon or evening before snow re-intensifies overnight into Thursday. 15 to 20 cm is likely by Wednesday afternoon, with a further 15 to 20 cm likely with the second area of snow overnight Wednesday through Thursday and Thursday night.

By Friday morning, widespread snowfall accumulations of 30 to 40 cm are likely.

Travel will become increasingly difficult as the day progresses Wednesday, with widespread highway closures a near-certainty. By Wednesday evening even travel within communities may become impossible as the heavy snow and strong winds continue... and more of the same is expected on Thursday.

Do not plan to travel - this storm has the potential to be the worst blizzard in decades. Stock up on needed supplies and medications now. Power outages are likely, rural areas in particular should be prepared for extended outages.

Conditions should begin to improve on Friday as the winds taper off and the heaviest snow moves into northern Ontario...although the clean-up after this storm will likely last well into next week.

Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. Rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult. Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. There may be a significant impact on rush hour traffic in urban areas. Heavy snowfall accumulation combined with strong winds may cause damage to trees or other structures. Poor weather conditions may contribute to transportation delays.

Winter storm warnings are issued when multiple types of severe winter weather are expected to occur together.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to MBstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports using #MBStorm.