Book Review: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

Format: Hard Cover, First Edition, 2010 Pages: 435 Reading Time: about 8 hours The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is the 10th and final book in the Ranger's Apprentice series. I was slightly disappointed in the previous book, so I had debated about whether to spring for the final installment. Though it has numerous problems, The Emperor …

Something Has Awoken…

I've been working on writing a novel since I was in my teens, and I've always been my worst critic. Early on, I rejected my writings as simplistic; I knew I didn't have the life experience necessary to make the reader believe that I knew what I was writing about. As I grew older, and …

Book Review: Wards of Faerie by Terry Brooks

Format: Hard Cover, First Edition, 2012 Pages: 366 (not including a 5 page preview of Bloodfire Quest) Reading Time: about 7 hours Wards of Faerie is the first book in The Dark Legacy of Shannara series. After the debacle of The Legends of Shannara series, I vowed that unless things changed, I was done with …

Book Review: Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Format:  Hard Cover, First Edition, 2012 Pages:  288 Reading Time:  about 6 hours For a quick recap of the plot, see Neth Space's review here. Neth does a really good job in summarizing the plot, something I don't feel the need to do here. Instead, I'll focus on the positive and negative impressions resulting from …

Book Review: Tin Swift by Devon Monk

Format: Oversized Paperback, First Edition, 2012 Pages:  369 Reading Time: about 6 hours After reading and reviewing the first book in The Age of Steam series, Dead Iron, I had enjoyed it enough to spring for the sequel, Tin Swift (check out the review of Dead Iron here). Was it a good decision? Read more …

Dealing With Grief

There's an old saying that time heals all wounds. It's a lie. Don't believe it. What time does is make the pain bearable. However, the wounds never completely heal - the scars remain. Over a year after the passing of my dog Bear, I still miss him. My heart still hurts from time to time. I …