Pariah (Donovan, #3) by W. Michael Gear – Review

Tags

5 stars, alien planet, Book Review, frontier planet, hybrid, scifi, W. Michael Gear

About Pariah by W. Michael Gear

The third book in the thrilling Donovan series, a sci-fi action adventure set on a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.

Corporate assassin Tamarland Benteen’s last hope is the survey ship Vixen. With a load of scientists aboard under the supervision of Dr. Dortmund Weisbacher, Vixen is tasked with the first comprehensive survey of the newly discovered planet called Donovan. Given that back in Solar System, Boardmember Radcek would have Benteen’s brain dissected, he’s particularly motivated to make his escape.

The transition that should have taken Vixen years is instantaneous. Worse, a space ship is already orbiting Donovan, and, impossibly, human settlements have been established on the planet. For Dortmund Weisbacher, this is a violation of the most basic conservation tenets. Donovan is an ecological disaster.

Down on Donovan, Talina Perez takes refuge in the ruins of Mundo Base with the wild child, Kylee Simonov. But the quetzals are playing their own deadly game: one that forces Talina and Kylee to flee farther into the wilderness. Too bad they’re stuck with Dortmund Weisbacher in the process.

Back in Port Authority, Dan Wirth discovers that he’s not the meanest or deadliest man on the planet. Tamarland Benteen is making his play for control of PA. And in the final struggle, if Benteen can’t have it, he’ll destroy it all.

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Review of Pariah

Pariah is about the intense struggle between humans and all their adversaries – the hazards of space travel, alien flora and fauna, and of course, other humans. The colonization of the planet Donovan (named for the first man that was eaten by a quetzal upon landing) serves as the foundation to the gripping illustration of these human struggles. Spoiler — humanity doesn’t always win.

Throughout the series, there has been a deplorable lack of characters to empathize with. The exceptions for me are Talina and Kylee. Talina has remained the stalwart anti-heroine, but in Pariah, the quetzal TriNA in her system has her having waking dreams that are a danger to those around her. So Talina sets out for Mundo base, and hooks up with Kylee, the only other character that I empathize with. These two make an interesting team, even if they don’t quite mesh. It’s a short-term partnership. But right now, they don’t have any other options. Talina and Kylee share the quetzal connection which also makes them the most interesting characters as they grow into their hybrid status.

Shig and Yvette are not bad characters, but there is not much depth to those characters. Their background and motivation lack details. Shig is an interesting spiritual man and the story could do with a little more Shig. While these two do have critical roles in Pariah, they remain mostly in the background. In the meantime, corporate leader Kalico has grown into the leader we always hoped she could be. Still on the other side of the fence from the original settlers, but finding wisdom in working things out. She may be the one to watch in future installments.

With Pariah, two more fairly despicable characters are added to the mix. Tamarland Benteen, aka, the Scorpion. Killer, plotter, ruthless, truly evil. And Dortmund Weisbacher, the highly-educated biological conservationist with a gigantic ego and absolutely no common sense. These two make the bad guy from books 1 and 2, Dan Wirth, look like a nice guy.

Character-driven, the author has given us an amazing crowd of individuals to focus on in Pariah. But I really needed more of the book to focus on characters I liked. By the time I was done reading Pariah, I was pleased I did not have to put up the reprehensible anymore.

From the first book, this series always reminded me of the SyFy TV show Defiance. Both display a lack of city planning in the scrabbled together buildings, seemingly innocuous leader(s), security with an attitude, cash/trade business, and multiple people playing games for power in a true frontier atmosphere.

Despite the lack of characters to connect with, I still give Pariah a 5-star rating. I realize a lot of people love to hate the bad guys.  And I appreciate the fact that Donovan’s plan for success is constantly being threatened makes the story difficult to put down. Captivating, haunting, breathtaking and imaginative, Pariah is a frontier tale for the SciFi genre.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Breaking the Dance (A World of Spies Mystery, #2) by Clare O’Donohue – Review

Tags

5 stars, Argentina, art forger, Book Review, Buenos Aires, Clare O'Donohue, humor, international spies, mystery, spy

About Breaking the Dance by Clare O’Donohue

Husband and wife college professors Hollis and Finn Larsson think their days as accidental spies are behind them. But just weeks into a new school year, a mysterious envelope arrives containing two passports. The photos are of Hollis and Finn but the names are Janet and Tim McCabe. Within hours, the couple is forced onto a private plane headed to Argentina with an Interpol mission to find Irish art thief Declan Murphy and a haphazard plan to get home with their lives―and marriage―intact. As clues take them from the mountainous north through the tango halls of Buenos Aires to the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego, they rush to find Declan and escape from the clutches of those who would do them harm.

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Review of Breaking the Dance

Hollis and Finn are quite entertaining as they step into their second round of playing international spies. How they got into this position, I can’t tell you because I have not read Beyond the Pale, book 1 in this series. But, after reading Breaking the Dance, I plan to. Already have it downloaded to my kindle.

I do know that Declan Murphy had something to do with it. Art forger and con man, enigmatic and charming, the reader does not really get to know Declan all that well. There must always be an air of mystery surrounding him. This is sure to make him a favorite character.

I also really like Blue agent Peter Moodley. He is all don’t ask questions, just do what I tell you one moment and the next he is there to save Hollis and Finn from certain harm. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to mess with him, but you do want him on your side. He and Declan have a hate-hate relationship that will evolve into something else in Breaking the Dance. It is quite enjoyable to watch.

But of course, the stars of the book are Hollis and Finn. As a couple, they are adorable and their banter is charming. As spies, they manage quite well, surprisingly. Hollis actually had CIA spy training, but ultimately went for the academic career. So her spy skills are there, just a bit rusty. Hollis is pure academic. For both of them, their intelligence is what allows them to become these accidental spies. They can think on their feet, improvise when needed and fake it when they don’t know what the heck they should know.

In Breaking the Dance, they are presented with a series of cryptic clues. While I thought the clues were a bit contrived to move Hollis and Finn from one scenic South American locale to another, I still enjoyed them. Taking place mostly in Buenos Aires Argentina, the narrative is full of admiration for the city’s architecture, people, food and for the culture in general. I’ve never been there, but I kind of want to visit now.

This contemporary spy story is full of intrigue, humor and romance. Breaking the Dance does stand alone, if you want to start the series here. I plan to catch up with book 1 and continue the series because I can’t resist the mysterious international criminal and the smart academic couple.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Westside by W.M. Akers – Review

Tags

5 stars, alternative history, Book Review, historical, horror, mystery, New York City, scifi, W. M. Akers

About Westside by W.M. Akers

New York is dying, and the one woman who can save it has smaller things on her mind.

A young detective who specializes in “tiny mysteries” finds herself at the center of a massive conspiracy in this beguiling historical fantasy set on Manhattan’s Westside, a peculiar and dangerous neighborhood home to strange magic and stranger residents.

It’s 1921, and a thirteen-mile fence running the length of Broadway splits the island of Manhattan, separating the prosperous Eastside from the Westside—an overgrown wasteland whose hostility to modern technology gives it the flavor of old New York. Thousands have disappeared here.

Slightly built, but with a will of iron, Gilda follows in the footsteps of her late father, a police detective turned private eye. Unlike that larger-than-life man, Gilda solves tiny mysteries: the impossible puzzles that keep us awake at night.

Yet on Gilda’s Westside, tiny mysteries end in blood—even the case of a missing white leather glove. Mrs. Copeland, a well-to-do Eastside housewife, hires Gilda to find it.  When Gilda witnesses Mr. Copeland’s murder at a Westside pier, she finds herself sinking into a mire of bootlegging, smuggling, corruption—and an evil too dark to face.

All she wants is to find one dainty ladies’ glove. But as she begins to see the connection between his murder, her father’s death, and the darkness plaguing the Westside, she faces the hard truth: she must save her city or die with it.

NOTE:  The blurb has been edited for length.  See retail sights for more details.

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Review of Westside

When I started reading Westside, I called it a ‘quirky little book’ – after a few chapters. Quirky, yes, but using just that one word does not do justice to the book. So here are a few more:

Unusual – the setting and plot of Westside are truly unique. I crave true originality in books, and when such imagination is expressed in a book, I must tell the world! The setting is an alternative early 20th century New York City. A wall divides the East from the West because the West started to go weird. Really weird.  Houses started sinking, vegetation took over, rust overtook everything rustable and people started disappearing. But Gilda Carr loves her home and would not even consider changing where she lives.

Interesting – Good thing Gilda is a Westsider, because she makes a compelling heroine. Five-foot-tall, solver of tiny mysteries. “Those impossible puzzles that burrow into our brains like splinters and keep us awake at night.”  Because big mysteries are dull. Interesting philosophy. Also interesting is the fact that a peace loving petite detective suddenly becomes a gun-toting, body-slamming big mystery solver.  Gilda’s evolution was swift but, strangely, did not seem out of character.  In all fairness, the big mystery started with a tiny mystery.  The Case of the Missing Glove.

Action-packed – the story takes place over just a few days. It felt like longer, not because the story dragged, but because there was so much crammed into it. And not always neatly crammed, but messy, sloppy, what-the-heck-is-going-to-happen-next? crammed.

Which leads me to twisty. Reading the first few chapters, I could never have imagined how things would play out. Not even close. If I can’t guess the ending of a book, I call it a good one!

Colorful – so many big characters, dark corners, loud music and stormy skies. Imagine the Aurorae Borealis only more colors. And louder. Beautiful and fascinating and I just couldn’t take my eyes away from the page.

Genre-bending – okay, that may be a given, if you read the blurb. Historical, mystery, scifi, and horror. Take your pick, you will find it all in Westside.

So to summarize:  unusual, interesting, action-packed, twisty, colorful, and genre-bending. When I put those all together, I get Quirky! 5 stars!

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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