Book Review - The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell

I'm not a fan of most fantasty, but I do like magic in the modern world and I like reading about occupations I've heard little about.

The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell is a contemporary fantasy book telling the story of a man who becomes a butler for an old man claiming to be a wizard. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Premise. The premise is really unusual. While I've read several stories of magic users in the current time, I've read very few about a traditional butler in a modern times, and it is the butler angle that makes this a unique and enjoyable story. The magic is done well too, but it nothing special or unusual.

Characters. The characters are all really interesting by themselves but also have great chemistry with each other.

Story. The main plot is a greedy relative trying to steal a dying relative's estate, but the twists of a butler and magic elevate it to a different type of story and experience. It moves at a good, gentle pace giving the reader time to enjoy the peculiar parts of this world and the characters' histories. I never found myself getting bored.

Details. The author includes a lot of details about the mansion where this story takes place and the role of butler for such an estate. Before reading this I didn't think the daily routines of a butler could be interesting, but the author found a way to make it fascinating.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

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Overall

The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell is a contemporary fantasy book telling the story of a man who becomes a butler for an old man claiming to be a wizard. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read. The premise is really unusual. While I've read several stories of magic users in the current time, I've read very few about a traditional butler in a modern times, and it is the butler angle that makes this a unique and enjoyable story. The magic is done well too, but it nothing special or unusual. The main plot is a greedy relative trying to steal a dying relative's estate, but the twists of a butler and magic elevate it to a different type of story and experience. It moves at a good, gentle pace giving the reader time to enjoy the peculiar parts of this world and the characters' histories. I never found myself getting bored. The characters are all really interesting by themselves but also have great chemistry with each other. The author includes many details about the mansion where this story takes place and the role of butler for such an estate. Before reading this I didn't think the daily routines of a butler could be interesting, but the author found a way to make it fascinating. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

    
 

Book Review - Thank You For My Service by Mat Best

I'm a big fan of entrepreneurs and hearing how they stumbled into their businesses.

Thank You For My Service by Mat Best is a nonfiction book telling the story of a teenage boy who joined the military, his experiences in the Middle East, and finding a purpose and direction after coming back to civilian life. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Stories. Mat is a great storyteller. He makes even the most mundane events sound exciting. He injects so much personality into his tales and has a great way to insert his wild opinions and commentaries into stories without interrupting the flow.

Lessons. Mat made a lot of mistakes and learned from most of them. He isn't afraid to share his mistakes or successes with others. He's very honest and doesn't fake humility or pride.

The Bad

Language. The language is definitely adult. It adds a certain humor and personality to the book, but some people may not be able to get past it.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

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Overall

Thank You For My Service by Mat Best is a nonfiction book telling the story of a teenage boy who joined the military, his experiences in the Middle East, and finding a purpose and direction after coming back to civilian life. Mat is a great storyteller. He makes even the most mundane events sound exciting. He injects so much personality into his tales and has a great way to insert his wild opinions and commentaries into stories without interrupting the flow. Mat made a lot of mistakes and learned from most of them. He isn't afraid to share his mistakes or successes with others. He's very honest and doesn't fake humility or pride.  The language is definitely adult. It adds a certain humor and personality to the book, but some people may not be able to get past it. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Book Review - Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby

I've been a Libertarian since studying Economics in college and seeing how incentives are much more effective to drive people and nations than regulation and force.

Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby is a nonfiction book about unintended consequences that always follow regulation and government programs. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Explanations. So often well meaning people do things to help others only to have their efforts backfire and actually make the problems they're trying to solve worse. This book explains how that happens, why that happens, and how to avoid that.

Examples. The author uses many examples from around the world and quotes actual numbers to support and illustrate his points. I appreciate the variety and the specific numbers he gives.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

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Overall

Life After the State: Why We Don't Need Government by Dominic Frisby is a nonfiction book about unintended consequences that always follow regulation and government programs. He clearly explains why well-meaning people do things to help others see their efforts backfire and actually make the problems they're trying to solve worse. This book explains not only how that happens and why that happens, but also how to avoid it. The author uses many examples from around the world and quotes actual numbers to support and illustrate his points. I appreciate the variety and the specific numbers he gives. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Book Review - Super Powereds: Year 2 by Drew Hayes

I loved the first book in the series and was really excited to read the second. But I was also worried. Would it be as good? Would it capture the magic of the first while adding something new? Would the story take a disappointing turn?

Super Powereds: Year 2 by Drew Hayes is a science fiction teen angst school drama. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Characters. The characters all retained what I loved about them in the first book, but each moved forward and developed both as individuals and as a group. I also enjoyed how the powers were further explored and more ways to use their abilities discovered.

Continuation. This book continued the story from the first book but added new elements, new plot twists, new developments that were all consistent with the world created and rules set in the first book. Yet there were enough new situations and growth that this felt like its own book and not just a repeat of the first.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

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Overall

Super Powereds: Year 2 by Drew Hayes is a science fiction teen angst school drama. The characters all retained what I loved about them in the first book, but each moved forward and developed both as individuals and as a group. I also enjoyed how the powers were further explored and more ways to use their abilities discovered. This book continued the story from the first book but added new elements, new plot twists, new developments that were all consistent with the world created and rules set in the first book. Yet there were enough new situations and growth that this felt like its own book and not just a repeat of the first. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    

Book Review - Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes

I love fairy tales, but I'm not a big fan of modern reinterpretations or variations on the classics, mostly because they are so predictable, dull, and derivitive. But every once in a while and author comes along with a unique spin.

Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes is a fantasy tale that spins multiple fairy tales and stories together. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Story. The author has created a clever story where a group of three mercenaries travel from one fairy tale to the next righting wrongs. The author and story look at fairy tales from a more realistic point of view exposing some of the stranger parts we've heard so many times we usually gloss over. The story is very tight with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and moves at a nice pace.

Characters. There are three characters, Jack who cut down the beanstalk, Frankenstein's monster, and a female werewolf who work together helping those in need for a price. They all have very different personalities, interesting backstories, and great chemistry.

Use of Fairy Tales. The author does a really clever job incorporating fairy tales and other stories in his narrative. They fit the story well never feeling forced, and they provide a new perspective on such familiar tales causing the reader to view them in new and interesting ways.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

A sequel.

Overall

Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes is a fantasy tale that spins multiple fairy tales and stories together. The author has created a clever story where a group of three mercenaries travel from one fairy tale to the next righting wrongs. The author and story look at fairy tales from a more realistic point of view exposing some of the stranger parts we've heard so many times we usually gloss over. The story is very tight with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and moves at a nice pace. There are three characters, Jack who cut down the beanstalk, Frankenstein's monster, and a female werewolf who work together helping those in need for a price. They all have very different personalities, interesting backstories, and great chemistry. The author does a really clever job incorporating fairy tales and other stories in his narrative. They fit the story well never feeling forced, and they provide a new perspective on such familiar tales causing the reader to view them in new and interesting ways. Overall, this is a very entertaining tale. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

Book Review - Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth

I am a big fan of biographies, history, science, and technology. I'm also a big fan of science fiction becoming science fact. It's not often these five areas come together in one story.

Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth is a nonfiction short novel about one woman losing an arm and then regaining feeling and function via surgery and a prosthetic. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Story. This book tells the story of a woman who is bitten by a racoon, her arm becomes severely infected to the point it has to be amputated, and then a new, never-before-performed surgery restores sensation and motor functions to the art. The story itself is pretty remarkable, because everything that happens is pretty basic and ordinary, and yet the results of every event and every action was not the usual or even the expected. There were also many unexplained and seemingly impossible twists in the story.

Telling. The author is the doctor who performed the amputation and the surgery to restore sensation and function. He does a remarkable job detailing the events in a very interesting way. His ghostwriter(s) should probably credited on the cover as well.

Technology. This book discussions cutting edge technology and surgical techniques that not long ago were strictly in the realm of science fiction. It was a lot of fun to see them move into the light of science fact.

The Bad

Stops too Soon. This book stops too early. There is still so much more to this story, but I suppose the author wanted to get the important part out there for all to read, and maybe we'll have a sequel to finish the tale.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I really want to know what happens next. Does the main character get a new prosthetic, and does it work like a real arm?

Overall

Rewired: An Unlikely Doctor, a Brave Amputee, and the Medical Miracle That Made History by Dr. Ajay K. Seth is a nonfiction short novel about one woman losing an arm and then regaining feeling and function via surgery and a prosthetic. The story itself is pretty remarkable, because everything that happens is pretty basic and ordinary, and yet the results of every event and every action was not the usual or even the expected. There were also many unexplained and seemingly impossible twists in the story. The author is the doctor who performed the amputation and the surgery to restore sensation and function. He does a remarkable job detailing the events in a very interesting way. His ghostwriter(s) should probably credited on the cover as well. This book discussions cutting edge technology and surgical techniques that not long ago were strictly in the realm of science fiction. It was a lot of fun to see them move into the light of science fact. This book does stop too early. There is still so much more to this story, but I suppose the author wanted to get the important part out there for all to read, and maybe we'll have a sequel to finish the tale. Overall, it is a fascinating story. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

Book Review - Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash by Yahtzee Croshaw

I love comic books and superheroes, but I'm not a fan of books and shows that try to explore the concept. They almost never get it right.

Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash by Yahtzee Croshaw is a humorous science fiction space opera. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Dry Humor. This book is a pretty standard space opera, but what makes it stand out is its dry humor and witty take on both science fiction troupes and human nature.

Characters. The characters are the basic sci fi troupes reinvented into read characters with real histories and real thoughts, cares, and desires. Plus they all have great chemistry and play off each other really well.

Use of Technology. One of the many things I love about science fiction is the new ways authors think of using existing and theoretical technology. This book threw in a novel use of a fairly well used technology and really surprised me at the end. It seems so logical and obvious I'm amazed it hasn't been done much more before.

The Bad

Bad Guys and Authorities. The bad guys and the authorities are the main antagonists in this book, and they were pretty flat and generic. It would have been interesting for the author to have put as much though into them as he did the main characters and their situation.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

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Overall

Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash by Yahtzee Croshaw is a humorous science fiction space opera and a sequel to Will Save Galaxy For Food. This book is a pretty standard space opera, but what makes it stand out is its dry humor and witty take on both science fiction troupes and human nature. The characters are the basic sci fi troupes reinvented into read characters with real histories and real thoughts, cares, and desires. Plus they all have great chemistry and play off each other really well. One of the many things I love about science fiction is the new ways authors think of using existing and theoretical technology. This book threw in a novel use of a fairly well used technology and really surprised me at the end. It seems so logical and obvious I'm amazed it hasn't been done much more before. The bad guys and the authorities are the main antagonists in this book, and they were pretty flat and generic. It would have been interesting for the author to have put as much though into them as he did the main characters and their situation. Overall, this is a very entertaining tale. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.