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 - 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

...

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.

  

Book Review - Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes

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.

Super Powereds: Year 1 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 were all really well conceived and developed. I found myself interested in each other their stories and caring about what happened to them. The author wisely didn't relay on the standard superpowers but instead put a little more thought into it. While each is somewhat interesting on their own, in pairs and groups they have great chemistry with each other.

Execution. A superhero training school is by no means an original concept, but the approach to focus more on the relationships and the school aspect than the super aspect made a more interesting story.

The Bad

Cliches. While this was mostly well conceived and well thought out, the author did rely on a few tired cliches that didn't ruin the book, but the author could have done something a little more interesting. And the epilogue relied on an obvious cliffhanger that has been used way too many times.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the author had foreshadowed the ending. It seemed to come out of nowhere and felt contrived.

Overall

Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes is a science fiction teen angst school drama. The characters were all really well conceived and developed. I found myself interested in each other their stories and caring about what happened to them. The author wisely didn't relay on the standard superpowers but instead put a little more thought into it. While each is somewhat interesting on their own, in pairs and groups they have great chemistry with each other. A superhero training school is by no means an original concept, but the approach to focus more on the relationships and the school aspect than the super aspect made a more interesting story. While this was mostly well conceived and well thought out, the author did rely on a few tired cliches that didn't ruin the book, but the author could have done something a little more interesting. And the epilogue relied on an obvious cliffhanger that has been used way too many times. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

Book Review - Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World by Tim Marshall

Geography is a fascinating study that is largely overlooked. And in today's bitterly-political world, it's rare to find a real scholar who looks at the facts and does his best to ignore his politics.

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World by Tim Marshall is a nonfiction book looking at the current world situation, why it is like it is, what is most likely to happen, and why so many seemingly "good" ideas are actually impractical fantasies. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Scholarship. People misuse words like "science" and "scholarship" to justify and give credence to their existing opinions, but very few people actually apply scientific principles or strict scholarship when analyzing a situation. The author of this book does, and it is fascinating and explains so much. It also helps the reader to understand why so many policies in the past failed when they sounded like such good ideas.

Writing. While this is a very scholarly book, it is written in terms that normal, average people can understand and, even better, enjoy. This book never becomes slow nor boring.

The Bad

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What I Would Like to Have Seen

I was very satisfied.

Overall

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World by Tim Marshall is a nonfiction book looking at the current world situation, why it is like it is, what is most likely to happen, and why so many seemingly "good" ideas are actually impractical fantasies. People misuse words like "science" and "scholarship" to justify and give credence to their existing opinions, but very few people actually apply scientific principles or strict scholarship when analyzing a situation. The author of this book does, and it is fascinating and explains so much. It also helps the reader to understand why so many policies in the past failed when they sounded like such good ideas. While this is a very scholarly book, it is written in terms that normal, average people can understand and, even better, enjoy. This book never becomes slow nor boring. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.

  

 

Book Review - Star Runner by B. V. Larson

I'm a big fan of science fiction, but it's getting harder and harder to find something in the genre that is interesting and not just a rehash or bad remake of something I've already seen or read.

Star Runner by B.V. Larson is a science fiction space opera drama. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good

Characters. The characters are really likable and not the usual suspects. The main character is a clone of the smuggler captain which is just different enough to make him unique. One of the characters is a symbiotic life form, but they author puts a twist on her I hadn't seen before. They all have great chemistry together and each is developed enough you care what happens to them.

Story and Pacing. The story is a twist on the weapon smuggler space opera story but with twists and turns you don't normally see in that sub genre. While the science is important to the story, the characters and their missions in life and interactions with each other make up the majority of the plot and story. The book moves quickly and holds the reader's attention.

Use of Biology and Technology. Most science fiction focuses on a single area of science and usually follows a common use of that science. This book uses several and uses them well and uniquely. It was a surprise to encounter advanced travel technology, military technology, and biological systems all used together and each used in a unique way.

The Bad

Ending. The book felt like it just stopped instead of ended.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the ending had felt more like an ending and not just the end of another chapter. When the book was over, I wasn't sure the story had ended.

Overall

Star Runner by B.V. Larson is a science fiction space opera drama. Most science fiction focuses on a single area of science and usually follows a common use of that science. This book uses several and uses them well and uniquely. It was a surprise to encounter advanced travel technology, military technology, and biological systems all used together and each used in a unique way. The story is a twist on the weapon smuggler space opera story but with twists and turns you don't normally see in that sub genre. While the science is important to the story, the characters and their missions in life and interactions with each other make up the majority of the plot and story. The book moves quickly and holds the reader's attention. The characters are really likable and not the usual suspects. The main character is a clone of the smuggler captain which is just different enough to make him unique. One of the characters is a symbiotic life form, but they author puts a twist on her I hadn't seen before. They all have great chemistry together and each is developed enough you care what happens to them. The only negative is the book felt like it just stopped instead of ended. When I finished reading the book, I wasn't sure the story had ended. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.