CLOSED to any and all requests until further notice
Thank you for your patience

19 Sept 2012

Alice & Chess

Alice & Chess: Relics of Oz book 1 is written by JC Noir and published through Amazon. A short story at 32,813 words across 242 pages and is split into parts rather than chapters.

JC Noir lives in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania with his daughter. Under the name JC Noir he has also published Solace Through Tragedy: Origins of Oz book 1. A talented photographer JC spends his spare time often creating artwork both for fun and as book covers for himself and other authors.

On Alice’s return from Wonderland she finds herself deemed clinically mad. Locked away for both her own and societies protection she grows up in Wonderlands penitentiary. However Wonderland has changed, now a darker version of itself and known as Lucidity Alice is no longer sure of the line between reality and the magical world she knew as Wonderland.
A mysterious visitor to her cell Alice meets Chess, a man-cat, and with him she sets out once again to thwart the Queen who seeks Alice to destroy her once and for all. But even Chess isn’t the only one to have changed so too has Alice herself.
A world of darkness and death, with influences of cyberpunk and steampunk, old friends must reunite for a new adventure where all is not as it seems and is nothing like it once was.

When innocence changes, it evolves and grows manifesting into something else. When we grow we change, our likes and dislikes, personality etc Did Alice’s growing change Wonderland? And is Lucidity a reflection of her newly created self? What is really going on with regard to the Queen? And why has she taken such a dark and sinister approach in ridding her life of Alice and those who support her. In a newer darker tale we ask ourselves whether Lucidity/ Wonderland is infact real or really a dream. Perceptions are everything when you are deemed insane but who is really the one who is mad?

Jc Noir has done a marvellous job at transforming the story we all knew and grew up with into something entirely different and its own. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone over the age of 16 and would be interested in reading further novels by this author. An enthralling read from start to finish I was glued from the very beginning and had the book read within two days. I give Alice & Chess by JC Noir 4.5 stars.

By R.N. Hadley

12 Sept 2012

Long Gone

Long Gone is written by Thomas A. Bryant and is published through Smashwords. The novel is approximately 108,000 words and 300 kindle pages in length.

Thomas Bryant received his education at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, CA. While studying political science, he began a love affair with books and discovered a passion for writing. Coming from humble beginnings with economic demands, he took an internship in the service industry as a heavy-duty diesel mechanic, which left him little time for books or writing. He sought challenges, including baseball, football and wrestling as a young man and loved speed on the water in a flat bottom race boat called BORN to be WILD. Two weeks before he entered Arizona Bail Enforcement Academy to become a licensed Bounty Hunter, he was involved in a near fatal automobile accident. Disabled and facing his toughest challenge, he returned to his first love of writing and found a whole new world in print and writing crime fiction/suspense novels. He lives in the Ozarks of Missouri.

It is late, so late it’s almost early and Karl and Sammy are nowhere near fore filling their order on time. All out of luck they are racking their brains trying to find the Silver Anniversary Edition 1978 L88 Corvette. Remembering the location of one they head off to boost the car.

Sammy Page aka Cowboy was brought up in this life, having never had a regular day job he knows nothing else. When his wife Marla decides she wants a baby its time decide what is more important family or the job. A decision that is not easily made. Deciding he’d rather die than loose Marla he sets his final job in motion, unfortunately for Sammy this job is about to ruin his life. Accused of murder, theft and absconding from the law the noose is tightening around his neck and with a past like his there seems no way out. With friends on both sides of the law will Sammy come out of this innocent or guilty? Will the truth be revealed? Or is he being set up? Friend or foe Sammy is about to face the toughest and most challenging moment in his life.

A story about friendship and betrayal, how childhood friends can become enemies in adulthood. This is a story about growing up and accepting responsibility for actions taken and accepting consequences. When I first began reading this story I enjoyed it but after the first quarter I couldn’t wait to be on the final pages. There are events and moments within the story which are intriguing and interesting to read however for the majority I felt this book was not for me. I found at times I was getting confused between past-tense and pre-tense and was being bombarded with past experiences to explain present situations. Whilst I am a fan of the movie Gone In 60 Seconds, I felt that this book was trying at times to portray itself as a movie in the wrappings of a book. However for the last quarter of the book I found myself again hooked, I think if Mr Bryant had suggested such an intriguing court case in the first half of the story I would have been more glued to the pages. I think this book would be suitable for any guy reading it aged over 18 years but I am not convinced it would appeal enough to females. I give Long Gone by Thomas A. Bryant 4 out of 5 stars

By RN Hadley