Steve Stred's Blog, page 90
June 3, 2019
Book Review: Cydonia – Michael Morar
Cydonia – Michael Morar
Genre: Sci-fi
Publication Date: May 10th, 2019
Page count: 608
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When I started really looking at reviewing books – not just a paragraph or two about them (which if you look at my first reviews on Goodreads you’ll see that’s what I did) one thing I really wanted to focus on was helping folks GET reviews. Getting reviews is super tough. I’m a small fish in the indie author scene, but on June 1st released my 9th book.
By this point you’d think I was confident and can just message people to ask if they’d like an ARC to read. To be truthful – I will write down a list of who I am wanting to message (and most of these folks are people who have said I can ask them about reading an ARC from me any time) and then it will take me 2-4 days to build up the steam necessary to message them! It’s so stressful. Yes, the worst they can say is no, or sorry not right now – but I never want to feel like an imposition! And the funny part is – I’m never really stressed if they’ll like the book or not – as it’s their reading experience!
So – Cydonia is a special one for me. Michael kindly messaged me through my site/blog and asked if I’d be up to reading his debut (which came out on May 10th of this year, 2019). We exchanged a couple emails and I said sure – pop it over and I’ll prioritize it. He kindly read and reviewed my novella YURI as well, which is always nice to do a book swap, and here we are!
I would’ve had this done sooner if not for a few things cramping my reading progress – 1) I wanted to finish reading ‘Let’s Go Play At the Adams’’ and 2) I was trying to finish up some stuff for my May celebration of Pypermaynia!
Cydonia is sci-fi true and true and I’m always in awe of authors who can write in that genre. I have tried my hand kind of with my horror/sci-fi novella Jane, but full on sci-fi is daunting. As a reader it can also feel daunting when diving into a sci-fi release simply because you’re never too sure how in-depth and Science based the plot with be.
Thankfully Michael focused more on the story while having the Science based stuff really accessible and as a really nice feature to prop up the human story featured throughout.
The story itself follows three main characters (at least for me it did, there’s a few others who Michael treats has involved, but for my reading experience it was these three.)
Morar introduces us to Sarah Pauley almost immediately, in a really fun, exciting opening. The story revolves around a conflict on Mars and Sarah is the ‘outcast’ of the Pauley family. The one who doesn’t believe there should be a war. Her husband meanwhile, Robert Pauley is the second main character here. Robert is high up in the political landscape. His character was an interesting one that went back and forth between wanting to ensure Sarah was alive and safe, but also interested in how much violence he could inflict, while trying to keep climbing the political ladder.
Lastly Morar introduced us to Markus Arundel. When we first are introduced to this character Morar almost gave Arundel a storyline of being disinterested in the war and the political conflict, but we soon fine that is furthest from the truth. Markus was a fun character and a character I would have loved to see even have his own series based on his past and his exploits.
Overall this book goes through some peaks and valleys. At 600 pages you are bound to have some lulls and spots where the dialogue could have been tightened and a few scenes cut out for posterity. If we were to ask Michael about that, as the author he’d have a strong rebuttal, so the other thought I had that would make this flow and become a stronger read would be to split into two or three books. Almost go ‘Song of Ice and Fire’ style and have each release focus on one of the characters and then wrap it all up together. That’s not to say the book is bad, its actually far from it, but I worry the listed page count will be a deterrent for some folks, when really it shouldn’t be.
At the end of the day this was a great read and when I think of the achievement of writing a 600 page Sci-fi release for your first novel I’m left stunned.
Kudos to Michael for such an accomplishment and I thank him kindly for letting me visit Cydonia.
4/5 stars for a frolicking Mars based story with a ton of great interpersonal storylines.
You can get Cydonia here;
Synopsis;
CYDONIA is set in the near future. Humans have colonised Mars after discovering molecules that will transform Earth’s energy economy. Two global organisations competing for lucrative Martian territory have, following inconclusive legal efforts, declared war. The worlds watch as elite mercenary armies prepare for a modern, corporate warfare, fighting in freezing, brutal conditions never before endured by armed forces.
Robert Pauly, Cydonia’s ruthless Deputy Director General, is driven by his love for his wife Sarah and his limitless ambition. Fearing both loss of Sarah and that of his job, the former homeless orphan turns against his employers and pushes instead for peace, but soon discovers his own propensity for violence.
Sarah Pauly doesn’t care about the Cydonia Corporation, or Mars, or the war. Bitter and driven, she will do anything, even endanger her own life, to escape the shadow of her aunt, the Director General.
Markus Arundel, a disgraced mercenary captain, has travelled to Mars to lead the initiative on the battlefield. But jaded by years of violence and plagued by paralysing nightmares, he suddenly resolves to retire, that is until his own superiors insult his already wounded pride.
May 31, 2019
May wrap up, PYPERMAYNIA and Contest
Hello, my find furry friends!
Today is the last day of May, which also means it’s the last day of the unofficial Canadian month long celebration of my favourite author Andrew Pyper. This month I attempted (and failed) to read his other books I haven’t read yet! I managed to get two done…
The Homecoming (see link for review)
https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2019/05/10/the-homecoming-review-pypermaynia/
and
The Trade Mission (see link for review)
https://stevestredauthor.wordpress.com/2019/05/31/book-review-the-trade-mission/
I also was able to interview the man himself!
This was a total thrill and something I’ll cherish for the rest of time.
I still plan on reading the other three Pyper books I didn’t read in May coming up, so watch for those reviews!
May Wrap Up;
I’ve never done a monthly wrap up before, mainly because I do all of my reading on my Kindle, so I can’t post a picture of my book stack. So instead, here’s the books I read 
Book Review: The Trade Mission
The Trade Mission – Andrew Pyper
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As most of you have seen, I’ve been celebrating all things Andrew Pyper this May – dubbing it PYPERMAYNIA. I started the month off by reading his latest The Homecoming which was a stunning work of family tension and psychological thrills. It catapulted itself into my favourite book position and one I’m actually considering re-reading, which is something I very, very rarely do.
My ambition was to read The Homecoming, The Trade Mission, The Killing Circle, The Guardians and Kiss Me, his short story collection. Sadly, I have failed you all, as in the month of May I read The Homecoming and last night finished The Trade Mission. I’ll still be reading the other three here in short order, I’d just hoped to get through all five.
In May, Andrew also kindly agreed to a short interview and it was one of my literary highlights to ask him some of the burning questions I had clanging around my head. I cheekily even asked him two more questions via DM that he amazingly answered, but all in all, I’m super happy about PYPERMAYNIA and I hope some others were able to add his books to their TBR or even read some of his work.
Now, as for The Trade Mission – this was a book I’d had on my TBR for a little while. I’m a sucker for all things ‘Lost World’ sounding. Whether it’s the Amazon rain forest, a forgotten island, Dyatlov Pass or something just set in Siberia, then I’m game. The synopsis is one that would always grab my attention – a group of Canadian entrepreneurs have travelled to South America trying to increase interest in their start up business. While there they go on a sight-seeing trip up one of the numerous rivers. After a celebratory party one night they are kidnapped by unknown assailants and from there it becomes a tale of survival.
The story is told from the point of view of 38 year old translator Liz Crossman. The other main characters are the two faces of the business Wallace and Bates as well as 50 something Barry and another co-worker Lydia. I can’t honestly say I remember what Barry and Lydia’s jobs were but enjoyed both characters immensely.
The opening to the story in my opinion is a decent set up for what the business is and why they are down in South America, but ultimately wished it was a tad shorter. The true grit in this tale is Pyper’s psychological journey once the characters are captured.
The jungle itself is one of the biggest antagonists in this story. They are in the middle of nowhere with the only source of travel being on the river, which itself plays host to a number of animals wanting to turn them into a snack.
The survival aspect and tale in this story is top notch. From their capture through to the ending I enjoyed watching each characters descent into turmoil and madness. It should be noted that at the same time of reading this, I was also reading The Silence by Tim Lebbon and Let’s Go Play At the Adams’ by Mendal Johnson. While I haven’t finished The Silence yet, I did finish Let’s Go Play and this trio of stories all play with the mental aspect of survival as well as what happens when the odds are turned against you. They worked well to heighten each other and I really lucked out into each working off of one another.
Overall this is another exciting entry into Pyper’s bibliography and one I’m glad I finally got to read. I’m looking forward to finishing off the rest of his work and will await the announcement of his next release!
4/5 stars to a gripping tale of survival that takes place in a world where everything is out to kill you.
May 29, 2019
Tunes From the Crypt #3
Hey friends! Second post today!
Today also sees the arrival of the third episode of Tunes From the Crypt!
In this episode I discuss some music most don’t associate with me – Rap and Hip-Hop!
Enjoy!
Ask the Author Interview
Hey friends! This will be post 1 of 2 today!
First up – I recently chatted with my friend Sonora Taylor who asked me some great questions!
Check out my interview on her blog!
Ask the Author: A Q&A with Steve Stred
May 27, 2019
Part 4: Dim the Sun & The Girl Who Hid in the Trees
Less than a week to go until The Stranger arrives!
Today makes the conclusion of the four part retrospective on my previous releases over at Kendall Reviews. For Part 4 we discussed Dim the Sun and The Girl Who Hid in the Trees!
Also – don’t forget to enter the contest to try and win one of the super limited all-black Hardcover editions of The Stranger.
Contest ends on Friday, winner announced Saturday!
{Giveaway} Your chance to win an extremely limited edition copy of The Stranger by Steve Stred.
May 24, 2019
Contest time!
Here we go!
Contest time! For your chance to win a copy of the all-black Hardcover The Stranger click the link for full details and enter where you can!
{Giveaway} Your chance to win an extremely limited edition copy of The Stranger by Steve Stred.
Up to 6 chances to enter!
Good luck!
May 22, 2019
The Stranger – Black Hardcover Edition
Over on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook I just shared a picture (with my son who was very excited to be in the picture, showing off his superman shirt!) of what YOU could win in an upcoming contest! This is a super limited The Stranger all black, gloss hardcover. They are gorgeous. Here’s the pic with it beside the limited Hardcover of The Stranger (which are now all gone and sold out! Thank you so much!)
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Now, I won’t give any info on how you can win it, but I will give a little bit of details on this limited.
I decided first to do a limited hardcover as a thanks for all the folks who’ve supported me and those who always message and ask about me ever doing a hardcover.
As an Indie Author, hardcovers are scary. We have to fund this up front etc. That’s why so many Indie Author’s choose to go with Amazon for releasing our books, as the physical paperbacks are print at purchase. So we have no upfront expenses or overhead. So for The Stranger, which has more stunning artwork plus mixes into a few of my other works, I thought it would be a possibility. I spoke a bit about my hesitation about doing them with David Sodergren (his newest Night Shoot is now out and is absolutely glorious; https://www.amazon.com/dp/1718170270/) and he said it would be cool to do it and offer an exclusive short story to make it a bit more attractive. I thought that was a fantastic idea so I crafted a really neat ‘bridge’ story that those who bought the hardcover will really dig.
I started researching printers and it became quickly apparent that there were only a few options that would work. With one printer I also saw a few of the various print products they had and was intrigued. So I messaged my pal Gavin at Kendall Reviews and said I was thinking about doing a super limited version and would he be interested in partnering for a giveaway for one and he was on board.
This all black one features a high gloss cover, full black wrap. It says The Stranger on the front and The Stranger on the spine. On the back is the required ISBN. That’s it. I kept this super minimal, it doesn’t even feature my name.
On the inside is the cover art, as well as the limited signing sheet. There are only 5 of these in existence. I made two special extra ones for my nephews, but they have a slight change, just for them. So you will win one of only 5 in existence.
It features the limited hardcover foreword, the regular book foreword, The Tooth Collector lead in story, The Stranger novel, the afterword, a bonus afterword, the super limited short story I mentioned earlier and it also features my first interview I did over at Kendall Reviews. I still think it’s one of my best interviews and while me and Gavin had interacted a bunch behind the scenes at that point, I think it was then that we really solidified our friendship. I believe I joined the KR reviews team shortly after and of writing this post, I’ve had 73 reviews featured on his site. I’m hoping to finish 2019 off at 120 featured reviews on his site. We’ll see how it goes!
So there you have it. 5 copies ever created. One can be yours. Full details will be announced on Friday on Kendall Reviews. I know you’ll have questions, but they’ll all be answered.
But to give you a heads up, because I want you all to be as excited about winning this as I am that it even exists;
the contest will be open Internationally
the contest will run on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Cheers!
Steve
May 17, 2019
A whole swack of stuff!
Hey-o!!! Happy Victoria Day long weekend! At least those who celebrate it. Up here in the great white north, we get Monday off, so a three day weekend is just what I need.
*Just a quick note – next week there will NOT be a regular blog post. The reason being is on Friday, May 24th in conjunction with Kendall Reviews, we’ll be announcing a really fantastic, unique contest for the upcoming The Stranger release on June 1st, 2019! *
So what’s been going on over here?
I’m still in the middle of all things Andrew Pyper! I finished reading The Homecoming, which was stellar and I’m now currently about 10% into The Trade Mission. The book is laying out the groundwork for what’s to come so far and I’m excited to see how this plays out. Very cool!
If you haven’t, please consider reading one of his books this month (I know you have at least one in your TBR! and join in the celebration using the hashtag #pypermaynia)
The first round of The Stranger limited hardcovers are being mailed today and tomorrow. Half today and half tomorrow. To be frank, the Canada Post I use is amazing because the lady that works there hates the company – so she always tries to make everything as cheap as possible! But she’s also a bit slower, so I’m going to break it up into two mailing sessions as I don’t want to be at the post office for four hours tonight after work!
If you want a hardcover, please get in touch, asap! I have three more available!
What I’m reading:
Other than The Trade Mission, I have two other books on the go;
Mr. Sticks – Jeffrey Hale. I’m 75% done with this and I would’ve finished last night if I wasn’t so tired. It’s really well done and I’m looking forward to how this plays out!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45177368-mr-sticks
Cydonia – Michael Mohar. This book coming along has made me smile. If you go to my ‘Review Requests’ section of this site, you’ll see my main mandate is reading and reviewing books that for one reason or another are not getting any reviews or not gaining any traction. I’m by no means an influencer, but if one person reads my review and buys the book, I’ve done my job. Michael contacted me about reviewing his Sci-Fi release and while I’m only just beginning to start the journey, it’s been a fun read so far. Mars based tension.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45727485-cydonia
The Trade Mission – Andrew Pyper. Really digging the lead-in for this book. I typically don’t put too much importance into the books overall rating on Goodreads, but I find it interesting to see that this one sits at 3.14/5. So far for me it’s reading closer to a 4/5 so we’ll see!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6602772-the-trade-mission
What I’m working on;
Lots of stuff. Usually I’d go into more detail but I recently was interviewed by fellow author Sonora Taylor and I answered that question with pretty much everything going on. So watch for that interview to come out – think closer to end of the month!
What I’m listening to;
These last two weeks has been a surreal experience. So music wise, I’ve bounced between happy tunes and aggressive tunes.
Here’s four that I really enjoyed!
The Machinist – The Sound of Shame.
New band to me, but they crush and love the heaviness!
Eric Prydz – Generate.
I love most of the stuff Prydz does and this is probably my fav tune from him, tied with Everyday. Wish the video was longer.
Corrosion of Conformity – Albatross
Some good old COC for your Friday listening pleasure. I feel like they frequently get overlooked when people discuss bands that always deliver on album and live.
Fear Factory – Replica
This was one of my first experiences with Fear Factory, hearing this song on Much Loud and it still kicks ass today.
What’s up in real life?
More of the same here. Our weekend forecast is a mixed bag so we’re hoping to be able to get out and explore a bit. We don’t mind rain but to a degree. Not a fun experience to go for a hike with a toddler if we’re all soaking wet for a few hours!
He is in soccer again. Last week was a total failure as it was a non-parent aided program. He did great at the start and even went and sat with the group, but once the lady started singing wheels on the bus he was out of there.
We’ve dropped him back down to a parent assisted group, so we’ll see if this works better for him!
Hope all is well with you folks.
Watch for part 3 of my interviews with Gavin next week as I continue to look back at my previous releases. Next weeks is featuring Wagon Buddy and YURI.
Then of course, Friday will be contest announcement time!
Cheers
Steve
May 13, 2019
Part 2 – Frostbitten & Left Hand Path!
Hello, once again!
As we approach the launch of The Stranger on June 1st, 2019, I’ve been getting grilled by Gavin at Kendall Reviews regarding my prior releases!!
Part 2 is now live!
Take a read and enjoy as I discuss the formation and launch of my two short story collections!
