Ian Gregoire's Blog, page 4
October 12, 2021
Book Review: Nylon Angel By Marianne De Pierres
Nylon Angel
(Parrish Plessis Trilogy, Book 1)
Marianne De Pierres
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
Date: 15th January 2004
ISBN-10: 1841492531
ISBN-13: 9781841492537
THE REVIEW
It’s not easy being the kick-ass bodyguard to a leading figure of the criminal underworld. For Parrish Plessis it’s harder still, knowing that she’s little more than a paid slave and unwilling sexual plaything, to boot. No wonde...
October 11, 2021
An Audiobook Recommendation From A Galaxy Far Far Away
To say that I’m not a fan of audiobooks would be an understatement. I’ve never understood the appeal of listening to somebody else reading a book, and under normal circumstances the only positive thing I would say about the medium is that it’s the best cure for insomnia that I know of. From personal experience, I can tell you that if I attempt to listen to an audiobook there’s a 99.99% chance that I will be rendered unconscious within five minutes. That said, the reason this likelihood isn’t 10...
October 10, 2021
You Don’t Have To Hang Yourself With Tropes
The term trope has a number of definitions, but for the purposes of this post it refers to a theme, convention or plot device that readers have come to expect in a work of fiction. In this context, tropes are prone to becoming clichés, and any literary genre you can think of has them. Many works of fantasy, for example, utilise the trope of the young orphan who (according to prophecy) is destined to save the day. And, in science fiction, how many tales have been written of scientists whose c...
October 9, 2021
PSA: A Thanksgiving Weekend Book Bargain
This is a public service announcement to inform readers in Canada that, for the duration of the Thanksgiving Weekend, Kobo has reduced the price of the ebook edition of my first novel, The Exercise Of Vital Powers, to only $0.99. The usual price is $3.99 so you don’t want to miss out on your chance to pick up this bargain, and discover why the first instalment of my Legends of the Order series has frequently been likened to Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician Trilogy.
This promotional ...
October 8, 2021
Book Review: Hyperion By Dan Simmons
Hyperion
(Hyperion Cantos, Book 1)
Dan Simmons
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Gollancz
Format: Paperback, 496 Pages
Date: 24th February 2011 (First Published 1989)
ISBN-10: 0575099437
ISBN-13: 978-0575099432
THE REVIEW
It is the 29th century, and humanity has conquered the stars, establishing the Hegemony of Man that comprises innumerable worlds across the galaxy. But war is on the horizon. An invasion to seize control of the planet Hyperion is ...
September 23, 2021
Book Review: Flash Gold By Lindsay Buroker
Flash Gold
(Flash Gold Chronicles, Book 1)
Lindsay Buroker
Genre: Alternate History, Steampunk
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: eBook, 56 Pages
Date: 27th March 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1458028129
The Flash Gold Chronicles ebook box set is available from:Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Smashwords A GIRL’S GOTTA DO WHAT A GIRL’S GOTTA DO
A plucky young woman gets more than she bargained for when entering a cross-country sled race to win the prize money needed to leave her old life behind. But the ...
January 20, 2021
How Do I Deal With Writer’s Block?
It’s been quite some time since I’ve had the opportunity to update my blog, and it’s likely to be a while before I can get back to blogging on anything like a regular basis. Until then, I’ve decided I may as well salvage some of the previously posted content from my old lonelyboy1977 blog, which I plan to revamp in the coming weeks, turning it into a personal blog unrelated to my writing.
Today’s repost is my answer to perhaps the most common question an author gets asked: how do you deal wi...
October 31, 2020
Book Review: Dragon Speaker By Elana A. Mugdan
Purchase From Book Depository
Dragon Speaker(The Shadow War Saga, Book 1)
Elana A. Mugdan
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Shivnath Productions
Format: Paperback, 374 Pages
Date: 15th October 2018 (First Published 2016)
ISBN-10: 1532387938
ISBN-13: 978-1532387937
AN ANCIENT BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL IS ABOUT TO RESUME
Cut off from the outside world by a vast, sacred mountain range, the people of Aeria live happily oblivious to the existence of foreign lands, never imagining that som...
October 28, 2020
Book Review: Full Moon Rising By Keri Arthur
Purchase From Book Depository
Full Moon Rising(Riley Jenson Guardian, Book 1)
Keri Arthur
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Piatkus
Format: Paperback, 357 Pages
Date: 1st February 2011 (First Published 2006)
ISBN-10: 0749955872
ISBN-13: 978-0749955878
HALF VAMPIRE. HALF WEREWOLF. ALL TROUBLE.
In an alternate reality Australia, supernatural beings walk openly among humanity, policed by a government agency that keeps the non-human, criminal element in check. Riley Jenson, a lowly office work...
October 19, 2020
Book Quote: “The Ministry Of Peace Concerns Itself With War…”
Since the turn of the century, George Orwell’s dystopian classic, Nineteen Eighty-Four, seems to have become increasingly precscient with every passing year. Though the novel was supposedly written as a warning, it seems that many governments today have taken it for an instruction manual. It’s hard not to look at the state of the world today, both politically and culturally, and not feel as though we are living in Orwellian times.
As a purely literary work, 1984 ...
