Wesley Britton's Blog, page 23
January 22, 2018
Book Review: A Conspiracy of Ravens (James Hicks) by Terrence McCauley
A Conspiracy of Ravens (James Hicks)
Terrence McCauley
Series:James Hicks (Book 3)
Publisher:Polis Books (September 19, 2017)
ISBN-10:1943818711
ISBN-13:978-1943818716
https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Rav...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
Over the years, a plethora of very fine novelists from Robert Ludlum to jack Higgins to Tom Clancy to Clive Kusler to Eric Van Lustabader to Gayle Lynds etc. etc. have made the spy thriller genre largely a paint-by-numbers playground. For the majority of these thrillers, readers know what to expect and what they expect is mostly action. Lots of action in series with recurring characters. Often these are interchangeable characters fighting terrorists with a variety of motives and modus operendi including exotic diseases and weapons, a hefty body count, and international consequences for whatever schemes the foes to humanity, liberty, democracy, or religious freedom have concocted. Quite often, the heroes are not only battling the evil-doers of the world but their own supposedly righteous superiors or other government agencies as well.
Still, the field is irresistibly magnetic for generation after generation of new writers, and Terrence McCauley is among the relative newcomers who know how to paint those numbers with exactly what thriller readers hope for. He’s done it twice before with the previous James Hicks novels, Sympathy for the Devil and A Murder of Crows. His main man, James Hicks, is now “Dean” of the clandestine intelligence organization known as The University. (Anyone think of Clancy’s “The Campus” here?) The University is so clandestine, the CIA didn’t know about it for decades and isn’t happy to learn about it now. So Hicks has to appease Charles “Carl” Demerest, head of Clandestine Services at the CIA. Hicks simultaneously keeps operational secrets from the agency while occasionally asking them for backup.
The only reason Demerest doesn’t declare war on the University is because they’re the prime weapon against The Vanguard, a shadowy and deadly organization comprised of weapons dealers, drug runners, and money launderers who want to up the stakes by instigating international wars. Before these schemes get off the ground, they hit with deadly efficiency the University’s home base, wipe out their field operatives, and engage in open warfare in New York, Washing D.C., Berlin, and China. Hicks is in their gun-sights as well.
A Conspiracy of Ravens is solid action that is the proverbial page-turner. It demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the uses of surveillance technology that is completely believable as the behemoths of international espionage clash all over the globe with an ever-growing body count. As usual, the story is so fast-moving, what is lost is much character depth. We get many insights into the likes and loves of James Hicks and some of his surviving team members, especially Roger, a more than versatile club owner. On the other hand, we keep hearing Hicks is in love with Mossad sniper Tali Sadden, but we see so little of her, she is the most shadowy, one-dimensional character in the book.
A Conspiracy of Ravens should please any fan of this genre, and fortunately it’s very enjoyable as a stand-alone story. I must admit McCauley was able to impress me in some passages, surprise me in others, especially in the final acts. It’s clear this isn’t the final saga in the series as we’re witnessing an ongoing war between the University and The Vanguard. Blofeld and S.P.E.C.T.R.E., move over. You just don’t cut it anymore.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 22, 2018:
http://1clickurls.com/xnYzlbS
Terrence McCauley
Series:James Hicks (Book 3)
Publisher:Polis Books (September 19, 2017)
ISBN-10:1943818711
ISBN-13:978-1943818716
https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Rav...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
Over the years, a plethora of very fine novelists from Robert Ludlum to jack Higgins to Tom Clancy to Clive Kusler to Eric Van Lustabader to Gayle Lynds etc. etc. have made the spy thriller genre largely a paint-by-numbers playground. For the majority of these thrillers, readers know what to expect and what they expect is mostly action. Lots of action in series with recurring characters. Often these are interchangeable characters fighting terrorists with a variety of motives and modus operendi including exotic diseases and weapons, a hefty body count, and international consequences for whatever schemes the foes to humanity, liberty, democracy, or religious freedom have concocted. Quite often, the heroes are not only battling the evil-doers of the world but their own supposedly righteous superiors or other government agencies as well.
Still, the field is irresistibly magnetic for generation after generation of new writers, and Terrence McCauley is among the relative newcomers who know how to paint those numbers with exactly what thriller readers hope for. He’s done it twice before with the previous James Hicks novels, Sympathy for the Devil and A Murder of Crows. His main man, James Hicks, is now “Dean” of the clandestine intelligence organization known as The University. (Anyone think of Clancy’s “The Campus” here?) The University is so clandestine, the CIA didn’t know about it for decades and isn’t happy to learn about it now. So Hicks has to appease Charles “Carl” Demerest, head of Clandestine Services at the CIA. Hicks simultaneously keeps operational secrets from the agency while occasionally asking them for backup.
The only reason Demerest doesn’t declare war on the University is because they’re the prime weapon against The Vanguard, a shadowy and deadly organization comprised of weapons dealers, drug runners, and money launderers who want to up the stakes by instigating international wars. Before these schemes get off the ground, they hit with deadly efficiency the University’s home base, wipe out their field operatives, and engage in open warfare in New York, Washing D.C., Berlin, and China. Hicks is in their gun-sights as well.
A Conspiracy of Ravens is solid action that is the proverbial page-turner. It demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the uses of surveillance technology that is completely believable as the behemoths of international espionage clash all over the globe with an ever-growing body count. As usual, the story is so fast-moving, what is lost is much character depth. We get many insights into the likes and loves of James Hicks and some of his surviving team members, especially Roger, a more than versatile club owner. On the other hand, we keep hearing Hicks is in love with Mossad sniper Tali Sadden, but we see so little of her, she is the most shadowy, one-dimensional character in the book.
A Conspiracy of Ravens should please any fan of this genre, and fortunately it’s very enjoyable as a stand-alone story. I must admit McCauley was able to impress me in some passages, surprise me in others, especially in the final acts. It’s clear this isn’t the final saga in the series as we’re witnessing an ongoing war between the University and The Vanguard. Blofeld and S.P.E.C.T.R.E., move over. You just don’t cut it anymore.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 22, 2018:
http://1clickurls.com/xnYzlbS
January 19, 2018
“Wild Thing,” “Angel of the Morning” Composer Strikes Again!
(Another post for Baby Boomers and music lovers of any generation.)
Songwriters Hall of Famer Chip Taylor Set March 2 Release Date for New CD, Fix Your Words, on his independent Train Wreck Records.
“Whatever Devil Is In Me,” a song from the new album, will be premiered on the American Songwriter magazine website
(www.americansongwriter.com)
on Friday, January 26.
2017 was a momentous year for Chip Taylor, which saw his song “F**k All The Perfect People,” a track off the 2012 album of the same title, become a viral internet smash generating over one million plays on Spotify and introducing Chip’s music to an entire new generation of listeners.
Chip Taylor has been writing and performing for nearly 60 years. Of course, he’s best known for “Wild Thing” (The Troggs, Jimi Hendrix), “Angel of the Morning” (Juice newton) and “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder” (Janis Joplin ). But Aretha Franklin, The Hollies, Willie Nelson, Dusty Springfield are among the many performers to do his songs.
Taylor was one of the pioneers of the pivotal country-rock movement as a recording artist in the 1970s. His 1973 album, Last Chance, remains a beloved cult classic, and has just been packaged as a reissue, titled Last Chance: The Warner Bros Years, a 3-CD set that also includes his 1974 album, Some of Us, and 1975 LP, This Side of the Big River, plus a DVD of Taylor and his band recorded live at Austin’s Armadillo World Headquarters in 1973. After refusing to play by the Nashville establishment rules, Taylor gave up music for full-time professional gambling in 1980.
These days, Chip Taylor is making some of the most distinctive acoustic music around. As with Taylor’s The Little Prayers Trilogy (Mojo called it “a masterpiece;” while Uncut said it was “the crowning glory of a storied career” and placed it on its Best of 2015 list), the new album was co-produced by keyboardist Goran Grini. It also features Chip’s longtime compadre, master guitarist John Platania (Van Morrison), as well as drummer Tony Leone and bassist Tony Mercadante.
Since returning to music in 1996, he has enjoyed elder statesman stature within the Americana, contemporary folk and singer-songwriter scenes as an artist in his own right, as well as in collaboration on albums and in performance with Carrie Rodriguez, John Prine, Kendel Carson and John Platania. In a remarkable and prolific run, Taylor has released nearly an album a year since his return, each rising high on the Americana chart. As England’s The Guardian notes, “Chip Taylor, like Johnny Cash, is well worth rediscovering by a new generation.”
For further information:
http://trainwreckrecords.com/artists/...
Songwriters Hall of Famer Chip Taylor Set March 2 Release Date for New CD, Fix Your Words, on his independent Train Wreck Records.
“Whatever Devil Is In Me,” a song from the new album, will be premiered on the American Songwriter magazine website
(www.americansongwriter.com)
on Friday, January 26.
2017 was a momentous year for Chip Taylor, which saw his song “F**k All The Perfect People,” a track off the 2012 album of the same title, become a viral internet smash generating over one million plays on Spotify and introducing Chip’s music to an entire new generation of listeners.
Chip Taylor has been writing and performing for nearly 60 years. Of course, he’s best known for “Wild Thing” (The Troggs, Jimi Hendrix), “Angel of the Morning” (Juice newton) and “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder” (Janis Joplin ). But Aretha Franklin, The Hollies, Willie Nelson, Dusty Springfield are among the many performers to do his songs.
Taylor was one of the pioneers of the pivotal country-rock movement as a recording artist in the 1970s. His 1973 album, Last Chance, remains a beloved cult classic, and has just been packaged as a reissue, titled Last Chance: The Warner Bros Years, a 3-CD set that also includes his 1974 album, Some of Us, and 1975 LP, This Side of the Big River, plus a DVD of Taylor and his band recorded live at Austin’s Armadillo World Headquarters in 1973. After refusing to play by the Nashville establishment rules, Taylor gave up music for full-time professional gambling in 1980.
These days, Chip Taylor is making some of the most distinctive acoustic music around. As with Taylor’s The Little Prayers Trilogy (Mojo called it “a masterpiece;” while Uncut said it was “the crowning glory of a storied career” and placed it on its Best of 2015 list), the new album was co-produced by keyboardist Goran Grini. It also features Chip’s longtime compadre, master guitarist John Platania (Van Morrison), as well as drummer Tony Leone and bassist Tony Mercadante.
Since returning to music in 1996, he has enjoyed elder statesman stature within the Americana, contemporary folk and singer-songwriter scenes as an artist in his own right, as well as in collaboration on albums and in performance with Carrie Rodriguez, John Prine, Kendel Carson and John Platania. In a remarkable and prolific run, Taylor has released nearly an album a year since his return, each rising high on the Americana chart. As England’s The Guardian notes, “Chip Taylor, like Johnny Cash, is well worth rediscovering by a new generation.”
For further information:
http://trainwreckrecords.com/artists/...
Friday Blind Alien promo!
Wes Britton’s The Blind Alien is featured today at:
https://www.bargainbooksy.com/2018/01...
https://www.bargainbooksy.com/2018/01...
January 18, 2018
Book Review: The Sasquatch Murder (A Love Story) by Jeffrey Viles
The Sasquatch Murder (A Love Story)
Jeffrey Viles
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Beaver's Pond Press; 1 edition (July 25, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1592987699
ISBN-13: 978-1592987696
https://www.amazon.com/Sasquatch-Murd...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
“At the beginning of beginnings there was only ∞, which was darkness multiplied by nothingness. The darkness was eternal and unchallenged until ∞ divided
nothingness by zero. A sound not unlike a faint brass trumpet note pierced the void, and light issued forth. Darkness could not subdue the light. Whatever
was not darkness was light. The future had a future. Within the light were particles that contained excitable atoms held together in an electron cloud.”
Talk about moving from the general to the specific! The above paragraph, the first in the “Prologue” to The Sasquatch Murder suggests an epic with a cosmic scope is underway.
Nope. Instead, after a crunched history of the origins of the universe through the early varieties of humankind, we end up in a rainstorm in a forest where Jake Holly and his horse try to escape the downpour. There, Jake accidently fires his rifle when he’s startled by a strange couple of beasts copulating on the forest floor. In short order, Jake learns he’s killed a female Sasquatch and wounded her mate.
Trying to do the right thing, Jake takes the corpse to his hometown of Aurora, Washington where a number of subplots begin. For one, we meet Jessica, Jake’s lawyer girlfriend who is 15 years his junior. She’s very supportive. We meet her prosecuting attorney father who dislikes their relationship and quickly has Jake arrested for murder.
Strangely, a local boy sees Jake, Jessica, and a local mortician take the corpse into a funeral home and begins to blog about it. Even more strangely, journalists from as far away as India and Japan read the boy’s blog and come running to track down the story. On top of that, the president of the U.S. gets wind of the story and calls the prosecuting attorney and asks him to suppress the story in the name of national security. The president sends a special unit called the PNG (Paranormal Group) to Aurora to put a lid on the situation.
Meanwhile, many of the townspeople have heard about the body in the morgue and want a look at it. After all, confirmation that Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, exists would be something to put Aurora on the map. And all this happens in just a day or so of the killing.
In addition to all these balls in the air, author Jeffrey Viles tosses in more digressions, character sketches, and unrelated scenes than I’ve ever seen in one book. Throw in the actions of the natural world from Elminio to clouds of volcanic ash and smoke belched out from Mount St. Helen’s to a posse of 16 angry Sasquatch who, for the first time, gather together and march into a human town through a thick fog to reclaim the body of one of their own.
Despite the padding, the touching of so many bases, and improbable plot twists, there’s much in The Sasquatch Murder to attract an audience. After the “Prologue” and very descriptive first chapter, the story is told with an engaging, personable style. Viles fleshes out some very likeable characters, especially Jake and Jessica whose romance is the “love story” in the book’s sub-title.
This one sure looks like a stand-alone yarn with no likely sequels. It’s a family-friendly story, appropriate for a YA readership.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 18, 2018 at:
http://1clickurls.com/sXabiJ2
Jeffrey Viles
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Beaver's Pond Press; 1 edition (July 25, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1592987699
ISBN-13: 978-1592987696
https://www.amazon.com/Sasquatch-Murd...
Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton
“At the beginning of beginnings there was only ∞, which was darkness multiplied by nothingness. The darkness was eternal and unchallenged until ∞ divided
nothingness by zero. A sound not unlike a faint brass trumpet note pierced the void, and light issued forth. Darkness could not subdue the light. Whatever
was not darkness was light. The future had a future. Within the light were particles that contained excitable atoms held together in an electron cloud.”
Talk about moving from the general to the specific! The above paragraph, the first in the “Prologue” to The Sasquatch Murder suggests an epic with a cosmic scope is underway.
Nope. Instead, after a crunched history of the origins of the universe through the early varieties of humankind, we end up in a rainstorm in a forest where Jake Holly and his horse try to escape the downpour. There, Jake accidently fires his rifle when he’s startled by a strange couple of beasts copulating on the forest floor. In short order, Jake learns he’s killed a female Sasquatch and wounded her mate.
Trying to do the right thing, Jake takes the corpse to his hometown of Aurora, Washington where a number of subplots begin. For one, we meet Jessica, Jake’s lawyer girlfriend who is 15 years his junior. She’s very supportive. We meet her prosecuting attorney father who dislikes their relationship and quickly has Jake arrested for murder.
Strangely, a local boy sees Jake, Jessica, and a local mortician take the corpse into a funeral home and begins to blog about it. Even more strangely, journalists from as far away as India and Japan read the boy’s blog and come running to track down the story. On top of that, the president of the U.S. gets wind of the story and calls the prosecuting attorney and asks him to suppress the story in the name of national security. The president sends a special unit called the PNG (Paranormal Group) to Aurora to put a lid on the situation.
Meanwhile, many of the townspeople have heard about the body in the morgue and want a look at it. After all, confirmation that Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, exists would be something to put Aurora on the map. And all this happens in just a day or so of the killing.
In addition to all these balls in the air, author Jeffrey Viles tosses in more digressions, character sketches, and unrelated scenes than I’ve ever seen in one book. Throw in the actions of the natural world from Elminio to clouds of volcanic ash and smoke belched out from Mount St. Helen’s to a posse of 16 angry Sasquatch who, for the first time, gather together and march into a human town through a thick fog to reclaim the body of one of their own.
Despite the padding, the touching of so many bases, and improbable plot twists, there’s much in The Sasquatch Murder to attract an audience. After the “Prologue” and very descriptive first chapter, the story is told with an engaging, personable style. Viles fleshes out some very likeable characters, especially Jake and Jessica whose romance is the “love story” in the book’s sub-title.
This one sure looks like a stand-alone yarn with no likely sequels. It’s a family-friendly story, appropriate for a YA readership.
This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 18, 2018 at:
http://1clickurls.com/sXabiJ2
January 12, 2018
Wes Britton on online radio and YouTube
For those of you who missed the live interview with me and Karina Kantas today, the show is now archived for you on the network page:
https://www.artistfirst.com/kantas.htm
In other Beta-Earth news, Wes Britton’s YouTube channel also went up today:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuAP...
https://www.artistfirst.com/kantas.htm
In other Beta-Earth news, Wes Britton’s YouTube channel also went up today:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuAP...
January 10, 2018
For blues fans: New Live Music from John Mayall!
For fans of bluesmaster John Mayall, the John Mayall Trio has a new Three for the Road album coming in Feb! Itwas recorded live in Dresden and Stuttgart, Germany, in March of 2017. The nine tracks on Three for the Road include fan and personal song favorites played by his trio: John Mayall (vocals, keyboard, and harmonica), Greg Rzab (bass) and Jay Davenport (drums).
“I hope the fans will enjoy the fireworks that the three of us came up with during a subsequent tour of Europe last year,” Mayall says. “We opted for recording in East Germany purely as a convenience and availability of a recording company. They specialize in live recordings and I must say they captured the energy that took place onstage. The songs come from my extensive library of material composed by some of my favorite blues players. Naturally, my playing is featured quite a lot more than usual in this format, and I hope listeners will enjoy the performances that capture a new chapter in my live shows.”
John Mayall has been utilizing the current trio format for over a year. Long-time followers of the legendary British blues master know to expect the unexpected from Mayall, who always likes to keep his sound fresh, both in terms of musical ideas and in the band members he’s utilized throughout his 50-plus year career.
“I’ve been using the trio format for our live shows for a year already,” he states, “and the reason for that came about quite accidentally when my guitarist Rocky Athas wasn’t able to make a festival gig due to airline cancellations. Since then, I found that the interplay and dynamics have created a more personal upfront sound in my live performances. I can’t speak too highly of bass player Greg Rzab and drummer Jay Davenport, who have been my bandmates for the last ten years or more. Their Chicago roots are to the fore every time we get onstage together.”
Three for the Road comes one year after the release of his last studio CD, Talk about That, which saw Mayall’s then-four piece band joined by a special guest, legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who played on two tracks, “The Devil Must Be Laughing” and “Cards on the Table,” both John Mayall compositions. Talk about That garnered tremendous reviews from the fans and media alike, while also generating extensive radio airplay. It came after John Mayall’s induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2016.
For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, “The Godfather of British Blues.” In 2013, John signed with producer Eric Corne’s label, Forty Below Records, and the four studio albums – along with two landmark Bluesbreakers live 1967 recordings - released since continue to raise Mayall’s recognition as a true pioneer and innovator in blues and roots music. He continues to perform extensively both in the USA and abroad, and has an ambitious touring schedule in place for the rest of the year that was booked by Monterey International Artists (www.montereyinternational.net).
As for what’s next on John Mayall’s horizon, he’s giving fans an early head-up as what’s to come in the future. “As for recording, I shall still be exploring the talents of guitar players who will be pretty well-known to all lovers of rock and roll. They will be strongly featured on the next studio album. I have already got songs lined up for our sessions in the studio at the end of this month. So look out for the prominent interplay and surprises that will be coming your way later this year. Thanks for all your support as usual. I couldn’t do it without you!”
“I hope the fans will enjoy the fireworks that the three of us came up with during a subsequent tour of Europe last year,” Mayall says. “We opted for recording in East Germany purely as a convenience and availability of a recording company. They specialize in live recordings and I must say they captured the energy that took place onstage. The songs come from my extensive library of material composed by some of my favorite blues players. Naturally, my playing is featured quite a lot more than usual in this format, and I hope listeners will enjoy the performances that capture a new chapter in my live shows.”
John Mayall has been utilizing the current trio format for over a year. Long-time followers of the legendary British blues master know to expect the unexpected from Mayall, who always likes to keep his sound fresh, both in terms of musical ideas and in the band members he’s utilized throughout his 50-plus year career.
“I’ve been using the trio format for our live shows for a year already,” he states, “and the reason for that came about quite accidentally when my guitarist Rocky Athas wasn’t able to make a festival gig due to airline cancellations. Since then, I found that the interplay and dynamics have created a more personal upfront sound in my live performances. I can’t speak too highly of bass player Greg Rzab and drummer Jay Davenport, who have been my bandmates for the last ten years or more. Their Chicago roots are to the fore every time we get onstage together.”
Three for the Road comes one year after the release of his last studio CD, Talk about That, which saw Mayall’s then-four piece band joined by a special guest, legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who played on two tracks, “The Devil Must Be Laughing” and “Cards on the Table,” both John Mayall compositions. Talk about That garnered tremendous reviews from the fans and media alike, while also generating extensive radio airplay. It came after John Mayall’s induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2016.
For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, “The Godfather of British Blues.” In 2013, John signed with producer Eric Corne’s label, Forty Below Records, and the four studio albums – along with two landmark Bluesbreakers live 1967 recordings - released since continue to raise Mayall’s recognition as a true pioneer and innovator in blues and roots music. He continues to perform extensively both in the USA and abroad, and has an ambitious touring schedule in place for the rest of the year that was booked by Monterey International Artists (www.montereyinternational.net).
As for what’s next on John Mayall’s horizon, he’s giving fans an early head-up as what’s to come in the future. “As for recording, I shall still be exploring the talents of guitar players who will be pretty well-known to all lovers of rock and roll. They will be strongly featured on the next studio album. I have already got songs lined up for our sessions in the studio at the end of this month. So look out for the prominent interplay and surprises that will be coming your way later this year. Thanks for all your support as usual. I couldn’t do it without you!”
January 5, 2018
The Sixth Prime is an epic for Space Opera fans
Title: Sixth Prime (available as an eBook and in print)
Genre: Sci-fi/Space Opera
Twitter: @AuthorDanOBrien
Author’s Website: www.authordanobrien.com
Amazon Book Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENLPOVG
Summary:
Conflict grips the galaxy. A tense peace treaty has been signed between the Sovereignty and the Commonwealth.
On the other side of the galaxy an eccentric artist, Ale Euclid, on the cusp of real success seemingly jumps to his death, beginning an investigation that will unravel a connection between 16 individuals scattered across the stars. C. Gideon Jane, investigator for the Sluga Mining Trust, has been called in to discover what really happened. While investigating, he crosses paths with Moira Cossima, a mysterious friend of Ale Euclid, whose insight leads him deeper into a sprawling conspiracy.
Meanwhile, treasure hunters J’quar and Fei are hot on the trail of an artifact called the Pondus at the behest of the Sluga Mining Trust. Trapped aboard a mining tower on Quartus, twins Leda and Lorelei must face down strange creatures and a monster that dwells deep within the ice floes of the red planet. Not far from the two sisters, a wrongfully accused inmate is haunted by what he has done, and what he has been asked to do.
An attack on the Dimidium-Bet waystation in neutral space by Grand Admiral Leahy of the Sovereignty tests an already shaky relationship between the two warring societies. Blaise Centauri, admiral of the Commonwealth fleet, and Nom Chatar, his second, arrive in time to save some refugees from the station, including Bar Thiel, a relief worker and doctor aboard the destroyed station.
Even though they begin worlds apart from one another, the universe has set them upon a collision course with one another….
You can read an excerpt at: https://authordanobrien.com/2016/07/2...
A short post on a small part of the writing process for Sixth Prime: https://authordanobrien.com/2016/05/0...
Genre: Sci-fi/Space Opera
Twitter: @AuthorDanOBrien
Author’s Website: www.authordanobrien.com
Amazon Book Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENLPOVG
Summary:
Conflict grips the galaxy. A tense peace treaty has been signed between the Sovereignty and the Commonwealth.
On the other side of the galaxy an eccentric artist, Ale Euclid, on the cusp of real success seemingly jumps to his death, beginning an investigation that will unravel a connection between 16 individuals scattered across the stars. C. Gideon Jane, investigator for the Sluga Mining Trust, has been called in to discover what really happened. While investigating, he crosses paths with Moira Cossima, a mysterious friend of Ale Euclid, whose insight leads him deeper into a sprawling conspiracy.
Meanwhile, treasure hunters J’quar and Fei are hot on the trail of an artifact called the Pondus at the behest of the Sluga Mining Trust. Trapped aboard a mining tower on Quartus, twins Leda and Lorelei must face down strange creatures and a monster that dwells deep within the ice floes of the red planet. Not far from the two sisters, a wrongfully accused inmate is haunted by what he has done, and what he has been asked to do.
An attack on the Dimidium-Bet waystation in neutral space by Grand Admiral Leahy of the Sovereignty tests an already shaky relationship between the two warring societies. Blaise Centauri, admiral of the Commonwealth fleet, and Nom Chatar, his second, arrive in time to save some refugees from the station, including Bar Thiel, a relief worker and doctor aboard the destroyed station.
Even though they begin worlds apart from one another, the universe has set them upon a collision course with one another….
You can read an excerpt at: https://authordanobrien.com/2016/07/2...
A short post on a small part of the writing process for Sixth Prime: https://authordanobrien.com/2016/05/0...
Anyone remember Rick Springfield? Not like this, I wager . . .
Every once in a while, I get a press release in my in-box I decide to share with my fellow baby boomers despite the subject involved having nothing to do with sci fi, thrillers, mysteries, espionage, show business, biographies or other book topics reviewed here.
Odds are, when you think of RICK (“Speak to the Sky,” “Jesse’s Girl,” Noah Drake in General Hospital, Ricki and the Flash) SPRINGFIELD, you ain’t thinking the blues. Well friends, the times they have a’changed.
On 26 January 2018, Springfield will release The Snake King, and the singer/songwriter/guitarist is serving up a surprising blues menu. According to a press release from Frontier Records:
The Snake King finds Rick travelling down a dusty dirt road to explore the blues side of his rock ‘n roll. All you have to do is check out two of the first couple cuts on the album, “In The Land Of The Blind” and “Little Demon” to get an understanding of the blues laden journey Rick had decided to allow us to join him on. And of the many delights on this album, Rick’s grossly underrated guitar playing really shines here, perhaps moreso than on any album in his storied catalog. As for the lyrics? Not what you’d expect either, but we’ll leave it up to the listener to decide what’s being relayed there.
Rick Springfield Links:
• Official Website: http://rickspringfield.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rickspringfield
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rickspringfield
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickspringf...
Odds are, when you think of RICK (“Speak to the Sky,” “Jesse’s Girl,” Noah Drake in General Hospital, Ricki and the Flash) SPRINGFIELD, you ain’t thinking the blues. Well friends, the times they have a’changed.
On 26 January 2018, Springfield will release The Snake King, and the singer/songwriter/guitarist is serving up a surprising blues menu. According to a press release from Frontier Records:
The Snake King finds Rick travelling down a dusty dirt road to explore the blues side of his rock ‘n roll. All you have to do is check out two of the first couple cuts on the album, “In The Land Of The Blind” and “Little Demon” to get an understanding of the blues laden journey Rick had decided to allow us to join him on. And of the many delights on this album, Rick’s grossly underrated guitar playing really shines here, perhaps moreso than on any album in his storied catalog. As for the lyrics? Not what you’d expect either, but we’ll leave it up to the listener to decide what’s being relayed there.
Rick Springfield Links:
• Official Website: http://rickspringfield.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rickspringfield
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rickspringfield
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickspringf...
Wes Britton to be interviewed on Author Assist radio show!
Come and join Wes Britton on the online Author Assist radio show this Friday January 12. We'll be going out live at 12.00/noon EST. Radio host Karina Kantas will be chatting with Wes about his Sci-Fi series, the Beta-Earth Chronicles, book marketing, and no doubt his Spy knowledge. It's going to be a fun show and we hope you will join Wes and Karina by following this link and you can listen live:
https://www.artistfirst.com/kantas.htm
If you miss the live broadcast, the program will be archived at the same link.
For further details, the show’s FB page is:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAssist...
https://www.artistfirst.com/kantas.htm
If you miss the live broadcast, the program will be archived at the same link.
For further details, the show’s FB page is:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAssist...
January 2, 2018
A few short updates
I’m delighted to let y’all know about my new BookLikes blog--
http://wesleyabritton.booklikes.com/)
And we also now have a BookLikes book catalog page-
-http://booklikes.com/wesley-britton/a...)
Expect lots of new news about the Chronicles throughout 2018 including an upcoming radio interview on the 12th! Details to come—
http://wesleyabritton.booklikes.com/)
And we also now have a BookLikes book catalog page-
-http://booklikes.com/wesley-britton/a...)
Expect lots of new news about the Chronicles throughout 2018 including an upcoming radio interview on the 12th! Details to come—
Wesley Britton's Blog
This just came in. My favorite two sentences of all time!
“The Blind Alien is a story with a highly original concept, fascinating characters, and not-too-subtle but truthful allegories. Don’t let the ...more
“The Blind Alien is a story with a highly original concept, fascinating characters, and not-too-subtle but truthful allegories. Don’t let the ...more
- Wesley Britton's profile
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