M. Pax's Blog, page 29
July 21, 2022
The Adam Project: #SciFi #MovieReview
Time-traveling science fiction with a little bit of space action, The Adam Project is an entertaining watch. Ryan Reynolds plays his usual snarky character and goes toe-to-toe with a younger version of himself.
The story is engaging and the acting is very good. The story wasn’t anything new, but it was put together well. There was lots of humor and a few twists. Nothing too surprising, but good enough to keep me watching.
I wasn’t bored and didn’t resort to doing something else while watching, which means I give it a beer is optional rating. It’s streaming on Netflix if you want to check it out. It’s good to get some decent sci-fi to watch.
Of course, as with any movie or show, it could have been better with people-eating reptiles or a cheesy dance number.
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July 17, 2022
Fantasy Worth Reading: Ravage of the Revenants #BookReview #LitRPG #fantasybooks #booklovers
Ravage of the Revenants by Christine Rains is the second book in the Khthonia series. Like the first, this novel transported me to a magical land with elves, giants, orcs, dwarves, fae, humans, and creatures. If you’re looking for an escape and an enjoyable one, get this book on your Kindle today.
The characters are well-formed with flaws and strengths. And, as it turns out in this sequel, they don’t all have the same goal. Not everyone in Nora’s party wants to get home. They take us through the land and troubles of Khthonia through their stories.
As in any enthralling story, the plot thickens and builds to a fantastic battle. I doubt the author wrote this story with my favorite game world in mind (as mine is a computer game and not a tabletop game), but that’s what I picture as I read, and I love that. Which means, you don’t have to be a gamer with dice to easily follow this story and the nuances.
The ending is satisfying and leaves a large crack for the next book in the series. I can’t wait for it! So, yes, I recommend this book.
Everyone knows if you split the party, the players will die.
But what if it’s the only way to discover who the villain might be?
Nora Quinn has spent years honing her mystery solving skills, and when the game calls for several days of gathering information, she’s excited to uncover who the evil necromancer is. She plays Essaerae, an elven bard who is at home with the aristocrats of Willowbright Woods and political maneuvering. Yet her friends are not. They’re enjoying their new lives trapped in the dark fantasy world of Khthonia and finding the way home is no longer a priority, especially if it means hours of tedious investigating.
Assassins set their sights on the heroes and undead attack the city. Someone on the esteemed Council is likely the necromancer, and to end the curse on Khthonia, the players must unmask them. Nora’s left to figure the puzzle out on her own. The problem is, if she splits from the party, she will die.
A fantasy LitRPG/GameLit for fans of table-top role-playing games.
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July 12, 2022
Free Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books! Limited Time! #Giveaway #scifibooks #fantasybooks #booklovers
Stock up on some fabulous freebies available at all retailers!
You can’t afford to miss this sweet deal!
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July 8, 2022
Journey to Other Worlds with these FREE Deals! While they Last! #Giveaway #booklovers #scifi #fantasy
Pack these great ebooks for your summer travels! They’re FREE at all retailers for a limited time!
After being booted off his homeworld by his father, Craze struggles to make a new life and has revenge on his mind.
Daelin Long’s life takes a wicked turn when she’s let go from her editorial job in New York City. On the same day, she’d robbed at gunpoint. Needing to start over, she moves in with her sister in a small town in Oregon. Only, her sister is missing and there’s a phantom stealing heads.
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July 4, 2022
Escape the Heat and Land on the Icy World of Spaceberg. #99c Deal! #scifi #scifibooks #humor #booklovers
Need some ice? Spaceberg has it, and it bites!
This is a hot deal that won’t last. Grab an icy beverage and get ready to laugh.
Ebook available at all retailers
Buy direct from me and get 25% off all purchases. Use coupon code 4XCZKXTR2W / Referral Bonus: When you refer any purchased product to a friend who becomes customer, you both get 10% off.
This berg has balls and they bite.
Spaceberg arrives without warning. The size of Jupiter, it hits with deadly consequences, taking out ships and colonies in the outer solar system.
Orbital Rescue Squad 51 is first on the scene with the most decorated first responder in the Sol. Nikili Echols battles the mega disaster to save her family, everyone in trouble, and entire worlds. With time running short, she’s forced to team up with her ex-husband in order to rescue their daughter and to save what remains of the solar system. His superstitions irk her like gas, but luck and organic plastic is what her plan needs to prevail.
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June 30, 2022
July #Smashwords Sale! With Sizzling Deals on M. Pax Titles! #scifibooks #fantasybooks #booklovers
Load up on these M. Pax Deals at the July Smashwords Sale!
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#MPaxDimension Report: Dinos, Audio, and Print.
June was a busy month and a rainy one. Cool and rainy every weekend, it was a challenge to get my garden in. I finally did. Many things are growing very well. There are things I still need to learn to do better, though.
The first round of edits on The Afterworlds is still in progress. I’m past the halfway point. The bones are good so far. My notes are mostly about fleshing things out more. That’s a positive.
Besides working on the next release, I’ve been busy researching how to expand. I’ll be venturing back into print and will be offering it direct through my Not of this Earth Bookshop as well as other outlets. On this site, I’ll be offering options for regular print, large print, and special editions not available anywhere else.
I also decided to go ahead and offer my books in audio through digital narration. I started with The Rifters and have the first one almost done. I’ll be putting my full catalog into digital narration except for The Backworlds, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, and The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear. Those three titles are still under contract with ACX. I hope to extricate them in the near future.
These expansions mean a renovation of the Not of this Earth Bookshop. I have so much to do, but I’m happy with these decisions and the large heaping of projects on my plate. They’re exciting projects, so stay tuned!
And once The Backworlds series is completed, I will be at work finishing up The Rifters series, then the Hetty Locklear series and Squad 51. After those, I’m already cooking up new stories… my favorite part of the writing process.
I did see Jurassic World: Dominion this month too. I know the critics really didn’t like it much, but I did. I always think more people could have been eaten by the dinosaurs, but that’s always my opinion.
The husband unit liked it too. To me, it had more of a plot than the previous movies, and the references back to movie one were awesome. The addition of the original cast was great too. The major disappointment was the theater had no Cheetos popcorn. I had to get the regular stuff. Yikes!
It was our first trip to the theater since COVID shut everything down, and it was really different. For one, not so many snacks. For two, not much staff. And, the signs outside the theaters telling you which movie was in which theater weren’t working.
But the 3D dino action was fantastic. It was a fun movie, which is all I expect from a movie with dinos running amok. I would rank this as my second favorite movie of the franchise. In order: 1, 6, 4 and 5, 3… 2 is the movie I don’t like to talk about. That one was a sad, sad disappointment.
Hope you had a good June. I’ll check in again at the end of July!
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June 27, 2022
#Scif Worth Reading: Space Murder #BookReview
Looking for some space fun and some laughs? Space Murder: Captain Liz Laika Mysteries 1 by Nikki Haverstock will fulfill that wish.
The action is nonstop in this story, and the characters were really fun. Captain Liz is head honcho on a very slow freighter that delivers goods from place to place. Convinced her life isn’t great, she keeps to herself and doesn’t realize how much she has to lose. Not until she’s framed for a murder committed aboard her ship.
This novel is very well written and has fun twists and turns. It’s basically a cozy mystery in space. A lot goes wrong very quickly in the plot, and then keeps getting worse. Nothing was boring about this read. It was very enjoyable. Yup, I recommend this one, and, yes, I was attracted to the dinosaur on the cover. Couldn’t say no to that.
For everything there is a season…
Once the star student of her training class, Captain Liz Laika is now an outcast, a casualty of family scandal. Now stuck in the worst post in the Fleet, she should keep her head down. But when a Cerulean passenger is found decapitated, and Liz is framed for the murder, she has no choice but to fight for her life. No easy feat when she’s facing kidnapping, ship-eating whales, horse-sized spiders and corrupt fleet officers with personal vendettas. And in the middle of the intergalactic murder drama, her ex-fiancé reappears. Captain Liz needs to clear her name–and fast.
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June 24, 2022
Weird and Wild Oregon: Umpqua Hot Springs #NaturePhotography #NatureBeauty #nature
The Umpqua Hot Springs is an unexpected, almost alien landscape in the Umpqua National Forest. The hot springs overlook the North Umpqua River, cascading down the cliff in a natural terrace. Umpqua means dancing water, and the river below roars and races. It’s also very cold, running down from the mountaintops.
Each pool is a different temperature, and it’s unreal relaxing in a hot pool while gazing at the majestic river and forest. Fair warning: lots of naturalists like to visit the hot springs.
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June 20, 2022
2067: #SciFi #MovieReview
The opening shots of this movie reminded me of Blade Runner and the new Total Recall. For a few minutes, the movie seemed very familiar. Then it went off on its own path. The beginning was really promising and grabbed my attention.
In 2067, there is no more oxygen and no more plants. The last humans are dying. The main character is soon sent into the future in an attempt to save humanity from extinction.
As I said, it started great. In the middle, well, I wasn’t entirely sure as to what was going on. Normally, I’m okay with this. However, a little bit of a hint would have been nice. I think the moviemakers were being too clever, and only they were in on what they were being clever about.
The visuals were nice. The beginning and ending were interesting. As usual, with most sci-fi movies, a little bit more time spent on the ending would have made it a more satisfactory watch. There was lots of crying by the characters. There was too much time spent on the main character lamenting over his tragic past. This could have been better told and more interesting by keeping the story moving forward. I would have liked more character growth and action. There were twists, but I’m not sure they made sense.
There were a few spots where I had to go back because I had no idea what had happened. Even rewatching those parts, I wasn’t entirely sure.
There was no dancing or cheese. Both would have made the movie more fun. The addition of human-munching dinosaurs or land sharks would have been a plus as well. As it is, I give this movie a 2.5 beer rating. It could have been better, but it could have been worse. And, I’ve seen worse. Much worse. Yup, it’ll take at least 2.5 beers to enjoy this flick. 2067 is currently streaming on Hulu.
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