Saffron Bryant's Blog, page 2

Real Life Dragons

There are so many dragon legends across so many cultures that people have always said that they MUST have existed. My response to this is of course they have. Flying reptiles… a.k.a. dinosaurs. It’s completely reasonable to think that ancienct cultures stumbled across dinosaur remains and came up with the idea of dragons. Of course they may not have had the technology we do today but if I was riding past a melting glacier on the back of a mammoth and saw a dinosaur skeleton I’d probably come up with some stories about it too.

Take for instance the latest fossil find: Kryptodrakon progenitor, it’s not much of a stretch of the imagination to see dragon legends coming out of that monstrosity.

As well as dinosaurs real life dragons are pretty evident in every day life. Just look at lizards. Ok so they don’t breathe fire but let’s just say that came from artistic licence. The Komodo Dragons at least pack a powerful punch with bites will could see you dead from infection and in a lot of pain from venom, it’s not flames but it’s still killer.

So while we may still dream of having sentient flying dragons as pets I think for now we’ll have to content ourselves with lizards, their very distant relations.

 

I always used to dream of having a pet dragon which is what sparked me to write The Lost Child Saga, a series of books about a group of people and their dragon companions. If you could have a pet dragon what sort would it be?

 

Dust – Book Review

 

 

What an epic end to a fantastic series.

Dust is the perfect finish to the story started in Wool and continued in Shift. Hugh Howey has really outdone himself in this final installment. A bunch of questions were answered, loose ends tied and mysteries solved.

I found Dust just as page-turning as the other two and my only disappointment is that it’s over. I do hope that Hugh Howey decides to write more of this story, if only because I enjoyed it so much.

I still have a few questions, about what actually happened to the rest of the world, but I think those questions are meant to be there, it’s part of the mystery and fantastic writing of this series.

If you haven’t read the Wool series yet, then DO IT! There’s been a massive fuss about these books for a reason: They’re really good.

An easy five stars from me and two fingers crossed that there’s another book.

Shift – Book Review

 

 

Shift is the second book in Hugh Howey’s phenomenal success story, following Wool. Just like the first book Shift is a fantastic read. There is so much drama, intrigue, thrill and teetering on the edge of collapse that I was on the edge of my seat.

Shift is interesting in that the events occur before the events of Wool (and kind of during). The new revelations which Shift revealed absolutely BLEW MY MIND. Everything I thought I knew from reading Wool was completely ripped up. If you thought you knew what was going on, I guarantee you didn’t.

If you’ve read Wool you’ll enjoy Shift, and you have to read it just so that you get a bigger picture. I can’t wait to read the third book (I fully expect my mind to be blown again). If you haven’t read Wool… go and do that now. (If you need more convincing there’s a review of it HERE).

The really frightening thing about Shift is just how possible the events are. I can easily see the same scenario unfolding… the same people thinking they’re acting for the greater good… If you enjoy George Orwell or the Bachman Books, you’ll like Hugh Howey’s work. It’s time well spent.

 

Wool – Book Review

 

 

I’m sure almost everyone has heard about the epic indie success story which is Hugh Howey and his book Wool. I must admit that at first I was a little skeptical… Wool… What does Wool mean? What is it about? … but after learning it’s a post-apocalyptic type novel I decided I had to read it.

I’m so glad I did.

Wool is the story of a group of people who are living underground in a silo. They’re living in a self-sustaining community and have been for generations. There are rules which stop people wondering what’s going on outside. But unrest is growing and secrets can’t be hidden forever…

I loved this one. Not only does it have a sci-fi post-apocalyptic feel, there was also a huge sense of mystery and thrill which left me begging to find out what had happened to lead to the silos in the first place. There was a lot of tension which had me flipping through pages and I was honestly torn up when I got to the end. (Luckily book 2 was right there… you can find a review of it HERE).

Wool was a perfect mix of human competition and society flaws. While initially the whole concept is completely outlandish you are immediately transported into the book and you suddenly realise how possible such a scenario is. Not only great entertainment but also an interesting bit of social commentary. The hidden rules and unmentionables reminded me straight away of 1984 by George Orwell.

If you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about I STRONGLY recommend you read this one. You will be entertained and left begging for more. An easy 5 stars for this one.

 

Do you like science fiction? You might enjoy Steel Gods of the Arena, a free short story. You can also become a bounty hunter by filling in the form above and you’ll receive Book 1 of the Nova Chronicles for free!.

Magnificent Devices Bundle – Book Review

 

 

A few weeks ago I reviewed an absolutely awesome book; Lady of Devices. Today I’m super pleased to review the 4-book bundle of the series.

Magnificent Devices continued the fantastic series and I zoomed through it. There’s more books after this set and I will definitely be getting them.

The premise is that the main character is thrust from her corset-wearing, ball-going, prospect-presenting life and onto the streets where she must rely on her intellect to survive. The books follow her adventures as she puts her brain to use and destroys the gender stereotypes of her environment.

I love the steampunk aspect of this book as well as the strong female character. Another thing which set this book apart from many others is that while there was a romance element to it, it didn’t make the book. Instead the book is focused on her adventures and her initiative – a nice change from the usual.

4.5 stars for this one and I’m super keen to read the next one!

Steel Gods of the Arena

A little while ago I introduced my new character Nova. She’s a butt-kicking, future-living, bounty hunter… and she’s back.

Please enjoy the following short story and let me know what you think. If you like what you see you can sign up to become a Bounty Hunter (left of the screen) and receive Nova’s first book for free.

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Steel Gods of the Arena

By Saffron Bryant

Nova licked the sweat from her top lip and flicked a wayward strand of blonde hair from her eyes. She stared across the dusty arena at the metal monstrosity waiting to crush her. It was just her and her opponent. The cheering crowd, stomping feet and flashing neon signs faded into oblivion as she and her metal casing became one. She couldn’t even feel the tight straps which held her into her steel carriage.

Nova stepped forward and the metallic leg of her mech suit moved forward with her. The other foot followed and so on until she was running full-tilt across the ring. Her footsteps lifted more dust from the dirt-packed arena.

The man in the mech suit opposite her grinned; his entire arm was encased in steel, complete with a clenched fist. He crouched as Nova ran forward and when she was within reach, he punched upwards.

His suit was painted with red designs. The triangles and lines blurred with the motion of his swinging arm.

Nova ducked but she wasn’t fast enough. The merciless blow connected with the side of her helmet and the clashing metal sent her flying to one side.

She curled into a ball to protect her body from the landing. The metal suit took the impact and she leapt back to her feet as fast as the animatronic system would allow.

The man was already on her. His fists rained down in a flurry.

Nova sidestepped and whirled. She spun one leg around and it connected with the man’s steel stomach. The force made him stumble and he lost momentum.

She took the chance and slammed her metal fist into the back of the man’s head. He collapsed to the ground.

Nova stepped forward, victory assured. She raised her foot over her opponent’s head. She would end this thing with a satisfying spray of blood. The bell sounded.

“End round,” said a booming voice.

“Grishnak!” Nova cursed and stomped back to her corner.

The man on the ground struggled to his armoured feet and glared at her before moving to his own corner.

Nova’s robot, Cal, hovered up until he was level with her head.

“How do you feel?” Cal asked.

A panel opened in Cal’s spherical body and a whirring mechanical arm extended out holding a jug of water. He had been with Nova for a long time, a Class 4 Labourbot. He was outdated but Nova refused to upgrade. Cal was sturdy and dependent, unlike the new models which were sure to break after one year and needed a hundred different special attachments, each sold separately.

“Good,” Nova puffed.

“Confident?” Cal asked.

“Yep. Plus, we need the fuel to get off this trash pile.”

Cal opened another panel and a thin arm extended holding a white towel, or at least it had probably been white at some point, now it was a stained brown colour.

“Thanks,” Nova said.

She used one of her large mechanical fingers to press the green button next to her neck and the helmet of her mech suit retracted. She dabbed at her face and neck with the towel. Her sweat evaporated leaving cool traces on her cheeks. It was hot in the battledrome. They were fifty meters underground. Fighting underground was the only way to make a living in mech fighting—unless you wanted to hand over all of your winnings in taxes.

There was always a crowd in the battledrome. It attracted gamblers, drinkers and others who just needed to burn some frustration. The pits were a place for spilling blood. The mech fights resembled the old dog-fights but were far more brutal. A fight without a broken bone was considered poor form.

‘The pits’ was an accurate name for the mech fighting arena. They were set low into the ground with the stadium rising up on all sides. The fighters were locked inside for round after round until a winner emerged. There were no rules and no mercy.

“How’s the other business going?” Nova asked.

“We’ve got a couple of potential jobs. Got their details, you can look them over when we’re finished here.”

“Good.”

Nova’s ‘real’ job was as a deep space bounty hunter. If someone wanted something—or more often, someone—Nova would get it for them, but business had been slow and so here she was back in the pits.

The bell rang again.

“Get ready for round two,” the booming voice said over the loud speaker. “In the red corner we have the local favourite, Bust ‘em up Bob!”

The crowd cheered at the name and coins rained down from the stadium.

Bob stood and held his hands up to the crowd. He had apparently forgotten that his face had nearly been ground into the dirt by Nova’s boot only minutes before.

“And in the blue corner, all the way from Nowhere we have One-hit Wanda!”

Rule one of fighting in the mech pits, never use your real name. The crowd erupted into boos and hisses. Nova casually saluted them with one finger.

“Take your positions,” the booming voice said.

Nova lifted herself and her mech suit off the bench and stepped several paces into the ring. She slammed her fist into the button at her neck and her helmet slid back into position. Bob stepped forward to meet her.

“You’re not bad for a girl.” Bob sneered at her.

Nova ignored him. A scantily clad woman was let into the cage through one of the gates and began to strut around the edge holding a large card with the number two written on it.

Nova kept one eye on the girl and another on Bob. The rule was simple, as soon as the wire gate closed behind the girl, the round began.

“You know you’d do better as one of them,” Bob said and nodded towards the girl. “Yep, whorehouse is where you belong. I mean you couldn’t charge much with a face like that but it’d be more than you make here.”

The woman had made it half-way around the cage. Nova’s heart beat like a drum. Her veins pulsed with adrenalin. She enjoyed the fight, almost as much as she enjoyed the money which came with it.

The girl had a third of the cage left. She took time to wink up into the stadium. Nova couldn’t help but snort. Obviously, the girl had chosen the other way to make a living. Just like Bob suggested.

“I’d visit you, if you gave me a discount,” Bob said and puckered his lips.

Nova’s memory went back to her old orphanage and the mistress who ran it.

She had been reading books again and Mistress Roxy caught her.

“No point in pretending to read,” Roxy said. “You don’t come from no rich family. There are only two ways for a girl like you to make money in this world. You either learn to spread your legs or you learn to fight.”

The gate clanged shut behind the woman and Nova’s fist slammed into Bob’s jaw. Nova’s steel blow crashed straight through the thin metal around Bob’s face and caved in his left cheek. Bob fell to the ground like a heap of trash cans.

Nova looked down at Bob’s unconscious body, “Spreading legs was never for me.”

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If you’d like a deeper look at Nova’s adventures sign up to become a Bounty Hunter. You’ll receive book 1 for free as well as a bunch of other cool stuff!!

Lady of Devices – Book Review

 

 

Wow… what a fantastic book! I’ve been searching for quite a while for a really good steampunky style novel and now I’ve found it… the best thing is that it’s part of a series so now I’ve got the sequels to look forward to as well!

The basic premise of Lady of Devices is that the main character, Claire, is stuck in the classic female role of her time- throw nice parties and be seen but not heard. Which of course she hates because she wants to go to uni and become a scientist. Anyway, her well-groomed lifestyle falls apart and she is forced to rely on her own ingenuity and intelligence.

I found the book extremely well written and interesting and is an excellent example of intellect triumphing over ‘social expectations’.

Story is excellent, characters are excellent, setting is excellent. The only room for improvement that I could see was that the old time ‘proper’ dialogue was a little bit clunky. But hey, that’s just my opinion and I’m sure there are other readers who will appreciate the true-to-setting speech patterns.

I’ve already bought the box set of the series and am looking forward to reading them, so 4.5 stars from me and keep an eye out for a review of the rest of the set.

Also, if you like strong female characters in your sci-fi be sure to sign up for my mailing list to receive Book 1 of the Nova Chronicles completely FREE when it’s released later this year.

Doctor Sleep – Book Review

 

 

As you’ve probably already heard (and if you haven’t come out from under your rock), Stephen King has released a new novel; Doctor Sleep. It’s kind of a sequel to The Shining but you don’t have to have read The Shining to enjoy it.

I was sucked into this book from the very start. It was classic King style, tension, psychological thriller and supernatural aspects. It follows the story of several people who have the gift of ‘Shining’ which manifests in a range of special powers and abilities.

When an evil group of creatures who feed off of people’s ‘Shining’ (kind of like vampires) come onto the scene then the battle is on.

I highly recommend it for any fans of Stephen King, or anyone else who enjoys psychological/paranormal thrillers. 4 stars and a great read.

The Nova Chronicles – Cover Reveal

Some time ago I gave you a sneak peak into my upcoming sci-fi series (The Nova Chronicles).

I’ve started designing the covers for the first collection of books. Here is the tentative cover and title for book 2 of the Chronicles (Hunter). Let me know what you think!

Also, keep an eye out for a short story I’ll be posting soon, starring Nova in a mech boxing arena.

AND, if you sign up for my mailing list (top left) you’ll get a free copy of book 1 of the Nova Chronicles as soon as it’s available.

Recipe for the Perfect Fantasy Movie

To cook up the perfect fantasy movie you just need a few simple ingredients (Note; this recipe also applies to books):

A reluctant hero:

 

A bumbling sidekick (preferably named Sam):

 

Dragons:

 

Wraiths:

 

A rescuing bird:

Simply combine these and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

There you have it, a perfect fantasy movie. Speaking of which, I’m super excited to see the new Hobbit movie!