Wednesday 25 July 2007

CSFF Blog Tour - FEARLESS by Robin Parrish

It's certainly been interesting watching the blog posts discussing the question - what genre does this book really belong to? Fantasy? Superhero? Suspense? Supernatural? I haven't been able to get hold of it myself yet, but you can watch the video trailer and see if you can get closer to discovering the truth... and I have to say, my interest has risen dramatically after hearing that it might not be "just one of those suspense books" but something supernatural too. After all the marketing in the suspense direction, this came as a surprise - but I guess I'll have to read it now...

It's

Link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764201786

Other tour participants:
Trish Anderson Brandon Barr Wayne Thomas Batson Jim Black Justin Boyer Grace Bridges Amy Browning Jackie Castle Valerie Comer Karri Compton Frank Creed Lisa Cromwell CSFF Blog Tour Gene Curtis D. G. D. Davidson Merrie Destefano Jeff Draper April Erwin Linda Gilmore Beth Goddard Marcus Goodyear Andrea Graham Russell Griffith Jill Hart Katie Hart Sherrie Hibbs Christopher Hopper Jason Joyner Karen Dawn King
Tina Kulesa Lost Genre Guild Rachel Marks Rebecca LuElla Miller Eve Nielsen John W. Otte John Ottinger Robin Parrish Lyn Perry Rachelle Cheryl Russell Hanna Sandvig Chawna Schroeder Mirtika Schultz James Somers Steve Trower Speculative Faith Jason Waguespac Daniel I. Weaver

Sunday 15 July 2007

Help me pick a photo!

Hey guys,

I'm working up to publishing my book and I can't decide which photo of me to use on the back cover. Would you take a second and tell me which one you think is best? Just click on its title in the poll below. Thanks!




Get your own Poll!

Saturday 7 July 2007

Raising the Past by Jeremy Robinson

The story begins ten thousand years ago, when a canny cavewoman is visited by strangers from another world. She accepts the object they give her, yet at the end of her life she fails to use it as they instructed. Next thing you know, her frozen remains are unwittingly discovered by a modern-day excavation team in search of the woolly mammoth. Tried and tested archaeologists are rocketed into a fight for their lives and ultimately for the whole planet.

Twists and turns of truly “mammoth” proportions follow. The action rarely eases, and new dangers heap up around every corner. The reader is fleeing along with the team, and learns the truth step by shocking step until finally the entirety of the deception is revealed. Nothing is as it seems to be. What if the idea of angels and demons really did come from opposing alien factions, warring for control of the Earth – one race said to be evil and another claiming to be good?

This is a good exercise in mind-expansion, for sure. It’s mainstream fiction, although you will also find spiritual aspects – chiefly the significance of free will in the value of human society. Vast quantities of blood and gore, fights to the death, and impossible chase scenes with larger-than-life alien species make this a nail-biting thriller from beginning to end – though not necessarily to be recommended for a weak constitution. It reminded me vaguely of Jurassic Park at times, in a different setting and with different monsters.

“Raising the Past” makes a terrific cross-over effort, in two directions at once. It’s ideal to draw an average reader into the science fiction scene, and may also serve as an effective introduction for someone unfamiliar with spiritual genres. It’s this mix that brings you to the unique conclusion, amazingly managing to leave the world unshattered at the end. I view it as a considerable bridge-building contribution and an enrichment to the genre scene.

Jeremy is currently running a viral campaign to make his next release a bestseller. Check out this vid:

Wednesday 4 July 2007

It's Fantasy Four time!

Four amazing Christian Fantasy authors are on tour this week! Although I'm far away, I'm watching online as this historic event unfolds. Here's the tour trailer - enjoy!

Tuesday 3 July 2007

True Light by Terri Blackstock

After reading the first two books in the Restoration series, I was curious to find out what happens next. Since some of the characters made big mistakes in earlier installments, I wanted to know if they grew beyond that. On the day that “True Light” came up to the top of my “to-read” pile, we actually had a short power cut in our street – making the scenario suddenly very much close to home. What if the power didn’t ever come on again?

The worldwide power outage has gone on for several months now. Doug and his family have motivated their community to work together for everyone’s good. Wells have been dug and yards are full of vegetable gardens. Things look pretty good for a while. Then a young boy is shot and seriously wounded in the woods, and Deni’s longtime sweetheart Mark finds himself the main suspect. A winter drama of mistrust and exhaustion follows, as Mark faces his fears, the crippled judicial system, and his worst enemies.

As the authorities struggle to bring order to a world without electricity, this is a chillingly realistic picture of something that could quite possibly happen. People in all their humanness can turn into monsters of selfishness, given the right circumstances. Although it looks like good is winning out in their neighbourhood, the neighbours turn against Mark as Doug and Kay do their best to turn the tide of unfounded suspicion.

There’s plenty of adventure to keep you turning pages. The practical details of the whole scenario are highly plausible, although at times the characters seem a little flat and stereotyped. Maybe they’re still in shock – I know I would be. The action in the plot is centred on the premise that the lack of technology turns people and society into a dangerous kind of modern Wild West full of renegades and vigilantes.

It’s certainly a fascinating idea – the end of the world that isn’t actually the end of anything except technology. Although it starts out sounding like science fiction, it’s really a futuristic thriller. Life goes on, even when nearly everything is stripped away. People are still around, and that’s what really matters.

You can see more of the action at the Christian Fiction Review Blog's main tour site!