Black Hole Oblivion - Earth to Centauri Book 3 - A Book Review

Out of 6 books written by Kumar, L. l have read 4. And I am a close follower of Earth to Centauri book series. I have read the first two parts of the series within 3 months of its release but due to our strict schedule, we were not able to get enough time to read the third party for the last one year. Covid-19 came in disguise it gave me time to finish my previous pending books and I got enough time to read the book of my choice for almost three months now. 2 days back I saw a post by Kumar where he mentioned that he has few copies of Hindi edition of third part which contains few typo errors. I have read the first 2 parts in English, still, I didn't miss the chance and took the third part's Hindi edition. I started reading it within a week of its delivery and finished it within 4 days. I finished it into 2-3 seatings and I enjoyed it a lot.

The third part started just after the alien attack on Earth. The Indian government sent Anara's team to capture the person responsible for the attack, the person called chairmen. Unknown to them, somewhere between the solar system and Proxima, Joe had blasted devastating bombs that they have captured from Antrariksha. He wanted the device to get lost so that the chairman cannot use it further for his nefarious actions. But this action of his made a black hole which was within the path of Antrariksha. On their way to the next assignment, Anara's crew stuck into the horizon of this black hole. Not just that they found a French space station on way to Proxima, which gave negative signals to Anara. Stuck in a black hole where their every tries to escape horizon failed how Anara would save her crew. Read the book to know more.

Good points about the book

1) Fast track storytelling. No nonsense to the point narration

2) A strong female character steering the plot

3) Mixed of sci-fi and space-time hypothesis

4) Unexpected twists and turns

5) Easy language usage. No showcase of extraordinary vocabulary.

6) The best cover in the series.

Overall I will give 4 out of 5 to the series.

Book links - 

GoodReads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49002087

Amazon - https://amzn.to/2DhnONa

A Light Read - An Uneasy Alliance by Kyra Radcliffe - Book Review

I have been reading thriller and crime novels lately. Many of them were of a psychological thriller. Reading them during lockdown was actually made my mind very very serious. So I decided to lighten my mood, that's when I saw a romantic cover of "An Uneasy Alliance" by Kyra Radcliffe. The cover reminded my Mills & Boons series. The book was available in Kindle Unlimited so I took the chance and read the sample chapter. The sample chapters gave me confidence that the book is good to go. So here I am discussing my observations about the book.

Let me give you a brief of the story first. The central characters of our story are Katherine and Tate. One fine day Katherine, the mayor of Blissmore, got to know that her younger brother Keith was in jail. On meeting Keith, Katherine came to know Keith was framed by his girlfriend, Samantha's brother Tate for frame charged. Katherine wanted Keith to fight the case but Keith wanted the blessing of Tate for his wedding with Samantha. Katherine met with Tate, who was under impression that Katherine was unemployed. At the same time, he found her attractive, he thought of having a good time with Katherine by making Her work as social secretary for his work. There was unspoken chemistry between Tate and Katherine but same time there was a sweet enmity between them. The period of 2 weeks decided between them when eventful and Katherine went back to her town with tearful eyes. Read the book to know whether Katherine-Tate or Keith-Samantha finally meet or not.

Coming to the writing style, the story is written with a minimalistic approach. You will not find complexity in plot narration. There are hardly 7-8 characters in the story, which means you can easily keep track of characters as well. The language is easy to follow, I would recommend it for beginners. Due to a slight sexual touch, I would suggest it keep away from under 14. 

Some critical observations. Though the book is written more like a love story a few parts I found written like erotica, well the language of those narratives were tender compare to plain erotica, which was a slight relief. 

Overall a good light mood read. You may read it in 3-4 sittings. I finished it in 3 and enjoyed it.

I would give 3.5 out of 5 to this story.

Book links - Goodreads, Amazon UK and Amazon India

Confused - Audible or Storytel? 3 major differences between Leading Audiobook Apps in India

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There are three simple differences which will help you to make your decision. Questions are subscription-style, cost & book portfolio. Check the video to know how these three things will help you.

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Grumpy due to Lock down - Cheer up - Read the Laughter Riot called Scoundrels

I have been a regular member of NetGalley till Sept 2018. Later on my visits to their site reduced, I think one of those visits I applied for "Scoundrels 1 & 2". I got the approval for both the volumes. I think I checked the first volume and read a few pages. But somehow I forgot about those two books and found them during COVID Lockdown. I wanted some good books which can lighten the mood and stress level during these trying times. And Scoundrels gave me that peace of mind. I am grateful to NetGalley and authors for providing such a wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. And I would like to apologize for the delaying review. Still, books needed it's pending praise and here I am delivering duty which was due for almost a year and a half.

Before we discuss the plot let me tell you my first impression of the book cover. I was going through NetGalley shelves when two funny covers came into the view. They reminded me of my favorite childhood tv show "Laurel and Hardy". The title was equally funny, "Scoundrels". I knew the books will be a fun riot. I applied to them immediately. I think they were the last books I applied within those 12 months. I am glad I have these books with me to enlighten my mood. As I applied books in combo and got approval for both, I am posting a combined review. 

"Scoundrels" & "Scoundrels: The Hunt for Hansclapp" are the first two volumes of adventurous, fun-filled & thrilled journey of Major Cornwall and Major Trevelyan. The word scoundrels are not specifically for majors but rather a secretive club dedicated to great Britain. But the name does signify their activities which can not be done through political dialog or war. They do the nasty jobs.

The first volume started in recent times where Major Cornwall pushed Major Trevelyn to work on a combined memoir of their adventures. After much cooing and pushing around Major Trevelyan reluctantly accepted Cornwall's request. And thus started a rollercoaster of comedy. The very first incident they mentioned was "Race to Dakor desert". After that followed, their encounter with the Chinese Emperor. After giving a brief of what is to be expected (if you continue reading the book) both major took sequential narration of their memoir. The first part covers both major's school lives, how they entered the Scoundrel club, how they brought a secret weapon from Nazis, survived as prisoners of war in the Japanese army's captivity. The first part ends with Majors making enmity with Gruber Hansclapp.

The second volume starts with Major Cornwall getting poisoned by Hansclapp, and then went to Istanbul to destroy his plans. On their mission to Istanbul, Major Trevelyan met a lovely 8 years old girl named Anais and adopted her. Same way Major Cornwall adopted a gorilla named Titus. In this part, Major Trevelyan got married and got himself stuck knee-deep problems. Check out both the books to know more. I haven't given any spoilers. So don't worry. 

Major Cornwall is shown smarter of the two always get stuck in the problem and later on saved by Major Trevelyan. Both of them, or I would say most of the club members, were shown as super-rich and their lifestyle is shown with comic style. The way Majors use a variety of liquor and specially made tobacco for various situation/place/moods bring a smile to your faces.  

Now coming to characters & storytelling, I must have mentioned fun quotient more than 7-8 times, and you will find multiple styles of comedy. There is a black comedy, blue comedy, situational comedy, physical comedy, character comedy and whatnot. The selection of words is time appropriate. The first volume was around the second world war, and the second volume covers a decade after the second world war. 

Language is not age-appropriate, it is strictly 16+ material. 

My advice is not to read the book in public, you may end up laughing out loud and may embarrass yourself. 

With this, I will complete the review. Talking about ratings

1) Scoundrel - 4.25/5

2) Scoundrels: The Hunt for Hansclapp - 3.75/5

Book Links - 

Amazon - Volume 1 & Volume 2

GoodReads - Volume 1 & Volume 2

A Must Read Psychological Thriller - The Coast-to-coast Murder by J D Barker & James Patterson

"The Coast-to-coast murder" by J D Barker and James Patterson. It was my second read from J D Barker and the first from James Patterson. The first book I read by J D Barker was "4MK Killer". It was a completely new kind of experience for me. I may have read few psychological thrillers in past but 4MK had completely blown away my mind. So when I saw this book I gave a chance to Coast-to-Coast. Another reason was that James Patterson has written so many books and I haven't read a single book by him. So I wanted to explore his style of writing as well. I would like to thank NetGalley and publishers to provide me an early review copy of "the coast-to-coast murder."

As genre suggest it is a psychological thriller but one that you may not have seen or read yet. Our major characters are Michael Kepler, Megan Kepler, Michelle Kepler, and FBI agents. Michael Kepler got a call from his neighbor that there was water leakage from his flat and it has overflown from his flat to others' property as well. He came back running and found a body in his bathtub. He called LAPD and reported the death of a stranger. He also informed his sister Megan regarding this. Michael was a hundred percent sure that he saw that lady first time. Things that the LAPD team found were completely in contrast. The pieces of evidence they found were indicating that the murdered lady was the girlfriend of Michael. On top of it when Michael was taken to LAPD for questioning someone help him escape the jail. And from there detective Dobbs from LAPD joined hands with FBI agents to solve the case. FBI agent brought in new information that Michael might be the person behind not just one murder but more than 16 murders. Michael had asked his sister Megan to help him out and his sister was on the way to help Michael. They were both adoptive children of a psychologist couple and both had trouble passed before and after adoption. Read the book to know how killings happened and how it was related to human psychology.

I'll give you four reason why thriller genre lovers must read this book

1) Awesome plot building

2) Simple narration style and easy to read language usage

3) Minimal characters and maximum exposure to each character's to get a proper stage

4) Unexpected twist and turns to keep you engaged till the last page

Coming to the writing style, the book is written with multiple POVs making it more interesting as narrative jumps from one person to another. My only complain was cover design, I think a better cover may attract more readership.

Overall I will give 4.5 out of 5 to this wonderful thriller.

Book Links - Goodreads & Amazon

Meet Kochery C Shibu - the Author of Faith and the Beloved

Two weeks back we reviewed the book "Faith and the Beloved" by Shibu Kochery. We liked the book and felt that book should be adapted for web series. Those who have missed our reviews do check here.

Blog Review - Blog Post 

Vlog Review - Video Review

Today we have author Shibu with us to discuss more on his book "Faith and the Beloved". Before we go to the book discussion, let me share a brief of his background.

 

Educational Background

MA English Pune university 1989, MSc defense Studies Chennai University 1998

Interests at school/college apart from studies?

Games Basketball, Hockey, Handball, football

Professional Positions Held

Worked in the Indian Navy and commanded two warships

Worked in hydroelectric projects

Worked with the shipping industry

Reading habits and favorite authors

I am a voracious reader. Stopped reading fiction since 2009 when I started writing Men and Dreams in the Dhaualdhar. I do read across the genres. There are many authors whom I have liked

Let's discuss Shibu's writing career. When did you start writing?

The inspiration started from school days. Being a career soldier, most fo the writing in defense was about strategy, warfare, and tactics and of classified nature. Efforts at writing novels during his service career died within a few pages 

It was whilst working on. A hydroelectric project in the Himalayas that I started writing in 2009. It took four years and 3600 man writing hours to complete the book and another year in editing 

When did you decide to become a writer?

It has been with me since my school days

What are your ambitions for your writing career?

To write more books 

Do you have a special time to write, or how is your day structured to accommodate your writing?

Till date, the writing has been in addition to the work which I do and so mostly they have been in the evenings after working hours and on Sundays and holidays

What have you written before "Faith and the Beloved"?

Men and dreams in the dhauladhar were the first books. I was adjudged the best author of 2019 by Salismania.com 

What genre are your books?

The first book was a combination of classic, thriller, and technical fiction in one. The second book is a crime thriller. 

Now is the time to discuss "Faith and the Beloved". Can you describe your current book in a few lines? What’s it about?

It is about the power of belief and to what extent individuals go to protect their beloved ones 

Where did you get the idea for this book?

Research and reading 

How much research did you do for this book?

The book was researched and written over two years 

What was the most difficult thing about writing your latest book?

Getting the interspersing of the thriller ingredients right 

When was your book released?

May 2020

What are you working on at the minute?

Many ideas churning, nothing firm yet

What are your thoughts on writing a book series?

A thought in the works, but nothing concrete yet

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Observe and write

Links for your book readers

• Shibu's Wiki Page
• Facebook Page
• Twitter
• Amazon Author Page
• Book Links - Faith and the Beloved: Amazon,
• Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar - Niyogi Site
• Goodreads Author Page

8 Reasons why a sci-fi lover must read "Rhythm Roger - The Secrets of Electon" by Himanshu Rai

I think during lockdown I saw a post of Himanshu on my timeline mentioning his upcoming book. As Himanshu has published 2-3 books in the romance genre, I presumed it to be a romcom. Later on, I saw an interesting cover reveal post and the title. I was sure that the book would not be a romcom. I kept his handle under notification and then came full cover and the blurb. A sci-fi book for middle grades and above with theme of Telecom Fantasy, a proposition which was unheard of not only in Indian literature but in other geographies as well. I was a bit skeptical initially as previous sci-fi I read by Indian authors were lacking the spark that foreign authors offer. Almost after a month of the release when I was satisfied by reviews from reliable sources I decided to go for the book.

So in brief my reasons for book selection

1) Novel genre 

2) Attractive cover art

3) Blurb

4) Reviews from reliable sources

Coming to the story, our protagonist is Rhythm in the human world and the same person with the name Roger in Electon. Rhythm was living in the human world unknown to the fact that he belonged to a secret world Electon. When he reached the age of 25 he went to Electon and found out that he was the son of Queen Anagol. He was informed that he was the future king of V-slots and Noise & D-slots were their enemies. On the very next day of his arrival, he was included in an assignment that took him to a rollercoaster ride with his teammates. He also explored various technologies and tools used in Electon. I hope I haven't share any spoilers. Read the book to know more.

I can give 8 reasons why middle-graders and sci-fi lover will adore "Rhythm Roger - The Secrets of Electon"

1) Out-of-box conceptualization

2) Good linking with physics, physicists & fantasy

3) Characters built around physics concept used in communication & digital world

4) You will find the time-traveling, multiple timelines and what not

5) Three groups to get you engaged and think who is right and who is wrong

6) Easy language usage ideal for kids

7) Age-appropriate content

8) The artwork was given throughout the book, showing places and characters. It helps the reader to visualize clearly.

There are a few points I found confusing related to time travel, but that's not the author's problem. I always find it difficult to digest why one cannot go back to a time (if one can actually time travel) and change things until he is satisfied with end results. I think the book is good enough to have fans & cult following. If marketed and placed well book is capable to capture large readership. I will congratulate and wish luck to Himanshu for bigger success for the book.

Overall I will give 4.5 out 5 to this good book.

Book links Goodreads and Amazon