Donovan's Literary Services Shares Bob Freeman's "Tech Manual for a Future"

TITLE : H2LiftShips - Bosons Wave Vol 3

SUBTITLE : "A Tech Manual for a Future"

ISBN: 978-1-64456-483-7   

 

AUTHOR: Bob Freeman 

WEBSITE: https://www.h2liftship.com

Twitter: @h2lift

GENRE: SciFiTech

AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: Teen Nerd to Ancient Nerd

NUMBER OF PAGES: 244

PURCHASE LINKS

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4R9W8G7

https://books2read.com/u/31e956

PUBLISHER: Indies United Publishing House, LL

Note: Reviews of other books in this series to follow

Reviewed by D. Donovan of Donovan's Literary Services 

             

H2LiftShips - Bosons Wave recounts the ongoing story of Captain Graciela and the crew of the H2LiftShip LunaCola, whose secret mission involves a journey that embraces family and political drama in this third volume of an intriguing space opera adventure. It's set in a world that simultaneously feels both familiar and alien.

This is a world of space pirates and high-tech oddities, from algae rocket ships to an odd marriage between advanced technology and old-world devices—bioGel laser rifles and HAM radios, for example.

It's a scenario in which Captain Graciela and her crew battle the brainless algae which have joined with angry bioGel computers to challenge both sides with impossible situations.

From Jovian clouds integrated with DNA computers to gamblers who operate in a space casino against the backdrop of intrigue and conflict, Bob Freeman crafts an environment that will especially please prior series readers with more than just a fast pace.

Freeman takes the time to incorporate vivid descriptions into his world-building space opera, marking them with a wry sense of humor that overlays the action: "Mort ships, the transports for boxed cellular remains of sentients, preferred dark colors for the ship and sails. The color scheme wasn't required for the job, but it matched their ethos."

The descriptions of both heady clashes and everyday activities build a strong sense of place to contrast extraordinary events with ordinary life pursuits, but with a twist: "The 'gelTxt was moderately successful. She got the rope, nutrients, and some leads on fresh manure and grains. It was time to hit the regolith and search for some more supplies and tasty snacks for the long journey ahead. Captain Grace was in her element, picking out products to re-sell, for a serious profit. She was looking for bargains and kept away from the central storehouses."

Readers of the prior books in this series will find Bosons Wave a powerful survey of risky experiments, HiveSister concerns and sentient developments, and the crew's struggle to avoid disaster.

Ironic, delightful phrasing fosters a stream of ironic observation through the story: "The green monster's visit was not as friendly as it seemed."

The result is a fitting compliment to the other books in the series, expanding the escapades of this Navy crew's space-faring struggles as they tackle interstellar emergencies, family issues, and military operations with equal ability.

Readers seeking a rollicking good read from a modern space opera will find H2LiftShips - Bosons Wave a fine adventure that employs many futuristic descriptions to power its characters and their dilemmas.

From the Reviewer:

Please feel free to quote any pieces from my reviews for your publicity purposes (with credit to Donovan's Literary Services or Midwest Book Review, as the review will appear in both places). 

Reviews by D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

http://donovansliteraryservices.com/september-2022-issue.html#h2b

More About the Author

The author is a retired Public Health Microbiologist/Lab Director/LIMS Software designer and a confirmed science geek. 

With expertise in anaerobic microbiology and writing an exorbitant number of tech manuals and protocols, the only logical path going forward was to write what I wished.

Misunderstanding the common SciFi tropes of the day, the author builds complex worlds, adds a few interesting characters, and lets them have at it.

Further expanding on tropes, the stories are not boom/bang/fight from the start and every third page, but explicitly designed to not be interesting to an eight-year-old male. Interesting kids of any age or sex may enjoy the work even with the lack of explosions.

The author began writing SciFi in 2021 at the tender age of 70 and is writing short stories before tackling his 4th novel in the LiftShip series.

Thanks

Bob 
------------ 
Bob Freeman

BtB Software, LLC www.btbsoftware.com

SciFi Stories: 
www.h2liftship.com/beyondluna    
www.h2liftship.com/backstory 
www.h2liftship.com/bosonswave 

LinkedIn:   linkedin.com/in/freemanbob

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Book Review: Dragon Bone Soup, Anyone?

Title: Dragon Bone Soup

Edited by DW Brownlaw and P. C. Darkcliff

Publisher: Independently published 

Release date: December 9, 2019

Genre: Anthology Sci-Fi and Fantasy

ISBN-10: 1673703976

ISBN-13: 978-1673703979

Purchase on Amazon 

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

When I reached the end of Dragon Bone Soup, I realized I had just finished my favorite short story anthology I have ever read. As a writer of sci-fi short stories myself, I knew I was going to have to up my game to compete with all these folks.  Especially regarding preciseness and word economy. 

I also realized trying to point out the highlights of the sixteen diverse fantasy and light science fiction stories would result in a very long book review. After all, writers from three continents take readers to dystopian futures  populated by dragons, witches, spirits, elves, trolls, and magicians. But no matter how non-human these beings might seem, every story explores the humanity of even the most exotic of characters. This includes the first-person narrative, "I, Dragon" by David Bowmore. 

 I would like to call special attention to the first two stories in the collection, "LA EMBRUJADX" by Carmen Baca  and "The Witch of Wickershaw" by Brandy Bonifas as they both hooked me into this collection straight-away. Other contributors include Steve Carr, P.C. Darkcliff, R.A. Goli, Shawn Klimek, Mark Kodama, Giuseppina Marino Leyland, Zhen Liu, Lynne Phillips, Sam M. Phillips, Daniel Craig Roche, Copper Rose, L.T. Waterson, and G. Allen Wilbanks.

For readers who like to know about the authors they experience, the editors added a section of interviews at the end of the book with each of the writers describing their craft. Some might think of this section as padding as each story is indeed short, most around 3,000 words or so. (The editors provide a word count for each story in their introductory notes. ) Well, if you're not that interested in all the biographies and writing approaches of the creators,  or maybe only interested in a few of the contributors,  the interviews are not essential reading. I wager, however, that most fellow writers will appreciate the opportunity to read sixteen windows into the creative process. For non-writers, you could think of the interviews  as icing on the cake, if you can imagine icing on bone soup.

If you like sci-fi or fantasy, you won't want to pass up this collection.  Perhaps not every entree will be your cuppa tea, to mix metaphors again, but there will certainly be enough offerings you'll consider special treats. 

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of The Beta Earth Chronicles, is a frequent reviewer for The New Book Review and BookPleasures.com . Learn more about him with these links: 

Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

Follow Wes Britton’s Goodreads blog:

Check out Wes Britton’s Beta Earth Chronicles Facebook page:

Enjoy the videos at Wes Britton’s YouTube Channel:

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 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

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Just Published Dystopian Saga Reviewed by Lisa O'Day

Alpha Tales 2044

Subtitle: A Beta-Earth Chronicles Collection

Author: Wesley Britton

Print Length: 173 pages

Publisher: Alien Vision (December 9, 2018)

Publication Date: December 9, 2018

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC 

ASIN: B07KJBSQG5

Reviewed by Lisa Frankford O’Day originally for Amazon

 5.0 out of 5 stars

A wonderful short story collection that will take you to unimagined places, each of them different, but all tied together by the Beta-Earth saga.

The first of the stories is taken right out of the Beta-Earth Chronicles; it stars one of my favorite characters, Sasperia. She and the Supreme Head of the Munchen Collective (love these titles!) save the world. And they do it with lots of adventure and excitement. And a bit of sadness.

Next is “The Fates of Evil Men”; this story takes us back to Alpha Earth – our earth – in a sort of dystopian virus plagued era. It is also full of twists and turns, and very unlike any other dystopian sort of story I’ve ever read. An excellent story with a surprising twist in the end, but still, not my favorite of this collection.

The next group of stories fill in some history of what happened to the earth, and some of the latest generation of the Renbourn’s trials and adventures. Followed by “Murder in the Canyon,” further fleshing out the family on this latter day earth. More trials for the family, and decisions made to, again, move on. Leading to “Sasquatch.” Which, in this version of Earth’s future, really exists. This is my favorite story of the whole collection.

I recommend anyone who likes science fiction, adventure, or even some romance, to try this collection – it is well written and fun to read!

 MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of the Beta Earth Chronicles and reviews for BookPleasures.com. Learn more about him:

 Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

 Follow Wes Britton’s Goodreads blog:

 Check out Wes Britton’s Beta Earth Chronicles Facebook page:

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MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER FREEBIE

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too! 

Science Fiction Novel Featuring NASA Reviewed

Book Title: Beyond The Milky Way

Author:  Aithal

Website: https://www.thegalaxyseries.com/  

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Season Ball

ISBN: 978-1522858515

Purchase link: myBook.to/BTMW

Earth is dying; leeched of its natural resources and overwhelmed by pollution, it is becoming uninhabitable to human life at an alarming rate. With Congress planning to cut NASA's budget, NASA makes one last effort to demonstrate that space exploration is necessary to the survival of the human race by sending a shuttle to explore a planet that appears to be habitable.

Reviewed by Charity Rowell Originally for Kindle Book Review

When the shuttle encounters an anomaly in space, the crew finds itself on a different planet that is foreign, yet eerily familiar. 

When I was contacted by the author to review Beyond The Milky Way, I was excited because I enjoyed his previous novel, India Was One, and I was curious to see how the author's flair for imagery and philosophy would work in a science fiction novel. I was not disappointed. The author's writing was thoughtful, well-written, and insightful; the imagery and details were exquisite. I was immediately drawn into the story, and had trouble putting the book down. I was also pleased to see that the author included artwork at the beginning of each chapter; the illustrations give readers a hint of what each chapter holds.

The end of Beyond The Milky Way is impressive. While not everything is resolved, the ending does not seem abrupt; it seems like a natural pause during which readers can ponder and absorb everything that they read. 

Beyond The Milky Way is a unique and imaginative science fiction novel that explores human nature and makes readers ask, "What if?" I am really looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

 

DISCLAIMER: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review also appeared on Goodreads.

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. 

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Author of Beta Earth Chronicles Reviews Tenth Avatar

Tenth Avatar: A Quest for Answers

Dr. Kanchan Joshi

Paperback: 246 pages

Publisher: Kanchan Joshi (August 24, 2017)

ISBN-10: 069293314X

ISBN-13: 978-0692933145

Purchase on Amazon

Trailer for Tenth Avatar

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

Reading Tenth Avatar is like reading two books in one. At the same time, the book is one of a rare breed in science fiction.  I don’t know about your reading list of contemporary sci fi novels, but the vast majority I’ve read are darkly pessimistic and dystopian. Not so the Tenth Avatar. It’s not only optimistic and utopian, but even proposes a path for humanity to follow to achieve a new level of spiritual, economic, political, and social evolution.  

The structure of the book is built on two parallel, alternating stories that take place thousands of years apart.  One occurs In ancient India where we meet Hanuman,  a noted warrior and mystic living in the forests. The setting is full of many mythological and fantasy elements.   While there are many humans running about, there are also very intelligent ape-like creatures and their greatest enemy, the demons of a nearby region ruled by the evil Raven. There are all manner of strange, anachronistic weapons including radiation-bearing arrows and missiles as well as powerful flying machines and a monstrous giant robot-like killing machine.     

But this world also has warriors using powerful bows and arrows, wooden chariots, and primitive maces. There are important mystical teachers, or “yogis,” who teach wisdom to Hanuman and others in the orbit of powerful, noble  king-in-exile, Ram. He’s seeking his wife who was kidnapped by Raven.   In this world, the forces of good gain superhuman power through meditation which leads to an awareness of what is beyond a person’s body and self including an understanding of how we fit into, well, everything.

Alternating with this saga is the modern tale of theoretical physicist Krish,

a brilliant mathematician living in California.  Trying to seek out the workings of life and the universe using advanced mathematical formulas, he inexplicably hallucinates vivid images of existence beyond his physical self very like what the ancient yogis experienced.  Why? He doesn’t know.

Told with a very different style from the tales of Hanuman, the author’s seemingly more grounded, more realistic odyssey of Krish has an intriguing flow with some puzzling plot holes.     In the beginning, Krish discovers something he calls Quantum Communication which uses particle streams that can’t be hacked. Very quickly, the military shows interest in Krish’s unproven theories. At the same time, agents of unknown countries or organizations start trying to kill Krish. The FBI assigns protection for the scientist, but apparently not for very long. After his first bodyguard is killed on a plane, we don’t see any signs anyone is watching over Krish even if he did turn over his research to the Department of Defense. By himself, he travels home to India seeking out the lost notes of an important Indian mathematician. Any reader of spy novels will tell you this is ideal territory for more assassination attempts. Or at Krish’s wedding.  And who was behind two terrible nuclear bombings in the U.S., over both California and New York? We’re never told. The adventures of Hanuman and Krish are brought together in the end, and I suspect most readers will have picked up on the clues to the ultimate resolutions long before the final reveals.

I have to admit, the use of intense meditation to be the key to gaining overwhelming cosmic awareness sounds better than I suspect it would really work in the real world. I say that as someone who has practiced various kinds of meditation for decades.  Still, I am no authority on what meditation technique would make someone a Yogi and/or guru who could transform countless lives.  

Nonetheless, it’s very nice to read a novel that projects the possibility that an enlightened humanity could be transformed under the tutelage of the tenth avatar. It’s a story, well, two stories that can serve as antidotes to the typical sci fi futures of genetic manipulation, global warming, biological disaster, or alien invasions that serve as constant warnings of what our futures might be.  

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Wesley Britton, author of the Beta Earth Chronicles, also reviews for BookPleasures.com.

Learn more about him: 

Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

https://drwesleybritton.com/books/

Follow Wes Britton’s Goodreads blog:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295635.Wesley_Britton/blog

Follow Wes Britton’s Beta Earth Chronicles Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/BetaEarthChronicles/?ref=edit_photo

View the snazzy Beta Earth Chronicles book trailer at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8rrP2warHc

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. 

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Lauren Jones Reviews Robert Eggleton's Sci-Fi Novel

• Title: Rarity from the Hollow 

• Author: Robert Eggleton
• Web site link: www.lacydawnadventures.com   
• Genre: Adult Literary Science Fiction
• ISBN: 9781907133060;1907133062
• Purchase Links: 

https://www.amazon.com/Rarity-Hollow-Robert-Eggleton/dp/190713395X/

http://www.amazon.com/Rarity-Hollow-Robert-Eggleton-ebook/dp/B017REIA44

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rarity-from-the-hollow-robert-eggleton/1118420669#productInfoTabs

http://www.doghornpublishing.com/wordpress/books/rarity-from-the-hollow 

Reviewed by Lauren Jones originally for TurningAnotherPage.com

REVIEW

Tom threw in a couple of Amen’s. After finishing the psalm that she had learned in church, she looked into his eyes. “There was nothing that you saw that should have shaken your belief in Jesus. What you saw and what you will see on our mission will make him look stronger and bigger. Jesus is much more than human-kind. He existed for the salvation of all—not just humans. All means all. His sacrifice was never meant to have been discriminatory or selective to just one kind of people on one planet. Right is right and wrong is wrong. It’s just like you know in your heart. Good and evil have always been and will always be the balance on which survival of the universe depends.”

What would you do if you were tasked with saving the Earth or even the entire universe? If a cyber robot came to you from another planet, what would be your first thought? Would you feel crazy? Would you feel safe? What about fearful or excited? All of that is a bit much to take in, but what if you were only an eleven-year-old and told that you were the only one who could do it? With this novel, it is very difficult to put words down regarding the true emotional turmoil that exists in the main character’s life. The author creates an elaborate world, filled with an abundance of fantasy and science fiction. This world contributes to most of the story, an illusion of a world that a little girl can escape to in an attempt to avoid the inevitable and harsh reality of abandonment and abuse.

This story begins with Lacy Dawn, an eleven-year-old girl, who lives in a place called the Hollow. She talks to the trees, the rocks, her dog Brownie, a robot named Dot-Com, and her dead best friend. The first sign that something didn’t seem right, was the dead best friend. Now, this story is for adults and there is satire, but this is not to be misconstrued as a light or easy read. This is definitely not an easy story to read due to content, but it is brutally honest and very credible for an eleven-year-old who has lost her best friend and in a sense, her family as well. Lacy Dawn has suffered abuse at the hand of her father, and her dead best friend died at the hand of her father, aka the meanest daddy in the world. Once Lacy Dawn finds Dot-Com, things start to change for her. This robot teaches her things through plug-ins and tells her that it is her job to save Earth and make the universe safe…from what, he isn’t allowed to tell her until she completes a series of tasks that will validate her capability of such an important task. Can she get the help that she needs to save the entire universe?

Eggleton has a certain way of twisting the seriousness of the story with the satire that follows Lacy Dawn and her entourage on their journey. There are a lot of quips and a ton of experiences that these characters go through that symbolize real-life problems that we, as people face on a daily basis. From an eleven-year-old’s point of view, can it be deeply misunderstood, definitely! Can it be taken out of proportion, absolutely! But, is it credible and original, yes it sure is. Think about what preteens think about at that young age and then readers will be able to rationalize the thought processes that occur within the story. This author does a superb job with character development, but the reader must be open-minded to keep pace with the outlandish scenes and spontaneous adventures that the characters partake in as well as the depth of the issues portrayed. Most of the issues faced are taken lightly by the characters as if this is the typical way of life, but readers must remember that some of these characters do not know any differently and to them, this is the way life is. If you are a reader of science fiction and psychological fiction, you may want to try this book.

A copy of this book was provided to Turning Another Page by the author, but this in no way affects our honest opinion of the book or the review that has been written. We provide a five-star rating for Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton.

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. 

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Irwin Allen's Lost in Space
Subtitle: Authorized Biography of a Classic Sci-Fi Series, Volume 2

Author: Marc Cushman

Publisher: Jacob Brown Media Group; 1 edition (November 1, 2016)

ISBN-10: 0692747567

ISBN-13: 978-0692747568

Purchase at: https://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Allens-Lost-Space-Authorized/dp/0692747567

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

I rather expected Volume 2 of Marc Cushman’s exhaustive history of Lost in Space would have to be much thinner and less engaging than Volume 1. After all, Vol. 1 included the pre-LIS careers of Irwin Allen and all the cast members as well as an in-depth look at Allen’s first TV sci fi series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. For Vol 2, what else could Cushman do other than review all the episodes produced in season 2 of LIS? Well, he could, and does, give us a very decent overview of Allen’s prematurely cancelled Time Tunnel that ran on ABC from fall 1966 to spring 1967. 

In many ways, my expectations were spot on. But not completely. This is especially true of the early discussions which focus on the changes that came when the show was now produced in color.  Over and over, we’re told how “pop art” the visuals became, perfectly timed to coincide with the psychedelic ‘60s. As Cushman looks at the first episodes of the 1966-1967 season, it doesn’t seem like most of the cast members were all that important, other than the break-out star, Jonathan Harris.  As with season 1, he continued to be not only an actor but a major script re-writer as well.

In fact, cast member Marta Kristen, who played Judy Robinson, said the program became the Jonathan Harris show with his evil Dr. Zachery Smith taking up the lion’s share of the time along with Bob May inside the robot and Bill Mumy’s Will Robinson. Guy Williams and June Lockhart, who had been major TV stars in their past series (Zorro, Lassie) had only sporadic lines and duties. In addition, the program became, more and more, a comedic fantasy emphasizing monsters, special effects, outlandish props, and oddball guest stars.   With the apparent exception of network president William Paley, whom Cushman says was embarrassed by shows like LIS, CBS liked the changes. Top executives preferred a lighter touch that appealed to younger viewers which made for a winning formula against ABC’s Batman.

I was surprised to see just how much competitiveness Allen felt with the newcomer to network TV sci fi, the more serious Star Trek. For much of that season, in terms of ratings, LIS was often the weekly winner. Writers who worked on both series felt freer when scripting for LIS as there were fewer restrictions on what they could create. I wasn’t aware of how much pioneer work took place in LIS, especially with filming those outer space visuals and creating those weird props.

For a time, I felt like I was reading nothing more than a very, very detailed episode guide, something only diehard fans would enjoy. As Cushman admits, “my books redefine `TMI’." True enough. Nonetheless, there’s a warm tone that runs through the production notes. It’s clear Cushman liked the series when it first aired and he likes it, perhaps even more so, now.  There are frequent moments when Cushman takes the time to point to just what made a specific episode special or entertaining. He tells us the better stories had themes, as in the lessons children learned about topics like self-sacrifice, tolerance, lost innocence, or sexual equality. Such thematic material, of course, wasn’t present in many more fantastic episodes. 

In the end, it will be the serious fans who’ll want this second volume in the LIS saga. I can well imagine many TV sci fi fans who would also like to skim a book about one of the pioneer series in the genre. Certainly, most libraries should shelve this series, especially if they specialize in popular culture, TV production, or media studies. It’s not a cover-to-cover read, but rather a readable reference work.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER 

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of Beta-Earth Chronicles

www.drwesleybritton.com/books/ and blogs at 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295635.Wesley_Britton/blog

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Veteran Reviewer Recommends Sci-Fi Thriller

Blue Gold 

By David Barker

Paperback: 360 pages

Publisher: Urbane Publications (June 1, 2017)

ISBN-10: 1911331655

ISBN-13: 978-1911331650

Purchase at https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Gold-David-Barker/dp/1911331655

Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton originally for Book Pleasures 

Blue Gold is one of those fast-paced thrillers that demand focused reader attention. That’s because there are so many moving parts including changing global settings and Barker introducing a wide cast of important characters.

Set in the not-so-distant future, as they say, this addition to the “cli-fi” (climate fiction) genre revolves around two major protagonists, British agents Sim Atkins and his partner, Freda Brightwell. Atkins is a relative rookie whom the experienced Brightwell doesn’t accept with much enthusiasm. She’s distinguished by an ornate walking stick which doesn’t discourage Sim from an ongoing study of his “boss’s” legs. Sim is doubtful this pair can accomplish what is asked of them; Freda believes just a few brave souls can do what inactive masses won’t, even preventing World War III. 

   

Their investigations begin by looking into the projects of very sophisticated worldwide terrorists and rogue governments who destroy satellites over Iceland, blow up airships, and infiltrate the most sensitive of governmental military computers all over the world.  In fact, side stories and parallel plot lines occur in England, America, Ethiopia, Egypt, Israel, India, Pakistan, Japan, Canada, and China, among other locations. All the events and back-stories in these places aren’t presented in a linear flow but do establish just how turbulent the world order has become. 

Easily speculative fiction if not overtly sci fi, Blue Gold occurs in a world with acute water shortages due to global climate changes.  Most of the international conflicts are responses to the growing crisis. There are also riots and terrorism based on economic inequality, especially the workers of the world unhappy about corporations not paying their fair share of taxes.   The rich are leaving behind their land based citizenships to live on the sea where they owe no taxes to anyone.

Futuristic elements include a reliance on AI (artificial intelligence), hyper-sonic surveillance drones, and a moon base mining for minerals. Through it all, the author says the point of the book is to expand awareness of what might happen to our planet’s water supply if we don’t address the growing problems of global warming.  In addition, the author says he is using Blue Gold to help raise awareness for the charity, WaterAid, one of the organizations he describes in one of his lengthy appendices.

I highly recommend Blue Gold to pretty much every reader who likes intelligent fiction.     It can be classified, if you need labels to determine your reading list, as an espionage thriller, speculative fiction, science fiction, a mystery, sometimes a political thriller, certainly “cli-fi.” Happily, while the book has a polemic point to make, Barker doesn’t preach to us and doesn’t hit us over the head with his themes. This is an entertaining, action-packed, vividly descriptive tale with memorable characters and, sadly, a more than plausible future for us to worry about. Speaking of the future, while I wasn’t crazy about the final scene on the last page of the main text, I was delighted to see Blue Gold is the first volume of a new trilogy. In the teaser chapter for book 2, I see why Blue Gold ended the way it did. So I have two more books to look forward to.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER 

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of Beta-Earth Chronicles

www.drwesleybritton.com/books/ and blogs at 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295635.Wesley_Britton/blog

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.