Ancient tech draws dangerous unwanted attention in New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Ivory Trees, the thrilling new standalone novel in her award-winning Diving series.
When the discovery of a bunker reveals a treasure trove of ancient artifacts, interested parties throughout the Empire—from collectors to academics to researchers—want a piece of the action. But the finds draw attention from outside the Empire as well. Attention from someone willing to do whatever it takes to outmaneuver the Empire and secure the collection.
Set in Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s expansive Diving Universe, Ivory Trees introduces exciting new characters and events to this powerfully written series, while also offering some tantalizing Easter eggs from previous Diving novels.
As suspense builds to a fevered intensity, this tantalizing new novel mixes the best of heist fiction and space opera and proves Rusch’s place as a master of science fiction.
I received a digital copy of Ivory Trees, by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, as a reward from the Ivory Trees Kickstarter campaign at the bottom tier. Ivory Trees: A Diving Universe Novel was not what I expected. Somehow, the series title lead me to believe that the story would take place under water. However, as the cover portrays, this story is a science fiction tale taking place in the vast reaches of space.
Rush has created an intriguing universe, where it’s difficult to tell who the good guys are, with complex characters which are likable and relatable. Multiple points of view allow this story of action and intrigue unfold. Everybody has an angle and lives are at stake. Honestly, I wasn’t sure who to root for in this story, as the alien race whom I believed to were supposed to be the good guys seem to be the aggressors, while the Enteran military on the planet of Wry, whom I think are supposed to be the bad guys, seem to just be defending the items that they find in their possession.
When ancient artifacts are discovered, including the legendary and valuable ivory trees, there’s profit to be made. But the people who have possession of these precious artifacts have no idea what they really are; dangerous weapons from an alien technology which are highly unstable, and the race that created them is determined to get them back at any cost.
As a part of a series, this complex, multiple character, multiple storyline tale is one that science fiction and space opera fans are sure to love. I found many of the storylines seemed to just drift away, hopefully to be picked up in future volumes. Because many things were left unresolved for the series, as a stand alone, I found the ending less than satisfying. I give Ivory Trees four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
Told in The Red Grouse Inn, this poignant, adult, speculative, spiritual and philosophical tale will intrigue, entertain and keep you guessing in equal measure. As a child, David, is taken to a hospice by his mother where he finds himself listening to an increasingly mad tale told by a dying and embittered old Irish priest. But why do the old priest’s recollections of the school days and subsequent rise of a local councillor become so increasingly bizarre and bitter? The universal appeal of this enjoyable, entertaining and intriguing short story, with its beautiful and atmospheric imagery, surreal and paranormal concepts of angels, ghosts and devils, will have you turning the pages and ready to read the next one.
The Crow, by Leslie Garland offers an eerie feeling as you read the story of a young boy saddled with the task of visiting an old priest who is kind of creepy. As the priest unfolds his strange tale, one that might be better to spare young children from, one can’t help but feel a little of the creepiness rub off on you. Told in the spirit of those who used to sit around telling stories for entertainment, this tale has a classic feel to it, which immediately draws the reader in and holds them captive until the last page is turned.
Short, but captivating. The cover could use a new design, as it would not prompt me to go buy the book and tells me nothing about the content of the story, But the title, The Crow, has the power to grab you and make you want to read it. I give it four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
When bodies appear in the desert, the work of a new serial killer, and connected to an isolated commune, FBI special agent Harley Cole finds herself in the race of her life to enter his mind, decode his unusual signature, and stop him before it’s too late. But Harley is tortured by her own demons, and as secrets from her hometown and her missing sister’s past bubble-up, Harley must keep it together long enough to catch a killer—while also chasing a killer from her past.
I listened to the audiobook, Nowhere Left, Book 2 in the Harley Cole Mystery series, by Kate Bold, and narrated by Reagan. In my review of Book 1: Nowhere Safe, I commented that I felt the female protagonist lead story might be better with a female narrator, and I stand by that. However, after listening to book two, I realize that Reagan’s deep male voice fits better to the crime fiction genre than a female voice would, and I do see why the author would make this choice. As with Book 1, Reagan does an excellent job in his narration and I now feel that it adds to the overall tone of the story quite well.
As for the story itself, Book 2 is a good solid crime thriller like Book 1, a very well written story which kept me engaged. I do think Harley needs to resolve her feelings from the past, which were left unresolved in book 1, because I’d like to see more character growth in this series. Her unresolved feelings around her father surfaced in the first book, as she returns home, and resurface here after his death, but in the end, I don’t feel that they have been fully resolved. I feel like in subsequent books, a different inner struggle might avoid these books all feeling like the same-ol-same-ol, because the crime investigations are all very similar. And I hope that by the end of the series, she will have discovered her sister’s fate so she can move on. That may necessitate a career change, so Bold better wait until the last book for that one.
Young women are being found dead in the desert, victims of a serial killer and everything points to a communal group who stay to themselves and avoid any contact with government or law. Harley Cole has unresolved feelings about returning to her home town, but no time to think about them, when she’s asked to jump in with both feet before she can even unpack. Focusing on the investigation, a single clue is bothering her, although she can’t put her finger on why. But the clock is ticking and Harley needs to put the clues together and reveal the killer before another young woman dies.
A classic crime thriller, I give No Where Left four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
In the small town of Saguaro Hill, Arizona, there is an ongoing history-mystery as to why Santa has never visited. Children have never received a single gift for the Yuletide holidays since the town’s establishment in 1888.
The public librarian, Rachel George, is tasked by Mayor Higgins to research the urban legend and discover the real reason why Santa has never flown over, let alone stepped foot, in their village.
Rumors abound, but are there any facts to this case?
Or, will Santa remain a no-show for the ages?
Rachel is determined to find out the truth as to why she lives in The Town Santa Forgot.
The Town Santa Forgot, by DL Mullan a short story which reads like a classic Christmas mystery. This is the kind of heart warming tale you want to read with your family, sitting around the tree, with a fire warming the hearth.
Rachel George is the head librarian in Seguaro Hills, Arizona, dubbed the town that Santa forgot. It was named so because Santa Clause hasn’t visited this town for over a century. No one knows why Santa has neglected them, but despite being left off Santa’s GPS, the town maintains their Christmas spirit in hopes that someday he will return. It falls on Rachel to find out why Santa has forgotton Seguaro and save Christmas, but she must dig deep into the town’s history to solve the mystery.
A tale that will tickle the whole family’s fancies. The perfect holiday gift, but would be fun to read year round. As with most Christmas stories, this one is filled with love and hope. I give The Town Santa Forgot five quills.
I got an email the other day title, “Use AI to Write Your Book in a Flash”. I think Alexa, and Siri, and Google Assistant are annoying, and only correct a portion of the time. So when I saw this email, my first thought was, “Who would want to read a book written by AI?”
AI applications and tools are improving rapidly, so the idea of AI writing my book for me isn’t that far fetched. But the more I though about it, the more offended I became. I write as a means of expressing myself using my ideas, my words, my voice. I wouldn’t want an AI to write my whole book, no matter how fast it can do it. How could they actually believe an unfeeling, inhuman AI tool could even attempt to write for me?
The fact is, most of us already use AI in our daily lives, and we probably don’t even give it a second thought anymore. Most of us an Alexa, or Siri, or Google Assistant, or an equivilant AI device which we use to gain information, turn on our lights, play music, or even tell us a joke. We’ve come to accept AI as a part of daily life.
But when folks start talking about using AI for writing or narrating a book, concerned voices come out of the dark to express displeasure, siting several reasons why using AI with books and literature is not a desirable thing, but one or two stand out: AI created or narrated books are cheating, and take away human jobs.
We’re going to look at the validity of that argument, but first, let’s talk about the different types of AI and what they can and can’t do. Many of us already use AI in our writing, too, but we may not even realize it. Do you use the automatic spell checker that is built into Microsoft Word? Or maybe you use Grammerly or ProWriting Aid to help polish your words? Not so many because not all authors have audiobooks out, but some, may take advantage of the free AI narration for audio books available on Google Play. And then of course, there is Chat GTP, or [ ] which many authors use to help them in their research or in creating setting or character description.
The Creative Penn Podcast on AI
Joanna Penn is a futurist author and podcaster who is usually at least two or three steps ahead of the trends on The Creative Penn podcast. AI has been a hot topic on her poscast and she has many episodes which cover this topic. Penn is transparent in her use of AI in her writing and in creating illustrations. She has played with AI narration, and even had an AI voice created from her own voice, which she claims has saved her tremendous time in creating her audiobooks, which she previously narrated herself. In a couple of her podcast episodes, Penn plays the AI narrations for one of her audiobooks in a couple of different voices to illustrate the quality of AI narration that could be achieved. And I know that quality has improved even more since she recorded those episodes.
If AI is cheating, then with the narration, Penn is only cheating herself. She places disclaimers, letting readers know if a creative work is made with AI and in what capacity, so no one feels fooled or tricked. Although some people are out there pushing the use of AI to ‘write your book quick’, Penn points out that AI technology are simply tools to be used by the author or artist in the creative process. On The Creative Penn podcast, Joanna talks about how she uses ChatGPT and Mid-Journey to assist her in her research, and how she tells the AI what she is looking for and then can refine her search or tell it to make adjustments to a paragraph or an image until it meets what she has envisioned in her own head.
If you are interested in hearing what Joanna Penn has to say about the use of AI, you might try one or more of the episodes listed below.
Now, I don’t pretend to understand a lot of this because I haven’t used Chat GPT or Mid-Journey myself yet, so I can only go by what I hear, but I think it is something that is definitely worth looking into. As a DIY author, publisher, and book marketer, anything that can save me time and help me improve my writing or help sell more books is worth further exploration.
How I Use AI
As I write, I use the AI generated grammar and spellchecker that is built into MS Word, and I bet you do, too. I also employ the free version of ProWriting Aid as I do the final pass on all manuscripts, for myself and others. The AI generated tools pick up errors that I have missed, because hey, I’m only human. I don’t accept every suggestion offered, but they show me things I need to look at, and then I decide if changes are in order, and what type of changes should be made. But again, the AI tools are helpful in pointing out where there are possible errors, or suggesting a better way to say something, but the AI isn’t always right. Suggested corrections don’t always take voice or tone into account, and I, as the author make the final decisions about what goes on the page.
I have not tried using an AI tool such as Chat GPT, but I can see the potential. If I had a tool that could assist me in thinking through each scene, with suggestions for options at my fingertips, I think it would save me a lot of time. And a tool that could help me, who cannot draw well and is not artistic in that way, to create my own images for book covers, illustration and promotion, is something I want to know more about. I’m creating my own images anyway, but perhaps AI could help me make my images better.
Doing my own audiobooks is something I’ve been looking at for a while, but haven’t yet been able to pull off. The idea of creating an AI voice from my own definitely appeals to me, since audiobook creation requires a lot of time that I don’t seem to have. I don’t know enough about it right now to make any rash decisions, but I certainly want to know more. I have listened to AI generated narration that sounds pretty good, and I’ve heard Mark Leslie Lefabvre’s AI narration created from his own voice, which offers few clues that it isn’t the real Mark. (I can’t find the episode now, but at the end of one recent episode of the Stark Reflections podcast, he plays his final reflections read by his AI voice.)
WordCrafter Press also used an AI generated image and voice in the book trailer for the 2023 anthology, Midnight Roost, created by DL Mullan and Undawnted. And frankly, I think it is an outstanding book trailer and the AI made it really cool. This is an awesome way to showcase the authors and the anthology as a whole. Give it a watch below and see what you think. I can definitely see how a tool such as the one used by Mullan could be a great asset in my advertising tool kit.
Midnight Roost Book Trailer
AI is Just a Tool
You can guess from the above post that AI tools are something I have an interest in using. Many of us already use AI tools, even if we don’t look at it that way. I know I used the AI spell checker on MS Word and ProWriting Aid without thinking twice, because they made my life as a writer easier. But as Joanna Penn repeatedly points out, AI can’t do it alone, it needs your input, your humanity, to do what it is programed to do. Alone AI can’t write a thing.
Let me know what you think about the use of AI tools in the comments.
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; and book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
Phoebe Watson was a rising star in the fitness world. Then she disappeared.
The mystery captivates the nation, and the investigation takes a dark turn when her body is discovered a year later, buried deep in a remote, wooded area.
Only one person seems to know something about those remains—multi-millionaire Catherine Bower, one of Phoebe’s former clients. Soon after Phoebe disappeared, Catherine suffered a life-altering accident.
FBI Special Agent Victoria Heslin believes there’s a connection between Phoebe’s murder and Catherine’s accident. As Victoria digs deeper, she uncovers a thick web of secrets and lies, and every thread she untangles points toward a shocking truth.
Bestselling author Jenifer Ruff’s latest chilling crime fiction novel will have you on the edge of your seat as you unravel the clues. The Ones They Buried is book 8 in the award-winning Agent Victoria Heslin crime fiction mystery series. Each of the books features a unique investigation and can ABSOLUTELY be read as a STANDALONE.
I was already a fan of Jennifer Ruff’s Agent Victoria Hesling Thrillers, having reviewed several. It seems I’ve missed a couple, since The Ones They Buried in number eight, but that is okay, because the books in this series are all good as stand alones.
You can see my other reviews of Jenifer Ruff’s books here:
In The Ones They Buried, Jennifer Ruff has outdone herself. This book has enough twists and turns, and red herrings to make the killer reveal a true surprise. Skillfully crafted to keep readers guessing.
A dead body is found in the woods, and identified as a woman who disappeared a year ago, starting an investigation into the prestigeous family of the woman who employed her at the time of her death. But who is the killer? George the gardener, who was the last person to see her? His shady brother-in-law with a criminal record? Katherine’s adulterous husband? Or someone else? Katherine knows, but she can’t communicate the truth if she wanted to due to an unfortunate swimming accident which deprived her of oxygen for too long. But was it an accident, or was someone tring to silence her because she knew too much? It’s up to Agent Victoria Hessling to find out, but someone is trying to stop her. No spoilers. You’ll have to read the book to find out who and why.
Ruff is the master of crime thriller fiction. I give The Ones They Buried five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
Nineteen gut-wrenching reports from the front lines of the War of the Worlds, as logged by Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt, H.P. Lovecraft, Winston Churchill, Jules Verne, and many of the other most famous writers of the time. The most popular and acclaimed science fiction writers of today relive the Martian invasion through the eyes of their famous predecessors.
My Review
I received War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches as a stretch goal reward from Kevin J. Anderson’s Bats in the Belfry Kickstarter campaign. This anthology offers a global take on the invasion begun in a novel by H.G. Wells and the 1938 radio broadcast that caused near panic when thought to be real. Compiled by Kevin J. Anderson, this anthology contains stories by various authors, portraying the invasion through the eyes of various historical figures. Authors with featured dispatches include Kevin J. Anderson, Dave Wolverton, Mike Resnick, David Brin, Gregory Benford, Walter Jon Williams, Connie Willis, Robert Silverberg, and others. MacLeod Andrews narrates these fictional tales from arounf the globe.
H.G. Wells nearly created a mass hysteria with his famous radio broadcast in 1938. By now, we’re all familiar with the infamous tale of a Martian invasion and foiled plan to take over the world. They came, smashing their cyclinders into the Earth at every vantage point they could find. We know what happened here in the U.S., where the original story was set, but what about the rest of the world?
Global Dispatches presents nineteen different perspectives on the Martian invasion from around the world, with more tripods and tentacles than you can count. Mike Resnik offers up the perspective of Theodore Roosevelt, Kevin J. Anderson speaks as Percival Lowell, a Chinese Empress speaks through Walter Jon Williams, Danial Marcus gives us the Picaso perspective, etc… How each of these historical figures might have percieved such an alien invasion is presented through nineteen talented authors.
To me, it seemed like all these stories were just more of the same, and I was easily bored as one tripod looks the same as the next. The fact that I was familiar with the oiginal story and knew how it ended, made it difficult for me to feel fear for any of the characters in these tales. Reactions are not surprising. All watch in fear as the invaders wreck havoc wherever they are until they all eventually come to a halt as our viruses and germs which their systems couldn’t fight off.
Although it may be interesting to explore this tale from different historical perspectives, how much variance can there be between the different areas of the globe? This one wasn’t for me. I give this story collection three quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
This is an invitation for you all to join WordCrafter Press for the holidays over on Sonoran Dawn’s Yuletide Jingle – Cover Reveal Party. This holiday book event will last three days, December 9th – 11th, with three different time blocks will be available for author takeovers, so all our author friends around the globe will have opportunity to participate. Come promote your work, party with us, and be there for the cover reveal for The Town Santa Forgot, the new short story by DL Mullan. You can R.S.V.P. at the link above or watch for my invites on Facebook. Sign up for an author takeover as soon as she posts the schedules, because author slots may go quickly.
Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
Prepare to be captivated by “Terror in the Shadows,” a gripping paranormal, mystery, suspense novel that plunges into a world of hidden secrets and uncertain destinies. Kelsey, a tenacious young reporter known for chasing stories, suddenly vanishes, paralleling the puzzling disappearance of her mother three months ago. As time ticks away, the race to find Kelsey becomes a desperate pursuit for Detective Silverton.
Haunted by the mysterious photo of Kelsey, Lucy, a mysterious man with an intriguing connection to the supernatural, feels an unwavering urge to aid in the search. With his enigmatic powers, he reveals the missing pieces as they rush into the shadows to unearth long-hidden truths.
In a realm where secrets and lies intertwine, ancient powers stir from their slumber, ready to shape the fate of all involved. Within this realm, where the boundaries between light and dark blur, Kelsey’s fate hangs in the balance.
As Detective Silverton uncovers the truth behind Kelsey and her mother’s disappearance, he walks a treacherous tightrope between saving the young woman and losing everyone he loves. The stakes have never been higher as the clock relentlessly counts down.
With each page turned, “Terror in the Shadows” will immerse you in a world where gripping suspense and unexpected twists reign supreme. As the story unfolds, you’ll be held enthralled from the very first page to the heart-stopping climax. Will the truth set Kelsey free, or will she become another headline shadowed by darkness?
Prepare yourself for an exhilarating journey that will keep you on the edge of your seat, yearning for answers until the last word. “Terror in the Shadows” will leave you craving more, long after you’ve turned the last page.”
My Review
I requested a copy of this book from the author, Jupiter Rose, in exchange for an honest review, because the cover caught my eye. (Yes, I often consciously choose books by their covers.) The flaming pentagram with the figure of a man in it intrigued me and the title, Terror in the Shadows, promised a tale of dark fiction or horror to keep one awake at night. While this story has a lot of potential to be an excellent dark fantasy thriller, it failed to deliver on its promise.
It has an excellent premise, with witches and witch hunters, and even an appearance from the Dark Lord, himself, going by the name of Lucy. The mysterious disappearance of Kelsey’s mother starts things off, but we only get to learn about it through Kelsey’s thoughts before Kelsey herself disappears and it’s up to her two best friends Frank and Jennifer to find her before it’s too late. There are mysterious men stalking her, and a mysterious man who appears out of nowhere to help find her who has more information than he should, all building up to a climatic confrontation between the hunters and the hunted. I loved the tale enough to finish the book despite the problems that I found with it which included:
Massive head hopping. This story changes P.O.V. so often it’s difficult to know whose head your in – sometimes as often as every other paragraph.
Numerous typos, sometimes changing gender identifiers within a single sentence.
The characters were likeable enough, but they lacked depth, which could have easily been remedied by staying in P.O.V. so we could get more of their inner feelings and resonate with the reasons for their actions. There are too many extraordinary events that are reacted to by the characters as if they were every day occurrences, and no understanding as to why that would be.
Needed to be more realistic, and plot holes that need patched. The character of Frank, in particular, was hard to figure out. He is portrayed as a policeman, but his behavior is very un-cop-like. They all have massive time off of work to delve into mysteries, and after her abduction, they bring Kelsey home and report nothing to the police or the media, after her photo has been plastered all over to the public. Then her boss calls to demand her to come back to work before he has any way to know she’s no longer missing. These moments make the reader pause from the story to say, “What? When did that happen?” And there a many of them.
Too much telling and not enough showing. Told in past tense, it was too easy to fill us in later and just tell us something happened while we were out.
I never like to give less than positive reviews, but since I requested the book, I felt obligated to give an honest review as promised. The storyline was good enough to keep me reading despite the problems with craft and grammar. What makes it sad is that all of them could have been corrected by running it by a decent editor and giving it a good proofread. While I am a D.I.Y. author and publisher, I believe in putting out the best book possible, and I know how important it is to have a second, or even a third set of eyes go over the books that I publish. A book like this one just drives that message home.
A good storyline and characters, but hard to get through due to typos and problems with craft. I give Terror in the Shadows three quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
