Below are 5 more suggested reads, just in case you still have no idea what to read next. There are so very many excellent books out there. And so very many adventures we can get in on, just by riding our armchairs!
The Stone Seekers by Jack Tyler
Jack Tyler is one of those writers who just doesn’t write fast enough for me. Doggone it. Nor is he a prolific writer. Double doggone it. He has but four books published and a short story in an anthology. I own them all.
My favorite is his epic fantasy novel The Stone Seekers. It is refreshingly different. No Tolkien pastiche here! And like any epic fantasy novel, it has a quest, high adventure, and larger than life villains. What makes this novel memorable, is the world building and the superb storytelling.
Tyler gives you a good story. A story that will take you places you’ve never been, with fascinating travel companions.
Get this book. Heck, get all of his books. They’re worth it.
Daguerreotype by Ray Zacek
I do not remember when I ran into Ray Zacek. Most likely it was on Twitter or Facebook. I do not know him even though we follow each other on Twitter and are friends on Facebook. We’ve never chatted.
However, what I do know is this: he is one heck of a good writer. I don’t own all of his work — yet. But I’m working on it. He’s that good.
He writes horror, sci-fi, dark comedy, humor, crime, and satire. And it’s all superb.
Daguerreotype is a tale of terror. A tale about greed and its unfortunate consequences. And like all of the Zacek stories I’ve read, it’s riveting.
Very highly recommended.
The Peach Widow by Zara Altair
Zara Altair writes historical mysteries set in Ostrogoth Italy after the fall of Rome. Her sleuth, Argolicus (who was a real person, by the way), is a retired civil servant with a knack for solving murders in a time and place where murder wasn’t a crime!
The Argolicus series of four (and counting) mysteries is well worth your time. A good way to pass a lazy afternoon, or the ride on the bus or train to work.
The research and storytelling bring this little known era to life.
So if you like history, or want to learn some history, and have fun doing so, and like mystery, then pick up these time machines and step into another world.
Good stuff be here!
Off Grid by Simon Osborne
To my knowledge, this is Mr Osborne’s sole offering — and it’s a good one.
Not quite a post-apocalyptic cozy catastrophe, it’s still close enough to get my attention.
Aliens come to earth and take over. The humans that remain are being hunted to extinction. And the pockets of survivors that remain are doing their best to avoid their decreed fate.
The story focuses on truck driver Harry Lennard and his quest to stay off grid, thereby avoiding the aliens, and to try and make a life for himself minus his family, who appear to have been killed in the attack.
The book is told well. Mr Osborne is a natural storyteller.
If post-apocalyptic fiction is your thing, Off Grid is definitely for you. If you like a tale of survival and adventure, then you’ve found your cup of tea in Off Grid. Good reading be here!
A Very English Mystery series by Elizabeth Edmondson
I am a committed indie author/publisher and a dedicated indie author reader. In fact, as a writer, I’m anti-traditional publishing. As a reviewer, I rarely review traditionally published books. As a reader, I very rarely buy new traditionally published books. I will buy them used.
However, the late Elizabeth Edmondson so impressed me with her Very English Mystery series, that even though it’s published by Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer imprint, I though I’d give it a shoutout here.
There are actually four books in the series. The novella, A Youthful Indiscretion, fits into the series between books one and two.
I grew up in the Cold War. The 1950s (the time period of the books) was a time when we tried to carry on life as normal, even though there was the underlying fear an atom bomb was going to blast us into oblivion.
Ozzie and Harriet were on TV, while we practiced hiding under our desks at school and read our civil defense manuals on how to build and stock a bomb shelter in the basement. The Red threat was on everyone’s mind, and we chanted Better Dead than Red.
Ms Edmondson captured the era perfectly in her books.
The series revolves around Hugo and Freya and their involvement with murder in the town of Selchester.
The atmosphere is much like an Agatha Christie or Patricia Wentworth novel, and packs the punch of a good spy thriller.
An excellent series. One well worth your time and money.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!
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First and foremost, let me offer my most humble thanks for your testimonial. Stone Seekers was a delightful change of pace for me, and I’m thrilled to hear it spoken so highly of. Of these other books, Very English Mystery looks particularly interesting to me; I was a Cold War kid myself.
As for my own writing, the pace might be about to pick up dramatically. I had tried my hand at a horror story with fantasy elements, and was chatting with people in a horror group I had joined in the hope of picking up some pointers. Through pure kismet, it turns out one of them is the managing editor of a publishing house, and he invited me to submit it. I sent it along, and his reply was that he interested in it as a series, and could I send him a second story for a side-by-side comparison? I have done that, and am awaiting his reply. One of his imprints specializes in “Speculative Horror,” and after reading the first story, he said it was just what he was looking for.
There has been no offer yet, but in my 20+ years of approaching publishers, this is the first time anything like this has happened. I hope it won’t affect our friendship that this would make me a member of the traditionally-published crowd, but if an offer comes through, I can’t possibly walk away from it. I’ll keep you posted . . .
You are very welcome, Jack! Always a pleasure to promote good work! 🙂
The Very English Mystery series is quite good. The author died before she could complete the series. So the third book is a touch open ended as far as the relationship sub-plot is concerned. But her son did a wonderful job to make the trilogy feel more or less complete.
Life usually boils down to who you know. Being at the right place at the right time. Seems that happened to you. Fingers crossed, as they say, that you’ll get a good deal for your book.
In spite of my being anti-traditional publishing, I can’t say I would walk away from the ideal contract. After all, money is money. 🙂 In this world it is usually best to be pragmatic rather than idealistic. Traditional or indie, I’ll continue to support your work. Because I like to support good writing. And I appreciate your support in return. So friends it is, amigo. 🙂