“The Sceptre of Storms” Electrifies with Ageless Appeal

Reviewed by Janet Green, thewordverve inc.400919_10151400159902352_128969584_n

The Sceptre of Storms is Greg James’ followup to The Sword of Sighs (see my review here), and is classified as a young adult fantasy but well, let me tell ya, folks . . . this is a book for all ages for the ages. With a fluid, dark writing style, James’ words make you feel like Gandalf, or maybe Sean Connery, is narrating masterfully to you as you read.

Okay, all that’s good, but it’s not the best part of this story.  The caviar here is the mind-blowing, twisted essence of the evildoers in this tale.  James pulls out all stops in the creativity department with things (for lack of a better term) that do . . . things (for lack of a better term) . . . to those who oppose the Darkness. Wormtooth, mindreazers, fellfolk, necrodragons, and other demons of the shadows. Oh, what they do! My face would distort in horror as I read some of these parts . . . it was awesome.

Lucky for all of us, there are equally powerful do-gooders with their own spectacular bags of tricks, not the least of which is a sweet girl named Sarah Bean, upon which the destinies of many rest.

As an editor and reader of many types of great fiction, I am hopeful that Greg James in particular shoots to the top of his class for so many reasons: the music in his words, the ideas that he so lavishly creates and transfers, the editorial quality of his books, the beauty of his covers.

Apparently the third book in this traveling tale is due out late 2013.  I’ll be a buyer for sure.  Can James possibly keep up this level of BOOM POW WOW?  I think he can.

Click here to purchase The Sceptre of Storms from Amazon.

Medical Thriller Delivers the ** Shiver **

Embryo 2: CrosshairsEmbryo 2: Crosshairs by J.A. Schneider

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Someone is intent on finishing what he started, and none of it good. Embryo 2: Crosshairs by J.A. Schneider is a medical thriller with a very current day twist involving in vitro fertilization and other medical miracles. OB resident David Levine and intern Jill Raney share more than a romantic relationship as they are pulled into a psychotic web of unstable colleagues and crazies. Indeed, Levine and Raney are fighting for their lives, as they both don detective hats to help local police and hospital staff find the man behind the mutilation of women, sickening messages of impending doom, and threats to one special child.

J.A Schneider immediately reels the reader in with a fantastic accounting of the original struggle that began the subsequent whirlwind of mad science, lies, and destruction of lives and careers. Skillfully blending inner thoughts with outer melee, Schneider gives the reader plenty to contemplate and surmise along the way–so many alternative routes to the answer to “WHODUNNIT?” Then the author brings us to a climactic ending which has several levels, so hold on . . . just when you thinks it’s over, you may still be on the ride. Schneider has a spectacular grasp of hospital protocol and the relationships between staff, but also shares knowledge of some of today’s most amazing breakthroughs in fertilization techniques and even the possibilities of those in the future. In Embryo 2: Crosshairs, we are reminded of the tenuous hold each of us have on life and that which sustains us.

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