C Gockel Writes

Book Review: Decision at Doona by Anne McCaffrey

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Book Review: Decision at Doona by Anne McCaffrey

Available at: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia

Apple,  Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay and your Public Library!

This is a book of alien contact that I found charming … and charmingly dated in some ways! In the book the human settlers and members of an alien village get along just fine. Their respective governments, not so much.

Although the setup envisions populations on Earth that will likely never happen, the ennui of “captive” urban populations is prescient. Also, the desire for resources, and the human (and alien!) need for freedom and meaning.

Book Review (with caveats): Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britains Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre

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Book Review (with caveats): Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britains Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre

Available at: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Apple, Nook, Kobo, GooglePlay and your Public Library!

This book is greatly flawed with factual inaccuracies that make me want to give some people a stern talking too. It is also entertaining and informative if one reads between the lines.

I first became aware of Rogue Heroes through the BBC docuseries of the same name. It tells the adventures of the Brit’s guerrilla fighting force, the SAS, in the Sahara during WWII. The descriptions of the desert and the characters was very entertaining. However, watching it I was struck by something: the character of “Paddy” Maine the “mad Irishman” seemed to be not of a person, but of a stereotype of an Irish person. (In the U.S. the Irish are very accepted. Not so all over the world.)

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Featured Fantasy: Path of War (Empire of Ruin Book Two) by David Green

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Featured Fantasy: Path of Empire (Empire of Ruin Book Two) by David Green

99¢ as of April 12, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

The Banished have made their move, now Haltveldt answers back.

Reeling from the events at Solitude, Calene Alpenwood embarks on a journey to find meaning in all that she’s seen, and discover the answers she so desperately seeks. Finding herself more alone than ever, Calene is trapped between doing what’s right, and doing what needs to be done.

Meanwhile, Kade Besem continues his search for his son, Arlo, and the strange warrior-monk Tilo. His hunt takes him deep into Banished territory and into the jaws of danger.

Revelations are revealed, ancient secrets are uncovered and those who stand in the Empire’s way can’t hope to win when Haltveldt walks the Path of War.

Please be advised this book contains trigger warnings for self-harm, violence, death, mention of drug use, deadly magic, violence and heartbreak.
*Note the self-harm is in chapter 25 and can be skipped or skimmed without detriment to the storyline.

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Featured Fantasy: In Solitude’s Shadow (Empire of Ruin Book One) by David Green

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Featured Fantasy: In Solitude's Shadow (Empire of Ruin Book One) by David Green

$4.99 as of April 12, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

Named #1 Book of 2021 – Magic Corner Review

The tides of fate are shifting.

The Banished have returned, and they have set their eyes on the walls of Solitude.

Zanna Alpenwood, a powerful mage, and two hundred aged and forgotten Sparkers are all that stand between the Banished and the nation of Haltveldt. With time running out and the world at stake, Zanna is forced to reach out to her estranged daughter, Calene, and set her on an impossible quest.

Calene quickly learns that enemies make unlikely allies as she teams up with both friend and foe on her journey to save her mother and Haltveldt. Forging their way over land and sea, uncovering dark plots and secret societies, Calene is forced to decide between her masters and her own conscience.

Will they arrive in time to save the fortress of Solitude from destruction? Only one thing is certain; Ruin is assured if Solitude falls.

In Solitude’s Shadow, is only book one in the epic four book series
Path of War – OUT NOW!

The war has just begun.

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Featured Fantasy: Before the Shadow (Empire of Ruin Prequel) by David Green

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Featured Fantasy: Before the Shadow (Empire of Ruin Prequel) by David Green

99¢ as of April 16, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

BEFORE THE SHADOW AN EMPIRE OF RUIN SHORT STORY

The unmissable prequel short-story to the epic fantasy ‘In Solitude’s Shadow’, The Magic Book Corner’s Best Book of 2021.

Disgraced and exiled, Zanna Alpenwood arrives alone at the remote citadel Solitude, ready to serve her empire until her final breath. But she soon learns violence and treachery lurk even here at the edges of the empire of Haltveldt and must decide once and for all which side she will stand on.

Meanwhile, beyond the walls of Solitude, a lone figure watches the guards high on the battlements. Things are changing for his people and Tilo finds himself tasked with a world-changing purpose, and must make a decision that will change the face of Haltveldt forever.

Separated by mountains and yet tied together by fate, Zanna and Tilo alone must face the weight of their choices against the backdrop of impending ruin. For better or worse, a shadow is falling on them all.

Featured Science Fiction: Descendants of War the Complete Series by G J Ogden

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Featured Science Fiction: Descendants of War the Complete Series by G J Ogden

99¢ as of April 12, 2023
Click for current price: Amazon US, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia

The complete space opera series for fans of Babylon 5, Deep Space 9 and kickass action sci-fi.

Commander Dalton Reeves is a maverick officer with exceptional genetic strength and a dark family history – a history that will come back to haunt him.

Punished for exceeding orders one time too many, he’s packed off to the “The Abyss” – the most dangerous space station in the galaxy. But a posting that should have led to five years in obscurity will propel Reeves into the centre of an interstellar war against a long-forgotten alien adversary with a bitter grudge.

With the six realms on the brink of all-out war, Reeves must face his demons and be prepared to go to any lengths to become the warrior and the leader the galaxy desperately needs him to be.

Dive into this epic space opera science fiction series, set in a vivid, multi-species universe. It’s filled with danger, intrigue and drama played out against the tense backdrop of a looming war versus an ancient and bitter alien enemy.