Environmentally Friendly by Elias Zanbaka

Environmentally Friendly by Elias Zanbaka
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Very short story, great concept but I feel let down by the overly descriptive writing style. Had it been a standard length novel I could not have finished it. I rated it at three stars because the author has been very brave to tackle a taboo subject - mental health. A person is running amok with a flame thrower and a chainsaw but LAPD officer Schafer is determined to get this "maniac" under control. Chasing him down an alley we begin to wonder why he has not been taken down.

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Cascadia by H W "Buzz" Bernard

Cascadia by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first disaster fiction novel for sometime and I am very glad I chose this one. This is a fast paced story of disaster and interlaced human stories. Rob Elwood a geologist who gets a vivid nightmare of disaster hitting his home town and wider area with earthquake and tsunami. Who will believe him and how can he make a difference. A little patience is required early on in the book while you are briefed about the science. The author makes this bearable by expertly mixing it up with the other threads in the story. This not just a disaster, it also has its fair share of thrills, suspense and twists. If you take this on holiday make sure you take other books as well, you finish this very quickly.

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Orbs III - Redemption by Ncholas Sansbury Smith

Redemption by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book three and the story is as good as ever, Sansbury Smith keeps his options open on the ending with no real clues as to the Earths future demise or not. This suspense is enhanced by the great action of the biome and submarine teams just trying to survive. I have found this trilogy such a great read, all three books have had a five-star rating. This might be Sci Fi at its best but it does draw on the regular traits of humanity and illustrates how people will endure great hardship and danger as they want to live and not just submit. I now have to decide if I want to read the prequels, I guess I will at some time. If you are not a Sci Fi fan this may not be the read for you but I believe it is worth the risk.

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The Hunted Assassin by Paul B Kohler

The Hunted Assassin by Paul B. Kohler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the very start the title comes into play and the hunt has begun. Martin Wheeler a former operative of the security organisation GSA, is running a coffee shop on a space station but finds his past from ten years ago is catching him up, but this time he is the target. Moving at a fast pace the author delivers several great action sequences as Martin defies the attempts on his life. This is combined with a description of life on a space station in the future to make his escape from danger all the more exciting. Not content with just trying to murder the author introduces some serious twists to the story with Martin’s estranged daughter being brutally abducted. This is very cleverly worked in with the normal everyday problems we see today on present Earth – greed, corruption, drugs and violence. In all this is a very exciting look at life in the future and tells us that even although many space stations and a city on the moon can be built no one has been able solve these very old society issues.

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Chill the Bones by Sten Ostberg

Chill the Bones by Sten Ostberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This kidnapping story is packed with suspense and twists and for a novella that is a great achievement. A baby is stolen from home while her father looked on with a webcam and immediately he is subject to demands or the baby was under threat. The story develops very quickly leaving you in no doubt that the kidnapper is seriously deranged. The author cleverly drops a few clues on the way but never enough for you to work out the ending or even what happens next. These short stories are a great break from novels that are paced much slower.

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