A Couple of Interesting Titles

Finally had time to get in a couple of reviews.

Enjoy!

CHRONOS, Tom Ciolli, Robertson Publishing, $13.25, 188 pages, ISBN: 9781935125693, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

It is 2132 and man has expanded his reach into space. They are now so far from Earth that they must supply their needs without any assistance. Weapons range from twentieth century rifles and grenades to technological wonders. The group of Commandos known as the Wolverines must work together to survive where survival is not guaranteed.

Zach Murphy and his team are assigned the job of liberating the people of Chronos which has been taken over by the Syndicate. Chronos is valuable to the Syndicate because of the abundance of rare minerals and an alien race called the Amalthea, about which very little is known.

Ciolli has written a rip roaring, action packed novel that shows how a well oiled military squad can overcome obstacles that would cause others to turn tail and run. It is also a novel of how one small planet can make a large impact on the balance of power.

This is his first novel, but I expect to see more from him in the future. If you like the HAMMERS SLAMMERS stories from David Drake, CHRONOS will be a welcomed addition to your reading list.

RAIJU, A Kaiju Hunter novel, K. H. Koehler, Tokusatsu Press, $11.99, 162 pages, ISBN: 9780982676103, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

It’s hard enough to have to move into a new area and start making friends, but Kevin Takahashi has an extra burden to bear. He and his father have come to New York after San Francisco is destroyed by a kaiju.

A kaiju is an ancient demonic god-beast that has been appearing more and more often around the world. Think Gojira to the nth degree and always in a bad mood.

Kevin’s problems start when he meets Aimi Mura, the hot goth chick whose boyfriend is the resident badass. Kevin also learns that he is a Keeper – a wizard that can call up RAIJU, the oldest of the god-beasts know as the Kami.

A new menace called Qulin is out to destroy New York and it is up to Kevin to stop it and save the girl he loves, but there are complications with her father, her friends and to overcome Qulin, he must discover who Qulin’s keeper is.

This is an interesting book that uses well known mythology in order to tell a solid, well written tale. I hope there are more adventures to come. There is plenty of action as well as a look at the problems of high school as well.