Game Over
Taylor Keating
Tor, $6.99
ISBN: 9780765365477
River Weston created a game that enables people to experience adventure, but has some snafus. The brilliant game designer is also unaware that she has drilled into a parallel universe where the Dark Lord resides. He manages to fool with the levels. Soon River finds herself trapped inside her game that is not a game; a place that is constantly changing. In this virtual realm, River meets a Dark Lord prisoner Hawk.
In her real world, River fears her friend Nick is hiding some dark secret from her. At the same time Kaye investigates River hoping to learn her secrets to use initially against her and then others. In Hawk’s real world his body remains dormant under the alert of the Guardians, but like River’s spirit, his remains trapped by his people’s enemy the Dark Lord.
Readers will enjoy this exciting science fiction-fantasy romantic thriller due to the strong cast. River and Hawk prove that the sum is greater than the parts as the skillful duet from this different universes team up against a very formidable opponent. Fast-paced from the moment River and the Dark Lord “meet”, readers will wonder who will be left standing where once Game over occurs. Obviously the plot pays homage to Tron as a loosely sort of daughter of the movie, however be aware the Legacy of the son is soon to be released on film. Harriet Klausner
The Horns of Ruin
Tim Akers
PYR, $16.00
ISBN: 9781616142469
The three brothers were Gods until Amon betrayed and murdered Morgan. He also died leaving the sole surviving sibling Alexander as the last god.
A Morgan Paladin Eva Forge provides security for Barnabas the Fratriarch of the Cult of Morgan as he travels on a mission into dangerous sectors of the city of Ash to bring out an Amon Librarian Cassandra. Confused by the assignment, Eva knows the remaining Cult of Amon want revenge against the Morganites; as they blame their enemy for the fall of their God while choosing to ignore who initiated the betrayal. However, as Eva rides the monorails through she skies over Ash and journeys into underground lairs where the Amonites scurry like rats, she begins to uncover unnerving truths about her perceptions of past and present at the same time Alexander operative Owen investigates Barnabas’ activities.
The keys to this refreshing fascinating fantasy are the city and its three prime interrelated siblings’ cults. The story line is fast-paced and vivid as the intrepid trio treks through Ash though they are unsure why and Owen and Cassandra are uncertain whether to trust the brusque cantankerous follower of a different God. Although the ending feels more like a set up to the next thriller than a wrap up of the first adventures, fans will enjoy the investigation into the homicide and abduction that has the already despondent Morgan supporters in further disarray.
Harriet Klausner
The Human Blend
Alan Dean Foster
Del Rey, $26.00
ISBN: 9780345511973
Mankind bickered over whether climate change was voodoo until it became too late to stop the catastrophes that placed major port cities under the sea. In this new world order that includes Mars and Titan, still dependent on personal finances, humans choose between remaining a “natural” unmodified person and a “meld” altered with natural or mechanical augmentations.
Two thieves work with a body parts dealer by killing victims and harvesting parts for resale on the black market. Their latest kill looks worth a fortune as the victim had an expensive prosthetic hand and a metallic thread attached to a data port. However, the cops interrupt their dealing, which leads to the two thugs fleeing separately; one with the hand and the other the thread.
Dr. Ingrid Seastrom remains a natural whose career is thriving. She also performs the government mandated house calls where she treats a teenage girl with a bad meld; however, during her fixing the botched job Ingrid finds a miniature device implanted in the teen. She begins to study the gizmo that her patient did not know was inside her when she meets a patient Whispr the thief who has Police micro-tracking units and a thread inside him. The odd couple teams up on an investigation to learn the truth while also eluding the cops who are coming for them.
The first Tipping Point futuristic science fiction mystery provides a strong world view, but that proves a two edged sword as Alan Dean Foster’s vision is incredibly deep reaching literally to the bone marrow, but in turn it takes up more than half the book before accelerating. Whispr and Ingrid are a fascinating pairing, but so far obviously are not Pip and Flinx. Still in spite of the slow early pace, readers who prefer a fully developed setting will want to join the doctor and the thief as they investigate what is going on. Harriet Klausner
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