Sci-fi meets fantasy in Shawn Stern's Doppelgänger

I've read sci-fi and I've read fantasy but sci-fi-fantasy that's new and I have to admit it's rather cool!

Doppelgänger by Shawn Stern is certainly a bit of a new genre for me. It's a novella but with a novel's weight in all the details, research, characterisation and depth it entails.

The novel starts with a lab scene, an infant is being extracted from a failed experiment and a female scientist gives your life to save the child. The following chapters trace the life of this child growing up into Shane Fisher, a too-ordinary book store manager.

The novel shifts between Shane and another character called Cole, a martial artist and assassin, and whom the reader later finds out is a replica of Shane from the experiment mentioned earlier.

Naturally, when the two characters come in contact 'all hell breaks loose' as one of the chapters is adequately called.

The description throughout the novel is detailed and vivid. I loved the descriptions of Trent and Manny, one is described as a dwarf with a malicious smile and the other is described as it is an ape among other huge animals, and is nothing short of a T-rex: big, bloodthirsty and stupid.

Although Shane and Cole are very different, you can't help but like both, especially as there is a lot of Shane in all of us.

Fragile too is a likeable character with intense depth and importance to the novel.

"When performed correctly, there is little difference between science and magic." A note Fragile makes to himself and it sort of sums up this book.

Doppelgänger ends at the climactic point and I can't wait for the second instalment, which I've been told is called 'Cabal' and should be out later this year. 

Seeing Past Sickness - Book Review

Seeing Past Sickness is a collection of 17 pieces varying between poetry and short stories on getting over or past illness and sickness. It is worth noting that all proceeds to this collection go to a foundation that provides scholarships for students affected by chronic illness.

Commenting on 17 pieces will make this a lengthy commentary so I'll comment on what I believe are the 'bestest' pieces in this collection.

The opening piece to Seeing Past Sickness is a poem titled 'Bridge' by Seker Salis. It is an enjoyable piece with a nice flow. It is, also, a beautiful opening to this collection.

The first short story is called 'Day by Day' by my favourite writer Aria Glazki. The wording, flow, and characterisation are perfect. It is a 10-star piece.

It is shortly followed by the beautiful and uplifting poem 'Define Us Not' by Alison LeBlanc. Here are a few lines: "Life is full of mystery/and pain and grief and war/but all that I can tell you is/there's plenty more in store".

This is followed by a slightly odd but quite interesting story about overcoming obstacles called 'Uncle Ed' by Kathy DeFlane. The story is told by a fairly funny narrator.

Several pieces in, we get the poem 'Hope', written by Carrie Renee McAlister. It is the eleventh piece in Seeing Past Sickness. It is as the title suggests a hopeful poem that opens with a fresh and creative image: "For so long I lay dormant/like a thousand bulbs/refusing to bloom". I absolutely loved this piece.

The short story 'She Loved Tommie' by C. B. Jennings nearly brought me to tears. Meanwhile, 'Professor' by Simon Quellen Field is a short story written as one long conversation. I have never read a story written like this before, but I must applaud the author for absolute creativity and ability to piece together such a delicate story in such a form.

'Professor' is followed by 'Sacrifice' another piece by Aria Glazki; a poem this time about the painful struggle the chronically-ill endure to merely live and get through their days. It is a slow but heart-wrenching piece. Aria's poetry is as impeccable as her short stories.

Then comes another short story by a writer I've wanted to read for a while now: 'The Daily Grind' by Margit Sage. It is slightly similar to Glazki's 'Day by Day' piece but it is nonetheless different, with its own struggle and flavour. The protagonist is a writer, therefore, many can relate to this piece in several ways.

Seeing Past Sickness ends with another poem by Alison LeBlanc, called 'The Picture of Tolerance', which I wish I could quote whole, but will have to do with these lines: "Chalk in lines of tolerance/So bold and very clear/Paint new hope for all the youth/And shadow every fear". This poem is the perfect conclusion to this collection of healing, strength and rebirth.

I am glad to have got this opportunity to read Seeing Past Sickness, which was already on my to-read list. It also gave me the chance to read pieces by writers I have met online and by others, whose work I look forward to reading more of in the future.

Burning Rain

Rain

Acid rain

Pours down on me

Burning me

I scream

But my screams are lost

Amidst a million others

Fire on sensitive skin

I can feel my flesh burn

Flames erupting

On my arms and face

I can smell the fire

Emanating from me

My crime?

I lived

In a land of eternal misery,

Never-ending greed,

Ever-lasting lies

I lived

When a time

Of honest living

Was not possible

I lived

And the rain

Burned me

As punishment

For my virtues.

Written Sunday, 6^th of July, 2014 at 16:40

Summer - 55 Word Challenge

Scorching heat emanates from the pavement. Even the sun seems to pity the land below, unknowing how to handle the heat it brings forth.

To top it all, water begins to run short.

It's summer, an exceptionally hot summer, and all everyone wants is to get away to a sea breeze.

My entry WON Over Achiever in the 55-word challenge - YAY
 
It was an entry for Over Achiever for this week's 55 Word Challenge. Used all three pictures and was mostly inspired by this year's summer in Egypt - several heat waves and a two-day water cut.

My piece is 51 words long.

Wise Feline

The night shifted to grey, no sun to be seen, no warmth to be felt. Footsteps echoed on the wooden planks of an old, abandoned house. 

“Lila! Where did you run off to this time?” a man rasped though he looked young.

At the broken down window, the descendent of Bastet stood wise and proud.

This piece is an overachiever attempt for this week's 55-word challenge. Over achiever tries to use all three pictures in the piece.

Take Life with a Grain of Zen

Take Life with a Grain of Zen by H.J. DeBoy is indeed "a refreshing out look on the day-to-day" as the secondary title of the book says. It reminds me of Paulo Coelho's Warrior of the Light as the writer strives to push the reader forward.

I cannot critique Take Life with a Grain of Zen based on characters and plot because the main character of this book is the Reader. The book consists of short prose pieces of advice along with quotes, bits of wisdom, ancient sayings and occasionally some poetry – though I have to stress that this book is not a poetry collection.

J. R. R. Tolkien once said "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” Or as in this case 'all we have to decide is what to do with the words we read in this beautiful book'.

The book opens with a quote and a beautiful and realistic poem that I believe everyone can feel and understand and that many have undergone this stage of dying and getting ready to be reborn into their worlds and lives.

Then there is the piece: "Be the sunshine that warms the lonely heart./ Be the cool breeze that soothes the pain of grief./ Be the clear water that quenches the wounded soul./ Give what you would like to receive./ Each day will be that much more beautiful."

These five lines are all it takes to make you feel happy and ready to live again. I particularly loved the line "Be the clear water that quenches the wounded soul." The word "quenches" is powerful and perfect for "wounded soul".

The book has so many memorable lines, images and pieces of advice that I wish I could quote it all!

Take Life with a Grain of Zen is a book for all ages and all times. There are lines, which you just cannot help but admire and there are others that inspire you to remove all the negativity from your life and aspire to peacefulness and serenity since that is what 'being Zen' is all about. DeBoy knows that 'being Zen' is not an easy task but still shows you many ways by which you, the Reader, can bring comfort, peace and happiness into your life.

Ghost - Mike Worley - Book Review

Ghost by Mike Worley is part of the Angela Masters Detective Series and it is my second read for Mr. Worley. Ghost precedes Entitlement, and though I was familiar with the characters, I felt Ghost gave them more depth especially the lead detective/protagonist Angela.

Ghost opens with the rape and murder of Amanda Jensen. Despite their best efforts, detectives Angela Masters and Julie Phelps exhaust all their leads and the case stays open for almost a year, until finally a new lead appears.

In Ghost, we see a lot of character-background, which helps the reader form a better picture of each character. The pace of the novel is not as quick as Entitlement, since the case stays open for a while; nonetheless it is not a bad pace since it is divided into 46 short.

Since the novel is set in 1986, DNA-testing is highly expensive, not unheard of but has never been used in court. It’s not as easy as seen in modern TV-series like CSI. Ghost shows how good Angela Masters is as a criminal profiler; however, she eventually realises that criminal-profiling still bears much guess work as compared to real detective work.

I must say Ghost, for me, was a quick read but was still slower than its successor Entitlement.

Ghost is an interesting crime novel with a strange but happy ending. 

Ticking Time - #Visdare no. 60

There are ticks and there are tocks, and in front of Alec sat a dozen clocks. Each spoke of a different time, a different day, a different decade.

8:00, 10:30, 11:45, 12:23, 4:08, no a.m. or p.m., just numbers and times, some ticking, some standing still, worn out and exhausted.

But Alec knew. Time never stops; it never rests.

Never.

He closed his eyes and listened as Time's slow and boring robotic music played on and on and on…

When he opened his eyes, the music continued to play but its echoing mechanical ticks and tocks were lost in the hustle and bustle of the surrounding streets; they were lost in time and space.

With one last look, he left the stacks of clocks lying about on the side of the street.

This is my piece for this week's #Visdare prompt (the above picture).

Written 13^th of May 2014 – 3:45 am.

132 words without the title.

Unbeatable - FSF - Doors

The Wind beat mercilessly on the castle walls. It hurled and thrust trying to tear it down. It howled and roared but the ancient building stood as strong and as resilient as ever.

Angrier, the Wind hurled an army of pebbles and stones against the mighty fortress.

But to no avail; the castle would not fall or falter before any enemy, natural or unnatural.

This is my entry for this week's five-sentence fiction prompt which is "DOORS". This is my first time attempting to NOT to use the prompt itself in the piece.

As always, comments and shares are appreciated. 

If you're participating in this week's contest, post your link - and comment - below and I will gladly return the favour.

Lingering Stories

The earth is old. It knows all our stories, our laughs and worries. It has seen and felt children playing and others crying. It has laughed with them and wept with them.

Their stories will always be etched in its dirt and trees, to be carried and remembered for all eternity.

This piece is for this week's 55 Word-Challenge – Week 11. It's 51 words and I used all three pictures.
I won HONOURABLE MENTION for this challenge. Check out all the winners here.

Black and Green

I had never seen grass so green before. My hard work in the city had left me tired and dreary; but seeing such grass made life surge through me once again.

Joe removed the saddle and reins and I ran and galloped and pranced. This is the life; the life a horse could ever want.

My black coat glittered against the green grass and I heard Joe say "Black Beauty indeed!"

This week's five-sentence fiction prompt is "freedom" and I had just finished watching my all-time favourite movie "Black Beauty".

Comments and shares are highly appreciated.

Written Tuesday 6^th of May 2014.

#VisDare no. 59: Moxie

 

The wailing wind could not accede or sway her. She was determined and nothing anyone or anything could say or do could put her off.

Her mind was made.

She got dressed, packed her money, cell phone and a few other necessities, and slung her bag across her body. She finished that last cigarette and stumped the butt on the pavement.

She got on her motorcycle and, without looking back, drove off.

The wind ceased its wailing. And as the sun rose, a lively breeze blew behind her, pushing her forward, sending her off to her destiny.

This piece is inspired by this week's VisDare prompt no. 59 "Moxie" and the above picture. We were to write any piece in 150 words or less. My piece is 97 words.

Comments are highly appreciated.