Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan is a work of historical fiction set in the court of Elizabethan England, and the corresponding faerie court below London. If you like historical fiction and fantasy, Marie Brennan has done a good job at both. Her historical research makes the world very detailed, but it’s the characters and plot that make this book truly captivating.

The Wreck of the River of Stars by Michael Flynn is a character driven space tragedy. The characters are excellent and the writing is superb. If you like happy endings, you shouldn’t be reading a tragedy, but if you like excellent writing you should read this book now.

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason follows four  friends through their last year of college. The plot follows Paul as he attempts to unravel a centuries old mystery hidden in The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a book more rare than the Gutenberg Bible. Are the secrets it contains really worth killing over? But the story is really about friendship. How it is forged, how it is strained, and how it is lost as people drift and are pulled apart by their separate drives. I found the book to be very enjoyable and interesting.  Continue reading →

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson tells the true story of two American wreck divers who discover a sunken U-boat off the coast of New Jersey where the historical records say none should exist. Over the course of several years they risk death (at least three other divers die while exploring the U-Boat) and their marriages searching for the identity of the U-Boat, both underwater and in historical archives.

Robert Kurson makes this historical narrative an exciting story in addition to being a very well researched piece of true history. If you are interested in WWII or Scuba Diving I strongly recommend this book. Continue reading →

GeekMafia is self published by Rick Dakan. Right now, you can buy a paperback for 5 USD or download the PDF for free.

I really enjoyed this e-book (aside from reading it on my laptop, time to get an e-ink reader…). It's not a work of great literature, it's a geek escapist beach book. If they made a movie out of it, it would be Sneakers crossed with Ocean's 11. The book follows a group of underground geeks who use their technical powers to pull off cons. 

But isn't this evil you might ask? And there is the basis for most of the plot, as the protagonist attempts to reconcile his overall sense of morals with the lifestyle he has found thrust upon him (while still getting the girl). Did I mention that the girl is pulling a con on him?

It's a great read, and well worth the $5 to hold a physical copy, go buy one.

Literary Quality: 4/10

Enjoyment: 10/10