The Church of Virtual Saints by Michael Brookes

This follows on from Faust 2.0.  The two characters at the end of that one are incarcerated.  Dan in normal prison, Sarah in a top secret one.  Morton, the lawyer (or evil mastermind) needs to use them.

The Church in the title is an on-line one and Sarah gets dragged into it.  Dan is released from prison on the proviso that he'll help Morton get into The Church to see what they are up to.  In this story Dan was the better character for me.

This was a bit heavy on the technical side of things and I'm not sure I liked the "fighting" bits of the book, but it was a decent read and I expect I shall read the next book if there is one.  This book ends satisfactorily but lends itself to further adventures.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AGZBC82/?tag=kuffbl-21

Sun Dragon by Michael Brookes

In the near future a spaceship sets off to Mars, its 6 person crew made up of more mature members.  They are all capable of doing each other's jobs.  It is planned to be a long mission there and back. 

The first half of this book is the journey there.  A few things go wrong, but nothing too bad.  This part of the story is interesting enough in a travelling across the universe kind of way.  I liked finding out the "boring" jobs they had to do to keep themselves alive and on track.

The second half is what happens when they get there and the consequences of what happened.  This then turned into a tense journey.  I liked this half even better than the first.  I didn't expect what happened to happen.  I don't read much sci-fi, but this was a great story.  I was very much gripped with wanting to just keep on reading and hoping for "my" ending to happen.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OV9EJR6/?tag=jookuf-21

An Odder Quintet by Michael Brookes

This is a selection of 5 slightly abnormal stories.  As with the author's other books and short stories, his twisted mind shows.  Whilst not X-rated, they have a creepy, tenseness to them.
In saying they are short stories, they have a meatiness to them.

I liked the first story the best.  An evil prisoner enters an experiment that would be hell for most people.  All the stories are very enjoyable.  The fourth one is similar to one in the first collection and is just the radio talk of a group of soldiers stuck inside a house that isn't what it seems.  Whilst not my favourite, the tension was certainly ramped up with each call.

A decent collection indeed.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ERCTCJM/?ref=jookuf-21

Off The KUF Volume 1

This is the first of 3 volumes of short stories, drabbles and novellas from the KUForum's authors.
I am a big fan of many of the authors who hang out there, so I knew I'd like this book.  I was wrong, I loved it.

From the start with Lynda Wilcox's story 'Intelligence Test' to 'The Last Story' I was enthralled throughout.

I'll just mention some of my favourites.

The first one 'Intelligence Test' is a great opener.  Malcolm is up for a job which is on offer at the Foreigh Office.  The test seems way too hard in a simplistic way.  Who will get the job and what is the job anyway?

The very next story is by David Haynes and of course is one of his trademark creepy, macabre stories - a bit of a ghost story.

'Blackberry Crumble' by Cecilia Peartree is a longer "short" and I really enjoyed that one.  It is always great to read a new Auto story from David Wailing.

Rosen Trevithick has 2 parallel stories in this collection.  One is a Troll version and it is interesting to read them together.

'The Last Story' by H.K. Abell was intriguing and interesting and as it progressed it made me wonder about the sanity of the author.  The ending is well weird, but I think I liked it.  I thought it was an interesting way to finish off this collection

Of the 30 stories in this collection there was only one I didn't like, which is not bad going for such a large collection.

There are highs, there are lows, there are scares, there are laughs and there's the origin story of The Imp.  Oh and Trolls.

There are definitely some new authors here for me to go and investigate.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GDLGTCS/?tag=jookuf-21

Faust 2.0 by Michael Brookes

This is the story of an evil entity coming into being and taking over the internet.   This being likes to work its way into vulnerable people's lives by promising them what they want in return for "just one favour"

This story is a mix of high tech and creepiness.   I could imagine this being played out on the screen as the descriptions of the characters and scenes were very well written.  I enjoyed this book very much indeed.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CTA3YIE/?tag=jookuf-21

The Cult of Me by Michael Brookes

This is certainly a different kind of book.  The first part is where you find out about the protagonist's powers and how he came about building them up.  The middle is where other people take an interest in them and then it builds up to the finale.

Myself, I preferred the first part.  Perhaps it is because I like reading how evil works.  There are no "nice" characters in this story, but I did like Hammond.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008O7ZVXW/?tag=jookuf-21

Conversations in the Abyss by Michael Brookes

This is the sequel to The Cult of Me, which I haven't read.  In saying that, it's kind of apparent there's history but I didn't feel that I was missing out by not having read Cult.

This is an age old story of good versus evil, angels, demons, souls, God, etc.  There are a few strands going on, which obviously come together bit by bit.  Sometimes I felt like there could be a fleshing out of various bits of the story.  I think I liked the Friar Francis bits the best.  I would have liked to have read more about his part in this story.

An enjoyable read and I shall have to read the first one now, to see if it enhances my enjoyment of this one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BCP08JU/?tag=jookuf-21

An Odd Quartet by Michael Brookes

This is a collection of just 4 short(ish) stories.  For me they were a decent length each and I loved 3 and just liked a fourth.

The first is a ghost story, but I liked the twist to it.  It was very unexpected and I suppose quite a modern take.
The second, about Death, was interesting enough but didn't impress me too much.
The third was my favourite.  Told in radio messages when a Special Forces team go into a hostile building, I found my heartbeat rising and the tension sky high.
The fourth was also a decent story with an interesting twist.

As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed these stories.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009QJMMPC/?tag=jookuf-21

Interrogating Michael Brookes

Next up is a shy new author, Michael Brookes

How do you strike the balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?

The first draft is purely for me. I then do an edit pass where I try to put myself as the reader rather than the author. I then throw it out to some trusted test readers who'll then provide feedback on what works or doesn't. I then review the feedback, if the point makes sense then I'll act on it. If not I may discuss it further, but ultimately it's down to me. As a writer I do believe that I am trying to get better so I find that feedback invaluable.

What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.

I like to mix genres, I find they all have something to bring to the table. For example science fiction brings vision, techno thrillers bring an attention to detail and so forth. The Cult of Me comes vaguely within the horror genre, but does take techniques from horror stories as well as military thrillers and contemporary fiction. 

Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea when you might use them? 

Not really, although I guess I should :-) I tend to let ideas percolate in my head until I have need of them.

How do you manage plot bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?

I gut and skin them :-) I'm a great believer in planning, especially for novels. Invading thoughts that threaten the plan have to have something pretty good in mind. With shorter pieces I'm a bit more freeform and let the bunnies have their say. Although quite often they are ruthlessly destroyed when the edit passes begin.

How much of you is in your characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or be with ? 

Probably more than I'd like, especially for the main character in the series. I think Friar Francis represents an almost a scholarly ideal I'd like to possess, but he still retains a harsh pragmatism to get the job done.

Do you become so wrapped up in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of your characters?

I probably spend far too much time working and writing, but being not-so-young, reasonably priced and single I don't get into trouble for it.

What type of book do you like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?

I read a variety of genres, mostly fantasy, horror and science fiction. However I enjoy classics, thrillers and non-fiction as well. I'm currently reading Paradise Lost, which for me is probably the best story ever written.

What lengths do you go to to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?

I'm quite new to the business of publishing my work, so I don't think I've found my limits yet. Even though I knew it would be the case before I published it can be a little frustrating as a new author trying to get known and of course get some sales. As wiser people have told me, it's a long game, so I'll keep working on new books and stories as well as developing my blog and participating in communities like the Kindle Users Forum.  In many ways it's a harder task than writing in the first place, but it does have the advantage of getting to know new people.

How do you feel when a reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?

I work in the games industry so I'm quite used to harsh feedback :-) I actually prefer people to be honest, if they see a mistake please point it out so I can correct it if I can. Constructive and specific feedback should be of value to any writer.

What do you like most about visiting KUF/forums?

I'm a bit of a newbie, but the warm welcome was great. I also like the mix between authors and readers, there's some interesting discussions and useful feedback.

What is on your near horizon?

The Cult of Me is the first in a trilogy so I'm currently waist deep in the second book - Conversations in the Abyss. I'm also working on a short story for the KUF End of the World Anthology.

Where can we find you for more information?

I update my blog regularly at: http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/