Nine Lives by Tom Barber

This is the first story in the Sam Archer series.  We are introduced to the young blonde policeman as he gets his first major action in the Armed Response Unit.  A terrorist is trying to impress his bigwig drug cartel leading uncle by sending 8 suicide bombers into London on New Year’s Eve.  

I found this to be an exciting roller coaster ride.  The tension and chase was always ramped up with the discovery of clues for the next terrorist to apprehend.  I think this is a great start to a series of books.  The author says he wants his stories to be like action packed films and he does a good job of it here.

If I was a criminal mastermind, I’d time everything to go off at once.  But then it would be a short book.  Bang.  The End



http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008219O1K/?tag=jookuf-21

Duallists by David Wailing

This is David Wailing’s off-earth future imaginings.  Joel Miller takes an immediate and intense dislike to Reese when he arrives on the Moonbug for mining Mars.  All he thinks about is getting even and trying to kill him.  The feeling is mutual.  

As with the author’s Auto series, you get thrown into the future and it is believable.  You can feel the claustrophobia of being on a spaceship for years.  The tone is adult with a bit of graphic violence.

This was a tidy read.  I must admit I skimmed through some of the fighting scenes, but I do that anyway, I like to get back to the story.

This book is not available anywhere now.  It is one of David Wailing's first stories and you can see the seeds of where he got his Auto inspiration from.

Alloria by David Staniforth

I keep saying “fantasy is not my thing” but whenever I read it, I enjoy it.  Perhaps it’s because I tend to read the younger, lighter stories.  This is the story of Alloria who was found in a cellar at 3 years of age and is adopted by kind people.  Even though they are poor they have more than enough love for her and another orphan, Nat.

One day when she is 10 years old, they go through a portal in the cellar, back to her homeland.  She finds out she can do magic.  Then the journey starts to find her real father.

At times I feel Alloria is older than her 10 years.  But this was a story of friendship as well as adventure.  Even though this is aimed at the younger audience, I never felt as if I was being talked down to.  This was a lovely story and I’m glad I read it. 

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BRI3XJE/?tag=jookuf-21