Adopted Son 
By Dominic Peloso

I must say that as I began to read Adopted Son by Dominic Peloso I was fearful that there was no way in the world I was going to enjoy it. Yet as I began to turn the pages-or tap the pages as the case may be- and become engrossed in what I feel is a body of work that although science fiction has important parallels to the world today, I was very pleased. 

Adopted Son brings readers to a significant point in our future history where a monumental civil rights movement begins because of the existence and legal acceptance of a new group of individuals-aliens born to human parents-that are not necessarily accepted by the majority despite all else. In our past, groups of individuals have been treated as less than based solely on characteristics that are different than the dominating group such as women, blacks, homosexuals to name a few. Their struggles to be treated as equal-although unique to each group-are very similar and result in historical changes.

Although Peloso doesn't waste precious pages delving too deeply into developing the plethora of characters that certainly make this story happen, you definitely learn enough to actually feel as though he has. I also found myself enjoying his way of telling the reader the time and location a part of the story was taking place by a brief bold snip- it proceeding the section. In doing so the little details that might just be filler elements didn’t distract you or detract  from the meat of the story like trimming the fat from a good piece of meat. 

A possible alien invasion is not an uncommon theme amongst works of science fiction.  However, aliens being born naturally to humans where the reproductive systems of both parents have been genetically altered in some way without their knowledge or the typical tales of being abducted by aliens and impregnated are an uncommon and unique take on things. Peloso does the concept proud, covering all possible directions it could go in.  As I might have mentioned, I’m not a huge science fiction fan, but this book had me not wanting to put it down.

Although I hate to pick apart what I obviously enjoyed, it's my job! Luckily in the case of Adopted Son there aren't too many issues to discuss. For those more "sensitive" readers I can give this one a clean bill of health. Although reproduction is discussed many times, there aren’t any details of the actual copulation. There is talk of the impending battle that may occur but very minimal, if any, violence takes place. Adopted Son is acceptable for the young reader.

As I said, I'm not a big science fiction fan but strangely enough, Adopted Son left me feeling cozy. I'm certain to some that might be a strange description of how I felt but it is the most accurate. Suffice it to say I enjoyed reading this piece and I'd pick up Peloso's work again. My one negative is that it needs to be edited or proofed more carefully.

So there goes it! You need to check this book out, even if you aren't typically a sci-fi fan. The family friendly and hugely exciting Adopted Son is one you don't want to miss out on. I really enjoyed it and the underlying themes that are extremely relevant even in today's society.

Here's the thing that I've found happens with me when I'm reading a book that I'm going to review for the site. I think if you look hard enough, you can find something to be critical about in everything.  So for this book, for Bigfoot Hunters Never Lie by Kate Thompson, I found a couple things I could point out to critique.  There were a couple typos here and there, and I found that it was a little bit of a struggle occasionally to deliver exposition in a way that could be cited later. Like, we mention a specific birthday where a certain thing happened, and then a couple of pages later cite that story for laughs. But how else do you tell stories about your characters that they can reference later that give you some insight into their character? It's better than I'd be able to do it, I'm sure. 

So, I could find things to nitpick about if I wanted. But the truth is that I wasn't really very interested in nitpicking this book.  Bigfoot Hunters Never Lie is a great novel about a man who is living life, and life can be a pretty dramatic experience if you really find yourself in the throes of it. That's what Noah does-- he finds himself in the middle of a really, really tough year, and we get to take his path with him to find out what exactly a Pastor does when he finds himself struggling with his faith, his family, and with what he thinks is wrong and right.

My favorite thing about this book is that Pastor Noah is at the forefront of it and religion is a huge part of his life, but I never felt like I was being preached at. I'm not a religious person in the least, but I really enjoyed watching how Noah navigated his struggle with what God wanted from him and what he wanted from himself, in addition to what his family and the community all expected from him. I think it's an extraordinary feat to keep someone who isn't interested in religion intrigued in the lives of people who are so focused on it, but Kate Thompson did it flawlessly. I felt hungry for this novel once I got into it-- I was dying to find out what was happening with everyone.

Another of my favorite things was that I didn't really like any of the characters. And I know that sounds like a negative thing, but I think for people, for all of us, when we're thrown into situations that bring out our struggles and our flaws, we aren't always likeable, and I felt that way about most of the characters here.  They do things that are not admirable and react in ways that aren't honorable-- and that's a true testament to writing a real person. I know I certainly don't behave favorably all the time either, and especially when times are as trying as the experiences Noah and his comrades are experiencing in a world where profit is more important than spreading God's word, and appearances are more important than truly doing things that make your heart happy.

Overall, I'll give Bigfoot Hunters Never Lie a solid 4.5/5 butterflies. I recommend it to anyone who's interested in reading about, well. Pretty much anything. There's not a lot better than being able to be intrigued by another human's experience.  ​

Amanda Scott

Agent Orchid
By Petr Pecha
 
Janet Wilson has arrived in Africa in an effort to educate young adults who will, in turn, educate the remainder of their own communities.  As soon as she arrives she begins to question whether she is the right person for the job because she finds it difficult to relate to those living in an area where there are so many things many more prosperous areas take for granted of missing from their lives, as well as the skirmishes they face almost daily. 

What strikes her as odd is that after the skirmishes, a dozen or two people end up with what seems to be some sort of dementia.  Later, those same people just disappear. The police seem perhaps a little too involved in her visit.  Eventually, they even take her in for interrogation.  After an extremely horrific experience Janet is able to return to England, where she feels displaced.
  
There is so much more to her visit to Africa, the organization she went for, and everything that transpired than meets the eye.  Much of it she learns on returning to England and is shocked..  Quite the mystery surrounds the entire situation.  What happened you ask?  You’ll have to read it to find out!  However, to be honest you might want to just put it in your stack to read.  Albeit an interesting book, not one I would rush to read.  I truly expected more. And my typical precautions: rape occurs in the storyline; a bit of politics discussed; readers is left with a ton of questions; it ends abruptly; certainly feels like a history lesson at time as opposed to fiction.  Just the stuff I feel I've got to mention!

Nine Lives of Adam Blake
By Ryan Gladney


Have you ever wanted a life do-over? The opportunity to try just once more to get it right? The chance to be who you know you're really supposed to be? Or hell, maybe just to be someone different? The concept in The Nine Lives of Adam Blake,, a good piece of contemporary fiction by Ryan Gladney is not foreign to any who read, or watch TV for that matter. But Gladney deals with it in a unique way.

Reincarnation is a belief held by several religious ideologies such as Hinduism, where our souls continue to do life over and over again in a new form. Some thought behind this is that it gives us the opportunity to become a better person and perhaps right the wrongs of the past with the end result being that you end up being able to reach the ultimate end. Now, please don't quote me on the aforementioned ideologies as they're not research based, rather what I can recall.
 
Adam Blake's situation varies in that his do-overs always begin at a particular point in his childhood with the consciousness that he has been down this road before. We see him wrestle with the ways in which he can manipulate the experience in an effort to have it end the way he'd want - particularly when it comes to love.  Although it can’t ever be that easy or simple, can it?

​Gladney gave us a fairly short and entertaining read with an interesting storyline.  Although I find it pointless to go in-depth in regards to what takes place in this book, I can say it’s a good book….not a bad book.  I’d recommend it.

The Cicada Prophecy
By J.R McLeay


I have to say that the blurb for The Cicada Prophecy by J. R McLeay immediately grabbed my attention and got me excited in a way that not all blurbs do. I had high hopes for it: a proposed storyline that told the tale of the possibility of eternal life.  I waited patiently for the genre to be picked and its’ turn in my queue.  Although I can honestly say that as a whole it was definitely up to snuff, I did have a few issues with it as well.

The storyline was exciting and creative to say the least;, leaving me not wanting to put it down because I couldn't wait to see what McLeay had in store next. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there were also plenty of moments that certain aspects of it left me feeling slightly let down as well.

The storyline pertains to our world in the future where a surgical procedure performed in adolescence prior to puberty prolongs our lifespan indefinitely. The removal of what causes the body to transition from adolescence to adulthood permanently muted leaving humankind outwardly 11-years-old while the mind continues the journey on its own, allowing mental maturity despite the outward appearance. Perhaps this sounds like the cure-all to the problems in our world, but does everyone stand in agreement?  How is the world repopulated?  Is it truly eternal life?  These questions kept me reading!  

The story is told in 3rd person with the perspective of each of the main characters being thoroughly developed. This became an issue for me only when the focus one of the main characters, Dr. Richard Ross, turned from character and plot development into a dissertation about biology and the like. In addition to being a world renowned neurologist he also teaches bioethics. Sometimes I felt like I was sitting in his class anxiously awaiting the end of the lecture period. Albeit pertinent information for someone who is pursuing an education in biology; however, I am not.

There were some uncomfortable moments though. Due to the fact that the bodies of the majority of the characters are 11-year-old despite adult minds, just the discussion of those adolescent bodies engaging in adult activities made me queasy. I fully realize that there are only insinuations; however, I feel it is necessary to mention it to perspective readers.

In summation I can say The Cicada Prophecy had an extremely unique storyline with great character development. I certainly feel that the blurb came through on what was promised.  I’d like to give the book a 5-fly rating based solely on how much I liked it; however, the couple of aforementioned hiccups cause me to hesitate in doing so.