Sasha, A Trial of Blood and Steel by Joel Shepherd

Fantasy

I loved Joel Shepherd’s Cassandra Kresnov Science Fiction novels. With Sasha he left the Science Fiction world and moved to Fantasy. Sasha starts slower and did not catch me as quickly as The Cassandra Kresnov novels but I still enjoyed the book. Since Sasha is the first books in a new series much of the book is written to set up the world and the characters needed for the next books. There is still plenty of action and adventure, stress and tension, all combined with complex family and clan interaction. While one problem is solved the stage is set to further drama. This is a good start for a new series and I look forward to the next books.

PYR published Sasha, A Trial of Blood and Steel by Joel Shepherd in 2009.

I purchased Sasha at Amazon.

Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Science Fiction

Science Fiction books are my favorite and good Science Fiction books are really my favorite. In my opinion Kristine Kathryn Rusch has never written a bad Science Fiction book and Diving into the Wreck is no exception. The book is composed of three separate parts; Diving into the Wreck, The Room of Lost Souls, and The Heart of the Machine. Finding a ship thousands of years old with some working stealth tech starts a series of events that span all three sections. There are people who feel it is too dangerous to have around and want to destroy it. Others want to replicate it for their own purposes. Diving into the Wreck is a well-written Science Fiction story filled with tension, action, interesting characters and adventure. Pick it up if you want a good read.

PYR published Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch in 2009.

I purchased Diving into the Wreck at Amazonl

Crossover (A Cassandra Kresnov Novel) by Joel Shepherd

Science Fiction

I don’t think I have ever started pulling for a book character as fast as I did Cassandra Knesnov in Crossover. Cassandra is a one of a kind synthetic human, built for war but unlike other of her kind equipped with the ability to think, feel and change. She often seems more human than the natural humans. She has innocence’s and joy that are at odds with her creation. Built by the League, she deserts when she discovers the people she has been fighting for arranged to have her team killed because with the war ending synthetic humans were no longer needed. In her own words she explained what she had planned to do after leaving the League and coming over to live in the Federation. “I was going to have a nice job, and a nice apartment, and I’d go out night and see bands, and meet people and make ordinary friends who know all kinds of interesting things. Maybe I’d even get a boyfriend…”. That’s not what happens. She finds herself in the middle of a power struggle and has to choose who and what to help. Her unique abilities make her a terrible enemy or a great addition to any team. This is an action packed story with great characters and a plot full of good and bad people. There is friendship, betrayal, action and adventure all presented in a great well-written plot. Crossover is the first story in a three book series. I have the other 2 on my to be purchased list.

Pyr published the American edition of Crossover by Joel Shepherd in 2009. The series was released in Australia in 2006. The movie rights to Crossover have been purchased and a movie is in the planning.

The books in the series are:

Crossover
Breakaway
Killswitch