My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my review fresh off of finishing today. A more polished review will appear on SF Signal sometime in the future.

NO RETURN displays the kind of prose, worldbuilding and depth of characterization that place Zachary Jernigan securely within the top tier of Fantasy authors. The prose pulls you in like a piece of art, forcing you to slow down and observe. The worldbuilding makes you imagine maps, bar room brawls over differences in customs, shop keepers making lists of what supplies to buy from where, kids praying to the god who lives on the moon, women making sex spells, warriors becoming one with their self-controlled, mutating body suits… all in a way that separates the world in NO RETURN from generic fantasy–this world is alive! (Even as I call it Fantasy, it is just as much Space Opera.) My favorite part is the characterization. In boring books, you don’t care about the characters. In mediocre books, you care enough about the characters to hope they win. In top tier books like NO RETURN, you get to know the characters so well, you might even know them more deeply than you know yourself, and then in return, you know yourself even better.

I am so impressed with Zachary for this book, and to add on top that it is his debut, I’m tempted to wrangle up other jealous, newbie authors like myself and whip him with bars of soap while he’s sleep–I mean, I’m very happy for his success.

Pause to share an image of Zachary at his book signing, and to shout out to his guest blog post for Sarah at Bookworm Blues about “Special Needs in Strange Worlds.”

Three seconds before the real author comes back from the bathroom to see Zach has written ‘Poop Unicorn’ on every book on the table.

The reason for my 4 star instead of 5 star, considering my glowing praise above, is mainly an issue of pacing and plot. There were more times than I’d like where a few pages would go by without me having any interest in what I was reading. Sure, the description was informed of intelligent worldbuilding, but I question whether the story needed its inclusion. It took me a while to realize that this was a tendency and how to identify it, but after I did (around 2/3′s mark), I would go back after finishing a section I pick one or two pages (or paragraphs in smaller sections) that I felt weren’t necessary. It could be that my preferential style appreciates getting straight to the chase more than observing the scenery, but that’s my experience. It wasn’t always worldbuilding description, sometimes it was backstory or to a lesser degree introspection. (I say lesser degree because some of the introspection is where this book shines the brightest.)

Possibly related to the above criticism is a disappointment in what plot elements could have taken place that didn’t, or were limited in exposure–though I’d be the last to say this book was limited in exposure (insert scene where woman spreads her legs to split her suit right where it counts). Anyway, back to the plot. Wait, back to the sex. I’m being a little silly here, but that’s sort of what this reading experience felt like. Aside from our monk hero, Vedas, everyone seemed mostly interested in sex, and the narrator made sure we knew about it, graphically. Some of these sex scenes were crucial to the plot and acted as an extension of the character’s desire and method of obtaining desires, and in this I was impressed at the author’s gift in craft. But, I think I read a few too many descriptions of cocks hardening and vaginas dripping. Also, was every sexually aggressive male also bisexual or homosexual?

Okay, sorry to get all real-world issues on you. To lighten things up, here’s one of Zachary’s favorite things to draw:

A scene from Book Two: The Whalicorn Returns?

I’m sure I’m reading my own views into this, but I felt the author’s view on sexual equality and atheism may have been a little too strongly emphasized and defended. Numerous characters grow through the act of rebelling against authority, their father or their religion. In fact, this is part of the title and ending lesson. Were there any examples of positive benefits of authority, fathers or religion/faith?

Does a quality story need to have both sides? Maybe I’m wrong. If anything, I enjoyed Zachary’s ability to evoke this discussion through such a powerful story.

In the epilogue, we read, “experience had shown her that worship blinded men to the truth: Adrash is no redeemer. Adrash will destroy the world” (p.279). The clear political/religious statement I read through this book is that religion is a noose tightened by power hungry tyrants to choke off people’s liberties and if not removed, both the noose and them from power, the world will be destroyed. However, regardless of what I think about that statement, the author is allowed to make that statement, and doing so does not really affect my rating, though a little more balance might have helped it not feeling heavy handed. On the flipside of that argument, I give credit to the author for weaving such a consistent and powerful statement through the lives of intricately experienced characters.

Back to the plot. Warriors go on a trip to a gladiatorial battle where the winner will affect the balance of power between rival factions, while a separate rivalry of magicians fight to destroy a god on the moon. After all I read, that last sentence feels like roughly one-third of what this book was about. I appreciate the way characterization makes up most of the other two-thirds, but I’m unsure if the plot was weakened in the balance. Part of my disappointment in that is that the author is a tremendous action writer. His description of pain and vocabulary to help you picture the fantastic is a real pleasure to read. I wanted more. Here is an excellent example of narrative summary action:

“Men and women who had worn suits for decades traded punches powerful enough to crush elephant skulls, dodged and deflected attacks too fast for the eye to follow, and died suddenly, often before the crowd registered the killing blow.
Victors and dead men were separated by a blink of the eye.”

The good news, I hope, is that the author has set himself up for more battles in this universe, more explanation of the way the magic works where men can become gods and the boundaries and gifts within the realm of the dead. But, most importantly, the characters that I have experienced must not die. They have come to life with more depth than I know most people, and their journeys have only just begun. Please write more. This story is only the beginning of what could be an epic classic.

View all my reviews

Stay tuned to Adventures in SciFi Publishing, where I’ll have two hours of audio with Zach and book reviewer, soon to be published author, Nick Sharps on educational paths for fans and writers of speculative fiction, including one hour with Zach discussing how Stonecoast’s MFA program helped him write NO RETURN.

What is “Cornhusker: Demon Gene” about?

The emotional focal point centers on a high school senior with something worse than death looming over his immediate future. His family has a hereditary disease that could turn him into a monster any day now. When a special girl breaks through his wall of self-defense, he experiences great joy, only to possibly lose it all.

Monsters! is an anthology to be published by A Flame in the Dark, the Horror imprint of Diminished Media Group. The call for stories for this anthology asked for Christian themes, so this may not be in your wheelhouse, though I think everyone can relate to the idea of choosing hope over fear, and I’ve tried not to make this the cliche, preachy Christian fiction even I don’t enjoy.

I understand I am still in the very early stages of my writing, so if you would honor me with an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc, I promise not to hold a grudge.

I don’t have any more stories on the immediate publishing horizon, but I have an idea for how you can earn free stories in the future:

Anyone who reviews “Cornhusker: Demon Gene” on Amazon and Goodreads will get my next published story as a free ebook.*

*Conditions: 1) email me the link to your review (tim [at] timothycward [dot] com; 2) depending on what my next published story is, I may not have rights to send an ebook right away, but if and when I do, I will send you one.

I’ll blog regarding marketing strategies now that I have something for sale, but my main focus is on finishing my novel, Kaimerus. The update there is that I have edited up to the point of writing a new ending. I’ve also been busy sending podcast content to Adventures in SciFi Publishing, so be sure to head over there and subscribe for the latest download.

Thank you for your support. I hope you enjoy my story. If you do, please review, and check out my new Amazon Author Page, and Goodreads Page.

Only she has a job now.

Life passes through me like a breeze,

and yet I am stable.

Uncertainty grasps and rides the dust stolen by wind,

but in my core I am firm.

Impregnable.

I will survive.

A pink slip would have been more professional.

No hours. No call.

Four years of knowing their wickedness.

I shouldn’t be surprised.

“I don’t see you on the schedule. I’m sorry. He’s out of town.”

He doesn’t call back.

My world suddenly expands.

There is no limit to what adventure will come.

Is this how Jesus felt in the Garden?

A choice of fear or hope.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that by the power of the Holy Spirit

you

may

abound

in

hope.”

Let the adventure begin.

REVIEW SUMMARY: The sequel trilogy to the best seller, Wool Omnibus, which takes a leap back in time to show how the chaos started.

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A silo architect finds out too late what he’s been building, loses track of his wife and memories, and must uncover the secret behind the silo in order to make everything right.

BOTTOM LINE: While the first half gave hope that this sequel could surpass Wool Omnibus, the story went downhill from there. Shift is still recommended for Wool fans, and it will not kill interest in reading the concluding volume although but it did not meet expectations.

Click here for full review at SF Signal.

Our guests:

Avily Jerome is a married, stay-at-home mom of four living in Phoenix, AZ.  She is active in her church on the worship team.  She writes speculative fiction, her ideas ranging from almost-real-world action/adventures to supernatural thrillers. When she’s not writing or parenting, she loves to read, go hiking with friends, and crochet baby blankets.

Avily is seeking representation and publication for her debut novel Dying for Dragons, and has been busy putting together Splickety Magazine, which is accepting submissions for flash fiction.

Kristen Stieffel is a freelance editor and writing coach. She belongs to the Editorial Freelancers Association and The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. Her editing credits include Winter by Keven Newsome, Beyond the Threshing Floor by Randye Kimmel-McLemore, and The Education of Amal by Shirin Humzani.

Kristen recently signed a four book contract with Oak Tara for her novel The Prophet’s Chronicle: Alara’s Call, and The Prophet’s Chronicle series. She blogged about this monumental experience: “Alara finds a home.”

Ren Black: Part-time novelist. Weekend artist. Full-time Mother. Ex-poet. Perfectionist by training. Compulsive researcher sporadically. Prone to fits of linguistic commentary Unorthodox Renegade occasionally. Sarcastic by habit… Dreamer Always… Consider Yourself Warned.

Her latest blog post was, “Homeschooling Twist on Fantasy Gaming.”

Will Ramirez grew up with a love for God’s Word and fantastical worlds. The first passion led him to pastor Calvary Chapel Lighthouse for the last 16 years. The second led him to create the world of Adme, the setting for his current work, an epic fantasy titled Soul Yearning. He lives in Central Florida with his bride of sixteen years and their four children. Since 2010, he’s been a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and serves on the leadership team of Word Weavers of Orlando.

He recently sold a book contract with OakTara for Soul Yearning, which won Novel of the Year at the 2012 FCWC. He wrote about his story of how this book found a home: “Try the Impossible.” In the land of Adme, powerful beings rule as deities and compete with one another for followers. But when a young priest is revealed as the prophesied godslayer, the pantheon unites to destroy him.

And me, Timothy C. Ward. You know me, I live here. I’m hoping this is the month I get Kaimerus ready for beta readers.

Subscribe to iTunes (here). I would love an honest review if you’ve listened to the past few episodes. You can also catch the podcast on RSS, Stitcher, and SoundCloud.

Music provided by Big Daddy Scrabble’s “Lorda Mercy” from freemusicarchive.org

AudioTim by Timothy C. Ward is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Her humorous and personal narrative voice mixed with the creativity that made Marco a fascinating read made the idea of a handbook for living in the secret side of New York City a perfect fit for her talents. I have been very impressed so far, and should finish in the next day or so. You can check out my Goodreads statuses to see my reactions for the first seven chapters. I’ve been savoring the story and how she blends world building with characterization. Her humor has been a great break from the tense story I’m writing, and will probably be the same type of recovery tool for anyone else burnt out with work.

I just read that pre-orders and purchases within the first week of a book’s release really help determine marketing allocations and how much publishing companies will back an author’s future books. The Shambling Guide to New York City is one of those books worth pre-ordering, just as much as Mur Lafferty deserves to be an author publishing companies roll up their sleeves to pay and market well.

I’ve already mentioned in previous posts two other stories I enjoyed this month, Lyndon Perry‘s Wool fanfic, The Last Prayer (A Silo Story) (The Last Silo), and Mark Tufo‘s Zombie Fallout 2: A Plague Upon Your Family. I should get a review of ZF 2 up into SF Signal’s queue soon enough.

That’s it for this month. My reading queue for April includes 14 by Peter Clines, Like Water For Quarks (edited by Elton Elliot and Bruce Taylor), and No Return by Zachary Jernigan.

Bonus link: Shock Totem is giving away free issues to their excellent horror magazine, this week only.

Click the links below to download!Monday/Tuesday: Shock Totem 1: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
Tuesday/Wednesday: Shock Totem 2: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
Wednesday/Thursday: Shock Totem 3: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
Thursday/Friday: Shock Totem 4: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
Friday/Saturday: Shock Totem 5: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted

REVIEW SUMMARY: A character-focused zombie story whose characters you’d rather ignore.

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A flu outbreak in Northern Ireland overcomes quarantine efforts as the dead rise and survival efforts bring out the worst in most people.

My full review at SF Signal.

I read yesterday that Resident Evil is going to do a sixth movie. Did you pick up on the derision in my head as I wrote that? That about sums up my thoughts on the zombie genre. The potential is there to be my favorite sub-genre, but the stories out there are very disappointing. Resident Evil 5 was not worth the dollar I spent at Redbox or the two hours it took to watch. I liked some of the action scenes, but as a story it ellicits negative interest. The blonde chick with the mind control device attached to her half-exposed breasts is laughable as a plot point. When I saw the trailer that had Alice in a home getting ready for the day with her family, I thought they had rebooted and we could get back to the basics–build relationships so we care before chaos ensues–but that dream was shattered five minutes in as we returned to megabase and the boat load of bullets it would take to defeat the enemy. Yawn. Oh, look how tricky Mr. Anderson’s directing is with gunfights in rewind.

At the other end of the spectrum for zombie stories is Flu by Wayne Simmons, but not in a good way. He gives the time to build relationships, but the people he chose annoyed me from caring. Flu had a few elements I enjoyed, the first being the intro of police assigned to quarantine future zombies into their homes, meanwhile civilians are on the verge of becoming a violent mob. The story took a wrong turn for me by leaving that potential and picking up on three other sets of people that were holing up, planning for what to do next. I like this type of scenario, but the characters were dull and/or annoying.

I broke down recently and paid for a year’s subscription to Walking Dead: Season 3 [HD] because I was jonsing for quality zombie stories and  needed an example that could revive my hope in the zombie sub-genre. I’m really liking this season, and am looking forward to the finale this weekend. They have the defend their post aspect with the jail, and new characters that are both interesting and unpredictable enough to keep you wondering who is going to get killed next. I’m failing to find comparable interest in zombie novels.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War was pretty good at parts, but the constant changing of characters lessened the deep interest I get in one group of people on an epic journey to survive. I hear the movie focuses on one storyline, so I’m looking forward to that, in spite of the concerns caused by delays and script rewriting. I don’t believe the zombie genre’s Hollywood future rests on the success of this movie, but I sure hope it doesn’t disappoint like Resident Evil has. The latest season of We’re Alive, a full cast audio production, also went down a path of disinterest. The problem there was lack of focus on character development, replaced with sound effects and gun fights.

A glimmer of hope is the Zombie Fallout series by Mark Tufo. I recently finished Zombie Fallout 2: A Plague Upon Your Family (audiobook version because the narrator Sean adds to the humor that makes this a standout in the genre), and thought it did well to continue Mark’s series as the top of the genre. Mark was a guest on AudioTim 45, and encouraged me not to give up on zombies, but aside from his Zombie Fallout series, where else am I to look?

Zombie Fallout is currently free on Kindle. Aside from going to Zombie Fallout 3, where else am I to turn for quality zombie fiction?

Editor’s note: “The Last Prayer” is currently free on kindle. Hugh just wrote a new blog post mentioning another new wooliverse fanfic, The Sky Used to be Blue: a Silo story (Karma)
by Patrice Fitzgerald.

A different silo, a different threat.

In the post-apocalypse, society continues in underground silos, kept safe from the toxic world above by a simple hatch door and a strict set of rules. For generations, an oligarchy of priests and politicians preserved their standing while the common workers lived in ignorance.

When a young girl starts speaking of heaven as if it were just outside, the rigid caste system begins to crack. Sides are quickly drawn. The only thing preventing a violent upheaval is an old priest’s confession and the child’s last prayer. But will such simple faith be enough to save them all?

I guess up next to read is Shear Terror (Wool Fanfiction) by David Adams, and The Runner (A Silo Story) by W.J. Davies. Then, maybe I should take a stab at my own. For the record, I don’t see this as cheating or anything like that. Hugh wants people to write in his universe, and if you can do it well, then more power to you.

If you haven’t heard of Hugh Howey or his bestseller, Wool, I’ve reviewed it and interviewed Hugh on my AudioTim podcast, twice (Ep. 32 “Wool Omnibus”; Ep. 33 “Indie Publishing).

I keep hearing how this show is top of the line, but I’d rather take a chance on a mediocre speculative fiction show on Netflix than slip into the story world of a new detective show. I’ve developed a kind of rivalry against CBS, television’s “top station,” and its wall-to-wall programming of CSI-type shows. Sherlock didn’t grab me right away, but once Holmes and Watson met, it became clear I was going to enjoy this version of their partnership. Their mutual love for danger, and how Holmes hooks Watson to come along can be laugh-out-loud funny. The plot kept me guessing and was ultimately successful in resolving in a way that will keep me watching.

This made me think about why I don’t watch and read more Crime fiction. Three of my favorite shows are Breaking Bad, Justified, and Castle, but add Speculative Fiction elements to a Crime show (a la Grimm, Eureka, and Alphas) and I lose interest, maybe because of the rivalry that says “Keep the Crime fad out of my spec-fic!” I think Fringe slipped through because, like my three favorites above, the humor was top-notch. My conclusion must be that I’m still on the fence about Crime fiction, because I’m only willing to go over when I find the main characters humorous. I don’t need humor to enjoy Speculative Fiction, but it appears I do to enjoy Crime fiction.

The same goes for Crime books, and is the reason I enjoyed Hot Sinatra by Axel Howerton. Today is the last day to enter to win a signed paperback or eBook, so check out my post below, AudioTim 47. I recently bought Placebo, by Steven James, because of the inclusion of mind-to-mind experiments, but no humor so far and i haven’t exactly put the rest of my books down to finish it. My next Crime book will probably be Raylan: A Novel, by Elmore Leanord, the inspiration for Justified. I wonder if the same humor will be present in novel form.

My book review of HOT SINATRA
From the podcast archives:

Episode 14: Axel Howerton and Julie Jansen, Master Minds of the Coffin Hop Horror Web Tour
Episode 26 (oops, should have been 25): Lane Diamond, author of psychological thriller, Forgive Me, Alex
Episode 24: Lane Diamond and D.T. Conklin of Evolved Publishing

Subscribe to AudioTim on iTunes (here). I would love an honest review if you’ve listened to the past few episodes. You can also catch the podcast on RSS, Stitcher (for Androids), and SoundCloud.

Topics discussed:

Axel wrote his main character, Moss, more to fail than to be like Sherlock Holmes and come up with clever solutions to everything. An interesting take, and surprisingly attractive.

Around the 21 minute mark, we discussed the growth process of HOT SINATRA, and after that, why Axel decided to publish with Evolved Publishing. If you haven’t been acquainted with this revolutionary publisher, (evolutionary, rather), have a listen to AudioTim

Info on the new Evolved Publishing Street Team on Facebook.

Evolved Publishing is still open to submissions.

Empiresofsteamandrust.wordpress.com is Axel’s next project to look out for. His story should be out in the Spring.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where to find Axel: Homepage www.axelhowerton.com; Facebook facebook.com/thee.axel.howerton; and Twitter @AxelHow

Where to find Lane: Homepage www.lanediamond.com; Facebook
facebook.com/lanediamond; Twitter @Lane_Diamond

*Note: Like Tim’s Facebook Page for first notice of future episodes and other giveaways.

Links, Books and Authors mentioned:
Elmore Leanord (quirky weirdo characters who come out of nowhere) – This is the guy responsible for Justified? (Raylan: A Novel). I love that show!
Robert B. Packer (Lane says Hot Sinatra has similar qualities)
Raymond Chandler’s character, Phillip Marlowe.
Dashiel Hammett and Black Mask magazine were mentioned quite a bit. Also maybe the Coen brothers. (makers of The Big Lebowski, Fargo, etc.)

Music provided by Big Daddy Scrabble’s “Lorda Mercy” from freemusicarchive.org

AudioTim by Timothy C. Ward is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Next episode in two weeks. Giveaway ends 12:00AM 3/19/13.