War of Attrition, by Frank Creed

If you've been following along on CFRB's main page you'll notice that I've really enjoyed this book. War of Attrition, by Frank Creed is most probably unlike anything you've ever read before, unless you read Flashpoint, the book that precedes this work. There are several reasons I like this book.

First, the crisp action-style writing is something that I like. His ability to let you see and even feel a part of the story is powerful. This is something that all writers strive for, but Frank has a trick of his own. I guess it's the nicknames and the high tech stuff. Basically he gets the story right down there at street level. He's not trying to please someone with his vocabulary, which is also impressive. He's trying to create a story that you will believe.

Second, I like all the gadgets. From BrainWave technology, to "slagging Nasty Neros", to the most advanced security systems you'll find on the planet. It's there, described and believable. If not believable in a real world sense it's believable in a "Final Fantasy" kind of sense. So get used to it.

Third, Frank is blunt, most of the time. His characters have all the diplomacy of an African American leader of the KKK, but it works well for him, and luckily for us as well. Sometimes characters get so prissy you just want to throw up. Other times they just get predictable. (Like I was watching this movie last night and picked out the murderer before the show was halfway over...and I was right. I wanted to be proven wrong). Frank is blunt, real, earthy. A.P. Fuchs wrote of my work, "David Brollier is hardcore". Well, A.P., thanks for that, but I didn't come anywhere near as hardcore as Frank does. (By hardcore I mean hard hitting, believable, action driven writing, not the other kind of hardcore).

Fourth and most importantly, Frank isn't afraid to be real about his Christian testimony or that this is a work of Christian fiction. Unlike many other Christian writers he is willing to take on the hard issues. He takes theology and tosses it out of the window and asks, "What if they're wrong?" He may add some other views, but it's always in a sort of guarded sense. I mean they missed Jesus the first time He came. We don't want to make the same mistake the 2nd time around. In this sense he is completely unbiased. He is not saying his views are right or yours are wrong, at least not in the areas of prophecy. There are some basic truths that he stands firm on, more so than some "men of the cloth". He isn't bound to religion, but teaches unity in the Body of Christ through his work, and for that alone I will be forever thankful.

Now if I haven't convinced you to go out and buy his book, then I feel sorry for you. You'll be missing out on one of the greater writings I've ever come across, with very few exceptions. Then again Frank Creed is difficult to compare to other writers. He's different. He's fresh. He's bold, and he's about as good as anyone in his genre of cyberpunk will ever be.





Be sure to visit Frank Creed at his blog. He's a really interesting and complex guy. You can find him HERE.

Or visit THE UNDERGROUND (but I don't think it's been kept up as good as his blog)


On sale - online at these locations:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books a Million

Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.


Legal stuff
This is where I'm supposed to tell you that I'm doing this review in exchange for a free copy of his book. Well, if that were the case it wouldn't make his book any less compelling. The fact is I'm trying to do these reviews from an e-copy of his book because I haven't received his in the mail yet. I don't review garbage. If I have to I'll send the book back. In this case I'm doing the review with nothing but a e-file of the book. So you be the judge. Am I really doing this to get a free book? Or perhaps am I doing this because I want others to learn about the grace and love of Jesus Christ?

Interview with P.A. Baines

It's been a while since I've written an interview, but I thought it would be good to do so with P.A. Baines. Author of Alpha Redemption, which is being toured by CFRB this week, we are proud to have him with us to answer a few questions and get to know him better.

David: We don't know much about you. Is this your first book?

Paul: Firstly, thank you David for inviting me for this interview. This is my first published book but I have been writing on and off for about thirteen years now. My first novel was accepted by the Pema Browne agency in New York. They liked the story and it "came close" to being taken by a major publisher, but never quite made it. I recently started a degree in Creative Writing and both the tutor and course assessor said my work was of publishable standard, so I wrote two novels (including Alpha Redemption). I like to think that I have served my apprenticeship in the trade of writing and can now hopefully serve God effectively.

David: Do you only write SF, or do you like other genres as well?

Paul: I like sci-fi because it offers so much creative freedom while demanding a degree of scientific accountability. I enjoy science and marvel at the discoveries being made. Sci-fi allows us to take these discoveries to the next level and ask, what if? Apart from sci-fi I also enjoy writing humor, although the two often overlap

David: So, Paul, where do you hail from? I notice that this takes place, or rather begins, in England. Is this your homeland?

Paul: Actually, I'm from a few places. I was conceived in the US, born in England and raised in Africa. For the past ten years I have been doing contract work in Europe. I am a bit of a globetrotter but consider England my home.

David: You deal with a great tragedy in an interesting way. Have you had any personal tragedies that helped you create the feelings for this or see what Brett was going through, or did you just make it up?

Paul: We had quite a few dramas in my family when I was growing up, and there are one or two scenes in the book based on my own experiences. Happily though, I have never lost anyone in a plane crash. I had to dig deep to imagine how that must feel.

David: I don't think I've ever seen someone tackle conquering the speed of light light the way you did? Where did you get the ideas from?

Paul: The idea of travelling to Alpha Centauri came about as a matter of convenience. I needed a man (Brett) to spend a long period alone with a sentient computer, and it seemed logical to have that take place on an epic journey across space. And I wondered what reason a man could have for travelling so far by himself, other than if he is taking part in an experiment of some sort. I had Brett take part in a mission to Alpha Centaur because it fit his situation perfectly. The attempt to travel at light speed gave the experiment a purpose as well as providing the means needed to generate Brett's genetic-reversal crisis. To discover more about the potential effects of light speed travel I spent a lot of time doing research. It is currently theoretically impossible to reach light speed, but then they have always said that about speed barriers and we always cross them sooner or later. I am certain that we will one day find a way to travel faster that the speed of light.

David: I liked how you developed Brett throughout the story. It was as if he was heading towards something and it wasn't Alpha Centuri. You even handled "Jay" in much the same way. How did you get the idea of showing the reader Brett's past the way you did, and what clicked in you to have a computer that could evolve to the point where it experience feeling?

Paul: The original idea for the story came from watching, and taking part in, forums where Christians and atheists came together to discuss their beliefs. The atheists generally held the view that Christians (and their faith) are completely illogical and that no rational person could ever believe in God. This made me wonder what would happen if a purely logical being were presented with God. Would such a being reject Him or believe? And would such a creature be able to convince an atheist that God is real? It was then a matter of finding a purely logical being, which is where Jay came in. And the man whose faith is in tatters is played by Brett. I chose Brett because he is a man who, like so many non-believers, has been hurt by life and can see no place in so much pain for a loving God. And he, like so many non-believers, did once have a child-like faith which faded as he grew older. Later, he tries to believe for the sake of his wife, but it isn't a genuine faith. Then when his family dies, he rejects God completely. He claims to not believe, but he actually blames God. The story begins not long after the accident, when Brett is at the lowest point in his life. The journey to Alpha Centauri is a physical representation of his journey back to God. The whole book is about a journey of some sort, and all of these journeys are towards Alpha. Brett and Jay are travelling towards Alpha Centauri, but also towards Jesus, the Alpha and Omega. And thanks to the genetic reversal effect, Brett is also travelling towards the beginning (or Alpha) of his physical life. The idea of switching back and forth between the present and Brett's past came from the genetic reversal idea. It occurred to me that I should show the events in Brett's life at each reduction in age so that, in effect, the story is travelling in two directions at the same time.

David: Just how much do you identify with Brett and why?

Paul: I identify quite strongly with Brett. My family joke that he is me when I'm grumpy. Then again, I also identify with Jay. I suppose the act of drawing on my own experiences for inspiration results in all of my characters having at least some of me in them. For Brett, however, there is more of me in him than any other character I have written. I have faith in God but I also have times when I doubt. I tend to be a contented person, but I can also get depressed. For Brett, I took these traits and amplified them to the point where they were big enough to be able to destroy him. It is for this reason that his journey back to God is so urgent, and why God goes to the lengths He does to find someone who is so utterly and completely lost. I consider my writing to be a ministry, and my hope is that Alpha will show people a little bit of God's love and mercy. I wrote Alpha for all the Bretts out there, that they too may find their way home to the Father.

David: Thank you Paul for taking some time out for this interview. It has been a delight and an honor.

Paul: Thank you for touring Alpha on the CFRB site. You really dig deep into the stories. Your comments are always very insightful and, best of all, you seek to glorify God. I'm honoured to be a part of that.

David: Well, rather than fight over who's more thankful, let's just give the glory to the Lord and praise Him for bringing us together. Once again, P.A. Baines (Paul), author of Alpha Redemption.

Be sure to visit:
Splashdown Book's Alpha Redemption page

In addition to being able to purchase the book there you can find it on the following sites:

Splashdown Books
Amazon
Barnes and Noble.

Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.


Legal Stuff

By law I have to tell you that I received this book for free in order to write a review of this book. The review, is therefore, in their opinion, payment for the book. I have received this book for the express purpose of writing a review. This is true. However I would not have requested it were it not a quality work. My payment is to Mr. Baines as a tribute to the quality and message of this work. It is only right that I should do so.

Alpha Redemption, by P. A. Baines

This month the Christian Fiction Review Blog tours Alpha Redemption, by P. A. Baines. Sorry about the back to back SF books, but you really need to take a look at this one. You may think this is just a story about space travel, or experimental space travel, and while it is that, it is so much more. It's about a man named Brett Denton wondering what happened to his life, the God he and Rochelle always talked about, his family. It's about a broken man and how far God is willing to go to heal that broken heart and life. Yes, it does have experimental space travel, but that isn't all it has. After the tradition of the true great writers of SF, P. A. Baines uses the SF genre to tell us something about ourselves. You are going to have to hunt to find this book, and to that end I've included some links at the end. All I can say is that this is one great story, the kind that most other writers may be afraid o write. There is depth, reason, wonder and even a sense of magic here. So I hope you will do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this wonderful book.

Be sure to visit:
Splashdown Book's Alpha Redemption page

In addition to being able to purchase the book there you can find it on the following sites:

Splashdown Books
Amazon
Barnes and Noble.

Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.


Legal Stuff

By law I have to tell you that I received this book for free in order to write a review of this book. The review, is therefore, in their opinion, payment for the book. I have received this book for the express purpose of writing a review. This is true. However I would not have requested it were it not a quality work. My payment is to Mr. Baines as a tribute to the quality and message of this work. It is only right that I should do so.

Legendary Space Pilgrims, by Grace Bridges

I had hoped to have an interview here with Grace, but it seems time worked against me. In any event I would like to close out the tour with this post on Legendary Space Pilgrims, by Grace Bridges.

I am basically a mystery/suspense writer, although I find myself getting carried away by some of the great authors we tour at the Christian Fiction Review Blog. Grace Bridges is one of those exceptional writers. I do like the sci-fi genre, although my own work in that area began a long time ago, consisted of 3 stories, and had to be re-typed several times, just to save the rough draft due to computer crashes. As a result what I have is a work in great need of editorial work just to make in consistent throughout, not to mention all the problems I'd have to work on through the needed re-writes. So it sits, stored on a disk, untouched for over a year now, only getting through half of it with any kind of editing. I haven't really given up, but I haven't seriously considered going back to it either.

Unlike my work, Grace Bridges pressed on, edited, polished and did a great job. Not only did she persevere, but she came out with a work that is, in my opinion, one of the best I've read. Also unlike my work, she doesn't stick to a single planet, but travels through the solar system, giving the readers a view of the vastly different planets our pilgrims come upon. The 2 that receive the most intricate attention are the planets Monday and Viva. We know there is a 7th planet, Sancta, but we know little about it as of yet. I suppose we will find out much about this planet in her sequel. The reason that the planets between Monday and Viva do not receive as much attention is not that she doesn't describe them but because they are mostly devoid of people, and people are what makes our surroundings something to connect with. On Monday we have everyone being pushed into a single mold, while on Viva there are many different types of peoples, and it is Viva where the book really begins to rachet up the pace. Do yourself a favor, buy this wonderful book and after reading it share with others or better yet, donate to your local library so others can read it.

Grace is the owner and editor of Splashdown Books. She's a Kiwi of Irish descent living in beautiful New Zealand, and a chocaholic cat-lovin' Trekkie, Jesus freak, web designer, and all-round DIY gal who also takes care of the Lost Genre Guild Blog. Visit Grace's Blog for links to all her interests.

Purchase Legendary Space Pilgrims from
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Splashdown Books.

Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

Legendary Space Pilgrims, by Grace Bridges

Fasten your seatbelts for an interplanetary pilgrimage with Mario and Caitlyn as they escape Planet Monday. No, really. That's the name of the planet, or at least the name the Baxters, those who colonized the planet, gave it. The vivid imagery, the plot and numerous and complex subplots, this was one beautiful story. In fact, the only negative thing I could find was that Grace Bridges ended it in the middle of the story (I certainly hope a sequel is on the horizon).

So, what's it about? Picture yourself living in a world of grays, everyone doing the same thing day in and day out. And if emotions increase too much there is always the Mindwipe, a facility used to erase a person's memory. She handles all of this and so much more with the reality that set her apart in Faith Awakened. When I read Legendary Space Pilgrims I was amazed at how she seemed to have a intuition when it comes to having just the right amount of technical information to make the story work without coming off like an instruction manual or something geekish. Instead everything comes off sounding, as I've said, realistic, even though we fly about on a space pod, visit some of the oddest planets, and find out that we are somehow involved in some ancient prophecy.

I can go on and on, but I don't want to give too much away. You will find that this is one of those fantastic works that sets a person apart. It will take you places you'd never dreamed of going, and all along you'll find suspense, humor, confusion, and a budding relationship, just among a few things you'll enjoy along the way. So grab your copy and jump into the story of your life.

Grace is the owner and editor of Splashdown Books. She's a Kiwi of Irish descent living in beautiful New Zealand, and a chocaholic cat-lovin' Trekkie, Jesus freak, web designer, and all-round DIY gal who also takes care of the Lost Genre Guild Blog. Visit Grace's Blog for links to all her interests.

Purchase Legendary Space Pilgrims from
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Splashdown Books.

Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.

Someone to Blame, by C.S. Lakin

This week the Christian Fiction Review Blog invites you to take a trip with Matt, Irene and Casey Moore, from southern California, to a northern town called Breakers. It's a trip from the sunny, hopeful lives of their past into a drizzly gray pit of despair. A place they hope to put some of the pieces back together and build a new life for themselves.

Not being very clear? Sorry. The book runs like that for a while. You get hints of things that have gone wrong. Bits and pieces of a family that has been tragically torn apart come in at a maddeningly slow pace, and yet, this pace may have much to do with the dramatic conclusion to the story.

Matt and Irene Moore have lost their two sons, Daniel and Jesse. Whisking away to Breakers with their daughter in the attempts to hold the remaining family together, and perhaps even start a new life. Yet their own personal tragedies and pains come with them as if they had packed them carefully to join them in Breakers. This family unit has now divided into 3 parts, the father who questions his own actions, yet blames the son. The mother who blames the father and still reaches out to find that compassion again. The daughter, who as she is growing into a young lady, rebels at her parent's decision to push her brother's out of all memory.

Yet, Someone to Blame is a book about redemption, about how God can take even the most horrible circumstances, and makes something good out of it. It's about a God who loves more deeply than those who have lost these loved ones, but is non-the-less a God who is always in control. What we learn about ourselves, our neighbors, the need for God's love to fill the gaping whole in the lives of those around us, becomes central to the story. Lakin doesn't pretty things up. She tells it like it is. She drags you through their despair, showing that you have to go through it in order to be victorious over it. The message is simply, if you want someone to blame, look at yourself, then realize God paid for all the faults you've made by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. He took the blame off of us and put it on Him.

This is a fine book, although it may appeal to some people more than others because of its style, yet I would encourage all to read it, and if you must, push your way through it. You'll be the better for it.
You can read more by visiting:
Someone To Blame

And don't forget to visit her personal site:
C. S. Lakin

You can find Someone to Blame sold at the following online stores:

Christian Book
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Target


Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.


Legal Notice:
It has become the legal obligation for us to notify you, the viewers, that we who have reviewed this book have received, in most cases, a copy of this work for free. While our reviews are in some fashion a payment for this book it does not diminish the quality of the work whatever they may try to make us say. This is a quality book. You would do good to read it.