Friday, November 30, 2012

No Heaven / Lex Allen


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Science-Fiction/Supernatural/Thriller

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Availability   
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: NO Smashwords: NO Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Lex Allen was born in San Marcos and raised in the cities of Corpus Christi and Austin, Texas. After a twenty-one year military career, he took off the uniform but went back to work for the U.S. Department of Defense as a civilian. He's lived and worked for most of the past forty years in Germany.
He has spent a great deal of his free time as a semi-professional musician. With his band, Honky Tonk Heroes, he has written, published, and recorded fourteen country rock songs and performed on stages, large and small, all over Europe.”

For more, visit the author’s website.

Description:

“A man calling himself Jesus interrupts Easter Mass at a famous German cathedral, saying he's come to stop a religiously incited nuclear war and to find three ancient documents that will shake the foundations of organized religion and bring enlightenment to all. He disappears from the cathedral, leaving behind several 'miracles' as proof of who he claims to be.
Disarming the world's nuclear arsenals requires the help of scientists from his world, but can they do it in time? Finding the documents requires three special people who first need to be convinced of who they once were, and then - taught to use their latent paranormal abilities.

Dr. Elizabeth Washburn is a Professor of Theology battling a recent loss of faith. Jack Schmidt promotes the total disbandment of organized religion through an online blog, while Kate Barrow is a disillusioned film student seeking inspiration. Unlikely disciples, but all three have past incarnations connected to Jesus, and the Christian Savior needs them to find the missing documents.

The stakes are high and Jesus' tasks become more difficult as another entity from a parallel world, equal to Jesus in supernatural skills, has his own agenda for world dominance. Along with the U.S. government and the Catholic Church, each of whom have their own reasons for stopping Jesus, this Being is determined to eliminate Jesus from the equation. This time - forever!”

Appraisal:

No Heaven, while revolving around the apparent “second coming of Christ,” is many things, but one thing it isn’t is “Christian Fiction.” Reasonably open-minded fans of that genre may enjoy this book, but those who explicitly avoid it will too.

This story works on two levels. On the surface, it’s a supernatural thriller with a religious component – think Dan Brown or his imitators with a dose of science-fiction and supernatural thrown into the mix. If this is the kind of story that appeals to you and you don’t have any desire to go deeper than this, it’s a good story.

However, scratch beneath the surface — think about the story and how it relates to the real world — and there is much more, with questions about the direction religion (and things done in the name of religion) and the politics around it are taking the world. It should get you thinking about what the ultimate outcome is likely to be, and hopefully will start you pondering about what can be done to change that direction.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Memoria: A Corporation of Lies / Alex Bobl


Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Sci-fi-Thriller

Approximate word count: 70,000-75,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Alex (Aleksei) Bobl is the author of eleven books. He’s based in Moscow, Russia.

Description:

In a dystopian world, a major corporation—Memoria—develops technology that enables memories to be selectively erased. Memoria’s control of the city-based population has been solidified by the authorities such that each citizen is obliged by law to undergo memory modification each year. Most of the city dwellers seem to enjoy this process and return even more frequently to have unpleasant memories removed.

Only the Militants, located behind barbed wire fencing on the outskirts of the cities, live free. Memoria develops a new technology that will give them even more active control over the population and they devise a subterfuge by which all citizens, Militant and otherwise, will be “vaccinated.” The populace enthusiastically volunteers because they believe they are having a new and desirable skill imprinted on their minds, but instead, this is a dastardly plot to turn them into mind-slaves.

Appraisal:

This was a tough slog for me. The premise seemed weak. If Memoria’s objective was control and power, why would they allow the Militants to live free on their borders. Not only did they live free, but the Militants provided all the basic services for the cities—they grew the food, provided the water, handled the garbage and sewage. I was unclear exactly what the city folk did.

The story opens with the protagonist, Frank, an ex-boxer, being framed for the murder of his girlfriend. Before her death, the girlfriend (Frank is dumbfounded to discover she is a significant player in Memoria, even though he’s considering inviting her to move in with him!) mailed a package that would expose Memoria’s plan to control everyone in the world. The rest of the book is a chase where the corporation and some bent-politicians try to reclaim the package from Frank and frame him for any bad stuff that happens, and Frank tries to release the information in the package to the general public.

Frank falls in with some old colleagues who just happen to have all the skills and the connections inside Memoria needed to thwart the evil corporation. Our ex-boxer miraculously turns into someone with Mission Impossible skills: shimmying down elevator shafts and knocking out anyone he punches like Popeye jacked-up on spinach. And should his fortunate choice in friends or innate fighting prowess fail, have no fear, fate will intervene to rescue him from the seemingly impossible situation he’s trapped in.

The plot isn’t experienced through scenes in the book, instead, I was told who was doing what to whom (and why) through dialog between the characters and through Frank’s internal narrative. I couldn’t understand how Frank et-al drew their conclusions based on the information I was given, and because I didn’t experience the events they talked about, I couldn’t get engaged with the plot.

The dialog felt flat and long (because they were explaining the story) with ‘action beats’ that often seemed formulaic and disconnected from the topic of conversation so they ended up being distracting rather than giving life to the characters and their situations.

I didn’t connect with any of the characters. I didn’t understand what Memoria really wanted (they seemed to have it all anyway). I was often confused by the action sequences, which seemed frenetic and often jumped around without setting the scene clearly—or maybe I was just glazing over.

I can’t tell if my confusion derives from this being a translated story (I think it was originally written in Russian), but an English-speaking editor could surely figure that out.

Format/Typo Issues:

Comma usage was non-standard. A comma was often used where a period belonged at the end of dialog. It jarred my eye. At one point someone called “Orphan” turned into someone called “Oprah”. Many sentences didn’t make sense e.g. “Frank pulled his leg out, turned around and kicked the stranger’s face red with excitement.” Or “Frank shut the door close and turned back.

Rating: ** Two stars

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Postcards from Mr. Pish: East Coast Edition / K.S. Brooks


Reviewed by: BigAl with input from the Princess

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Approximate word count: 23 pages

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

K.S. Brooks has written numerous books in multiple genres including romantic suspense, satire, and educationally oriented children’s books. She is co-administrator of Indies Unlimited (a multi-author blog “celebrating independent authors”), where you can often catch her pontificating on matters of interest to both readers and authors. For more, visit Brooks’website.

Description:

“Mr. Pish, the lovable Jack Russell Terrier, leads readers on an expedition down the East Coast of the United States in Postcards from Mr. Pish Volume 3. With each new discovery, the traveling terrier sends a postcard with full-color photographs and engaging text geared to promote outdoor learning and literacy. Mr. Pish's enthusiasm inspires young and old to read, explore and learn in a fun way. (Fourth book in the Mr. Pish Educational Series, third in the Postcards Series)”

Appraisal:

One of a series of children’s books featuring Mr. Pish, the author’s Jack Russell Terrier. This volume tracks Pish’s travels down the heart of the eastern coast of the U.S., from New Hampshire to Georgia. What struck me about the book was how much was going on in what, at first, seems like a simple book. Most pages concentrate on a single stop at a historical site or other point of interest, with a map showing where it is, a post card from Mr. Pish (with a description of what he saw and thought of this stop), and two or three pictures of the site, often including a picture of Mr. Pish sitting in the foreground. It seemed obvious that this book and the others in the series would educate the children who read them in geography, history, and other subjects, while whetting their appetite for travel. They seemed suitable for parents to read to younger children and newer readers, while also being a fast, fun read for children with a few years of reading experience.

When The Princess, my nine year-old granddaughter, read this and gave me her feedback, she agreed with my take. She specifically mentioned liking both the postcards and pictures, along with one item that had slipped past me, a “stamp” on each postcard with a likeness of Mr. Pish, and gave the book a grade of A-. After reading about Mr. Pish, she not only wanted to visit the eastern coast herself, but expressed a desire to meet Mr. Pish. Who knows, maybe someday.

Although this book displays adequately on a grayscale Kindle, a color reader such as a Kindle Fire or computer running a Kindle app is preferred.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

A Cowboy for Christmas / Kristen James


Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Romance

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words  

Availability   
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: NO Smashwords: NO Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Kristen James lives in the Pacific Northwest and enjoys exploring the mountains and traveling. Her favorite activities, besides writing and reading, include cycling, fishing, hiking, running, berry picking, and about any outdoor activity with her family. Feel free to visit her website and blog, she loves to hear from her readers.

Description:

Missy suddenly finds herself an unwanted co-owner of Ocean View Stables near Florence, Oregon after the death of her estranged brother. Brent built his dream with determination and feels responsible for the death of his former partner. Not wanting to lose control of his business, he puts up a cold front to this city slicker who could ruin it all. Missy is just looking for a way to start over and rebuild her life. They both have a past that can ruin their future. Can he trust her to stay? Can she trust him with her heart?

Appraisal:

This story is a sweet romance that takes place along the Pacific Northwest coastline; the author did a wonderful job describing the backdrop for this story. It was beautiful and I would love to visit the area. The character development was slow, but well done, neither character wanted to share their pain. I loved the witty dialogue between the two main characters; the sparks flew between them from the very beginning. I would have loved a little more backstory on why Missy and her brother were estranged though.

I found the flow of the story a little stilted. I was never sure how much time had passed between some of the scenes. It could have been a day or even a week later - it was never clear. I was able to get past that though and just enjoy the story. There didn’t seem to be much of a Christmas-y feel to the story except that the season was winter when business was slow and a few scenes reminded us it was that time of year. This allowed us to get to know the characters without the rush of dealing with customers coming and going for trail rides. It also allowed Missy time to learn the ropes of the ranch.

This would be a light, enjoyable read any time of the year.

Format/Typo Issues:

There were a small number of spelling errors, mainly missing letters or an extra letter included in a word that changed its meaning. Examples of this are: after soothing her hair away from her face, instead of smoothing her hair. Thanksgiving dinner was referred to as a fest not a feast. And she grabbed ‘unto that; instead of ‘onto that’. At one point Brent ‘land leaned’ instead of ‘and leaned’. I think a few beta readers or an additional proofing would have helped with these errors.

I didn’t notice any formatting errors.

Rating: *** Three stars

Monday, November 26, 2012

Tutorials and Tools for the Digital World



It isn't often you'll see a book featured here other than in a review. In fact, I think this is the first time it has happened. The reason it won't be reviewed is that I (as in BigAl) contributed one small portion. (If I were to review it, I'd be forced to say my contribution is the weakest.) First, here's the blurb:

Whether you are an author wanting to expand your book’s market or an entrepreneur selling candy-coated knitting baskets, you will benefit from an enhanced social media presence.

In Tutorials and Tools for Prospering in a Digital World Volume I you’ll find 62 step-by-step tutorials and tips/tools for everything from establishing a presence on multiple social media platforms to tools for optimizing your web presence to bonus tips tailored specifically for authors.

The award-winning and best-selling multi-national staff of Indies Unlimited brings you the ultimate guide for slapping social media into submission.

Knowledge is power. Fish is brain food. If you don’t have fish, you should at least have the Indies Unlimited Tutorials and Tools for Prospering in a Digital World Volume I. It smells way better than fish, and doesn’t require refrigeration. How can you go wrong?

While a small number of the sixty plus tips and tutorials are aimed specifically at authors, most are applicable to anyone with a web presence, whether business owner or book blogger. I read through this from cover to cover when it was released this past weekend and found several items I've put to immediate use.


Grab your copy now from either Amazon.com or Amazon UK.

Friday, November 23, 2012

A Titan for Christmas / Aria Kane


Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Romance/ Sci-Fi/Christmas

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Availability   
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: YES Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. She lives in sunny Florida with her fifty pound mutt who thinks he is a Chihuahua. This is her first book. Check out her site for a little bit of insight into this new Indie author, this made me laugh. “I’m a romance author, but this blog is about my life as a sex-positive, slightly-geeky, gender-role-despising, equal-rights-defending, independent city girl.”


Description:

When Jenna’s job as an engineer causes her to miss the last scheduled passenger flight home from the mining colony on Titan, she has to become creative to get home to Earth before Christmas. She learns that sometimes private cargo pilots will take on passengers, for the right price.

There is one small cargo ship, piloted by Grayson, that is getting ready to make the three day trip, but he doesn’t want any passengers. Jenna convinces Grayson to allow her aboard his ship so she can be home with her sisters on Christmas. When she learns what he is transporting is extremely dangerous and illegal she must decide whether to help him or turn him in to the authorities.

Appraisal:

This novelette is a quick, light, enjoyable read. Jenna is a problem solver and I liked her character as well as Grayson’s. Her biggest problem at first is being on such a small cargo ship with a gorgeous pilot. Heat rises quickly and is sated nicely. Grayson is a nice guy who is stuck between a rock and a hard spot. As we learn his story, it is easy to sympathize with his moral dilemma. The story is told with plenty of dialogue; the plot is tight and flows well. Most of the story takes place on the cargo ship between the two main characters and neither is afraid to get their hands dirty in one way or another. I enjoyed the escape into their lives and I found the ending extremely satisfying.

FYI:

This book contains adult situations that may not be suitable of young adults.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant errors.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Have a Great Day



As a large number of our readers are in the US and busy stuffing themselves with turkey and all the trimmings, we're skipping today's review, but wanted to take this opportunity to tell our readers that, among the many things we're thankful for this holiday, we're thankful for you. 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Whoever Has The Most Toys Wins - A Guest Post from C.J. West




My Lorado Martin Mystery Series is loosely based on the life of my brother, who lives in two very different worlds. The first world is junk. Yard sales. Estate sales. Stuff people leave on the side of the road. You name it. If it has value, my brother can spot it at thirty miles per hour. And he brings it all home.

Each book in the series will include several valuable things he’s found while I’m writing. I incorporate his treasures into the story and tell you a little about what they are, why they are valuable, and how you can find similar valuables yourself. If you’re an eBay junkie, or can’t help stopping at yard sales, you’ll enjoy the antiques and collectibles mentioned in the books.

Today’s topic is something for the kids.

While I was writing Dinner At Deadman’s, my brother was offered a collection of toys that would make any ten year old boy lose sleep for a month. Someone had been saving Matchbox army vehicles and plastic figures for years and decided it was time to get rid of them.

When he told me how many pieces he bought I was amazed. There were 8 large bins brimming full of cars and army men. The pieces and Lorado’s real life reaction to the collection is included within the novel.

In July I visited some good friends who also happen to read my books. One of the boys was having a birthday, so I decided to combine the parents’ love of books with the boy’s birthday present and give him something straight out of Dinner At Deadman’s. Here is the collection I assembled.

The 2,000 men and dozens of vehicles didn’t make a dent in my brother’s collection. But it took over an hour for us (yes I had some help!) to set the pieces up for these photos.




Playing with these guys brought back memories for me. When I first saw the collection I was in awe of the sheer numbers of pieces. The shiny helicopters, all in mint condition, grabbed my attention first. When you are a kid, you get a helicopter, maybe two. This collection held fifty identical helicopters in one bin! What kid wouldn’t want them for his airbase?

My brother spent days with these toys, but he wasn’t excited about the pieces he had fifty or a hundred of. He spent his time researching rare models. The thing I’ve learned about buying large lots is that there are a few pieces mixed in that are valuable. In this case, one vehicle paid for the entire lot of 50,000 pieces. The trick was finding that one piece and a few more like it.

When you read Dinner At Deadman’s, you’ll learn about finding the treasure mixed in the chaos. I hope you’ll join me and dig in.

So, did you play with toys like these? Or were you a Barbie girl?

  
---
  
C.J. West is the author of seven suspense novels including The End of Marking Time and Sin andVengeance, which was optioned into development for film by Beantown Productions, LLC (screenplay by Marla Cukor). C.J. blogs at www.cjwestkills.wordpress.com. You can also find him at www.22wb.com or at www.facebook.com/cjwestfans


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Lost in Thought / Simon J. Townley


Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Psychological-Thriller

Approximate word count: 75,000-80,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

The author is a freelance writer living in Devon, in the South of England, who has published a number of novels and short stories.

Description:

Richard Trescerrick dedicated his life to creating the Brainscape—a device that provides access to another person’s mind. When he discovers the government agency providing his funding intend to use his invention to control people’s thoughts, he hides the final algorithm that will complete the machine. During a brutal attack by a government agent at his home, Richard is knocked into unconsciousness and becomes comatose. A group of government agents, law enforcement, and psychologists, aided by his estranged son, Luke, enter his mind using the Brainscape and search for the algorithm.

Appraisal:

First off, let me say this is one of the best-written books I’ve read this year. Mr. Townley has a solid grasp on the craft of writing fiction. Sentences so lean that, like the notes in a Mozart symphony, you’d be hard-pressed to pick a spare word that could be removed without reducing the story.

The opening few chapters paint a picture of the challenging relationship between Richard and his son, Luke. I empathized with Luke, and with his son who has some undefined mental challenges of his own. This ‘real world’ introduction is set against a beautifully drawn backdrop of a Cornish coastal town.

But the story doesn’t dwell in the physical world for long. Most of the words are used to follow the characters as they ride the roller coaster of Richard’s imagination inside his comatose father’s mind.

And inside the Brainscape, it’s Jumanji meets A Christmas Carol (the parts where Scrooge is taken back in time), with a smattering of Alice in Wonderland. Nothing is as it seems, and everything is triggered or controlled through metaphors that relate to the old man’s life and loves. Luke learns aspects of his father’s life hitherto misunderstood, and in the process he also learns about himself. As Luke battles the evil government agent (who understands how to control the Brainscape-world) the action is non-stop: a psychedelic happening driven by words instead of pills.

I felt certain reluctance to surrender to this imaginary world. After all, I was enjoying the introductory story, and the idea of spending most of the book in a place where there were no rules that I could fathom, didn’t appeal. However, the imagery was so strong, and the pacing so fast that I soon left my niggling Doubting Thomas behind, let go of the reins of reality, and went along for the ride.

And it was a lot of fun.

Format/Typo Issues:

English spelling and English settings. I enjoyed this aspect of the story because, for, me the locations were familiar. I don’t believe this would cause a problem, or lessen the enjoyment, for a reader unfamiliar with England.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Monday, November 19, 2012

A Christmas Feral / Mary Matthews


Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Short Story/ Christmas

Approximate word count: 5-6,000 words

Availability   
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: NO Smashwords: NO Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Mary Matthews is a descendant of American Revolutionary Patriots whose ancestors arrived in the American Colonies in the 1600s. She helped write WWII Veterans’ stories for a Library of Congress project. She writes a romantic mystery series set on the lush West Coast during the 20s. She loves her family, history, wine, and reading — not always in that order. While researching the Roaring 20s, Mary created the Splendid Summer series featuring romantic detectives Grace and Jack — and their magical cats that can solve mysteries without missing a nap.

Find out more about Ms. Matthews at GoodReads or her website.

Description:

This is a charming re-telling of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Judge Scrooge is presented with a case for the legal extermination of feral cats in his town on Christmas Eve.

Appraisal:

Judge Scrooge is a bitter man. His love of money, his turning his back on family, and walking away from the woman he loved has had a caustic effect on his life. I liked the way She (Scrooge’s lost love) was introduced (that is the way he refers to Her). She is an attorney that presents cases in front of Judge Scrooge regularly. He decides to make a ruling for the legal extermination of feral cats in their area solely based on who She is, but defers his ruling until the day after Christmas. This sets the stage for the visit of Tatania, our magical cat, who has a Cheshire cousin.

This is a cute premise, but the story missed the mark, in my opinion. I tended to get lost when the story changed scenes, they were not as well defined as I felt like they could have been, and this threw me out of the story. The moral of the story includes the significance of the balance of nature with all living things as well as the joy of the spirit of Christmas.

FYI:

Tatania, Grace, and Jack are characters from Mary Matthews’ Splendid Summer series.

Format/Typo Issues:

I found no significant errors.

Rating: *** Three Stars

Friday, November 16, 2012

Dance of Passion / Nancy Brophy


Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Romance

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Nancy Brophy lives in Portland, Oregon. She, her husband, her two dogs, PB and J, and forty chickens own a house that was destroyed by fire in 2010. Fourteen hair-pulling months later they’ve moved back into the house. One day she’ll be able to laugh about it. Then she’ll use it in a story.”
Ms. Brophy says she writes what she loves to read. “A strong man who believes he’s in charge until he meets a feisty female who’s not taking a backseat to anybody. Give me a story that makes me laugh and then cry, but always … a happy ending.” 

Learn more about her on her blog and website.

Description:

Forty-four year old widowed Lily Carmichael has no time for any kind of a social life. She participates in the social whirl of parties and events from the sidelines of her successful catering business. While catering a charity bachelor auction Lily impulsively bids on forty-six year old Marshall Caudill who considers women delightful and charming but strictly recreational. He is a devoted scientist and director of the Oceanic Institute that bears his name. As 
a favor to his sister he consents to be auctioned off for a charity date.

“Marshall and Lily are too old, too busy and much too clever to fall in love.”

Appraisal:

I was totally swept away with this story. Lilly Carmichael is a strong, independent, smart woman with type ‘A’ goal-oriented personality. All she is after is a satisfying one-night stand. She doesn’t have time for a relationship with a man, or that is what she tells herself anyway. She has a recurring fantasy of a faceless man who visits her in her dreams. When that dream man’s face becomes Marshall’s it throws her for a loop. Marshall has played the relationship game his whole life and has no intention of ‘a real relationship’ or actually falling in love, and marriage is out of the question."

This story is told in third person, but we occasionally get a first person POV through Lilly’s and Marshall’s eyes, which I really liked. The plot is endearing and humorous as these two people discover more about themselves and each other. They are both set in their ways and change is not easy for either of them. The dialogue is realistic and I fell in love with all the characters. Lily’s business partner, Dori, and Marshall’s sister, Caroline proves to be effective sounding boards for these two characters. I loved reading about their journey.

I believe this is a five star story. However, I came across several instances of missing or extra words, although not quite enough to effect my ranking.. I’m concerned that I was so swept up in the story that some may have flown by without me noticing them. I believe it would be a good idea for the author to have another proofing done, this story is worth it. I would recommend this story to friends and actually have already.

FYI:

Strong language and sexual content

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of errors.

Rating: ***** Five Stars 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Oil, The 4th Renewable Resource / Shawn Alli


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Pop Science/Politics/Current Events

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Shawn is a philosophical researcher educated at York University in Toronto. He's also worked with Aboriginal youth in two communities in the Northwest Territories of Canada.” For more, visit his website.

Description:

“The first and last book you'll ever need to understand oil and the myth of fossil fuels.

The myth of fossil fuels and peak oil has been a part of the North American lifestyle for almost 100 years. Beginning first in the schools, children are anxious for an education but get caught in the middle of this deception. As a student grows up they hear the same message propagated through governments, media and various interest groups. But the truth is now within your grasp in finding this book. In Oil, The 4th Renewable Resource, you’ll learn:

o        How the myth of fossil fuels begin. [sic]

o        How oil corporations have taken advantage of this myth.

o        The beginning of the abiotic oil theory in 1877.

o        How the myth of global warming and oil corporations go hand in hand.

o        Which renewable resource is the best.

o        And what actions you can take to affect change in the schools and government policy.”

Appraisal:

Scientific knowledge is a funny thing. Sometimes what most scientists believe to be true, turns out to be false. The scientific community recognizes this by using the term theory to describe a concept that could be shaky, with a minimal amount of research indicating it is true, to something that is accepted as absolute truth based on a preponderance of evidence, the “theory of gravity” being one that is unlikely to be disproven.

Sometimes the preponderance of evidence isn’t that strong, but the scientific community still believes a theory to be as close to absolute as possible. More than four hundred years ago Copernicus and Galileo argued that the scientific theory of the time saying that the planets revolved around the earth was wrong, that the planets, including the earth really revolved around the sun. They weren’t the first to propose this theory which went against the “evidence” (largely scriptural rather than true science), but they were the first to finally make inroads within the scientific community and generally receive credit for bringing the scientific community around. But they were also laughed at, scorned, and got in a lot of trouble with the establishment first.

The “abiotic oil theory” is one that, if it eventually proves to be true, is bound to follow this same path. Alli is not a scientist, instead calling himself a “philosophical researcher,” but he uses the works of scientists who have previously proposed this theory in making his case with plenty of footnotes to his sources for those who want to dig deeper. This theory, boiled down to its essence, is that hydrocarbons, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, weren’t formed by animal and vegetable matter decomposing under the earth’s surface over a long period of time, as current scientific thought would say. Instead they’re formed by processes that are constantly happening much deeper within the earth, with oil and natural gas continually bubbling towards the surface, replenishing what was previously harvested through drilling. Under this theory we’re in no danger of running out of oil, natural gas, or other hydrocarbons in the foreseeable future.

I was (and still am) willing to consider that this theory could be correct, although I’m far from convinced. This was despite the apparent need to believe a conspiracy theory or two in order to understand why only a handful of scientists are proponents of the theory and the reasons why no oil company chooses to break ranks to grab a larger market share instead of pretending there is a scarcity to maintain and increase prices.

After finishing the first part of the book explaining this theory of oil creation, my reaction was, even if it is true, we’ve still got issues. Does it really matter if the continuing use of fossil fuels (or hydrocarbons, since under this theory fossil fuels is an incorrect term) are causing problems such as global warming and pollution? Enter more conspiracy theories, related to global warming or climate change. The deeper into the book, the more unbelievable the explanations and the less logical the arguments became. He uses a lot of numbers, guesses, or unrelated facts to draw conclusions that have no logical basis I could see from the facts given. Sometimes he even admits it, as when he prefaces his explanation for the reason most scientists agree that our use of hydrocarbons is causing global warming with the statement that, “it should be noted this is my own theory and while I don’t have facts to back it up, it’s the best possible explanation.”

After attempting to make the case that oil is renewable and climate change is a non-issue, I was thrown when the author compares the major sources of renewable energy. He ranks six energy sources he considers renewable (solar, wind, water, hydrocarbons, geothermal, and biomass), and oil (or hydrocarbons) ended up ranked five of the six. Environmental issues (such as the pollution problems I mentioned above) are part of the reason for this low ranking.

So let’s review. We have the claim or theory that hydrocarbons are “renewable” and aren’t going to run out any time soon. Climate change or global warming is a hoax. Even if we believe these claims, hydrocarbons are still among the worse sources of renewable energy by the author’s reckoning, although, to be fair, a portion of the reason for the low ranking is due to the current structure of the oil and coal industry. Which makes me wonder what the point of the book even is.

At the end of a book like this I’d expect a clear identification of the problem, the solution (if any), and an unambiguous call to action. I don’t think the book delivers on any of these. First, what is the problem? It isn’t a problem with current energy policy in North America; although he seems to have made a case for less dependence on oil in the comparison section, he doesn’t make that argument. Instead, he seems to make the contention that if the science he claims is right then what is being taught in schools is wrong. Fair enough, I suppose, but I would argue that his only call to action, to put pressure on schools to teach this alternative theory of the origins of oil, is putting the cart before the horse. Until a critical mass of reputable scientists are backing this theory, teaching it in schools seems negligent to me, much like teaching creationism as though it is science seems unjustified. If this theory can’t gain traction in the scientific community, it isn’t ready for prime time.

He also makes a short argument for nationalization of the oil industry in the US, which would upset the current incentives of the oil company to keep this theory of oil being renewable out of the public eye. However, the author cuts this argument short with the acknowledgment that it isn’t practical, leaving me wondering why the subject was even raised.

In the end, I found the introduction to the “abiotic oil theory” of interest. However, the rest of the book lacked a cohesive theme or the minimal credibility for me to do anything beyond filing this theory in the back of my mind in case the subject comes up in the future. The book also suffered from an abundance of grammar issues, which made it harder to read and understand.

Format/Typo Issues:

This book has extensive copyediting issues. Although there are many different issues, the most common is verb tense errors, especially for the verb “to be,” using the present tense of ‘is’ when the past tense of ‘was’ should have been used. For example “Natural science in the 18th century is very different from the modern scientific method” and “The average nominal retail price of gasoline at the pumps in 2004 in the US is $1.85/gallon.” These issues were constant and pervasive, making reading the book very difficult for me. You may also spot other issues with these example sentences. (Even the book’s description on Amazon has a problem with verb tense in the first bullet point as quoted above.)

Note: After this review was prepared the author contacted us and indicated that he discovered many grammar errors and had them corrected. I reviewed the updated book and found that while many of the errors I had spotted had been corrected, the issue with verb tense had not been addressed.

There are a limited number of tables in the book. These are formatted in such a way that they are displayed perfectly if using the default Kindle font size, but become hard to read if the font size is set larger.

Rating: * One star