Selected Reviews

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UNLOCKABLE CONTENT

Geeky Angel

By Fiona Gregory, editor

May 14, 2013: In the Unlockable Content universe there are many world layers, our mundane one and others full of magic and mythical beings. The main character is an angel called Risa – not a Judeo-Christian Angel but a powerful winged being bioengineered by humans to protect themselves from predatory soul-eating demons. However some things went wrong and now Risa is the leader of a sort of Angels’ Liberation Front,and she has a demon for a boyfriend. So there.

Likes:

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TALES FROM HELITHEREN

Editor’s First Impression

By Palladian, editor, author of Super

May 11, 2013: Even though I’ve read the four chapters currently available for this story, I still feel I should call it a first impression, since it doesn’t feel like the story’s quite gotten off the ground yet. The idea behind this collection of short stories is that they’re all supposed to be about Helitheren, a new fantasy world that two young authors have come up with. I can see that the two seem enthusiastic about their writing, and their world.

With that said, [more . . .]

 
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A GREY WORLD

Editor’s First Impression

By Palladian, editor, author of Super

May 11, 2013: I was very taken with this story. The thing that comes to mind most as I think over the first eleven chapters that I read is that it rings very true, and it seems to be a very deeply felt tale. The story follows a young woman who’s by turns neglected and terrorized by her drug-addicted mother, and bullied by the popular group at school. The way she moves through her environment, assessing threats and trying to determine what she can safely do and have to avoid is heartbreaking. It [more . . .]

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HOLLY(WOODS)

No title

By AGreyWorld, author of A Grey World

May 10, 2013: I’ve read this for a while now but waited until there were a fair few chapters before writing a review.

It’s quite a difficult story for me to review as I’m normally reading Sci-fi, action and fantasy – I don’t have much to compare it with. I keep coming back though.

It’s quick to get into and start relating to the main characters. Holly doesn’t have much knowledge of the Hollywood scene [more . . .]

 
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MIRRORFALL

Fast paced, interesting and lots of damaged characters

By AGreyWorld, author of A Grey World

May 8, 2013: I found Mirrorfall a good read, and I would definitely recommend it. The whole geeky urban fantasy genre (is it a genre?) is not something I’ve much experience in but I enjoyed.

There are a lot of references which I actually managed to spot – and usually I’m useless at getting these things – so that made me happy. The humour doesn’t rely at all on this kind of thing though; there are plenty of other funny moments.

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ONE PAGE LOVE STORY

Romantic Flash Fiction

By Wildbow, author of Worm

May 5, 2013: Flash fiction is hard to do well, and romantic flash fiction is harder still. ‘One Page Love Story’ (OPLS) by Rich Walls faces this challenge, writing snippets of 250 or less words as individual installments. There’s no continuous narrative, nor recognizable characters. In many cases, people aren’t even named. A short conversation by a campfire, watching the stars together, a memory of how two people had their first meeting at a coffee shop.

Here’s the challenge; with so few words, flash [more . . .]

 
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PRESTON DIAMOND: CONCEPTION

Editor’s First Impression

By Palladian, editor, author of Super

Apr 28, 2013: This story seems to be a well-researched historical novel following the progress of one Preston Diamond, beginning slightly back before he came into being. The story is set during the American Civil War, and it’s full of interesting historical facts and theories about the relations between America and other nations, as well as internal issues surrounding the war.

The author’s use of language is most interesting, and the way the story is told reminds me of books I’ve read that would [more . . .]

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THE UNBROKEN CHAOS

Not Buying It

By Palladian, editor, author of Super

Apr 28, 2013: While reading The Unbroken Chaos, I could see that this author has a good imagination and probably watches a lot of anime, two things I can most definitely connect with. There are a number of interesting ideas in the story, and the plot has a lot of action to it. However, I couldn’t really get into the story myself, due to the fact that I found it unbelievable enough that I just couldn’t relate to it.

In general, I find I’m [more . . .]

 
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THE ELEMENTAL UNION

Familiar Tropes, Vivid Storytelling

By Fiona Gregory, editor

Apr 21, 2013: The blurb for this listing worried me with all the long names and complex politics, but the story itself was easy to get into. An orphan girl, singled out by her strange silver eyes, is hunted by a ruthless militia.

In a way, this is your standard heroic fantasy. It takes place in the usual semi-medieval semi-magical land, but one with a well thought out history and geography. We have some familiar tropes, like the downtrodden underdog, the rebellious tomboy, who [more . . .]

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THE MACHINE GOD

No title

By MsGamgee89, member

Apr 20, 2013: What a great book, and novel concept! The Machine God paints a rich portrait of an incredible universe, combining hints of magic realism with a funky steampunk adventure, all while keeping its protagonist human, believable, and intensely lovable. Adewole will frustrate you at times, but only because he is so real; his naivete and willingness to trust those around him lead him into sticky situations, but his nature wouldn’t permit otherwise. The novel is a fast read, but an enjoyable one, and I highly recommend it.

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TAPESTRY

Bewitching

By Palladian, editor, author of Super

Apr 13, 2013: I remember reading the first few entries of this story mainly out of curiosity, to see what it was all about. Very quickly, however, I found myself compulsively clicking on the ‘next’ button, until I had to physically shut off and go away from the computer because evening had disappeared into night, it had gotten far too late, and I needed to get at least a few hours of sleep before work the next day.

It’s not often that I [more . . .]

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KOCH FICTION

Compelling

By Palladian, editor, author of Super

Apr 13, 2013: I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read the summary for Koch Fiction on Web Fiction Guide; the only thing I could tell for certain was that it was a publicity site for an author’s YA novel, facts that did not give me great excitement as I went to the page. Happily, I found that you can’t read this particular book from the cover synopsis.

So far, there are a total of seven completed short stories, which the author posts [more . . .]