Lenni Reviews: “Gunpowder Moon” by David Pedreira

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the year 2072,  in Veteran Caden Dechert is in charge of a US mining operation on the moon. When a bomb goes off and kills a crew member, already strained international relations may turn the moon into a warzone unless Dechart can find the culprit first.

While I like Dechert and his crew and I wanted to find out what happened, this felt like a dry read. Not unenjoyable because Dechert is a relatable guy thrust into a crazy situation and has to figure out what’s really going on but I get the feeling you need to heavily be into space scifi to get into this. The conclusion delivers on some action though to make it all worth it. 3.9 out of 5.

Ringdom: The Online Community for Sci- Fi Lovers and Upcoming Storytellers

RINGDOM OFFERS A FICTIONAL LAND FEATURING ADVENTUROUS STORIES FOR BOOKLOVERS EVERYWHERE 

*Courtesy of Ringdom/ the Brand Agency

Check out the new immersive App. Ringdom; the perfect online Book Club For Sci-Fi Lovers! Ringdom, Stary’s sci-fi platform, gives fiction fans a platform to discover new authors and genres, as well as publish their own written adventures.  

Brought to you by Stary, an entertainment company of storytelling, Ringdom is an up-and-coming online fictional land featuring adventurous, high-concept, and page-turning stories for booklovers everywhere.  

Courtesy of Ringdom

“Ringdom is dedicated to collecting high-quality genre fiction to provide its readers with the best immersive experience. Whether it’s an imaginary universe, paranormal endeavors, or even godly-like creatures, there’s a world of adventure for everyone to enjoy and immerse themselves in. The team at Ringdom believes that stories can help us has a temporary escape from our daily lives and awaken our souls to different worlds. Because of this, the app’s mission is to provide an odyssey for anyone to embark on and meet amazing new characters.  

The app, which is available on Google Play, offers readers relevant lists of recommended books based off a user’s previous reads. They have created a community of fiction fans who have access to various genres like thrillers, fantasies, gaming, paranormal urban, realistic urban and more. Ringdom has focused on engineering a reading ecosphere where everyone is connected. In order to create a sense of community within the platform, users are able to publish comments and thoughts on their favorite stories or share their own stories with others in the Ringdom community.”

Courtesy of Ringdom

“Not only does Ringdom create a community of fiction-loving readers, but it also encourages its members to start their storytelling careers through Stary, which offers aspiring writers a comfortable space to maximize their full potential by providing tools to publish and monetize their finished stories. Over  300,000 books have been written and published on Stary, reaching over  100 million readers  in over 130 regions and countries. Whether it’s gaining an upwards of $100K from one of their writing contests, establishing a following of devoted readers, or publishing their very first hardcover novel, authors have seen great success. 

Stary works with up-and-coming authors to publish their work on one of its relevant sub-platforms, depending on what the novel is about, to reach maximum readership. Writers can monetize their finished pieces and start getting paid once they publish over 3000 words to the platform. Once they reach this goal, they work with Stary to come up with a contract that encompasses payment and commission rates, which is always easily accessible to the writer.”

https://h5.ringdomstory.com/act/StaryWritingAcademyII

*Courtesy of Ringdom/ the Brand Agency

Lenni Reviews: “The Prey of Gods” by Nicky Drayden

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a futuristic South Africa where everyone has a personal robot and designer drugs are a frequent past time; we have a seemingly unconnected cast of characters slowly drawn into what could be a cataclysmic series of events.

I really can’t say too much more about the plot without spoiling the experience of how a young man named Muzi, his layabout friend, Elkin, a nail technician named Sydney, a superstar singer named Riya, a politician named Sydney, and a young girl named Nomvula are all connected to the end of the human race. You just need to read this. It’s ruthlessly creative, character-driven, thrilling, and almost perfect except for some aspects of the ending I didn’t like; which I won’t spoil. I loved it and highly recommend it if you’d like some futuristic sci-fi in a unique setting. 5 out of 5 and I hope there is more to come.

Netflix's Altered Carbon Season 2 Fan Event

Hey O&G fans, last night we attended the Altered Carbon season 2 fan event. The theater was filled with fans that have been waiting with excitement for a season 2. It’s been two years since season one first gave us this great sci-fi action series. Season two looks to give us more of what we love about this series.

Here is a brief synopsis on season 2:

In Altered Carbon, society is transformed by new technology: consciousness can be digitized; human bodies are interchangeable; death is no longer permanent.

 Season Two begins 30 years after the epic conclusion of Season One, and finds Takeshi Kovacs (Anthony Mackie), the lone surviving soldier of a group of elite interstellar warriors, continuing his centuries old quest to find his lost love Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry). After decades of planet-hopping and searching the galaxy, Kovacs is recruited back to his home planet of Harlan’s World with the promise of finding Quell. Haunted by his past and responsible for investigating a series of brutal murders, Kovacs is stunned to discover his new mission to solve the crime and his pursuit to find Quell are one and the same. With the help of his loyal A.I. Poe (Chris Conner), Kovacs must now partner with new allies to outwit his enemies and find the truth: Who is Quellcrist Falconer?

EPISODE 1

The episode opens with a quick recap of season 1 and then shifts us to a bar where a soulful singer begins a song that captivates the audience. A bounty hunter is searching for Takeshi Kovacs and is willing to pay a large sum for any info on his whereabouts. I want to leave episode 1 at that and just say you have to watch it…..It’s definitely worth it. If this episode is any indication of how the rest of the season will be, I can’t wait to binge it this weekend.

Last night, the cast of Altered Carbon celebrated the upcoming season 2 premiere with fans at AMC Lincoln Square. Anthony Mackie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Simone Missick, Lela Loren, Chris Conner, Dina Shiabhi, Jihae, Torben Liebrecht and Will Yun Lee gave attendees a special look at what lies ahead for Takeshi Kovacs as he continues his search for his lost love. Joining the cast were Showrunner/Executive Producer Alison Schapker, and Executive Producers James Middleton and Rose Lam. The fans gave the cast ( who were in the audience watching with us ) the confidence that they have a successful series on the way.

Altered Carbon begins streaming Feb 27th on NETFLIX

www.netflix.com/alteredcarbon

Follow Altered Carbon:

Twitter: @AltCarb

Instagram: @AltCarb

by Sean Tucker

Lenni Reviews: "Apex" by Aer-ki Jyr

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Humans have long since gone extinct and any remaining scrap of their civilization is heavily prized and ruthlessly hunted. Even the slightest scrap could change the course of a planet's role in the galaxy. So when courier for hire Jalia happens upon a group smuggling a very secret and very valuable bit of cargo, she's even willing to abandon her crew at a space station to take the job. But the cargo isn't just a bit of scrap and now every available ship and gun in the known galaxy is after her.

First off, this is a really cool space opera. I don't usually pick these up but when I do, I am rarely impressed and Aer-Ki Jyr impressed me. The levels of detail in the technology, weaponry, and abilities of each species are carefully thought out, fully described, and very interesting. The story stalls for those descriptions sometimes but it gets right back on track. I had vivid memories of the first time I saw Titan A.E., which is good and bad.

The good: It's just awesome. Aliens, spaceships, fun new technology, and space battles with intelligent, fun characters you enjoy interacting with. The book is tense, hilarious, heartwarming, and smart. I loved reading it.

The bad: I got a serious "Humans are the best evar!11!" vibe. Before going extinct, humans had the best tech, were self-healing, psychic super beings who could just fix all the things. Our only weakness seemed to be what ever cataclysm destroyed us. Granted this is thousands of years worth of inventions, evolution, and general progress to get there, but the fact we were just so darn perfect didn't sit that well. Nitpicky I know but it rubbed me the wrong way.

But this is not to say you shouldn't read it. If you like long space operas with cool aliens and battles, you'll love this book.

Want more of Lenni's writing? Check out my Amazon and Barnes and Noble pages.