Quick Reaction to Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey

Beacon 23
by Hugh Howey

An anti-war novel that fails in its very argument. Instead of a big reveal outlining an enlightened path to peace, the story ends with the hopelessly humanistic status quo and only a wish and a dream for something better as our way forward. 

Sadly, the motif reflects the atheism of the author and while providing some excellent food for thought on the traumas of war nevertheless leaves one dissatisfied as to what we do with it. 

The writing at times is quite inspired, however. Howey is an excellent observer and communicator of human pathos. Still, our collective angst can only take us so far. If only the author had true hope to communicate and not mere imagination to draw upon. 3 stars.

<><>

PS Subscribe to my sf/f newsletter and receive an e-book as a thank you gift.

Recommending Scavenger Series by Timothy C. Ward

Scavenger: Evolution and Scavenger: AI are two books in Timothy C. Ward's Sand Divers series. Evolution came out initially as three episodes (short novellas) - Red Sands, Blue Dawn, and Twin Suns. These stories are based on and were my first exposure to Hugh Howey's world of Sand. (Ward's books are written and sold with Howey's permission.)

With only a vague understanding of Sand's premise, I was able to follow Scavenger: Evolution without a challenge and make sense of the Dune-like setting and conceit. Although it's a tie-in work, Ward's novel definitely holds its own as a stand alone story - and with as much gritty realism as can be found in Wool or any other story by Hugh Howey. Ward pays tribute to some excellent indie SF with these two outings.

If the intriguing concept of sand-diving is of any interest (and it should be!), and you want a taste of the promise of Danvar, I recommend Ward's addition to this post-apocalyptic SF epic. - Lyn Perry

<><>

PS Subscribe to my sf/f newsletter and receive an e-book as a thank you gift.

Give-Away Contest for Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue

Free Book! Free Book!

In conjunction with author Hugh Howey and our sister-like zine, Abandoned Towers, we are giving away TWO COPIES of Hugh's popular first novel (signed!), MOLLY FYDE AND THE PARSONA RESCUE.

How do you win your copy? Follow the clues!
1) Read the interview (see link below).
2) Download the various portions of the book.
3) Answer the questions!
See how easy that is? So let's get started...

In a featured interview at Abandoned Towers, Hugh writes:

My first novel, Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, was published in 2009 by NorLightsPress.com. It begins the saga of a young woman as she sets out to recover her father’s old spaceship. During her adventures, she’s joined by a band of alien misfits and runaways that find in each other what none of them truly had before: a family. The novel is packed with adventure, romance, fantastical settings, mystery, and some light philosophy/social satire. Reviewers (including Lyn Perry's review at SFReader.com) have been effusive with their praise: PARSONA RESCUE has already made at least three “Best Of” lists for 2009. The other book I have out is just now being released. It’s the highly anticipated sequel, Molly Fyde and the Land of Light. It should be available by the end of January, 2010.

So what do you do now?
FIRST, DOWNLOAD PART 1 of Hugh's science fiction novel to get started.
THEN, GO HERE to finish the interview and look for a link to PART 2.
FINALLY, Hugh has posted PART 3 of this contest on his website. Look for the questions that you'll need to answer, then send your responses to Hugh to enter the drawing.

A random drawing will determine the 2 winners. So what's in it for you if you lose? Get this! All entries will receive a 50% off coupon code for the digital version of Howey's sequel, Molly Fyde and the Land of Light. Best wishes on your quest. Let the contest begin!

What are you doing here still reading? Get going!

Molly Fyde Begins Her Ride

Hugh Howey is a new SF writer and his debut novel is Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, which I'm reading right now (a free review copy, btw).

So far so good. I can tell already that Molly is going to be one of those kick-butt heroines that readers will connect with from the start and cheer for throughout her adventures.

Here's the official blurb: Molly's story begins with her expulsion from the Naval Academy, robbing her of the only two things that truly matter: flying in space, and her training partner Cole. Months later, the discovery of her father's old starship offers her a chance to regain both.

Solid premise, not earth-shattering, but if you're a regular SF reader like myself, you don't mind a standard plotline (hey, Star Wars employs a standard plotline!) as long as the writing is solid and you encounter some twists and turns along the way. And even though this is Howey's first novel, let me assure you that his writing is strong. This is no bland quest tale that novel novelists often produce.

Even though the title and opening chapters break three of my "rules" for determining if I'm going to read, let alone like, a book, I'm actually quite impressed with this debut. (I'll have to post my rules someday, but for now you'll just have to wonder.) So, okay, now that it looks like I've already decided to recommend this book, let me finish it and I'll let you know if I spoke too soon.

In the mean time, visit HughHowey.com for the latest.

UPDATE Oct 19, 2009: Just finished Hugh's debut novel. Nicely done and yes a definite recommend. A type of read you'd expect from a big house publisher. I'll give a fuller review later, but so you know...I'd give it an 8 out of 10.