Book Preview - Patriarch Run by Benjamin Dancer

Patriarch Run
Benjamin Dancer
Print Length: 314 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Old Man Press (March 19, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00J49L77S

After reading the sample on Amazon, I regret not taking the author up on the offer of a review copy, but when he first contacted me I was so overwhelmed with, well, life, that I just couldn't take on another review request. I did, however, like the premise of his story and wanted to help him spread the word about this new release.

The first few pages of Patriarch Run introduce a story that is intriguing and a character that the reader will immediately care deeply about. At least this reader did. The book description reads:

“There will be a collapse. I think we all know this...”

PATRIARCH RUN is a thoughtful and character-driven, coming-of-age story. Think of it as Jason Bourne meets Good Will Hunting.

Billy discovers that his father might be a traitor, that he was deployed to safeguard the United States from a cyberattack on its military networks. After that mission, his father disappeared along with the Chinese technology he was ordered to steal–a weapon powerful enough to sabotage the digital infrastructure of the modern age and force the human population into collapse. 

Against a backdrop of suspense, the novel explores the archetypal themes of fatherhood, rites of passage and self-acceptance through a set of characters that feel alive on the page.

That is considerably different from the typical book blurb, but it is attention getting. I really want to know who has that line of dialogue and what is going to happen.

In checking the book information on Amazon, I noted that many reviewers have had good things to say about the story and the writing:

What starts off as a typical "hero crawling out of a burning wreckage with no memory" opening turns into a rich, complex narrative about relationships, values, and sacrifice. The plot of Patriarch Run touches on the tangible, everyday subjects of loss, parenthood, coming-of-age, and self-acceptance against a backdrop of special ops forces, drug cartels, and exotic destinations, with a healthy dose of moral-dilemmas-upon-which-humanity's-fate-hinges thrown in.

Other readers have referred to it as a "masterful work" and "A book of truly excellent quality." If the rest of the book lives up to the standard set in the sample, I would have to agree, and I will definitely add this title to my list of books I want to read when things settle down for me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Benjamin will be my Wednesday's Guest this week, so I do hope you will stop by and make him feel welcome. He has quite an interesting background, and I do admire folks who take a special interest in  young people. He is an adviser at Jefferson County Open School where he has made a career out of mentoring young people as they come of age. He wrote the novels Patriarch Run, In Sight of the Sun and Fidelity. He also writes about parenting and education. Learn more at BenjaminDancer.com

Book Preview - The Last Prospector by Cairn Rodrigues

The Last Prospector
Cairn Rodrigues
File Size: 455 KB
Print Length: 296 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Cairn Rodrigues; 2 edition (January 6, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00HQ5N54U

You'll notice, dear reader, that I called this a book preview and not a book review. That is because of the most obvious of reasons - I have not yet read the book. Not that I don't want to, it's just that time keeps running faster than I can.

So, I will just tell you a bit about the book - a summary I stol... er, borrowed from a lovely blog called the Diesel- Electric Elephant Company.

Solstice is a world apart, created by a mysterious Boss and shaped by tempers of warring twin goddesses. Once it was a playground for sisters Ylumya and Ynoirya, but then the wars began. Now Solstice is the stage for the final battle between light and dark. Everyone must choose a side.

The Boss sired the first prospector 1,000 years ago. Charged to search for a treasure unnamed, an unbroken line of men have been caretakers, shepherds and warriors for Solstice since the misty times. Now, Grayme Ceruleya is the last prospector, he is destined to find the treasure. But what happens to Solstice when he does?

A runaway slave dies giving birth alone in the desert. The nomads who find the baby don’t realize that the child is the pawn of the gods and wields more power than they can comprehend. Except for one boy, broken-hearted Tonyo who makes a tremendous sacrifice to ensure the baby’s safety.

In Solstice the unlikely is probable, magicks are mundane and all the stories are true. It’s a land of stunning natural beauty, filled with exotic wildlife and vibrant cultures. Powerful factions like the whore’s guild make the rules, ancient enemies find new strength and dreamers are waking up all across the land with one message.

The Final war between the Twins has started. A victor must be decided this time. …

Oh, who does not like a good battle? Especially when good will win out, as certainly good must do to have a satisfying ending.

Cairn Rodrigues is a former professional chef who found that keyboards offer fewer cuts and burns, so she turned to writing. A life-long nerd, she has an affection for marzipan and a potentially unhealthy Twitter addiction. She resides near her hometown of Sacramento, California in a poorly decorated house. She also has a charming, rather quirky wit, so who knows what she will share with us on Wednesday when she will be my guest here on It's Not All Gravy. Please do come back and help her feel welcome.