Virtual Book Tour: Out of Due Season by Benjamin X. Wretlind

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author Benjamin X. Wretlind to Full Moon Dreaming. He is here to tell us about his new release, Out of Due Season. Benjamin will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on his tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!

 

Out of Due Season: The First Transit

by Benjamin X. Wretlind

 

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GENRE: Sci-fi, Thriller (Techno)

 

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BLURB:

 

What if humanity had a second chance?

 

On a June afternoon, a body is discovered floating in a remote lake in northwestern Washington. When a recovery team attempts to retrieve it, they make a shocking discovery: 311 other bodies lie under the water, all members of a previously unknown religious cult. However, what appears to be a tragedy of immense proportions is only the beginning.

 

When a few relatives and friends of the victims discover inconsistencies in the stories, a small group bands together to learn the truth. As government agencies apply pressure for reasons unknown and civil unrest in the country makes communication and movement difficult, this tiny yet determined team unravels what may be the greatest event in recent—if not all—human history.

 

Something epic is about to happen in that remote lake, and as competing sides inch ever closer to the truth, the last pieces of the puzzle are revealed.

 

The First Transit is for those who follow the rules, while disaster awaits everyone else.

 

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EXCERPTS:

 

 

“Anything of interest?” Tyler asked, breaking the silence.

 

“A lot of nothing,” Virgil said, still peering through the window. “It looks like our campers weren’t keen on material possessions. Either that or they took everything with them.”

 

The two walked away from the building and over to another as a light rain began to fall. Inside, they found much of the same: a few table settings, beds made of nothing more than rags, and the remnants of a few meals. On a board holding up what may have been part of a door jamb, there was a strange carving, six perpendicular lines like three off-center Xs. Aside from that, there were few clues about the inhabitants of this camp, and that meant there was little they could report back. Every building they examined was different. The tents smelled the worst while the wooden shacks stood precipitously on their weak foundations. Whatever happened to the people, it was not catastrophic, but it was weird.

 

“Hello?” Tyler called out. Lapping water and the chirps of a few birds replied, but no one else. “Hello?”

 

They both stood ankle deep in mud for another minute, looking, listening. Finally, Virgil unclipped his radio. “Base, Recovery Two.”

 

“Recovery Two, Base. Report.”

 

“There’s nothing here. Seems to be about twenty buildings and a few tents, all run down.”

 

“Any sign of life?”

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

Benjamin ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time. He is the author of Castles, Sketches from the Spanish Mustang and many other novels.

 

Benjamin lives with his wife Jesse in Colorado.

 

LINKS:

 

The Book is on sale for $0.99 Until February 14, 2022

 

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09N1VDSJN/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59536721-out-of-due-season

LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/work/27421933/book/209524424

Website: https://www.bxwretlind.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bxwretlind/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bxwretlind

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bxwretlind/

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BXWretlindArt

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Benjamin-X-Wretlind/e/B004X2O624/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

 

 

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Book Review: Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 1: Friends

Twentieth Century Boys, Vol 1: Friends       

Author: Naoki Urasawa

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: February 17, 2009

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Mystery/Sci-fi/160 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Kenji once dreamed of being a hero and doing big things, but middle-age finds him the co-owner of a former liquor store, along with his mother. And he’s raising the niece his sister dumped off on them before she ran away to who knows where. He loves Kanna with all his heart and wouldn’t have it any other way. What do long ago foolish dreams matter in the face of reality?

Kenji is annoyed to learn the police are investigating the disappearance of the entire Shikishima family, mostly because they owe him money. Hopefully if the police stake out the place, they’ll want to buy snacks from his convenience store, he reasons. In the meantime, his childhood friend Keroyon, aka Froggie, is getting married. Whodathunk it? He did get his nickname for a reason, after all.  While retrieving empty bottles from the missing family’s home, Kenji finds a strange symbol  by the door. Something seems awfully familiar about that symbol, but he just can’t place it. Kenji quizzes some of his childhood friends about it, but no one remembers anything.

The morning paper brings horrible news. Another of his old friends, Donkey, a science teacher, has jumped from the roof of the high school where he taught… to his death. Kenji doesn’t think Donkey would ever do something like that. A strange boy they befriended long ago, he was particularly known for being a fast runner who told them that you can run faster with your shoes off. Kenji receives a letter from Donkey to him written just a few days previously, although he’d not talked to him in a good long while. The letter contains a drawing and asks if Kenji remembers this symbol… the same symbol Kenji’s been wondering about himself! Could it be a coincidence, or something much more? And Donkey ends with talk soon… does this sound like someone who’s about to kill himself?

Kenji talks to Donkey’s widow, and she mentions that her husband told her that one of his former students was in trouble, but she only remembered his first name and where he went to school.  Through good detective work, and a little luck, Kenji finds the student, who seems to be on his way somewhere. The man is secretive and mysterious and tells Kenji if he’s reached the symbol, he’s only one step away from true friendship. What the heck does that mean?

Kenji and some of his old group of friends meet to toast the late Donkey, and he continues to grill them about the symbol.  Still no one recalls anything. Until Mon-chan remembers that when they were young, they buried something, but can’t remember exactly what that was. Not sure if that means anything or not, they decide to hunt it down, which isn’t easy as much has changed over the years. They’re surprised to find… (no spoilers here, gotta read it)

 This is the first volume in a series about a group of young men who did something that helped to save the world. Kenji is the main character, through whose eyes we see most of the action. The story takes place across different time frames, so we see what’s going on at different points in the boys’ lives, 1969, 1997, and the present. The first volume lays the groundwork for everything and asks questions which need to be answered. Such as who are the Twentieth Century Boys? What did they do? Who is Friend? Is he friend or foe? And is/was he one of them?

I like the writing (I’ll have to read Monster too, which is by the same author), as well as the artwork. Kenji is a good character, just a simple normal guy, living out his life, even if it wasn’t the one he dreamed of. He’s unwilling to accept the truth that appears to lie on the surface of things, and insists on delving further down, to clear Donkey’s name, and to solve the mystery of the symbol. All the characters are well-drawn, including the horrible twins whom they refer to as “the evilest twins in history.” I really enjoyed reading this, although sometimes I had to re-read to keep things clear in my head because of the time jumps. But in the end it all made sense, and I look forward to reading the next volume.

Virtual Book Tour: The Hierophant's Daughter by M.F. Sullivan

Good morning and please welcome author M.F. Sullivan to Full Moon Dreaming! She is here to talk about her new release, The Hierophant's Daughter, the first book in her Disgraced Martyr Trilogy. M.F. will be giving a $50 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post! Also, be sure to read my review of The Hierophant's Daughter, right before the Rafflecopter.

The Hierophant’s Daughter

(Disgraced Martyr Trilogy #1)

by M. F. Sullivan

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GENRE: Sci-fi, Horror, LGBTQ

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BLURB:

By 4042 CE, the Hierophant and his Church have risen to political dominance with his cannibalistic army of genetically modified humans: martyrs. In an era when mankind's intergenerational cold wars against their long-lived predators seem close to running hot, the Holy Family is poised on the verge of complete planetary control. It will take a miracle to save humanity from extinction.

It will also take a miracle to resurrect the wife of 331-year-old General Dominia di Mephitoli, who defects during martyr year 1997 AL in search of Lazarus, the one man rumored to bring life to the dead. With the Hierophant's Project Black Sun looming over her head, she has little choice but to believe this Lazarus is really all her new friends say he is--assuming he exists at all--and that these companions of hers are really able to help her. From the foulmouthed Japanese prostitute with a few secrets of her own to the outright sapient dog who seems to judge every move, they don't inspire a lot of confidence, but the General has to take the help she can get.

After all, Dominia is no ordinary martyr. She is THE HIEROPHANT'S DAUGHTER, and her Father won't let her switch sides without a fight. Not when she still has so much to learn.

The dystopic first entry of an epic cyberpunk trilogy, THE HIEROPHANT’S DAUGHTER is a horror/sci-fi adventure sure to delight and inspire adult readers of all stripes.

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EXCERPT:

The Flight of the Governess

The Disgraced Governess of the United Front was blind in her right eye. Was that blood in the left, or was it damaged, too? The crash ringing in her ears kept her from thinking straight. Of course her left eye still worked: it worked well enough to prevent her from careening into the trees through which she plunged. Yet, for the tinted flecks of reality sometimes twinkling between crimson streaks, she could only imagine her total blindness with existential horror. Would the protein heal the damage? How severely was her left eye wounded? What about the one she knew to be blind—was it salvageable? Ichigawa could check, if she ever made it to the shore.

She couldn’t afford to think that way. It was a matter of “when,” not of “if.” She would never succumb. Neither could car accident, nor baying hounds, nor the Hierophant himself keep her from her goal. She had fourteen miles to the ship that would whisk her across the Pacific and deliver her to the relative safety of the Risen Sun. Then the Lazarene ceremony would be less than a week away. Cassandra’s diamond beat against her heart to pump it into double time, and with each double beat, she thought of her wife (smiling, laughing, weeping when she thought herself alone) and ran faster. A lucky thing the Governess wasn’t human! Though, had she remained human, she’d have died three centuries ago in some ghetto if she’d lived past twenty without becoming supper. Might have been the easier fate, or so she lamented each time her mind replayed the crash of the passenger-laden tanque at fifth gear against the side of their small car. How much she might have avoided!

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

M.F. Sullivan is the author of Delilah, My Woman, The Lightning Stenography Device, and a slew of plays in addition to the Trilogy. She lives in Ashland, Oregon with her boyfriend and her cat, where she attends the local Shakespeare Festival and experiments with the occult. Find more information about her work (and plenty of free essays) at https://www.paintedblindpublishing.com!

Author Links:

Blog: https://www.paintedblindpublishing.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TheRealMFS

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/M.-F.-Sullivan/e/B013DDEQVE

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14199461.M_F_Sullivan

Buy/Review Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hierophants-Daughter-M-F-Sullivan/dp/0996539565

NetGalley: http://netgal.ly/AYYlKV

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42921564-the-hierophant-s-daughter

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hierophants-daughter-m-f-sullivan/1129918390

Hardback: 978-0-9965395-6-2

Paperback: 978-0-9965395-7-9

eBook: 978-0-9965395-8-6

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The Hierophant’s Daughter

Author: M.F. Sullivan

Publisher: Painted Blind Publishing

American release date: May 19, 2019

Format/Genre/Length: Kindle/Urban Fantasy/267 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Disgraced Governess Dominia di Mephitoli is on the run. Member of the Holy Family and one-time ruler of the land formerly known as Italy, her sole focus is on, besides staying alive, resurrecting her dead wife, Cassandra, whom she wears in a diamond around her neck. Rumor has it that the man known as Lazarus can help her with this. But, assuming he is not a myth, no one knows where to find him.

Seeking refuge with a family in a remote farmhouse, she realizes too late that the Hierophant—her father—is there, seeking to reunite her with the family. She knows better than to trust him, however, which he proves with his actions, killing the family and taking out one of Dominia’s eyes, as well as her incisors. Dominia is no ordinary woman, she is a martyr, as are all the Holy Family—the Hierophant, who is the head of the family; brothers Cicero and Elijah (also known as the Lamb), who are husbands as well as brothers, sweet innocent sister Lavinia, and Dominia. Once Dominia’s name was Morgan, but many years have passed since she answered to that appellation. Besides possessing special strength and abilities, martyrs subsist on a diet of blood and flesh, and are restricted in their movements by the sun. The Hierophant has walked among the people of Earth for many years, and claims to come from a distant planet, but no one can either prove or disprove his story, so it remains accepted as truth. At least for now.

Once the poor family is dead, and the Hierophant gone, Dominia flees once more, taking the family dog with her. Why, she isn’t sure, but it seems like the thing to do.

Dominia reunites with an acquaintance of hers, René Ichigawa, a Franco Japanese professor, who is helping her to reach Lazarus. First, they have to get to safety, which is a challenge considering both Dominia’s restrictions and her infamy. Her reputation as a ruthless general precedes her, and not in a good way. René’s plan is for them to go to Japan, which is one of the few areas not under the Hierophant’s control, via boat. When Dominia awakens in the hold, she is surprised to find the dog still there. René assumed he was hers since he wouldn’t leave her and followed them onto the boat.

All Dominia has to do is find Lazarus—assuming he actually exists—have him resurrect Cassandra—assuming he can actually do that—and keep from being killed by a member of the Holy Family… or anyone else, for that matter. This is one journey Dominia won’t soon forget.

The Hierophant’s Daughter is the first book in the Disgraced Martyr Trilogy. I received a Kindle copy of the book in exchange for my review.  Before I had even finished reading the book, I had placed a pre-order for the paperback, which will show how very much I liked it, since I’d already been given a copy. The Hierophant’s Daughter turned out to be much more than I expected. M.F. Sullivan did a fabulous job of world-building, and gives us a creative and unique take on this world. The Hierophant is the benevolent (somewhat) holy father who has managed to gain control of most of the planet. It’s not hard to guess what his ultimate goal is. Martyrs are a unique spin on vampires. In this world, humans know they exist and co-exist with them… for the most part.

The Holy Family is most fascinating, especially the Hierophant. While I know in my head he’s the villain, it’s not quite so cut-and-dried as that, since he is at the same time terrible and compelling, a very charming man indeed. I found myself looking forward to seeing more of his scenes. Cicero is cruel and vicious but when it comes to his husband, Elijah (the Lamb, an obvious reference to Jesus), he would do anything for him, and the feeling is mutual (before anyone gets squicked out by them being brothers, they are not blood brothers, vampires don’t have children, and they were together as a couple before they even met the Hierophant). Lavinia is an unusual case in that she died while an infant, too young to become a martyr, yet she ended up growing even after death… so she is looked upon as very holy. Well, still waters do run deep.

Dominia is someone you have to admire for her strength and her character. She’s done many terrible things in her long life and she knows it. And yet, despite being a martyr, she is quite human in many ways, and vulnerable to making mistakes. Sometimes she just has no choice.

The more I read of this book, the deeper into it I got. The characters draw you in and make you want to know more. It’s a horrible world, and I wouldn’t want to live there, but reading about it is a different matter entirely. The biggest criticism I can make is that the author would have benefited from better editing. There are some especially stupid errors which should have been caught. But these do not detract from the overall value of the story.

There are so many things about it that I love, including the religious allegory. It’s a terrifying glimpse into a future that could be if vampires existed on other planets and came here to make this their new home. At the end of the book is a timeline that chronicles the Hierophant’s ascent, from the time of his arrival. It’s well worth reading.

I highly recommend this book, and can’t wait for the next volume in the trilogy to come out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Last Grand Master Review

 The Last Grand Master   

Author: Andrew Q. Gordon

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

American release date: January 31, 2013

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/M/M Sc-Fi Fantasy Romance/344 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

When a god deigns to personally request your assistance in a matter of some importance, is there any other answer than yes? Honorus appears before Prince Farrell to ask for his help on behalf of his sister, the goddess Lenore. Do what she asks, he instructs Farrell, and oh, by the way, you’ll also find your mate. Is that added incentive, or what?

Farrell is the Prince of Haven, but much more than that, he is the Last Grand Master, a most powerful wizard, despite his fairly tender years. Haven is a place of refuge for those who have fled before the tyranny and evil that is Meglar – emperor and wizard and all-round bad guy. Farrell has been training all his life to take on Meglar, and while he has the love of his people, he has yet to find the one special love that all people yearn for. Honorus sends a messenger in the form of the unicorn, Queen Nerti, and the adventure begins!  When Farrell first meets the Muchari warrior, Miceral, he secretly wishes that the handsome man is his intended love, for he is incredibly good-looking. But such things don’t happen to little guys like him. Or do they?

The Last Grand Master is a sci-fi fantasy in the grand tradition of Anne McCaffrey, Neil Gaiman, and Terry Brooks, combined with a m/m romance that will leave you cheering for the love between the two main characters, Farrell and Miceral. Gordon has woven for us a complex world where magic is the norm, and wizards are a part of everyday life.  I especially enjoy the way he explains the spells as Farrell performs them. He doesn’t simply throw them out there and say this is what happened. He makes them understandable in a realistic way—supposing these things were possible, of course. He makes it easy to believe that they are.

The story is told through Farrell’s eyes. He hasn’t had an easy life. Farrell isn’t even his real name. His family has been destroyed by the maniacal Meglar, leaving him alone in the world. It’s only natural that he wishes to prevent the evil wizard from hurting anyone else. Farrell is also a realist, and in the real world people must die. He doesn’t hesitate to destroy those that ally themselves with Meglar, and he doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into the thick of any fray.

Gordon writes with a charming and beguiling voice, and you quickly find yourself caring about Farrell, and the people he loves. The characters are well-written, and the plot is both creative and intriguing. While the love between Farrell and Miceral is quite strong, Andrew takes you up to the point where the lovemaking begins and then draws the curtain. While I enjoy explicit sex as much as the next person, I didn’t find the lack of it detracted in any way from my enjoyment of this book. The emotions are there, and that’s what counts. You can always use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

The Last Grand Master is an epic tale and one I highly recommend. The good news is that there will be more of this series, and I can’t wait to read them. Inside this book, you will find adventure, humor, romance, action, drama, sci-fi and fantasy, intricately woven into an amazingly fantastic tale.

When magic is the great equalizer, even a nerdish wizard can find true love!