I have really enjoyed this series. It starts with someone wanting to go back in history and change the past from his future which is very different thI have really enjoyed this series. It starts with someone wanting to go back in history and change the past from his future which is very different than ours. I always like it when the protagonist is creating the world we live in instead of changing it. The Rewinder series by Brett Battles does this basic concept as well including going back and changing the events of the Revolution although I think this series did it better. All our wrong todays by Elan Masti also has them changing the past to create our current day but not by going to the Revolution. I do not give out spoilers in my reviews so I wont say how things work out but I enjoy Lafayette being a major character in this book partially because he is a favorite historical figure for me.
This series is extremely compelling but also pretty dark. Its a sweeping epic story so it covers a lot of ground and you never know what will happen nThis series is extremely compelling but also pretty dark. Its a sweeping epic story so it covers a lot of ground and you never know what will happen next. I look forward to book 3
As usual Shawn Inmon delivers a really good story in the Middle Falls time travel series. Its starting to get to the point where middle falls is just As usual Shawn Inmon delivers a really good story in the Middle Falls time travel series. Its starting to get to the point where middle falls is just jam packed with people who have had multiple lives. I guess they do not necessarily need to have their 2nd and on lives overlap. But he works with Charles Waters and has multiple overlapping people from the earlier book with no hint that the others are in their multiple lives and that they notice something different about his reactions. I understand why of course but I think it would be good if they did not constantly interact with people from earlier books. Unless I need to go back and re-read the earlier books and they interacted with Richard Bell and others, that would be quite the Easter eggs!
I had been meaning to read this for quite some time. Its an interesting story but the writing is a little clunky. Maybe stilted is the right term, theI had been meaning to read this for quite some time. Its an interesting story but the writing is a little clunky. Maybe stilted is the right term, there is also a lot of over repetition of phrases after its been said you do not need to repeat it, especially word for word. Other than these minor literary style complaints its a good story, enough so that I will read the sequel. Hopefully the author continues to improve his craft and gets a little better at the prose.
This was a pretty good action thriller book. For a first book in a series it was good enough that I can see myself reading the next book in the seriesThis was a pretty good action thriller book. For a first book in a series it was good enough that I can see myself reading the next book in the series. I thought some of the scenarios were a little too much but that is pretty expected in this sort of book. It starts with an introduction to our hero as he is pulled over and arrested for a crime he did not commit. They figure it out pretty quickly that he is not their guy and then ask him for help solving the crimes. I feel like he would have been much less forgiving but that is just me. Not long though an EMP goes off blacking out the entire US. He then jumps into action to fight the perpetrators and those working with them.
This was a really satisfying chapter in this series. The author initially intended this to be the final book in the series and the confluence of storyThis was a really satisfying chapter in this series. The author initially intended this to be the final book in the series and the confluence of story lines coming together really shows that. We finally get to see our protagonists deal with some of the nagging issues from the start of the series. I hate giving away spoilers so I wont be doing that here. But the action is intense, the danger all over and the whole thing comes to a head so overall a very satisfying book....more
The concept here was really good, it was an interesting mystery but I had to take two stars off for wildly inaccurate claims about the firearms and amThe concept here was really good, it was an interesting mystery but I had to take two stars off for wildly inaccurate claims about the firearms and ammunition as well as the many many times the hero did something fatal yet survived.
If the author reads these reviews, please for the love of reading do a little more research if you are going to include stuff like that. If you feel the need to go into some detail about a round maybe make sure you are not just pulling the info out of your ass. Go read a Stephen Hunter book, when he talks ballistics, firearms, rounds etc.. its the gold standard in information. You can take it to the bank. That extra detail, the time to just get it right is really really appreciated by readers. You are writing action thrillers at least a chunk of the people who read these have some interest in target shooting etc..
The other star I took off was for how many times the protagonist made a completely fatal mistake and was saved by someone else who was thought to be out of the fight or some other maguffin saving the day. The hanged people all looking at the area of the floor where there was a weapons cache and a good place to ride out the barn exploding, really? He leaves the rifle when supposedly trying to save the girls and takes the dead body with him instead? He gets knocked out and somehow wakes up not just in time to go after them but capable of going and doing what he does the rest of the book? Ug. Even the way they end up out of the final danger is absurd and unrealistic. If the pilot could fly the plane slowly and level with the water he could feather back the power and land the damn thing. Shooting the gauges does NOT make the engine explode!
I considered taking another star off for the large amount of over-explaining things, two minutes of time in the book should not take a half hour to read. But I decided it should have an extra star for the implications that this guy could be the son of Jack Reacher. He would probably have been too old for that based on when this book came out but I really enjoyed that so I left a star on for that.
After I got to where it was obvious to anyone who reads the Jack Reacher books that this was Reacher Jr. I went and looked it up and apparently this same book was originally written with it being explicitly that. The protagonist was younger and named Cameron Reacher. I am trying to decide if I should get a copy of this same book with the slight changes. But I think I enjoy it more not being said so I will have to think on that for a while.
Overall if you know nothing at all about how firearms work and just want to enjoy a thriller with action and you do not mind the hero making astonishingly bad mistakes just so he could be rescued by some unrealistic thing at the very last moment over and over again you will be fine with this book. But go in warned.
This book was pretty far outside of my normal wheelhouse. I do not usually care for anything paranormal for example and I do not read a lot of westernThis book was pretty far outside of my normal wheelhouse. I do not usually care for anything paranormal for example and I do not read a lot of westerns. But a friend suggested it and sure enough it was a very well written interesting story that I can see wanting to read any sequels to this should the author decide to write any. This is set in the old west with a marshal tasked with bringing in a wanted woman who has been committing a lot of crimes. As we go on in the story we find out that she was a war veteran and got much of her reputation from that. I do not like to give spoilers so I am not going to go into detail. The protagonist would fit into a noir detective thriller yet its set in the old west and I am not sure why but that really increased my enjoyment of the book. This had a fusion of elements that just really worked.
This was a fantastic book. Craig Alanson really hit this out of the part. I am not going to give any spoilers about plot. The book is full of star treThis was a fantastic book. Craig Alanson really hit this out of the part. I am not going to give any spoilers about plot. The book is full of star trek and star wars referenced as usual, skippy the magnificent being magnificent and temperamental and having his usual distracted states. There is the ever increasing threat from the ascended beings.
Parts of this book will gut you. There are some pretty terrible losses. I won't say who! I was going to try and read some tonight then the next day finish the last few hours worth of reading left in the book. Unfortunately it was such an edge of the seat ride that I ended up reading until 2am (I usually get up at 5am!)
This book was better than the book before it. I do think Noah still acted off from how he had been portrayed in earlier books. That being said it was This book was better than the book before it. I do think Noah still acted off from how he had been portrayed in earlier books. That being said it was a good story and we finally get to see Hannah make it to Fall Creek. I am glad to be done with Pike that should have ended in the previous book. I do like that they are heading towards having to deal with the tyranny of the dictatorial leader of the town and the militia protecting her. I am looking forward to book 5 Edge of Defiance.
Since I had read all of the Expeditionary Force books I went looking for something else by Craig Alanson and I found this. It was a lot of fun, you geSince I had read all of the Expeditionary Force books I went looking for something else by Craig Alanson and I found this. It was a lot of fun, you get some kids messing with space pirates and space monsters that sort of help the kids unintentionally. It was a good book and well worth the read....more
This is hopefully not the final book in the Mad Mick series but I cant imagine where they will go from here. This was quite a ride to the end. I was sThis is hopefully not the final book in the Mad Mick series but I cant imagine where they will go from here. This was quite a ride to the end. I was so on the edge of my seat with this series that I had to immediately pick up another series once I finished this and forgot to leave a review!
If you like well thought out action and good plots then Franklin Horton is an author you need to look at. These books are fantastic. In this book the Mad Mick has some large problems to deal with and finds a way to get through them. Ironically there is a section where you think he will ride to the rescue but by the time he gets there the rescue if already done. This is the sort of change that I love about Franklin Horton's books. You do not know what is about to happen....more
This book made me incredibly depressed. Not because of the story but because it was the last book in this shared universe that I have enjoyed every siThis book made me incredibly depressed. Not because of the story but because it was the last book in this shared universe that I have enjoyed every single chapter of. I love finding large book series that I can get lost in but always then feel a since of loss when they are over. I do think there might be more coming, I hope there is more coming!
On to the book. In this book the scumbag drug addicted daughter is not done causing mayhem for the family. There were a few interactions in this one that I thought felt forced. The lady he hired to watch over his wife decides to leave and I just felt like the peoples reactions to that and her reactions were more to further the plot than normal reactions. It stuck out because most of the time people act in what seems like a natural way. The corrupt congressman acted in pretty much the way you expect him to to most events. It was good to see the end of that story line. Great book, great series and great shared universe. If you are thinking of getting your first Franklin Horton book and are reading reviews, do it. You wont be disappointed. I would start with this series then pick up the Mad Mick series, and interlace books from the borrowed world series until they converge into a set of stories that are very very good.
Of all of the Franklin Horton books I have read, this one gave me the most anxiety throughout the entire book. It seems like our heroes are in constanOf all of the Franklin Horton books I have read, this one gave me the most anxiety throughout the entire book. It seems like our heroes are in constant unending danger. Even when they think they are safe you just know they have made some stupid decisions that they will pay for later in the book. You do not know until almost the last page what will happen to them. I was on the edge of my seat and consumed this in a single day. I have found some really edge of the seat books this year but this one literally not figuratively had me on the edge!
If you are even remotely considering this series you wont be disappointed. I was both pulled to them and kind of worried they would be terrible because of the covers. Lets be honest we ALL judge books by their covers. When I saw these they looked both awesome and cheesy at the same time. I was seriously worried these would be like a book I picked up when my family was on a road trip, we were in a truck stop and I saw the coolest (to my 13 year old self anyway) cover. This guy had a rifle and he was standing outside a van looking through the optic. It looked so cool. It sucked so bad. That made me worried about this book. I had nothing to worry about!
I have started to have the theory that the publishing companies put more effort into covers for books that they know are really good and that since we all judge books by the cover they should make them more attractive to our eyes. However I see a lot of classics with terrible covers so I could be wrong. But maybe they do not think its worth the money since no matter what it wont sell in numbers like a new book from a current author will. I read something from an author who had changed the covers to her books because she felt that she needed to convey what the book was in one quick image and that her old covers did not do that. She was talking about this as they were releasing the new cover so I do not know if it affected sales. Anyway sorry for the off topic rant lol.
I have now read all but the final book in this overlapping set of books with the Borrowed World, Mad Mick and Locker Nine books. I am probably going to go through withdrawal when I finish these. They are that good.
I had read the Borrowed World and Mad Mick series before I read this one. There is a book in those that are a crossover and they mention something thaI had read the Borrowed World and Mad Mick series before I read this one. There is a book in those that are a crossover and they mention something that happened earlier that I did not remember. Its because it happened in this book. So if you are thinking of reading his books read these first. You will meet characters from the other two series in these books first. They are all three fantastic series. I have really enjoyed them and I am concerned that I am two books away from having read them all!
I had a really hard time getting through this book. The concept is interesting but they waste so much time on pointless crap that it was boring more oI had a really hard time getting through this book. The concept is interesting but they waste so much time on pointless crap that it was boring more often than it was interesting. I am not going to bother with the sequel. ...more
I had already read the Mad Mick and Borrowed World series and absolutely loved every single book. This series had been mentioned and is interconnectedI had already read the Mad Mick and Borrowed World series and absolutely loved every single book. This series had been mentioned and is interconnected with them. I suspect that these actually came first based on a couple of things that are happening. There is a mention of the Mad Mick interacting with the people from this series in one of the books in the Borrowed World series and that is happening in book 2 of this series. So they are all interconnected in some way and in some books quite a bit. Its a fantastic series so it is very nice to be able to revisit the world even though I had read the other series. In this book a young woman is off at college and the terrorist strikes happen. Her father who is a post apocalypse author like Mr Horton had set up a locker (locker #9) for her near her college that was well stocked with supplies to get her home. One of the things that I loved about Franklin Horton's book is that even if someone is as well prepared as they think they can be there will be things they did not think about. Also it covers that human beings no matter how well prepared will make mistakes. Those mistakes can get people killed. If you are considering reading any of his books and have not started yet I suggest starting here, after book 2 of this series you could then start patching in the other two series. Every single book in the series has been great.
Yet another great chapter in the Borrowed World series. I am curious where he will go with it from here. In this one there is not really as big of a tYet another great chapter in the Borrowed World series. I am curious where he will go with it from here. In this one there is not really as big of a threat to Jim as his family after a fairly early issue so that was a change. I was not expecting what happened to the Antiques dealers that was a nice surprise. I have enjoyed every Franklin Horton book so far and I do not see that changing. I am running out of books from him though and I am worried about that.
These books are seriously addictive. I would suggest going back and forth between the Mad Mick series and this series because at some point they crossThese books are seriously addictive. I would suggest going back and forth between the Mad Mick series and this series because at some point they cross over. I was not doing that and had to pause this series to catch up in the Mad Mick series to where this was, once I did that I could not put the Mad Mick series down and finished it. Now I am blowing through the last three of this series. Jim and his family are still in danger but decide to take matters into a more direct way of dealing with those issues. Its another fast paced thrill ride to the end. If you like post apocalypse books these are the very best that I have seen.
This was a pretty good book but there were a couple of times where to get to the place he wanted in the story I feel like he had characters act out ofThis was a pretty good book but there were a couple of times where to get to the place he wanted in the story I feel like he had characters act out of character. Especially Shani, I just do not buy that she would not have immediately told Conor about the demand that she assassinate Lighthouse. Of course they needed them to be in danger and had the Mad Mick known about the threat he would have killed the threat immediately. Other than that it was very good. I have no idea where he will take this next as the apocalypse seems to be coming to an end. If they manage to restore power what will be left to deal with? I look forward to finding out!
