This is Not The End

May 15, 2017

Review of THE END by Justine Avery

by Chantelle Atkins

The End is a book you can read in one day, which is exactly what I did. Not just because it is short, but because you simply cannot tear yourself away from it. For me, this book was a little nugget of perfection. I am still in awe of how much it got right in so few pages. Trevor is an ordinary young man, working hard to provide for his pregnant wife. At the weekend though, he tests his mountain biking skills to the maximum, in the mountains of Utah. Back at home, Trevor watches the footage recorded on his Go-Pro camera and is shocked to witness his own death. How his own death could be recorded on the camera, and what this now means for Trevor and his family, provide a nail biting rush to the finish. A thoroughly engaging and vivid read with a spectacular twist. Everything about this book persuaded me to keep reading; the characters, their motives, the beautifully described mountain bike scenes, and the desire to know how Trevor’s death got onto the camera. I highly recommend this accomplished book to anyone who enjoys action and adventure stories, and for anyone looking for a quick, but fully engrossing and satisfying read.

Review of THE LATINA PRESIDENT by Joe Rothstein

by Melody Delgado

Joe Rothstein’s novel is well a well-researched journey into the dark world of political intrigue and corrupt business practices. The author manages to portray physical brutality without overly graphic violence and also reveals details about Tenny’s romantic escapades while leaving specifics to the imagination. Rothstein creates believable and sometimes spine-chilling characters and establishes a world where rising to the top no matter what the cost is simply seen as normal ambition. The beginning chapters included details about the characters that were not essential to the plot, which slowed the pace. However, once key events occurred a few chapters in, it made for an interesting read. The ending is not a foregone conclusion and there are some surprising twists. The last few chapters will leave the reader quickly turning the pages to find out what will happen next. Those who regularly read political thrillers or crime thrillers will enjoy this book.

SHELFIES: Joanne Merriam of Upper Rubber Boot

by Bill Kieffer

URB is a micro press (we only publish 2-4 titles/year). We have two series: the Floodgate Poetry Series, which is published annually and contains three poetry chapbooks per volume, and the Women Up To No Good series, which is published more irregularly and features dark fiction by and about women. We also publish anthologies, novellas, and single-author poetry and short story collections. … My best business decision so far was one that I didn’t realize would be a good decision when I made it. I was pitched an anthology by H.L. Nelson of dark, horror, and speculative fiction by women, which eventually became Choose Wisely: 35 Women Up To No Good. I thought it would do alright, but would mostly just be a lot of fun to work on. I released it the same month as our immigrant science fiction anthology How to Live on Other Planets: A Handbook for Aspiring Aliens, which got a decent amount of press for a small press title, getting mentions in Strange Horizons, Dark Matters, Gnome Reviews, and Boing Boing. But Choose Wisely, which was mentioned only in Best New Fiction and InDigest, outsold How to Live on Other Planets two to one, and eventually got a nomination for a This Is Horror award. (And it was every bit as much fun as I expected to put together.)