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Review of Glimpserama by Mortimer Roxburgh

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Glimpserama by [Major Roxbrough]

**** stars

Overview

This is a book of short stories. They are all set in the same era, well into the future of the Solar System, when humanity has colonised Mars, and is mining the asteroids.
There are androids whose appearance makes it impossible to tell them apart from humans. They have even achieved the ability to feel some kind of emotions.
Mars is being slowly terraformed, and humans can stay outside for short periods, but humanity still has all the same foibles as we have now.
Some of the stories have the same characters appearing, but all are separate and complete.

Blurb

Glimpserama is a glimpse into one of mankinds possible futures. The first attempt is to begin colonizing the solar system and beyond. Although technology may have advanced, will Man have learned the improved ways of living along with such progress? Maybe not! We see that though Man has moved forward with technology, he is still the same marred creature he ever was, with very much the same old problems of morality and the simple ability to get along with his fellow man. Here are fifteen stories of the human condition in the thirty-third century.

Story

The stories in this book are excellent. They hold the attention throughout. I found I had to read to the end of each one.
They are very varied. From detective mysteries to explorations beyond the solar system, to wars, we find a great variety of tales.

Characterisation.

Being short stories, there is little time for the characters to develop, although it was fascinating to follow the increasing self-awareness and growing emotions in one of the androids.
The characters had human foibles (except for the androids, of course), and felt real.

Writing.

This is the weakest part of the book. There are a great many punctuation errors that I found somewhat disconcerting, especially when Roxburgh put some of the same person’s words on a different line after the dialogue tag.
He also puts the quotation marks before the comma, full stop, question mark, etc., and he does not seem to fully understand the use of apostrophes. S ometimes they are in the correct place, but other times they are scattered in plurals.
There are places where he puts commas instead of a full stop and question marks where it’s not a question.
He also has a habit of using obscure words, many of which I had to look up. Not helpful for a clear and enjoyable reading.
There are also some spelling mistakes (lead instead of led, dyeing instead of dying, for example.)and wrong word usage (like conceded instead of conceived, and peculiarly for particularly).

Conclusion

I do have to commend Roxburgh on his research, though. It is thorough and accurate as far as present day science is concerned. Who can say how accurate his foretelling might be?
All in all, in spite of the grammar errors, the stories are good, and so I decided to only remove 1 star from my review.

Did this review help you? Let me know in the comments box.

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Museum Asks People To Recreate Paintings With Stuff They Can Find at Home, Here Are The Results

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I thought these were really clever. What a brilliant idea from the museum.

Here’s the link.

Museum Asks People To Recreate Paintings With Stuff They Can Find at Home, Here Are The Results

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3 Haiku

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RAIN

I decided, a few weeks ago, to try my hand at writing Haiku. We’d just had a very rainy, wet winter and so I began with 3 about rain.

Gentle rain, sweet rain.
Pitter-patter on the leaves
Helps the flowers grow.

The rain hammers down.
It drenches the sodden ground.
Rivers overflow.

Rainbow in the sky.
The sunshine split by raindrops.
Glorious colour.

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A simple Quiz to win an audio book

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The ancient Greeks believed everything was made up of four basic elements in varying proportions. People also believed this into the middle ages, and physicians thought that sickness was caused by an imbalance in these four elements. People were treated by using substances of the other elements to rebalance the system.

Ever since Mendeleev, science has known that this is untrue, although the same name– element– has been given to these building blocks of matter.

We now know that things are much more complex than our ancestors believed, but the idea of these elements is still around, even in our language in words like choleric and phlegmatic.

In writing The Stones if Earth and Air, I used this ancient idea. There are five worlds in the book, all in different dimensions of space and time. Four are based on the four classical elements, and the fifth is an amalgamation of the others.

The Stones of Earth and Air has now been released as an audit book, I have some to give away. There are 25 for the US and 25 for the UK. This gave me a problem. Who should I give them to? I eventually came up with the idea of a quiz.

There are 2 questions. Not too difficult, really. If you answer them correctly, and send your answers to me to my email address (vivienne.sang@gmail.com) and tell me where you are (US or UK), I will send you the code to get the book.

It will be first come, first served, of course, and as there are only 25 for each country, be quick and send your answers.

The first 2 elements are in the title of the book I’m offering. What are the other 2 elements?

At some point, a fifth element was introduced. What is it called?

(Apologies if you are in a different country, but I’ve only got codes for the US and UK.)

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Discounted BOok

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Hey! The Never-Dying Man, Book 2 in The Wolves of Vimar series is on sale for only £0.99, $0.99 from today until 27th. Don’t miss this opportunity to get this, especially if you got Book 1 last time. Click the link for your book.http://myBook.to/TheNeverDyingMan

I know this is a bit of a boring post, but I’m short of time. I promise more interesting ones in future!

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I’m so angry.

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People just don’t get it!

This virus is highly contagious.

People are dying with it.

The National Health Service is overwhelmed.

Yet they are STILL going out into the parks, and probably to the coast as well.

A group of young lads has been gathering fairly regularly in the park behind where we live.

A neighbour, whose husband has been taken into hospital with the virus is having her daughter come from abroad to be with her at this time.

A woman talking to a supervisor in our local Tesco was not standing 2 metres away, and was even leaning in toward the supervisor.

A man standing in the queue to go into Iceland was not covering his mouth when he coughed.

A woman went to the toilet in a supermarket, left without washing her hands and then went picking up unwrapped tomatoes.

Etc. etc. etc.

These are all genuine cases.

Until people become sensible and realise that what they are doing is making the situation worse, it will go on and on. When will they realise the NHS is under tremendous pressure and that perhaps they will be the one not provided with a ventilator when they become ill?

We were told at the beginning that it was only the elderly and those with underlying health issues who were likely to die, but that has proven incorrect. A 5 year old boy died. A 13 year old girl and a 12 year old boy. Nurses and doctors in their 30s have died, too.

I am so angry at the stupidity of people. If they want this lockdown to continue all summer, and be made even stricter, then they should carry on as they are doing, but if they want it to be over quicker, then they should ABIDE BY THE RULES. They are there to protect us all.

Sorry for this rant. I don’t usually so things like this on my blog, but I am so Angry.

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10 Different Writer Reactions To The Question – ‘How is Your Book Coming Along?’ #Writer

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I don’t know how this is going to work, but the reblog button on the original site is missing, so I’m reblogging it from a reblog. if you understand what I mean!

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Launch of Wars of Nytefall by Charles Yallowitz

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Charles Yallowitz’s latest book in his Nytefall books has been released.

I’m posting a bit about it, and an excerpt. I hope you enjoy it.

Is the Orb of Durag the key to Clyde and the Dawn Fangs destruction?

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

As Dawn Fang vampires are found dead across Windemere, their infamous leader will remember what it is to be afraid.
With the truce between Nyte and Nytefall nearing its end, an old enemy has emerged to rekindle the vampires’ most ancient feud. A Duragian priest is on the move and he is wielding a weapon that can depower and kill Dawn Fangs. This follower of the Sun God has claimed enough victims that Lord Tempest wants the weapon for himself and Clyde is beginning to worry that his fledgling kingdom is in danger of extinction. When it becomes clear that the mysterious relic and Clyde’s transformation into the first Dawn Fang are connected, he will be forced to face a past that he can barely remember.
What can Clyde do to defend his people, his life, and the child he does not know is on the way from the terrifying Fist of Durag?


Excerpt: Stirring


The thick darkness that greets Clyde’s eyes is suffocating and disturbingly familiar. A disconcerting numbness flows along his skin and plunges all of his senses into a mental fog. He groans as he sits up and touches the warm ground beneath him, his fingers finding it rough and jagged. The memory of being in Gregorio’s lair strikes his mind like a perfectly aimed arrow and he tries to stand up. A dull ache courses through his legs and forces him to remain on the floor, which trembles for a brief moment. Picking up a stone, he can feel the faint carving of half a sun with a grinning face. With a yawn, the vampire throws the rock away and waits for it to land, but the sound of it bouncing takes several minutes to reach his ears. Clyde scowls when the noise ends with a strange thud that reminds him of a fist punching flesh. The distant gurgling of a stream draws his attention to the right and he squints at a strange form that is gradually taking shape in the gloom. Finding the energy to rise, he gets to his feet and wipes the dirt from his body, which he learns is unclothed. The Dawn Fang’s senses steadily return to their full strength and he realizes that his vision has been blocked by his own hair. Luscious and tangled tresses cascade from his head to cover everything from his scalp to his elbows. Wrapping all of the strands around his left hand, he uses his right to slice them off and is about to use his fingers like scissors when his body locks.


The ruins of the Duragian temple are laid out before Clyde, their details making it clear that they are the genuine articles. Bodies of civilians and priests are strewn about the area, all of them having been drained of blood. A white-bricked wall has been marked with scratches that the vampire knows are a foolish attempt to keep track of time, which he abandoned after he had run out of prey. Far in the distance, he can see the tower where he was once held prisoner, its top seven floors having snapped off as it sunk. Light pulses from the enormous structure to drive the cavern’s darkness into the corners. Smaller shrines help to illuminate the streets, which are littered with debris. The smell of rotting meat is thick in the air, the stench emanating from the abandoned food and corpses. Not far away, the vampire sees a cleared area with a burn mark in its center. It takes him a moment to recognize the battered ruins of the execution square, its right side having slumped into a sinkhole.


A pang of doubt and anxiety races through Clyde’s mind as he recalls getting struck by the fake Fists of Durag. He begins to walk through the ruins in search of signs that he is being tricked, but it becomes clear that he is not trapped within an illusion. All attempts to see through the spell are met with failure, which feeds a primal rage in the pit of his soul. Coming to a broken fountain, he kneels and scoops up a handful of stagnant water to drink. The foul liquid makes his tongue burn and his stomach twists to the point where he has to vomit in order to avoid passing out. Focused on his own body, Clyde releases his severed hair when he realizes that his heart is no longer beating. Jamming a finger between his ribs, he touches the organ to find it wrinkled and still. With a growl, he swings his fist at the nearest building only to find that he cannot knock the whole structure over. The vampire stares at the hole in the wall and flexes his fingers, which make the gestures for a claw-growing spell. He curses loudly when he feels his nails lengthen and harden into natural blades.


“What in all of Windemere is going on?” Clyde asks.


Get War of Nytefall: Eradication on Amazon for $2.99!
Add it to your Goodreads To-Read Lists!


Start the adventure from the beginning with

War of Nytefall: Loyalty!

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

Then, follow the vampire-filled fun with

War of Nytefall: Lost!

Cover art by Alison Hunt




Afterwards, continue the action-packed journey with

War of Nytefall: Rivalry!

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

Interested in more Windemere?

Then don’t forget to check out Charles E. Yallowitz’s first series:

Legends of Windemere


All Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

About the Author:

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After spending many years fiddling with his thoughts and notebooks, he decided that it was time to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house with only pizza and seltzer to sustain him, Charles brings you tales from the world of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and drawing you into a world of magic.

Connect with Charles on these platforms:


Blog: http://www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: http://www.charleseyallowitz.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyallowitz/

Please make contact with Charles on one of more of his platforms. He would be delighted, I know.

And feel free to reblog this post.