Minority Of One: Companion Chronicles Volume 2 By Joshua Todd James - A Tremendous Continuation To The Companion Chronicles

Minority of One: Companion Chronicles Volume 2 By Joshua Todd James

Dear reader, there may be some minor spoilers here from Volume 1 of the Companion Chronicles series, Some Animals, in this review. I would recommend you get the first book and read it before reading on. You've been warned...

The continuation of the Companion Chronicles is every bit as good as the first installment, if not even better. It is a sci-fi story illustrating how destructive and dehumanizing people can be when prejudice and bigotry gets stirred up. Once again, author Joshua Todd James has hit it out of the park in this second segment featuring Jacob, the ill-fated artificially intelligent Companion falsely accused of committing two murders.

Minority of One is well written and moves at a scorching pace, there's never a dull moment and James' visuals are absolutely stunning. His characters are both compelling and appropriately repulsive and explode off the page as though they were real people. His visuals extend the reading experience in how vividly they paint a backdrop to stimulate all on one's senses.

The opening of Minority recounts the events of the previous book in the series. Artificially Intelligent Jacob looks and behaves as a human. When he is found holding his dead Primary, Sylvia, he is accused of her murder. After being taken into custody, a police investigator is also killed during his interrogation and Jacob escapes with the purpose of bringing Sylvia's killer, Mason Tolliver, to justice. He is not only on the run from the police, but the company that manufactured him wants to capture him. With the help of some unlikely friends, his manufacturer's tag is removed, making him a renegade. 

The story picks up with Jacob arriving in South Bend, Indiana, where there is a palpable sense of opposition to Companions. There are signs every forbidding the presence of them and many incidents of violence against them. Unlike where Jacob was from, Companions may not move about without being accompanied by their Primaries. Having his tag removed allows him to look for Tolliver's trail while appearing human.

As he searches for clues, he meets people who are vehemently against the existence of Companions and a few who offer shelter to the unfortunate. All the while, Jacob gathers information about Tolliver while, at the same time, he helps others; even to those who hate him for what he is.

Jacob's plight is difficult, but he is determined to use his knowledge and cleverness to track down Sylvia's killer and bring him to justice.

How does one describe Jacob, the principal character? The prologue of Minority opens with the following lines (used here with the author's permission)...

"I was not born as you were. I was not dragged from the womb, kicking and screaming, held and fed until I calmed. I did not arrive into this world as a baby. I am made of living tissue, as you are. I breathe, hunger, thirst, and do everything you do, I bleed like you, though my blood is green rather than red as yours is. I am a synthetic person, manufactured in a factory, but a living being with the same desires, needs, and weaknesses that you have."

That's not all there is to Jacob though. He can learn just by observing, and he can emulate behaviors he sees perfectly. One of his greatest strengths, though, is his capacity to feel compassion for those around him, even those who hate him for what he is. One such character is Candy, a prostitute, and her young daughter Bethany.

Candy wants more for herself and her child than the life she feels forced into. She has no love whatsoever for Jacob's kind, and he knows it. But despite that, Jacob sees an opportunity to lift Candy up so she can provide a more suitable life for her daughter. To say any more about what Jacob did to help would be the major story reveal and you are just going to have to read the book to understand the lengths Jacob will go to help others.

Jacob is not only an amazing character in his physical abilities, but he is also an example of what is best in humanity.

It is Jacob's compassion and how he cares about others, forming my favorite plot point.

One of the major themes in Minority is one being's search for justice against overwhelming odds; that's the obvious one. However, the main takeaway for me is how Jacob maintains his humanity no matter what obstacle come his way. It doesn't matter what he faces, whether it is extreme prejudice, or even danger threatening to end his life, he maintains his humanity. There have been many stories where a non-human character shows unexpected humanity, but, as far as I am concerned, Jacob is the best and purist example of someone who, no matter the circumstances, walks the walk and talks the talk of someone who will adhere to their principles without fail.

Minority is a slight departure from the first book in the series in that we don't learn what is happening with those pursuing him. All the while, I wondered what was going on with those who were looking to capture him and had to keep reminding myself this story is about events being chronicled by Jacob himself, so he wouldn't know what is happening beyond his personal experience.

I give my highest recommendation for Minority of One as well as the first book in the series, Some Animals.

Author Joshua Todd James is a brilliant writer and storyteller and I think his books will not only entertain, but they will also teach without being preachy. The Companion Chronicles appears at a time when much healing is needed after a tumultuous period in our country. May we all heed the message.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Joshua Tood James is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright based in New York City. He wrote the feature film Pound of Flesh, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, among others. He is a member of WGAE, repped by Snopek Management and Gersh.

Books include the Companion Chronicles, which detail the adventures of synthetic person Jacob Kind in the books Some Animals, Minority of One, Freedom Run (to be released November 14, 2021), Man in a Box, Renegade, and Domo-Arigato, Mr. Robato.

You may join Jacob's chase for justice here: Joshua Todd James.

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The Melting Man By Stephen Wise - Just In Time For Halloween, This One Will Give You The Heebie Jeebies

The Melting Man by Stephen Wise

The Melting Man is a short horror suspense story from screenwriter and filmmaker Stephen Wise, and it is brilliant. Just in time for Halloween, this story will give you the heebie jeebies. It is written in a noir style appropriate for a great Twilight Zone episode. It is a fun story that will take less than an hour to read and there is never a dull moment.

Retired Detective Peale lies waiting for death and thinking about his life. He writes about a memory from his days as a young detective, a memory so disturbing, he's told no one about the events that have haunted him over his entire adult life.

Hoping to find peace with himself, Peale writes about a couple he's had dealings with during his early days. The Harlins are a tumultuous couple who always seem to be down on their luck. Their lives together are filled with constant fights that often become physical. When Peale volunteers to check in on them, he expects to find them both dead in their ramshackle home. He finds the male, Todd, still alive, tells his story that amounts to a confession so macabre, it terrifies Peal to his core.

Peale doesn't know if his own confession will be read but hopes for some small amount of comfort before he succumbs to his own disease.

Speaking for myself, the best part of Melting Man is how Wise describes the settings in the story. As I read, I could see the shadowy black and white pictures clearly in my mind. That particular aspect greatly enhanced my enjoyment of a bizarre tale within a tale.

The theme that stood out to me the most is how, even in the most dysfunctional relationship between two people, there can still be love and caring. You'll just have to read the story to see this, but for me, this element of Melting Man was like a flower growing in the middle of a busy sidewalk; it shouldn't be there, but nonetheless, it inspires a small token of hope. Brilliant!

Melting Man is an excellent story. It is compelling, well written, and well edited.

When I finished reading, I had an idea to make it an addition to a Halloween celebration. If one is planning a party, turn down the lights, light up a few candles, and have someone read this story to the guests. The spooky nature of the story will add to the atmosphere and entertain everyone in attendance.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stephen Wise is a multiple award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker with a Bachelor's degree in film production from the University of Central Florida. His films have been screened in over a dozen countries. He is the author of the collection of short stories Portals of the Mind and a co-writer on Batman: DarKnight, which IFC lists as one of the seven best unproduced Batman screenplays. He is a Michigan native and currently resides in Northwest Florida.

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Distant Kindoms: The Drodenar Project, Folly Of The Gods By Ian Richard Gill - A Sci-Fi Adventure Tale Of Huge Proportions

Distant Kingdoms: The Drodenar Project, Folly of the Gods by Ian Richard Gill. Illustrations by Jason Gill & Ian Richard Gill.

I found this story quite by accident when I posted a review for another book in a Facebook Group I am part of. It surprised when the author reached out to me, asking if I would review his book. I checked to see what it was about and found it an intriguing concept.

Folly of the Gods is a science fiction adventure story. For me, much of it also felt like a fantasy story without magic. It is also an amazing work of world-building in great detail. One can appreciate the amount of work and imagination that went into creating this story with the promise of two more volumes to come. I'm not sure what direction the next two books in the series will take, and Folly reads well as a standalone story.

There are illustrations interspersed throughout the story to help the reader visualize creatures mentioned in the text. I appreciated the well-drawn artwork helping to enhance the story.

This was an incredible effort for a first-time author. It is well written, well edited, and reads like a story from a seasoned professional.

The book opens with a preface tracing the development of artificial intelligence beginning in 1943 with the ENIAC computer (the spark of AI) and moving through humankind's spread in the galaxy. Along the way, are some tremendous advances in the sciences that lead to extending human life almost indefinitely. Thanks to the development of Subatomic Fabrication, anything could be reproduced and there was no want. All along the way, there is human conflict until AI steps in and solves the problem in a unique and humane way.

In the first chapters of the book, we are introduced to a genetically engineered species called the Androgenari. These beings are the dominant sentient species on the planet Drodenar. The Androgenari, or Andros for short, carry both male and female parts and can choose to be father or mother to their offspring. The humans invented the species for study, but after they were created, a war broke out and the Drodenar project had to be abandoned for some time. Meanwhile, the Andros set up a society complete with conflicts and differences in philosophies, causing friction between groups. One of the things causing conflict between the Andros was their religion. They worship their creators, the human scientists, as gods.

The planet itself was intended to be a place with a stable environment to provide the Andros with a place to thrive. Unfortunately, owing to the apparent passing of a rogue planet, the axis of Drodenar was increased, and the orbit changed enough to plunge the planet into a never-ending winter with brief periods of thaw.

When the last human conflict was done, they return to an orbital space station known as Dev Lok to continue to observe their creation. The humans are the very scientists that created the Andros.

There is a plethora of characters to follow in Folly, both among the humans on the station and among the Andros on the planet. However, there is very little between the two parties in this book. Since Folly strikes me as an exposition to the planned trilogy, I imagine there will be more interaction as the story moves forward.

Occasionally, I found myself a little confused about who was who among the Andros because of the sheer numbers of characters on the planet. But they are all dynamically written and many are heroic in their purpose and deeds.

As far as the humans are concerned, there isn't too much on them except they all seem quite taken with themselves. Except for one human, they appear to be more interested in sorting out their own lives and mostly ignore the inhabitants on Drodenar. It will be interesting to see how the humans develop as the rest of the story unfolds in future volumes.

There are also numerous themes one could extrapolate from reading Folly, but for me, the major lesson was how, when left unchecked, humans seem to ruin just about everything they involve themselves in. Drodenar was a perfectly peaceful place before the scientists came along and created the Androgenari. As time passed, the Andros developed human characteristics that brought about conflict where there should have been none. This is a recurring theme throughout human history, and it seems, at least according to the author, it is one that will continue far into the future.

Folly of the Gods is epic in its scope. I would dare to say that the story, and the writing, make me think of Asimov's Foundation stories. There is a lot of detail to keep track of and one must be prepared to devote one's full attention to this complex story. I would recommend this for those who enjoy a tale to become immersed in. 

One thing I wondered is if the author didn't intentionally give nods to other Sci-Fi franchises. I read a few things that caused me to think of Star Trek and Dune. If the author did intentionally do that, my hat’s off to him for doing it subtly, making me smile as I read.

This book is well worth the investment and the time to read, but don't rush through it. There's a lot to think about in Folly of the Gods.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ian Richard Gill was born in 1957 in Winnipeg, Canada with a hole in his heart. I was a "blue baby." I would turn blue and faint from a lack of oxygenated blood.

Thanks to what was cutting-edge medicine at the time, I survived, but with a childhood filled with hospitals and poor health. At age seven, I had the second of two open-heart surgeries, and soon afterward visited Barbados on a family trip.

I fell in love with the island, and later lived there a year, and married my wife, Margaret.

These events shaped my writing to this day.

Find the author's website by clicking HERE.

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Daros by Dave Dobson - A Serious But Funny Sci-Fi Adventure Story Worth The Time

Daros by Dave Dobson

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Daros is a Sci-Fi Adventure/Space Opera novel focusing on the exploits of two characters on and above an imaginary planet the book is named for. I enjoyed this story immensely, but it took me a few chapters to get into it. The story has a lot of detail, so the reader really must be invested in reading this story. After the exposition, the story flows well and is rich in aspects of the motivation of the characters, the setting, and especially the humor. I would add the category of humorous sci-fi to the description. The humor is really what kept me reading on. I loved the subtle dry wit the author added to the story through an artificially intelligent character that aids one of the principal characters through most of the book.

Captain Nellen Vereen of the small freighter, Envy's Price, intends to unload cargo on the planet Daros. Accompanying him is his daughter, Brecca, and two more crew members. Along with regular items to be delivered, there is an item promising to deliver wealth to all aboard.

When the ship arrives at Daros, they find themselves in the middle of a war. The Envy's Price is hit and plummets toward the planet below. Captain Vereen orders all hands to evacuate the ship. Brecca grabs the valuable item and leaves the ship in an escape pod while the captain attempts to land the damaged ship.

Meanwhile, aboard one of the attacking Zeelin warships, Navigator Frim unfolds a plan to stop the war. That is, if she can avoid being culled by the cruel commander of her ship.

Brecca finds herself alone and unsure of what to do until she is taken aboard a cloaked Vonar ship being operated by an artificially intelligent entity named Lyra. The two strike up an uneasy relationship as they learn to understand one another, that transforms into an unusual friendship as time goes on.

I enjoyed the principal human character, Bacca Vereen, and her artificially intelligent companion, Lyra. Although, I may have that backward. Sometimes it appeared Bacca was more of the sidekick than the ship. In any case, these two and their interactions were priceless and a major source of entertainment.

Sixteen-year-old Bacca is wise beyond her years. Thanks to what she has learned while working onboard her father's ship, and also, because of a good education, she solves problems that would confound some of the smartest adults. Her main quest is to find her father who went down with his ship. While she hopes for the best, she also fears the worst which drives most of her part of the story. She also has a great sense of humor, which is helpful in her dealings with Lyra.

Lyra is the power behind the Vonar ship who adopts Bacca as the Interlocutor. The Interlocutor's job is to provide Lyra with arguments, or rather, statements, to analyze to determine how to best proceed in particular situations. The interactions between Bacca and Lyra is where much of the humor appears. Lyra comes across as your basic smart-ass without meaning to. Nearly every statement made to Lyra is analyzed out loud, which often seems condescending. 

As far as I am concerned, the interactions between these two are worth the price of the book. Daros is a stand-alone story, but I would enjoy a sequel featuring these two characters again.

Along with the character interaction, I also enjoyed the many plot twists, but there in one in which a character is encased in a substance and requires rescue. It is one of the best scenes in the book and I laughed all the way through it.

The biggest takeaway for me in Daros is Bacca's hero’s journey as she is forced to think on her feet, but also relies on help from Lyra. As a teenager, Bacca is a force to be reckoned with. I can only imagine what she will be like as an adult. It wouldn't surprise me if she became a major player in the affairs of the galaxy.

If you are looking for an entertaining, witty, and interesting story, this is it. This review really only scratches the surface of what is in the book. I recommend this for the quality of the writing, the humor, and the character interactions in Daros.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A native of Ames, Iowa, Dave loves writing, reading, board games, computer games, improv comedy, pinball, pizza, barbarian movies, and the cheaper end of the Taco Bell menu. Also, his wife and kids. Dave is the author of Snood, Snoodoku, Snood Towers, and other computer games. He first published Snood in 1996, and it became one of the most popular shareware games of the early Internet. His most recent computer game is Doctor Esker’s Triad. He also designs and publishes board games though his company, Plankton Games. You can see his games at the PlanktonGames.com website. More information on his writing and novels are available at DaveDobsonBooks.com. Dave spent 24 years teaching geology, environmental studies, and computer programming at Guilford College, and he does improv comedy every week at the Idiot Box in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s also played the world’s largest tuba in concert. Not that that is relevant, but it’s still kind of cool. Daros is Dave’s fourth book of fiction after Flames Over Frosthelm, Traitors Unseen, and The Outcast Crown.

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Eden by D.A. Howe - Excellent Speculative Fiction Set Centuries In The Future - A Must Read!

Eden by D.A. Howe

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Eden is a light Science Fiction, Dystopian, and Speculative Fiction novel published in 2017 by D.A. Howe. It is a fast-paced story about a woman named Eden set in the town of Sodaville, West Virginia, in the distant future.

The front-cover of the book and the blurb intrigued me. I have to say it is an amazing look into the life of one person in a possible future that feels quite plausible when one considers the unfortunate events of living during a pandemic. It might even be called a prophetic look at one potential future. Given the date of publication, it cannot be said Eden was ripped from recent headlines, but it is a chilling story with brilliantly written characters and fascinating world building. Eden is emotionally charged and will make readers laugh and cry, but most of all, it will make one think about our own future.

As the world become more and more inundated with technology and industry, Forrester's Disease suddenly culled the population. At first, there is chaos and mayhem everywhere. Governments fall or become transformed. Technology is shunned and populations abandon large cities and gather in smaller communities to survive in a more agrarian style of living.

In the United States, most of the population lives in the east where people have learned to live in harmony with nature. They have learned to accept while nature can provide bounty, it can also be cruel and bring disaster. Crime and war have been eliminated and everyone has a place in the community where there is no class conflict, no rich or poor, and no ambition other than taking care of each other. On the surface, it would seem humanity has achieved a utopian existence.

Eden Ward is the sheriff in and around the town of Sodaville. Her job is simple; keep in touch with the people under her jurisdiction and help them whenever the need arises. The only crime she is required to investigate is that of people called Loners. Everyone is required to contribute to the community, and no one may be an outsider. Those that choose not to take part in the good of the community are apprehended and sent to work in the mines.

Eden is the widowed mother of two daughters who attend school every day. They have a home and are happy living their lives in the simplicity of being in harmony with nature. That is, until tragedy strikes and Forrester's Disease returns, as it seems to do periodically. When Eden's teenaged daughter contracts the disease and dies, Eden becomes fearful of the fate of herself and her remaining daughter.

With the help of a friend, and the promise of a vaccine, Eden embarks on a remarkable journey of discovery, full of twists and turns, all the while being chased by a representative of the government in DeeCee.

Eden Ward is the widowed mother of two daughters. She has been appointed the sheriff of her area around Sodaville and spends most of her days interacting with the people of her community. While she is friendly, she is not afraid to uphold the law. Her daughters, Mary and Addie, are the center of her world. When not working, she spends nearly all of her time with them, helping them learn to exist under the rule of DeeCee (the center of government in Washington, D.C.). When she encounters a representative, she believes what she is told by him and his underlings. She has a friend who also tells her things in conflict with what she is told by the DeeCee representative. When she has a choice to make, she is more interested in her family's safety than in what is legal. She is forced into making an unenviable choice.

Tanner Keane is the representative from DeeCee charged with a nefarious task, but he doesn't see it as such. He is just carrying out orders. He is not an evil person, but a reader might see him as one. During the parts of the book featuring Tanner, I found some of my favorite passages. Tanner, and those who accompany him to Sodaville, make discoveries of things not common to this vision of life in a simple world.

Matt Jones is Sodaville's accountant. He works closely with Eden in keeping records and reporting to DeeCee. Matt's job is basically to keep track of population numbers and reporting food production to the government. He has a romantic interest in Eden, and she seems interested in him as well, but Eden is reluctant to allow the relationship to escalate beyond a close friendship. Matt has secrets he protects that, if discovered, might cause him problems with the government. 

Forrester's Disease is an ever-present character. It causes fear in everyone, even though most people see it as 'nature’s way' of controlling the population. Nature seems to be the religion everyone follows. Everyone tries to live in harmony with natural processes. Forrester's is not considered natural, but the results of contracting the disease, or any other, is considered a natural part of life in this world.

As I read this story, I saw very little I would enjoy about living in the world created by the author. It is sad how the people have been forced to accept ignorance as a way of life. Then again, at the same time, one hallmark of life in Sodaville is how the people accept care of each other.

This story made me feel conflict within myself. While there are many positive things about life, there is also much that seems negative. As a reader, I often felt uncomfortable with situations. It caused me to brood over things as a great story should.

My takeaway from Eden is how nothing and no one is exactly what they seem. No one is purely good or evil, they just seem to go about their lives. I would label Tanner is the bad guy in the story and Matt as the good guy. But both are surprising in that neither one is what they seem.

I could not put this book down. It is an amazing story by a skilled writer that created a complicated world.

While Eden it is touted to be a science fiction story, it isn't bogged down with a lot of jargon. It is a story about people and how they react to situations and challenges. Readers of Eden will become invested in the principal character's plight. I found myself running a full spectrum of emotional involvement with Eden and the people she cared about.

There are a number of great plot twists as this story drives to its conclusion

Highest recommendations for this amazing, well-written story.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

D. A. Howe is an author who writes in a variety of genres including horror, comedy, and Science Fiction. One day D. A. Howe might pick a genre to stick with. Maybe.

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