Category: Book Review (non-blog tour)

Book Review | A #LuminisBooks special focus on #stringtheory with Chris Katsaropoulos. Two stories, two books, and a world of thought: “Antiphony” & “Entrevoir”.

Posted Monday, 28 December, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By:

I was selected to review “Entrevoir” by JKS Communications: A Literary Publicity Firm. JKS is the first publicity firm I started working with when I launched Jorie Loves A Story in August, 2013. I am honoured to continue to work with them now as a 2nd Year Book Blogger. I received my complimentary copy of Entrevoir direct from JKS Communications in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Whilst I was discussing reviewing Entrevoir, I enquired about Antiphony as to the best of my understanding although the two stories are independent of each other, I felt it would behoove me to read them in tandem rather than to attempt to read Entrevoir without knowledge of Antiphony. Therefore, I received a complimentary copy of Antiphony without obligation to post a review as I did so for my own edification.

On my fascination with the Quantum World:

The following is an excerpt of my response to the JKS publicist who contacted me. I elected to share most of this conversation as it illuminates my interest in Quantum Physics and how relevant my curiosity has remained me with me ever since I first started researching the field; both in my early twenties and previously as a young adult teen.

I am keenly interested in this author and his works, as I personally love string theory and quantum physics — I started to collect books on the subject in my early twenties, including but not limited to “Lucifer’s Legacy” and the works of Dr. Brian Greene. I approach it through Copernicus, Aristotle, and Einstein’s legacies of thought and dimensional observations on the subjects, but I have a keen interest in da Vinci as well, who was a bit ahead of his time across all fields. It isn’t often quantum physics is a featured subject for either non-fiction or fictional releases, and I’m always giddy as a cat when I discover a new author or physicist, who is endeavouring to have us enlarge our perspective and point of view on the world and realms by which we live inside.

I pulled up the author’s Twitter feeds and liked the esoteric and metaphysical tweeting he was projecting inasmuch as the clarity of his thoughts being conveyed in such a small space! I love introspective and thought-provoking texts, especially when your shifting from how we view and understand our world and the cosmos above us.

I was going to ask, can “Entrevoir” be read and understood without having read “Antiphony”? Sometimes physicists carry forward their thoughts from one release to another, so I wasn’t sure if perchance this is the case here or if they are substantially heading off in different directions from one release to the other?! [the key reason I requested to read both of these titles together]

Anything to do with the quantum world, either in fiction (esp hard science fiction) or non-fiction is going to appeal to me, as I love black hole science, string theory, quantum mechanics, dimensional space and the theory of the time continuum, as well as straight-up quantum physics and the curious attraction I have to studying symmetry vs asymmetry in both design and elemental physics. I started to soak inside the theories after picking up “A Wrinkle in Time” which opened the door to understanding the projections of the theories inside “Flatland” by Edwin Abbott. From these two explorations as one was rooted in fact and the other was expressed in fiction (fiction is a beautiful gateway to the imagination, to help us harbour a direct connection in how to purport what was not able to be fathomed by granting us the grace of familiarity), I moved forward into the works I mentioned above: “Lucifer’s Legacy” and the works of Dr. Greene.

You have a keen eye to notice [in reference to the publicist] where my interests lie, as Dr. Brian Greene is one contemporary physicist alongside Dr. Michio Kaku I have my eye on. Another is a mathematician: Dr. Clifford Pickover, where I get to explore where mathematics have a sublet of inspiration on the bearing of how art is seen, produced, and explored — especially when it comes to fractals!

Sometimes I just like to “browse” the science shelves in book shoppes to see what jumps out at me, and therein, I discover other wicked sweet things like ‘quasars, quirks, and the little bits’ which make up the interior fabric and framework of outer space possible. Mathematics is the language of how the design of our world is possible but it also bears understanding to become closer to God. He left behind such a prism of insight just by the science of how everything kinetically works together. Most scientists (i.e. Issac Newton, Einstein, etc) were attempting to understand God through the language of mathematics and the intricacies of quantum physics; this fascinates me, and as I follow their paths, I start to see what they discovered too. The infinite beauty of how all of what we know and everything we have yet to know is plausible; it’s joy doubled and bound through eternity.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Book Review | A #LuminisBooks special focus on #stringtheory with Chris Katsaropoulos. Two stories, two books, and a world of thought: “Antiphony” & “Entrevoir”.Entrevoir

The unveiling of a new work of art by Jacob Marsteller is typically one of the most highly anticipated events in the international art scene—but not this time. Jacob's new piece is a labyrinth of gossamer fabric perched on the peak of a mountain called Entrevoir in a remote corner of the south of France. It looks as if nobody except Jacob's teenage children and a few neighbors from the village will bother to show up at the gallery.

As Jacob finishes dressing for the party, he and his wife Marya begin to argue. She warned him that moving from the vibrant art scene of New York to a tiny village in the middle of nowhere would be a fatal mistake for his career. As she turns her back to him and walks down the stairs, Jacob tells her there was a reason he had to come here to create this piece—and that's when Jacob's whole world begins to unravel. Without realizing what is happening, he is lifted out of his body and taken to another dimension, where he becomes the watcher, the witness, and experiencer of lives he lived six decades ago and thousands of years ago, on other planets and as the highest forms of life.

In the span of one instant and over the course of millions of years, Jacob comes to understand that he is not his body, he is not his mind, and he is not even his soul. By the end of the amazing unveiling of Jacob's true self, he will experience the greatest transfiguration any human being has ever known: the realization of the ultimate nature of human life, and of spirit itself.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

on 15th April, 2015

Pages: 208

Book Synopsis for Antiphony:

Chris Katsaropoulos dramatically depicts the downfall of Theodore, a String Theory physicist who commits the biggest faux pas in the world of science, proposing to his colleagues at a major international conference that perhaps consciousness—God—could be the missing piece in discovering the Final Theory of the universe. To the horror of everyone at the meeting, Theodore proposes, “What if the Universe is really a giant thought?”

ANTIPHONY traces the downward spiral of Theodore’s career in the wake of what he has said, and the remarkable transformation that leads him into the depths of madness . . . or the revelation of the Final Theory, the ultimate secret of the universe.

Katsaropoulos explores Theodore’s downfall with a depth of feeling and meaning that is expressed in a lyrical style that challenges readers to think beyond what is readily apparent and on the surface of things. As novelist Al Riske put it in his recent review of ANTIPHONY, “Katsaropoulos has a way of delving deeply into what seem like small moments—the whole novel takes place in just three or four days—and capturing all their nuances and vibrating tension.”

As Riske says in his review, “Throughout Antiphony, the protagonist experiences dreams and visions that fill pages the way a flash flood fills a ravine—a torrent of words flowing into the space between the margins and pressing onward to the next page and the next. It makes me wonder how he did it.”

Is there a God, and if so, is science fighting a losing battle in its search for the ultimate Theory of Everything? In the end, ANTIPHONY lets each reader decide for themselves…

Read an Excerpt of the Novel:

Antiphony via Midpoint Trade Books (Luminis Books)

[ Antiphony ] Add to Riffle | Public Library

Genre(s): Science Fiction based on Science Fact | Quantum Theory

Spiritual Metaphysics | String Theory | Hard Sci-Fi | Literary Fiction

Published By: Luminis Books (@LuminisBooks) | Blog

Available Formats [for both]: Paperback and Ebook

Converse via Twitter: #StringTheory, #SciGeek,

#LuminisBooks and #JKSLitPublicity

About Chris Katsaropoulos

Chris Katsaropoulos is the author of more than a dozen books, including two critically acclaimed novels, Fragile and Antiphony, and Complex Knowing, the first collection of his poems. He has been an editor at several major publishing houses and has published numerous trade books, textbooks, and novels over the course of his publishing career. He lives in Carmel, Indiana.

Interview on Luminis Books Blog | About "Antiphony"

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Posted Monday, 28 December, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, ARC | Galley Copy, Astrophysics, Asymmetry, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Review (non-blog tour), Debut Author, Debut Novel, Fly in the Ointment, Genre-bender, JKS Communications: Literary Publicity Firm, Literary Fiction, Quantum | Mechanics Physics Theory, Quantum Physics, Scribd, String Theory, Superstrings, Supersymmetry, Vulgarity in Literature

Book Review | “CORVIDAE: an #anthology of corvids” [edited by] Rhonda Parrish published by #IndiePub World Weaver Press

Posted Saturday, 21 November, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: Did you ever grow curious about a new publisher who produces science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre selections in both novel length and short stories? Did you ever decide to enquire with the publisher you’ve found to see if they were open to book blogger requests to read and review their selections!? This is the situation I found myself in as I was quite mystified by the offerings of World Weaver Press! Such a delightful discovery on my behalf, and a website full of inspiring reads across SFF!

When the publicist at the Press realised my passionate reaction on behalf of FAE (Volume One of this serial collection of anthologies) she instinctively knew I’d appreciate the next two in line! I received a complimentary copy of “CORVIDAE” direct from the publisher World Weaver Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Keen interest in the world of Speculative Fiction | side note: creatures:

I regularly attend #CreatureChat on Twitter wherein I get to be amongst Fantasy writers who appreciate writing creatures into the forefront of their stories. I, entered the chat as a reader who happens to be a writer of non-creature stories of SFF. Except for the surprise encouragement I had one fateful chat to write dragon fiction of which I am passionately seeking out to read more of by the authors who write dragons in a style and method I enjoy reading.

On occasion, I am happily surprised by the breadth of their creative voices for the Fantasy genre, including how they write the back-stories for their species (as they are not all dragons who gather!) and the layers upon which they give a depth to their world-building. I hadn’t set a time to think about it previously but I do happen to enjoy reading about fantastical creatures, something that came forefront to mind when I picked up CORVIDAE. I love little insights into ourselves as we read!

Book Review | “CORVIDAE: an #anthology of corvids” [edited by] Rhonda Parrish published by #IndiePub World Weaver PressCorvidae
Subtitle: A flock of shiny stories!
by (Editor) Rhonda Parrish
Source: Direct from Publisher

Associated with life and death, disease and luck, corvids have long captured mankind’s attention, showing up in mythology as the companions or manifestations of deities, and starring in stories from Aesop to Poe and beyond.

In Corvidae birds are born of blood and pain, trickster ravens live up to their names, magpies take human form, blue jays battle evil forces, and choughs become prisoners of war. These stories will take you to the Great War, research facilities, frozen mountaintops, steam-powered worlds, remote forest homes, and deep into fairy tales. One thing is for certain, after reading this anthology, you’ll never look the same way at the corvid outside your window.

List of Stories included in this anthology:

“Introduction” by Rhonda Parrish
“A Murder of Crows” by Jane Yolen
“Whistles and Trills” by Kat Otis
“The Valravn” by Megan Fennell
“A Mischief of Seven” by Leslie Van Zwol
“Visiting Hours” by Michael S. Pack
“The Rookery of Sainte-Mère-Église” by Tim Deal
“The Cruelest Team Will Win” by Mike Allen
“What Is Owed” by C.S.E. Cooney
“Raven No More” by Adria Laycraft
“The Tell-Tale Heart of Existence” by Michael M. Rader
“Sanctuary” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
“Knife Collection, Blood Museum, Birds (Scarecrow Remix)” by Sara Puls
“Flying the Coop” by M.L.D. Curelas
“Postcards from the Abyss” by Jane Yolen
“Bazyli Conjures a Blackbird” by Mark Rapacz
“Seven for a Secret” by Megan Engelhardt
“Flight” by Angela Slatter

Genres: Anthology Collection of Short Stories and/or Essays, Cosy Horror, Fantasy Fiction, Sci-Fantasy, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-0692430217

Also by this author: FAE

Series: Rhonda Parrish’s Magical Menageries No.2


Also in this series: Scarecrow


Published by World Weaver Press

on 7th July 2015

Format: Paperback Edition

Pages: 234

Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards Badge created by Jorie in Canva. Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Published By: World Weaver Press (@WorldWeaver_wwp)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook

Genre(s): Fantasy | Horror | Speculative | Stories of the Corvidae

War Drama | Steampunk | Folklore | Ghost Story

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Collection No.1 in this series is FAE | Info on Editor’s Blog | Info on Pub | my review

Collection No.3 in this series is Scarecrow | Info on Editor’s Blog | Info on Pub

Collection No. 4 in this series is SIRENS (click banner for info, scroll a bit)

SIRENS Anthology Submissions for Volume 3 Rhonda Parrish Magical Menageries by World Weaver Press.

Converse via: #DiverseSFF, #SFF, #scifi, #Fantasy & #anthology

+ #MagicalMenageries (the series tag!)

About (Editor) Rhonda Parrish

Rhonda Parrish

Rhonda Parrish is a master procrastinator and nap connoisseur but despite that she somehow manages a full professional life. She has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of Niteblade Magazine for over five years now (which is like 25 years in internet time) and is the editor of the forthcoming benefit anthology, Metastasis. In addition, Rhonda is a writer whose work has been included or is forthcoming in dozens of publications including Tesseracts 17: Speculating Canada from Coast to Coast and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing.

Starting July 1, 2014, Rhonda Parrish will be reading for Corvidae and Scarecrow, two new anthologies in the same series as Fae. Like Fae, each of these new anthologies will focus on a single construct treated in many varied and enthralling ways by new speculative fiction short stories.

The twin anthologies also present a unique opportunity: to create a conversation between the two volumes, between the crows and the straw-men, between the bird tales of Corvidae and the totem tales of Scarecrow. Anthologies to be published in 2015. More information at WorldWeaverPress.com.

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Posted Saturday, 21 November, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Anthology Collection of Stories, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookmark slipped inside a Review Book, Castles & Estates, Cliffhanger Ending, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Cosy Horror, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Equality In Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Folklore and Mythology, Good vs. Evil, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Horror-Lite, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Parapsychological Suspense, Short Stories or Essays, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Urban Fantasy, Vulgarity in Literature, World Weaver Press

Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “A Thousand Words for Stranger” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!

Posted Thursday, 12 November, 2015 by jorielov , , , , , 3 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was chosen to participate in Julie E. Czerneda’s #timeandstarstour on behalf of the seventh volume of The Clan Chronicles ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’. Ahead of reading that installment, I reached out to the author to sort out a way to read her entire series spilt between two trilogies: a prequel and the inaugural trilogy which launched the series as a whole. She offered to have DAW Books send me the series in paperback editions to help me sort out the hours I would need to read them as I could only use inter-library loan which has a built-in delay from receiving books via your local library.

Thus a book parcel from her publicist at DAW arrived forthwith and gave me the two trilogies ahead of ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’. I received a complimentary copy of ‘A Thousand Words for Stranger’ the first novel of original trilogy better known as The Trade Pact Universe. I was not obliged to post a review or share my impressions or opinions on behalf of these stories. I am posting my thoughts for my own edification and to help encourage new readers to meet the characters Czerneda created especially if like me, they are discovering The Clan Chronicles for the first time!

Continuing onward inside The Clan Chronicles:

As I disclosed on my review of Reap the Wild Wind this is my first reading of the works by Julie E. Czerneda. This is my continuing journey deep into the heart of The Clan Chronicles whilst conversing on Twitter via the tag #whoaretheclan.

Hidden behind Rift in the Sky was a ‘secret addition’ Stonerim III, of which I felt was a clever surprise for readers as Rift in the Sky was fully complete with it’s own Epilogue and Cast of Characters; a tradition of closure for The Clan Chronicles. Rather than speak about this additional chapter of Clan insight on my last review, I decided it would be best to attach it to my thoughts on behalf of The Trade Pact Universe, as I gathered a deep sense this would become the gateway to A Thousand Words for Stranger and everything that would come from within it.

The presumption of Marcus’s people to believe he had any connection to the results of interference proved how willing his kind were to make leaps of baseless argument. They could only presume to know what happened on Cersi as they were nowhere near the site of what happened; how could they even theorise about something they wouldn’t have the capacity to understand? A numbing realisation that what I gathered about Marcus’s origins had been a bit more accurate than how I would have cast an arrow to marker. They were not as immune to deception as the Om’ray were led to believe nor were they entirely honest in their intentions for excavating Cersi. Marcus was the wisest of his kind, compassionate with fatherly empathy, kind-hearted and trusting; he was a true explorer who left not footprints but heartprints behind where he walked.

When the Om’ray of Sona shifted through time (as teleportation is their most dangerous and powerful Talent), they did not simply leave behind the Cersi ruled by Oud and Tikitik; they left their memories of being on Cersi! A whole new realm opened up before my eyes, as I knew the Trade Pact Universe was going to be completely different from Stratification but how different, I was not quite prepared! This is a ruthless universe banking on bartering and incautious greed. A place where tech is necessary to understand and where seemingly appearing to be human isn’t quite the same as being human. This is where Marcus was from and why his datalock of memories influenced the Sona Clan to travel here is at this time a bit of a wonderment!

A credit to Aryl, Naryn and Enris – they continue to trust their bond to each other and their protective instincts towards their Clan (more than seven hundred strong!). Their survival skills are bar none akin to another as they do what they need to do in the moment of necessity; even if there are after effects of their actions. They are blind to this world’s habits and traditions; they do not even blend by thread or fabric and yet, they chose to come here for re-colonisation. They even chose an otherworld name for their Clan which hints towards their Talent: M’hiray Clan. Their memories stirred inside kinetic reminders of who they once were even if the signals were a bit blurred and out of focus; they felt something of their past.

The shadow which looms over Stonerim III is a shadow-line of our own societies where the pursuit of power and wealth can sometimes overtake the logical sense of reason. Disassociating what is the thin line walked between right and wrong and that little grey area where wrong choices can be most disparaging. True to form, Ms Czerneda has interlaced a larger scope of depth inside her universe; you only have to read within the lines of her stories to see what The Clan Chronicles is truly attempting to teach you.

I was right. This was the beginning of Sira di Sarc.
The great-granddaughter of Aryl.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “A Thousand Words for Stranger” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!A Thousand Words for Stranger
Subtitle: 10th Anniversary Edition

Synopsis on the Back Cover:

Ambushed by unknown assailants, cut off from her escort, and on the run with no memory of who she was, what she was doing on the world known as Auord, or why she was driven by a compulsion to find a specific ship and head for an unknown destination, she was forced to accept the help of a space trader named Morgan. Captain Morgan gave her the name Sira and a berth on his spaceship, but there was something about him she could not quite trust, something he was hiding from her.

Yet, sought by the Enforcers of the interstellar Trade Pact, by representatives of the Clan of which Sira herself was a member, and by mysterious pursuer determined to use Sira for his own ends, she had no choice but to ally herself with Morgan - even though each might well prove the other's doom. . . .

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Julie E. Czerneda's debut novel, DAW is releasing A THOUSAND WORDS FOR STRANGER in this special edition, complete with an Introduction by the author, and a bonus story, "Brothers Bound".


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780756404581

Series: Trade Pact Universe


Also in this series: Ties of Power, To Trade the Stars


on 4th September 2007

Pages: 444

 Published By: DAW Books (@DAWBooks)
an imprint of Penguin Group USA

Cover Artist: Luis Royo | Site | Twitter | Facebook

The Clan Chronicles:

  • Reap the Wild Wind (Stratification trilogy, No.1)
  • Riders of the Storm (Stratification trilogy, No.2)
  • Rift in the Sky (Stratification trilogy, No.3)
  • A Thousand Words for Stranger (Trade Pact Universe, No.1)
  • Ties of Power (Trade Pact Universe, No.2)
  • To Trade the Stars (Trade Pact Universe, No.3)
  • This Gulf of Time and Stars (Reunification, No.1)

Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback and Ebook

About Julie E. Czerneda

Julie E. Czerneda Photo Credit: Roger Czerneda Photography

Since 1997, Canadian author/editor Julie E. Czerneda has shared her love and curiosity about living things through her science fiction, writing about shapechanging semi-immortals, terraformed worlds, salmon researchers, and the perils of power. Her fourteenth novel from DAW Books was her debut fantasy, A Turn of Light, winner of the 2014 Aurora Award for Best English Novel, and now Book One of her Night`s Edge series.

She began her first fantasy series: Night’s Edge with A Turn of Light, winner of the 2014 Aurora Award for Best English Novel. A Play of Shadow followed, winning the 2015 Aurora. While there’ll be more fantasy, Julie’s back in science fiction to complete her Clan Chronicles series. Reunification #1: This Gulf of Time and Stars, came out in 2015. #2: The Gate to Futures Past released September, 2016. Volume #3: To Guard Against the Dark, follows October 2017.

An award-winning editor as well, Julie’s edited/co-edited sixteen anthologies of SF/F, including the Aurora winning Space Inc. and Under Cover of Darkness. Her most recent anthology is the 2017 Nebula Award Showcase, published May 2017, a singular honour.

Next out will be an anthology of original stories set in her Clan Chronicles series: Tales from Plexis, out in 2018. When not jumping between wonderful blogs, Julie’s at work on something very special: her highly anticipated new Esen novel, Search Image (Fall 2018).

Biography updated November 2017
Photo Credit: Roger Czerneda Photography

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Posted Thursday, 12 November, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Book Review (non-blog tour), Canadian Literature, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Equality In Literature, Hard Science Fiction, Library Catalogues & Databases, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Space Opera

Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “Rift in the Sky” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!

Posted Tuesday, 10 November, 2015 by jorielov , , , , , 2 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was chosen to participate in Julie E. Czerneda’s #timeandstarstour on behalf of the seventh volume of The Clan Chronicles ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’. Ahead of reading that installment, I reached out to the author to sort out a way to read her entire series spilt between two trilogies: a prequel and the inaugural trilogy which launched the series as a whole. She offered to have DAW Books send me the series in paperback editions to help me sort out the hours I would need to read them as I could only use inter-library loan which has a built-in delay from receiving books via your local library.

Thus a book parcel from her publicist at DAW arrived forthwith and gave me the two trilogies ahead of ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’. I received a complimentary copy of ‘Rift in the Sky’ the third novel of the prequel trilogy better known as Stratification. I was not obliged to post a review or share my impressions or opinions on behalf of these stories. I am posting my thoughts for my own edification and to help encourage new readers to meet the characters Czerneda created especially if like me, they are discovering The Clan Chronicles for the first time!

Continuing onward inside The Clan Chronicles:

As I disclosed on my review of Reap the Wild Wind this is my first reading of the works by Julie E. Czerneda. This is my continuing journey deep into the heart of The Clan Chronicles whilst conversing on Twitter via the tag #whoaretheclan.

My heart is heavy after having an emotional reading of Riders of the Storm as due to different events and circumstances, my heart truly bled for the complicated emotional state of Aryl by chapters end. She had strived so dearly hard to make right what had become wrong for her Clan(s) only to be confounded by the reality that everything on Cersi had it’s own order, it’s own rite of passage and an unsettling certainty that she may truly never fully understand of it.

Despite the gravity of her reality now that she’s called Sona her identifiable Clan life for Aryl is a bit bittersweet as she’s matured into a new phase of her life as an Om’ray. She’s also joined to her soulmate and taken on the leadership of a Clan whose become a bit odd-shaped and formed through a random (seemingly) set of exiled wanderers who joined her at Sona’s sacred ruins. The ruins were transformed and re-developed into living quarters and vital bounties of food and water. Aryl might stand out from the Clans as a whole but she is the one whose daring enough to fight for a future her birth-Clan denied.

I am further intrigued by her closeness to Marcus and her willingness to bridge her Om’ray customs and traditions with his Humanness. She is learning from Marcus skills that could help her survive an arduous future of unknown changes, as this is the key to the Clans survival: how to adapt to change when previously ALL which changed was deleted from existence? from memory?

Like Aryl, I smelt further changes about to explode her world-view into orbit!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Notation on the Cover Artist: The author’s note inside ‘Rift in the Sky’ is directed towards the amazing talent of her cover artists: Luis Royo. Every word of appreciation she’s expressing towards his artistry and his clarity of vision, I hinted at myself on my previous ruminations on behalf of this series. His expert eye on understanding Cersi and the worlds within the Clan Chronicles is a welcoming nod to me, the reader, who is picking up this series with ‘first sight’. His artwork has added a beautiful layer of oneness with the world in which Ms Czerneda has created for us to devour whole and true. In an age of ‘stock photos’ and unoriginal cover art designs en masse, to return to the golden age of cover artists who rendered original artwork to befit a story’s heart is a blessing of infinite joy. If I had been her, I would have had my eyes stinging with salted tears finding his art in an envelope… he has a soulful eye for understanding how words are the palette for which writers inkify their worlds to life.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “Rift in the Sky” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!Rift in the Sky

Synopsis on the Back Cover:

Julie E. Czerneda's Trade Pact Universe trilogy introduced the Clan, refugees from the world of Cersi who built an empire few people even knew existed.

The Stratification trilogy - of which RIFT IN THE SKY is the final volume - returns to an earlier point in the Clan's history, before they left Cersi. Known as the Om'ray, they are divided into widely scattered tribal Clans, constrained from advancing beyond a certain point by two power races - the Oud and the Tikitik.

RIFT IN THE SKY opens at a critical moment for the world of Cersi and the Om'ray Clans. As more Om'ray master the Talent of moving through space via the M'hir dimension, their newfound freedom threatens the delicate balance between Cersi's three races. At the same time, it causes a perilous division within the Clans themselves between those who do and don't have this Talent.

The crisis escalates when outsiders from Trade Pact space discover archaeological treasures left by the legendary Hoveny civilzation. As Cersi becomes the target of interstellar raiders, the Om'ray realize that any hope for survival lies in using the forbidden power of the M'hir to find a haven where their enemies will never look for them. . .


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780756406097

Series: Stratification trilogy


Also in this series: Reap the Wild Wind, Riders of the Storm


on 6th July 2010

Pages: 448

 Published By: DAW Books (@DAWBooks)
an imprint of Penguin Group USA

Cover Artist: Luis Royo | Site | Twitter | Facebook

The Clan Chronicles:

  • Reap the Wild Wind (Stratification trilogy, No.1)
  • Riders of the Storm (Stratification trilogy, No.2)
  • Rift in the Sky (Stratification trilogy, No.3)
  • A Thousand Words for Stranger (Trade Pact Universe, No.1)
  • Ties of Power (Trade Pact Universe, No.2)
  • To Trade the Stars (Trade Pact Universe, No.3)
  • This Gulf of Time and Stars (Reunification, No.1)

Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback and Ebook

About Julie E. Czerneda

Julie E. Czerneda Photo Credit: Roger Czerneda Photography

Since 1997, Canadian author/editor Julie E. Czerneda has shared her love and curiosity about living things through her science fiction, writing about shapechanging semi-immortals, terraformed worlds, salmon researchers, and the perils of power. Her fourteenth novel from DAW Books was her debut fantasy, A Turn of Light, winner of the 2014 Aurora Award for Best English Novel, and now Book One of her Night`s Edge series.

She began her first fantasy series: Night’s Edge with A Turn of Light, winner of the 2014 Aurora Award for Best English Novel. A Play of Shadow followed, winning the 2015 Aurora. While there’ll be more fantasy, Julie’s back in science fiction to complete her Clan Chronicles series. Reunification #1: This Gulf of Time and Stars, came out in 2015. #2: The Gate to Futures Past released September, 2016. Volume #3: To Guard Against the Dark, follows October 2017.

An award-winning editor as well, Julie’s edited/co-edited sixteen anthologies of SF/F, including the Aurora winning Space Inc. and Under Cover of Darkness. Her most recent anthology is the 2017 Nebula Award Showcase, published May 2017, a singular honour.

Next out will be an anthology of original stories set in her Clan Chronicles series: Tales from Plexis, out in 2018. When not jumping between wonderful blogs, Julie’s at work on something very special: her highly anticipated new Esen novel, Search Image (Fall 2018).

Biography updated November 2017
Photo Credit: Roger Czerneda Photography

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Posted Tuesday, 10 November, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Book Review (non-blog tour), Canadian Literature, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Equality In Literature, Hard Science Fiction, Library Catalogues & Databases, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Space Opera

Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “Riders of the Storm” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!

Posted Monday, 9 November, 2015 by jorielov , , , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was chosen to participate in Julie E. Czerneda’s #timeandstarstour on behalf of the seventh volume of The Clan Chronicles ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’. Ahead of reading that installment, I reached out to the author to sort out a way to read her entire series spilt between two trilogies: a prequel and the inaugural trilogy which launched the series as a whole. She offered to have DAW Books send me the series in paperback editions to help me sort out the hours I would need to read them as I could only use inter-library loan which has a built-in delay from receiving books via your local library.

Thus a book parcel from her publicist at DAW arrived forthwith and gave me the two trilogies ahead of ‘This Gulf of Time and Stars’. I received a complimentary copy of ‘Riders of the Storm’ the second novel of the prequel trilogy better known as Stratification. I was not obliged to post a review or share my impressions or opinions on behalf of these stories. I am posting my thoughts for my own edification and to help encourage new readers to meet the characters Czerneda created especially if like me, they are discovering The Clan Chronicles for the first time!

Continuing onward inside The Clan Chronicles:

As I disclosed on my review of Reap the Wild Wind this is my first reading of the works by Julie E. Czerneda. This is my continuing journey deep into the heart of The Clan Chronicles whilst conversing on Twitter via the tag #whoaretheclan.

One of my favourite moments when reading serial fiction is slipping back inside a world I’ve become comfortable exploring with such an ease it would appear no time had shifted off the clock since my last visit. Thus, I happily found myself quite entrenched inside Riders of the Storm due to how Czerneda carefully took up the strings of where the last tapestry of this saga left off and stitched me inside the very next chapter of where our small band of Yena were gathered together. They might have been exiled together, but the eclectic nature of the Yena of whom were following Aryl wherever she felt they could live in peace spoke volumes to her ability to unite her Clan.

Notation on the Cover Art: I haven’t been this excited about original cover art for a series in quite a long time, as the artwork for The Clan Chronicles is such a wicked sweet gift to the reader! Each cover is a bit of an insight not only towards the story within the pages of the novel but a bit of clue towards understanding the Clan as a whole. They are portraits of a moment in the ‘life’ of the Clan as true to form as if someone took a photograph and caught them just as they were. It’s such a clear picture of Cersi and the Clan, that I look forward to putting the images and the story together each time I pick up one of the volumes!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Book Review | #whoaretheclan | “Riders of the Storm” by Julie E. Czerneda Jorie reads #TheClanChronicles for #RRSciFiMonth!Riders of the Storm

Synopsis on the Back Cover:

Julie E. Czerneda's Trade Pact Universe trilogy introduced the Clan, refugees from the world of Cersi who built an empire few people even knew existed.

Reap the Wild Wind and Riders of the Storm return to an earlier point in the Clan's history, before they left Cersi. Known as the Om'ray, they are divided into widely scattered tribal Clans, constrained from advancing beyond a certain point by two powerful races - the Oud and the Tikitik.

Then Om'ray Aryl Sarc - gifted with a forbidden Talent - upsets the long-maintained balance between the three species, and she and her supporters are exiled from Yena Clan, taking with them Enris Mendolar, a young man who left Tuana Clan on the ritual journey to find a mate. When they finally find a new home in the mountains, it is the ruined, deserted village of Sona, a forgotten Clan. And this seeming haven soon becomes the focus of conflict.

First Aryl discovers that the Oud who destroyed Sona haven't left. Instead they are hunting for relics of a long-vanished, legendary race with the aid of Trade Pact agents. Then the Tikitik deny the Oud claims that Aryl's people are the Sona Clan, insisting the territory now belongs to them. When blood is spilled, Aryl must become Clan Speaker to try to negotiate for peace.

Other Om'ray arrive, including some determined to learn the secret of Aryl's Talent. And even as she struggles with the perilous situation in Sona, Enris must take desperate measures to try to save his own clan from the destructive power games of the Oud and Tikitik. But will the price of Sona's survial prove too high. . .?


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780756405618

on 7th July 2009

Pages: 471

Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards Badge created by Jorie in Canva. Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Published By: DAW Books (@DAWBooks)
an imprint of Penguin Group USA

The Clan Chronicles:

  • Reap the Wild Wind (Stratification trilogy, No.1)
  • Riders of the Storm (Stratification trilogy, No.2)
  • Rift in the Sky (Stratification trilogy, No.3)
  • A Thousand Words for Stranger (Trade Pact Universe, No.1)
  • Ties of Power (Trade Pact Universe, No.2)
  • To Trade the Stars (Trade Pact Universe, No.3)
  • This Gulf of Time and Stars (Reunification, No.1)

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About Julie E. Czerneda

Julie E. Czerneda Photo Credit: Roger Czerneda Photography

Since 1997, Canadian author/editor Julie E. Czerneda has shared her love and curiosity about living things through her science fiction, writing about shapechanging semi-immortals, terraformed worlds, salmon researchers, and the perils of power. Her fourteenth novel from DAW Books was her debut fantasy, A Turn of Light, winner of the 2014 Aurora Award for Best English Novel, and now Book One of her Night`s Edge series.

She began her first fantasy series: Night’s Edge with A Turn of Light, winner of the 2014 Aurora Award for Best English Novel. A Play of Shadow followed, winning the 2015 Aurora. While there’ll be more fantasy, Julie’s back in science fiction to complete her Clan Chronicles series. Reunification #1: This Gulf of Time and Stars, came out in 2015. #2: The Gate to Futures Past released September, 2016. Volume #3: To Guard Against the Dark, follows October 2017.

An award-winning editor as well, Julie’s edited/co-edited sixteen anthologies of SF/F, including the Aurora winning Space Inc. and Under Cover of Darkness. Her most recent anthology is the 2017 Nebula Award Showcase, published May 2017, a singular honour.

Next out will be an anthology of original stories set in her Clan Chronicles series: Tales from Plexis, out in 2018. When not jumping between wonderful blogs, Julie’s at work on something very special: her highly anticipated new Esen novel, Search Image (Fall 2018).

Biography updated November 2017
Photo Credit: Roger Czerneda Photography

Read More

Divider

Posted Monday, 9 November, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Book Review (non-blog tour), Canadian Literature, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Equality In Literature, Hard Science Fiction, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Library Catalogues & Databases, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Space Opera