Review Tales

Wick by Matt Doyle (Book Review #240)

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Jeyran Main

3 Comments

This review was kindly requested by Matt Doyle.

Wick is the first book of the Spark Form chronicles. The story is set in 2916 and it is about six characters attending a Magic card playing competition. The story is told with the first-person narrator alternating between the characters as each chapter moves forward. John, Fahrn, Maria, Meera, Lana, Connor are just a few of the interesting characters you get to meet. The story introduces you to a whole new dimension of artificial intelligence, games and digital life. The entire book revolves around the competition and what happens there but at the same time, it introduces the characters and their backgrounds for the further additional storyline.

I found the literature to be in good standing. Due to the book having a futuristic touch to it, the world contained advanced technology like time travel. Virtual characters are given human emotions and their thoughts and feelings are shared. The pace was steady and the connectivity between the chapters was very well put together.

The character development in this book is what stands out over everything else. The author does a spending job giving them sufficient back story. Each character has a certain personality, is relatable, and likable.

I recommend this book to science fiction fantasy readers.

Written by Jeyran Main

Here is where you can buy this book:

Reckless Traveler by Walter Rhein (Book Review #242)

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Jeyran Main

2 Comments

This review was kindly requested by Walter Rhein.

Reckless Traveler is a travel autobiographical book written about how Walter Rhein recklessly travels through South America, with no set plans. His adventures take him to Venezuela and Chile, with him having visa issues, encountering cockroaches, bribery, murder, being robbed, and more. His words also have a philosophical description and an in-depth view which separates this book from others in its genre.

What I particularly enjoyed was the transformation of the character and how traveling had influenced him. Through the culture and experience gained, Walter changed, and that was very enjoyable to read. The book is entertaining and very funny as well. The journey taken is spontaneous and that’s why it is full of outrageously interesting dialect and description.

The chapters and the layout are smooth. The literary standard is in good quality. I barely noticed any grammatical issues. The book can be used as an educational tool as well. Similar to something like – What Not to Do. It is a selection of daily life events with the added tourist spots and life lessons that have been learned from either mistakes or experiences.

I highly recommend this book to readers that enjoy travel books or just want to have some fun reading on someone else’s travel experiences.

Written By Jeyran Main

Here is where you can buy this book:

It Is What You Leave…

Posted on March 4, 2018 by Jeyran Main

A Gift for Sarah by R. A. Rios (Book Review #245)

Posted on March 3, 2018 by Jeyran Main

This review was kindly requested by R. A. Rios

A gift for Sarah is a short contemporary romance book. The story focuses on Bill and Sarah, sharing their love story. The book focuses on Bill’s journey, his sorrows, and happiness. Bill suffers from cancer but chooses not to tell Sarah about it. The entire setting is about his life and death.

Although the story sounds very sad, to begin with, it displays a very sweet kind of love. The love that is selfless and very enduring. The story is short but touches your heart. The characters both have their individual personalities and what makes this romantic story different than others is the positive message embedded within the content.

There is nice steady flow, to the story. The pace is slow just to make sure it grabs your attention into the details, which I enjoyed. The one thing this book needs is a serious editing job. Otherwise, the work displays a nice effort on storytelling.

Written by Jeyran Main

Atticus Finch

Posted on March 3, 2018 by Jeyran Main

Atticus Finch is a fictional character in author Harper Lee‘s Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird. A preliminary version of the character also appears in the novel Go Set a Watchman, written in the mid 1950s but not published until 2015. Atticus is a lawyer and resident of the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and the father of Jeremy “Jem” Finch and Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. WIKI.

Maud Casey

Posted on March 3, 2018 by Jeyran Main

Maud Casey is an American novelist, and professor of creative writing at University of Maryland, College Park. She is the daughter of novelist John Casey. She graduated from University of Arizona with an M.F.A. WIKI.

My Celtic Warrior by Rachel Connell (Book Review #220)

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Jeyran Main

This review was kindly requested by Rachel Connell

My Celtic Warrior is a short book – fantasy romance novel written about a girl named Raina. Raina’s parents have two boys and one other daughter. Raina was taught how to fight, yield a sword and also knows how to heal. She is a witch, but of the white kind. Raina refuses to be forced married and so she runs away. Her maid Sierria also follows her on a journey where things are not so welcoming. On her way, she meets Sean. He is the laird of his own clan and is a suitable match for her, however, Sean is not very receptive to her witch abilities.

The story unfolds when Sean’s past catches up with him and Raina manages to realize the extent of the damage Sean’s past has caused. She then understands what she has to fight for. The story has mature content and the dialogue is written with an accent. There was not much world setting or any backstory besides Sean’s past to enrich the foundations of the plot, however, what surpassed between the characters and the concept of the novel worked well together.

The author’s style of writing was easy and had a nice flow to it. The scenes were sectioned off to clarify the change of the theme however, the narrator remained the same. I believe anyone that enjoys a fast and short read would benefit from this book. The tale is about love, sacrifice and has a strong woman lead.

Written by Jeyran Main

How to Write Interactive Stories By Todd Medema

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Jeyran Main

How to Write Interactive Stories

Whether you love to write because you have a story you need to tell, you crave the attention of fans or you want to make money off your skills, you’ll want to learn more about interactive storytelling.

Although it’s been possible to write interactive stories for video games for decades, actually creating the video games requires large teams of people to code, design, and market the games. This has kept game writing out of the reach of most writers, especially those who just want to focus on what they love most – writing.

Fortunately, new tools are appearing that allow writers to create interactive stories as easily as you’d write a Microsoft Word document. Now that it’s possible for you to write your interactive novel, what should you keep in mind? While interactive stories have a lot in common with their linear counterparts, great interactivity does require some practice:

Choices: One of the most common mistakes first-time interactive writers make is to present choices that aren’t interesting enough. The most famous example is “You reach a fork in the road. Do you go left or right?” Players and readers want to escape into the world you create, to face challenges and feel like their choices have consequences – not decide if the protagonist should drink water or orange juice for breakfast.

Consequences are what make choices interesting. Left or right is boring – unless you’re being chased by a mobster, and only one way leads to an escape. Water or orange juice is boring – unless the protagonist is suspicious that someone might be trying to poison them. A good choice gets built up to and has a clear importance in the story.

Repercussions: Of course, not all choices have to have immediate consequences. It’s satisfying to get immediate feedback (You drink the orange juice… and gag! It was poisoned after all!) – but the best, most intricate and fulfilling interactive adventures also create long-term repercussions to your actions. Perhaps you stole from a vendor to make a quick buck – only for them to later refuse to sell you medication after you get poisoned. It’s important that distant repercussions let the player know why they happened (“The vendor, remembering that you stole from him, refuses to sell to you”), otherwise players might not realize that what’s happening is their fault!

Excited to try your hand at interactive storytelling? Then make sure to check out Expedition. We’ve built a lightweight card- and an app-based game that allows anyone to write interactive stories without worrying about messy details like coding and marketing. Our writing tool at Quests.ExpeditionGame.com takes only a few minutes to learn and requires no technical experience. Plus, starting later this month, players will be able to tip you for your stories so that you can earn money from your passion!

If you have any questions, you can reach us anytime via the contact bubble in the bottom right of the Quest Creator, or via email at Expedition@Fabricate.io. You can also follow Expedition on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit for the latest news and writing contests.