Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore Update – #Reviews – #Dystopian #thriller Terry Tyler, #Memoir #Portugal Karen Telling, #Fantasty Lorinda J. Taylor

Welcome to the Friday edition of the Cafe and Bookstore Update with reviews for authors on the shelves.

The first author today is Terry Tyler with a review for her most recent release Megacity (Operation Galton Book 3)

About the book

The UK’s new megacities: contented citizens relieved of the burden of home ownership, living in eco-friendly communities. Total surveillance has all but wiped out criminal activity, and biometric sensor implants detect illness even before symptoms are apparent.

That’s the hype. Scratch the surface, and darker stories emerge.

Tara is offered the chance to become a princess amongst media influencers—as long as she keeps quiet and does as she’s told.

Aileen uproots to the megacity with some reluctance, but none of her misgivings prepare her for the situation she will face: a mother’s worst nightmare.

Radar has survived gang rule in group homes for the homeless, prison and bereavement, and jumps at the chance to live a ‘normal’ life. But at what cost?

For all three, the price of living in a megacity may prove too high.

Megacity is the third and final book in the dystopian Operation Galton trilogy, and is Terry Tyler’s twenty-third publication.

‘As long as some of us are still living free, they have not yet won. Anyone who refuses to live as they want us to has beaten them. That’s how we do it. That’s how we win.’

One of the recent reviews for the book

Stephanie Jane (Literary Flits) 5.0 out of 5 stars Grim dystopia  

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 October 2021

It’s a bittersweet experience finishing a beloved book series and that’s exactly how I felt on reaching Megacity’s final page. The third of Terry Tyler’s Operation Galton trilogy, following on from Hope and Wasteland, Megacity illustrates the realities of living within one of Britain’s new ‘perfect’ cities exploring the divide between people who will happily trade freedom for comfort and those for whom the price is far too high. I’ve given each of the three books a 5/5 star rating because of their gripping authenticity which draws me into the narrative. I know Tyler’s imagined world is a grim dystopia, but I would love to live in these books!

Megacity is told from several perspectives so, as a reader, I gained a wide view of how each character’s actions affected their lives and the lives of those around them. I appreciate that no one in the Operation Galton world comes across as supernaturally gifted or wise. They all feel genuine in their beliefs and motivations especially when the results turn out to be seriously unpleasant. There were a few scenes I wish I could unsee! 

A small selection of books by Terry Tyler

Read the reviews and buy the books:Amazon UK – And : Amazon US – Follow Terry Tyler: Goodreads – Blog: Terry Tyler Blogspot – Twitter:@TerryTyler4

The next review is for a newcomer to the cafe.. Karen Telling with her memoir Another Day in Paradise.

About the book

A warm-hearted, autobiographical story told by an author who really knows her subject, the location and the lifestyle in a small village in the Algarve, as seen through the eyes of a British couple, who made the move seeking a quieter, more serene way of life. What lurks in the shadows of paradise, however, is a life-changing illness she has struggled with in the past and now comes to the fore. They have made Portugal their home.
Will they be able to navigate the health system and succeed in getting her the urgent operation needed, to prevent her from spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair? This adds tension to an otherwise gentle, amusing, highly descriptive story, filled with wonderful observations, funny clashes of culture and an entertaining learning curve for all concerned.

One of the recent reviews for the book

Rune 4.0 out of 5 stars Written by a remarkable woman, an overcomer, an inspiration  Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2021

I very much enjoyed reading the unique account of the Telling’s move from the UK to Carvoeiro, our new permanent home with a story of our own often mirroring theirs. Animal lovers will appreciate the many devoted rescue efforts. The author brought smiles and at times a heavy heart to “the telling.”  

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Karen: Goodreads – Facebook: Karen Telling Writer – Blog: Another Day in Paradise – LinkedIn – Karen Telling – Twitter: @KarenTelling4

Delighted to share the news of the latest release by Lorinda J. Taylor, The Man Who Found Birds among the Stars, Part Eight: Rare Birds: A Biographical Fiction

About the book

First contact has taken place and the occupants of the alien ship are giant Birds. While nothing could make Capt. Robbin Nikalishin happier, the Ariana remains marooned on a moon in the Epsilon Eridani system and is running out of oxygen. The crew works furiously to learn how to communicate with the extraterrestrials (the most important element of a first contact), but not all the denizens of the Ariana are as pleased with the situation as Capt. Robbie is. Ian Glencrosse has failed in his attempt to sacrifice himself to save the mission and he remains convinced the death of everyone aboard is imminent. Meanwhile, another member of the mission devises a more ominous plan to “save” Earth from destruction by feathered monsters.

If the Phenix Mission is to make it back to Earth and set in motion that planet’s role in the wider universe, these avian extraterrestrials must be willing to come to the aid of the human aliens – or will they simply fly away and leave them to die?

One of the recent reviews for the book

Colleen M. Chesebro 5.0 out of 5 stars First Contact with an Alien Species! Unforgettable!  Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2021

We left off in part seven, with the crew in dire straights. The tension cranked up to a fever pitch when a section of the engine failed. I couldn’t stop reading. These characters had become real to me, and I needed to know if they would survive their ordeal.

Now, in book eight, the crew is still alive, and we meet the extraterrestrials themselves. The intelligent birds are Captain Robbie’s only hope of returning to Earth. Learning how to communicate with this new species becomes the prime focus of the book.

The author is a constructed language enthusiast (conlanger, for short). Within these pages, she’s created an alien language, symbols and all, for this new bird species, which gives the book an entirely different feel from anything I’ve ever read. It makes sense, though. If you meet aliens, you have to figure out how to communicate with them. Most scenes revolve around communication between the species. The detail is astonishing!

There are plenty of humorous moments between the birds and humans as they learn to grasp each other’s languages. Taylor skillfully bridges the differences between the species by presenting the alien characters with almost human traits, which the reader comes to love as much as their human counterparts. There are several tense moments with the right amount of tension to move the plot forward.

I’m an enormous fan of this author and her books. She excels at first contact scenarios and I know this book in the series will not disappoint. I suspect there will be a book nine and that it comes out soon, but then, I was hooked on Captain Robbie’s story long ago 

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A small selection of other books by Lorinda J. Taylor

Lorinda J. Taylor buy books: Amazon US – and: Amazon UK – Follow Lorinda on : Goodreads – Blog: Termite Writer Blog Spot – Twitter: @TermiteWriter