Location: United States
Member Since:
April 25, 2011
Jeffrey Boyle
Smashwords book reviews by Jeffrey Boyle
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From the Ruins
on Jan. 08, 2013
Finally! As one of those lucky people who has had the immense pleasure of enjoying Lee McCormick's story telling skills for years, it is wonderful to see him get something into print. Feelings of trepidation are always present when one endeavors to read the written work of someone they know. Will it be good? What will I say to the author? It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Lee, that From the Ruins satisfies on all levels. There are a host of well defined characters, the plot is engaging, and the combat scenes are well rendered. I would definitely recommend Lee's first work to anyone who enjoys a good yarn and will begin the nagging for his next.
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The Storm of Northreach (Northreach Saga, Book 2)
on Jan. 24, 2013
The Storm of Northreach is the follow-up book to the Curse of Troius, a zombie horror adventure set in a gritty low magic fantasy world filled with well rendered characters. In the first novel, the wizard Troius has unwittingly unleashed a zombie plague on the world. In Northreach, the survivors of the initial onslaught fight to survive, as the plague spreads. Without the benefits of advanced technology, like shotguns and assault weapons, the characters must fall back on swords, spears, and the odd shovel. The author, Alan Edwards, has a knack for quickly fleshing out characters and making the reader care about them. Unfortunately, this being a zombie novel, they all too frequently get killed off by the ravening undead. Not that that is a bad thing, by any means. By the second installment, it has become apparent, mostly, who the main characters are, but I supposed it is not too much of a spoiler to reveal that no one is truly safe. I heartily recommend The Storm of Northreach and its predecessor, The Curse of Troius, and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.