Jim Bade

Jim Bade's favorite authors on Smashwords

Dane Bagley
Latest book: Aiden's Quest.
Published November 30, 2016. (3.67 from 3 reviews)

Smashwords book reviews by Jim Bade

  • Kindred Spirits on Sep. 28, 2011

    This is one of the best books I have read in some time! It has an excellent storyline that is fresh and unique, hard to do these days. It also has interesting and believable characters. There is plenty of action, verging on too much, and the twists and turns are often unexpected and keep the reader turning pages. The author obviously is well versed in the proper use of English, and while there are a few formatting errors, the book is easily readable, and pulls the reader in with well turned phrases and dialog. Overall a very enjoyable read! I am very much looking forward to reading more of Mr. Luke’s work!
  • Transplant on Sep. 28, 2011

    Good book! Interesting, unique and a well planned storyline. I have not come to expect much of some of the free books. They are usually written with passion, but many of the authors have difficulty with using appropriate descriptive words, and matching different dialog styles with individual characters. Mr. Moreton does not have any of these issues. His characters’ dialog is just like life. Each individual has their own voice, their own fears and hopes, and their own personality. I particularly enjoyed the premise of the story, as well as the overall storyline. It kept my attention, and made me want to read more. That said; there were numerous typos and formatting errors. I am not sure if part of the problem came in the format conversion to the Kindle format, or just a lack of thorough editing. Another issue I had was with the science of the story. Being a hard science fiction reader for 40 years makes me a bit of a critic of stories that have obvious scientific errors in it. This one had several, and while they were easy enough to ignore, the errors did detract from the story. The only other small criticism I had was with the ending. While I appreciate that the author was attempting to bring closure, and give the reader some hope for the future, it felt a little abrupt, like the author just wanted to finish quickly. A better ending could have left the reader hanging, opening up a possible sequel, or adding more detail to the last bit of action. None the less, a fine book, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a unique perspective on a growing issue!
  • Uprising on Oct. 04, 2011

    Many others have already said what I think, but I felt it worth saying again. The book was very well written, not just for a first novel, but for any novel. The dialog and charactors are believable, and the action easily kept my interest. All in all a well written novel. The bad? Well, the science of the book was pretty thin and unbelievable, as well as some of the social aspects. However, that didn't prevent me from really enjoying the read, and looking forward to the sequel. Fiction doesn't have to be believable to be fun to read!
  • Moon Dreams on Dec. 20, 2011

    What a great book! In the spirit of the greats, this book had it all! A great story line, very unique, a lingering romance, good friends, action in abundance with just enough pause to build the story and characters. The author reallknows's how to build a story, bring it to multiple highs, and with diverse and believablcharactersrs. Just as good, the skill in editing is of a professional quality worthy of the best! I am VERY impressed with the author, and will read more of their books!
  • Elite on Dec. 30, 2011

    The story was quite interesting, and the premises were reasonably well thought out. However, if felt like a young teen book, more fantasy than science fiction, and with a feel of a total lack of reality, both on the science side and the character sides. The characters were simple, predictable and socially immature, though likable and fun. The science was based on imagination and in no way on potential reality. Overall a simple and easy read, but needs to be polished.
  • Trillion Dollar Family on March 15, 2012

    In general I am a Hard Sci-Fi kind of guy. I like space ships, aliens, fighting with lasers, the usual. This book has all that and more. The story is well written, has plenty of twists and turns (though a few opportunities were missed), courage, patriotism, and a love “angle”. The author takes his time in creating a believable, for the most part, story, where science has taken a front seat, but human intrigue and desires are not left out. I can’t say too much, so as not to spoil the story for others, but I am betting most of you will enjoy the book, be surprised a few times, and put the book down with a smile. I will surely be looking forward to reading other books by Mr. Skryler! Just one note, though this is a self published book, another pass through for misspelled/misused words (like went instead of when) is in order.
  • Ever Onward 1 A.C. on March 15, 2012

    Ever Onward was a fun read, plain and simple. Plain and simple also described the plot and characters. The story was reasonably well developed, though the characters were a bit underdeveloped. There were parts in the book that reminded me of a ghost story where the characters kept going back into the haunted house even though the ghosts told them to leave. Makes for some grand excitement, but you have to wonder how bright the characters are? Technically there were a lot of simple flaws, like in the opening of the book where the military was flying a B-17, in modern times (a B-17 is a WWII aircraft), or the capabilities, or lack of capabilities, of some of the weapons, and the near manic nature of so many gone bad and so few remained good. All those drawbacks aside, the book was an easy read, with lots of action, well written dialog, and interesting characters. Well worth a few hours of anyone’s time who has an interest in a post apocalyptic world.
  • When the Storm Awakens on Sep. 17, 2012

    Interesting characters, fresh and interesting story line, action that makes sense (if a bit of a stretch on occasion), this book has it all, and is well written to boot! Were it not for a few misspelled words, this book would be as professional as any I have ever read. All that said, and having only finished book one of (hopefully) two, I get the strong feeling that the author has a message written into this, and religion is the point. Not a deal breaker for me, but the undertones of the second coming make me pause just a bit on a great book! Even so, I eagerly purchased the sequel, and am confident I will enjoy it as well!
  • Birthright: The Evolution Chronicles Book 1 on Feb. 28, 2013

    "There is nothing wrong with the storyline in this novel. The main characters - Raine, Sierra and the twins are well depicted and likeable. I really felt for them and for Lynn and Selby. Unfortunately, over-writing and formatting have made this work confusing and in places, laborious to read. Many times the action catapaults to another scene in the next line of the manuscript with no spacing to indicate there is a change of character or place. It is unfortunate that it was published without being professionally edited, because this has marred what is actually an exciting and well thought out plot.Diana Hockley from "Good Reads"" Copied from another review because it described my feelings about the book as well! The book had a novel story line, good character development, and a satisfying, if completely predictable, conclusion. Ms. Palmer obviously has a wonderful vocabulary, and uses it to the fullest extent, then over uses it by at least half too much. I think editing the constant overblown and excessive descriptions of the feelings of the characters would greatly benefit the reading enjoyment of the book. At one point Raine opens the door, and has nearly two pages of feelings, some unrelated to the moment, flash through his mind before the person on the other side was even acknowledged. This brings to mind one other point. Though Raine is obviously not like the average man, he acts and thinks very little like any man I know. A bit of editing on his character development would make him more believable. None the less, it was a fun book to read, and I wish Ms. Palmer luck in the future as she develops her skills. I certainly look forward to more books from her.
  • The Moonstormers on April 11, 2013

    Very well written and composed for a first novel. The character development was good, and the story line unique. I really enjoyed the interaction of the characters, the infusion of historical fact with the story line, and the use of current social woes to build a story that was both realistic and plausible for a science fiction fan! There were no detectable spelling errors, and the grammar was impeccable. A fine effort for a first novel. My only slight criticism is in the main character. He was in many ways an excellent and realistic hero, with one very notable exception. His simplistic and immature views on women, and his propensity to fall in "deep love" after the briefest of contact, and then pine for her when she ignores him, makes for an interesting side story, but takes away from the action and realism. I look forward to Mr. Ashworth's next effort!
  • Nomads of the Gods on Sep. 19, 2013

    Normally I would wait to make a review, and I will update this one later, but I have a couple comments just 20% through the book. First, the story is very well thought out and executed. I am definitely hooked. I look forward to the rest of the book with anticipation. (A more thorough review will follow.) Added at the finish: After finishing the story I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The character development and the storyline were very interesting all the way to the end. Though the twists and turns were generally not big surprises, they were also not entirely predictable. I would say the book is half way between hard science and fantasy. Nicely done overall! The only HUGE detractor it has, though, is the very often misused words. Obviously spell check was used, but it can't fix the constant misuse of "there, their, they're" and so many other words that spell check fixed, but baked isn't backed, and form isn't from. This is so common that I, as a fairly poor typist and speller, am having a hard time getting passed/past. A second read from an editing standpoint would make a world of difference. Edit: Maybe it is just my personality type, and though I am far from the best speller and typist, I had a very difficult time getting passed (past) the incredible number of misused words. I found it very distracting, and occasionally maddening. A real editor could turn a good book into a great one!
  • The Forgotten on Sep. 19, 2013

    This book was extremely well written. The character development was deliberate and appropriate to the story, as well as being quite clever and thorough. I even enjoyed the slight confusion I had at the beginning of the book when I wasn't paying attention to the dates. Nice subterfuge. On top of a well written story, interesting characters, a mix of fantasy and science fiction and a twisty plot, the "feeling" of really understanding the characters and story lines as they progressed showed this to be a fine effort! Well worth the time to read. Well edited also! Thanks!
  • GeneSys on Nov. 08, 2013

    Mr. Carter is a very imaginative man. The story is completely unique to anything I have ever read, though I generally do not go in for fantasy as much as hard science fiction. My first thought on this book is that it feels like a book written for teens. The characters are rather simple, and though the concepts can be somewhat complicated, there were very few surprises in the story. The characters tended to come up with the solution with virtually no information, and they were usually right. The main characters were very fond of themselves and more than a little conceited. That said, the editing was tops, and the story did maintain my interest. I can see a sequel from this book, as the story kind of ended like a chapter with lots left incomplete.
  • No Future on Jan. 30, 2014

    Let me start by saying that I am a vociferous reader of all kinds of books from Isaac Asimov to James Michener to Tom Clancy to Danielle Steele. I love all kinds of books with all kinds of viewpoints, and am particularly fond of Post-Apocalyptic novels lately, which is why I chose to read No Future by Bradley Stoke. With my perspectives defined, I am going to start with the good. Mr. Stoke has a definite gift for writing. His phrases and terminology are both apt and well chosen to convey the intended meanings of his story, plot and characters. I found the book fairly easy to read and only a few spelling and grammatical errors. Not bad at all for a self published book. However, if asked how the author of this book could be described I would have to say that Mr. Stoke appeared to be an over educated, narcissistic, foul mouthed, sex obsessed, drug addict with a paranoid irrational dislike of authority and a total lack of faith in humanity. OR, just the opposite and one hell of a writer! I can’t be sure which. Semi-spoiler from here on. The reason for the above is to try to make sense of this book, which I did read to the end despite several urges to just give it up. I had to see if I could find the point in the book, other than the rampant sex and drug use, plus the universal lack of humanity in nearly every character in the book. Even with the numerous characters and jumping back and forth through time and story lines, and even with the minimal attempts at building the characters into something, if not likeable, at least resembling conventional humans, I could not quite keep up with who was what and when. I really needed a diagram of character names and jobs to figure them out. Not sure it would have helped. I am a generally empathetic person, and found that the deaths of the people in the book left me flat because there was not one character that I could identify with. ALL of them were sex and drug obsessed, most of them swore in every sentence, most of them were hypocritical in an almost extreme sense, and oddest of all, most of the characters were very well educated, though pretty much every one of the female characters eventually became prostitutes and the men Johns. I guess my point is that nearly none of them were what most people would consider normal. None of them, to me, were people I would wish to be friends with. In the end, it just ended, with no one left alive, death and destruction and no real point other than people basically suck!