Bob Cunningham

Bob Cunningham's favorite authors on Smashwords

Smashwords book reviews by Bob Cunningham

  • The Smart App on April 19, 2012
    (no rating)
    Intriguing near-future SciFi thriller based upon an interesting "what if" idea, which a plot built upon both expected and unexpected consequences. Marred, however, by a certain amount of awkward writing. There are some awkward POV and scene shifts; and just enough speaker attributions left out of dialog so that readers may not always be certain which character is speaking. Some character motivations may may not be all that convincing. Nonetheless, an intriguing read.
  • A Warbird in the Belly of the Mouse on July 24, 2012

    A rare, good military science fiction short story. Well-written by someone who loves flying. Involves a veteran military aviator in time of war, tired of performing in a "reality show".
  • The Dradon Project on July 24, 2012

    Though it's not unusual to see $.99 first novels on Smashwords, ones as well-written as this are rare finds. This is a complex novel, with a rich, smoothly-flowing narrative, focusing down nicely to intimate 1st person POV where needed, with key flashback scenes at just the right points. The real story is primarily about Tristan, but a variety of other characters, each with their own interesting story arcs within the larger story are well developed, and -- although it may not seem so when you first encounter them -- weave closely into Tristan's story. Although I did have some problems with the book. The rich narrative is, well, too rich. There is overabundance of words (124,000+), and too many characters developed all too well. Certainly with an overabundance of foreshadowing. Pacing which otherwise could be just right seems slowed down by all those words, and arguably too much description. Granted, the pace does pick up at the climax, but that almost makes it seem -- in comparison with the rest of the book -- almost a bit too rushed. At the same time, the complexity of viewpoints involved at that point were made me impatient. Perhaps that's why the climax, for me, flirted uncomfortably close to being a "deus ex machine".