Damon L. Wakes

Damon L. Wakes was born in 1991 and began to write a few years later. He holds an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Winchester, and a BA in English Literature from the University of Reading.

When he isn’t writing, Damon enjoys weaving chainmail and making jewellery. He produces items made of modern metals such as aluminium, niobium and titanium, but constructed using thousand-year-old techniques.

Damon’s other interests are diverse. He has at various times taken up archery, fencing and kayaking, ostensibly as research for books but mostly because it’s something to do.

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Website: http://damonwakes.wordpress.com
Twitter: @DamonWakes
Facebook: Facebook profile
Wattpad: DamonWakes
Blog: https://damonwakes.wordpress.com/posts/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Damon-L.-Wakes/e/B00JCPHTBC

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• Flash Gold on Sep. 07, 2012
  
  Just because a book costs nothing doesn't make it worth reading: Flash Gold, however, is one you can't afford to miss. Though this novella most likely won't take more than a couple of days to read, it'll stick with you for longer. The steampunk technology is typical in many ways, but the Yukon setting--where such devices have not yet been fully accepted--adds a new twist. Interesting as the background is, though, it never overshadows the story itself, which races along nicely. It's also worth mentioning that, although there are other books in the Flash Gold Chronicles, this one works perfectly well as a standalone story: great if you find yourself with just a little time to fill. However, I for one certainly intend to pick up the next in the series!
  
• Falling Angel on Sep. 07, 2012
  
  Falling Angel is, in many ways, a very enjoyable book. With space combat and an apocalyptic threat reminiscent of Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" or Poul Anderson's "Twilight World," there's a lot to like. However, the many questions raised at the start of the book are largely left unanswered at the end, making the plot as a whole somewhat unsatisfying. The quality of writing--often impressive, occasionally flawed--seems representative of the book as a whole. Though not brilliant, it's certainly competent and I would be interested to see more from this author.
  
• MiG-23 Broke my Heart on Jan. 13, 2013
  
  I’m honestly not sure whether to describe AK Dawson’s MiG-23 Broke My Heart as an easy read or a hard one. On the one hand, I found myself breezing through huge chunks of the novel at a time. On the other, it’s not exactly a pleasant book. There are some flashes of truly brilliant description, but they’re nestled among--and often within--moments of staggering violence. A conscript in the South African Border War, the protagonist, Thomas Green, initially has little to do but keep a rifle pointed towards Angola. However, a secret mission--and a letter from a girl back home in Durban--complicate things enormously. These two points are interwoven throughout the novel, and certainly provide an interesting plot, one taking over whenever the other dies down. However, in many ways, it’s the things happening underneath the surface that give the story such texture. The word “apartheid” is used only three times. However, in 1988 South Africa, the issue itself is unavoidable, and is an obvious presence in the way the characters interact and, ultimately, how the story plays out. Though the conflict with Angola is presented as a battle against Communism, there is always a sense of a second war being waged within South Africa itself: that of white against black. However, for the most part this remains in the background. The focus is very much on Thomas himself: how he struggles to get through his time in the army and, like so many soldiers, how he continues to struggle once it is over. By focusing on this personal story, Dawson allows the biggest issues to speak for themselves.