July 20, 2021 by D. Wallace Peach

Laws of Nature: Virtual Book Blast and a Review

Jacqui Murray has a new book on the shelves. I’m a huge fan of her Prehistoric fiction, and my review is below. You did it again, Jacqui, transported me back in time 1.8 million years.

A boy blinded by fire. A woman raised by wolves. An avowed enemy offers help.

Summary

In this second of the Dawn of Humanity trilogy, the first trilogy in the Man vs. Nature saga, Lucy and her eclectic group escape the treacherous tribe that has been hunting them and find a safe haven in the famous Wonderwerk caves in South Africa. Though they don’t know it, they will be the oldest known occupation of caves by humans. They don’t have clothing, fire, or weapons, but the caves keep them warm and food is plentiful. But they can’t stay, not with the rest of the tribe enslaved by an enemy. To free them requires not only the prodigious skills of Lucy’s unique group–which includes a proto-wolf and a female raised by the pack–but others who have no reason to assist her and instinct tells Lucy she shouldn’t trust.

Set 1.8 million years ago in Africa, Lucy and her tribe struggle against the harsh reality of a world ruled by nature, where predators stalk them and a violent new species of man threatens to destroy their world. Only by changing can they prevail. If you ever wondered how earliest man survived but couldn’t get through the academic discussions, this book is for you. Prepare to see this violent and beautiful world in a way you never imagined.

A perfect book for fans of Jean Auel and the Gears!

My Review

I read the first book in this series a while ago, and it was great to travel back in time again (1.8 million years to be exact) and catch up with Lucy and her group of primitive humans. This book starts where the last left off, so I’d recommend beginning the series with book one, Born in a Treacherous Time, which blew me away, btw.

What I’ve enjoyed most about Murray’s prehistoric fiction has been consistent across her trilogies—the way she brings the time period to life with some meticulous research and well-educated guessing. The characters and their lives are fictional, but the primordial setting, the prehistoric human and animal species, migration patterns, and anthropological details about life had me fascinated.

The plot of this installment isn’t complicated. Lucy and her small group of “Man-who-makes-tools” are searching for a home-base after their larger group was attacked by “Man-who-preys.” They face natures challenges in a number of forms: freezing tempertures, seismic Earth changes, treacherous landscapes, animal predators, aggressive tribes, and hunger. Survival is a daily struggle.

The story is primarily in Lucy’s point of view, but there are two parallel tracks told by other characters: Ahnda, a subadult from Lucy’s original group who has escaped captivity, and Xha, one of the “Man-who-preys” who is tracking Lucy as she searches for a safe home. A later addition to the pov characters is a female named Wild who was raised by the large canines (Canus) of the time.

One of the clever aspects of the storytelling is the way Murray’s characters view, think about, and describe their world without a scientific and conceptual understanding of what they’re seeing. Naming, as you might have noticed in this review, is descriptive based on what is observed and learned through experience. Details such as these are immersive.

Book Two comes to a partial conclusion, but the books aren’t standalone reads, and the hunt for a home-base continues. Highly recommended to readers of prehistoric fiction who enjoy man versus nature stories and descriptive details that transport a reader back in time.

Book information:

Title and author: Laws of Nature

Series: Book 2 in the Dawn of Humanity series

Genre: Prehistoric fiction

Editor: The extraordinary Anneli Purchase

Available print or digital) at: Kindle US Kindle UK Kindle CA Kindle AU Kindle India

Author bio:

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Natural Selection, Winter 2022.

Social Media contacts:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/

Blog: https://worddreams.wordpress.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquimurraywriter/

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/jacquimurray

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher

Twitter: http://twitter.com/worddreams

Website: https://jacquimurray.net

Happy Reading!

June 28, 2020 by D. Wallace Peach

Guns of Perdition: Interview and Review

A couple of years ago, I beta-read Guns of Perdition, and (woot woot) I’m delighted to see it out. I’d never read a western horror before this one, and Jessica Bakkers’ debut novel was a treat. My review is below, but before going there, I wanted to pick this author’s brain a bit. If you follow Jessica’s blog, you’ve discovered a kind, friendly, introverted Australian with a wry sense of humor. So, what twisting creative road led her to write an America western horror story? I asked Jess that question, and here’s her answer:

Jessica: I’ve always loved dark fantasy – both reading and writing it, but I was always much more of a sword and magic fancier than guns and cowboys. I actually had (and still have) a massive saga outlined about an assassin in Roman times that I was all set to write, when Grace (the main character from Guns of Perdition) popped into my head and demanded to be written. Actually, it was her strange love affair with a reverse werewolf that demanded to be written. Something about the story of tortured lovers who can only appreciate each other once a month by the light of the full moon needed to be told.

So, I wrote the first chapter of GoP without any clear idea where the story was heading, only knowing that I had two star-crossed lovers to play with and there would be supernatural themes and horror aplenty. I may be inspired by romance at times, but I am a dark writer at heart! The story – as stories do – evolved from there. Grace turned into a no-nonsense hardcase, so I needed a soft foil to counterbalance her loutish ways. Jessie was born. Then, somewhere around the middle of the first Part, the whole story – for all three novels – came to me. I was finally able to outline and write to some kind of plan…well, a loose plan! Call me a Planster!

After researching a different time period, different country, and completely different way of ‘jawing’ (talking), the characters and setting came alive for me, and telling their story went smoothly. Plot holes, editing, writer’s block, and crippling self-doubt… not so smooth. But, with the support and help of my friends in this writing community, I pulled it out, and am immensely proud to finally have my debut novel finished and published.

If you take a chance on Guns of Perdition, I hope you enjoy reading it – after all, that’s why we writers write, isn’t it?

Diana’s Review: Guns of Perdition

This is the first western-horror to cross my Kindle, and the blend of genres was a treat. Jessie is a young man sweeping up a saloon when Grace, one tough and dusty drifter, saunters in. Her face is hidden by a broad Stetson, and her holsters boast a pair of pearl-handled Smith & Wessons. It doesn’t take long for Grace’s guns to start blazing. But she isn’t shooting criminals. She’s hunting demons and out to get revenge against the Darksome Gunman. With no idea of what he’s signing up for, Jessie decides to tag along. Oh, Jessie, don’t do it!

The action in this dark and bloody story starts on the first page and doesn’t let up until the last. As Grace and Jessie ride through the wild west, each destination brings evil creatures, villains, and dangers, and the gunfights are frequent. They also pick up a few unsavory horsemen who join them on the hunt for vengeance.

As a horror novel, there’s plenty of gore, death, and horrifying scenes. I actually shouted, “Oh my God” near the end. Bakkers doesn’t hold back the punches, and I appreciated her unabashed commitment to the genre and plot. The over-arching basis of the story becomes increasingly clear throughout the read, and it gave me goosebumps.

The story is told from several POVs, and the pace moves along at a gallop. The characters are well-drawn and terribly flawed. I really liked Grace’s character, and I really hated Grace’s character. She’s sympathetic and ruthless. Jessie grows up and grows wiser, and he pays a price for falling for the drifter. The language uses western vernacular and has a western twang that I needed to get used to, but ended up enjoying.

This is the first book in a series. It doesn’t wrap up in a nice neat bow in the end, but I found it satisfying and will be reading on when book 2 comes out. Definitely a gruesome, creative, entertaining tale. Recommended for readers of horror and paranormal stories, who enjoy the Old West, flawed characters, and some intense writing.