***Twisted and Other Tales:
Twisted is not just the title but also an apt commentary on the contents of the book. Eighteen strange stories to keep you on the edge of your seat, filled with characters you never imagined, in places you never heard of.
Here you will meet humans that have been changed into something quite different by Nyman aliens. Wouldn't it be a shock to find out that you are not the human you thought you were, but a created robot dubbed Theta Nine? Then there are the little blue pills that show up in more than one story and make your fantasies real.
Each story is unique in its concept, and nothing is quite what it seems. Surprise endings are the norm in this unparalleled collection about love and war, and created worlds. I read the book from beginning to end, but browsing and reading the stories out of order would be great for anyone short of reading time. DeLane is a powerful writer who pulls you right into the story and keeps you guessing.
*****
By Huntress Reviews (United States)
1) TWISTED: A prize fighter kills the wrong person in the ring and is sold to the Nyman race. The Gene Twister decides to put him in the area, where twisted freaks fight to the death. Once he lives through the gene enhancers that are given to him and causes him to mutate, he is paired up with an enhanced female named Cheval. She helped him survive the changes caused by the enhancers. Then the arena battles begin. ***** This tale is worth the full super five star rating. It is utterly fantastic! These are the characters pictured on the novel's front cover. I only wish it were longer. The plot is old, but the enhancements really spice the story up. Fans of the Mortal Kombat game series will especially enjoy this tale. I wish the main character had a name though. It felt odd to not know whom I was following.
2) GUEST: Sara is a virtual prostitute past her prime. When a creepy customer walks in with several Nyman bodyguards, Sara has no idea what she is in for. **** Worth four out of five stars. This is an interesting look at the possible future of adult games. Sara's customer was exactly what I suspected he was.
3) THETA NINE: Hudson walks into a bar to relax. After noticing a trio of ladies at a table his attention latches on to one. Her name is Kate and she is about to alter his entire reality. **** Four stars. This story should be on an episode of "The Twilight Zone". Totally unexpected ending.
4) SNAKES: Ducey is a Calima hybrid. When the military chases an enemy hybrid into the Allorain city, he is sent in to kill it. When Ducey meets Sesha, plans change. * One star. This one was jumpy with no real surprises. The characters came across as fake and cowardly. If you want my advice, skip it.
5) SOLO ONE: There were six crew members aboard Solo One at launch, bound for an area of deep space no one had been to before. Two crew members wake up to find the other four missing. Logs show they had reached their destination and were en route back home. Yet the two had neither recall of reaching their destination, nor of the last ten years of traveling home. ***** Five stars. This is a terrific sci-fi story. As the reader, I saw what Linda and Kyle saw. I learned what was happening as they slowly figured it out. I wish this one had been expanded into a full-length novel.
6) FOUR HOURS: The replacement soldier could not stand hearing the woman begging for help in the night. The other men informed him that it was a trap, but Obie had to know for sure. *** Three stars. This one is short and to the point. A cute story, but the female character seemed too dull for me.
7) HISTORY LESSON: A man and woman with terminal illnesses agreed to be put into stasis for one thousand years. When they are wakened, they would be a living history lesson for the future. ** Two stars. Good plot, but I found this to be boring. I never felt any interesting sparks to this story.
8) NEWS: When aliens finally arrive, they want all communication between them and us to be channeled through one person, Edward Cole. One female reporter decides to look into Cole's past and perhaps find an old girlfriend willing to talk about him. The girlfriend located is Carla Shultz. * One star. Though the plot idea is sound for this tale none of the characters seem believable to me, the reader. As in several of these stories, the main character's name is never given. This is another I suggest skipping.
9) BREEDS: He had trained all his life to be an Imperial Officer. Now he is a Captain in the Great Human Empire and he hates it. His unit is responsible for one thousand captives from the distant planet he is currently on. One of the new captives catches his attention. The way her eye color keeps changing is only one thing he is fascinated by. ***** Five stars. This story is very well done. The author clearly shows that two people do not have to speak the same language in order to communicate. But again, no name for the main character.
10) BLUE PILL: There was no doubt about it. He and Sid, the wing captain, had five days left to travel and only enough air for one or two days. With absolutely no hope of living the only question was how to die. When a blue pill is found in a deceased crew member's quarters, the pair know it is a fantasy drug that would pull them under for days. Do they mourn until they suffocate or take the blue pill and die while in a wonderful and sexy fantasy? **** Four stars. No name for the main character and not much told about him. (At least I got the impression it was a "him".) As the reader, I got to know Sid a bit and enjoyed how the author presented her. The author succeeded in showing Sid as professional, intelligent, and yet able to let go when alone. A typo or two, but well done!
11) MOTIVATIONS: A young major is ordered to prosecute Sergeant Harrison, who is being court martialled. Every member of the military seems to ooze hatred for the major, yet she continues to do her duty. One question keeps bothering her ... WHY did Sergeant Harrison act the way he did? ***** Five stars. I do not care what nation you call home. This story takes place far away from Earth (or so it seems), but there will be few readers that do not cheer the major's actions. I am beginning to believe this author has an untapped talent for Military Sci-Fi.
12) ASSIGNMENT: The man has been classified as unfit for active duty. The Human Empire has made contact with a new race. The Myuban Ambassador and her daughter are visiting, but the Imperials know about the visit and will attempt to assassinate them. The Myuban Ambassador has asked for him, by name, to guard her daughter. ***** Five stars. The author gives no name, but within the first few sentences I knew this man to be Sergeant Harrison from the previous tale and that this takes place not too long after his court date. The author dabs with more erotica in this story than any of the previous ones.
13) CONSCIENCE: Two assassins, sharing one mind, are sent to murder the small son of Admiral Collins. **** Four stars. The idea of assassins, or some other profession, merging partners' brain waves until they are identical is not unique, but good. That the author made it so they had unexpected and beneficial side-effects is a very nice touch. Again, the author shows he has a talent for Military Sci-Fi. Neither assassin seems to have a name though.
14) CAVE: When Linda's ship crashes and her wingman is killed, she is forced to share a cave with an enemy rebel named Jude. *** Three stars. This story left me with too many unanswered questions. One or two word typos, but minor.
15) SLEDGE: Sledge is the Empire's most famous arena fighter. For over twenty years he fought anyone and everyone, never cheating and never losing a match. The Emperor himself groomed Cutter. Cutter was destined to kill Sledge, making history. But there is one young lady determined to visit Sledge the night before the fight. She could change everything. **** Four stars. There is no real reason I can give for it, but I simply like this one a lot. A few punctuation errors, but nothing major.
16) REGRETS: Colonel Michael Frank's ship is destroyed by rebel suicide bombers. The colonel is the only survivor and he has a bizarre tale to tell. **** Four stars. This story makes one stop and wonder what it is like to be at the brink between life and death. It also makes one believe in second chances.
17) VOLUNTEER: A high ranking officer is kidnapped. His people locate him and offer a deal to the captors. He is to be allowed six hours with a female from his own people and she is to be allowed to return with his body once they have killed him. In return, his people would not massacre the young enemy soldiers. Unknown to the enemy, this female is special. ***** Five stars. This story reminds me a bit of a movie titled The Fifth Element. Anyone who reads this story and has seen the movie will totally understand how. Again, the author proves that he is talented in Military Sci-Fi.
18) TRAINS: A young lady is given a writing assignment that requires her to interview her grandmother about her past. The college student has never been close to her grandmother and always believed her grandmother had grown up in "a simpler" time. But as her grandmother begins telling about the man who saved her life near the end of the war (in Germany), the student cannot help but realize that her cold and indifferent grandmother is nothing like she had originally thought. **** Four stars. Unlike all the other tales in this book, this one seems to be set on Earth, in the present time. Chances are great that readers will finish this story and look upon their parents and grandparents with new eyes.
**** All-in-all, this book gets a four star review from me. I fully believe this author does his best work with Military Sci-Fi. Should he ever focus his talents on that single genre, he may end up giving authors David Weber and Orson Scott Card a run for their money. The publisher should consider giving a bigger budget for better cover artists and editors.
***************
Kaye Trout - May 6, 2008
MYTHRADIES BOUTIQUE by James Scott DeLane
Wings ePress Books
Richmond, KY 40475
www.wings-press.com
Genre: Fiction Fantasy
Rating: Very Good
ISBN: 1597057487, $17.95, 280 pp.
How best to describe Mythradies Boutique?...a contemporary conceptualization of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince seasoned by Sinbad the Sailor...
adventure, romance, and truth all woven together with bright threads of humor.
Our protagonist, Griffin Grimesly, in search of himself, shares his "offbeat and colorful observations of his quirky world and the odd characters he meets." And like the Little Prince, there is truth and lessons to be learned.
James Scott DeLane is a unique, talented writer with an exceptional imagination and colorful writing style. He’ll keep you guessing, entertained, and delighted until the very end. My one constructive criticism is: have this novel professionally edited as there are more than a few errors.
James Scott DeLane’s writing, despite the errors, is a breath of fresh air, a sparkle...ambrosia for the tired mind.
***
MYTHRADIES BOUTIQUE by James Scott DeLane
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - June 6, 2008
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terms for inheritance - a sure motivator for anyone on the verge of a fortune. "Mythradies Boutique" follows Giffin Grimesly as he pursues his Aunt's massive fortune - but must hold down a job to earn it. He works at a boutique and soon finds life is never as it seems. "Mythradies Boutique" is a deftly written fantasy novel sure to work the reader's emotions throughout, and a top pick for community library fantasy collections.
Mythradies Boutique
James Scott Delane
© 2008, Wings Press
Review © 2008 Dru Pagliassotti
Creative Commons License
This review is available for reprint under a Creative Commons License.
Unthinkably wealthy Griffin Grimesly lives a life of decadent laziness until his spooky but domineering Aunt Roslyn forces him to get a job through Stephanie's Employment Agency for the Perpetually Confused.
Experiencing more luck than the rest of the candidates rotting in the agency's waiting room, Grimesly soon finds himself placed at the very unusual Mythradies Boutique on Sixty Sixth and One-Sixth Street, Manhattan. He also finds himself madly in love with curvaceous but diabolical Stephanie.
Mythradies Boutique starts out on a classic "magic curio shop" note but swiftly morphs into something quite different as Grimesly finds himself traveling through time and threatened by the powerful Alton Stopholies, who wants to buy from Grimesly a certain old church that houses a mysterious woman. Grimesly's amiably bemused attitude slowly grows more serious as he discovers the world-shaking secrets of his own past and the pasts of the people around him.
DeLane's previous Twisted and Other Tales gave indications of his talent at creating likable characters and sentimental romance. In Mythradies Boutique the reader sees that talent mature as DeLane weaves slapstick humor, tragic romance, and high adventure together in an enjoyable cosmic romp through time and space in a quest to cheat fate. Mythradies Boutique is a fun and engaging story about love of all kinds — romantic, familial, and divine.
***The Debt Collector
5.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting adventure, sure to enthrall the reader to the very last page., September 6, 2007
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
The Debt Collector is a fantastic novel of love and discovery. A beautiful, immortal woman strikes a bargain with a dying king: in exchange for giving him life, he consents to travel the land and collect her debts. Applying himself to the task, he learns more about the magical world in which they both live - even as she gradually learns to open her heart. An enchanting adventure, sure to enthrall the reader to the very last page.
http://www.myshelf.com/reviews.htm
Written in the first person, The Debt Collector is a multi-layered adventure that unfolds in a world of fantasy and magical romance. The storyline involves a mortal king who falls in love with a magical princess who has the power to give long life to the dying king... for a price. The king must go out into the world collecting debts owed to the princess for prior gifts to other mortals.
This is a well written book offering one exciting adventure after another. The backstory is filled with historically accurate references to geography and military exploits, along with legendary gods and goddesses.