If you like Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you need to discover Dennis E Taylor

  

     One of my favorite Science Fictionle tome is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy. It is one of those must reads in the SF genre. In fact, if you claim to be an aficionado of the genre and have not read this masterpiece, I suggest you turn in your Fan Club card.  Written in 1979, is there an author today that can touch Douglas Adams' writing talent?  I believe there is, and his name is Dennis E Taylor. Taylor has that same sense of humor, referencing pop culture callbacks and thought-provoking dilemmas. 

     His main series is the Bobiverse.  Yes, I know, the series name does not embolden confidence that this series will be really, really good. But it is. Bob sells his company and now had more money than he knows what to do with. So, he has his brain scanned, because that is what rich people do. And then, crossing a street in Las Vegas, Bob gets hit by a bus, He wakes up as the AI of a space probe, The series takes off from there. It is a blast to follow as Bob clones himself multiple times into other ships.

    If you want to do a test run of Mr. Taylor, I suggest the standalone novel Roadkill. In this tale First Contact put the emphasis on contact. Or try his two book series Quantum Earth,  The super volcano in Yellowstone begins erupting at the same time some University students accidently create a portal to a different dimension and an alternative earth timeline. 

     Another reason you should read Dennis E Taylor is that he is a self-published author whose book are very much on the inexpensive side of the ledger. Now the self-publishing sector has in the past 15 years have undergone a huge improvement in all aspects of the process. It is now possible to get professional editing, cover art and marketing strategies that rival anything a big publishing house can offer. Many authors now choose to go the Self-Publishing. I have been closely watching the Fantasy side of self-publishing thanks to the SPFBO contest ( Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog Off) which is in its 10th year. Each year each contest get stronger in regard to the quality of the books entered. 

     So if you are looking for a series which will remind you of Douglas Adams, take the dive into Dennis E Taylors books.  

Finished my 3rd year in Thailand and still in Love.

 

Steven in Thai on my Starbuck's Carmel Frappuccino.  

    

     I have to admit, this last year blew by and finishing a 3rd year in Thailand really snuck up on me. I am still enchanted by Thailand and its people. My original plan was to leave Thailand this year and return to America, but those plans went astray. I am 25 LBS overweight for my original plan of flying straight to Georgia and begin hiking the Appalachian Trail. And a sizable portion of the USA have lost the ability to do any Critical Thinking. The fact that after Jan 6th and the failure to do a Peaceful Transfer of Power for the first time EVER because of one DJT and he is still the GOPs candidate for President and may actually win boggles my mind,  I hope this is momentary bit of madness that will go away when DJT loses, but I have a feeling this flirtation with the Totalitarian Cult of Personality may be a lasting effect for decades to come. 

     But enough of what I am not going to do, what am I going to do now?  For one, stay in Thailand until I am 70 and still healthy. Right now, I am taking Thai language class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and a half just like my CSULB days. At first when I first got the textbook, I was intimidated to no end. But the Teacher is fabulous, and she makes the class and learning fun. The Thai language is super hard for me, mostly for the 5 tone marks that I can't hear. So " Mai" can have 5 different meanings because of five different tones. Reading it I can figure it out, but I miss it listening to it, I am far and away the dumbest student in the class, But I still have the ability to crack the class up, so I don't feel too bad. Life has not beaten the funny out of me yet. 

    I also took the class to chart where my brain is in regard to my hereditary decline in mental fitness. Dementia runs in the family. I can hope it skips a generation, but with my luck it is better to prepare for the demise, rather than to deny it will come.  But so far, everything seems fine. I can remember, for the most part, a book I read a year ago when the 2nd book in the series is released. 

     What do I most days?  During Baseball season it is always watching baseball in the mornings. I watch just about every Dodger game and another if the pitching matchup is intriguing, Then I either work out at the Condo Gym or swim in the Condo pool.  After that an hour of studying Thai Language puts the day, about 3 pm.  I go out for late lunch or early dinner. I hop on the BTS Skytrain, the transportation system that runs thru the heart of Bangkok, I have a Rabbit Card, which is like most tap systems in the USA. I pretty much have an idea of the area of Bangkok I want to explore, or sometimes I will just wing it. Look out the window until a street strikes my fancy. I will walk around for an hour or two just looking around and exploring. There is always something that will surprise me. 

     Nighttime is watching TV or reading a book. Right now, the only TV series I am watching is Rings of Power on Prime TV which I like better than most critics. I have HBO, Netflix, Disney and Prime. For about a 3rd of the price I use to pay in the USA. I also forgot to cancel my NFL package from DNZN which is $36 a month. I normally skip the regular season and just get the playoffs and Superbowl, but I messed up. 

    Two Thursdays a month I go out and hit the Bangkok's famous or infamous nightlife. I like Thursdays cause most of the clubs are not as crowded as on the weekends. Mostly I hit the clubs with the live music. It has gotten to the point all the bands know me by sight now, as I always tip the band. I get hammered on SangSom and Soda. which is Thai rum and soda water.  Again, most of the help at the bars know me and my drink. And my tip. The minimum wage here in Thailand is about $7 a day, So I like to tip knowing that I can cover 1 meal tomorrow for the worker, I do it all for the Thai economy, at least that is what I use to rationalize my behavior.  

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

  

   Despite the words in the author's forward that this is not a work of Fantasy, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. Now I know some authors do not like to be pigeonholed into the genre of Fantasy.  Imagine the horror of having to promote your book at those terrible Fantasy Cons, where there might be the chance to run into people dressed up as your characters. The horror!!!!   

      The book has a multi-POV narration, and the always dependable trope of the gang of misfits coming together to do a job that is high risk.  Low magic, but it is magic. There is also, a large predator bird that has feathers are impervious to arrows and swords with the ability to hunt down your extended family if you piss it off. These are all elements that can be found in Fantasy tales.

       Loved the pace of the story, and the characters. It always a good thing to have the author hook you into the story right from the get-go.  Looking forward to the next book in the series.