GOODREADS REVIEW: KARMATHAUR

My Kaiju short story, Karmathaur, got a four star review on Goodreads.com:

“A group of fanatics calling themselves the Anakim create a demi-god to free the Earth from the burden of humanity – or that is how they see it. To the rest of the world, Karmathaur is a monster that seems unstoppable.

I liked this story. The clever way the author linked the four main characters into it as friends of the first victim of the monster, pulled apart then drawn together by his death and its consequences. Marcus and Terry were his friends, and Kanae was part of their social group and girlfriend of Terry. In addition Kanae, as the daughter of the leader of the Anakim, feels the need to redeem herself, working with her uncle Atari to do so.

The description of the creation of Karmathaur is brilliantly creative technobabble and the action scenes – some from the monsters POV are powerfully presented. For me the most poignant scene is where Karmathaur admires the sunrise, raising the question where is the monster here? It only kills to live – and that’s what we humans do, isn’t it?

The main issue with this book is that the quality of writing is very patchy and that gets in the way at some key points with the flow of the story.

I’d recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Godzilla and other books/anime/movies of that kind.”

COSMIC HORROR STORY IDEA

I am thinking of one day writing a novella or short story that revolves around cosmic horror. The most famous author of cosmic horror is H.P. Lovecraft, who wrote stories such as The Call of Cthulhu and At the Mountains of Madness. Lovecraft was essentially the founding father of the cosmic horror genre and his legacy has influenced writers and filmmakers for decades. Cosmic horror revolves around mankind’s all-consuming FEAR of the unknown, mankind’s insignificance in the fabric of the universe, and the fragility of the human mind. While most horror stories includes blood and guts, Lovecraftian stories included slime and tentacles. Most prominently of all is that cosmic horror and Lovecraftian stories featured mysterious monsters that were so horrifying that a person would go mad if they saw the creatures in their entirety. I have a cosmic horror story in mind that I think would make a good read. I shall tinker with it when my schedule opens up.

WRITING UPDATE: NEW CHAPTERS

I have done the second chapter and started the third chapter of the second volume of my fantasy series. Also, I am almost finished with the first chapter of my horror short story. In the fantasy book, we will get a look at the new main characters as well as a broader look at the political field. In the horror short story, I am delving deeper and deeper into my interpretation of Hell, which gives me chills beyond count. I am on fire with my writing and I look forward to seeing where it will lead. I will keep you updated on any further developments.

WRITING UPDATE: SUPERVILLAIN SHORT STORY COMPLETE

I have just finished writing the new short story that talks about the supervillain Cyber Shadow. It has been a gritty experience and I have elaborated his return with nightmarish details. I promise that there will be some sections that will haunt you. Still, even though it is done, I might tinker with it here and there before making it public.

WRITING UPDATE: SUPERVILLAIN SHORT STORY

I had an intriguing idea for a short story. I am thinking of writing the origins and ultimate fate of one of my most infamous supervillains: Brick Baxter AKA Cyber Shadow. Among the things I will address will be how Brick Baxter became a sadistic bully and how he came back after the Young Guardians defeated him. Some of my readers have asked me these questions and now I have a chance to address them. Wish me luck and I will keep you updated.

NEW YEAR’S KINDLE DISCOUNT

To celebrate the start of the New Year and the beginning of my second short story collection, I will be giving a discount on my first short story collection on Kindle. Instead of $2.99, this work will be available for a limited time for $0.99. For more information, click here.

WRITING UPDATE: SECOND SHORT STORY COLLECTION

Great news! I have gotten started on a new short story collection regarding the Young Guardians Universe. These stories will depict events that occurred from behind the scenes of the main story. For example, Some of these short stories will explain what happened to Cyber Shadow after his first defeat in the first book. Some will be fan fiction I wrote about my own franchise that did not occur in canon. For example, I write alternate versions of certain scenes that occurred in my books. And a few works are completely original works. For example, I write the origin stories of new heroes and villains who may or may not appear in the canon storyline. Overall, this is going to be an interesting cluster of stories that I am eager to share. I started this new project today and have already reached the fiftieth page. At this rate, I expect this new work will be released on Kindle within a matter of days. I will keep you updated on any further developments.

KELLY VAUGHN’S MAGIC

I have always been interested in the mystic arts because magic as a concept transcends the laws of physics as we know them. In almost every fantasy story a mage has someone to train them in the use of magic. However, I was always interested in the idea if a mage had no teacher and that their usage of magic was purely instinctual and self-taught. For instance, the sorcerer in question would have all mystical knowledge in the universe crammed inside of their heads. They would be able to understand bits and pieces of it gradually and learn to use certain spells on their own, but without a teacher it would take the magician years or even decades to fully decipher and master the knowledge that has been stuffed in their brains.

This is the origin story of Kelly Vaughn in my short stories. In the aftermath of volume three of my main series, she was granted all mystical knowledge in the universe and has great difficulty understanding the power she had gained. Within a day, she instinctively learned basic spells such as energy manipulation, enhancing physical abilities, and even an imperfect resurrection.

In the fourth and final volume of my main series, Kelly will encounter Tinisha, the last elf. Due to Tunisia’s superior experience with magic, she will serve as a formal mentor to Kelly as the story progresses. With a teacher by her side, Kelly will be able to decipher her knowledge faster. To learn the full details of Kelly’s origin story, click here.

In addition, I am thinking of creating another character who would undergo a similar process in my sequel spinoff series.

WRITING UPDATE: NEW SHORT STORIES ON THE WAY

I have new short story ideas to pursue in the future. One of the them will depict the origins of the cyborg supervillain, Cyber Shadow. Due to the fact that he is based on the various bullies who traumatized me for seven years, he is my least favorite of my creations. However, despite my dislike of the character, I feel he still deserves an origin story and how he made a comeback after his first defeat. We know how he became a cyborg in the first volume of my series, The Young Guardians and the Genesis Spell, but we have yet to find out how he became the sadistic, psychopathic bully and then to the homicidal serial killer we all know and hate. In general, Cyber Shadow’s life is one of hatred, vengeance, childhood trauma, and shell-shocking insanity. I hope to elaborate on his life story in one of my future short stories.

SHORT STORY AMAZON LINK

Here is the link to my latest collection of short stories, available on Amazon Kindle for $2.99 or for free on Kindle Unlimited:

https://www.amazon.com/Young-Guardians-Chronicles-Compendium-ebook/dp/B01K4DTXJQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1470967234&sr=8-2&keywords=the+young+guardians+chronicles