Happy July, Everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well, wherever you are, whatever your season.
I am looking forward to a trip to Nova Scotia to see my family,
including two sisters I haven't seen since before the pandemic.
I can't wait for those special hugs!
My Two Sisters I Haven't Seen In Too Long:
Barb (top) and Bertie (bottom)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
What an impossible question to answer this month!
One of the greatest joys of reading for me is being transported
to different places and times, whether on this world or others.
I can't possibly pick one!
Tolkien's Middle Earth?
The Covers of My Paperbacks for My First Journey to Middle Earth
Barry Lopez's Arctic Dreams?
An Iceberg Above and Below Water
Dan Simmons' Hyperion? Julian May's Pliocene Earth?
Peter Matthiessen's remote mountains of Nepal?
Traveling with Charles Darwin on the Beagle?
HMS Beagle in the Straits of Magellan
The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701?
Not a book, I know,
but I'd sure love to roam the galaxy in it.
And how about the book worlds created by our talented IWSG members?
I haven't explored as many of these book worlds as I'd like,
but I'm sure to dip into more in the future.
Some I have enjoyed include:
Jacqui Murray's Crossroads trilogy set 850,000 years ago in humankind's prehistory...
Sandra Cox's mysterious Montana in Mateo's Law...
Pat Hatt's scary Disconnective, safe to visit in a book, but maybe not in person...
Roland Clarke's Spiral of Hooves rarified world of international sport horse breeding...
Rebecca Douglass's Death by Donut on foggy, cozy Pismawallops Island
in Puget Sound in Washington State,
complete with delicious sweets and great coffee...
So many interesting worlds!
I can't wait to see how others answer this question.
And in a complete change of direction!
Another Awesome Book
by
Another Awesome IWSG Author
CassaDark
by
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Alex keeps delivering with his militaristic space opera Cassa series!
His latest book CassaDark, the fourth in the series, does not disappoint.
Bassan, son of two heroic and storied pilots Athee and Byron,
is a hero in his own right for saving the galaxy as a child.
But now he is an adult trying to find his place
on his planet Tgren or off-world somewhere else.
Has he already accomplished the best he is capable of as a child?
Should he follow the course his legendary father Byron is pushing him to take,
or should he follow his own and remain on Tgren as he desires.
As Bassan struggles with his self-esteem,
he is paralyzed by doubt following the near death of his best friend.
He froze during a crisis, failed to help his friend, and blames himself for what happened.
Now, reluctantly, he must step in at the last moment as a replacement speaker
at an important conference at Procura Space Station far across the galaxy.
While there, Bassan meets Zendar who persuades him to travel
to his home on Ugar, a dangerous prison planet.
Zendar is convinced that Bassan's unique connection to ancient Kintal ship technology
will help him save his people who are the descendants of criminals abandoned on Ugar.
On Ugar Bassan discovers that the situation is not as clear-cut as it was presented to him.
As the situation deteriorates, Bassan realizes he could die along with Zendar's people
if he can't evacuate them from Ugar.
Soon the stakes become much higher as the galaxy is threatened once again.
Can Bassan summon the courage to become a hero again,
or will his doubt and paralysis result in terrible death and destruction?
You'll have to read this adventurous book to find out!
As someone who has read all four of the books in this series,
it's been great fun to follow the continuing storyline of Byron and Bassan, father and son:
from young Byron's Cosbolt fighter pilot training and his combat in the Vindicarn War,
to his service as a senior officer on the exploration vessel Rennather
and its mission to delve into alien ruins on the desert planet Tgren,
to his command of the Cassan base on Tgren,
to his coming retirement...
...from Bassan's terrifying childhood nightmares as war breaks out among all the races,
to his rescuing the galaxy from an alien probe that threatens all life,
to his struggle to overcome his personal crisis and failures,
to his struggle to save Zendar's people and the galaxy once again.
Is Alex finished with exploring the galaxy containing
Cassa, Tgren, Ugar, and other fascinating worlds?
I'd love to know!
He cleverly left an opening or maybe it was a tease.
If he does write another book in the series,
I want all the exciting spaces adventures and battles to continue,
but I also want more world building, setting descriptions, and moody details!!!
Alex already has character, nonstop action, and building tension nailed.
Alex is the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where he is known as Ninja Captain Alex.
His Cassa books are Amazon Best Sellers and winners of the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award.
CassaDark was released April 6, 2022 and is available at online, retail, and for all eBook platforms.
Published by Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
Science Fiction – Adventure / Space Opera / Space Exploration.
Trade paperback $16.95 ISBN 9781939844842, eBook $4.99 ISBN 9781939844859
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
My next post will be on Friday, July 15, 2022.
