Stewart Bint (Author of Thunderlands)

Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing Welcome To The Zoo: 30 short stories about animals, sometimes funny by Paul Smith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A Modern-Day Aesop’s Fables At first, I didn’t know what to make of this book, because I was confused as to who its target audience was. The overview on Amazon claims it’s an anthology for all ages, and one review says it’s for kids between 6 and 12. ...more
Nov 29, 2025 05:32AM · 1 like · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book really liked it The Van Helsing Resurgence (The Clara Grey Adventures, #2) by Evelyn Chartres (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Cross Genres, as Horror and Sci-Fi Meet The second book in Evelyn Chartres’ Clara Grey Adventures, takes place around 90 years after the first, but time is immaterial to Clara, who is an immortal angel, now fighting the good fight as an emissary of H ...more
Nov 03, 2025 08:46AM · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing Jesta Has Tea with the King by Graham Hyman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Five Stars For Jesta, The King’s Hero There’s surely no higher accolade for a children’s book than youngsters asking for it to be read to them time and time again. My two-year-old grandson George loves the original Jesta story, and was delighted to rec ...more
Oct 13, 2025 02:58AM · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing Mohammed the Squirrel by Graham P Hyman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Combined Learning With Entertainment A delightful adventure story for toddlers, telling of Mohammed, a clever, but cheeky, squirrel, who becomes separated from his family, and sets out to find them. Using well-written language which little ears will ea ...more
Sep 28, 2025 03:02AM · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book really liked it The Forest of Forgotten Time by Michele E. Northwood (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Tension and Mystery as Time Loses Meaning An intriguing title, and intriguing premise, as the story unfolds. Initially, you think you know what’s going to happen. But, believe me, you don’t. We’re plunged straight into good characterisation and locatio ...more
Sep 12, 2025 03:25AM · 1 like · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing North Paradise: A Timothy Grey Case by Alex James Eccleston (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A Masterpiece of Terror – Up There With the Horror Greats This unsettling, yet totally compelling, page-turner, delivers punch after punch while you’re reading it, and will stay in your mind long after you reach the final page. An emotional thriller a ...more
Sep 12, 2025 02:33AM · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing The Adventures of Jesta - The Mystery of the Christmas Bauble by Graham Hyman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Bright Pictures, and Easy To Understand Language My 5***** review of The Adventures of Jesta: The Mystery of the Christmas Bauble, by Graham Hyman This heartwarming children’s story about Jesta the puppy showing his love for his family, was Graham Hyma ...more
Sep 06, 2025 05:49AM · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing The Adventures of Jesta - The Mystery of the Christmas Bauble by Graham Hyman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Bright Pictures, and Easy To Understand Language My 5***** review of The Adventures of Jesta: The Mystery of the Christmas Bauble, by Graham Hyman This heartwarming children’s story about Jesta the puppy showing his love for his family, was Graham Hyma ...more
Sep 06, 2025 05:47AM · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book really liked it Immortal Door by Marion Tucker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A Four-Star Little Gem My four-star **** review of Immortal Door, by Marion Tucker The thing about self-publishing, and small Indie publishing houses, is that we, as readers, can find little gems that probably wouldn’t make it through the rather snobbi ...more
Sep 02, 2025 05:08AM · like · see review
Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing The Ten People You Meet: And Other Writings by Chris Vobe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Chris Vobe’s Words are Living, Breathing, Dynamic Entities About the Soul Probably the strangest book I’ve ever read. But definitely the most beautiful. Strange, because it’s an anthology comprising a mixt of regular prose, and poetic verse. But not s ...more
Aug 26, 2025 06:51AM · like · see review

Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing

Welcome To The Zoo: 30 short stories about animals, sometimes funny
by Paul Smith

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A Modern-Day Aesop’s Fables

At first, I didn’t know what to make of this book, because I was confused as to who its target audience was. The overview on Amazon claims it’s an anthology for all ages, and one review says it’s for kids between 6 and 12. A Modern-Day Aesop’s Fables

At first, I didn’t know what to make of this book, because I was confused as to who its target audience was. The overview on Amazon claims it’s an anthology for all ages, and one review says it’s for kids between 6 and 12. But the language used, and sentence construction, along with the style and content of the 30 stories themselves, would indicate it’s aimed more towards older teenagers and young adults.

Apart from one story, they all follow the same five-chapter formula. Generally, Chapter One sets the scene and introduces the all-animal characters; Chapter Two expands on those, and develops the plotline; Chapters Three and Four provide the thrust of the action; with the final chapter often being more of an epilogue.

Once I’d finished the book and fully digested the stories, everything became clearer, and if the author set out to portray the beauty and diversity to be found in the world, and how harmony can overcome a variety of problems, he certainly succeeded.

Although the book is called Welcome To The Zoo, almost all the stories are actually set in the wilds of the jungle, and each one imparts an important moral about gender, religion, love, courage, friendship, inclusivity, and other emotionally heartwarming and educational messages.

In many ways, just as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is also known as A Modern Prometheus, this book could readily be seen as a modern Aesop’s Fables, with the animals portraying human behaviour which conveys a life lesson, in an entertaining and often humorous way.

Each of the 30 stories only takes a few moments to read, making this book perfect for a month of bedtimes.

So, the big question – four or five stars? In my opinion, Welcome To The Zoo is a book to be savoured. A marathon rather than a sprint. Which is why I suggest just one story a day for a month. The formulaic style might be a bit too much for any more. But, if handled in this way, the human values portrayed in these delightful tales will be successfully drip-fed to your child, meriting the full five stars. ...more

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The Van Helsing Resurgence by Evelyn Chartres

The Van Helsing Resurgence (The Clara Grey Adventures, #2)
by Evelyn Chartres (Goodreads Author)

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Cross Genres, as Horror and Sci-Fi Meet

The second book in Evelyn Chartres’ Clara Grey Adventures, takes place around 90 years after the first, but time is immaterial to Clara, who is an immortal angel, now fighting the good fight as an emissary of H Cross Genres, as Horror and Sci-Fi Meet

The second book in Evelyn Chartres’ Clara Grey Adventures, takes place around 90 years after the first, but time is immaterial to Clara, who is an immortal angel, now fighting the good fight as an emissary of Heaven, against a variety of foes.

This story cuts across a couple of genres, as traditional horror mingles nicely with a sci-fi element. The first couple of chapters set the scene with a trio of aliens before Clara puts in an appearance in Chapter Three. Coupling the aliens with altered realities, give a real sci-fi feel, combining with the vampire aspects.

The author’s trademark touches of understated humour litter the book wonderfully, including some delicious asides, even during the action of battle, such as: “That’s going to bruise,” and “I’ve been hit harder by an eight-year-old girl,” which made me smile during those otherwise tense scenes.

But that almost became a parody of itself, with this line: ‘Before Clara could make a witty remark, a member of the pack pulled out his pistol and fired off a clip.’

A number of well-written erotic scenes creep in, and are tastefully done – but whether they’re vital to the story is a matter of opinion. A penchant for euphemisms for parts of a woman’s body steered a scene between Clara and another main character, Elizabeth, to comedy instead of smut, to which it could otherwise have succumbed.

As with its predecessor, the word ‘alas’ features many times, but overall the author’s narrative voice isn’t as prevalent in this volume, giving the storytelling more show than tell, so we see much more of the action through the protagonists’ eyes and thoughts.

I much prefer that, even if we do get more than one point of view in a scene sometimes. The narrator’s voice was strong and assured, but perhaps utilised just a little too much, meaning there are several scenes which would have been better for readers to have been shown instead of being told. Hence, me docking a star.

My verdict: **** ...more

Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing

Jesta Has Tea with the King
by Graham Hyman

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Five Stars For Jesta, The King’s Hero

There’s surely no higher accolade for a children’s book than youngsters asking for it to be read to them time and time again.

My two-year-old grandson George loves the original Jesta story, and was delighted to rec ...more

Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing

Mohammed the Squirrel
by Graham P Hyman

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Combined Learning With Entertainment

A delightful adventure story for toddlers, telling of Mohammed, a clever, but cheeky, squirrel, who becomes separated from his family, and sets out to find them.

Using well-written language which little ears will ea ...more

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The Forest of Forgotten Time
by Michele E. Northwood (Goodreads Author)

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Tension and Mystery as Time Loses Meaning

An intriguing title, and intriguing premise, as the story unfolds. Initially, you think you know what’s going to happen. But, believe me, you don’t.

We’re plunged straight into good characterisation and locatio Tension and Mystery as Time Loses Meaning

An intriguing title, and intriguing premise, as the story unfolds. Initially, you think you know what’s going to happen. But, believe me, you don’t.

We’re plunged straight into good characterisation and location, with just the right combination of show and exposition in the rather long opening chapter (there are only five chapters in this novella), but there are multiple POVs without breaks. Sometimes, this even ran across two sentences in the same paragraph; an example being: ‘Liz breathed in his manliness, relishing every second, determined to remember the moment forever. Miles, perturbed by her fragility, held her close, hoping to soothe her confusion and pain.’

Does this matter? I’m no gatekeeper of snobby ‘writing rules’ as long as such things don’t get in the way of good storytelling. There’s certainly no interference here, as I can say the author is definitely a good storyteller. This story held me transfixed.

Michele E. Northwood builds powerful tension across the first couple of chapters, with more than hint of the menace to come, once our intrepid trio of botanists get inside the forest they’ve come to study.

The mystery starts midway through the second chapter, and we have the feeling that we’re actually further into the story than we are. I think that’s because it’s a novella, rather than a novel.

As the mystery develops, by the time we reach the quarterway point of the book, we’re well invested in Miles, and we care what happens to him - we care that he’s in danger, and that there’s trouble in paradise.

By now, I’d formed my own opinion about what was happening, but I was only partly right. Yes, time is meaningless, running much slower in the forest than in the outside world, but then we learn there’s far more to it than that.

As a novella, I knew we’d reach the end quickly, and, in truth, I didn’t want it to finish. But when it did, I was a little disappointed for the wrong reason.

Personally, I didn’t like the ambiguity of the final twist, which is why I’ve docked a star. But other readers may love that final scene. It’s all down to preference.

My verdict **** ...more

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North Paradise: A Timothy Grey Case
by Alex James Eccleston (Goodreads Author)

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A Masterpiece of Terror – Up There With the Horror Greats

This unsettling, yet totally compelling, page-turner, delivers punch after punch while you’re reading it, and will stay in your mind long after you reach the final page.

An emotional thriller a ...more

Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing

The Adventures of Jesta - The Mystery of the Christmas Bauble
by Graham Hyman

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Bright Pictures, and Easy To Understand Language

My 5***** review of The Adventures of Jesta: The Mystery of the Christmas Bauble, by Graham Hyman

This heartwarming children’s story about Jesta the puppy showing his love for his family, was Graham Hyma ...more

Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing

The Adventures of Jesta - The Mystery of the Christmas Bauble
by Graham Hyman

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Bright Pictures, and Easy To Understand Language

My 5***** review of The Adventures of Jesta: The Mystery of the Christmas Bauble, by Graham Hyman

This heartwarming children’s story about Jesta the puppy showing his love for his family, was Graham Hyma ...more

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Immortal Door
by Marion Tucker (Goodreads Author)

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A Four-Star Little Gem
My four-star **** review of Immortal Door, by Marion Tucker

The thing about self-publishing, and small Indie publishing houses, is that we, as readers, can find little gems that probably wouldn’t make it through the rather snobbi A Four-Star Little Gem
My four-star **** review of Immortal Door, by Marion Tucker

The thing about self-publishing, and small Indie publishing houses, is that we, as readers, can find little gems that probably wouldn’t make it through the rather snobbish gatekeeping of many traditional publishers.

Immortal Door, by Marion Tucker, is one of those gems.

A good, entertaining story, where the author quickly takes us into the heart of the action via some tightly-written exposition, which helped set the scene without interfering too much with the here and now.

A young 17-year-old murderer is sired into a vampire. A vampire from another dimension has turned him; she is from a world where vampires are part of a lower-class slave group. She wants power and this is why she sired George, to help her open a doorway to her reality again to bring her lover from there. When George falls in love with Jasmin a beautiful young girl, everything turns upside down. Max, the ghost of a friend he killed before turning into a vampire, shows up, and tries to warn Jasmin of the dangers she is in. Will Chloe get the power she desires?

It's a shortish book, around two hours on my Kindle, but with the writer’s skill in ensuring readers instantly connect with Chloe, I’d have loved it to be longer, so we could have been shown, rather than told, about her life in her home dimension, and how she came to meet and change George.

The print length version runs out at 160 pages, which probably puts it in the novella classification, where this ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’ approach is more acceptable than in a full-length novel. It continues with a number of info-dumps which bring us fully up to speed with the main characters and others who come into their circle. But does this really matter? In my opinion, no, it doesn’t. As a reader and reviewer, I look for what makes a book a good read, and for me, that’s a good story, well told, and not the self-imposed writing rules spouted by self-important publishers. That’s why this book is a little gem.

Personally, though, I’d have liked a little more detailed description in certain scenes – an example being: They walked into a room decorated as though it belonged in the seventies. Instead of telling us this, why not describe what the character sees; the wallpaper, the furniture, the carpet, even the lighting?

The ending seemed to come out of the blue, and really crept up on me. The author has created fantasy-realistic characters, who I felt invested in, and I’d have loved to see where their journeys took them after the final scene.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is a love story at heart, with waves of deceit and treachery, albeit in an unusual way: a well-told story, which fully merits the four stars I’ve given it; the one star being docked for too much ‘tell’ and not enough ‘show,’ even for my non-gatekeeping stance.

A good, entertaining and recommended read, and that’s what counts, at the end of the day.

My verdict **** ...more

Stewart Bint rated a book it was amazing

The Ten People You Meet: And Other Writings
by Chris Vobe

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Chris Vobe’s Words are Living, Breathing, Dynamic Entities About the Soul

Probably the strangest book I’ve ever read. But definitely the most beautiful.

Strange, because it’s an anthology comprising a mixt of regular prose, and poetic verse. But not s ...more

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	Thunderlands: A Collection Of Short Stories 4.42 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 2014 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Timeshaft 4.58 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	To Rise Again 3.96 avg rating — 26 ratings — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In Shadows Waiting 4.60 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2014 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Jigsaw and the Fan 4.57 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Up Close And Personal it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	When God's Wind Blows (White Pastures Book 2) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Malfunction 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ashday's Child liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Up Close And Personal - Volume 2 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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