Tales of Cinnamon City is a Science fiction and fantasy series set in the rich, deep world of Megarothia.
Information Cloud is the first novel in the series, mixing elements of military science fiction, adventure and hi-tech action with an epic tale that travels through a vast land.
After the Iridium Wars, a cataclysmic event that killed the vast majority of Megarothia's human and animal populations, the planet has been left to ruin. Only Lord Hades, the Techno Prophet, foresaw this event and was able to save a few thousand survivors beneath a powerful structure that became known as the Dome Shield.
Major Rachel Henson is a soldier in the Security Forces, a military organisation that now governs the fragmented land. She's combat trained, and highly effective, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that there's something very wrong with her. She isn't like other people, and she's developing a reputation for being more capable than anyone can explain.
Lord Hades has been absent for many years, driven to desperation by his tormented visions of the Second Black Day. He fears that technology will be the end of man, but whatever he tries, he is powerless to stop the factions of the Orange Zone from destroying each other. The race is on to create ever more disturbing machines to win yet another war.
Peter James West is a British author who was born and raised in the seaside town of Scarborough, England. After obtaining a first class degree in artificial intelligence, he was married in India and now lives with his wife in London, where the trains break down with the regularity of an atomic clock.
Peter says: My books are a mixture of military science fiction and epic fantasy.
If you’re looking for a good place to start, you can take a look at the first book in my Tales of Cinnamon City series here: Find out more
The series is now available from all good online retailers in ebook and paperback formats. There are also box sets available if you want to pick up a whole bunch of books in one go.
Tales of Cinnamon City is a Science Fiction and Fantasy Series set in the rich, deep world of Megarothia. Information Cloud is the first book in the series, mixing elements of military science fiction, epic fantasy, and hi-tech action.
DNF. Author needs to take a writing course. It is just not well written. At one point he has a character slouching, leaning back in a chair and bumping his stomach up against the edge of his desk, which, while technically possible is awkward writing. You do not want your readers to have to stop reading and attempt a feat on their own in order to believe your character could do it. There are easier ways to say someone is an out of shape doofus.
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.
715DS, Megarothia (Dome Shield) orbits Durittus (star) & keeps everyone safe from the world outside. Major Rachel Henson (mother, Security Forces) & some of the security forces waited to get on with their combat mission. Trooper Dan Rickworth was not 1 of Major Henson favorite operatives. Commander Jake Harris (Security Forces, Cinnamon City) kept watch out the doorway. The Old Quarter. The place was bustling with PPL & vendors. Bingo! Barker (Kamari soldier) the messenger had a heavy sack draped across his shoulders. Shots were fired & Barker & all the PPL disappeared. The Security Forces were in hot pursuit of him. A bomb exploded.
Major Henson finally apprehended Barker. His bad contained Memory cubes & other things. Beacon Station (S. Orange Zone). Major Alan Fredericks (Central Command, Battle of Havers Compound) greeted Major Henson when she/others returned. The Farmers Guild had sent chemical pellets for the crops. Cafeteria. Major Collin Edwards, Major Marko Tenik (Central Command, Battle of Havers Compound), Major Henry Mason (Central Command) Battle of Havers Compound), & Major Geoff Bennet (Central Command, Battle of Havers Compound) were having some colorful camaraderie while eating their meals.
Commander Nick Chambers (Rachel’s C/O) wasn’t thrilled about his transfer from Tower Five at Central Command to Beacon Station. Major Henson, Major Collin Edwards, Major Tenik, & the other Security Forces were waiting for their next mission assignment. 12 Croc (RS6 attack vehicle) personnel carriers were ready 2 go & 3 were being repaired. Riser Trent (Mekinet News corp. reporter, hacker) had quite the unique collection of antique mechanical animals. Secure channel had been breached. Comms code. Central Command. D2398HK64T message has been pooled. The Kamari had infiltrated many parts of Cinnamon City. Central Command Tower # 4. Henry Willow let Admiral Gail Thompson Rupert Gumptor (Guildmaster, Merchant Guild was there to see her. The Council of Lords had run/controlled the Orange Zone’s economy since the Iridium Wars had ended. Havers Compound. Commander Chambers (K1), Major Henson (K2), Major Edwards (K3), Major Tenik, & the other Beacon Attack Force members had arrived & were there to accomplish the mission. K1, K2 & K3 Croc’s had come to a stop. Admiral Gail Thompson wanted an update.
Code D6942 was sent to her. Mekinet News building. Cinnamon City. Smoke was billowing out the compound as Damen Trent (Riser’s brother, Engineer) entered. Jacob Helleron (Roy’s youngest son Military Specialist, Kamari), Roy Helleron (father, Kamari Chief Strategist), & Isor Helleron (Roy’s youngest son, engineer/designer, Military Specialist, Kamari) were discussing their 200 soldiers that had been killed. BOOM! Another explosion rocked the building. Captain Michael Roneggar (Kamari, Havers Compound) was assessing the situation. Major Eric Ruffle (Security Forces) & Major Mark Redmond (Security Forces) & their teams were there to help. Roy Helleron led his sons: Isor Helleron & Jacob Helleron into the Walstone Forest headed towards the Kamari encampment. Major Rachel Henson (mother) told Annie Worrel (6, daughter) to take Lisa (daughter) & Puggles (cloth donkey) to their Grandpa’s house.
Cinnamon City White Spear. Admiral Gail Thompson spoke with Major Henson. Timothy Raisson (Ario’s Mekinet News business colleague, assassin/industrial spy) was reading the Walstone Report. Will Rachel find Riser Trent (hacker)? Lord Colloran Hades (Techno Prophet, Council Of Lords head) didn’t bother to knock at Admiral Thompson’s door.
I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written Sci-fi book. It was quite easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. This could also make another great Sci-fi movie, an animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. Not my favorite genre but I really liked it. That said I will rate it at 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Making Connections discussion group talk; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
An interesting book set in the future. People living under a dome. Good guys and bad guys and cool weapons.The usual sci-fi. I got caught up in the story pretty quickly and definitely enjoyed the book. Would recommend!
I wanted to like this book more than I did. At some level it was entertaining, but throughout the book and upon looking back on it after finishing it, I found lots of things that bothered me.
What was this book about? Is it about the resistance? Is it about the establishment? The lords? I did not know who to root for. In the beginning I thought it might be the military because I was made to feel sympathetic with the commander. Then I thought that maybe they were the bad guys and I was supposed to be rooting for Riser Trent until he proved unworthy. I then moved on to the resistance but found them somewhat despicable as well. I understand books dealing with shades of grey with no black and white, but this didn't feel like that book. It felt not like a choice or a statement than a lack of direction.
Why is it called 'Information Cloud?' Yes, there is mention of the Information Cloud in Riser Trent's storyline, but the plot itself is not centered around this technology. In fact, other technology is given just as much prominence as the Information Cloud. We have satellite grids, crocs and bulls that are just as important to the storyline. The Information Cloud is definitely very interesting, as is most of the tech in this book, but it doesn't rise above the others enough to warrant the title of the book. Unless...
Unless it plays a bigger part in the next book in the series. Which brings up my next issue. I like trilogies and series a lot. I do. But each one has to be able to stand on its own in my opinion, or you need to be notified somehow in the beginning that you will be left hanging or that it is continued in the next book. Something along those lines. This book just ended. And it ended without a satisfactory conclusion. To make a Star Wars reference, this book is the equivalent to The Empire Strikes Back without the benefit of having A New Hope come before it. There is too much weight left balancing on the strength of the story itself without having bought some goodwill first. It is a big leap of faith for the first book in a series to take.
Cinnamon City. I know this is a cheap shot, but I just don't like that title. I especially don't like it as the title to a series. It is just not very grounded to me, especially because I don't recall there being any reason for it being called that. But if it is being given prominence, then I want some explanation. Make me like this name because it has a worthy back story.
Typos. There were quite a few typos in this book. More so than the average book in my opinion. But beyond that, I found the writing to be clunky at times and hard to follow. Lack of commas in long rambling sentences or sentences that seem like they were written from back to front in an attempt at being elegant. I had to read and reread quite a few passages because too much effort was spent at writing cleverly than being straightforward in what it was trying to say.
Despite all of these issues, I still liked the book. I think that there is a lot of material to work from and I look forward to seeing what else populates this world, whether it be characters or technology, but I think a bit of focus or definition would help tremendously.
Information Cloud by Peter J. West is an action packed science fiction novel that takes place in a technologically advanced future where a decades old government is under attack by a terrorist organization called the Kamari. Cinnamon City is ruled by the Council of Lords which no one has seen for several years and they are under the protection of Central Command. The head of Central command, Gail Thompson has just sent a transmission to Commander Nick Chambers stating where the Kamari base is along with orders to attack.
Unbeknownst to Central Command the message has been intercepted by Riser Trent, a hacker working for the Mekinet News corporation. At Riser’s disposal is the information cloud which is a swarm of remote control droids that he can use to give himself enhanced powers and let him have awareness of everything that the droids sense. Riser’s new power has made him an enemy of both Central Command and the Kamari. A three way battle for Cinnamon City has begun and there may be no survivors.
Information Cloud is a fast paced novel that is hard to put down. It has a great story, interesting characters and the descriptions of all the futuristic technology is fascinating. I loved the explanation on how the information cloud works as well as the description of the equipment that they use such as the crocs, roaches, crab scanners and the bull rangers. The scenes where the Bull Rangers are tearing up the Kamari base were my favorite and I loved the way the Kamari deal with the problem
Along with the political commentary and great battle scenes. Information Cloud also has a good human interest story. Under Nick Chamber’s command is his former lover Rachel Henson. The couple has a daughter named Lisa who is in a building thats close to the battlezone. The two parents have to put aside their differences and decide how to save their daughter and follow orders at the same time. I enjoyed how the couple both come up with different solutions to their problem and both doubted that they made the right decision.
Another thing I liked about Information Cloud is how the author lets the reader decide who the villain is. Both the Kamari and Central Command have their good points and bad points. Neither side is presented as being good, the leaders of both organizations come across as uncaring and power hungry while the people in the middle of the battle are put in a sympathetic light.
One complaint that I’ve read about Information Cloud was that there was not enough backstory to The Cinnamon City government and the Kamari, but I think if the author would have focused more on the backstory it would have taken away from the action and the human element of the story. While there are political elements to the story, its more about the people who are affected by the two organizations and how they react to the world around them. Information Cloud is an excellent book and I can’t wait for future installments in the story.
A lot takes place in the short period of time this novel covers. Spanning roughly 24 hours of time, Information Cloud paints a pretty full picture of Cinnamon City. It's hard to describe exactly how much happens without going into major spoilers, but basically local security forces engage an enemy whose strength was severely underestimated, all the while a hacker exposes information from both sides of the conflict that each side would prefer remain hidden. As the story evolves, it becomes clear that much more is going on than anyone character knows. Much of the story is told from the perspective of characters belonging to the official security forces, but the perspective does expand as the story progresses to the experiences of others in the overall conflict. At the end, a rich world has been created, but there is still much to explore and learn.
The story is extremely intriguing and dives right in. I lost track of time while reading, easily losing several hours to the story without even realizing it. The characters are very well written, and interact with each other in a very believable way. There was little about their motivations or relationships that was confusing to the reader, which aides greatly in the suspension of disbelief. All the characters have a bevy of strengths and weaknesses, and even the apparent antagonists are likable and relate-able.
The story takes a Greek approach, in that it starts out with the assumption that the reader knows the setting well enough that an introduction to it isn't necessary. Cinnamon City isn't built by taking the reader aside to describe it but instead by allowing the characters to build it for us, either through interactions with others or their own inner monologue. This allows the story to focus more on plot and character development, less on bogging you down with long explanations of the setting. It is clear by the end that there is more to learn about Cinnamon City, but for the needs of this particular story the reader learns all they need to know through the characters themselves.
The author, has a strong grasp of using imagery without weighing you down with lengthy descriptions. As with the manner in which he presents the setting, he uses a few quick lines to paint the picture at hand and lets the narrative and characters build on that themselves as opposed to taking a paragraph or two away from them for nothing more than describing the room or mood. This again allows the author to dedicate more of the novel to the actual plot and characters.
To end: I really enjoyed this story, and look forward to future installments in this series. It has definitely become something I want to follow and learn more about.
First the good: Information Cloud flows quite easily. The dialogue is consistent and quite realistic. The characters are believable and not too two dimensional. The technology presented for the future seems to be very plausible and I wanted to read more of it as I got involved in the intrigue. The action scenes were gripping although maybe a little too blood oriented. Overall a fun read that took all of an evening but kept me reading.
Now for the bad: There is little background on Cinnamon City. The Main characters Rachel and Nick were a little cliche'd and some things appeared left out (her father for one; the bad guy family for another). I also found it hard to believe Rachel and her injuries and her battle in the basement.
If you are into Sci-Fi and robotics/weaponry as I am you should enjoy this little romp into the future.
Sam Hendricks, author Fantasy Football Guidebook and Fantasy Baseball for Beginners
What's great book! I do not normally enjoy post apocalyptic stories, but I really could not class this as one. It was more of a futuristic view of the future. Technology, food, security for The people and otherwise pretty normal lives for most citizens, except those of the security forces. The book started with a run, then slowed briefly to introduce important new characters and then blitzed away again. The characters were well developed and either like-able or extremely hateful, which made for an exciting read, rooting for your favourites. The book was well written and flowed seamlessly from one chapter to the next, making it impossible to put down at any point. The technology created in the book for the battles was mind boggling and frightening. The human is capable of terrible cruelties towards what they consider lesser beings. I am really looking forward to the next book. Really hope I don't have to wait too long. I really need to know what happens next!!!
Information Cloud by Peter James West is a combination of science fiction drama, corrupt police, terrorism, and the power of information. It is full of action and adventure which I found hard to put down.
The multiple storylines were easy to follow and tied in well to the main theme of the book. The author did a good job of developing and keeping each storyline exciting. The action was none stop, with new twist every time you blinked.
The characters were well developed and very believable. I like it when the heroes of the story have short-comings. This makes them all the more real and likeable.
I enjoyed the book and look forward to future works by Peter James West.
I recommend Information Cloud by Peter James West.
[Please note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.]
This book was very enjoyable to read. I wish that there was an introduction to lead the reader into the plot (who the characters are, what the city is like, some of the technologies employed in the plot, what the problem is, and why they are attacking Havers Compound). However, in time I figured everything out and the glossaries in the back helped. The action of this book was super good. Every piece made sense (disregarding the lack of initial explanation) and the plot was riveting. I loved the suspense carried throughout the text and the questions I had about the connections between different characters. The ending was satisfying and left a couple of things to ponder. I definitely want to read the sequel.
I really liked this book, the author drew my attention to it when he saw my review on another Sci-Fi book. I am a pretty big reader, and this book held my attention until the very last page. There was a lot of characters to get into, and more of their backgrounds became clear later in the book than in the beginning. The ending was very mysterious and left a lot to the imagination, so I look forward to a kindle edition of a sequel. Each chapter was written from a different perspective, so you didn't miss ANY of the huge amount of action. Seriously the action started about 1/4 the way through the book, and never stopped. It was a great book and I can't wait to see more from this author.
Such a thoroughly enjoyable first book in the series. Great characters, especially the kick-ass duo of Rachel and Nick. Packed with action and intrigue. Great world building. And some very different technology. Killer giant robots, levitating vehicles, and energy portals that the opposition keep appearing and disappearing via. The Lords remain pretty mysterious and it will be most interesting to find out who or what they are. Also piquing my interest are the unusual abilities that Rachel and her young daughter possess. I've downloaded the next two in the series to satisfy my curiosity! Highly recommended!
A compelling and interesting read. I especially like the way it focuses on a single battle and teh various characters involved in it. Fast paced and exciting, which is what I like. The twist at the end really threw me off guard! Well done. I look forward to the next installment in this series.
Information Cloud is the first book in the Cinnamon City series. The world Mr. West has created is really cool. Lots of high tech weapons, gadgets, and the like. I like the main characters and that we get to understand what motivates them, mostly the good guys. I hope we find out what motivates the bad guys in the next book. This book has a lot of political maneuvering and introduces some things that I am sure will come back in future books.
The only issue I have is that there were parts of the story that I felt could have been left out and the story would still have moved on just as well.
Overall, I found this to be a fun, interesting read.
Calling a 300+ page novel a little story may sound a little off. However, truth is, it's a compendium of what seem to be a whole bunch of really interesting and promising stories.
Yes, they are all related. Yes, they do all happen in the same city/township/county whatever image is more comfortable for you. But. It is a little like reading a newspaper. They are very independent stories. All interesting, to be sure, but widely different in their destination. And, unlike the newspaper, none close the plot. They are a bunch of beginnings and introductions of sorts. I imagine the following books of the series will developed and eventually close the stories.
I am not fond of this type of serial, preferring stand alone books, even if they are part of a series. I like an ending, even though the story can clearly continue, you know, like life itself.
So although I can see promise in the different stories I have no clue if they will be closed well, or when, so that's why the 4 stars, it's a good prologue, but I just can't tell if it, or they, will be good stories.
Finally, it needs a little editorial help. Autocorrect is a great tool, but sometimes it misinterpret the meaning of the sentence and you end up with something that just makes little or no sense. In other places the wrong word was used. So a little editing would greatly benefit the book.
"This was a surprisingly well-written science fiction adventure, and brought freshness to a frequently stale genre. While the visual design of the world could have used a bit more description, and some points of plot resolution were a bit too convenient, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel." [Jon.Roemer] 4.5 stars
"Pretty good; I'm not a big sci fi fan, but this story is interesting. I find the love story, not to be distracting, as some can be, shows depth to the characters. Riser Trent, the "baddie" is the right kind of weird. So well written, any reader can picture just what that guy looks like. I do enjoy this book, and the more sci fi fan, would enjoy it more." [kristincedar] 4 stars
Excerpts from UK Amazon Reviews:
"Many ideas (I especially liked the Croc) are first class, maybe some bits are a bit gratuitous (her father?). But overall a very nice reading and an impressive first work." [Uberto Barbini]
"West crafts a vivid and exciting picture of the world which is both distant and yet also familiar" [David Cameron]
I received a copy of this book for honest review. 'Information Cloud' is an action-packed sci-fi story and the first in a series.
I think this book will be best enjoyed by fans of action sci-fi as it is driven more by action than characters. I enjoy a good action-packed read but I also need characters I can get invested in to keep me interested in the story. I felt like I didn't really get a chance to connect with any of the characters as there was so much going on, so that was my main problem with this book.
There was mention of strange powers relating to one of the main characters at the start and I was very intrigued by this and wanted to know more, then the attacks started and everyone was caught up in the fight so this interesting element was dropped while everything else was going on, but it does come back up later on and is well worth waiting for.
The last quarter was where it really got interesting for me. I thought it played out well and I liked the way it ended, it was both exciting and chilling. It actually felt like the real story was just about to begin, which is good news considering this is only the start of the series.
Overall I'd say this was an enjoyable action sci-fi read in a series that has a lot of potential. Recommended for fans of action-packed sci-fi!
I am always looking for new and innovative Science Fiction stories. This came to me from someone who had seen my review of the Star Wars Trilogy. In the spirit of new Sci-Fi, I liked that it had two very innovative ideas (which I will not spoil here as they are only revealed at the very end of the book). One issue I had was that other aspects felt less surprising and more mundane. I would have liked to see Mr. West take more chances and reach farther with regards to new technologies. Oddly, I was never quite clear how far in the future this tale was set and where it takes place. Most of the weaponry and computer systems were too close to things I can easily imagine (and have actually seen) being worked on today in various advanced R&D centers. The main military conflict in the book centers around a group called the Kamari, who seem to be invading or attacking the first characters you meet. For some time I believed the Kamari were aliens, (given it is Sci-Fi and with a name like ‘the Kamari’, can you blame me?). While the first contact implies they are humanoid, I still thought they were off-worldly, given their weaponry and means of transport. It wasn’t till almost the end of the book that I realized they were a radical group, which was a bit of a let down.
I was intrigued by the opportunity to read this book. I am always a bit wary to read stuff in this category, though I love the science of technology. First, I applaud the author for having completed a book. However, there were a couple things that were off-putting for me. I do not enjoy a book that employs cursing, especially the F-word. Even used once in a book might keep me from continuing reading. However, our of respect to the author, I kept on. I understand that it might be realistic for the characters to employ this language. This would normally just disqualify it from my reading list. I believe their are other more artistic ways of creating atmosphere in a novel. I guess I am old-school that way. Without that type of language, I would have given it 3 stars, at least. That said, this novel not being completely my style because of the emphasis on the fighting/ war setting, I wanted to keep reading. The author does employ some edgy technology that seems promising. The character storylines where a bit disjointed in places. All in all, it needs a little editing to catch some minor errors. I say keep on writing, there is much promise here.
Full disclosure - I was provided a free copy of this book by the author
Unfortunately, I can't say that I was able to get into this book. I found it hard to grasp what the plot was as it seemed to shift from location to location and person to person on a regular basis. This perhaps didn't allow for the scenes or the characters to 'gel' with me. I also felt that there wasn't enough initial depth with the characters in way that would endear them to me. this made it hard for me to become part of the story as I felt as though I was always looking from the outside rather than being part of the story.
It isn't that the book is hard to read, it just didn't seem to grab me initially which made it more difficult to follow. I put this down to what I felt was a lack of character development and depth at the beginning of the book. I will readily admit that I am not a huge sci-fi fan so that perhaps also detracted fro my enjoyment of the book. The plot and the characters just didn't jump out at me early on a grab my attention. Perhaps if I had been more into sci-fi I would have enjoyed it more.
This was an interesting story in the sense that it felt like a long story but in reality it took place over a couple day span and when summing it up, it doesn't seem like that much happened. However, there were plenty of characters, plenty of action, and a good overall premise. I enjoyed the politics and the unfolding of some of the city and character background and history. I was hoping for a little revenge on the part of the good guys and I found the ending a little abrupt. The book ends with plenty of unanswered questions and I look forward to reading more to find out what is going on with each of the characters and how things are going to unfold.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Has a really strong story line with great, well thought out technologies and characters. There isn't really anything I can get into further details without giving away tons of the story, so I'll just say that I'm looking forward to learning about what happens to each main character in upcoming books in the series! The only bad thing in the book is the language, especially all the uses of the f word. Iope the author will reconsider such language, which does not display his otherwise obvious intelligence, and maybe revise any novels that bears such language.
Information Cloud is an ambitious attempt at an epic military science-fiction novel but loses itself in the numerous character perspectives, making it difficult to work out who the main protagonist is. The action is well-scripted but the descriptions come across too over-worked. The world building is one of the strengths of this novel and West has done a good job of constructing socio-political differences.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a futuristic story of a city within a city and a rebellion. Lots of action lots of background and detail. An interesting story with lots of real characters.