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Alastair Stone Chronicles #1
Stone and a Hard Place
It's hard enough for Alastair Stone to keep his two lives - powerful mage and mundane Occult Studies professor - separate without an old friend asking him to take on a new apprentice. Especially after a university colleague wants him to investigate a massive old house for things that go bump in the night. Still, Stone figures it's an easy job: just turn up, put on a little show, and announce that the house is clean.
Only it isn't. A malevolent spirit is reawakening in the basement, imprisoned between dimensions and intent on escape. If it succeeds, countless people will die. Worse, a trio of dark mages want to help it break free so they can control it for their own sinister purposes. They'll do whatever it takes - including seducing Stone's young apprentice and using him against his master - to get what they're after.
With time running out, Stone has to stay alive long enough to uncover the spirit's secrets. But even if he does, he fears that his own power won't be enough to send it back.
Only it isn't. A malevolent spirit is reawakening in the basement, imprisoned between dimensions and intent on escape. If it succeeds, countless people will die. Worse, a trio of dark mages want to help it break free so they can control it for their own sinister purposes. They'll do whatever it takes - including seducing Stone's young apprentice and using him against his master - to get what they're after.
With time running out, Stone has to stay alive long enough to uncover the spirit's secrets. But even if he does, he fears that his own power won't be enough to send it back.
363 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2015
About the author
R.L. King
70 books334 followersR. L. King is the author of the Amazon-bestselling urban fantasy series The Alastair Stone Chronicles.
When not doing her best to make life difficult for her characters, she works as a software technical writer for a large Silicon Valley database company.
She also freelances for Catalyst Game Labs, publisher of the popular roleplaying game Shadowrun, where she's contributed fiction and game material to numerous sourcebooks and one full-length adventure, "On the Run," which was included as part of the 2012 Origins-Award-winning "Runners' Toolkit."
Her first novel in the Shadowrun universe, "Borrowed Time," was published in Spring 2015. She's working on her second Shadowrun novel, "Veiled Extraction," which will be released in late 2016 or early 2017.
When not writing or working, she enjoys hanging out with her very understanding spouse and her small herd of cats, and watching way too much Doctor Who.
When not doing her best to make life difficult for her characters, she works as a software technical writer for a large Silicon Valley database company.
She also freelances for Catalyst Game Labs, publisher of the popular roleplaying game Shadowrun, where she's contributed fiction and game material to numerous sourcebooks and one full-length adventure, "On the Run," which was included as part of the 2012 Origins-Award-winning "Runners' Toolkit."
Her first novel in the Shadowrun universe, "Borrowed Time," was published in Spring 2015. She's working on her second Shadowrun novel, "Veiled Extraction," which will be released in late 2016 or early 2017.
When not writing or working, she enjoys hanging out with her very understanding spouse and her small herd of cats, and watching way too much Doctor Who.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
July 12, 2015
This book is awful. I bought it because it was only $2 on Amazon and I want a refund. If you're looking for a cool new urban fantasy world to explore with an intriguing magic system then you won't find it here. The magic is bland and vague, "Imagine this complex symbol i drew on a chalkboard then put your will into it. You'll need to practice to build up your magic strength," is about as indepth as it goes, despite the main character taking on an apprentice, a trope that is generally used to explain how magic works in the author's world.
The narrative also jumps between four points of view in the first two chapters, and not in a good way. The writing is subpar and the content bland. Don't bother with this one.
The narrative also jumps between four points of view in the first two chapters, and not in a good way. The writing is subpar and the content bland. Don't bother with this one.
May 21, 2015
Professor Alistair Stone is a powerful mage, teaching occult studies to mundane (non magical folk) students. When he takes on Ethan, a young mage, as a favour to one of his mage colleagues and friends, Dr Stone embarks on a journey of self discovery as much as Ethan.
The character of Alistair Stone was reasonable, I liked his personality and methodical approach to teaching. He was suitably eccentric enough to keep things interesting, but stable enough to appear reliable.
Ethan is a completely different matter. Ethan is meant to be 18, but the way he conducts himself, especially in relation to women is more fitting for a 15 or 16 year old boy. Bordering on TSTL (Too Stupid To Live), his character was so flimsy he almost doubled as a tool the real characters used to advance the plot. All his internal debating with himself over what to tell Dr Stone and what not to was quite boring and rather immature and annoying.
The start of the story spent a lot time introducing the world and magic rules. It was done by way of educating Ethan, but it allowed for the reader to get a solid understanding. It felt a little longer and a little slower than I'd have liked, but I could see it served a purpose.
The ending of the story was a completely different matter all together. The story was like rolling a giant boulder up a slight incline, only to have it reach the apex of the hill and then have it leave you behind as it roared down the decline on the otherside. The ending scenes were fast, almost too fast, and considering the light style of writing, quite dark and sinister.
The ending left me feeling like it was more of an anti-climax than a climax. The unanswered plot threads left to dangle in the smoke and haze, intending to lure you onto reading the next book. While the main story plot was completed, these smaller threads were left unanswered, almost like a tiny little hook. Daring the reader to take a bite out of book #2.
The story was interesting and engaging, the writing style mostly light and extremely easy to read. R.L. has a solid grasp on good English and uses those skills to keep the reader interested in the story. If you'd like to try an urban fantasy story with some sinister dark elements, give this book a try. I will be reading book #2 at some point in the future for sure.
**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of the book in return for an honest review**
The character of Alistair Stone was reasonable, I liked his personality and methodical approach to teaching. He was suitably eccentric enough to keep things interesting, but stable enough to appear reliable.
Ethan is a completely different matter. Ethan is meant to be 18, but the way he conducts himself, especially in relation to women is more fitting for a 15 or 16 year old boy. Bordering on TSTL (Too Stupid To Live), his character was so flimsy he almost doubled as a tool the real characters used to advance the plot. All his internal debating with himself over what to tell Dr Stone and what not to was quite boring and rather immature and annoying.
The start of the story spent a lot time introducing the world and magic rules. It was done by way of educating Ethan, but it allowed for the reader to get a solid understanding. It felt a little longer and a little slower than I'd have liked, but I could see it served a purpose.
The ending of the story was a completely different matter all together. The story was like rolling a giant boulder up a slight incline, only to have it reach the apex of the hill and then have it leave you behind as it roared down the decline on the otherside. The ending scenes were fast, almost too fast, and considering the light style of writing, quite dark and sinister.
The ending left me feeling like it was more of an anti-climax than a climax. The unanswered plot threads left to dangle in the smoke and haze, intending to lure you onto reading the next book. While the main story plot was completed, these smaller threads were left unanswered, almost like a tiny little hook. Daring the reader to take a bite out of book #2.
The story was interesting and engaging, the writing style mostly light and extremely easy to read. R.L. has a solid grasp on good English and uses those skills to keep the reader interested in the story. If you'd like to try an urban fantasy story with some sinister dark elements, give this book a try. I will be reading book #2 at some point in the future for sure.
**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of the book in return for an honest review**
December 29, 2017
Not actually finished the book yet and my review will likely go up. The story is giving me such a strong feeling at the moment that I need to share it....
Oooooh my fucking god if Ethan doesn't die my rating probably won't go up much. I'm not a bully. Got picked on plenty myself. But I HATE this character. Thank you. I just had to share that.
Edit: Alright I've finished the book. And honestly I would have rated it a solid three stars. Where I put most of the books I enjoy. But i truly did hate the Ethan character. He knew consciously every thing he did wrong was wrong. He was just selfish and decided to do it anyway.
I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been written from a solo point of view, as I prefer in general. That way the author could have hinted vaguely at what a shit Ethan was here and there. Giving a more solid hint at the end. And I could have just enjoyed the other characters more without being annoyed with Ethan constantly.
But then I guess that's all a matter of taste and opinion. I can admit Game of Thrones was a well done show. But I couldnt watch it because I hated most all of the characters. Some folks enjoy that. Not me.
Oooooh my fucking god if Ethan doesn't die my rating probably won't go up much. I'm not a bully. Got picked on plenty myself. But I HATE this character. Thank you. I just had to share that.
Edit: Alright I've finished the book. And honestly I would have rated it a solid three stars. Where I put most of the books I enjoy. But i truly did hate the Ethan character. He knew consciously every thing he did wrong was wrong. He was just selfish and decided to do it anyway.
I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been written from a solo point of view, as I prefer in general. That way the author could have hinted vaguely at what a shit Ethan was here and there. Giving a more solid hint at the end. And I could have just enjoyed the other characters more without being annoyed with Ethan constantly.
But then I guess that's all a matter of taste and opinion. I can admit Game of Thrones was a well done show. But I couldnt watch it because I hated most all of the characters. Some folks enjoy that. Not me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2016
Very difficult to finish.
It was a struggle and aggravating.
I stuck with it, hoping it would get better. I will not be getting any of the others in the series.
The characters were annoying and weak and predictable
Wasn't impressed
It was a struggle and aggravating.
I stuck with it, hoping it would get better. I will not be getting any of the others in the series.
The characters were annoying and weak and predictable
Wasn't impressed
May 5, 2017
3.5 ✨
Not bad but the magic system needs work. it was a bit predictable too but it was a fun read. I've read worse books
Not bad but the magic system needs work. it was a bit predictable too but it was a fun read. I've read worse books
October 4, 2017
Alternate Title: Hormonal Teenager Fucks Everything Up
Ok, to be fair, this book is not bad. It hits all the right notes of your typical Urban Fantasy book and what it does, it accomplishes okay. There's nothing overly creative about the universe R.L King is trying to create, although I have to wonder if the magic system was cribbed wholesale from Star Wars. Seriously, White Magic/Black Magic is described almost word for word like Light/Dark side force powers work.
The story itself is your typical haunted house shtick with the protagonist investigating what is effectively a haunting by a trapped entity somewhere in the house. Along the way, Stone has to contend with a coven of Black Mages who want to fuck shit up simply because they're prats. It has all the usual highs and lows of a book of this caliber with nothing that really stands out about it.
In fact so much of this story is boilerplate. I was predicting the story would end the way I thought it would about a third of the way in and lo and behold, so it was written! The characters are your stock standard stereotypes with little to define them. Stone himself is kind of a bland character with nothing really that defines him other than being British pip-pip tally ho, tea and crumpets and all that shit. It's actually kind of silly when you've got characters describing him as eccentric only for him never act eccentric. Miss King, please remember, show don't tell. In fact a lot of the narrative is built around the King telling us what's going on in Stone's head, not actually having him say it. The villains meanwhile are your typical pretty arrogant douchebags who treat magic like drugs addicts treat coke and I never really gave two shits about them. Of course their plan was going to fail. Given the type of short sighted morons they were, of course it was going to fail.
And then we come to Ethan, our protagonist's erstwhile apprentice. OH ETHAN!!! Have I got some words to say about you. For starters, this kid has got to be the DUMBEST character I've seen in a story for quite some time. Granted his actions don't kickstart the villain's plot, but they sure as hell help that bastard along! Ethan is the character we always see in horror movies, who does all the dumb shit we yell at the screen for. You could make the argument that he is hormonal, emotional and not in his right mind, but given that every step of the way, his actions propel the plot forward, it literally falls on his shoulders to be the dumbarse. As it is, his sidestory is not even that interesting. We never see him interact much with his mother so there's no emotional connection when she inevitably snuffs it from plot-related illness. On top of that, his entire arc feels like the episodes from Season 6 of Buffy when Willow gets addicted to magic. They are written that hamfistedly it's not bloody funny. Replace the word magic with Cocaine and you've got a Very Special Episode about the dangers of addiction.
Now like I said, the book isn't bad. I'm not looking for something to set the world on fire, but can we please at least get something to doesn't aim for mediocre and hits that hurdle with aplomb?
Ok, to be fair, this book is not bad. It hits all the right notes of your typical Urban Fantasy book and what it does, it accomplishes okay. There's nothing overly creative about the universe R.L King is trying to create, although I have to wonder if the magic system was cribbed wholesale from Star Wars. Seriously, White Magic/Black Magic is described almost word for word like Light/Dark side force powers work.
The story itself is your typical haunted house shtick with the protagonist investigating what is effectively a haunting by a trapped entity somewhere in the house. Along the way, Stone has to contend with a coven of Black Mages who want to fuck shit up simply because they're prats. It has all the usual highs and lows of a book of this caliber with nothing that really stands out about it.
In fact so much of this story is boilerplate. I was predicting the story would end the way I thought it would about a third of the way in and lo and behold, so it was written! The characters are your stock standard stereotypes with little to define them. Stone himself is kind of a bland character with nothing really that defines him other than being British pip-pip tally ho, tea and crumpets and all that shit. It's actually kind of silly when you've got characters describing him as eccentric only for him never act eccentric. Miss King, please remember, show don't tell. In fact a lot of the narrative is built around the King telling us what's going on in Stone's head, not actually having him say it. The villains meanwhile are your typical pretty arrogant douchebags who treat magic like drugs addicts treat coke and I never really gave two shits about them. Of course their plan was going to fail. Given the type of short sighted morons they were, of course it was going to fail.
And then we come to Ethan, our protagonist's erstwhile apprentice. OH ETHAN!!! Have I got some words to say about you. For starters, this kid has got to be the DUMBEST character I've seen in a story for quite some time. Granted his actions don't kickstart the villain's plot, but they sure as hell help that bastard along! Ethan is the character we always see in horror movies, who does all the dumb shit we yell at the screen for. You could make the argument that he is hormonal, emotional and not in his right mind, but given that every step of the way, his actions propel the plot forward, it literally falls on his shoulders to be the dumbarse. As it is, his sidestory is not even that interesting. We never see him interact much with his mother so there's no emotional connection when she inevitably snuffs it from plot-related illness. On top of that, his entire arc feels like the episodes from Season 6 of Buffy when Willow gets addicted to magic. They are written that hamfistedly it's not bloody funny. Replace the word magic with Cocaine and you've got a Very Special Episode about the dangers of addiction.
Now like I said, the book isn't bad. I'm not looking for something to set the world on fire, but can we please at least get something to doesn't aim for mediocre and hits that hurdle with aplomb?
December 7, 2025
AIBA Book of the Week: 8 December, 2025: 201/42161
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include STONE AND A HARD PLACE (Alastair Stone Chronicles #1) by R.L. KING in the library of Awesome Indies' Badge of Approval recipients.
Original Awesome Indies' Assessment (4 stars):
King has written a quality book here, one worthy of any publisher, and it deserves to do well. Those who like urban fantasy will probably enjoy it because it delivers everything one comes to expect from the genre.
Dr. Alastair Stone is an Occult Studies professor and, unknown to the mundane world, also a powerful mage. He’s a little out of practice with combat skills as one rarely needs them in modern times, but when he discovers an unknown demonic force trapped in the basement of an old woman’s mansion, he has to brush up on them quickly. His new teenage apprentice complicates matters when he’s seduced by a selfish dark mage who, with her team of two men, wants the ‘demon’ for their own use. Do these not-classically-trained mages have the power and knowledge to control such a powerful entity, though, or will their overconfidence and inexperience let the beast out and endanger the whole world? And will Stone find out what his apprentice is up too before it’s too late?
The novel is a little different to many in the genre because, though it never drags, it starts fairly slowly in terms of action. However, taking its time allows a greater depth of character development than is usually seen in the genre. By the time things start to hot up, I was fully invested in Dr Stone who I related to as a very real person. I had a good idea of his weaknesses and his strengths, and I liked the guy.
Ethan, the apprentice was also well portrayed. The warring factions of the boy’s desires and conscience made an interesting tension. I found myself saying, ‘No, no, don’t do it.’ But in fiction, the easy way does not make the best story, and this is undoubtably a good story.
Craft wise, the story was well-structured and handled expertly, the character’s vulnerabilities making it always unsure of the outcome, and the relationship between stone and his girlfriend added another layer of interest. The prose flowed well and was generally well constructed, however a few too many very bland sentences spoiled it for me. Most of these began with ‘It was’ or ‘He was’ or something similar. Given the quality of the rest of the prose, these seemed somewhat lazy. Though these things picked up by an editor would not be noticed by most readers, that and the fact that the story didn’t quite make the leap to ‘awesome’ for me, prevented me from giving it 5 stars. This is because, having read a great deal of urban fantasy, I would have liked to have seen it stretch the boundaries of that genre more.
Perhaps the author will be a little more adventurous with the next book. I’d be very interested in reading it, and I have no qualms about recommending this one to fans of the genre or anyone interested in dipping into it. 4 stars.
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include STONE AND A HARD PLACE (Alastair Stone Chronicles #1) by R.L. KING in the library of Awesome Indies' Badge of Approval recipients.
Original Awesome Indies' Assessment (4 stars):
King has written a quality book here, one worthy of any publisher, and it deserves to do well. Those who like urban fantasy will probably enjoy it because it delivers everything one comes to expect from the genre.
Dr. Alastair Stone is an Occult Studies professor and, unknown to the mundane world, also a powerful mage. He’s a little out of practice with combat skills as one rarely needs them in modern times, but when he discovers an unknown demonic force trapped in the basement of an old woman’s mansion, he has to brush up on them quickly. His new teenage apprentice complicates matters when he’s seduced by a selfish dark mage who, with her team of two men, wants the ‘demon’ for their own use. Do these not-classically-trained mages have the power and knowledge to control such a powerful entity, though, or will their overconfidence and inexperience let the beast out and endanger the whole world? And will Stone find out what his apprentice is up too before it’s too late?
The novel is a little different to many in the genre because, though it never drags, it starts fairly slowly in terms of action. However, taking its time allows a greater depth of character development than is usually seen in the genre. By the time things start to hot up, I was fully invested in Dr Stone who I related to as a very real person. I had a good idea of his weaknesses and his strengths, and I liked the guy.
Ethan, the apprentice was also well portrayed. The warring factions of the boy’s desires and conscience made an interesting tension. I found myself saying, ‘No, no, don’t do it.’ But in fiction, the easy way does not make the best story, and this is undoubtably a good story.
Craft wise, the story was well-structured and handled expertly, the character’s vulnerabilities making it always unsure of the outcome, and the relationship between stone and his girlfriend added another layer of interest. The prose flowed well and was generally well constructed, however a few too many very bland sentences spoiled it for me. Most of these began with ‘It was’ or ‘He was’ or something similar. Given the quality of the rest of the prose, these seemed somewhat lazy. Though these things picked up by an editor would not be noticed by most readers, that and the fact that the story didn’t quite make the leap to ‘awesome’ for me, prevented me from giving it 5 stars. This is because, having read a great deal of urban fantasy, I would have liked to have seen it stretch the boundaries of that genre more.
Perhaps the author will be a little more adventurous with the next book. I’d be very interested in reading it, and I have no qualms about recommending this one to fans of the genre or anyone interested in dipping into it. 4 stars.
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January 4, 2026Rating minus 13 on a scale of minus 15 to plus 5.
I doubt that anyone will read this but it is cathartic. I stopped reading at page 291. It was not interesting enough to finish the last 60 pages.
Before I continue I will as usual visit the YouTube. This next was made possible by channels -Doctor Who/They Break My Heart, Benn Jordan, Ms Modeller, Model Minutes, National Centre for Military Intelligence, Shitty Book Club, IrisFilm5871, Read Rant Review, Welcome to Ukraine, France 24, Squire, Supertanskiii, Books N Cats, Verilybitchie, KernowDamo, Eugenia from Ukraine, FAFO, Raw News and Politics,
Bernadette Banner, J Draper, Owen Jones, The Great War, Brandon Fisichella, Truth to Power, Kyiv Post, ATP Geopolitics, Professor Gerdes Explains, Unlearning Economics, Narrowboat Pirate, Ben and Emily, Think That Through, Global Updates with Sosan, The Lady of the Library, DamiLee, GMG Inside Tabletop, Lily Simpson,
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I recently saw an idiot who whilst insulting a trans creator I mentioned, complain to her that I list channels with trans creators. I am no longer surprised by the Snowflake (stupidly vicious US man-child). Trigger Warning then.
The channels which I list include economist, witch, bi, auburn, Bahamian, astrophysicist, cis, archaeologist, witch, sewist, lumber yard worker, intersex, chess player, WOC, tall, miniatures painter, lesbian, Swedish, marine biologist, writer, socialist, het, fashion historian, trans, military historian, mathematician, boater, asexual, blond, miniatures builder, botanist, queer, Polish, anthropologist, boat restorer, military boardgamer, architect and other creators known as Women.
Almost as threatening are the anarchist, Scottish, other BIPOC, ginger, neurodivergent, boater, other LGBTQ+, communist, essayist, philosopher, military boardgamer, wood worker, lifestyle vlogger, Ugandan, chemist, paleontologist, other fashion historian, zoologist, mathematician, culture critic, language historian, miniatures landscape builder, tailor, Canadian, farmer, miniatures wargamer, game historian and other creators (known outside the US) as Human Beings.
Should the voices insist, seek emergency therapy and/or learn a new skill, such as reading and/or apply for a Catholic exorcism.
My feelings towards these cowards is similar to that of the 13 Ukrainian marines defending Snake Island, when their surrender was demanded by the Russian navy. Their response was "Russian warship, go f@ck yourself". Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the Heroes. Crimea is Ukraine.
Unto the book, dear friends. The characters are paper thin and the writer used a stereotype for every character. The plot was not good. I do not remember the background world. Most Amazon selections lack serious worldbuilding and this book is not the exception.
The main character is a tweed wearing English professor of occult studies/magic. He takes on a student but takes no mentoring responsibility, while teaching him to harness dangerous powers. Self-absorbed is the least of it.
The other mages are so out of touch with the use of their magic, it raises the question of why they bother to study it. The student mage is a "good" kid (?) of twenty who betrays mages because he has sex with one of a malicious group. By the end I was actually rooting for the evil other dimensional creature.
The plot was predictable and the mistakes made by all characters are ridiculous but are needed to advance the plot. At the start I mistakenly thought it might be interesting.
The self-described powerful magician never demonstrates awesome magical power. There are no characters worth emotional investment and barely reflect involvement with each other.
I do not remember more of the book. Despite my reaction, this book is far better than probably 80% of the 1000+ Kindle Unlimited selections which I attempted.
I noticed a sad lack of entertaining US speculative fiction written later than about 2010. The science fiction are US supremacist, racist, libertarian, misogynistic rants barely clothed in attempt at a story. They only imagine the present with the addition of spaceships or dragons, there seem no point to them.
They usually consist of the trials of US males, several spaceships and sometimes a woman in cat suit space gear. They may sometimes satisfy a thirteen year old but I never thought 35+ year olds would survive a steady diet until I occasionally scanned Goodreads reviews.
I need a stepaway to the YouTube before continuing. This next was made possible by Doctor Who\Never Cruel or Cowardly, Amie's Literary Empire, Up and Atom, Grace McGuire, Megalithhunter, Sanctioned Ivan, Crecganford, Stevie Emerson, The Crow Caller, NFKRZ, Yoyomi, Miniminuteman, Ginny Di,
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Jay Exci, The Library Ladder, Two Bit DaVinci, Fran Blanche, Oliver Lugg, RobWords, Up and Atom, Geo Girl, Lindsay Nikole, JohnTheDuncan, Unlearning Economics, Chris and Shell, Anna from Ukraine, Ben and Emily, Barry's Economics, Dominic Noble, Dead Good Books, Reading Wryly, Rowan J Coleman, Broken Peach, Amber Ruffin, Camper Vibe, Mythology and Fiction Explained, Tanya Fiona,
With Olivia, Kozak Siromaha, Fall of Civilisations, Kyiv Post, Dan Davis History, Paleo Analysis, Zoe Bee, Philosophy Tube, Wizards and Warriors, Cold Fusion, The Leftist Cooks, Times Radio, AllShorts, Little Wars, Art Deco, ConeOfArc, Tank Museum, Seizure Girl, Book Furnace, Dropkick Murphys, Bookpilled,
The Book Castle, Belinda Carr, Izzie and Ciara, Reese Waters, FAFO, Jessica Kellgren Fozard, Elina Charatsidou, Ponderful, Strange Aeons, Inside Russia, J Draper, Mapmen, Samantha Lux, Anka Daily News, Lisandra Vazquez, Kaz Rowe.
Consider treating this as a hostile site. 🤔
Goodreads discourse does not exist. As example, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth by Travis Corcoran. The book is a sad imitation of "Atlas Shrugged" set on the moon, though originally blurbed as similar to a Heinlein classic.
The story is the heroic struggle of a rich twat enlisting the military in overthrow of the US government in order that he not pay taxes. Besides the horrible writing, my communist judgement was that the book was unhealthy, dangerous and now prophetic.
Travis self-described as libertarian (now anarcho capitalist without millions), veteran,
advocate for the return of chattel slavery (popular opinion in the US with current prison labour to be supplemented by forced labour prisons for the homeless,
van and RV residents being completed. Given lack of outcry, US history and the US love of cruelty, I expect that generational enslavement is on the cards.),
employee of an unnamed US agency and admirer of Putin (another popular position in MAGA and the current US government).
He and six fellow patriots were incensed at my judgement. They proceeded to gift me a year long stream of comments. There was no mention of the book, though I was treated to new insights into socialism's evils, the narcissism inherent in my refusal to engage, the social good that was/is slavery, my lack of intelligence and other usual Goodreads fare.
My hopes for a detailed study of the Zapatista communities of Mexico, went unfulfilled. The irony threatened to overwhelm.
Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr was the last aggrieved commenter. After referencing the contents of my last message exchange with a Goodreads friend, he grandly declared that They had "won" (?).
I discovered that They had launched a flood of outrageous racist, misogynistic, anti-LGBTQI+ and similar comments, which continues still against apparently every female creator whom I mentioned.
The botanist, musician, anthropologist, book reviewer and other female creators were not impressed. Despite this setback, the world's overabundance of unpleasantness was certainly increased and They did deliver a wonderful self-portrait of the US snowflake (ill educated, mental, fascistic US man-baby) to a multinational audience.
A Victory by any other name. Goodreads discourse is quite something. Fortunately there are BookTubers to direct the reader to more useful and safer reader sites.
I need a step away to YouTube and TV. This next was made possible by Mia Mulder, Ben and Emily, Postmodern Jukebox, Books with Chloe, The Great War, Sailing Melody, Searching for Samantha, Ellbat, Kris Atomic, Econ Lessons, Bryony Claire, Cover In French, TVP News,
Haylo Hailey, Tobes, Ukraine News TV, Authors Behaving Badly, The Gaze, The Ministry of Miniatures, France 24, Blaxit Global, Grace McGuire, Belinda Strndad, Dr Fatima, Menagerie, Dungeons and Discourse, Alice Cappelle, Aid Thompsin, BritMonkey, Inside Russia, Morgan Donner, WokeGardener, Kiko1006-Empire of Angels, The Researcher,
Table top CP, Mordian Glory, Ancient Americas, The Caspian Report, Bobbing Along, Cruising Crafts, Cruising Alba, The Confused Adipose, Military Aviation History, Kirkpattiecake, Zoe Bee, Haropones, Double Down News, Salem Tovar, Munecat, Council of Geeks, Cruising the Cut, The Enemy from Within, The Gaze, UATV, Female Warriors -Teresatessa, Travelling K, Emilie's Literary Corner,
Reads with Rachel, Drama Kween, Lurie Daniel Favors, Sideprojects, Dark Docs, Central Crossing, The Snake Charmer, Activist Witch, Dark seas, Dark Brandon, Amanda and Shaye, Jean's Thoughts, Twinshangout, Princess Weekes, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Oceanliner Designs.
Ominous music begins. 🙂 The bulk of members are certainly US readers and products of an exceptionally cruel culture. Comment gangs are to be expected. Their antics extend far beyond the nasty comment to include the doxxing, stalking, threatening, hacking attempt and more. I refer not to the treatment of myself but other members and even BookTubers.
These behaviours are normalised in the site culture, ignored by many BookTubers and most all other members. No incident to my knowledge have been acknowledged by Amazon. Unhinged members are not disciplined, writers who encourage these are not punished nor have mental employees enabling either been dismissed.
My very limited message history was given over to these thugs. That allowed a request through Pine Gap Centre of Australian Security services to interrogate the one friend whom I occasionally messaged on Goodreads. The attempt at my history failed.
Amazon was unconcerned until we broadcast that bizarre occurrence as widely as possible. The Amazon response finally, was to return my page format and options to normal even to ability to view other reader's judgements, masking all comments and more.
Reads with Rachel wrote a review of a romantasy or romance title, addressing problematic elements. Her channel regularly touches on those as well as plotting, worldbuilding flaws, general prose. Goodreads deleted her review as "hate speech" and threatened to remove her membership. Addressing racist, sexist, ableist and similar themes or elements being labelled such, is a very US definition of "hate".
She uploaded a YouTube review instead. Sadly for the first time she received a comment to her channel that she "should die". Goodreads is truly a gift to readers.
Fit Danielle Reads had an interesting interaction with Amazon. She reported an obvious double billing error with Amex, after being rudely handled by customer service. Amazon retaliated by blocking access to her cloud library, blocking her Kindle internet access and demanding that she supply a second payment source for the fraudulent billing. Strange customer service protocol, no?
A seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for the harassment of a couple producing a small ecommerce channel deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded millions. The ex-employee had been the EBay Chief of Global Security or some such.
My Goodreads/Kindle experience and that of many others concurred long before the new protections afforded US data firms. Things to think about.
Goodreads are dangerous. I recommend a few safeguards. Remove personal information on profile and avoid messaging. Remove the lurker, those who never post. They are likely monitors or employee dummies and are not harmless.
Given the Goodreads penchant for Altering customer pages, the screenshot of the odd, ugly and threatening are invaluable. These should suffice.
Kindle are a more serious matter. Do Not use Kindle Files, Calendar, Contacts or Email.
Employees read customer email with neither permission nor notice. Make of that what you will.
Do Not purchase Kindle ebooks because you own only the device (if a Kindle, even that seems conditional). Your ebooks may be deleted at any time by Amazon. I regret that I had not known that before my 500 purchases. If purchases were made, download them immediately, cloud storage is uncertain. Again BookTubers are available for alternative ebook and tablet vendors or alternatives to ebook purchase altogether.
I received a recent message from Amazon stating that Kindle no longer support Goodreads on Fire tablets. This second message while meaningless is far more pleasant than the only other which was a nasty response to my first query more than five years ago regarding strange goings-on in my Goodreads pages.
Hopefully you will never be targeted but bear in mind that your temporary immunity rests on the whims of psychotic madlads both Amazon employee and Goodreads member. Let me emphasise that these animals, employees and members alike lack any non-Randian morality or healthy socialisation but are proud US patriots with all that implies. Ominous music ends. 🙂
Be well and May we all find Good Reading. 😊
Some of my favourite YouTube channels.
National Centre for Military Intelligence, Democratic Penguin Republic, Bobbing Along, Lynn Saga, fig tree, RevolutionarythOt, Red Glasgow, Scotland History Tours, Ship Happens, aidan knight, Cruising Crafts, Cruising the Cut, Owen Jones, May, Some More News, Think That Through, Jess Owens, Poland Daily Live,
Yarmak, ScaredKetchup, The Book Leo, Reads with Rachel, Hardy's Books, Mrs Betty Bowers, Cruising Alba, I'm Autistic Now What, JammiDodger, Portside Living, Fredda, Morbid Zoo, What Vivi did next, Nerdy Kathi, Horses, Red Viburnam Song, Ro Ramdin, Norse mythology and Beliefs, The Narrowboat Good life, Hoots, Bardcore,
Let's Play, Centurion's Review, Dungeon Dad, Deerstalker Pictures, Ukraine:The Latest, KernowDamo, Jessie Gender, Dungeons and Discourse, The Prime of Midlife, The Cold War, Dark Brandon, Historical Fashion, Lost the Plot, ThistinyLife, Chris and Shell, Fraser Cain, Jen the Librarian,
Leena Norms, Gingers are Black, Hypohystericalhistory, Brandon Fisichella, Cambrian Chronicles, Trae Crowder, Belle of the Ranch, The Black Forest Family, Supertanskiii, Pete Peppers, Morgan Donner, Lily Alexandre, The Prime of Midlife, Artur Rehi, The Kavernacle, Sabine Hossenfelder, Subha Reads, The Ministry of Miniatures,
JohnTheDuncan, Vlad Vexler, Swell Entertainment, DW News, No Justice, Smack the Pony, Ship Happens, Malinda, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Kathy's Flog from France, A Life of Lit, Autumn's Boutique, OrangeRiver, Alt Shift X, Invicta, Books and Lala, Lady of the Library, Verilybitchie, Library Ladder, SciFi Odyssey, ElectroSwing, Lily Simpson, LuckyBlackCat, Roomies Digest, Renegade Cut, It's Black Friday.
I wish the reader a pleasant morning, a productive afternoon, a splendid evening, a wonderful night and may we all continue learning.
Silence in the face of Evil is Complicity.
A reminder to self
I doubt that anyone will read this but it is cathartic. I stopped reading at page 291. It was not interesting enough to finish the last 60 pages.
Before I continue I will as usual visit the YouTube. This next was made possible by channels -Doctor Who/They Break My Heart, Benn Jordan, Ms Modeller, Model Minutes, National Centre for Military Intelligence, Shitty Book Club, IrisFilm5871, Read Rant Review, Welcome to Ukraine, France 24, Squire, Supertanskiii, Books N Cats, Verilybitchie, KernowDamo, Eugenia from Ukraine, FAFO, Raw News and Politics,
Bernadette Banner, J Draper, Owen Jones, The Great War, Brandon Fisichella, Truth to Power, Kyiv Post, ATP Geopolitics, Professor Gerdes Explains, Unlearning Economics, Narrowboat Pirate, Ben and Emily, Think That Through, Global Updates with Sosan, The Lady of the Library, DamiLee, GMG Inside Tabletop, Lily Simpson,
Answer in Progress, Hazariel Costumes, Arvin Ash, Gutsick Gibbon, Ben G Thomas, Planarwalker, Megalith Hunter, Cambrian Chronicles, The Welsh Viking, Emma Thorne, Geo Girl, Vasya in the Hay, Luciana Zogbi, Invicta, The Tank Museum, Same Ship Different Day, May, Boat Time, The Gaze, UATV English, Dark Side of Russia,
Central Crossing, DuckBricks, OliviaReadsaLatte, Jean's Thoughts, The Book Leo, Authors Behaving badly, Sideprojects, Abby Cox, Alt Shift X, Dark Docs, Dark Skies, Dark Tech, Dark Footage, DUST, Evie Lupine, Lumber Capital Log Yard, Deerstalker Pictures, Elina Charatsidou, Gary's Economics, Snappy Dragon, The Who Addicts, Joe Blogs, Jake Broe, Mercado Media, Liz Webster,
Swell Entertainment, Strange Aeons, Tara Mooknee, Rowan Ellis, The British Museum, Anna Cramling, Chess Vibes, Julie Nolke, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, Ship Happens, Books and LaLa, Brittany Page, Jesse Dollemore, Science Fiction Book Club, Weirdo Book Club, Kaz Rowe, Michael Lambert, Supertanskiii, Alysotherlife, Mandy, Cunk, Emma Thorne, Rebecca Watson, Jessie Gender,
The Leftist Cooks, OrangeRiver, Medusa Cascade, Physics Girl, Engineering with Rosie, Katy Montgomerie, Living Anachronism, Anark, Keffals, Lily Alexandre, Pete Peppers, Let's Talk Mythology, Zoe Baker, Karolina Zebrowska, Shannon Makes, Engineering Knits, Planet D, Zilla Blitz, aidan knight, Riverboat Jack,
Veritas et Caritas, The Great War, The Octopus Lady, Lady Knight the Brave, Horses, Norse Magic and Beliefs, Diary of a Ditch Witch, Activist Witch, Historical Fashion, The Hat Historian, Ember Green, A Life of Lit, Gingers are Black, Books and Things, Kat Blacque, Fit 2B Read, Claus Kellerman POV.
I recently saw an idiot who whilst insulting a trans creator I mentioned, complain to her that I list channels with trans creators. I am no longer surprised by the Snowflake (stupidly vicious US man-child). Trigger Warning then.
The channels which I list include economist, witch, bi, auburn, Bahamian, astrophysicist, cis, archaeologist, witch, sewist, lumber yard worker, intersex, chess player, WOC, tall, miniatures painter, lesbian, Swedish, marine biologist, writer, socialist, het, fashion historian, trans, military historian, mathematician, boater, asexual, blond, miniatures builder, botanist, queer, Polish, anthropologist, boat restorer, military boardgamer, architect and other creators known as Women.
Almost as threatening are the anarchist, Scottish, other BIPOC, ginger, neurodivergent, boater, other LGBTQ+, communist, essayist, philosopher, military boardgamer, wood worker, lifestyle vlogger, Ugandan, chemist, paleontologist, other fashion historian, zoologist, mathematician, culture critic, language historian, miniatures landscape builder, tailor, Canadian, farmer, miniatures wargamer, game historian and other creators (known outside the US) as Human Beings.
Should the voices insist, seek emergency therapy and/or learn a new skill, such as reading and/or apply for a Catholic exorcism.
My feelings towards these cowards is similar to that of the 13 Ukrainian marines defending Snake Island, when their surrender was demanded by the Russian navy. Their response was "Russian warship, go f@ck yourself". Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the Heroes. Crimea is Ukraine.
Unto the book, dear friends. The characters are paper thin and the writer used a stereotype for every character. The plot was not good. I do not remember the background world. Most Amazon selections lack serious worldbuilding and this book is not the exception.
The main character is a tweed wearing English professor of occult studies/magic. He takes on a student but takes no mentoring responsibility, while teaching him to harness dangerous powers. Self-absorbed is the least of it.
The other mages are so out of touch with the use of their magic, it raises the question of why they bother to study it. The student mage is a "good" kid (?) of twenty who betrays mages because he has sex with one of a malicious group. By the end I was actually rooting for the evil other dimensional creature.
The plot was predictable and the mistakes made by all characters are ridiculous but are needed to advance the plot. At the start I mistakenly thought it might be interesting.
The self-described powerful magician never demonstrates awesome magical power. There are no characters worth emotional investment and barely reflect involvement with each other.
I do not remember more of the book. Despite my reaction, this book is far better than probably 80% of the 1000+ Kindle Unlimited selections which I attempted.
I noticed a sad lack of entertaining US speculative fiction written later than about 2010. The science fiction are US supremacist, racist, libertarian, misogynistic rants barely clothed in attempt at a story. They only imagine the present with the addition of spaceships or dragons, there seem no point to them.
They usually consist of the trials of US males, several spaceships and sometimes a woman in cat suit space gear. They may sometimes satisfy a thirteen year old but I never thought 35+ year olds would survive a steady diet until I occasionally scanned Goodreads reviews.
I need a stepaway to the YouTube before continuing. This next was made possible by Doctor Who\Never Cruel or Cowardly, Amie's Literary Empire, Up and Atom, Grace McGuire, Megalithhunter, Sanctioned Ivan, Crecganford, Stevie Emerson, The Crow Caller, NFKRZ, Yoyomi, Miniminuteman, Ginny Di,
RFU News, Atun Shei Films, Sailing Melody, Depressed Russian, 2Cellos, Natasha's Adventures, Anna from Ukraine, Lily Simpson, Truth to Power, Mrs Betty Bowers, Randy Rainbow, Combat Veteran News, Steve Shives, Authors Behaving Badly, Cruising Crafts, Xiran Jay Zhao, Matriarchetype, Apostolic Majesty, Emperor Tigerstar, The Pioneer,
Jay Exci, The Library Ladder, Two Bit DaVinci, Fran Blanche, Oliver Lugg, RobWords, Up and Atom, Geo Girl, Lindsay Nikole, JohnTheDuncan, Unlearning Economics, Chris and Shell, Anna from Ukraine, Ben and Emily, Barry's Economics, Dominic Noble, Dead Good Books, Reading Wryly, Rowan J Coleman, Broken Peach, Amber Ruffin, Camper Vibe, Mythology and Fiction Explained, Tanya Fiona,
With Olivia, Kozak Siromaha, Fall of Civilisations, Kyiv Post, Dan Davis History, Paleo Analysis, Zoe Bee, Philosophy Tube, Wizards and Warriors, Cold Fusion, The Leftist Cooks, Times Radio, AllShorts, Little Wars, Art Deco, ConeOfArc, Tank Museum, Seizure Girl, Book Furnace, Dropkick Murphys, Bookpilled,
The Book Castle, Belinda Carr, Izzie and Ciara, Reese Waters, FAFO, Jessica Kellgren Fozard, Elina Charatsidou, Ponderful, Strange Aeons, Inside Russia, J Draper, Mapmen, Samantha Lux, Anka Daily News, Lisandra Vazquez, Kaz Rowe.
Consider treating this as a hostile site. 🤔
Goodreads discourse does not exist. As example, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth by Travis Corcoran. The book is a sad imitation of "Atlas Shrugged" set on the moon, though originally blurbed as similar to a Heinlein classic.
The story is the heroic struggle of a rich twat enlisting the military in overthrow of the US government in order that he not pay taxes. Besides the horrible writing, my communist judgement was that the book was unhealthy, dangerous and now prophetic.
Travis self-described as libertarian (now anarcho capitalist without millions), veteran,
advocate for the return of chattel slavery (popular opinion in the US with current prison labour to be supplemented by forced labour prisons for the homeless,
van and RV residents being completed. Given lack of outcry, US history and the US love of cruelty, I expect that generational enslavement is on the cards.),
employee of an unnamed US agency and admirer of Putin (another popular position in MAGA and the current US government).
He and six fellow patriots were incensed at my judgement. They proceeded to gift me a year long stream of comments. There was no mention of the book, though I was treated to new insights into socialism's evils, the narcissism inherent in my refusal to engage, the social good that was/is slavery, my lack of intelligence and other usual Goodreads fare.
My hopes for a detailed study of the Zapatista communities of Mexico, went unfulfilled. The irony threatened to overwhelm.
Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr was the last aggrieved commenter. After referencing the contents of my last message exchange with a Goodreads friend, he grandly declared that They had "won" (?).
I discovered that They had launched a flood of outrageous racist, misogynistic, anti-LGBTQI+ and similar comments, which continues still against apparently every female creator whom I mentioned.
The botanist, musician, anthropologist, book reviewer and other female creators were not impressed. Despite this setback, the world's overabundance of unpleasantness was certainly increased and They did deliver a wonderful self-portrait of the US snowflake (ill educated, mental, fascistic US man-baby) to a multinational audience.
A Victory by any other name. Goodreads discourse is quite something. Fortunately there are BookTubers to direct the reader to more useful and safer reader sites.
I need a step away to YouTube and TV. This next was made possible by Mia Mulder, Ben and Emily, Postmodern Jukebox, Books with Chloe, The Great War, Sailing Melody, Searching for Samantha, Ellbat, Kris Atomic, Econ Lessons, Bryony Claire, Cover In French, TVP News,
Haylo Hailey, Tobes, Ukraine News TV, Authors Behaving Badly, The Gaze, The Ministry of Miniatures, France 24, Blaxit Global, Grace McGuire, Belinda Strndad, Dr Fatima, Menagerie, Dungeons and Discourse, Alice Cappelle, Aid Thompsin, BritMonkey, Inside Russia, Morgan Donner, WokeGardener, Kiko1006-Empire of Angels, The Researcher,
Table top CP, Mordian Glory, Ancient Americas, The Caspian Report, Bobbing Along, Cruising Crafts, Cruising Alba, The Confused Adipose, Military Aviation History, Kirkpattiecake, Zoe Bee, Haropones, Double Down News, Salem Tovar, Munecat, Council of Geeks, Cruising the Cut, The Enemy from Within, The Gaze, UATV, Female Warriors -Teresatessa, Travelling K, Emilie's Literary Corner,
Reads with Rachel, Drama Kween, Lurie Daniel Favors, Sideprojects, Dark Docs, Central Crossing, The Snake Charmer, Activist Witch, Dark seas, Dark Brandon, Amanda and Shaye, Jean's Thoughts, Twinshangout, Princess Weekes, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Oceanliner Designs.
Ominous music begins. 🙂 The bulk of members are certainly US readers and products of an exceptionally cruel culture. Comment gangs are to be expected. Their antics extend far beyond the nasty comment to include the doxxing, stalking, threatening, hacking attempt and more. I refer not to the treatment of myself but other members and even BookTubers.
These behaviours are normalised in the site culture, ignored by many BookTubers and most all other members. No incident to my knowledge have been acknowledged by Amazon. Unhinged members are not disciplined, writers who encourage these are not punished nor have mental employees enabling either been dismissed.
My very limited message history was given over to these thugs. That allowed a request through Pine Gap Centre of Australian Security services to interrogate the one friend whom I occasionally messaged on Goodreads. The attempt at my history failed.
Amazon was unconcerned until we broadcast that bizarre occurrence as widely as possible. The Amazon response finally, was to return my page format and options to normal even to ability to view other reader's judgements, masking all comments and more.
Reads with Rachel wrote a review of a romantasy or romance title, addressing problematic elements. Her channel regularly touches on those as well as plotting, worldbuilding flaws, general prose. Goodreads deleted her review as "hate speech" and threatened to remove her membership. Addressing racist, sexist, ableist and similar themes or elements being labelled such, is a very US definition of "hate".
She uploaded a YouTube review instead. Sadly for the first time she received a comment to her channel that she "should die". Goodreads is truly a gift to readers.
Fit Danielle Reads had an interesting interaction with Amazon. She reported an obvious double billing error with Amex, after being rudely handled by customer service. Amazon retaliated by blocking access to her cloud library, blocking her Kindle internet access and demanding that she supply a second payment source for the fraudulent billing. Strange customer service protocol, no?
A seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for the harassment of a couple producing a small ecommerce channel deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded millions. The ex-employee had been the EBay Chief of Global Security or some such.
My Goodreads/Kindle experience and that of many others concurred long before the new protections afforded US data firms. Things to think about.
Goodreads are dangerous. I recommend a few safeguards. Remove personal information on profile and avoid messaging. Remove the lurker, those who never post. They are likely monitors or employee dummies and are not harmless.
Given the Goodreads penchant for Altering customer pages, the screenshot of the odd, ugly and threatening are invaluable. These should suffice.
Kindle are a more serious matter. Do Not use Kindle Files, Calendar, Contacts or Email.
Employees read customer email with neither permission nor notice. Make of that what you will.
Do Not purchase Kindle ebooks because you own only the device (if a Kindle, even that seems conditional). Your ebooks may be deleted at any time by Amazon. I regret that I had not known that before my 500 purchases. If purchases were made, download them immediately, cloud storage is uncertain. Again BookTubers are available for alternative ebook and tablet vendors or alternatives to ebook purchase altogether.
I received a recent message from Amazon stating that Kindle no longer support Goodreads on Fire tablets. This second message while meaningless is far more pleasant than the only other which was a nasty response to my first query more than five years ago regarding strange goings-on in my Goodreads pages.
Hopefully you will never be targeted but bear in mind that your temporary immunity rests on the whims of psychotic madlads both Amazon employee and Goodreads member. Let me emphasise that these animals, employees and members alike lack any non-Randian morality or healthy socialisation but are proud US patriots with all that implies. Ominous music ends. 🙂
Be well and May we all find Good Reading. 😊
Some of my favourite YouTube channels.
National Centre for Military Intelligence, Democratic Penguin Republic, Bobbing Along, Lynn Saga, fig tree, RevolutionarythOt, Red Glasgow, Scotland History Tours, Ship Happens, aidan knight, Cruising Crafts, Cruising the Cut, Owen Jones, May, Some More News, Think That Through, Jess Owens, Poland Daily Live,
Yarmak, ScaredKetchup, The Book Leo, Reads with Rachel, Hardy's Books, Mrs Betty Bowers, Cruising Alba, I'm Autistic Now What, JammiDodger, Portside Living, Fredda, Morbid Zoo, What Vivi did next, Nerdy Kathi, Horses, Red Viburnam Song, Ro Ramdin, Norse mythology and Beliefs, The Narrowboat Good life, Hoots, Bardcore,
Let's Play, Centurion's Review, Dungeon Dad, Deerstalker Pictures, Ukraine:The Latest, KernowDamo, Jessie Gender, Dungeons and Discourse, The Prime of Midlife, The Cold War, Dark Brandon, Historical Fashion, Lost the Plot, ThistinyLife, Chris and Shell, Fraser Cain, Jen the Librarian,
Leena Norms, Gingers are Black, Hypohystericalhistory, Brandon Fisichella, Cambrian Chronicles, Trae Crowder, Belle of the Ranch, The Black Forest Family, Supertanskiii, Pete Peppers, Morgan Donner, Lily Alexandre, The Prime of Midlife, Artur Rehi, The Kavernacle, Sabine Hossenfelder, Subha Reads, The Ministry of Miniatures,
JohnTheDuncan, Vlad Vexler, Swell Entertainment, DW News, No Justice, Smack the Pony, Ship Happens, Malinda, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Kathy's Flog from France, A Life of Lit, Autumn's Boutique, OrangeRiver, Alt Shift X, Invicta, Books and Lala, Lady of the Library, Verilybitchie, Library Ladder, SciFi Odyssey, ElectroSwing, Lily Simpson, LuckyBlackCat, Roomies Digest, Renegade Cut, It's Black Friday.
I wish the reader a pleasant morning, a productive afternoon, a splendid evening, a wonderful night and may we all continue learning.
Silence in the face of Evil is Complicity.
A reminder to self
Did Not Finish
March 18, 2026This is one of the most boring and plain writing I have ever read because absolutely nothing happening. This because there is no action. So I didn't care at all for the plot. Every felt very bland and simplistic. It needs to be more descriptive.
March 10, 2016
Rounding up from 2.5 stars (somewhere between was ok and liked it). Harry Dresden was my intro to Urban Fantasy and this was no Dresden. Lately have been looking for filler until the next Dresden novel so I gave this a try. The main character, Alastair Stone, was an interesting character who I hope develops more in future books. His apprentice, Ethan, I really disliked. Too dependent and just did not fit into the story well. The story itself was a good intro to a new series and I am starting the next right now. The reviews for the follow up books get better so looking forward to the next installment.
February 27, 2016
Stone and a Hard Place (Alastair Stone Chronicles, Book One)
by R.L. King
First, let me say that I received this book free for my Kindle, not from Amazon, but from the author through a service called, I think BookFunnel. It seemed an interesting idea, and the author was also offering a novella in the series free with it. Never one to turn down a deal, I jumped at both the opportunity to get a free book and novella and the opportunity to learn a new way to load books onto my Kindle.
I will admit to having some early concerns, which I'll set out in a bit. However, either I got used to the style, or it improved -- I'm really not sure which -- as about 1/3 of the way through the book I was fully invested in the story. So, here we go!
Alastair Stone is a mage who works as professor of occult studies at Stanford University in California. He is English, having come to America to take the Stanford position. He is described in the book as one of the most powerful practicing mages. I don't remember if his age is given specifically in the book, but he seems to be 30-something. Not married, but with a steady girlfriend. A friend of his from back home in England has asked him to take on an apprentice, a young man of 18, who lost his father, also a mage, at a young age. His mother, not magic in any way, is terminally ill with cancer. The friend had agreed to take the young man as an apprentice in England when he came of age, but the young man, Ethan, is reluctant to leave his mother. They live in the Stanford area. Stone reluctantly agrees.
Almost none of Stone's friends know that he is a mage and, in fact, often tease him about his "spooky" area of study. One of those friends has an elderly aunt who lives in a mansion in the area and has recently been feeling a bit uneasy about things going on in the house. The friend asks Stone if he won't visit the aunt, do a bogus search of the house, and assure the aunt that there is no ghost or evil spirit lurking around. Stone agrees, but when he goes to the house, taking Ethan along as part of his magical studies, he finds that there is, indeed, something supernatural stirring in the house.
The plot is complicated by three young, self-trained mages, who have banned together to increase their power, and who practice black magic. During one of their recent rituals, the spirit/demon from the aunt's house is able to contact them to help him escape from the spell that has kept him bound to the aunt's house for many years. They agree, but plan to then imprison the demon and use his power to fuel their own exploits. The demon asks them for information on both Stone and Ethan. One of "The Three," as they refer to themselves, is a girl, and she sets out to seduce Ethan and gain his cooperation in learning what Stone plans to do. From there the story is basically a rush to the finish -- who will prevail? What will happen to the elderly aunt and her housekeeper, the friend, the apprentice, The Three, and Stone? Who else will be affected by the ordeal? Lots of action, subplots, twists and turns on the way to the end.
Good editing and proofing. I didn't really see any accidental misspellings or grammar or syntax errors. In the beginning, I felt the author did more telling and not enough showing, but as I said earlier, I evidently either got used to it, or he got better at showing, because I became thoroughly invested in the book, the characters and the storyline. For instance, at 994 there are about three instances where I would have liked more information so that I could smell the smells, hear the sounds, see the wounds:
...When the circle was complete, the candles were lit, and the foul-smelling incense was burning...
I would have like to know why the incense was foul smelling. Did it smell like a decomposing body? Did it smell like offal? Did it smell like spoiled food? What does "foul-smelling" mean? I mean, foul-smelling is different things to different people. I love the smell of patchouli, but I have a friend that hates it. So it's sweet-smelling to me; foul-smelling to her. Let me smell the incense!
...An eerie instrumental metal tune wafted over the attic,...
Again, what exactly is an eerie instrumental metal tune? I wanted to hear it in my mind, not wonder what it might be.
And, in the next paragraph:
...Oliver pulled a small knife from his pocket and waved it over the brazier, then used it to make small nicks in both of his palms. He hand it to Miguel, who did the same thing...
So, were these nicks deep enough to bleed (as blood is often used in rituals)? Were they in a specific pattern? How many were there? I wanted to see them in my mind and there just wasn't enough information.
Show, don't tell.
Another thing that bothered me was the author's use of the abbreviation "p'raps" for perhaps when Stone is speaking. I think he may have done this in an attempt to lend an English accent to the character, but if so, he failed miserably. I never read anything Stone said as anything other than straight California American.
So those are the things that irked me, and they did cost the author a star. However, there was a lot to like. Good characters that developed well as the book went on. Believable circumstances, whether one already believes in magic or even if one does not. A solid plot that unrolls itself seamlessly, leading you ever onward into the story. The author obviously has done his magical research. He has a nice knack for description when he wants to use it, and a flair for language, as is shown at 2219 in describing a mage historian who had a strong interest in the black arts: ...as far as Stone could tell, content to merely collect information and hoard it, like a dragon sitting on a pile of gold."
So, the bottom line is that, once I got past the first 1/3 of the book, I became thoroughly enchanted with the world of Alastair Stone. I'll probably read the novella next, as it is already on my Kindle, but I'll check out the other three novels in the series, too.
by R.L. King
First, let me say that I received this book free for my Kindle, not from Amazon, but from the author through a service called, I think BookFunnel. It seemed an interesting idea, and the author was also offering a novella in the series free with it. Never one to turn down a deal, I jumped at both the opportunity to get a free book and novella and the opportunity to learn a new way to load books onto my Kindle.
I will admit to having some early concerns, which I'll set out in a bit. However, either I got used to the style, or it improved -- I'm really not sure which -- as about 1/3 of the way through the book I was fully invested in the story. So, here we go!
Alastair Stone is a mage who works as professor of occult studies at Stanford University in California. He is English, having come to America to take the Stanford position. He is described in the book as one of the most powerful practicing mages. I don't remember if his age is given specifically in the book, but he seems to be 30-something. Not married, but with a steady girlfriend. A friend of his from back home in England has asked him to take on an apprentice, a young man of 18, who lost his father, also a mage, at a young age. His mother, not magic in any way, is terminally ill with cancer. The friend had agreed to take the young man as an apprentice in England when he came of age, but the young man, Ethan, is reluctant to leave his mother. They live in the Stanford area. Stone reluctantly agrees.
Almost none of Stone's friends know that he is a mage and, in fact, often tease him about his "spooky" area of study. One of those friends has an elderly aunt who lives in a mansion in the area and has recently been feeling a bit uneasy about things going on in the house. The friend asks Stone if he won't visit the aunt, do a bogus search of the house, and assure the aunt that there is no ghost or evil spirit lurking around. Stone agrees, but when he goes to the house, taking Ethan along as part of his magical studies, he finds that there is, indeed, something supernatural stirring in the house.
The plot is complicated by three young, self-trained mages, who have banned together to increase their power, and who practice black magic. During one of their recent rituals, the spirit/demon from the aunt's house is able to contact them to help him escape from the spell that has kept him bound to the aunt's house for many years. They agree, but plan to then imprison the demon and use his power to fuel their own exploits. The demon asks them for information on both Stone and Ethan. One of "The Three," as they refer to themselves, is a girl, and she sets out to seduce Ethan and gain his cooperation in learning what Stone plans to do. From there the story is basically a rush to the finish -- who will prevail? What will happen to the elderly aunt and her housekeeper, the friend, the apprentice, The Three, and Stone? Who else will be affected by the ordeal? Lots of action, subplots, twists and turns on the way to the end.
Good editing and proofing. I didn't really see any accidental misspellings or grammar or syntax errors. In the beginning, I felt the author did more telling and not enough showing, but as I said earlier, I evidently either got used to it, or he got better at showing, because I became thoroughly invested in the book, the characters and the storyline. For instance, at 994 there are about three instances where I would have liked more information so that I could smell the smells, hear the sounds, see the wounds:
...When the circle was complete, the candles were lit, and the foul-smelling incense was burning...
I would have like to know why the incense was foul smelling. Did it smell like a decomposing body? Did it smell like offal? Did it smell like spoiled food? What does "foul-smelling" mean? I mean, foul-smelling is different things to different people. I love the smell of patchouli, but I have a friend that hates it. So it's sweet-smelling to me; foul-smelling to her. Let me smell the incense!
...An eerie instrumental metal tune wafted over the attic,...
Again, what exactly is an eerie instrumental metal tune? I wanted to hear it in my mind, not wonder what it might be.
And, in the next paragraph:
...Oliver pulled a small knife from his pocket and waved it over the brazier, then used it to make small nicks in both of his palms. He hand it to Miguel, who did the same thing...
So, were these nicks deep enough to bleed (as blood is often used in rituals)? Were they in a specific pattern? How many were there? I wanted to see them in my mind and there just wasn't enough information.
Show, don't tell.
Another thing that bothered me was the author's use of the abbreviation "p'raps" for perhaps when Stone is speaking. I think he may have done this in an attempt to lend an English accent to the character, but if so, he failed miserably. I never read anything Stone said as anything other than straight California American.
So those are the things that irked me, and they did cost the author a star. However, there was a lot to like. Good characters that developed well as the book went on. Believable circumstances, whether one already believes in magic or even if one does not. A solid plot that unrolls itself seamlessly, leading you ever onward into the story. The author obviously has done his magical research. He has a nice knack for description when he wants to use it, and a flair for language, as is shown at 2219 in describing a mage historian who had a strong interest in the black arts: ...as far as Stone could tell, content to merely collect information and hoard it, like a dragon sitting on a pile of gold."
So, the bottom line is that, once I got past the first 1/3 of the book, I became thoroughly enchanted with the world of Alastair Stone. I'll probably read the novella next, as it is already on my Kindle, but I'll check out the other three novels in the series, too.
February 29, 2020
I enjoyed this book and was pleasantly surprised by some of the plot decisions the author made. The main character is interesting and flawed in a good way. It's gritty and dark, and the author takes risks that pay off. For a first book in a series, it does a great job of introducing the characters, the world, and the magical paradigm. Also, the author's grammar and vocabulary are strong. I listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Kevin R. Czarnecki, was excellent, able to do a variety of male and female voices so well that I wasn't thrown out of the story. He brought the story to life for me.
February 1, 2026
Rating 3.75
I started this on a whim today and somehow it had be gripped from the beginning. I got to like the characters and enjoy the story quite a bit and couldn't put it down. There was something missing which is why it's not a full 4 stars but I hope the next books would be even better.
I started this on a whim today and somehow it had be gripped from the beginning. I got to like the characters and enjoy the story quite a bit and couldn't put it down. There was something missing which is why it's not a full 4 stars but I hope the next books would be even better.
March 7, 2019
I did not like this book, perhaps if I enjoyed Lovecraft and more things on the horror spectrum I would. It started bleak and dreary and ended a bit bleaker and a bit drearier. I won’t be continuing this series.
January 23, 2019
I bought this as an audio book via audible, hoping for my next series addiction. Sadly I was disappointed. I'll start with the bits I did like, Alistair himself was ok and I think given a few more books his character will grow and become stronger and more likeable. The world was ok and the magic system while not unique could have kept me reading. The story and plot were also ok for a first book in series, and there was definitely potential hidden there.
However there were many many things that made me wonder why I kept listening. First off, why on earth did no one use a mobile phone or internet if this book was published in 2015? Secondly Ethan was an annoying, snivelling, poor excuse for a teenager and his selfishness and lack of any form of character drove the whole plot forward. He wasn't even bad in a villain sort of way, just incredibly weak and I hated that we got his point of view so often. Bringing me on to the next, the constant switching of points of view, I literally had no interest. Also in audio, due to the monotone nature of the narration I found it hard to work out who was who. This was, in my opinion, a bookish example of being told what was happening instead of being shown, leaving the characters feeling very flat to me. The style of the story telling itself was not for me, and sadly I will not be picking up any of the author's other works.
However there were many many things that made me wonder why I kept listening. First off, why on earth did no one use a mobile phone or internet if this book was published in 2015? Secondly Ethan was an annoying, snivelling, poor excuse for a teenager and his selfishness and lack of any form of character drove the whole plot forward. He wasn't even bad in a villain sort of way, just incredibly weak and I hated that we got his point of view so often. Bringing me on to the next, the constant switching of points of view, I literally had no interest. Also in audio, due to the monotone nature of the narration I found it hard to work out who was who. This was, in my opinion, a bookish example of being told what was happening instead of being shown, leaving the characters feeling very flat to me. The style of the story telling itself was not for me, and sadly I will not be picking up any of the author's other works.
August 8, 2016
I've made it a third of the way through, and I just give up. Nothing has happened, the characters are bland, and the only indication that there's a plot is that there's an amorphous evil something somewhere. Good guys have used magic to levitate a coin. Bad guys have used magic to break a water pipe and flood an apartment for no reason. The Big Bad has made an elderly lady uneasy and one guy momentarily dizzy. That's about it. Which would be fine if there were indications of bigger things coming; but there aren't. Or if the language was snappy or colourful or inventive or atmospheric; but it's not. Or the world-building was in-depth and intriguing; but it's not. Or if the characters were interesting or engaging; but they aren't.
No, folks, this is not a successor to the Harry Dresden series. It's not that the book is *bad*, it's just so bland. Go read something else.
No, folks, this is not a successor to the Harry Dresden series. It's not that the book is *bad*, it's just so bland. Go read something else.
November 10, 2018
I'm not sure if this was King's first novel but am sure it was very early in her career. It was a decent enough book for being one of, it not, her first. But that shows in rather one dimensional characters and a simplistic story with a rather canned urban fantasy type story. I did enjoy it and the story was reasonable if not wonderful. Some of the things that troubled me were the characterizations and how Stone was a very experienced mage yet had trouble with much less experienced mages. He just seems more a novice in the way he acts and the powers he yields. That was maybe the primary reason I gave it only three stars. I am going to read the second in the series next and I've noted the ratings for her newer books in the series go up so I'm hoping it will be a better read. But I do respect she did a decent job for a book very early in her career.
June 29, 2016
Meh. As a Dresden fan, I'll admit my expectations were high, but I've been pleasantly surprised by Alex Verus and other unique urban fantasies. I was hoping to get lucky. Unfortunately, I have to echo other reader's sentiments that the writing is adequate to tell the story, though a little juvenile - not a lot of wit or snappy dialogue. The magic system is vague and uninteresting as of yet. I'm willing to glance at the next book, knowing that I tend to be very critical of books initially. I'm hoping this series still is worth continuing - but it has rather a well to crawl out of before I will mark it down as anything I'd recommend.
October 19, 2017
star for the fact that I could tolerate Alistair himself as a narrator, star for the fact that if it was better I might have liked it more. this was a chore to finish, and more than once I had to throw down what I was holding out of sheer frustration for the narration and the characters. characters were shallow, deaths were meaningless, and yes, (spoiler alert) I cheered when Ethan died (both times, even tho one was an illusion).
also, I detest the word "ubiquitous", and it was used only twice but twice within three pages and both times incorrectly. (then I gave up reading for about two months and finally forced myself to finish).
also, I detest the word "ubiquitous", and it was used only twice but twice within three pages and both times incorrectly. (then I gave up reading for about two months and finally forced myself to finish).
December 17, 2017
DNF - 2/3 through, I realized that I didn't care much about the characters.
The main character (Stone) is a Stanford prof in occult studies as well as a practicing magician. He is convinced to take on an apprentice, who starts to fall in with the same group of 3 mages who are giving Stone trouble in his investigations of a haunted mansion.
This is pretty standard urban fantasy, Stone's mental dialogue is simple and repetitive, and in the middle of what should have been a tense and climactic scene, I was bored.
The main character (Stone) is a Stanford prof in occult studies as well as a practicing magician. He is convinced to take on an apprentice, who starts to fall in with the same group of 3 mages who are giving Stone trouble in his investigations of a haunted mansion.
This is pretty standard urban fantasy, Stone's mental dialogue is simple and repetitive, and in the middle of what should have been a tense and climactic scene, I was bored.
May 11, 2015
Finishing this book was more drudgery than enjoyment. Ethan was just too stupid and weak of a character. Stone isn't much better driven by his tentative addiction to puzzle solving and fondness for little old ladies. I didn't like the ending. If only someone in this story was competent, strong or insightful it would have been better for me. Still, others might like this story more, unless you've read Jim Butcher, whose Dresden character totally rocks unlike Stone.
January 30, 2022
Its cool reading another urban fantasy that is not Dresden series.
While this was fun to read sometimes, other time I contemplated putting it down. I had issues with a few things, Ethan's actions and decision felt forced like he had to be stupid or had to be the mole one way or the other. The 3 stooges felt bland and at some point I didn't care about them. The end felt rushed as well, no closure (not even a an inquiry from Alister how Ethan changed).
While this was fun to read sometimes, other time I contemplated putting it down. I had issues with a few things, Ethan's actions and decision felt forced like he had to be stupid or had to be the mole one way or the other. The 3 stooges felt bland and at some point I didn't care about them. The end felt rushed as well, no closure (not even a an inquiry from Alister how Ethan changed).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2023
An okay start but never got to like Ethan. He started off well but the whole fell for the girl troupe was blah. Also it says something that I felt worse about Tommy’s death than Ethan’s. Really would have liked a mundane to know about Stone. But got a deal on a collection e-book of the series so maybe Stone will have a mundane confidant though don’t want it to be the girlfriend not sure why but guess I will see
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2017
I was looking for easy reading and entertainment, and that's what I got from this book. I've started the second one, and I'm hoping the characters and writing will develop as we go along. This is somewhere between YA and adult fiction, and the characters are pretty one dimensional. Even though it's mentioned several times that Stone is British, nothing in his dialogue makes me believe that.
May 30, 2021
DNF 82%
I had trouble rating this book. It was well written, with a well-placed plot and interesting characters. However, one of the central themes is betrayal. I have a low tolerance for the subject and do not like spending time in the heads of characters that betray or are betrayed. That's just a personal quirk of mine and should not dissuade other readers.
I had trouble rating this book. It was well written, with a well-placed plot and interesting characters. However, one of the central themes is betrayal. I have a low tolerance for the subject and do not like spending time in the heads of characters that betray or are betrayed. That's just a personal quirk of mine and should not dissuade other readers.
July 17, 2015
A fun Harry Dresdenesque first. An engaging urban fantasy hero in the making. Try to ignore the repeated use of the contraction "p'raps", which I assume is there to remind us the character is British- a mage Mary Poppins? P'raps guv.
June 29, 2021
Wants to be Dresden Files. misses by a LOT. the apprentice is Too Stupid To Live. hes meant to be arund 18 but acts like he's 13 and utterly, horrifically, moronic such that his internal thoughts are painful to read.
August 9, 2021
I had a hard time getting into this. It reminded me of other urban fantasy series and I held this book to the standards and character development of those books. It just didn’t stand out. It’s a popular series with a fair number of instalments so perhaps it finds it’s stride in book 2.
December 20, 2022
Book was not great! Characters need more development, content needs more depth in respect to the magic stuff. Just not strong in delivering a believable magical character or world. Also ending seemed very rushed.
February 3, 2018
It was okay, usual urban fantasy tropes
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