Lesa's Book Critiques: “3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years” by John Scalzi

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Bitter Tea and Mystery: Oona Out of Order: Margarita Montimore

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Oona Out of Order: Margarita Montimore: This story starts on New Year's Eve 1982; at the stroke of midnight, Oona will turn 19. She expects to be making a decision about whethe...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance:   Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance Edited by Jonathan Strahan Reviewed by Kristin With stories by Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho,...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Lights! Camera! Mayhem! by Jodi Taylor

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Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley:   Reviewed by Kristin In a near future London, a young woman accepts a civil service job without having a complete picture of what that ...

Bitter Tea and Mystery: A Rip Through Time: Kelley Armstrong

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FFB Review: Apocalypse Soon (Kyler Knightly and Damon Cole Volume 2) by Garnett Elliot

Timelines are tricky things as readers were reminded in Carnosaur Weekend. Agents Kyler Knightly and Damon Cole are back in Apocalypse Soon. The work of protecting the timelines by Continuity Inc. is ongoing,  difficult, and relies on everyone sharing the same common goal and following the rules.

 

 

In the signature story of this second volume of the series one Continuity Inc. technician by the name of Paul Dirac has gone rouge. His ongoing obsession with Pre-Apocalypse North America and vintage cars was thought to be a quirk one expected from a genius. The company shrink had perceived his obsessive interest as nothing to be concerned about and cleared him to work. Proving the shrink wrong, Dirac has gone rogue and jumped back in time to “Old Vegas” in the year 2035. He took a lot of supplies with him which means he is not coming back. What he plans to do there is unknown, but he can’t be allowed to do more damage than he has already done simply by going back then. Kyler and Damo have to go after him as fast as possible and bring him back alive. Easier said than done.

  

“Babylon Heist” comes next where Kyler Knightly is sent back approximately 3000 years to prevent a theft. Continuity Inc. got a tip that another time traveler had been sent back to collect a priceless artifact for a collector in the 23rd century. Kyler knows what they are after, but has no idea of the identity of the time traveler. So, he is working undercover in the Babylonian underworld trying to make contacts and gather information. 770 B.C. is a dangerous place and he has no idea whom he can trust.

  

Billed as a “Bonus Story” the final tale “Strontium Dreams” has nothing to do with Kyler and Damon or Continuity Inc. for that matter. Time travel may or may not be involved. What is clear is that it is a future world and one so decimated that survival means doing anything you have to survive.  Having the stamp of “genetic undesirable” on your forehead helps keep you away from the collectors looking to salvage organs for the wealthy and keeps the rest of you out of the taco meat sold by vendors in the Jetsam Flats. One does not want to become taco meat.

 

Like the past, the future is not always pretty, and certainly not here in these short stories written by Garnett Elliot. Whether it is Red Venus or Dragon By The Bay, Scorched Noir, or his efforts in the Drifter Detective Series, or the aforementioned Carnosaur Weekend, a hint of hard edged noir prevails no matter the setting. It doesn’t matter if one is vicariously on Venus fighting humans and alien life, running from dinosaurs, or shooting it out to bring back the rogue employee, that dark nourish edge of crime fiction is always there in the works of Garnett Elliot. One could easily make the argument that these are primarily crime fiction tales in a science fiction setting. Those works are also very good reads that tell complex tales with plenty of action and adventure.

Apocalypse Soon is yet another example of Mr. Elliott’s steadily increasing body of work. If you have not read him yet you really should. The only question is where and when you wish to start. 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4d7WfCx

 

 

Material was supplied in paperback format by the publisher three months ago in exchange for my objective review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016, 2024

FFB Review: Carnosaur Weekend by Garnett Elliott

 

Imagine, if you will, a world where it is possible to go back in time to play golf in relative safety while dinosaurs move around you. That idea is just a small part of the three highly entertaining tales in Carnosaur Weekend. The three tales in the book are all good ones and highly entertaining.

 

“Carnosaur Weekend” opens the book where pterodactyls fly above the golf course and an allosaurus and a carnosaur are on the fairways. A RPG is a most helpful weapon in times like this where the super-rich are being courted by real estate developers selling time shares in the late cretaceous period. Those running this deal somehow got their hands on a “Zygma Projector” making their very questionable venture in the timeline possible. Damon Cole is already working the case in the far distant past and is under deep cover. Kyler Knightly is being sent in to assist because the deal has to be shut down before they screw up the past and cause irreversible changes in the present.

 

“The Zygma Gambit” comes next and was also published in the very good The Lizard’s Ardent Uniform and Other Stories. Set a bit before the preceding story, Kyler Knightly is one of those very special people known as “dreamers” and is employed by Continuity Inc. Through their dreams the dreamers have the ability to foresee the future. Kyler has been awakened by a dream in his own bed in the early morning hours of April 14, 2223. For this to happen outside of the Precog bays where he normally works means that this dream was very powerful and definitely coming true. Kyler has to get to his Uncle Damon Cole and tell him about the dream before Cole goes on his mission.

 

The final story title “The Worms of Terpsichore” is very good and highly reminiscent of the classic type of science fiction many of us grew up on. The spaceship Sallust sent off a one word message via their orbital beacon and then went radio silent. No further transmission has come from where they landed on the surface. The one word message also does not make sense. Clearly, something has happened.  Raj and Thea will go down to the site by way of a lander from their spaceship known as the Astarte. This type of search and rescue mission is just part of what they do as members of “Frontier Swift Response.” While this isn’t at time travel story and Damon Cole and Kyler Knightly are not involved at all, it is still a very good tale. After all, any story that uses a flame-gun is automatically pretty good.

 

Author Garnett Elliot’s bio and ads for other books from Beat To A Pulp including installments of the excellent Jack Laramie Drifter Detective series finish out the book.

 

The three science fiction tales in Carnosaur Weekend quickly yank readers to a very different time and place. The multiple characters involved have considerable depth that never gets in the way of the science fiction adventure. These are adventures when anything is possible as the dangers are many and one has to stay alive by one’s wits. The tales of Carnosaur Weekend are all very good ones very much worth your time.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3xShuYR

 

Material supplied by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014, 2020, 2024

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub:   Reviewed by Kristin   Alice is pretty much satisfied with her life. She works in admissions at the private school she herself atten...

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

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Bitter Tea and Mystery: Short Story Wednesday: "Fire Watch" by Connie Willis

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Lesa's Book Critiques: A RIP THROUGH TIME BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

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George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #68: TIME TROOPERS Edited by Hank Davis & Christopher Ruocchio

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Bitter Tea and Mystery: Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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FFB Review: Carnosaur Weekend by Garnett Elliott

Last week Barry and I reminded you of  The Drifter Detective, the first gook in a great series that has a new installment coming soon. For something completely different and seriously cool, I remind you of this one also by Garnett Elliott. It will blow your mind. 

After you read the reviews, make sure you head over to Patti Abbott’s blog as well as Aubrey Nye Hamilton’s Happiness Is A Warm Book blog and see what they suggest today. Todd Mason is back collecting links so you will have even more suggestions om his Sweet Freedom blog later. 

Have a good weekend! 

Imagine, if you will, a world where it is possible to go back in time to play golf in relative safety while dinosaurs move around you. That idea is just a small part of the three highly entertaining tales in Carnosaur Weekend. The three tales in the book are all good ones and highly entertaining.

“Carnosaur Weekend” opens the book where pterodactyls fly above the golf course and an allosaurus and a carnosaur are on the fairways. A RPG is a most helpful weapon in times like this where the super-rich are being courted by real estate developers selling time shares in the late cretaceous period. Those running this deal somehow got their hands on a “Zygma Projector” making their very questionable venture in the timeline possible. Damon Cole is already working the case in the far distant past and is under deep cover. Kyler Knightly is being sent in to assist because the deal has to be shut down before they screw up the past and cause irreversible changes in the present. 

“The Zygma Gambit” comes next and was also published in the very good The Lizard’s Ardent Uniform and Other Stories. Set a bit before the preceding story, Kyler Knightly is one of those very special people known as “dreamers” and is employed by Continuity Inc. Through their dreams the dreamers have the ability to foresee the future. Kyler has been awakened by a dream in his own bed in the early morning hours of April 14, 2223. For this to happen outside of the Precog bays where he normally works means that this dream was very powerful and definitely coming true. Kyler has to get to his Uncle Damon Cole and tell him about the dream before Cole goes on his mission.

The final story title “The Worms of Terpsichore” is very good and highly reminiscent of the classic type of science fiction many of us grew up on. The spaceship Sallust sent off a one word message via their orbital beacon and then went radio silent. No further transmission has come from where they landed on the surface. The one word message also does not make sense. Clearly, something has happened.  Raj and Thea will go down to the site by way of a lander from their spaceship known as the Astarte. This type of search and rescue mission is just part of what they do as members of “Frontier Swift Response.” While this isn’t at time travel story and Damon Cole and Kyler Knightly are not involved at all, it is still a very good tale. After all, any story that uses a flame-gun is automatically pretty good.

Author Garnett Elliot’s bio and ads for other books from Beat To A Pulp including installments of the excellent Jack LaramieDrifter Detective series finish out the book.

The three science fiction tales in Carnosaur Weekend quickly yank readers to a very different time and place. The multiple characters involved have considerable depth that never gets in the way of the science fiction adventure. These are adventures when anything is possible as the dangers are many and one has to stay alive by one’s wits. The tales of Carnosaur Weekend are all very good ones very much worth your time.

Carnosaur Weekend (Kyler Knightly and Damon Cole Book 1)

Garnett Elliot

Beat To A Pulp Press

http://www.beattoapulp.com

October 2014

ASIN: B00OTT7UN8

E-Book (also available in print)

65 Pages

Material supplied by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014, 2020

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates

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