Review - Time Crawlers by Varun Sayal

Title: Time Crawlers

Author: Varun Sayal

Synopsis:

Alien Invasion, Dark Artificial Intelligence, Time-Travel, High-Tech Mythology, Djinn Folklore, Telekinetics, and life-consuming Cosmic Entities are some major themes in this book which has six tightly-knit, fast-paced Sci-Fi stories.

 

1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon
The weapons he possesses make him the destroyer of worlds, and he burns for revenge. A high-tech take on ancient Indian mythology.

 
2. Death by Crowd
The dark desires of the masses; darknet websites fueled by a crypto-currency. What lurks in the background – an advanced artificial intelligence?

3. Genie
He rubbed a lamp alright, but what he got was the shock of his life. An entirely sci-fi take on the djinn myth.

4. Time Crawlers
There are individuals who existing in multiple time periods at once, and there are those who know about them….

5. Eclipse
No attacks, no blood-shed, yet there was an invasion and a conquest. Who are these shapeshifter aliens being hounded by an eclipse?

6. The Cave
The fate of an advanced imperial race hangs in balance as a dark celestial entity meets a legendary protector.

I received an ecopy of this book from its author in exchange of an honest review.

My Thoughts: 

I love sci-fi, you all know that, but I'm not a big fan of short stories. I'm more of a novel person usually. However, reading the Time Crawlers I wondered at the colourfulness that was its collection's own because of the fact it was a short story collection. The format gave the author a chance to introduce many of his fascinating ideas in a separated, yet somewhat interlinked fashion.

If you take a look at the synopsis, you'll see a short summary of each story. They are thought-provoking on their own, but once you read them you cannot help but look for the common points. So there are aliens on Earth, so they look like us. Did they come recently, or were they here before us? Can we be aliens without knowing it? Are they part of the government? Are they part of our mythologies? Are they here with malicious intent or to help? Do they own time?

You don't have to believe in aliens or believe what is stated on these pages to find this book fun to read. These are purely theoretical sci-fi tales that play around with 'what if' questions. How would humanity react in certain situations when their survival is at stake? What would a human wish if they had a chance to meet a djinn?

I loved the theories about time and how this species – time crawlers – can exist at more places and times simultaneously – the title story was one of my favourites. The high-tech gadgets were also interesting despite the fact that most of them were weapons of mass destruction. I wouldn't want them to be invented in real life but it was fascinating to read about them.

Death by Crowd is not a story for the faint-hearted and the saddest thing is, that was the most realistic one out of all the tales. I hope humanity won't come to that; paying to watch other people die live, but it's enough to look back to the Roman gladiator games to realize we've been there before...

I certainly recommend this little collection of absorbing ideas, I enjoyed reading it a lot.

Goodreads | Amazon

September Wrap-Up, October TBR

October is here!! *happy dance* 

The leaves are already changing colours outside and Halloween is a mere month away. This is my favourite time of the year (besides Christmas).

It's wonderful to live together with my other half and to have some routine in my life at last. I still miss the adventure I had in London sometimes, but I learned to appreciate what I have here and I think I made a good decision when I stayed at home.

September started with a challenge for me at the workplace, because I got promoted to an English/Spanish speaker agent, which means now I have to use my Spanish too sometimes. I've been learning the language since I was a teen but never really had to use it much, so now I have to grow up to the task. I'm watching some series in Spanish and will pick up some books written in Spanish too from now on to practice. Wish me luck!

September was a much better reading month for me than August had been, I finished 3 books (almost four, I got to the end of The Crucible today but that doesn't count because it is the 1st of October already, ugh). 

I'm hoping to be bewitched this October by my reading list. See what books I'm planning to read at the end of this post!

Here is a summary of September on Paradise Found:

I've finished three books:

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Blackmail, Sex and Lies by Kathryn McMaster – My review

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Other posts on the blog in the month of September:

Review – Claire's Last Secret by Marty Ambrose

Books Around The World #1

Weekly Memes:

WWW Wednesday (Sept 26)

Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 (Sept 7, Sept 14) 

Plans for October:

  

I'd like to read the following books in October (in no particular order):

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa M. Kline 

The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel: A Story of Sleepy Hollow by Alyssa Palombo

Time Crawlers by Varun Sayal

 What are you planning to read in October?

WWW Wednesday #17

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words. 

WWW stands for three questions:

 

What are you currently reading?

 

The Crucible 

by Arthur Miller 

Synopsis:

The place is Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, an enclave of rigid piety huddled on the edge of a wilderness. Its inhabitants believe unquestioningly in their own sanctity. But in Arthur Miller's edgy masterpiece, that very belief will have poisonous consequences when a vengeful teenager accuses a rival of witchcraft—and then when those accusations multiply to consume the entire village.

 

I'm reading The Crucible for the Timeless book club, The Lucy Preston Literary Society.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Synopsis:

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

This was such a lovely book! I watched the movie as well, a review of both is on its way.

What do you think you'll read next?

Time Crawlers

by Varun Sayal

Synopsis:

Alien Invasion, Dark Artificial Intelligence, Time-Travel, High-Tech Mythology, Djinn Folklore, Telekinetics, and life-consuming Cosmic Entities are some major themes in this book which has six tightly-knit, fast-paced Sci-Fi stories.

 

This sci-fi short story collection with fascinating topics is going to be my next read.

Please share a link to your WWW post below!

Review - Blackmail, Sex and Lies by Kathryn McMaster

Title: Blackmail, Sex and Lies

Author: Kathryn McMaster

Synopsis:

For 160 years, people have believed Madeleine Smith to have been guilty of murder. But was she? Could she have been innocent after all?

This Victorian murder mystery, based on a true story, takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, 1857. It explores the disastrous romance between the vivacious socialite, Madeleine Hamilton Smith, and her working class lover, Pierre Emile L’Angelier. 

After a two-year torrid, and forbidden relationship with L’Angelier, that takes place against her parents' wishes, the situation changes dramatically when William Minnoch enters the scene. This new man in Madeleine’s life is handsome, rich, and of her social class. He is also a man of whom her family approve.

Sadly, insane jealous rages and threats of blackmail are suddenly silenced by an untimely death. 

My Thoughts:

Blackmail, Sex and Lies is a Victorian true crime story. In the 1850s Madeleine Smith, upper-middle class resident of Glasgow was accused of poisoning her lover Emile L'Angelier to get rid of him so she can marry someone more suitable – richer – of her class. Emile was a working class man and the fact that a young lady of a higher class conducted a secret love affair with someone below her status made for a great scandal.

To be honest, the root of the story fascinated me the most, namely the poisoning. I only ever read about arsenic poisoning before, in We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson and I remember a line from that book stating that arsenic poisoning is a very painful way to die. Well, here in Blackmail, Sex and Lies it is described in a detailed manner why it is so.

Victorians were crazy people. They took arsenic to feel more lively, more energetic. They took it to have a more pleasing complexion as well. They knew it was poision, still they used it and reommended it to each other. Both Emile and Madeleine had arsenic in their possession for one reason or other, that's why it was possible either Madeline to poision Emile, or Emile to commit suicide/overdose.

I will state here that I absolutely hated the two main characters. Emile was a world class j*** and Madeline so naive it hurt to read. Their love letters of which the book includes quite a few are syrupy and repetitive.

BUT each time I got to the parts where speculations were made or the two sides' actions were described, I found myself interested again. The writing style fit the era, the wording and the spinning of the tale kept me involved. 

My opinion is kinda mixed about this book as you can see, but still I'm glad I learned more about this case.

Goodreads | Amazon

Books Around the World #1

I'm planning to make this the first of a series of posts in which I'll recommend books based on where they are set.

Recently I finished and reviewed Claire's Last Secret by Marty Ambrose and it came to me that I have several books I like that are set in Italy. Let me show you some of them, they may pique your interest and entertain you in the future if you decide to pick them up.

These could be good choices if you're planning a trip to Italy and would like to choose a book for the occasion, but even if you're far away from the country physically, these novels can transport you there in spirit.

Three books I've read:

Title: The Savage Garden 

Author: Mark Mills

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Tuscany, 1958 

Behind a villa in the heart of Tuscany lies a Renaissance garden of enchanting beauty. Its grottoes, pagan statues and classical inscriptions seem to have a secret life of their own - and a secret message, too, for those with eyes to read it. 

Young scholar Adam Strickland is just such a person. Arriving in 1958, he finds the Docci family, their house and the unique garden as seductive as each other. But post-War Italy is still a strange, even dangerous, place and the Doccis have some dark skeletons hidden away in their past. 

Before this mysterious and beautiful summer ends, Adam will uncover two stories of love, revenge and murder, separated by 400 years... but is another tragedy about to be added to the villa's cursed history?

My Review

This book was one of my favourite reads in 2017. 

The story, which tells us the details of two murders committed hundreds of years apart is set in Tuscany. A beautiful but sinister garden hides ugly secrets that eventually get revealed by the protagonist, a young scholar called Adam, who visits the Docci family, the owners of the garden.

I loved, how classic literature was involved in this novel, it totally amazed me with its references to Ovid and Dante.

Since Adam is interested in architecture and art, he travels to several cities in Italy and the descriptions of the different places are very lively; the country is truly brought to life on the pages of this book.

Title: Angels and Demons

Author: Dan Brown

Goodreads

Synopsis:

When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered in a Swiss research facility, a Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man's chest. His baffling conclusion: it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years - reborn to continue their bitter vendetta against their sworn enemy, the Catholic church.

In Rome, the college of cardinals assembles to elect a new pope. Yet somewhere within the walls of the Vatican, an unstoppable bomb of terrifying power relentlessly counts down to oblivion. While the minutes tick away, Langdon joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to decipher the labyrinthine trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome to the long-forgotten Illuminati lair - a secret refuge wherein lies the only hope for the Vatican.

But with each revelation comes another twist, another turn in the plot, which leaves Langdon and Vetra reeling and at the mercy of a seemingly invisible enemy...

Even though The Da Vinci Code was the first Dan Brown book I read, I devoured Angels and Demons as well, right after. The puzzles this author provides are mind-blowing and astonishing.

I had the chance to visit Vatican City myself last year, St Peter's Basilica is as magnificent as I'd imagined when I was reading this book.

Title: A Room With a View

Author: E. M. Forster

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Lucy has her rigid, middle-class life mapped out for her until she visits Florence with her uptight cousin Charlotte, and finds her neatly ordered existence thrown off balance. Her eyes are opened by the unconventional characters she meets at the Pension Bertolini: flamboyant romantic novelist Eleanor Lavish, the Cockney Signora, curious Mr Emerson and, most of all, his passionate son George.

Lucy finds herself torn between the intensity of life in Italy and the repressed morals of Edwardian England, personified in her terminally dull fiancé Cecil Vyse. Will she ever learn to follow her own heart?

Honestly, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't mention at least one of E. M. Forster's works on this list. The English have always loved to spend their holiday in Italy, they are drawn to this country, that's a fact. E. M. Forster himself was fascinated with the Italian culture and the open-mindedness that the Italian people represent. 

As always, he deals with class differences and a forbidden love affair in this book and he crams all the beauty of Florence in between the lines. I'll always cherish this novel of his.

Three books I'm planning to read:

Call Me By Your Name 

by André Aciman

 I so want to read this and watch the movie too afterwards. 

There was a lot of hype surrounding this title not long ago.

Empress of Rome (The Empress of Rome #3) 

by Kate Quinn

I adore this series, read the first two books, can't wait to put my hands on the third.

The Wings of The Dove 

by Henry James

This will be the first Henry James I'll ever read and I'm excited for it. I heard his writing style is not easy to get used to, but I know and love the story so I hope we'll be good friends with Henry, haha.

That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed the post! 

What are YOUR favourite novels set in Italy?

 

Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 #26

Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by Rose City Reader and Freda's Voice.

Rules: 

Book Beginnings: Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56: Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.

This week the spotlight is on:

Blackmail, Sex and Lies

by Kathryn McMaster

Synopsis:

For 160 years, people have believed Madeleine Smith to have been guilty of murder. But was she? Could she have been innocent after all?

This Victorian murder mystery, based on a true story, takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, 1857. It explores the disastrous romance between the vivacious socialite, Madeleine Hamilton Smith, and her working class lover, Pierre Emile L’Angelier. 

After a two-year torrid, and forbidden relationship with L’Angelier, that takes place against her parents' wishes, the situation changes dramatically when William Minnoch enters the scene. This new man in Madeleine’s life is handsome, rich, and of her social class. He is also a man of whom her family approve.

Sadly, insane jealous rages and threats of blackmail are suddenly silenced by an untimely death.

Book Beginning:

Pierre Emile L'Angelier thrashed and writhed in excrutiating agony.

 The only book I've read so far that involved arsenic poisoning was We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It must be very painful, dying of arsenic.

The Firday 56:

It would break my mother's heart. Oh, Emile, be not harsh to me. I am the most guilty, miserable wretch on the face of the earth.

From a letter from Madeline Smith to Emile L'Angelier

I hope your week has been splendid!

Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 #25

Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by Rose City Reader and Freda's Voice.

Rules: 

Book Beginnings: Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56: Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.

Take a look at what I'm reading this week:

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

Synopsis:

Set in the deep American South between the wars, it is the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually, Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.
 

 

 Book Beginning:

You better not never tell nobody but God. It'd kill your mammy.

A powerful first line. Actually the whole book is a series of letters to God, then to someone else.

The Friday 56:

Me and Sofia work on the quilt. Got it frame up on the porch. Shug Avery donate her old yellow dress for scrap, and I work in a piece every chance I get. It a nice pattern call Sister's Choice. If the quilt turn out perfect, maybe I give it to her, if it not perfect, maybe I keep. I want it for myself, just for the little yellow pieces, look like stars, but not.

 It's nice Celie can appreciate such small things.

What are you reading this week? Are you enjoying it so far?