Jaxon Reed

Tom Savage is a name that says it all. In the Star Farmer series, Jaxon Reed gives us a mashup of Tom Swift and Doc Savage set on a far-future frontier planet. Clever gadgets abound. The girl rangers make Peppermint Patty look like a wimp. While nanobots build his house, Tom and the rangers dispatch large predators and oafish villains. It is a romp that will go well with your morning cornflakes.

I picked up The Empathic Detective hoping for a cozy crime drama with a paranormal twist. Instead, I got a super-villain story that cries out for a screenplay by Ed Wood. Harpies? Really? To give him his due, Reed has a long historical note at the end justifying his excesses.

The three books are Ethinium's Vault, Mons' Angels, and Solomon's Compass. After an error during a simulation experience, Rip disappears from the real world to an alternative world. With simulation experience and playing online games, Rip is able to adapt extremely quickly to his new environment, travelling from around Europe and the Middle East. It is unusual for characters to speak out loud to themselves without the context that it's a coping mechanism; written in the third person, readers show more gain an over-the-shoulder perspective already. The story is also more telling than showing. Nonetheless, the concept is great: combining steampunk and video/online games. Ethinium's Vault is the longest book out of the three, establishing Rip's character and journey in the new world, then the following books get grittier and darker.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. show less

The three books are Ethinium's Vault, Mons' Angels, and Solomon's Compass. After an error during a simulation experience, Rip disappears from the real world to an alternative world. With simulation experience and playing online games, Rip is able to adapt extremely quickly to his new environment, travelling from around Europe and the Middle East. It is unusual for characters to speak out loud to themselves without the context that it's a coping mechanism; written in the third person, readers show more gain an over-the-shoulder perspective already. The story is also more telling than showing. Nonetheless, the concept is great: combining steampunk and video/online games. Ethinium's Vault is the longest book out of the three, establishing Rip's character and journey in the new world, then the following books get grittier and darker.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. show less