The Lancaster Rule by T.K. Toppin

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: The Lancaster Rule
Author: T. K. Toppin 

Author Site

Buy Link  
Publisher: Champagne Books

Genre: Romance/Time Travel/Science Fiction/Military Sci Fi/Political Sci Fi

Length: 380 pgs.
Reviewed by: C. LaForce

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 5

Editing: 2

Story: 5

Writing Ability: 2

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                

About The Book:

The world loathes Josie Bettencourt's kind – pod-survivors from the past. When death is certain, an ex-military and friend to the pod-hunters, saves her life. Unfortunately, she is soon arrested and taken straight to the Citadel, the heart of the Lancaster regime where they have ruled tyrannically for over fifty years.

Now, young John is in power, hoping to make a change, to erase the wars, famines and unimaginable terror. When Josie meets the frighteningly powerful John Lancaster, she has to ask, is he really the so-called tyrants' spawn?

She soon discovers who the true tyrants are by unraveling a deadly plot to take over the world.

The Review:

When I read the excerpt I thought this story might be right up my alley of interest, and I was correct in that assumption! The Lancaster Rule is a tale of romance, friendship, and family loyalty told in the setting of a very believable future Earth. To make it even more exciting there is political intrigue and a revolutionary militia spilt by factions with differing ideals, all bent on overthrowing the regime. There are tales from the government’s point of view with insider perspectives of counter-terrorist operations. There’s love, family, religious fanatics, more love, chaos, confusion, changing loyalties, and uncertainty as characters struggle to figure out just who to trust, and who to demonize. There’s a whole pile of exciting hand-to-hand combat and bombs going off every which way too. It’s a wonderful plot, and the settings in which the story takes place are vividly portrayed.

From the author’s notes, I see that T.K. Toppin is a relatively new author. I want to congratulate her here and wish her luck on her endeavors! To be honest with this review though, I must say that this book was often difficult for me to read. It was almost as if I were reading an old silent film in which characters stop and pose dramatically every few steps, for a few seconds too long each time, and wildly exaggerate their facial expressions in order to ensure the audience gets the message intended. It bothered me, but the story pulled me along anyway, and I kept reading.

At times I felt as if three or four people were writing this book. Sections jumped suddenly from 1^st person to 3^rd person voice. The main character’s personality flickered as well… in one scene Josie would be the helpless, fragile heroine, swooning in abject fear and uselessness, her written voice coming across as that of a flustered and lost teenager. The tone of the next chapter would morph inexplicably and I’d be reading her thoughts as if from a memoir written by a much older, more mature version of the character, years after the fact and emotionally disconnected. Then it might jump to a secondary character’s point of view, which might also be as emotionless as a narrator of a dry text on ancient economic comparisons, or overly emotional, with teeth gnashing and white knuckles. I don’t mind this sort of jumping about, but not when it makes me stop reading, flip back pages, and wonder what the heck I’d missed.

Speaking of teeth gnashing, the guys in this book did a lot of that. There was much brooding, pacing, smacking tables, kicking chairs and scads of glaring about darkly. The main character, Josie, was a weak and helpless twit for most of the book, which is not my favorite flavor of heroine, but I suppose there might be something wrong with me as many readers apparently like that sort.  Look at the popularity of Bella in the Twilight series. Bella never managed to grow a backbone or the slightest speck of self-worth, while Josie eventually managed to find herself, albeit rather abruptly. She mutated from a useless waste of oxygen, whimpering on the floor and sucking her thumb, to a super powered ninja bitch, almost instantaneously, which, by the way, was rather awkward. I truly wish her character development had a chance to follow a more gradual and realistic arc. I was glad, and relieved, to see ninja bitch appear though, because if Josie had had yet one more hissy fit and hysterical meltdown, I would have put my e-book reader through the shredder in pure disgust. (I apologize, but I was unable to develop a sincere liking for Josie! Maybe in the second book of the series...?)

Ms. Toppin has the ability to paint brilliant detail with words, unfortunately, in this book, it got to be too much of a good thing for me. I’d find myself thinking that five descriptive phrases might suffice in places where the author had squished in twenty. Ms Toppin shows off her artistic expertise in describing the characters, and excepting Josie, I liked them all very much; the good, the bad, and those somewhere in between.  She also enabled me to clearly visualize the world in which the story took place. She has a skilled hand when it comes to throwing weaponry around, and in making all of the story technology as real as future tech from OUR reality might very well be, not pure fantasy plucked from make-believe alien lands.

I wish more ‘edges’ had been smoothed here. It’s an excellent story. It’s imaginative and engaging and I believe that this first novel is a wondrous precursor of what Ms. Toppin has to offer. As written I was not so happy with this book (the story, yes, the book, no) but I see potential in it. I’d read it again if it were polished up, and I’d even go out and watch a movie version of it as there were a number of parts that would make exciting scenes in an action flick! I see the potential for the series too. I’m keeping in mind the example of JK Rowling’s seventh book, which glowingly overshadowed her first, and I will be looking for Ms. Toppin’s name on the cover of future novels.

Pagan Elements: N/A

Rogue Dancer by K.M. Tolan

                                       

THE PAGAN & PEN BOOK REVIEWS

Title:  Rogue Dancer 
Author:  K. M. Tolan   

Author Site

Buy Link
Publisher:  Champagne Books

Genre: Science-Fiction/Military/Political/Romance

Length: 297 pgs.

Reviewed by: C. LaForce

About The Book: Arms outstretched for balance, Mikial sank down into a crouch, glowering at the one new thing entering her morning routine. An assassin. The hairs along her forearms raised with a surge of bioelectric energy, beads of insulating sweat glistening her palms.

The Datha possessed broad shoulders and a firm jaw line. He regarded her with bright amber eyes similar to her own. His braids reminded her of spun straw. Standing there in a black dress uniform with his pressed side skirts, she considered him quite attractive save for the pistol he aimed up at her. His not immediately opening fire on her suggested there might be some maneuvering room available. Perhaps some Kinset pride to leverage, she considered, scowling at the sword badge over his right pocket. "I am a combat veteran and the best you can do is shoot me like some rabid animal? Is that all the honor Kinset's Datha can muster these days?"

His expression flaunted the usual brand of professional impassivity she had been receiving since her incarceration. To her relief, he flung the weapon toward the door. "Had my intentions been other than honorable, you would already be dead. Not that it matters. I placed within the top rank of my graduating class. The end result will be the same, but it will come with both honor and respect for your past service."

Mikial leapt to the floor across from him, her lips drawing back. "And what is so worth my life? Your Holding's Taqurl pride?"

Hatred oozed out from behind the edges of the Datha's stone face. "No Servant will ever rule us!" He launched himself at her.

And you expect me to sidestep into some eloquent combat stance, don't you?  She obliged him, favoring her left foot only for the instant it took to see him adjust accordingly. Mikial switched balance and flung herself bodily into his face. The crude maneuver threw him on his back with her splayed across him. Twisting around, Mikial seized his head with drawn claws and discharged a fatal jolt of electricity through her palms. She rolled off his shuddering body and glared down at it, her lips curling back. "I wasn't in the top rank. I was First!"

The Review:

The teaser for this book hooked me. I picked it up and started reading. I did not research the author, or the book itself, as I probably should have. I simply sat down and read the whole novel, pretty much without stopping, except to feed the family and other impossible-to-ignore requirements. It was a wonderful science-fiction adventure, brim-full of politics, military action, and romance. I was so sorry to see it end, that upon reaching the conclusion, I immediately dove into the internet looking for more. I was thrilled to find another book in the series, as well as a third book by the author, both of which look very promising. I have bought, and shall happily start reading, all of Mr. Tolan’s books … probably as soon as I am done writing this review.

“Rogue Dancer” is actually the second book of its series. The first book is “Blade Dancer”, a 2009 Eppie Award finalist, and it looks like a grand adventure by itself. I usually feel cheated when I find that I’ve carelessly read serial books out of order, but not this time. “Rogue Dancer” stands on its own solidly. Bits of the past were folded into this story in a way that was seamless, and not at all distracting. I read the recent history as it was meant; as a foundation to the people and world. I didn’t get the impression that I was being fed a quick and dirty recap of the last episode. I honestly did not realize I was reading a sequel.

Mikial is a female leader in a military caste on a world where the citizens are literally born to fit a specialty. Meaning, they are genetically predisposed to fill certain roles – healing, communication, technical, and military. In their past, a non-talented servant caste was created, and abused, which is the primary cause of continued internal strife. This conflict was the basis of a recent civil war, part of the story from the first book, which was further inflamed by interference from space-faring, meddlesome humans. These tensions continue in “Rogue Dancer”. After surviving a difficult biological transformation that occurs in certain individuals who are destined to be leaders of their race, Mikial is again dealing with political upheavals that threaten her people with chaos. Facing prejudice and selfish treachery, she must fight to unite the nations of her world, as well as protect them all from extra-terrestrial dangers. Her political and diplomatic abilities are further tested by the introduction of a second alien race that has its own issues with human invaders. Mikial is the focus of this book, but she is surrounded by a multitude of very likable – or detestable, in the case of the enemy types – well-rounded supporting characters. I find myself wanting to know more of the hinted at side-stories and the histories of other personalities, and I do not believe these two books will be enough for me!

  

Mr. Tolan has done a wonderful job with the world he created for this series. It was steeped in a sense of deep history and detailed culture and I am amazed that he managed to fit so much into an average length novel. He painted vivid scenery and described, without seeming to describe, a mental eye-full of alien technology, and the old and new structures and cities visited in the story. Mr. Tolan also knows military. I’m an Army veteran and can honestly say that I’ve served with some of his characters, minus, of course, the space travel and their alien nature. Mikial’s race is handled deftly. The author brings them to exotic life. He makes the reader understand who they are, why they fight, what they think, how they love, and why they dance, all without interfering with his telling of the story. The culture has its own racial and caste complexity, as well as distinct gender roles, and again, we get all this detail without being taken away from the plot. Beautifully done!

I look forward to reading the two books, “Blade Dancer” and “Rogue Dancer”, in the order intended. I do not actually need to re-read the second book, but I will gladly do so as it is worth re-visiting a time or three. If there are more tales to be told about these people and of this world, I’ll read them too (Big hint Mr. Tolan! Please?). I also look forward to reading “Waiting Weapon”, a third book I found on the author’s website. Mr. Kerry Tolan is a talented storyteller, and I cannot wait to see what he creates next. 

 

Pagan Elements: None

Cover (Rated 1-10): 9 – I like the colors and overall artwork. The cover is eye-catching and it fits the genre and this story. The font is great too. The woman’s pose is awkward. The character is supposed to be a strong, alien, warrior and dancer, but my arm hurts in sympathy for the position of her shoulder. 

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