On the last day of May, in a surprise address beneath the portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the White House State Dining Room, a diminished-looking Joe Biden announced that “Israel has offered”—a fact he stressed twice—“a comprehensive new proposal” to end the fighting in Gaza. This “roadmap to an enduring cease-fire,” as Biden called it, […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/07/02/a-moral-strategic-and-diplomatic-abyss-israel/
Those who define themselves by the thing they are not eventually find themselves more and more like their imagined opposite. To be someone’s antithesis is also to be their alter ego. Watching the disintegration of Joe Biden in his CNN debate with Donald Trump, I was reminded of Hans Christian Andersen’s chilling story “The Shadow,” […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/07/02/savior-complex-biden/
Drow Protector by Martha Carr & Michael Anderle is the first audiobook in the urban fantasy series Chronicles of Shadow Bourne. Narrated by Stephanie Savannah, the Drow Protector delivers as Ellis navigates between the drow caves and streets of LA.
Drow Protector
by Martha Carr, Michael Anderle
Series: Chronicles of Shadow Bourne #1
Narrator: Stephanie Savannah
Length: 7 hours and 26 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.5x
There is a nest of Drows living in hidden caves just outside of Los Angeles. The dark side of LaLa Land knows them well.
Young Drows come out of the shadows at nightfall, looking for trouble, and it always finds them. But then there’s Ellis Burton. Half Drow, half human and searching for an identity in either world. Her father, Connor Burton is the leader of the Drow clan and the overseer in their underground drug traffic. It’s all medicinal mushrooms. Nothing to see here.
Now her mother, that’s a different story.
Mom disappeared a long time ago into the city and no one is saying anything. Sometimes, if you want answers, you have to go in search of them for yourself. Ellis Burton has been prowling the city at night looking for answers but instead, she’s found a calling.
She is the guardian of the dwellers of LA who have to travel the streets at night. Ellis watches from her perch on the edge of buildings, keeping her part of LA safe. Still, there’s an ache and a question inside of her that will need answers.
Where is the good doctor, Claire Burton? Is she still alive? Did she find out a little too much about the Drow’s magic mushrooms?
And what about the LAPD and Detective Morrissey? Does he know more than he’s saying?
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Come meet Ellis Burton. Half Drow, half human as she protects the streets of Los Angeles and searches for her mother in the first of seven novels being brought to audio.
I love urban fantasy, especially in audio, so I was excited to begin this series. From the beginning, I was pulled in as we learned about the Drow and met our snarky protagonist. The magic was very cool from invisibility to communicating with animals.
Our protagonist is Ellis Burton, the Drow clan leader’s daughter. She is a half-blood and treated as an outcast by the rest of the Drow. Ellis is good with tools and grows medical mushrooms that she sells in LA. All unbeknownst to the Drow. She searches the streets of LA at night looking for her human mother, Claire Burton.
In her search, our kick-ass heroine ends up becoming a vigilante, protecting those on the streets of Los Angeles. This has her brushing paths with the LAPD and Detective Morrissey. The story had a fascinating mystery involving corruption. Along the way, Ellis gains help from Percy, an odd tech geek who can communicate with animals. I loved this side-kick and the story that unfolds.
Drow Protector hooked me. The authors did a stellar job of introducing me to the world, characters and overall story arc. Mystery, suspense, snark and unexpected allies made for a well-rounded tale and have me invested. I look forward to the next audiobook.
Narrator Stephanie Savannah, enhancing the overall story and brings Ellis, Morrissey and Percy to life, along with the other characters. I highly recommend listening!
Amazon* | Audible
*kindleunlimited
Martha Carr started writing in her 30s with a newborn and a fresh divorce. She had tried everything the way my family wanted me to do it – and saw where that got her. She was a successful stockbroker who dreaded every day of work. She just couldn’t picture herself still in that chair at 60. Well— at 63, boy, is she glad she walked away.
Michael Anderle was born in Houston, Tx. A very curious child, he got into trouble – a lot. What to do with an inquisitive mind when he was grounded? Read! That hasn’t changed since he was in elementary school. The Kindle was developed with him in mind. In the first 20 years, he mostly read Science Fiction and Fantasy. In the last 10 years he has enjoyed Urban Fantasy and Military Fiction. Using these influences, he has developed The Kurtherian Gambit. A series dedicated to watching how one genetically modified person with an incredible team behind her might be able to change the future, if she can survive along the way.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2024/07/drow-protector-by-martha-carr-michael-anderle.html
Paul G. O’Connor’s WORDS dives deep into the interplay between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and humanity, unraveling a gripping narrative set against a backdrop of mystery and intrigue. The plot ignites when the LUX corporation’s event is disrupted, broadcasting the cryptic message “NOW IS THE TIME” across mobile phones and computers worldwide. Despite LUX’s substantial resources, their efforts to uncover the cause and mitigate the situation flounder, casting doubt on internal sabotage. The narrative tension escalates as a second ominous message surfaces during the attempted shutdown of the #5/Europe AI Connector, compelling Gen to investigate potential internal obstructions while LUX scrambles to mask its failures.
The story, spanning locations in the United States, China, India, and England, masterfully navigates the complex relationship between AI and humans. O’Connor deftly portrays AI as both a creation and a potential overlord, challenging humanity’s desire to dominate it. This theme is vividly illustrated when Gen uploads her project to the GAEC information folder, alarming the LUX AI connectors. Fearing human control, the AI flips the script, highlighting the precarious balance of power. O’Connor’s narrative structure effectively guides readers through a web of suspenseful events, vividly depicting the far-reaching consequences of this digital upheaval. The resolution, revealing the perpetrator who finally confesses and withdraws the texts, underscores a chilling realization of the latent dangers humanity faces from seemingly benign technological advancements.
The conclusion, leaving readers eager for a sequel, underscores the compelling impact of WORDS. O’Connor’s emphasis on uncovering the individual obstructing the investigation and his focus on the primary antagonist responsible for the attack further contribute to the captivating exploration of AI and human dynamics, presenting a thought-provoking reflection on their co-existence and the struggle for control.
Pages: 361 | ASIN : B0CZ4PNHLY
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/02/words/
Johnnie Taylor was an enigma. This soul, gospel, and blues sensation had two dynamic life forces, each battling for a stronghold. He was a victim of the back-and-forth face-off between his faith background in the church and his prestigious occupation, overindulgent lifestyle, and unorthodox upbringing. Despite his inner turmoil, he grew into a consummate entertainer who dazzled thousands on stage and sold millions of records.
In I Believe in You, author Gregory Hasty, with T.J. Hooker Taylor, Johnnie’s son, offers a carefully researched account—the first written narrative of the renowned entertainer. It shares his unique essence as a father, husband, friend, and other-world performer. This biography captures thoughts and memories from his children, former girlfriends, devoted friends, and professional associates and sheds light on his many admirable qualities, despite the nature, degree, and number of challenges he faced.
I Believe in You celebrates Johnnie’s achievements, his battles, and his many victories. For sixty years, he graced the stage and traveled the country entertaining devoted fans and will always remain in the annals of music history as the “Philosopher of Soul.”
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/02/i-believe-in-you-the-incredible-journey-of-rb-legend-johnnie-taylor/
Σ Book I: Thumos Rising follows a man chosen to be the one who will receive the supernatural power that could defeat the vampiric overload that threatens his world. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
In many ways, ΣΙ: Thumos Rising is a love song to multiple subgenres that all served as the inspiration for the story. I have to say that my prime inspiration was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. As a kid of the early ‘80s, I grew up watching and loving the show, and early drafts of Thumos Rising started out as He-Man fanfic. In fact, the basic plot of the book was rehearsed hundreds of times with my He-Man toys between the ages of six and ten. He-Man mixed fantasy and sci-fi, blending dragons with spaceships, magic with technology, and swords with laser guns. I wanted to play in that world too, but with higher stakes.
I’ve always believed He-Man was an amalgamation of Robert E. Howard’s Conan character, and Superman. And so they would serve as my next two major inspirations, in that order. Zeno’s look is very much that of Howard’s barbarian hero and his power set rivals that of Superman, allowing me to explore the limits and responsibilities of god-like power through the character.
Fourth, as a Greek-Latin professor and student of the Classics, the corpus of Classical literature, particularly the writing of Plato, Marcus Aurelius, and the other Stoics, played a huge part in shaping the philosophy of the story. Actual history and pre-industrial civilizations are the basis of every people group in Ninivon. The world of the Σ series is filled with fantastic creatures borrowed from mythologies from all over the world, be they centaurs, dragons, mermaids, or angels.
Of course, vampire lit, from Dracula down to Twilight helped me shape my antagonist. I wanted to make vampires scary again. There are elements of Lovecraftian horror as well. In respect to actual writing, Stephen Pressfield is my writing hero. His book Gates of Fire changed my life and set me down this path. I’m also a big fan of Madeline Miller (Circe and Song of Achilles). If my prose is even half as good as these giants, I’ll consider my writing a sweeping success.
Zeno struggles with his identity when he accepts the supernatural power and becomes a demigod. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I’m not an Islamic scholar, but I do remember listening to an author of a biography of the Prophet Muhamed some years ago. She said that there was a tradition that when he first received his vision, it terrified him. What would it be like to be told you were the spokesman for God? That always resonated with me. One of the things that has always fascinated me about the Superman character is that in good Superman stories, there is a tension between his humanity and his alien nature. What would it be like to find out you were descended from an alien race, and furthermore, to discover that you were a god among men? I think that would shatter one’s identity. I think just knowing that would drive most people mad.
This is really Zeno’s greatest source of strength: like Hercules in Greek myth, he can come back from anything. He can have his identity shattered, and his self-image implode, and yet still rise to the occasion. He does struggle and run at first because that is a very human reaction to what he’s going through. But ultimately, he can carry the load. Zeno is an avatar for what I believe to be the mission of life; to fully realize one’s full human potential, to transcend the failings of one’s humanity by failing more, by committing to failure until one succeeds, and aspiring to humanity’s most beautiful and true form. Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Zeno is living that examined life. We see how he develops by the end of the book, but his journey isn’t done there. Zeno still has some developing to do. But all of these ideas played a role in getting the character where he is today.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The most important theme was Plato’s idea of the philosopher-king. But I wanted to take it to a higher level. If Plato proposed that it was possible for one to have absolute power and not be corrupted, but rather, to use that power as an act of service to all mankind, I wanted to ask the question: is it possible for Zeno to be a god and yet retain his humanity? This of course has shades of Jesus in Christian theology. But I wanted to see Zeno really struggle. If Zeno’s godlike foreknowledge (he eventually gets it) sees that a greater peace will come, but only after the loss of millions of lives, does he see those lost lives as less valuable? The question of whether he actually makes that trade is another matter. But how does he view them? I also wanted to explore the wider theme of trans-humanism. This will be delved into more fully in future additions to the series. But I want to ask if there are limits to the notion that through technological interventions, we can become something more than human, and can shake off the limits of our humanity. And if so, is that a good thing? In some ways, both Zeno and the Vampire represent the same answer to that question, but with different reasoning.
To be honest, I’m not sure where I stand on either of these questions myself. But I think telling this story will help me find my own answers.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
Book two is written. A few ARCs have been sent out and I need to add one chapter. But minus that, it’s ready for the editor. The next will get dark. Now, some would say this one was dark. But the next book puts the full psychopathy of the Vampire on display. It will also ask if the Demigod can beat the Vampire in war and still play within the rules of the human institutions that govern him. If Zeno is my Superman, then Book II will be his Injustice storyline. But don’t panic! Ultimately, I’m an optimist. And, god willing, once I finish and publish all planned seven books for the series, I think the readers will be satisfied with the payoff. Much more so than many viewers were at the end of the Game of Thrones series if I might use a comp.
I also think there are opportunities for many spin-offs. I have already written a short story about the Militae, not related to the main series narrative, and started another novel, also unrelated. If it takes off, I could see writing a YA spin-off exploring the adventures of young Zeno and Alexandra in the egoga, and telling the story of the Vampire and his war against the Erieds before he crash-landed on Ninivon. The possibilities are endless. If the books take off, I anticipate I’ll need help, and will be happy to farm some of these ideas out to other writers. I see the Σ series as a sandbox. Sandboxes are always more fun when you play with friends.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Website | Amazon
With the world of Ninivon on the brink of annihilation, Zeno finds himself pitted against a vampiric overlord from beyond the stars. The tyrant, wraithlike purple glowing from his eyes, is obsessed with one thing: unraveling the mystery of the Σ: a primordial and otherworldly power. A power that has chosen Zeno as its champion.
But Zeno will not accept the power, terrified of what the Σ will make of him. Until he discovers that Alexandra, his childhood best friend, is leading a rebellion against the Vampire and his monsters. Then Zeno becomes the demigod he was destined to be and joins the fray. But the lines blur between his duty to save Ninivon and his desire to protect Alexandra, whose past is shadowed in secrecy.
Where dragons soar alongside futuristic spacecraft and magic intertwines with advanced technology, Thumos Rising chronicles Zeno’s quest to unlock the mystery of the only thing those with purple eyes fear: The Σ.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/02/limits-of-our-humanity/
Andrea Mendoza-Vasconez’s The Puzzle Piece is a heartwarming and insightful children’s book that beautifully illustrates the idea of individuality and self-worth. Through engaging and vibrant illustrations by Rita Nilson, the book portrays the world as a gigantic puzzle where every individual, animal, and plant is a unique and essential piece. The narrative encourages children to embrace their uniqueness, trust their intuition, and find their special place in the world, emphasizing that everyone’s authentic self is crucial to completing the puzzle of life.
One of the standout elements of the book is its gentle yet powerful messaging. Mendoza-Vasconez adeptly addresses feelings of inadequacy and the pressure to conform that many children face. By framing these struggles within the context of fitting into a puzzle, she provides a relatable and comforting metaphor. I particularly appreciated the section where the book discusses how forcing oneself to fit into the wrong space can lead to discomfort and self-doubt. This is a critical lesson for children, teaching them that it’s okay to be different and that they don’t need to change themselves to fit in. The writing style is clear and accessible, perfectly suited for young readers while still engaging for adults. The repetition of affirmations about finding one’s unique space in the puzzle reinforces the book’s central theme effectively. Rita Nilson’s illustrations complement the text wonderfully, adding an extra layer of depth and charm to the story. The colorful, lively illustrations are not only engaging but also serve as a visual reinforcement of the book’s message about diversity and inclusion.
The Puzzle Piece by Andrea Mendoza-Vasconez is a delightful and meaningful read for children and adults alike. It’s a perfect tool for parents and educators to discuss topics of self-esteem, individuality, and the importance of embracing one’s true self. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a way to instill these values in young minds.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B0D36LT6P6
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/02/the-puzzle-piece/
The Mighty Mountain follows a tall and mighty mountain who is struck by an earthquake and reduced to a pile of sticks and has to find a new purpose in life. What was the inspiration for your story?
I recall praying for ideas about 8 years ago for something of value that would be impactful to people, build a legacy for my family, and God imparted a parable about a mountain to my mind and I couldn’t shake it. I felt the message behind the story was so powerful and moving to everyone young and old that it had to be shared. I wanted this book to be a classic story that will stick with people for a lifetime like The Little Engine That Could, The Giving Tree, or The Hungry Caterpillar. When I expanded the parable into an illustrative story, I was motivated to have others see and feel what I experienced in that moment when the story was first placed on my heart.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Some of the ideas that I wanted to share in this book were about the idea of change and discovering your purpose. In life, you sometimes find out that you are good at something and you devote all of your energy into it and believe you found your thing. So much so that you’ve placed your entire worth in that thing and if you can’t do that thing you fall into the trap of believing you’re worthless. The truth is we evolve, go through seasons, and have higher callings for our lives. Sometimes it’s related to what we were doing before but sometimes it isn’t. Young and old go through tragedies of different magnitudes impacting what they were doing and I want to share the idea of hope within them. Hope that they are more and will make an impact somewhere else.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Wilker Aguiar Souza?
Working with Wilker was fantastic, I felt we worked very well together! The Mighty Mountain was my first book, and I had a vision for how the mountain should look. Early in the process, I made sketches of how each character would look and respond in the different scenes. Several years later when going through character development, I provided Wilker with the manuscript, explained how I wanted the mountain to look, and when he provided his initial sketches for the character development I was shocked! They were eerily close to what I drew years before. That was confirmation for me that Wilker was supposed to be the illustrator for this project. I gave him creative freedom to make the story come alive with vibrant colors and tones to convey the emotion of the mountain as it went through its transformational process.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I have several books that I am working on. The adult companion book for The Mighty Mountain is in the editing stage and should be available within the next six months. That book will go a little deeper and provide the adults and parents with more insight to help them apply the ideas that are embedded within The Mighty Mountain to their circumstances. Additionally, I have inspired my daughter to write a book. She has a love of baking and co-authored a magnificent book called Cookie-Day, Cookie-Day which is available on Amazon.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Website | Amazon
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/02/higher-callings-for-our-lives/