Fiction

Title: Rich Man's War - Poor Man's Fight
Author: Daniel Thompson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Joyce Faulkner

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): B005OAWJYQ

Rich Man's War - Poor Man's Fight, is the story of two Scot - Irish families who left Ireland for the promise of a better life in America. While accurately set in time and place, this is not a battle by battle account of Civil War history. It is the story of a determined people who were pressed into a war by a country who spurned their kind and used them as pawns so their wealthy sons could be kept out of harm's way. One family, a young man who hoped to use his family trade as a sword smith entered through the port of New York in 1862. New York was in the midst of the conscription riots as Abraham Lincoln's cabinet desperately fought to fill the ranks of an Army to hold the Union together. A second family left Dublin for New Orleans. They arrived as organizers tried to convince young Irish men that the South's fight for independence from the federal government is a struggle that the Irish should understand. Fate brings the young men together on opposing sides of a Virginia battlefield where they collapse in exhaustion and come to realize the irony of their meeting and the cruel circumstances that brought them together as enemies.

Title: Seven Lives to Repay Our Country
Author: Edward Carpenter
Genre: Historical Fiction/Short Story
Reviewer: Joyce Faulkner

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): B0055KT73G

The battle of Saipan pitted US Marines and Allied soldiers against the island's Japanese defenders in one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific War. In this short story written by a US Marine, a pair of Japanese soldiers on Saipan confront the inevitability of defeat in different ways.

This story mixes fact and fiction to examine the nature of humanity in modern warfare. Please note that this is a short story, written as a submission to the Kindle Singles collection, and priced accordingly. It is 9 pages long (approx. 3000 words) and contains author's notes that highlight the historical and fictional influences that drove the story.

I hope you enjoy the story, and thank you for supporting independent, self-published literature. Your candid reviews, Tweets, blog posts, Facebook sharing and recommendations to friends are all greatly appreciated!

Title: Small as a Mustard Seed
Author: Shelli Johnson
Genre: Fiction, Literary
Reviewer: Bob Doerr

ISBN : B00537SSQ8

As a child in 1960's rural Ohio, Ann Marie Adler finds herself caught between her father, Frank, a veteran who survived the war in Korea but with devastating post-traumatic stress, and her mother, Adele, who is blindsided by the mental illness that accompanied him home. In a series of escalating dangerous episodes, Frank confuses reality with soul-searing memories, believing he's still a soldier fighting for his life in battle-torn Korea. During the delusions, Ann Marie and her younger sister, Jolene, become the enemy, which leaves them fearing for their lives. Unable to fully protect her daughters, Adele scrambles to keep order while her husband's threatening and unpredictable outbursts slowly tear the family apart.

Title: Aldric & Anneliese
Author: Harry E. Gilleland Jr.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Fran McGraw

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): ISBN / EAN

When honor was everything, and your word, a binding contract, Aldric was knight and champion to the king. A tale of love and devotion, chivalry and honor, this great tale held me captive through to the end. I personally feel this item is good read to younger children, as a bedtime story, young adults venturing into reading for themselves, and adults as a light tale of true honor and integrity. There was no one part of the book I liked above the other, except for the morals and integrity listed within. Through action and word, Aldric is a prime example of a true friend, a great leader, and a person true to their word.
Once it was over, I wanted more stories from this author. The tale was fast paced and one I couldn't put down. I felt transported back in time to a year where life was physically hard, and not always rewarding. Lessons learned often came at a high price.
I would recommend this book to all readers. It is one that whisks you away into another world. It transports you through great imagery and action. A whole new adventure to be found.
The author is very talented. I will be searching other books out from this author and adding them to my collection.