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Book Review: Flash Gold
I’ve read some stinkers in my years. With the glut of ebooks out there and so many people forcing free ebooks and eshorts into my hands these days, it’s easy for one to get lost in the shuffle.
But every once in a while…
As a Reader: I was in the mood to read a novella. I had seen this one out there for free and grabbed it up about a month or so ago. I was in the mood for some short steampunk and decided to give this one a shot. I had just gotten done with two other free ebooks and when I say done I mean I wasn’t even halfway through when I decided they weren’t worth the effort.
Then I started Flash Gold. Right of bat I was sucked in. Our hero was in trouble and needed to find a way out of it. People were out to get her. Yes, her. Been a while since I’d read a female protagonist done well so I kept going. My intention was to just read a little bit and go to sleep. I’m glad this was a read because I didn’t get back to sleep.
Unlike some stories I’ve read where the steampunk is window dressing, Flash Gold keeps it right there in the forefront. The technology of the Yukon is just as much a character as anyone in the story. From automotons to airships to steam powered dog sleds (minus the dogs). Even the mystery of what exactly is Flash Gold.
I got done with this one and immediately went out and bought the sequel. I know it’ll be as much fun as the first and I’m curious to see where Lindsay is going with this one. Check her out over at (http://www.lindsayburoker.com/).
As a writer: I hate it when I’m reading a book and I see the ending coming after page 1. That did NOT happen with this book. I really enjoyed not only Lindsay’s writing style, but her pacing and build up as well. We’re thrust into her world and kept there following our main protagonist all the way.
I liked the strong female protagonist. Her father is gone and she’s left to her own devices protecting the secret of Flash Gold. This made for great confrontations with villains and a race that she needed to win. My only complaint is there is so much story to tell here that I was sad once I got to the end. But it was a free ebook and I’ve already got the sequel lined up in my queue to read.
Recommendation: This is a free ebook and not just any free ebook. This one will be a gateway that will lead you into more of Lindsays work with no financial investment. It’s a fun, light read that you will get through quickly because so much happens in such a short period of time. Do yourself a favor and grab this one. You won’t be sad that you did.
Daily Update: What a weekend.
This weekend was Mother’s day. I called my mom and we talked for a good long time. My mom owns a bar in the back woods on Minnesota so if you live in that area, let me know and I can tell you how to get there. She is AWESOME! My brother brought friends home from the Navy and she had the distinct pleasure of making sailors blush. She is a woman who’ll say what’s on her mind and not hold back. Ever. She might bite her lip or wish she’d not said something once its out, but she’s not going to hold back. You want her opinion, just ask.
I called my step-mom. She is also an amazing woman. Her and my father started up Murdock Laboratory twice. They moved from Minnesota, to Colorado, back to Minnesota, back to Colorado where she now resides. Since my father passed away she has taken on the running of the household and business on her own. The strength she’s had to continue I find admirable. When I used to call home I’d talk to my dad and I never really got to know her. I’m glad to say that I’ve not allowed her to unnoticed, but I have let her know that I’m sorry if she ever felt unappreciated by me. Since my father’s passing we’ve become much closer and I’m glad for that.
I also called my brother’s wife. He was in school on Mother’s day so they had celebrated the night before. She is also an amazing woman. My brother met her in Japan on one of his many tours over there. She made the difficult decision to come back to the United States to be with him leaving her family back in Japan. She’ll be taking a 10 hour flight back there for a month visit with their two children. I don’t know if I could do a 10 hour flight with a 6 year old boy and a 3 year old girl. She is a brave, brave woman.
Saturday we went with the Millicans to Old Town. We had a great time going through a little market that had one of the side streets closed off. I wanted to buy a Godzilla sculpture made from wire, gears, chains, and spark plugs. I wish I had gotten a picture of it. The artist had a number of other cool sculptures also made from similar items, but none as cool as Godzila.
We ate at the Old Town Cafe. A wonderful place to eat. I had lunch there with CJ and Debbie when they came to town last year for Comic Con. I’ve never had a bad meal there. The hand made tortillas are just incredible. A little butter and yum yum yum.
Sunday was spent with the wife’s family. It was pot luck. We brought clam chowder (and didn’t bring any leftovers back home). There was a lot of food and we only got a little left over chicken to bring back home. Everyone showed up and it was great. I had a beer for the first time in months. My mother-in-law (another incredible woman who raised 7 children) was doing great. All my wife’s sisters (and their children and grand children) all came over. Yes, great grand kids were there.So we had four generations from my wife’s family there. It’s impressive when everyone shows up.
I had no intention of doing any writing this weekend. None at all. I did my very short blog posts and that was it. I did get some reading done and I need to do a review of Flash Gold. I picked up this novella for free. I’ve only read a few free books I’ve picked up and this one was great! Watch for the review in the coming days. I also picked up The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories(http://www.amazon.com/The-Weird-Compendium-Strange-ebook/dp/B006TXZD3G/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2). This is 750,000 words of fiction goodness that I’ll be dipping into time and again over a very long period of time. Definitely not something I’ll get through in one sitting. I also picked up a few more books. I’ll have to post what I have on my kindle app one day.
I did also get through a terrible free story that I picked up. I would review it, but it was just awful and I have no desire to admit that I’d actually read the entire thing. It was a short story, but between the bad writing, the foul language on every page, and a story that really didn’t get me to like any of the characters, I don’t think this one deserves my time to review.
So it was a great weekend. I hope you and your family had a great weekend as well. I hope you called your mom (if she’s still with us).
I need to get to some more editing and some more writing. New stories should be coming from me soon! I’ll write about ducks tomorrow if I can find the time.
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
J.R. Murdock 