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BOOKS IN REVIEW

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SHELF UNBOUND’S Books In Review

Self-Published & Small Press Book Reviews

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Arlen’s Gun: A Novel of Men at War.

BY EDGAR DOLEMAN

Adult

PUBLISHER: AUTHORHOUSE Tn Edgar Doleman’s absorbing novel Arlen’s Gun, an angry loner from Baltimore begins to discover brotherhood through the trials of Vietnam combat.

Arlen Washington joins the Air Force to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. But he’s sent to Vietnam anyway, where he’s a gunner in an AC-47 gunship, the aircraft type nicknamed “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

When his plane, code-named “Spooky 45,” is shot down, he has the foresight to disconnect the undamaged minigun from the wreckage. After the survivors manage to connect with an Army unit, Washington takes pride in the gun, a sixbarreled beast that can fire over 1,000 rounds per minute, and he fantasizes about bringing it home to the ’hood and mounting it on a Lincoln town car. But a friend mocks him for considering stealing it: “Think it’ll fit in your duffel bag?”

His devotion to and skill with the minigun earn him respect he’s not used to receiving. Spooky 45’s copilot introduces him as “Airman Second Class Arlen Washington, gunner, general pain in the ass, and life-saving master improviser.” As the story evolves, Arlen discovers that he and his comrades need each other and feels the sharp pain of losing fellow soldiers in battle.

This story is told in clear, credible detail, with comparatively little violence initially. Washington is no coward, but in one case he doesn’t immediately respond when his unit is attacked—“the world just needed to go away for a while”—but then the shouting stirs him to action. Tension builds throughout, culminating in a ferocious set-piece battle with “Charlie,” the Viet Cong. Doleman spares readers the gore while still delivering a fast-paced yarn and sense of the horror of warfare.

The author is a two-tour Vietnam veteran and career soldier who shows great empathy for his characters and deep knowledge of his subject. Fans of military fiction will be enthralled with this gripping tribute to the ordinary Americans who fought in Vietnam. 

Lost in The Ark.

BY VAL AGNEW

Adult

Val Agnew’s absorbing young adult/new adult novel follows a young woman confronting questions of faith and family.

Eighteen-year-old Kate Bennett’s difficult mother has just died, leaving Kate’s father and two younger sisters adrift. Kate blames herself, as her mother had a stroke upon learning Kate would be attending an evangelical bible college, against the family’s wishes.

Nevertheless, she sets out for The Ark, a church and school run by the charismatic Pastor Steve. She accustoms herself to its strict rules and to her quirky roommates, including glamorous, rebellious Bobbi.

Pastor Steve’s handsome nephew, Luke, encourages Kate in her faith journey. Their relationship quickly intensifies, and Kate finds herself being groomed for the role of a pastor’s wife. Yet, although she longs for the stability and purpose her new life offers, Kate also questions The Ark’s teachings about the role of women. And faced with Luke’s physical standoffishness in the name of premarital chastity, she grapples with an attraction to Nick, an earthy colleague at her off-campus job.

When Bobbi suddenly leaves the school, Kate sets off to find out what happened to her — eventually uncovering disturbing revelations about The Ark that force her to reconsider her path. Kate is a terrific, layered main character, offering a relatable mix of strengths and weaknesses. She possesses a genuine faith in God and desire to do good, but her devotion is entwined with a need to escape the complications of her everyday life. And although a bit of a pushover in her initial enchantment with Luke, she proves herself a strong and loving friend to Bobbi. Agnew also excels at depicting the complexity of Kate’s relationships with her family. For instance, Kate slowly and poignantly acknowledges that her harsh and sometimes unloving mother’s legacy has a positive aspect as well.

With its believable, engaging protagonist and multi-faceted plot, Lost in The Ark offers its young- and new-adult audience a fully satisfying read. 

PUBLISHER: ANGEL HILL PRESS

The Sommelier: Book Two of the Nosferatu Conspiracy.

BY BRIAN JAMES GAGE

Adult

The second installment of Brian James Gage’s Nosferatu Conspiracy trilogy (after 2020’s The Sleepwalker) is a grandscale storytelling tour de force that fuses together elements of horror, dark fantasy, alternate history, and apocalyptic fiction.

While many believe Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by revolutionaries, this story posits that his death was orchestrated by a group led by German Emperor Wilhelm II, who sought to ignite a war with France and capture a mysterious figure known as the Sommelier, rumored to possess a vial containing the blood of Vlad Drăculea. The blood can be used to gain immortality, and Wilhelm has plans of ruling the world forever. But others seek the vial for different reasons, such as destroying Drăculea’s line forever and saving the world from eternal darkness.

Few writers have the creative courage and literary chops to pull off this audacious epic that rewrites world history to include a hidden narrative featuring vampires, werewolves, demons, and an impressive assortment of nightmarish monstrosities. Gage achieves this in grand style. Enriching the unique narrative further, he includes historical figures like Countess Elizabeth Báthory, the Red Baron, and Calamity Jane, to name a few.

Powered by multiple intertwining storylines, the novel’s momentum and intensity never let up as action and adventure hurtle across the pages. One biplane chase—in which a character known as the Death Witch attempts to stop a group of heroes from escaping—will literally leave readers breathless.

Main characters are deeply portrayed with their own strong individual story arcs; even secondary characters like the giant Sebastian (a reanimated mix of human, plant, and yeti) and Mary (a shapeshifter who is far more than she seems), are intriguingly complex, adding layers to the story.

This genre-hybridized saga is one of the most wildly original and entertaining series readers will ever experience. Fans of grand-scale, genre-blending storylines like Justin Cronin’s The Passage and Stephen King’s The Dark Tower will cherish this dark masterwork. 

PUBLISHER: KDK12 PRESS

Hotel Magnifique.

BY EMILY J. TAYLOR

Young Adult

“The legendary Hotel Magnifique is like no other: a magical world of golden ceilings, enchanting soirées, and fountains flowing with champagne…. When the Magnifique comes to her hometown, seventeenyear-old Jani hatches a plan to secure jobs there for herself and her younger sister, longing to escape their dreary life. Luck is on their side, and with a stroke of luminous ink on paper the sisters are swept into a life of adventure and opulence. But Jani soon begins to notice sinister spots in the hotel's decadent façade.”

This book takes you on a magical journey – after all, when it comes to whimsical settings, the Hotel Magnifique is as whimsical as you can get. The hotel itself reminded me of a mixture between Hogwarts and the castle in Howl’s Moving Castle, with the hotel changing locations and structure while, at the same time, seeming almost alive. Reading the story, it is easy to get lost in the enchantment of it all, savoring its vivid details and its glittering, fanciful elements.

The story’s premise, world-building, and familial relationships kept me hooked throughout. I found myself wanting to know what happened next, and really wanted the central characters to have their happy ending.

My main reservation is that the storyline itself, with all its twists and turns, was somewhat

While Hotel Magnifique isn’t a book I would’ve normally picked up, it proved to be enjoyable. I can even see it becoming a comfort read for some – for example, The Hobbit and Howl’s Moving Castle are my two main comfort reads, specifically because of their whimsical elements. They are books I can get lost in, books that are equivalent to literary hugs. They are somewhat predictable, and nothing compares to reading them for the first time – yet I read them anyway, because they’re still magical to me. I can see Hotel Magnifique becoming that for others. 

PUBLISHER: PUSHKIN PRESS

The Book of Perilous Dishes.

BY DOINA RUSTI

Adult

PUBLISHER: NEEM TREE PRESS LIMITED “1798: A magical, dark adventure. Fourteen-year-old Pâtca, initiated in the occult arts, comes to Bucharest, to her uncle, Cuviosu Zăval, to retrieve the Book of Perilous Dishes. The recipes in this magical book can bring about damaging sincerity, forgetfulness, the gift of prediction, or hysterical laughter. She finds her uncle murdered and the book missing. All that Zăval has left her is a strange map she must decipher. Travelling from Romania to France and on to Germany to do so, Pâtca’s family’s true past and powers are revealed, as is her connection to the famous and sublime chef, Silica.”

For Doina Ruști, this publication marks her first ever English translation. Originally published in 2017 by Polirom Publishing, The Book of Perilous Dishes was re-printed by Neem Tree Press on March 3, 2022, and was translated from Romanian by James Christian Brown. The book itself is based in 18th century Bucharest, with the main character, 14-yearold Pâtca, seeking to solve the mystery her deceased family has left behind for her.

I’m a sucker for historical fiction, especially when folkloric magic is involved (as is the case here) – so, if I’m being honest, I went into this story already biased in its favor. I don’t know what it is about Eastern European occultism, but I tend to enjoy reading about that form of magic more than I enjoy reading about complex, fabricated magic systems – it feels more grounded, I suppose, more possible, because the magic (and the process of achieving it) is tangible. With this in mind, I was very curious to see how Doina would approach food as having magical properties, and I was not disappointed. From start to finish, I was engrossed, and reading some of the recipes actually made me a little hungry (despite their less-than-savory side effects)!

Another enjoyable aspect of the book was Pâtca herself, as well as the mysteriousness of the pagan god whose power Pâtca’s lineage draws upon. I do want to make you aware, though, that the book’s synopsis may be a bit misleading – Pâtca does not travel to France or Germany until the end of the book, with the majority of the story taking place in Bucharest. So, if you read the synopsis and go into the book expecting a travel adventure, you may be disappointed. However, this wasn’t a setback for me.

With all of these things in mind, it was an absolute pleasure to read The Book of Perilous Dishes – I hope Doina receives more English translations, that way I can read more of her work! 

Of Myths And Men.

BY CATHERINE DELLOSA

Young Adult

Of Myths and Men by Catherine Dellosa is a story about 18-year-old Ava who has the responsibility of defending Earth thrust upon her by a menagerie of fantasy creatures, or more accurately, the alien immigrants that inspired said fantasies.

With a large cast of characters, saucy romantic sub plots, a world-ending threat, and a dash of fandom and world-building, this novel falls comfortably into the now-booming YA fantasy/ sci-fi genre.

Much of the novel is devoted to dialogue as the human and not-so-human characters discuss grief, heartbreak, or fear as they prepare to face extraterrestrial takeover. One of the most compelling points brought up in one of these conversations was how there was a denial of the “Chosen One” trope. This culminated in a character saying that what truly mattered was being someone who chooses to make a difference for those they care about, which I found refreshing.

If you’re generally die-hard YA fan, you will enjoy your time on this alternate reality.

The ending leaves some things unresolved, but fear not! The author confirmed that this is just the first installment in a trilogy and Of Myths and Men is “just the beginning!” 

PUBLISHER: PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

Heartbroke.

BY CHELSEA BIEKER

Adult

The feel of despair, the hope of something better, healing…different permeates Bieker’s collection, Heartbroke. Her characters stumble out of the depths of a miner’s crackhouse, an old beater, and a bedroom filled with feces in a ramshackle house. Each story is situated neatly under the glaring California sun, yet the heat was the last thing on my mind. I was rooting for the underdog.

I too wanted more for them.

Their stories reminded me of the places I don’t want to go; I wondered what turn of life kept me out of the same dire straits. Were the characters always right? No. The raisin farmer’s daughter wasn’t. Could Bobby’s mother have made better choices? For sure.

Yet, it’s not a crime to be born to a raisin farmer. Single parenthood isn’t easy; it’s filled with hard choices.

When you read Heartbroke, you’ll be introduced to vibrant characters making difficult choices. You’ll be drawn into the underbelly of suburban American life where people trying to eke out a living are cast farther out than most identified as misfits. You might even find that Bobby’s mom’s words haunt you into being sure you are specific… “so the universe can hear you” 

PUBLISHER: CATAPULT

Crushing.

SOPHIE BURROWS

Adult

“She's lonely and searching for connection. He's lonely, but afraid to reach out. But is finding someone else really the answer to their problems? Crushing, an illustrated misadventure in love and loneliness, is a story told in silence — a story about connections in the big city — making them, missing them, and longing for them. Achingly beautiful, subtly defiant, and full of humor and quiet wisdom, Sophie Burrows’ debut graphic novel is a unique meditation on the human condition in the 21st century, and a timely examination of millennial life in an age of isolation. Sometimes, words aren't enough.”

Crushing is a lovely, poignant story, and makes for a unique read since it is told solely through pictures. Regarding the unnamed central characters, they are both very relatable – the way their experiences with anxiety and loneliness are handled is my favorite part of the storyline, as their struggles are familiar to anyone who has ever felt alone in a crowd. The main thematic question I noticed was, what does it mean to find community and belonging in a world full of strangers? I especially appreciate that Sophie doesn’t present romance as the answer, turning instead to the pockets of kindness that strangers can provide, if you let them. And it’s absolutely incredible that she is able to convey all this through drawings!

Speaking of which, Sophie’s art style is beautiful, and the pictures look like they’ve been hand-drawn with colored pencils. Each person that appears within the story, whether they be in the foreground or background, is unique – setting the story in a big city helps amplify the loneliness that the central characters experience, while also making you feel small. Additionally, Sophie’s drawings of human faces are simplistic, but they still convey so much emotion – I find the simplicity really endearing, and I think it enhances rather than inhibits the story. In terms of style, I also think it is really cool that Sophie drew exclusively in black and white, with the exception of red, which is the only color used in any of the drawings (exemplified in the cover art, pictured above). This design choice makes the pictures look very dynamic, and naturally draws the readers’ gaze where it needs to be.

Overall, Crushing is a fantastic read, especially if you feel alone in life – because the story and its characters remind you that you’re not. 

PUBLISHER: WORKMAN PUBLISHING

Bayou Liberty.

BY KELLY SULLIVAN YONC

Adult

PUBLISHER: BAYOU LIBERTY BOOKS Bayou Liberty by Kelly Sullivan Yonce is a short novel about sisters,Sawyer and Maggie, overcoming trauma. Their parents died when they were both teenagers. As an adult, Sawyer is fresh out of an abusive marriage, and Maggie is coping with the fact she has cancer. Both girls left their home in Louisiana at different times in their lives and ended up in South Carolina, where their parents were from, as adults to help them process their traumas.

Bayou Liberty is a coming of age story for adults. The adult characters each have their own demons and traumas they need to work through in order to live their best lives. There are roadblocks, secrets, and discoveries made along that way that doesn't make this an easy process.

This novel is written in a way that it is as if your best friend is telling you what is going on in their lives. The reader gets invested in the main character’s, Sawyer, well-being and wants her to succeed in her new life. For a short novel, one does get a grasp for what the characters have gone through their childhood up to adulthood. This is helped by Yonce inserting purposeful flashbacks that help tell the characters’ stories.

Yonce is a faith based author and a pastor. Because of this, Yonce is able to show the struggle of her characters trying to find grace, forgiveness, and purpose back in their lives. She does a wonderful job in finding the balance of pain and faith in this novel. Even if the reader does not follow a faith or religion, they will be able to relate with the characters in more than one way. Most readers should be able to connect with one or more character in many different ways. 

When You Leave Me.

BY SUSAN WINGATE

Adult

When You Leave Me is Susan Wingate’s newest upcoming release. Set in the Pacific Northwest, this suspense thriller/mystery pulls you into the story right away.

After a short violent earthquake shakes the remote island where they live along the coast of Washington State, Jaime Michaels’ husband has gone missing. Detective Rob Rimmler and a search and rescue team begin looking for Larry, who has dementia. After three months, the search is called off, and Rob begins his own investigation into Larry’s disappearance. The way Wingate structured her novel is interesting to me. When I first started reading When You Leave Me, the story is set in June 2020, the month Larry disappeared, and the point of view is third person with a focus on Jaime. The second chapter jumps to three months later—September—and the point of view switches to first person with Jaime still telling the story. I felt like I had a better connection to the story when I was reading the chapters told in first person. I felt like I was inside Jaime’s head feeling her struggles as she dealt with the loss of her husband and as she shared her thoughts about dealing with his dementia before he went missing. If you have a relative with dementia or have had one in the past, you’ll feel Jaime’s pain. I know I certainly did.

With all of Jaime’s reflections of her husband and their lives together, I felt like I really got to know the character well. And even though at times, her reflections slowed the story down at some points, they made the story seem much more realistic. As the story continued to unfold, the suspense grew, and I wanted to keep reading and solve the mystery of Larry’s disappearance.

When You Leave Me is a great suspense thriller/mystery that made me want to keep reading until the end. And having a real-life issue like dementia as part of the storyline made the novel even better. 

PUBLISHER: DOWN & OUT BOOKS

London in Black.

BY JACK LUTZ

Adult

On June 6, Jack Lutz is releasing his first novel, London in Black. This crime fiction is not only a suspense thriller, but it will appeal to those who like a dystopian setting.

Set a few years into the future, DI Lucy Stone is trying to solve the murder of a scientist, who might have had the antidote to a plague that has been in London for a couple of years. Lucy just happens to be one of the ‘Vulnerables’ who stays alive by giving herself boost injections.

As I began reading London in Black, I noticed Lutz’s short sentences, sometimes not even complete sentences and sometimes extremely short. It is important to know that he originally wrote this book as a screenplay, so that certainly carried over when he changed it to a novel. At first, I wasn’t sure I liked his writing style. However, the more I read, the more I realized how quick the plot moved along, and it made me want to keep reading. Even though Lutz writes the story from Lucy’s viewpoint and in third person, he gives us plenty of her inner thoughts by using italics. This allows us to really get to know her throughout the story. Right away, I noticed Lucy likes the “f” word, and while that may turn some readers away, I think the word’s usage shows both her toughness and vulnerability.

Taking place in 2029, London in Black doesn’t seem too far from what we’ve gone through right now with our own pandemic. It made me think about how real this story is or at least could be. This novel may be futuristic, but Lutz weaves a bit of the history of London into the plot as well. This helps us understand not only the story better but Lucy’s character, too. London in Black is a suspenseful and dystopian thriller and gives us a realistic look into a young woman’s life—both past and present. And it will keep you turning the pages. 

PUBLISHER: PUSHKIN PRESS

The Essence of Nathan Biddle.

BY J. WILLIAM LEWIS

Adult

PUBLISHER: GREENLEAF BOOK GROUP PRESS

The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J. William Lewis explores what it means to exist. In this bildungsroman of sorts, 18-year-old Kit grapples with the idea of his existence while struggling against recent heartbreak, a new and questionable relationship, and the familial trauma that he’s been avoiding. Despite Kit’s obsessive and pensive attitude, he’s a very relatable and sympathetic character. Throughout his struggle to find meaning, you see something very true, and if these are thoughts you’ve been preoccupied with, you’ll likely see a lot of yourself. The novel uses a recurring symbol of a heron standing in the tide beneath a floodlight, and it was an accurate representation of the core conflict: someone standing on the edge, wary, puzzled, and alone, squinting into the darkness for an answer. The author, much like Kit, was clever in writing this novel, especially with the thematic entwining of Kit’s relationships with his ex, Anna, and the new love interest, Sarah. Anna breaks up with Kit early in the story because she couldn’t bear the weight of his unrealistic and idealized perception of her, and he soon begins going with Sarah, a girl who has had her eye on him ever since she first saw him; however, it isn’t long until Kit realizes that Sarah is treating him the same way he did Anna. I found this book to be oddly charming and funny. And as someone who has spent time thinking about nothingness, I found myself relating to Kit as I’ve had many of the same thoughts as he did. Though the story leaves things unresolved, I feel that is part of a continued effort by the author to capture the truth of life. Much of what we fight against in our own minds can’t be resolved in one summer, and whether or not we find answers, we grow as people. This growth was what I believe that author wanted us to focus on, with one line sticking with me upon finishing the book: “Don’t dismiss calamity until you can look over your shoulder and see what it has produced.” 

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