Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott - Review and Giveaway

Fractured Prophecy:
 Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott

Publisher:  Patrick McDermott Publishing (July 21, 2019)
Category: Science Fiction, Space opera, Action Adventure
Tour Dates: October-November, 2019
ISBN: 9780648092162
Available in Print and ebook, 282 pages

Description: Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott

An alien messiah is missing, presumed dead. Will one woman’s interplanetary search for answers bring resurrection or betrayal?

Auriga, 2183. Empath Hickory Lace is desolated by the fiery death of the alien she once considered the son of God. But a tiny flicker of hope that he could still be alive brings her back to the Corps for a perilous mission behind Bikashi lines to recover the powerful sword of Connat. And although the Teacher’s self-sacrifice burns in her heart, the truth she uncovers on the enemy’s planet ignites a fierce new purpose.

A desperate sprint across an alien landscape unearths two different species kept in slavery by the Bikashi. Hickory decides she must liberate these suffering people and plans a daring rescue. But her assignment demands that she find the high-tech sword before the Bikashi can harness its power to enslave her home world.

Will Hickory use her abilities to save the innocent and thereby allow an alien warlord to conquer Earth, or will she leave the slaves to their fate?

Fractured Prophecy is the fourth book in the engrossing Prosperine YA science fiction series. If you like tenacious heroines and political intrigue with spiritual undertones, then you’ll love PJ McDermott’s epic story.

Follow Hickory in her quest for galactic truth.

Trailer Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott

https://animoto.com/play/2RqzW4Mm8xtlcSggV1TC2A

Praise for the Prosperine Series by PJ McDermott
“A Great read. Had me at the first chapter. Did not want to stop. Love the plot, the storyline, the action!!”

“Great characters; storyline with action, drama, and fast-paced intrigue; and unique description of an alien planet, society and it's population. Highly recommended. I would get other books in the series.”

“McDermott creates a very original and hopeful future world similar to the kind of sci fi I grew up loving. His alien characters are delightful and believable. I could not wait to read the second book, Rise of the Erlachi which is even better!”

“This is a full-blown outer space adventure. Well described characters and a story that has a nice flow to it. I read it straight thru cover to cover.”

 EXCERPT

Honor and Faith

Hickory found the empathic receptors located beneath the gamma-blocks placed in her cerebellum when she was sixteen and tried to replicate the anger and rage she’d felt when she’d discovered her power over the Charakai, the bird-reptiles on Prosperine. Why did Kar leave me? It was unfair. He said he’d be with me ’till the end of time itself. Instead of anger, she experienced profound sadness. Taking several deep breaths, she changed tack and brought to mind the memory of the crocodile attack on Bonni. She felt the power begin to build. Electrical impulses gathered pace, speeding from her SIM to the hippocampus and auditory centers of her brain and back again, faster and faster.

Her head buzzed, and nausea overcame her. She retched and abandoned her efforts to reach the Scarg. I knew this was pointless. I haven’t communicated telepathically with any creature since Kar died. Her attempt to use the memory of Kar to stoke her anger filled Hickory with shame. Anger was never his way. She recalled the Teacher’s lessons on using love rather than fear or rage to activate her gift.

 ‘The first thing you must do is have faith in me. I can teach you, but you must open your heart as well as your mind.’ He would be disappointed to see her give up so easily.

She began once more, delving deep within to locate the source of her emotional energy. She concentrated on bringing to mind the marvelous experiences and positive influences in her life: her recruitment by the Corps and the excitement of being chosen for her first mission; her friends, Kar, Gareth, and Jess; her role models, Maria and Talya. Blinding flashes of energy increased in intensity behind her eyes until she felt as though her mind and heart would break free of her body.
At that moment, she reached out and made contact, and all sadness left her.

Hickory took a few seconds to appreciate this new manifestation of her power. At first, she merely observed, noting the animal was a young female, not yet of mating age. The memories the Scarg carried of her mother and her brothers were like faded black and white video. The recent journey to the ice had been her first, and she’d been excited to be chosen. Recollections of her first kill, a sea lion, were still raw, seared into her memory by the sight, taste, and smell of the other’s lifeblood. Hickory was astonished to find grief and reasoning; the knowledge she had taken another’s life to preserve her own.

Hello. Hickory whispered into her mind.
 

About PJ McDermott

Born in Scotland, PJ McDermott moved to Australia 50 years ago, and now lives in the tropics in the North Queensland town of Trinity Beach. He started writing after he retired from the corporate treadmill and published his first novel in 2015— Small Fish Big Fish, a coming of age thriller set during the sixties. But he has always read and loved adventure and science fiction books. PJ has fond early memories of hiding under the blankets in his bed, torch in hand, reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Gulliver’s Travels. In his teenage years, like many other kids, he had lots of unanswered questions about God and the purpose of life (is there one?). Even today, similar questions remain unanswered in his mind, providing him with a springboard for his book series, ‘Prosperine’.

Website:  https://pj-mcdermott.com
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/pj_author
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thealiencorps/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mcdermott1705/

 

I enjoyed this Science Fiction Adventure and it kept me turning the pages. Fractured Prophecy is the fourth book in the Prosperine series. I had already read the first three but this is perfectly readable as a 'stand-alone' as the author manages to subtly trickle through enough of the backstory for the reader not to get 'lost'. 

 

I liked  the character of Hickory, as well as the supporting cast, especially Gareth and Jess, there were one or two characters whom I would have liked to have been a little more fleshed out, but there are a lot of characters in this novel so that is excusable.

 

The religious aspects of this story were both interesting and intriguing, especially the 'Messiah-like' character of The Teacher, Car.  A strong story line and excellent world-building kept me turning the pages and I can thoroughly recommended it to anyone who enjoys a gritty and thought provoking science fiction adventure. 

 

Buy Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott

Amazon
Barnes&Noble
BookDepository

Giveaway Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott

This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to Canada, Australia, and the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends November 29, 2019, midnight pacific time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Fractured Prophecy: Science Fiction Action Adventure by PJ McDermott

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Oct 1 Kickoff and Interview

Cremona Mythical Books Oct 2 Guest Review and Guest Post

Dennis Amazon  Oct 7 Review

Lu Ann Rockin' Book Reviews Oct 11 Review and Excerpt

Dawn Bound 4 Escape Oct 17 Guest Review

Katy Goodreads Oct 24 Review

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Oct 28 Guest Review

Shannon The Pulp and Mystery Shelf Nov 1 Guest Review

WriterGideon Goodreads Nov 12 Review

Hywela Lyn  Romance Out Of This World Nov 20 Review and Excerpt

Steve  Silver Screen Videos Nov 25 Review                                                          I

This schedule is subject to change.

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Cover Reveal - When Camels Fly

When Camels Fly by NLB Horton 
Publisher: NLBHorton, via Amazon’s White Glove (May 15, 2014) 
Agent: Mary Keeley at Books & Such Literary Management 
Category: Contemporary suspense, thread of Romance Tour Date: May/June, 2014 Available in: Print & ebook, 370 Pages

A mother’s fatal shot. A daughter’s deadly choice. In Israel, archaeologist Grace Madison shoots her daughter’s abductor. Seconds later, a handsome shepherd drops from the sky to kill a second assassin. Their world changes in two blinks of an eye. Unbeknownst to them, a fiercely ambitious evil is destroying everything in its path—the unconventional path Grace and Maggie take. They struggle to right a wrong as old as time, and discover time is running out in the race for their lives. Family and friends are swept into their vortex, extinguishing old flames while igniting new loves. While the scale tips dangerously toward disaster, millions of lives hang in the balance. And the mother-and-daughter team soon realizes nothing is as it seems. Even each other. Because choosing what’s right is all that’s left.

Advance Praise for 'When Camels Fly':
"When Camels Fly brings an interesting twist to the typical suspense novels that I read. Usually, some man is the main character, who swoops in to rescue the girl, solve the mystery, and set all things right. Not so with this novel. The main character is a delightful woman named Grace, who is a brilliant archaeologist, but definitely no Indiana Jones. More comfortable digging and researching than getting involved in international "incidents," Grace is lured (or dragged, she'd admit) into intrigue and danger when she discovers her daughter, Maggie, has been kidnapped. Like a mama grizzly, Grace heads out to find and rescue her daughter, get the bad guys, and make her daughter comply with her demands (essentially, go home and stay out of trouble). But Maggie has uncovered a disastrous plot that could affect the entire Middle East. And only Maggie (and now Grace) can do something to stop the mayhem and evil.

When Camels Fly, of course, has intrigue and suspense, action-packed scenes, some fun humor, and vivid descriptions of Israel and the Middle East that will make you think you're there in the middle of the action. But its strength really lies in its characters, in particular the mother-daughter relationship with its friendship and tension, which will have you rooting for the dynamic duo. These women are intelligent and strong. No swooning here, readers. And for those readers who still love a bit of romance, this novel provides twists and hints at love blooming. There's married love (the reader watches a "real" marriage between Grace and her husband and how they process the struggles of staying in love after decades), love lost but possibly found (Grace's son and "the one" he let get away, to his great distress, or did he?), and love begun (Maggie meets a potential "one" or two suitors).

The first in a series, you won't want to miss When Camels Fly. It's a fun read-maybe even something you could read with your mom!"-Ginger Kolbaba, author of Desperate Pastors Wives and A Matter of Wife and Death.

"NLB Horton's debut novel, When Camels Fly, incorporates features I have never before encountered in one novel: suspense, science, family, religion, and Middle Eastern intrigue. Middle-aged archaeologist Grace Madison, Ph.D., binds these elements as heroine, and my inner feminist cheered her, and the cast of characters, from the first page through the last.

The Madison women - Grace and daughter Maggie, a hydrologist - are very human and very smart. Their relationship is complex, but loving and insightful, and laced with humor. They wrestle with moral questions in intelligent and intuitive ways, and are unafraid to do the right thing to protect family and produce the greater good. Mark and Jeff Madison, Grace's husband and son, respectively, provide backup while working through a complicated relationship of their own, and attempt to rescue women who are completely capable of rescuing themselves. The characterizations of this mature family are worth the price of the book.

One charming surprise - and there are many in this novel - is Grace's octogenarian seminary professors, former spies for Mossad who converge in Israel and Jordan to assist the family they hold dear. Their espionage skills, masked by the perceived harmlessness of the elderly, allow them to move about undetected, and assist the Madison family in creative and unexpected ways.

Another unique aspect of When Camels Fly is the incorporation of science and history as backdrops for the storyline. Horton's enjoyable and interesting depiction of hydrology and geology are well researched, and give legitimacy not only to herself, but also to her characters. The technical knowledge isn't overwhelming, but provides a solid foundation that increases the story's tension.

From drugged kidnappings and shootings at the Western Wall to a minor-key version of The Commodores' Brick House in Jericho, When Camels Fly empowers women and family in an entertaining adventure. Unstoppable women, well-placed humor, and critical contemporary issues make this book my top read so far in 2014, and I'm watching for news of Horton's second manuscript, scheduled to release later this year."- Leigh Bennett, Reader

"I picked up When Camels Fly, and I couldn't put it down because the dramatic opening hooked me.

Right off the bat, the relationship between Grace Madison and her grown daughter, Maggie, was committed, funny, and endearing - ideal, actually. They're smart, adventurous women stranded in Israel, running for their lives, initially unaware that Grace's husband Mark and son Jeff are in hot pursuit.

Author NLB Horton's vigorous dialogue moved the story along, and portrayed each character as uniquely intriguing. Her descriptions of Israel and Jordan were an enjoyable way to learn more about that part of the world, and it's obvious she's "been there, done that." I felt as if I were in the markets and atop the camels, participating in the story. One of the most interesting aspects of When Camels Fly is that it's contemporary suspense from a woman's viewpoint, set in a part of the world normally filtered through a male lens. And it presents the region in a realistic, approachable way.

I particularly appreciated Horton's strong portrayal of the squadron of elderly intelligence agents. I don't think I've ever encountered a novel in which senior citizens (and I am one) were crafted with such lively respect.

The Madison family is a refreshing, healthy model in the world of contemporary literature, where dysfunctional or overly simplistic family portrayals reign. When I discovered the end of the novel alluded to the story continuing in the next book in the series, I was delighted. I look forward to continuing the adventure begun in When Camels Fly."- Lillian Bohannon, Reader.

About NLB Horton:
After an award-winning detour through journalism and marketing and a graduate degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, NLBHorton returned to writing fiction. She has surveyed Israeli archaeological digs accompanied by artillery rounds from Syria and machine gun fire from Lebanon. Explored Machu Picchu after training with an Incan shaman. And consumed afternoon tea across five continents. When Camels Fly is her first novel. Her second, The Brothers’ Keepers, will be available November 2014. Website: http://www.nlbhorton.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NLB-Horton/289059931145461 Twitter: https://twitter.com/NLBHorton Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nlbhorton/