You see, the trilogy was released for free in podcast format in 2006-2007. Now St. Martins press is releasing the first book in paperback format at the end of October.

Trust me. You want to buy and read this book. You also want to listen to 7th Son: 7 Days, and I’m not just saying that because a particular person you may know (me) makes an appearance as a villain in the first story!

Can’t wait to get your grubby hands on the book? Head over to his site and start grabbing the NEW podiobook release of Descent right now! J.C has already started releasing the new recordings for you enjoyment. Why? Because he’s the fucking man. So do him a favor for being so awesome and buy 7th Son: Descent on October 27th. If we all do, St Martins press is sure to pickup the other 2 books for print.

“In a hardboiled dystopian future, one major American city has been divided in two. Separated by much more than a river, one side is an unfinished technological marvel populated by mega-skyscrapers where the wealthy live, work, and play. The other is a forsaken wasteland where order is strictly maintained by a rogue group of cleric soldiers known as the street preachers. But this dichotomy is about to change. Slowly, quietly, clandestine forces are working to undermine the small piece of redemption the street preachers have brought to their concrete flocks. In the face of watching their second chance crumble to dust, some will fight to stop it. Others will kill to make it happen.” – podiobooks.com

Review:

The Failed City Monologues is a pulp fiction that takes place in a city that is two cities, as you can see from the synopsis above.  I almost stopped listening to this book after the first chapter, because it just didn’t grab me, but I’m glad I stuck it out.  This turned out to be among the top of the podiobooks I’ve ever listened to.  The different voice actors bring the characters to life, and the way each of the characters’ lives intertwine is masterfully executed.  The book covers several story lines that all tie into one larger plot, though certain aspects of each one are unique to each character in the book.  After all was said and done I was left wanting more, as each of the characters had left some kind of imprint on me, leaving me wanting more backstory, more adventures.  Highly recommended.

What if the cataclysmic Tunguska explosion of 1908 was caused, not by a meteor or a comet, but by a microscopic black hole?
What if that fantastic object – smaller than an atom, older than the stars, heavier than a mountain – is still down there, orbiting deep inside the earth, slowly consuming the planet?
What if only a rookie government agent and an uncannily-insightful consultant stand between a renegade Russian billionaire and his plans to use the black hole to change history – or end it?
What if it’s all true?” – Podiobooks.com

Review:

Wow.  When I first started this book I was a bit worried because of the depth of the science taking place.  Let me say that it was worth getting past it.  Singulatiry is a great science-fiction/techno thriller that takes facts from a real world event and uses science to create a fantastic “what if?” scenario.  The characters are quirky, and well thought out.  The story starts a bit slow, then picks up and continues at a great pace until the white-knuckled ending.  I highly recommend the book, and can’t wait until the next in the series, “Duality”, comes out.

“Featuring a zombie outbreak and a strange sort of doomsday, but really focusing on how coming through those experiences into utopia and freedom effects different people, Forget What You Can’t Remember is an exploration of the human mind under pressure. It’s about relationships, memory, opportunity, and dealing with their loss – and other kinds of loss. Forget What You Can’t Remember is a spin-off novel in the same universe as Lost and Not Found which doesn’t require you to have read that book to understand it.” – Podiobooks.com

Review:

Following in Lost and Not Found‘s footsteps is Forget What You Can’t Remember.  Teel takes one of LaNF’s minor characters and places him in the spotlight, facing a doomsday that he had predicted for years.  The book starts off fast paced with a zombie outbreak, and the eventually doomsday event which changes the world forever…the thing is, most people don’t realize it’s happened.

Forget What You Can’t Remember dives deep into the ethics of a Utopian society, the moral choices of a superhero, and the insecurities that gnaw away at people.  As the book’s events unfold, they have much different effects on the characters in the story.  A Sargent who needs a new purpose and place in a city with no need for war, a woman who discovers a happy ending after doomsday, a superhero who can’t remember his origins, and Paul, who wants to return all the lost memories to those who may or may not want them back.

In my opinon, this books is much better than Lost and Not Found, though both are great books.  I can’t wait to delve into More Lost Memories, which is a collection of short stories that take place during the timeline of FWYCR.

Synopsis:

“WHEN TIME mysteriously stops, young Max Quick must travel across America to find the source of this ‘temporal disaster’… Along the way, he and his companions encounter ancient mysteries, quantum Books, and clues to the riddle of stopped Time. But the more Max learns, the more it seems that his own true identity is not what he once believed…” – Podiobooks.com

Review:

WOW what an awesome book.  The Pocket and the Pendant by Mark Jeffrey follows a 12 year old boy named Max Quick as he discovers that time has stopped, yet he has not.  Not only that, but he has kind of superpowers in this “pocket” of time.  Along the way he finds others that can still move about, and they set out to find out what has happened, and about Max’s mysterious past.

I devoured the podiobook version of this book very quickly.  It was almost impossible to put down.  The book feels like a mix of modern fantasy and science fiction.  The pace of the book is quick, and there is rarely a dull moment.  Pieces of the plot link together flawlessly to create a tightly woven storyline that will keep you asking for more.  Thankfully, The Two Travelers is there to give you just that.

“Lost and Not Found details one man’s journey all the way from being laid off from his mundane corporate job to becoming the author he truly dreams to be by following his attempt to write his first novel within the challenging timeframe of only four weeks. As his story unfolds we get to read what he is writing and can see the relationship between the author and his work unfold until his life literally unfolds around him.” – Podiobooks.com

Review:

An interesting and daring book which doesn’t seem to follow the normal conventions of fiction.

The story changes in plot and pace a bit throughout the book, with an almost intentional plodding right in the middle. This slow portion of the book just helps build the the eventual change in the main character, and leads him to the path of the truth he’s always known.

The book introduces a bunch of characters in the beginning, much of whom are not even important by the end.  My one tip is keep an eye on Paul.  You’ll be seeing more of him in Forget What You Can’t Remember.

A great story, with the author taking a refreshing, and much needed risk in his writing.

You can buy the book, Lost and Not Found, from Modern Evil Press.

I can’t wait for it to arrive in the mail!

Teel writes some very awesome, and very unconventional fiction.  I’ll be posting some quick writeups of some of his books here in the near future.  I recommend picking them up, I’m sure you wouldn’t be dissapointed.

The book takes place in 2020.  AIDS has been cured, but another, deadlier virus has taken its place.  The US is placed under martial law and V-CIDS victims are rounded up into quarantine centers in Utah, declared “pre-deceased”.

I’ve read and listened to a lot of books in my time, and no book has moved me the way this one has.  I listened to the podiobook version and Tracy and Laura’s narration, combined with the heart-wrentching music, make this one powerful book.  I often found myself furious, or weeping like a little kid, often during my listen.

The book contains mature content, but carries a great message.  Prepared to be blown away.  A must read.

The book is about an Evil Efficiency Consultant named Edwin Windsor.  Edwin is cool, calm, highly intelligent, and highly impatient with the stupidity of his “super-villain” clients.

There are several things that make this podiobook great.  First off is the narration.  Patrick McLean has a very particular meter and tone to his reading.  He effortlessly brings each character to life, and his timing really brings out the humor in the book.  That brings me to the next point.  This book is damn funny, in a dark and sick kind of way.  It’s all I can do to not laugh out loud and drive off the road while I listen to this book (I listen during my hour commute to work).

Fantastic?  Yes.  Must read (or listen?) YES.

Head on over to succeedinevil.com or podiobooks.com to snag the book now.  It’s still in progress, but each episode is worth it’s weight in gold.

Crescent is a very gritty, dark, science fiction tale full of corruption and horror.  Phil is an excellent storyteller, though at first I was a bit put off by his narration style.  After the first part though, I was completely immersed in the story.  Phil’s style is very paced.  Not too fast, and not too slow.  The use of ambient noises and music really helps to bring you into Crescent.

The best part of the book is the ending.  I won’t give anything away, but I will say this:  Listen to the whole book except the Epilouge.  Once you’ve finished, let it mull over in your head for a day before listentening the the epilouge.  The book stands alone really well without it, and yet with it it’s so much better.