DARKMATTERS - The Mind of Matt

You met me at a very strange time in my life...

Read my novel: Complete Darkness

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Sunday, September 27, 2020

Matt visits Axel Lennart and the Ice World (review)



Axel Lennart and the Ice World

D.M.Z. Liyanage (@z_liyanage)

Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

‘You are lucky….for now. Should we meet again like this, I will have no option but to subject you to further questioning at the appropriate facility.’

On the ice-world of Eleusis, where the wind blows cold and the atmosphere is arctic, an ancient magic stirs. 

Who or what is the 'Völvur' – tales are told of them being dark sorcerers from long ago but surely they are just tales, right? 

In Axel Lennart and the Ice World we jump into a galaxy far, far away as hotshot pilot Axel Lennart as he crosses paths with the Unity Regime – tyrant rulers of Eleusis. But when Axel hears that the Regime is searching for an ancient Völvur artefact buried deep within the ice wastes, he lets his curiosity get the better of him. What Axel doesn’t know is that Völvur’s might still be a thing and they want it on their side… 

 Cue a search for an artefact known as the X-06 - not the latest Xbox but rather a relic that contains the mythical powers of the fabled dark sorcery. Axel’s fate is tied into that of the mysterious person called Raven and his quest to unravel the mystery plays out like a great episode of Firefly (my all time fav sci-fi show) crossed with Star Wars: A New Hope (my fav sci-fi film). 

The references to classic sci-fi’s are multitude and fun to connect with – from the dangerous escaped Convict-5257 and fun range of droids – through to the weaponry and speeder bikes if you’re a sci-fi fan then there is plenty to make you happy here. 

The story bounces along and is a fun romp – recommended for anyone who’s ever dreamed of adventure in the stars.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö (5 - May the Ice World be with you!) 




Read more Sci-fi!! 

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Sunday, September 20, 2020

Matt's life is enriched by Divine Souls (review)



DIVINE SOULS - All beyond proximities 

Ayesha F. Muskaan (@poetrybyayesha

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20

" There is a deep pain which he can read on her face but he does not prefer too, there is deep innocence too on her face just like that on face of Finas and those glittering eyes which are eager for his attention.”  

Divine souls is a joyfully life-enriching reading experience which follows the lives of Finas and Abraham. These two siblings don’t have it easy; they face prejudice and opposition from society but draw on their inner strength and that of their family to get through. 

In a place where the actions and decisions of their elders shape their options, Divine Souls is a fascinating and inspiring tale that greatly revolves around the planned marriage of Finas. With her well-meaning uncle Shroff (who was probably my favourite character) often on hand to dispense some wisdom and learning from the experiences of Rafita and Ziwar who married before them and faced lots of cultural issues. 

This is a book to lose yourself in, to be transported to another place and journey with some great young people finding love and all that goes with it. At a time when it feels as if there isn’t much love or peace to be found in our world, this tale is one that will leave you giving thanks when a family can find forgiveness and yes the love that binds them together. Isn’t that what matters most?  

I was enchanted by the cultural insights, the narrative drive and some really epic poetry which ends the book – e.g. ‘For the first time I fell in love with honesty , I became dishonest. (Honesty of Rafita)’

Recommended!! 

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö (5 - Life is rich and varied - enjoy!) 




Read more Sci-fi!! 

Click this banner to find out more about my first novel... 






Saturday, September 12, 2020

Matt finds himself an Alternate reality (review)



Alternate 

Christopher Buxton (@cbescapenovels)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"Back at Alternate HQ, the Operator excitedly placed his hands behind his head, feeling a small dose of astonishment. ‘It’s preposterous that it exists!’ he exclaimed."

What if we could jump between alternate timelines / universes? 

Well in Alternate that’s exactly what humans have worked out how to do. Meet Caspian – one of the first explorers to make the leap across the multiverse. Unfortunately, it’s possible that you might not make it back… 

I asked Chris what his inspiration behind Alternate was: “My job is ok but doesn’t allow me to be creative. I got bored and fed up of not being able to produce something that was my own ideas. I had been reading and listening to books for 2 or 3 years, then one day watched a film called Bandersnatch. I thought it was something never done before, and so creative. And so became inspired to have a try at creating my own story - my own imagination etc. Also it was a healthy escape from reality for me. Writing and focusing on the story helped to block out the world and all the general stress of work - money - family - parenting etc.”  

'What if we're not the only universe out there?'


So, is Alternate a good read? I took a little while to get into it but once the reality jumping action kicked in, I found it a fun book which delivers lots of thought-provoking ideas and some solid sci-fi adventures. Jimmy Ray is the hero of the piece and he gets partnered up with a wild card female agent Cia whose father has been lost in an alternate universe. 

My favourite element was the internal AI assistant that the agents have embedded in their eyes which answers to the name ‘Lens’. The plot takes in mad scientists, alternate pubs and fire breathing dragons – it’s quite a mix. Chris’s writing style takes scientific details and fantasy and fuses them into a fascinating romp. It’s worth checking out.



Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

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(4 - alternative reading for the sci-fi minded)


Buy your copy of Alternate



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Darkness-Darkmatters-Matt-Adcock/dp/0957338775

Wednesday, September 02, 2020

Matt meets The Man With No Name (review)

 


The Man With No Name

Tanweer Dar (@Tanweer_Dar

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@cleric20)

“The neon lights cast a pink and blue glow over the glistening wet road…” 

The Man With No Name is a fun bite-sized cyberpunk novella in a world that owes a debt to a myriad near futures we’ve seen on screen. Author Tanweer is obviously a fan of movies and you get that cinematic almost script like feel. I enjoyed the virtually shared lore with Complete Darkness where everyone has a Headchip – except here one man remains unchipped – no prizes in guessing that this is our unnamed hero. 

In this bleak and sparsely populated tale, the titular Man With No Name fights a lonely battle to try and prevent our freedom being overwritten by a bio/tech fusion – this is a nice touch beginning to blur the lines between biology and technology. It all cracks along at a good pace and there are some good action set pieces. I felt in places the author over details passages – conversations are full of ‘he / she saids’ and the prose doesn’t flow easily. This is in contrast to the characters who don’t get much flesh on their bones. There are also some stock descriptions that come up again and again about the black muscle car the hero drives. Not being too complex does mean that this would be a good taster cyberpunk for young adult readers. 

Street drive...

I asked Tanweer about his inspiration for the book, he said: “The Man With No Name is a novella set in a dystopian world. It’s a world in which most people have surrendered control to an almost omnipotent corporation, which can track them and their actions at will. This is largely due to the fact that everyone is chipped. They gain access using their chips, are identified via their chips, and pay for transactions. 

Into this cyberpunk setting comes a shadowy figure, a man with no chip, and no name. Protected from the corporation by his mother, he now seeks to find justice for what happened to her – and in turn, him. Coupled with the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence, this quest leads to enormous, unintended consequences. 

In terms of inspiration, certainly, motifs and environments explored in films such as Drive and Blade Runner, and to a lesser extent post-apocalyptic action such as Mad Max, are evident in The Man With No Name. At its core, however, is the very human story of a mother-son relationship and the search for the essence of freedom.” 

If you’ve a hankering for a cyberpunk hit that you can consume in one sitting - this is a lightning-fast and enjoyable read. Will be interesting to see what Tanweer does with a longer novel.



Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

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(4 - Short and sweet cyber tale)


Grab a slice of Cyber action here



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Darkness-Darkmatters-Matt-Adcock/dp/0957338775