Author name: M Pax

Dominion The Last Star Warrior: The Invasion Begins

Movie Review, Science Fiction Movie / /

 

movie review Dominion the last star warriorThis movie promises more than it delivers.

Let’s start with the good. The prologue of Dominion The Last Star Warrior: The Invasion Begins is genuinely promising. It hints at a story I wanted to see unfold, and the opening effects are pretty decent. But I didn’t get that story.

The acting is good for the most part, and there are moments that could have made this a fun B-movie experience. When the scary music played as one of the main characters pumped gas into his car, I thought, “Yes, this could be entertaining.” But unfortunately, that promise doesn’t last either.

The story the movie actually delivers has a few interesting ideas, but it mostly falls flat. After the prologue, the energy fizzles. There’s no singing, no dancing, no real excitement. Just a slow, plodding plot. Most of the effects look like they came straight out of the 1950s, and the movie throws around conspiracy theories as if they’re facts, which, given real-world events, is a little uncomfortable.

I really tried to like it and found a few enjoyable moments here and there, but for the most part, it’s boring. Halfway through I wondered, is it over yet? That’s never a good sign.

beer ratingAnyway, I watch these movies so you don’t have to. If you’re desperate for entertainment, it’s streaming for free on YouTube, and you could turn it into a drinking game: take a sip every time the movie gets boring or says the alien character’s name. Overall, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. I give it four beers, and that’s mostly for effort and a few sparks of fun.

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The Cost of Being a Rifter

Fantasy, Science Fiction Books, World Building Spotlight / /

 

Trust, secrecy, sacrifice, and life beside the rift.

Rifters scene

Becoming a Rifter is not a childhood dream. It is not glory. It is not adventure. It is an invitation. Not everyone receives one.

A Rifter must be intelligent, quick-thinking, and capable under pressure. They must know how to fight, how to endure pain, and how to face fear without freezing. Monsters do not care about speeches or noble intentions. When the rift opens, hesitation can kill not only a Rifter, but everyone standing beside them. If the Rifters fail, Earth is vulnerable. They must not fail.

That is why trust matters above all else.

Rifters work in small groups, often only six to ten people. Every member must trust the others completely. When a creature emerges from the rift in the dead of night, there is no time to question whether someone will hold the line, watch your blind spot, or drag you home wounded. A single weak link can dooms everyone.

That kind of trust creates bonds stronger than friendship. But it also creates distance from the rest of the world.

Only Rifters know the truth about the rift.

To everyone else, strange noises in the night might be blamed on volcanic vents or shifting earth. Missing livestock becomes bad luck. Odd tracks are dismissed as tricks of weather and mud. The Rifters protect that secrecy carefully. Panic helps no one. Fear spreads faster than monsters.

But secrecy has a cost.

A Rifter learns to lie convincingly. Sometimes to neighbors. Sometimes to friends. Sometimes to people they love. “No, there was no monster.” “It was only steam from a volcanic vent.” “You worry too much.”

The lies protect the town, but they also build walls between Rifters and ordinary life.

Most people spend their summers celebrating warmth, festivals, and long evenings beneath the stars. Rifters spend theirs on guard duty.

From the summer solstice until the fall equinox, the rift opens at night. During those months, sleep becomes precious. Rifters keep watch in darkness while the rest of the world rests safely unaware. They learn to function exhausted. Hypervigilant. Listening for sounds no one else notices. Seeing auras no one else sees.

And every summer, they surrender a part of ordinary life again. That may be the greatest cost of becoming a Rifter: existing between two worlds. For part of the year, a Rifter can laugh at gatherings, rejoin the world with regular concerns, and pretend life is simple. Then summer comes, and they return to the edge of the rift where secrets, monsters, and responsibility wait in the dark.

But despite the burden, people still accept the invitation.

Because someone must stand watch.

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The Amalfi Curse: A Book I Couldn’t Put Down

Book Review / /

 

Why Sarah Penner’s latest novel gave me a serious book hangover…

Amalfi Curse book cover

I’m a definite Sarah Penner fan, so I was excited to finally get to her latest novel, The Amalfi Curse. I’m happy to report that I was not disappointed.

From the very beginning, this was one of those books that hooks you fast and refuses to let go. I found myself staying up far too late, dealing with the inevitable book hangover the next day because I simply could not put it down.

Like Penner’s previous novels, The Amalfi Curse alternates between a story set in the past — lightly sprinkled with magic — and a present-day storyline that slowly adds questions, depth, and nuance to what came before. This structure is one of the things I love most about her writing. She doesn’t just tell a story; she invites the reader in. She lets you guess. She encourages you to question. She keeps you curious.

Switching between past and present, between two storylines and two protagonists, doesn’t always work in fiction. Sometimes one timeline feels stronger than the other, or one story stalls while the other carries the weight. But Penner handles this beautifully. Both storylines have clear arcs. Both main characters grow and change. And each timeline gives the other meaning.

By the time the threads come together, the experience feels earned — emotionally satisfying and intellectually engaging in equal measure.

If you enjoy historical mysteries with a touch of magic, dual timelines, and stories that invite you to actively participate as a reader, The Amalfi Curse is well worth your time.

And now, like always, I can’t wait to see what Sarah Penner writes next.

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Rifters in the Editing Trenches and What’s Next

Dimensions Report / /
Rifters: In the Editing Forge…

M. Pax upcoming releases

🌌 Project One: Completing the Rifters Series

Status: Editing is underway on The Generals, Rifters Book 5. I’m currently in the second edit, which is just as demanding as the first. Once this pass is complete, the remaining edits will move faster. After that, I’ll be repeating the process for The Warder, Rifters Book 6.

I’ll be releasing this series first through Kickstarter. After the campaign ends, the books will be available at retailers, but there will be a 3–6 month delay. If you want early access, you can sign up for the Kickstarter pre-launch so you’re notified the moment it goes live. Signup to be notified the second it goes live! PRELAUNCH

  • The Generals (Rifters Book 5): First edit has started
  • The Warder (Rifters Book 6): First draft is done!
  • Kickstarter exclusive story, The Legacy, outlined.

🚀 Project Two: Completed the Space Squad 51 Series

Status: KS completed. Regular launch at retailers: completed 

  • Spaceberg: The new version is out in the universe.  Get it HERE
  • Space Trash: Completed. Will release 3/10/2026. SPACE TRASH NOW OUT!
  • Space Hitched: Completed. This was a Kickstarter exclusive. Will be available as an add-on during future Kickstarter campaigns.
  • Space Weed: Completed. Will release 5/12/2026. NOW OUT!
  • Space Worms: Completed. Will release 1/13/2026. NOW OUT!
  • Space Rock: Completed. Will be available to newsletter members by February 2026. SIGN UP

🌟 Project Three: New!! Ravenwind

Status: Outlining in progress!

This is an unexpected new series based on my love of The Witcher, Legends & Lattes, The Khthonia LitRPG series (so good!) by Christine Rains, T. Kingfisher, Lois MacMaster Bujold, Murderbot, and Morrowind, which I maybe did play at least 100 times.

Currently, I’m getting to know my main cast better. There are more details about this brewing series on Discord. If you want to come hang out, you can also help shape cover design and other story decisions. Come join me at Paxport!

🌙 Project Four: Hetty Locklear Series Now The Hybrids Series

Status: In the line up after the Ravenwind series is complete

I’ll be giving The Renaissance of Hetty Locklear a partial rewrite, new title, and a new cover, but it will be the same content. Currently, I unpublished the first book until I get the rest of it written and ready to go. I have the new covers! Hate that I have to wait to show them off.  Have made more notes on what to do with the new stories. The titles will be: Cloaks, Powers, and Masks. Planned a permafree story with a working title of Invisible, an extra story for fans called Lairs, and a Kickstarter exclusive comic. Have rough ideas as to what each book will be about.

 

The final box set of the Backworlds series is on PREORDER as well. It will release 7/14/2025.

Keep your comm channels open for more updates. If you haven’t joined the M. Pax Dimension yet, come join me! MPAX DIMENSION

Stay tuned and peace out,
M. Pax

 

 

 

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Need an escape? Space Squad 51 is Fully in the Sol.

New Release, Science Fiction Books, Space Opera / /

 

YouTube player

The world’s a little too serious lately. So I made something that isn’t.

Squad 51 wrangles with the sol’s strangest disasters so no one else has to.

The series is now complete.

If you’ve been here from the beginning, thank you. If not, this is your invitation.

 

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Ghostdrift: A Brilliant, Bittersweet Farewell to Fergus Ferguson

Book Review, Science Fiction Books / /

 

Suzanne Palmer closes her Finder series with imagination, heart, and a whole lot of delightful chaos

book review of Ghostdrift by Suzanne Palmer

Suzanne Palmer’s Ghostdrift delivers exactly what I’ve come to adore about the Finder series. It’s an ingenious blend of sharp sci-fi imagination, character-driven chaos, and plots that twist themselves into delightful knots. As the fourth and final book in the series, it remains wonderfully true to form: Fergus Ferguson sets out to track down one thing, only to stumble spectacularly into something entirely different. It’s his special talent.

Once again, Palmer throws Fergus into a cascade of predicaments, each more troublesome, clever, or downright bizarre than the last. He wriggles, improvises, stumbles, and strategizes his way through danger with a mix of competence and sheer stubborn will. Watching him navigate crises is half the fun, and the other half is marveling at just how deftly Palmer constructs these situations.

Palmer’s imagination is a rare treasure. Her settings feel lived-in, textured, and genuinely alien without ever slipping into confusion or excess. Her plots are complex, yet they read with the ease of a well-worn escape route. And her characters, Fergus most of all, carry the emotional heart that elevates these books beyond adventure into something richer. Friendship, loyalty, grief, humor, and found family is all there, wrapped in an irresistible sci-fi romp.

If there’s a downside, it’s purely personal: there will be no more Fergus Ferguson stories. I’m going to miss this character and the wild orbit he seems destined to tumble through. But I also can’t wait to see what Palmer dreams up next. If her future work carries even a fraction of the spark found in these pages, it’ll be worth the wait.

Ghostdrift is clever, heartfelt, twisty, and full of the narrative nourishment that makes a story feel downright yummy. A perfect finale.

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