Author name: M Pax

McCredie Hot Springs: Wonderful and Weird #Oregon #Explore

Oregon, Photography, Weird and Wonderful / By / March 12, 2021

State Highway 58 is one of my favorite roads to explore in Oregon. It has lots of big, old trees and splendid sights.  One of the gems is McCredie Hot Springs along Salt Creek.

There used to be a resort hotel there that became a baseball camp and then a bordello. It burned down in 1958, and there’s litte sign it was ever there. The hot springs are still there, however, the views are stunning.

If you decide to try the hot springs, they can be very hot, so be careful. And, clothing is optional.

 

 

 

 

Now Available! Backworlds Box Collection Books 4, 5, and 6 #scifi #ebooks

New Release, Science Fiction Books, Space Opera / By / February 20, 2021

Now available at all ebook retailers! 99c for a limited time!

 

Available at all ebook retailers: Amazon, B&N, Kobo, GooglePlay, Apple, Smashwords, and more. Just click the button below.

Box Set 4,5,6

The galaxy beyond the Backworlds is rife with trouble. The desperate search to save a friend ends in the discovery of an unstoppable enemy.

This boxed set contains books 4, 5, and 6 in the Backworld series: Beyond the Edge, Worlds on Edge, and Precipice.

Beyond the Edge

Some truths are better left unfound.

For two years, Lepsi has been missing. A haunted spaceship has a message from him. Maybe Lepsi isn’t dead. Craze and Captain Talos travel to uncharted worlds, searching a region of the galaxy beyond the Backworlds. Out there, they stumble upon a terrible truth.

Worlds on Edge

Home is worth the fight.

War is coming. A horde of merciless aliens poise just beyond the Edge. Racing ahead of the apocalypse, Craze rushes to warn his people and plan a defense. Only, he can’t go home. Banned from Pardeep Station, he must wage another war to save his home.

Precipice

Salvation comes at a price.

A new enemy wants to destroy the galaxy. The Fo’wo’s want another war.

Annihilation is coming to the Backworlds, and Craze’s option to prevent the genocide of his people is a nightmare. The best chance for survival is to overcome a century of hate and forge an alliance with the Fo’wo’s. If he succeeds, Craze will be the most hated man in the galaxy.

 

 

 

 

#Scifi Worth Reading: The Truth of Valor #BookReview

Book Review, Science Fiction Books, Space Opera / By / February 26, 2021

I fell hard for Gunny Sergeant Torin Kerr in Valor’s Choice, the first book in Tanya Huff’s space opera series. Action-packed, unique and unpredictable with one kick-ass character is what caught my attention. I then devoured the next three books in the series: The Better Part of Valor, The Heart of Valor, and Valor’s Trial.

So when this book came out, The Truth of Valor, I was thrilled.

Huff threw us into a new aspect of Kerr’s life as she tries to adjust to being a former Marine. Kerr kicks ass as much as ever, and I hope the series will continue. I will certainly keep reading.

Although this novel did not surprise me as much as the previous books in The Confederation Novels, there was still a lot of action, and a lot of fun. The imagination is superb, and it’s an above-average read.

If you haven’t discovered the Confederation Novels yet, I envy you reading them for the first time. They rock.

This is definitely a series I recommend.

 

 

 

First draft of Endpoint, Backworlds Book 8 is Done! #scifi

New Release, Science Fiction Books, Space Opera / By / February 26, 2021

Getting the 8th book in the Backworlds series written was a long time in the creation tank.  It’s not done yet, but the first draft is done, and it feels great to finally say that.

There is a ton of editing to do, and I’m already hard at work at it. So far, this book is 205 single-spaced pages and 120,000 words. The trials with the Quassers come to a conclusion, and everyone has a part to play in the future of the Backworlds. It was a blast to write and I had a lot of balls in the air that needed to be woven in and make sense. And if you know my books, you know I like twists and turns and the nonconventional.

Although Endpoint is far from finished, it’s closer, and I am determined to release it later this year. So, stay tuned!

 

 

 

Speculative Fiction Worth Reading: The Bedlam Stacks #BookReview #fantasy

Book Review, Fantasy, Science Fiction Books, Speculative Fiction / By / December 24, 2020

Natasha Pulley is one of my favorite new writers. I fell in love with The Clockmaker of Filigree Street. So, I eagerly purchased this book. The Bedlam Stacks didn’t disappoint.

Pulley revisits the theme of friendship, and the story centers on a trip to Peru. Malaria is keeping British interests in India from thriving. Therefore, it’s imperative to get viable cuttings from the cinchona tree. The  bark is used to treat malaria.

Merrick Tremayne is recruited to make the expedition a success. His family connections and expertise in botany make him the top choice, despite a debilitating injury.

If you enjoyed She by H. Rider Haggard or Erewhon by Samuel Butler, you’ll be delighted with this tale of a grand expedition.

An Adventure to Peru

From a realistic start, the story evolves into the more mystical and magical. The town of Bedlam is quite fantastic: glass cliffs; pollen that is bioluminescent; trees that can float on air; and stone statues that move. It’s a town I’d love to visit. If only it existed!

The Bedlam Stacks is a thoroughly enjoyable escape. I will definitely add Pulley’s third book to my next book run.

Description

In 1859, ex–East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne is trapped at home in Cornwall with an injury that almost cost him his leg. When the India Office recruits him for an expedition to fetch quinine–essential for the treatment of malaria–from deep within Peru, he knows it’s a terrible idea; nearly every able-bodied expeditionary who’s made the attempt has died, and he can barely walk. But Merrick is eager to escape the strange events plaguing his family’s crumbling estate, so he sets off, against his better judgment, for the edge of the Amazon.

There he meets Raphael, a priest around whom the villagers spin unsettling stories of impossible disappearances, cursed woods, and living stone. Merrick must separate truth from fairy tale, and gradually he realizes that Raphael is the key to a legacy left by generations of Tremayne explorers before him, one which will prove more valuable than quinine, and far more dangerous.