Book Review: "Dangerous Tides" by Arjay Eff

I'm reviewing "Dangerous Tides" by Arjay Eff, which is a surprisingly good short novel for a first-time author. I want to preface this review by saying that I was a beta reader who read the book as he wrote it, so I cannot comment on the finished product since he took advice I provided and made changes and edits. I am also friends with Arjay, so this review may be biased, but I'll try to be fair.

I've known Arjay for almost two decades after he joined the Alpha Squad writers group (where I created Vecto). At that moment, I realized that he had a knack for story creation. At that time and until recently, Arjay tried to express his ideas through art and graphic novels, creating numerous characters with backgrounds and storylines in his head. He has now shifted to writing as a means to get these storylines out and started his publishing debut with "Dangerous Tides."

When reading the novella, the first thing that stood out to me is that the story is well-structured, with scenes flowing together and the plot progressing. Many first-time authors struggle with story structure, so the fact that Arjay, who switched from art to writing, did well in this regard surprised me and bodes well for his future development as a writer. I believe that the decades he has spent imagining his stories and how they would play out greatly helped in this regard. Having the story already imagined also helped him write the story in just a few months, which is much faster than I write. And since he has a plethora of characters and storylines, you should also expect many more books in the series.

I like the premise to "Dangerous Tides" (a good title, by the way) with the surface of Earth being destroyed and humans in the future having to live underwater. I also like how the characters have body parts like sea creatures, which give them distinct looks and serve a purpose. It's no secret that I prefer stories with characters who have superpowers, so this lines up with my interest.

As for the plot, the story begins with Mako, the protagonist of the story, discovering encrypted secret data from a destroyed underwater vessel that has his name on it. This spearheads his journey to discover its contents, but he gets into deep water (pun intended) and becomes a target of a powerful force. Overall, the pacing was good and the story was intriguing enough for me to want to read more.

Concerning character development, the book is short and, therefore, may fall short in this regard, but it has its highlights. I wasn't too interested in Mako as a character since he seems to have a typical personality for a protagonist, but the support characters make up for it. His attacker Pisces is interesting, and the hero/mentor figure Cobalt even outshines him. The story deviates from Mako for a bit to focus on Cobalt, at which point I was concerned that he would take over Mako's story, but the story returns to Mako after he discovers his new abilities and joins the fight. The antagonist of the story also seems to be a typical villain and could use more development.

Although some characters' personalities were typical, I don't have an issue with character interactions--minus the foul language from a character. Admittedly, this is a personal preference of mine, as I see curse words as unnecessary and limiting a book's audience. I understand, though, that Arjay wanted the world to be realistic, in which there are people who curse, and I respect his creative expression. I would, therefore, only recommend the book for older teens and adults.

About the ending, I don't want to spoil it, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the last fight. Everything up to that point was exciting, and I had high expectations for a grand fight scene, but I ended up a bit disappointed. It was still a satisfactory ending, however. Arjay mentioned that he has since expanded on the ending from feedback I provided, so it may be improved now; however, I can only comment on my mindset from reading the earlier draft.

Overall, this book is a great start for a series. It's a short read, so I hope that some characters receive more development as the series continues, and I look forward to reading more.

'Alpha Squad - Vecto: Virtue' on Kindle Vella

It's been too long since I've last blogged. A lot has happened, but not much in the way of writing, unfortunately. I do want to finish the Vecto trilogy and am trying to overcome a lack of motivation as work leaves me exhausted. I have the rest of the story in my head but just need to write it down.

I've been slowly writing the third and final book in the Vecto trilogy, titled "Alpha Squad - Vecto: Virtue." It's being posted on the Kindle Vella platform in BitNovel format, similar to how I posted the first book on Wattpad so long ago. I'm hoping to finish that book and am getting close to the end.

As for what I've neglected to blog about, the first two Vecto books received redesigned covers through Vic's Lab (print and ebook), and the third book will have a cover in that style. There also is a two-book omnibus available as an ebook only.

Below are the new covers, and by clicking on the book titles, it will take you to their Amazon pages depending on what country you are from.

Here's the new cover for "Alpha Squad - Vecto: Vengeance":

Here's the cover for "Alpha Squad - Vecto: Voyage":

Here's the cover for the two book omnibus, "Alpha Squad - Vecto: Vengeance + Voyage":

And here's the art for "Alpha Squad - Vecto: Virtue":

The A.C. Stories on YouTube did a review of the first few episodes of Vecto: Virtue, which you can view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ThBn-2onzs.

I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you think of the books!

More Than 35 Websites Where You Can Post Stories for Feedback

Updates: Sept. 23, 2016 and Oct. 18, 2013. Original post: Oct. 15, 2010.

Six years ago, I published a list of 15 websites where you can post stories for feedback. It was the most popular page on my website with nearly 40,000 views. For the post's three-year anniversary, I updated it on Oct. 18, 2013, and increased the list to more than 25 sites. The post now has more than 235,000 views, so it's time to do another update. I removed listings of sites shut down, updated quotes from sites, and increased the list to include more than 35 sites where you can upload original fiction and nonfiction short stories, chapters and books. Many of the websites added to the list were suggested by readers.

(Disclaimer: Vic's Lab, LLC, which operates VicsLab.com, is the publisher of my Vecto light novels, Vecto: Vengeance and Vecto: Voyage. You can visit my page at vicslab.com/members/reidkemper. I also use Wattpad.com.)

Below is the updated post with a list of more than 35 sites where you can submit writings for an online community to read. Feel free to share links to this article to help your fellow writers.

More Than 35 Websites Where You Can Post Stories for Feedback

Writers need feedback, and many beginning writers opt to post their stories on websites where others can rate them and comment on them. Of course, writers should be careful when posting stories online. Many publishers consider anything posted online to be published and may not accept those works. However, other publishers are now seeking out self-published works that have a strong following.

If you don't write, there are plenty of fiction to read on these sites, including science fiction. You may have to filter through some badly written manuscripts, though, to find a gem.

Ideally, local writing groups are good sources of feedback, but for those who want to share their original writings with the world or members-only online communities, here is a list of more than 35 websites where you can post stories (in alphabetical order with a quote from each website):

Reid Stories: Wool by Hugh Howey and Vecto: Vengeance Chapter 4.9

Here's a book trailer for Wool by Hugh Howey:



"Silo is a series of science fiction novellas, also available as a single novel, by American writer Hugh Howey.^[1] Film rights to the story have been sold to 20th Century Fox;^[2] director Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian expressed interest in the film adaptation.^[3][4]" - Wikipedia

Here's where you can buy it: Wool

And here's the last Vecto: Vengeance scene of the week:

Vecto: Vengeance is published! Get the scoop on how I got my start.

Front cover proof.

My Vecto: Vengeance book has finally been released! It was officially released as an ebook on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014, and is available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and other online retail websites. The print edition is coming soon.

It was edited by Paul Witcover, who has worked with Tor, Del Rey, Tokyopop, and DC Comics. Also, it has been described as the first original English language light novel published by an American company. It's published by Vic's Lab, LLC, a startup company that want's to start a community of sci-fi/fantasy fans who like superheroes, anime, etc.

I'm already working on Book 2, so hopefully if the first book does well, I can get the second one published.

Ever wonder how I started to write and how I found Wattpad? Here's my story:

Reid Stories: Avengers Fight Scene and VECTO Chapter 2.1

Here is a scene from the Avengers movie:



"The Avengers is a team of superheroes, appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 (Sept. 1963), created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, following the trend of super-hero teams after the success of DC Comics' Justice League of America.^[1]" - Wikipedia

Here's where you can buy the digital movie: Marvel's The Avengers.

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: Xenogears Cut Scene and VECTO Chapter 1.8

Here's a cut scene for Xenogears for the PlayStation One (it was my favorite game until Xenoblade came out):



"Xenogears (ゼノギアス Zenogiasu^?) is a science-fiction role-playing video game developed and published by Squaresoft (now Square Enix) for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories. It was re-released by Squaresoft as a Greatest Hits title in 2003, and on the PlayStation Network on June 25, 2008 in Japan and on February 22, 2011 in North America." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the game: Xenogears - PlayStation.

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: FFVII Battle Scene and VECTO Chapter 1.7

Here's a battle scene from Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core:



"Final Fantasy VII (ファイナルファンタジーVII Fainaru Fantajī Sebun^?, i.e. Final Fantasy Seven, stylized as FINAL FANTASY VII) is a role-playing video game developed by Square (now Square Enix) as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation, in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers, in 2009 on the PlayStation Network, in 2012 on PC Digital Download, and in 2013 on Steam. The game is the first in the series to use 3D computer graphics, featuring fully rendered characters on pre-rendered backgrounds, and was the first game in the main series to be released in Europe." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can buy the Final Fantasy VII game for the PC: Final Fantasy VII  [Online Game Code].

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: Tron Disc Battle and VECTO Chapter 1.6

Here's a disc battle from Tron: Legacy:



"The Tron franchise began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron.^[1] It was followed by various film tie-ins, a comic series and the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy. More sequels are planned,^[2] and a television series premiered on Disney XD in June 2012.^[3] TRON also existed as the TRON command in the early versions of the computer programming language BASIC. TRON stood for TRace ON, which prompted the program to print or display line numbers for each command line of a program as it ran, in order to assist in the debugging of the program. In the TRON movie, TRON became a character who worked in programs to defeat evil elements trying to subvert the program." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can buy the digital movie: Tron: Legacy.

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: Zone of the Enders Remix and VECTO Chapter 1.5

Here's a remix video for Zone of the Enders HD Collection for the PS3:



"Zone of the Enders (ゾーン　オブ　エンダーズ Zōn obu Endāzu^?), commonly referred to by the acronym Z.O.E., is a video game franchise created by Hideo Kojima and the video game publisher Konami, and expanded on by the animation studio Sunrise. The original Zone of the Enders was developed for the launch of the PlayStation 2, which has so far spawned a sequel, a Game Boy Advance side-story, an OVA movie, and a twenty-six episode anime series." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can buy the second game in the series for the PS2 (my favorite one): Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner.

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: Mega Man X4 Scene and VECTO Chapter 1.4

Here's a fight scene from Mega Man X4:



"Mega Man, alternatively written as Megaman and MegaMan, known as Rockman (ロックマン Rokkuman^?) in Japan, is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the robot character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. Mega Man, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, began a series of over 50 games on multiple systems. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately twenty-nine million copies worldwide, making it Capcom's most prolific franchise.^[1]" - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the game: Mega Man X Collection - PlayStation 2.

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: Awesome Matrix Scene and VECTO Chapter 1.3

Here's an awesome scene from the Matrix movie (spoilers):



 "The Matrix is a science fiction action media franchise created by Andy and Larry Wachowski and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The series began with the feature film The Matrix (1999), and continued with two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). The characters and settings of the films are further explored in other media set in the same fictional universe, including animation, comics, and video games." - Wikipedia

Here's where to find the movies: The Complete Matrix Trilogy (The Matrix / The Matrix Reloaded / The Matrix Revolutions) [Blu-ray].

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: RoboCop Shooting Scene and VECTO Chapter 1.2

Here's a shooting scene from the 2014 RoboCop movie:



"The RoboCop franchise is an American cyberpunk media franchise featuring the futuristic adventures of Alex Murphy, a Detroit, Michigan police officer, mortally wounded in the line of duty who is converted into a powerful cyborg brand named Robocop at the behest of a powerful mega-corporation, Omni Consumer Products. Thus equipped, Murphy battles both violent crime in a severely decayed city and the blatantly corrupt machinations within OCP." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the new RoboCop movie: Robocop [Blu-ray].

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

(Previously: Crysilis, a blue-armored cyborg, and Streamline, a brown-armored ex-commander, wait for battle as Botland, wearing a red powersuit, cuts through a door with a laser.)

Inside, New Earth Police officers rushed into position as a white laser beam penetrated the closed door. The military police officers grabbed their weapons hanging on the blue wall, moving in single file, letting the veterans barricade the front line with five-foot-tall energy shields. The head police clanked their frontal shields against the ground in a domino wave as the others hurried behind them. The commander stood in the back, shouting orders of alignment.

"Remain behind shields. Prepare to block incoming fire!" the commander barked, his voice echoing across the half-circle training room. "When I give the command, and only when I give the command, you will fire! Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" the group of 50 acknowledged. The last officers hurried down the middle aisle and took position, remaining still and silent in the open-floored room. They watched the laser beam disappear and heard a loud screech echo from the walls. It was an overbearing metal scraping sound like claws digging through a slate board.

As the cutout grinded from the hole, sweat from police officers' foreheads rolled down their faces, but they wouldn't dare remove their helmets. At last, the three-inch-thick oval tipped over and crashed. Smoke fumed from the entrance as a figure in a red powersuit casually ducked through the entrance and paced toward the military police.

"Steady!" Sable ordered.

Botland stopped in front of the two rows of policemen and peered through the middle at the commander.

"Surrender, or we'll open fire!" Sable warned.

The intruder didn't respond. He simply tilted his head and tauntingly raised his arm, pointing at the commander as if provoking an attack.

"Open fire!" Sable yelled.

The men and women in the front line, with their rifles in position against their shields, unleashed the first wave of gunfire even before the commander had finished speaking. Piercing Ira bullets slipped through streams of air molecules, impacting the intruder. The room was quickly engulfed in smoke.

"Cease-fire!" the commander ordered.

(What happened to Botland? Did you dodge the bullets or get shot? Find out more in the next installment of VECTO!)

(Oct. 23, 2014, update: You can buy my Vecto: Vengeance light novel on Amazon here: Vecto: Vengeance.)

Interview About My VECTO Book, Info About Light Novels, and QA

Book cover by Rafael Fitzgerald.

I was interviewed by fellow author and blogger James Kresnik about my VECTO light novel and BitNovel format. Check out the interview on his returnnovel.com blog here. In the interview, I go over what motivates me, why I call VECTO a light novel, and what a BitNovel is, among other things.

For those who aren't familiar with what a light novel is, Wikipedia defines it this way:

"A light novel (ライトノベル raito noberu^?) is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting middle and high school students (young adult demographic).^[1][2] "Light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Such short, light novels are often called ranobe (ラノベ^?)^[3] or LN in the West. They are typically not more than 40,000–50,000 words long (the shorter ones being equivalent to a novella in US publishing terms), rarely exceed 200 pages, often have dense publishing schedules, are usually published in bunkobon size, and are often illustrated.^[4] The text is often serialized in anthology magazines before collection in book form."

Basically, light novels are short, fun, character-driven stories that are very popular in Japan. There are a few English speaking writers such as James Kresnik and me who are using the light novel format (my story so happened to match the style). Hopeful, more light novels will originate in English instead of having to be translated.

Now about BitNovels. I coined that term to represent stories that are released in small parts with mobile readers in mind. I'm posting a "bit" of my story on this blog ever Saturday at 10 a.m., but you can read more of my story on Wattpad here. Also, you can check out Kresnik's light novel titled Return - The Survivalists here and follow him on Twitter @JamesKresnik1.

Do you like the interview but want to know more? Well you get to be the interviewer this time. Comment below with questions you have, and I'll do my best in answering them. It's QA time!

(Oct. 23, 2014, update: You can buy my Vecto: Vengeance light novel on Amazon here: Vecto: Vengeance.)

Reid Stories: Power Rangers Battle and VECTO Chapter 1.1

Here's a classic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers battle:



"Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, later by BVS Entertainment, and currently by SCG Power Rangers LLC, the television series takes much of its footage from the Japanese tokusatsu Super Sentai, produced by Toei Company.^[2] Its first entry, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, debuted on August 28, 1993, and helped launch the Fox Kids programming block of the 1990s, during which it catapulted into popular culture along with a line of action figures and other toys by Bandai.^[3]" - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the first series: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Complete Series.

And here's my VECTO scene of the week:

Reid Stories: CheatNotes Summary of VECTO Prologue

VECTO book cover by Rafael Fitzgerald

You may have heard of SparkNotes and CliffNotes, but have you heard of CheatNotes? I created CheatNotes (TM), which are detailed summaries of chapters, for two kinds of people:

1. Those who don't have time to read the story and want a quicker version of it.

2. Those who want to refresh their memories about previous chapters they read.

You can use cheat codes to speed through video games, so why can't you do the same with books? These summaries are filled with spoilers from my VECTO book, so beware!

Disclaimer: Don't cheat in school, or Vecto will consider you a traitor. And if you read the book, you'll know what he does with traitors!

***

Vecto, a robot that's part of a group of fighters called the Alpha Squad, wakes up as his friend and teammate Gyro puts together Vecto's new body. His body was destroyed save for an orb called the Flummox Capacitor, which is his power source. The orb creates invisible shields that also can amplify his voice. Vecto had sacrificed himself to save Gyro from being killed by their arch nemesis Morphaal, who had conquered planets and committed mass murder. Because of cost and availability, his teammate Gyro makes Vecto's body using solid parts connected by wires instead of Vecto's old body made with Dinishmen technology. That body consisted of floating parts that used laser conduction instead of wires.

Gyro has a pitch-black body with unique DNA, has solid green, concave eyes, and doesn't have a mouth (he speaks through the cells of his body). As he puts together Vecto's body, he thanks him for his sacrifice since it gave Gyro enough time to disintegrate Morphaal with his Giga Ball energy attack. He comments that Vecto shouldn't talk robotic since he has emotions.

After waking up, Vecto realizes that they on a planet called Acaterra in Gyro's quarters. The room contains Gyro's rest capsule, a hologram of his ex-girlfriend Charisma, and a framed cross on a wall. Since the Alpha Squad was created to defeat Morphaal, Vecto questions what their purpose was. Gyro jokes that they disband and raise a family but says that he would always stay with the Alpha Squad since it's more exciting than "standing guard on Hodos." Other members are Phantom and Shadow. Phantom is a black-and-brown-cloaked figure who wears a hood. He opens the door and tells Vecto and Gyro that they have a mission to take down one of Morphaal's henchmen who survived.

***

It's revealed that Vecto was replaying internal memory data of the time Gyro repaired his body. That event happened years ago in the same room Vecto was in. Although Gyro got to create Vecto's body with floating parts and laser conduction, that body was destroyed as well and Vecto was creating another one for himself. The only thing left working from his body was one of his oddly shaped feet.

Vecto uses his foot's Air-to-Ice function within his shields to freeze valignium, also known as tyrannium, which weakens in extreme cold instead of vice versa. He then curves his shields to mold the valignium into body parts. As he creates his body, he misses having Gyro around but disregards it as a programmed response. He questions why Gyro sacrificed his life to save him since Vecto considers himself a replaceable machine. He wonders if the outcome could have been different if he was stronger, if he had stop Morphaal's henchman beforehand, if the Alpha Squad had disbanded after Morphaal's death, and if Phantom wasn't also dead.

Vecto's servant, Azul, then opens the door. He has blue skin, wears gold and white, and has several silver bracelets. Azul tells Vecto that Morphaal has been revived.

(Oct. 23, 2014, update: You can buy my Vecto: Vengeance light novel on Amazon here: Vecto: Vengeance.)

Reid Stories: Star Trek Clip and VECTO Prologue 0.3

Here's a clip from the 2009 Star Trek movie:



"Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry and currently under the ownership of CBS and Paramount.^{[Note 1]} Star Trek: The Original Series and its live action TV spin-off shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise as well as the Star Trek film series make up the main canon, while Star Trek: The Animated Series as well as the expansive library of Star Trek novels and comics are part of the franchise, but are generally considered non-canon.^{[Note 2]}" - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the 2009 movie: Star Trek [Blu-ray].

And here's my VECTO scene of the week: 

Free Promotions, Steelheart Book Trailer, and VECTO BitNovel

I'm going to change the direction of my blog to promote my VECTO story while helping other authors as well. Until August 1, 2014, I'm offering a chance to promote books by writers of science fiction or superhero fantasy, which will accompany a scene of my story. The space will look something like below.

Here's a book trailer for the Steelheart book by Brandon Sanderson:



"The Reckoners series is a fantasy series written by American author Brandon Sanderson. Three books are planned in the series: Steelheart (published 2013), Firefight (forthcoming 2014), and Calamity (forthcoming). In the post-apocalyptic world of the Reckoners series, random people have gained superpowers. These actions of these new super powered individuals, known as "Epics" have caused the collapse of traditional governments." - Wikipedia

Here's where you can find the digital book: Steelheart (The Reckoners).

--
The promotional space will contain a trailer or image, a 100-word-maximum description of the book or series and a link to where people can find the book. If you have a science fiction, fantasy superhero, or anime-style book published that would be rated PG-13 or below if it's a movie (no sex scenes, no strong language, etc.), then you can contact me with the above information. The book must be available via online retailers such as Barnes & Noble and/or Amazon. You can find the contact form by clicking the "Contact Me" tab above. I'll let you know what day your info will be posted and only ask that you link back to my blog from your website if you have one. In the meantime, I will post videos from popular book, movie, and TV franchises.

Below the info, I will provide a BitNovel version of my VECTO story starting from the beginning. There will be a post every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. until at least December. The story is still in draft form, so I appreciate any comments or suggestions.

What's a BitNovel? Simply put, it's a name I created for bite-sized novels ideal for mobile phone users or readers who are in a hurry. Each part is short, and the following posts will pick up right where you left off with a brief reminder of what previously happened. Every time a chapter is completed, I'll post a detailed summary of the chapter on the following Wednesday at 5 p.m. This will help refresh your memory before the next chapter or help those new to the story get up-to-speed on what has happened.

VECTO blurb:  
"An obsessed robot, sidekick cyborg, ex-military commander, sword-wielding thief, determined assassin, martial arts master/farmer, and others cross paths in this action-packed, kick-butt story about a robot with emotions named Vecto who goes on a revengeful search of a longtime nemesis. But as Vecto's actions turn drastic, will he become a hero or a villain? Inspired by anime, comics, RPG video games, and other media, this story blends the best of all worlds. I rated it 13+ due to violence."

I hope you enjoy my book and learn more about other great stories.

(Oct. 23, 2014, update: You can buy my Vecto: Vengeance light novel on Amazon here: Vecto: Vengeance.)

Read Chapters of My 'Vecto' Book for Free

Vecto is the first book in a trilogy that I'm writing. I'm posting chapters for free on Wattpad.com, but they're not the final versions. If you want to be a beta reader, visit my page at wattpad.com/ReidKemper and make sure to leave a comment and vote for it. I'd love to hear your opinion!

Art by Rafael Fitzgerald.

The book stars a character that I created in 1996 named Vecto--a robot made of floating parts who has emotions. I created him for a collaborative universe I helped start called the Alpha Squad. The stories have always been something my friends and I enjoyed creating, and I'd like to share that universe with you.

In the storyline, Vecto was created in the year 3,005 by a scientist named Vic who is part of a midget race of beings called Dinishmen (the race is small and frail because they are optimized for brain power with less resources provided to their bodily form). His being consists of an orb that projects layers of form-fitting shields around a body of floating parts. Although he helps fight in a war, he is eventually disowned by his master and is recruited by a group of fighters called the Alpha Squad. The A.S. was created with the sole mission of eliminating a nine-foot-tall cyborg called Morphaal, who is considered the most dangerous being alive.

Years later, Morphaal is killed and the Alpha Squad no longer has a purpose. Even after Morphaal's death, his henchmen live on and Vecto's best friend is killed. The Vecto book starts off with Vecto trying to deal with his friend's death. To top it off, he hears that Morphaal has been revived and is looking to conquer a hidden planet called Zendora, where Morphaal plans to move his base of operations.

The story chronicles Vecto's quest to find Morphaal. However, the loss of his friend causes him to obsess over finding Morphaal to exact revenge. This results in rash decisions and violent behavior. His noble journey soon becomes a killing rampage, and his Alpha Squad teammates must find a way to stop him.

I'm writing the story in chapters that mimic TV episodes. Similar to light novels, which are popular in Japan, the story is focused on dialogue and action to maintain a quick reading pace. I don't take three minutes of your time to elaborate on a three-second scene. I try to match reading speed with the actual time taking place. Although it's written with older teens in mind, it's a good read for adults as well. If you like action-packed stories with unique characters, comic book movies, RPG video games, anime, and other media, you should read the book ... and let me know what you think!

Reid Review: The Hunger Games Movie — Digested

I recently watched "The Hunger Games" movie and wasn't that impressed. I may be in the minority with that opinion, so read on and enjoy a trailer of the movie at the end.