Crater by Homer Hickam

A boy miner named Crater from the waybacks of the Moon is sent by his ruling authority to collect a package of unknown contents from a ship coming from Earth. That's it in a nutshell, but there's a rich wide world opened up within this story - a whole new culture and history of Moon colonists, combined with scads of intriguing technological and practical advancements. Imaginative concepts - such as a pet made of sentient mould - strong characters and real dangers make this a definite page-turner.

It may be a good read for your child or for anyone who is young at heart and doesn't mind a bit of ridiculousness. It goes from silly to tragic and from endearing to horrific, with many gruesome fights and deaths, yet with the naive character of Crater shining through it all.

In the beginning it may feel like a lecture in places, but hang in there - the fun is coming when Crater gets "kidnapped" and much more. Animals in spacesuits? You ain't seen nothing yet.

The copyediting in the ebook version is slack, with the paragraphing and quotation marks erratically placed. However, we can't blame the author for this, and though it was annoying at first, it didn't detract much from the story. Better luck next time! No doubt there are more great stories forthcoming in the series. Writer-types, if you're irritated by multiple points of view without clear switchovers, steer clear. But for the young ones and those who can ignore it or just accept omniscience, I think it's just fine.

I particularly enjoyed the many coined words, the surprising twists, and the way Crater grew in boldness over the course of his adventures.

Double Vision by Randall Ingermanson

This very well executed geek suspense novel is a brilliant example of its type. The tension is caused by...code. Not just any code but one that could destroy the whole world's cybersecurity. Our protagonists soon find they are in deadly danger.

The romance keeps you guessing till the last minute, as Dillon grapples with the choice between two women who love him. Dillon himself is a fascinating character having Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, which makes him a brilliant and literal thinker who sees the world quite differently.

Twist after twist throws you along a roller coaster ride in your mind. A great read.

Beneath by Jeremy Robinson

Jeremy does not disappoint! Sci-fi action: check! Freaky monsters: check! Gritty characters: check! This one is a whole lot of fun, a crazy, sometimes silly but never boring ride through the solar system and the plains and oceans of the moon Europa. I'm pretty sure it'll keep you smiling till you get to the end. Some of the twists and surprises were a little unrealistic but hey, this is a thoroughly ridiculous tale (sentient cucumber monster plants? Come on!) so I don't think it detracts. A gem of the SF monster genre.

Note: I read the 2010 edition, which has since been improved upon.

The Land of Darkness by Susanne Lakin

A little girl and a wicked stepmother. A woodworker and a quest across a wide unknown land. Here we have the makings of a beautiful story.

The fairy tale sneaks up on you, unexpected, refreshing. Who would think a brand new fantasy would carry such undertones of ancient familiarity?

The writing is lovely, as I have come to rely upon in this series. Be prepared to fly away in your mind to a strange and magical place, yet it becomes real in these words.

The tale is laden with scripture and biblical analogy from start to end. Certain types of reader may find it too much, but I thought it was in keeping with the tone of the story.

Dark and mystical, this journey is one that remains in the heart long after reading.

Replication by Jill Williamson

Evil scientists! Clones! And high school drama... Thus the stage is set for this most unusual story. Abby Goyer and her father move to Alaska for his new job, but she quickly becomes suspicious about what he is doing in the top-secret underground lab.

I particularly like the way Jill takes me into creepiness of the situation - c'mon, fifty versions of the same person? And yet they are all different. Marty's admiration for Abby, turning into love, is also quite a delight as he has only ever seen one other woman in his life, let alone kissed one. His discovery of the outside world is a wonderful thing to behold.

It gets just a little tad preachy in places, however I want to be quick to point out that it's no more than can be expected in the Christian genres, and it arises very organically. Marty, having never been told a thing about God, will of course have a few questions - and not the kind folks are used to answering, either!

In some ways it's a ground-breaker, delivering the kind of suspenseful YA speculative fiction that up until now, has been pretty hard to find on the Christian side of the fence. I said it was unusual, but it shouldn't be - I'd be very happy to see more in this vein!

Winterland by Mike Duran

Mike's a good writer. I feel like I'm in trusted hands when I read his stuff. Here, he's done it again. Winterland is a thoroughly eerie journey through the mind of a dying woman whom we never actually see in the story - only the effects of her life as seen in physical metaphors. Her daughter is chosen to wander this wilderness and round up the nasties preventing peace.

I found it slightly difficult to get into; I had no real direction, but then neither did Eunice at that point. Perhaps my confusion was only a reflection of hers. After she'd been through a few incidents on her travels, she began to warm to her task and I to her tale as she grew more determined to fulfill.

That is the true strong point here, I think - Eunice really grows as a person, eventually setting aside her not-insignificant fears and gaining relief like she never imagined possible.

Don't be put off by any horror labels you may see floating around in connection with this book. It's only a bit gross in places, a bit creepy, and very supernatural. Horror doesn't really do it justice at all.

The Story Template by Amy Deardon

As anyone who follows Amy's blog will know, she has been working on the Story Template concept for years. This book is the culmination of a huge amount of research and analysis of the currency of storytellers. Besides being an incredible mass of well-founded fact about the actual standard concepts that can be found in nearly any story, it gives step-by-step instructions on how to build up your own novel on the same strong foundation that has brought success to so many others over time.

At first glance it may seem like a highly mathematical and technical approach. The analogy can be drawn that learning musical theory can help a pianist to improvise. Of course a musician can make music without knowing theory, and a writer can write without knowing why some things work better than others. However, in both cases, knowing the structure behind the end result - and its effect - will bring a confidence to the artist's expression that he would not otherwise have. Creativity can be channelled into the directions which will have the most impact, rather than floundering around and seizing on the first best idea - which may or may not work out.

It is true that many, if not most writers have been following these principles on instinct since the dawn of fiction. But this book will shorten the process of trial and error, giving you the elements you should include, right down to a minute level if you so wish. There's no need for a writer to reinvent the wheel.

The process of working with the Story Template may seem arduous at first, as you take copious notes and make agonising and wide-ranging decisions. But it seems just as certain that if you do this work, the novel's first draft will all but write itself. On the other hand, comparing an already finished draft to the Template can help identify important aspects you may have missed. Not to say you have to follow it to the letter, of course, but if you feel there's something lacking in your manuscript, you are likely to find the answer here.

As a sometime proponent of non-linear fiction myself, it is a little harder to apply, but certainly possible if I do it one plot thread at a time. I believe applying large-scale concepts to the overall story weave can also strengthen unconventionally-structured stories.

Amy makes me want to pick up the pen and launch into a new novel, because she makes it sound so easy. A practical guide for fiction writers at any level, certain to unlock creativity because it takes care of the nuts and bolts, freeing the imagination to do its thing.

Available here in paperback and Kindle