Michael G. Munz

The official website of Seattle sci-fi/fantasy author and geek Michael G. Munz

Book Review: Aberrant Vectors

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Aberrant Vectors by JM Guillen

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

Aberrant Vectors continues the tradition of throwing J.M. Guillen’s Asset 108 into a nightmarish mess of other-reality dangers and forcing him and his cadre to sneak, fight, and think their way out of it. Guillen’s skill with description is at full strength here as he paints vivid images of the strange, the terrifying, and the weird. He takes us through the depths (and heights) of a skyscraper housing alien geometries, an alien world of mind-stripping symbiotes, and even the most horrible evil known to mankind. Yes, that’s right: telemarketers.

I enjoyed the characters, particularly two newcomers that I do hope to see again. While there are many long stretches where the protagonist is on his own, my favorite parts of the book allow him to interact with the others. As with other tales of Asset 108, there is a LOT of sci-fi action in Aberrant Vectors. I found myself wishing for a little more breathing room between the action, but that’s just my own personal taste. And Guillen does write some of the most unique action scenes I’ve ever read.

Bottom line: If you’re craving sci-fi action with incredible tech and reality-bending locales, grab this book.

…If you’re craving nachos, grab some nachos. This book will not turn into nachos. No book will turn into nachos. That is not how books work.

Book Review: The Wormwood Event

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The Wormwood Event cover

My rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

If I’m counting correctly, this is the fifth book I’ve read from JM Guillen, and I continue to be impressed. The Wormwood Event is an excellent, gripping work of short fiction that combines Lovecraftian horror with a modern sensibility and setting. Experience the end of the world through the eyes of college student Grace Juarez, a survivor of the horrifying event that left billions dead and turned billions more into savage, soulless monsters. I enjoyed the references to a couple of elements from his other books–note that these are not gratuitous mentions, but in-universe elements that fit perfectly for how they are used.

My one complaint is that I want more! This is only a brief novella–really more of a long short story–which I read in one sitting. I’m hopeful this tale will prove an introduction to another, to take place after it ends.

Character Interview: Michael Bishop of Aberrant Vectors

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Snazzy Interview Logo

But the technology cannot yet create a snazzier logo. Sorry.

So far, my high-tech quantum-tunneling doowhatsit continues to find fictional characters to interview without imploding the universe. This time around I actually caught the attention of someone out there who deals with people who risk damaging reality in dangerous and irrational ways.
But that’s not me. Right? Right.
His name is Michael Bishop, and he claims my knowledge of him and his organization will soon be wiped from my memory. I guess we’ll see about that. But in the meantime, I managed to get him to talk…

[Read more…]

Book Review: The Primary Protocol

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The Primary Protocol - JM Guillen

My rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

J.M. Guillen’s The Primary Protocol wastes no time in plunging us back into his eldrich world of technologically augmented agents waging a secret battle with Lovecraftian forces that threaten to overrun our rational realm. The cosmic horror of the Vyriim, introduced in Rationality Zero (the spawn point of this series), have threaded their nightmarish tentacles further into our world, seeking a beachhead, and as The Primary Protocol begins, we—and protagonist Michael Bishop—are already right in the thick of it. [Read more…]

Book Review: Rationality Zero

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Rationality Zero by JM Guillen

My rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

Full disclosure: I’ve been a fan of JM Guillen’s writing since I first read his dark fantasy novella The Herald of Autumn, and as fellow writers we’ve reviewed and helped get the word out about each other’s books. Yet the reason that I’m so willing and able to do so is simple: Every book of his that I’ve read so far has been SO FRELLING GOOD!

I recently finished reading Rationality Zero, Guillen’s self-described science fiction espionage horror novella, and I’m happy to say that it’s no exception.

[Read more…]

Want a free dark fantasy detective novella?

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On the Matter of the Red Hand by J.M. Guillen

Incidentally, this cover was designed by Amalia Chitulescu, who also did the covers for A Shadow in the Flames and A Memory in the Black…

Hi everyone! This is just a quick post to let you know that dark fantasy author J.M. Guillen is currently letting e-copies of his novella, On the Matter of the Red Hand, go for free on Amazon! 

I read this book about a year and a half ago, and I recommended it then when it wasn’t free, so now that you can get it at the push of a button, it’s even more worth your while. Set in “an intriguing pre-industrial setting filled with alchemy, guilds, and danger” (to quote my original review), On the Matter of the Red Hand introduces us to a class of detectives guided by an alchemical serum that gives both prophetic visions and waking nightmares.

Click here to read my review.

Click here to grab the book for free!

Book Review: On the Matter of the Red Hand

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A few days ago I read a novella by J.M. Guillen called The Herald of Autumn. Below is the review I’ve posted on Amazon and Goodreads…

On the Matter of the Red Hand (Judicar's Oath)On the Matter of the Red Hand by J.M. Guillen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up On the Matter of the Red Hand immediately (and I do mean immediately) after loving another novella by J.M. Guillen called The Herald of Autumn. I was not disappointed.

The novella, written in first person, is narrated by Thom, a detective known as a judicar. Guided by an alchemical serum that gives prophetic visions and waking nightmares, Thom must inject himself into the search for the sister of a dangerous guild master, knowing that he may not emerge alive.

The novella is as much about Thom’s investigation as it is about Thom himself. Time is taken to show the man behind the badge (or the stave, in his case); his thoughts, his means for dealing with the burdens of his position, and his inner conflict with the serum that both aids him and disturbs him. Guillen’s portrayal has a distinctive voice that I found very enjoyable.

The novella paints an intriguing pre-industrial setting filled with alchemy, guilds, and danger. One of the details I enjoyed most about this book was the concept of each judicar having as a partner a trained raven. Guillen hints at a richer background in his setting (such as a rare firearm that seems to be a product of the setting’s past). I wanted to know more.

In fact, wanting more is the main reason I nearly rated this book 4 stars instead of 5; the end left something unresolved that I wanted to know more of. I came to discover that the novella is intended to lead into a larger series, which I’m certainly looking forward to. My only complaint here would be that Thom himself seems to sense that it was time for the novella to end, as he finds a greater sense of closure in certain events than I would have in the same situation. If Goodreads allowed me to rate it 4.5 stars, I would, but as that’s not possible, I’m rounding up.

I look forward to more.

View all my reviews