Just some of the Madville books that have been reviewed by the Midwest Book Review.

Madville Books at Midwest Book Review

The editorial team at the Midwest Book Review, led by Jim Cox, are very welcoming to small presses. We sincerely appreciate their belief in us and their continued support.

Passport Stamps: Searching the World for a War to Call Home

Passport Stamps: Searching the World for a War to Call Home by Sean D. Carberry is stamped in trnished gold letters on a blue cloth background, just like a US passport. The central figure, an eagle has been altered to show a camera aperature at top, the word PRESS on the shield, and in the eagle's right claw a microphone, and in his left a bottle held upside down spilling its contents.

Sean Carberry
Madville Publishing
www.MadvillePublishing.com
9781956440553, $22.95, PB, 352pp

https://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/sep_23.htm#michaeldunford

Synopsis: With the publication of “Passport Stamps: Searching the World for a War to Call Home”, author Sean Carberry presents a candid, darkly comic, and emotionally naked tale of a former NPR journalist who-driven by grief, loss, and the desire to find his “tribe”-seeks solace in the world’s most dangerous places and his pursuit to join the ranks of combat-tested war correspondents.

The learning curve for reporting in hostile environments is steep and at times comical, at others nearly fatal. Sean encountered a lot of dust, ragged infrastructure, weaponry, scary driving, whiskey, lust, and way too much food poisoning. When the assignment ended, he is left to confront the mental and emotional impact of the years of danger, death, and destruction.

Critique: Of immense value to readers with an interest in contemporary battlefield journalism, “Passport Stamps: Searching the World for a War to Call Home” is as inherently fascinating as it is impressively informative. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, “Passport Stamps” is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to professional, community, and academic library Journalism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for journalism students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that “Passport Stamps” is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.49).

Editorial Note: Sean Carberry (https://www.taimanione.com/blank) is an award-winning journalist, writer, and editor. In his more than 15 years as a radio and print journalist, he has traveled to dozens of countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. He was NPR’s last Kabul-based correspondent in 2012 through 2014. After that, he spent several years working for the Defense Department Office of Inspector General, writing and editing oversight reports on counterterrorism operations, before returning to journalism. In a previous life, he was a Gold Record-winning recording engineer and producer. He has a B.A. from Lehigh University and an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School. He lives with his cat Squeak who he rescued from the streets of Kabul.

Michael Dunford, Reviewer for Midwest Book Review


Bicycles of the Gods: A Divine Comedy

Bicycles of the Gods: A Divine Comedy by Michael Simms. Sihlouettes of three young boys on bicycles are superimposed on a fresco from the Austrian Admont Abbey Library

Michael Simms
Madville Publishing
PO Box 358, Lake Dallas, TX 75065
www.MadvillePublishing.com
9781956440041, $19.95, PB, 282pp

https://www.midwestbookreview.com/wbw/jun_23.htm

Synopsis: In “Bicycles of the Gods: A Divine Comedy” by novelist Michael Simms, the main character, Jesse, presents an earthly incarnation of Jesus Christ come to earth in the body of a 12-year-old boy in the company of Xavi, who is the earthly incarnation of Shiva, Destroyer of Worlds, also a 12-year-old boy.

The pair of young reincarnated gods stand on a hilltop above the city of Los Angeles contemplating how best to destroy it as a precursor to destroying the entire world to rid it of humanity so it can refresh and rebuild. Xavi is ready to get on with the task The Big Guy, God, has assigned them, but Jesse has a problem. He isn’t sure that everyone deserves to be destroyed.

Critique: Especially recommended to the attention of readers with an interest in satire, religious and post-apocalyptic science fiction/fantasy, “Bicycles of the Gods: A Divine Comedyd” is original, witty, compulsive reading from first page to last, and especially impressive when considering that it is Michael Simms debut as a novelist. An inherently riveting and simply fascinating story laced with black humor and philosophical intimidations, “Bicycles of the Gods: A Divine Comedy” is available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49), and a welcome pick for community and academic library Literary Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Michael Simms (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Simms_(publisher)) is a poet, writer, editor, publisher, teacher, blogger and entrepreneur. Three full-length collections of his poetry and two widely-adopted poetry textbooks have been published. He has also been the lead editor of over 100 published books, including the bestselling Autumn House Anthology of Poetry, now in its third edition. In 2011, Autumn House was awarded a certificate of recognition from the Pennsylvania state legislature. Simms has taught at a number of universities, including Chatham University’s MFA program from 2005-2013.


The Green Mage

The Green Mage first book in the Talon Trilogy by Michael Simms with cover art by Andrew Dunn. Cover shows a young woman with short hair going nose to nose with a fierce-looking dragon.

Michael Simms
https://www.michaelsimms.info/home
Madville Publishing LLC
https://madvillepublishing.com
9781956440188, $21.95, PB, 324pp

https://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/aug_23.htm

Synopsis: Norbert Oldfoot is a simple mage who makes his living traveling the Bekla River Road, selling trade goods, performing healing magic, and singing traditional songs of heroes. He becomes friends with Kerttu, a coppersmith who has developed a new alloy which is perfect for manufacturing swords.

When Kerttu is kidnaped by the evil Wizard Ludek, Kerttu’s teenage daughter Tessia, a skilled hunter, recruits three friends, including Norbert, and sets out on a quest to find a legendary dragon who lives in the mountains. With the help of the dragon, Tessia plans to save her father.

Little do they know that in order to save Kerttu, they will first have to save the kingdom!

Critique: Original, deftly crafted, “The Green Mage: The First Chronicle of Tessia Dragonqueen” a fun and fascinating read from start to finish, and debuts novelist Michael Simms new heroic fantasy series ‘The Talon Trilogy’. Populated throughout with interesting characters and unexpected plot twists, “The Green Mage” will prove to be an immediate and enduringly appreciated pick for personal reading lists of dedicated action/adventure fantasy fans and community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted that “The Green Mage” is also readily available from Madville Publishing in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Michael Simms (https://www.michaelsimms.info/about) has worked as a squire and armorer to a Hungarian fencing master, stable hand, gardener, forager, estate agent, college teacher, editor, publisher, technical writer, lexicographer, political organizer, and literary impresario. He is also the author of seven collections of poetry and a textbook about poetry. In 2011 Simms was recognized by the Pennsylvania State Legislature for his contribution to the arts.


Provenance

Provenance: A Novel by Sue Mell. The brightly colored background is a stylized painting of a guitar in bright, rainbow hues. The painting is by Sue Mel.
Cover art by Sue Mell


Sue Mell
www.suemellwrites.com

Madville Publishing
www.MadvillePublishing.com
9781956440027, $19.95 212pp

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/wbw/aug_22.htm#LiteraryFiction

Synopsis:
Still grieving his wife’s early death, DJ has spent the last three years (and the money from her insurance policy) collecting guitars, composing music, and continuing to shop the Brooklyn stoop sales and flea markets they’d always enjoyed.

When his building is sold, he takes refuge in his younger sister’s half-finished basement, imagining a comfortable and solitary retreat in Hurley, the small Hudson Valley town where they grew up. Instead, he finds himself caught up in his sister’s troubling divorce, drafted as caregiver for his 11-year-old niece, and unable to face or afford a storage unit crammed with hundreds of vinyl records and every other scrap of his former life.

DJ gifts his niece a marbled glass egg, a porkpie hat, and one of his prized guitars. But what’s asked of him, on his return to Hurley is not to give the perfect object – it’s to give of himself.

Critique: A carefully crafted, impressively intriguing, and fully engaging contemporary novel that will have a special appeal to readers interested in family life fiction, “Provenance” by the gifted author Sue Mell is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this edition of “Provenance” from Madville Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Sue Mell is a writer from Queens, NY, earning her MFA from Warren Wilson, and was a 2020 BookEnds fellow at SUNY Stony Brook. Her collection of micro essays, Giving Care, won the 2021 Chestnut Review Prose Chapbook Prize, and her collection of short stories, A New Day, was a finalist for the 2021 St. Lawrence Book Award. Other work has appeared in Cleaver Magazine, Hippocampus Magazine, Jellyfish Review, Narrative Magazine and elsewhere. She has a dedicated website at www.suemellwrites.com


Sonju

Sonju, by Wondra Chang, shows a Korean woman in traditional dress with a background of yellow ginko trees. A medallion is on the cover to indicate that Sonju has been chosen as the Pulpwood Queens featured selection. Also present is the coveted Kirkus Star

Wondra Chang
https://wondrachang.com
9781948692588, $19.95, PB, 290pp

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ibw/jun_22.htm

Synopsis: Author Wondra Chang’s novel, “Sonju,” opens on a chilly day in November, 1946 in Seoul, Korea. Japan has ended its thirty-five-year occupation of Korea after the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The American military has become the new occupier. A young woman named Sonju is on the way to her best friend’s house when she sees two Americans in military uniforms walking ahead of her, and her heart stirs. So begins the story that spans over two decades.

Sonju comes of age in Japanese-occupied Korea, and having received a modern education, she imagines a life of equality and freedom of choice. Her ideals soon clash with the centuries-old Confucian tradition of order and conformity when her mother arranges her marriage to a man she has never met. The decisions she makes during the Korean War lead to her being disowned by her family, betrayed by her best friend, and shunned by society.

Through the period of rapidly evolving political strife in her country following its liberation in 1945, Sonju’s private struggle to seek her relevance in a male-dominated society parallels the struggles of Korea on its way to becoming a force in the word.

Critique: A carefully and impressively crafted work of literary fiction, “Sonju” will have a very special appeal to readers of women’s historical and literary fiction. An entertaining and memorable read from beginning to end, “Sonju” is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that “Sonju” is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Wondra Chang was born in South Korea and has lived in the U.S. since 1970. Her writing discipline began at age ten, writing five short stories a day under the tutelage of a writing teacher. She won first place in a province-wide in-person writing competition. She also studied journalism at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea.

Midwest Book Review finishes with a link to buy Sonju


A Woman’s Story

A Woman's Story by Francine Rodriguez cover shows multi-colored stylized women's heads on a beige background with title and author name in slanted handwritten style font. There are two awards showing on the cover, an International Latino Book Award, and a Featured pick by the Pulpwood Queens

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/jun_22.htm

Francine Rodriguez
www.FrancineRodriguezAuthor.com
9781948692601, $19.95, PB, 244pp

Synopsis:

With the publication of “A Woman’s Story”, author Francine Rodriguez tells the stories of Latina women’s lives in tales revealing conflict in gender bias, experiences of exploitation, violence, powerlessness, and sometimes resulting in pain and despair in their turbulent world.

But these original stories also tell of these women’s celebration of life itself that empowers them and gives them the will to sustain. These are stories that will resonate with the reader on a deeply emotional level.

Critique:

As “A Woman’s Story” documents, as a writer, Francine Rodriguez knows how to spin a narrative and keep it going with energy. Here she created a series of truly memorable characters who are both compelling and unique. Although a work of fiction, these are the stories about the realities of women having to live hard lives, some at the poverty line, some a little better off, but all desperate in some way. While highly recommended for community, college, and university library Women’s Fiction and Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that “A Woman’s Story” is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note:

Francine Rodriguez grew up in and around downtown Los Angeles and later worked as a Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Investigator in the Federal sector. All told, she has worked in the fields of law and psychology for over thirty years, and her experiences in these fields inform her writing. She has published two previous novels, A Fortunate Accident (Booklocker 2015), and A Woman Like Me (Booklocker 2019).

Midwest Book Review finishes with a link to A Woman’s Story


A Third Place: Notes in Nature

A Third Place: Notes in Nature by Bob Kunzinger. Stylized script flows across a painting of a sunset over the Chesapeake Bay.

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/dec_19.htm

Bob Kunzinger
9781948692168, $16.95, PB, 144pp

Synopsis: A Third Place exists in the extremes, pinpointing the details in nature which demand attention, and finding within those details our place in the bigger picture. Set in a series of observations and experiences, “A Third Place: Notes in Nature” by Bob Kunzinger on the one hand brings us all closer to nature through the eyes of the author yet makes us wonder if he has been following us around on our afternoon excursions.

Critique: An absorbing read from cover to cover, “A Third Place: Notes in Nature” clearly documents author Bob Kunzinger as an especially gifted writer and essayist who is able to engage and keep his reader’s thoughtful attention from beginning to end. “A Third Place: Notes in Nature” is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as both community and academic library collections.

Midwest Book Review finishes with a link to buy A Third Place: Notes in Nature


What Magick May Not Alter: Poems of Tallulah & Vidalia

What Magick May Not Alter by JC Reilly

J. C. Reilly
Madville Publishing
www.madvillepublishing.com
9781948692304, $18.95, PB, 188pp

Helen Dumont’s Bookshelf http://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/sep_20.htm#helendumont

Synopsis: “What Magick May Not Alter: Poems of Tallulah & Vidalia” by J. C. Reilly is a layered Southern fantasy told in a series of narrative poems and is a unique literary event that includes such elements of ‘real world’ issues such as the prevalence of the KKK, sexual assault, manslaughter, alcoholism, and complex family dynamics. J. C. Reilly’s poetic narrative style deftly moves the plot into emotionally treacherous and painfully real places.

Twin sisters Lulah and Vi anchor this story of a magically gifted family and is set in early nineteen-hundreds Louisiana. The choice to tell this story in verse sets it apart, making it feel like a spell book or a manifesto at times. Emotion sings through it clear and strong.

Critique: Inherently fascinating and unique, “What Magick May Not Alter: Poems of Tallulah & Vidalia” is an extraordinary and memorable verse based novel and showcases author J. C. Reilly’s truly impressive poetic and narrative storytelling skills. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and college/university library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that “What Magick May Not Alter: Poems of Tallulah & Vidalia” is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Helen Dumont, Reviewer


Fairview Chronicles: A Wayward Proposition

Fairview Chronicles Book One

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/aug_20.htm

Johnathan Paul, author
Andrew Dunn, illustrator
9781948692106, $18.95, PB, 216pp

Synopsis: “Good boy, Mr. Covington,” an ominous, disembodied voice calls out from the darkness of the woods. After hearing the voice Randall comes to his senses and feels his hand gripping tightly to a knife, a knife buried in the back of a man dressed in black!

With chaos and anxiety Fairview Chronicles: A Wayward Proposition begins the journey of author Johnathan Paul’s mystical fantasy series. Mixing dark fantasy with sci-fi and a pinch of cosmic horror we are introduced to the world of Fairview and the exploits of the disgraced history professor Randall Covington.

Randall travels to Fairview with one goal in mind, to find redemption. As he arrives he finds that there are otherworldly forces at work, and he may find redemption, but at the cost of his life.

Critique: A master of the paranormal/horror fantasy genre, “Fairview Chronicles: A Wayward Proposition” showcases author Johnathan Paul’s exceptional flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that grips and compel’s the reader’s full and total attention from first page to last. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that Fairview Chronicles: A Wayward Proposition is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Midwest Book Review finishes with a link to buy Fairview Chronicles: A Wayward Proposition


The Autobiography of Francis N. Stein: The Last Promethean

The Autobiography of Francis N. Stein by A. Rooney. What appears to be a weathered journal with a medically accurate drawing of a human hard stamped on the cover.

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/mar_19.htm

A. Rooney
9781948692083, $18.95, PB, 216pp

Synopsis: Francis Stein is a slow thinking giant of a man who attracts attention wherever he goes. Stein seems cursed with bad luck, and trouble waits for him around every turn in spite of his good intentions.

The Autobiography of Francis N. Stein: The Last Promethean is a story of struggle and pathos, pain and absolution, deception and deliverance…. [an] inherently fascinating novel about the last descendant of Dr. Frankenstein’s wretched creature, the spurned monster who ultimately turned upon his creator.

Critique: An inherently riveting read from cover to cover, The Autobiography of Francis N. Stein: The Last Promethean is a compelling novel that reflects the author’s genuine flair for originality and narrative driven storytelling. Doing full justice to the literary legacy of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, The Autobiography of Francis N. Stein: The Last Promethean is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library collections and the personal reading lists of all dedicated Frankenstein fans.

Midwest Book Review finishes with a link to buy The Autobiography of Francis N. Stein


An Englishman in Texas

An Englishman in Texas by Ron Kenney Cover

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ibw/may_19.htm

Ron Kenney, author
Kimberly Davis, editor
9781948692021, $16.95, PB, 144pp

An Englishman in Texas is a deftly scripted and impressively candid memoir by Ron Kenney, who was an English jockey who came to the United States in 1960. This autobiographical account begins with his childhood in the northeast of England during WWII. Ron then goes on to describe how, with no knowledge of horses, he was sent four hundred miles from home at 14 years of age to apprentice as a jockey. Ron had been turned away by the foreman at the coal mine because he was too small. The story also follows Ron through his coming of age to his coming to America when he was 30. It follows his fortunes in pursuit of the American Dream. An Englishman in Texas also tells of riding horses for some of the wealthiest and most famous horse trainers in Texas. Deftly edited by Kimberly Davis, An Englishman in Texas is the intensely personal and inherently interesting story of Ron’s loves, his betrayals, and introduces the people who helped him along the way, making this memoir an unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections.

Midwest Book Review finishes with a link to buy An Englishman in Texas