Sally Ann Melia
Sally Ann Melia, SF&F
I met Luke Talbot at the London Writers and Artists event in Soho, London, and over a couple of coffees got to like his driven positive approach to writing and was pleased to buy a copy of this his first novel Keystone.
This is a very ambitious debut. As a professional self-published author, Luke has invested well in cover art, layout, editing and proofing as well as the final product which he had printed by Clays Ltd. This books looks feels and smells like a mass-market paperback and as such is very impressive indeed.
The story has two strands one the tale of an archeologist in Egypt, and another a story of a manned mission to Mars. Both are linked by the mysterious Amarna Stickman a simple drawing found 70 years previously in an Egyptian tomb.
With echoes of the 1994 Stargate film, this is a great and colourful tale, and Luke is at ease with the desert sands of ancient Egypt as he is with the inner working of the manned mission to Mars.
The book does loose its way towards the end with the politics becoming ever more complicated, and perhaps a bit of a distraction from the main story, still read on because the final chapter is extremely powerful.
Very highly recommended as the best self published novel I have seen in 2014. Well Done Luke!
This is a very ambitious debut. As a professional self-published author, Luke has invested well in cover art, layout, editing and proofing as well as the final product which he had printed by Clays Ltd. This books looks feels and smells like a mass-market paperback and as such is very impressive indeed.
The story has two strands one the tale of an archeologist in Egypt, and another a story of a manned mission to Mars. Both are linked by the mysterious Amarna Stickman a simple drawing found 70 years previously in an Egyptian tomb.
With echoes of the 1994 Stargate film, this is a great and colourful tale, and Luke is at ease with the desert sands of ancient Egypt as he is with the inner working of the manned mission to Mars.
The book does loose its way towards the end with the politics becoming ever more complicated, and perhaps a bit of a distraction from the main story, still read on because the final chapter is extremely powerful.
Very highly recommended as the best self published novel I have seen in 2014. Well Done Luke!
