Posts Tagged ‘Reviews’

Two More Five-Star Reviews for In Her Name on Amazon!


17 Mar

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I have to admit that it’s always a good day when I get feedback from readers. Today was particularly nice, because In Her Name received not just one, but two new reader reviews on Amazon: both of them five stars:

Five Star Book That You Will Want to Read More Than Once, March 15, 2009
By Theresa K. Read “TK”

OK, for me a great book is one that I will read more than once, and Michael R. Hicks, In Her Name is one of those very few. I hate it when reviews are spoilers so rather than get specific, let me just say once you start this book you will not put it down and may even crie a tear or two before it’s over. I did and that’s another litmus test for whether a book is just a beach read, or a keeper.

This book is original, and has something to appeal to readers of all genres. It has action and fighting for you military types, devotion and undying love for the romance enthusiast and a very real alternative universe for you sci fi fantasy nerds like me.
Hicks’ writing is up there with the best of them and stunningly, he is self published! Support this writer so he can get to the business of finishing number two and satisfying his fans and new readers a like.

And the second:

Fantastic Work, March 15, 2009
By David Levine

The book hooked me in fairly quickly and kept me hooked until the end.
The writing style is excellent and the blend of sci-fi and epic fantasy works quite well. My only complaint is the lack of a sequel!

Thank you both (and the other folks who have enjoyed In Her Name thus far)! Now I just have to get cracking on the next book!!

In Her Name Makes Reviewer’s Top Ten List for 2008


28 Feb

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If you happened to read the BookLoons review of In Her Name, you might have noticed that the reviewer was Elizabeth Schulenberg, who also has her own blog. I hadn’t realized it at the time (and only did after she had commented on the BookLoons review post), but Elizabeth did a wrapup of the top ten books she’d read in 2008.

I was shocked – and incredibly pleased! – to learn that of the 144 books she read that year, she placed In Her Name at number 4! Wow!

Here was her list (although she has more details for each book):

  1. The Lions of Al – Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
  2. Bikeman by Thomas Flynn
  3. The White Mary by Kira Salak
  4. In Her Name by Michael R. Hicks
  5. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
  6. Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
  7. Run by Ann Patchett
  8. Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
  9. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
  10. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Any time I might find my work compared favorably with any of these authors – particularly John Scalzi – I have to humbly whisper, “Wow…”

But check out Elizabeth’s site and all the other great book-related information she has there!

In Her Name Reviewed by The Book Smugglers: Wow!


23 Feb

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When I woke up the other day, I headed straight downstairs to my Mac with one purpose: to see the review of In Her Name that was scheduled to be published by The Book Smugglers. This site is run by two book-obsessed women, Ana and Thea, and they do some of the most in-depth reviews – particularly of speculative fiction and romance – that you’ll find anywhere on the web. Like the other reviewers I had submitted the book to, they looked to be fair but tough. And since they frequently do joint reviews, it was even more of a challenge.

I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I was totally blown away. Here are excerpts of their first impressions:

I wish I had read In Her Name as soon as we got it because once I got past the first few chapters , I got sucked into the story and couldn’t stop reading it until I was done. And there is only one work I can think of using to describe it right now: Awesome. [Ana]

In Her Name is a stunner of a novel: an Epic blend of space opera and fantasy, with impressive world building, a beautifully conceived plot, and wonderfully alive characters. One of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while. What Ana said: Awesome. [Thea]

When discussing the plot, here are a few words I pulled from the review that I think hit their bottom-line impressions:

The first few chapters do not give a measure of the scope that the story will have and it’s not until Reza is taken into the heart of the Kreelan Empire that the book really got me by the guts. That was when the story truly became alive and riveting and utterly unlike any other hero journey because of the choice Reza ultimately makes. [Ana]

The best thing is–the plot is wonderful from beginning to end. The dramatic ending to this operatic journey is perfect, not a cop out and feels like the only way that serves the Kreelans and Humans justice. I loved it. [Thea]

They both rated the book an “8 out of 10 – Excellent!” And Thea noted that she likely would have given it a 9 or 10 had the book been broken down into a trilogy (which I’ve been considering for some time – I guess it’s time to do that!).

So, please take a look at the review and see what you think!

POD Book Reviews and More Reviews In Her Name


20 Feb

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Another review of In Her Name is in, this time from POD Book Reviews and More (PODBRAM)! This review was done by Dr. Al Past, one of PODBRAM’s regular reviewers, as well as an author himself.

Not to put too fine a point on it, he liked it, just a bit!

One of my good friends, a literate, book-reading friend, says he likes his movies tightly edited and concise, but he prefers his books by the pound. If that friend enjoys the occasional science fiction/fantasy adventure as well, then do I have a book for him! Michael R. Hicks’ In Her Name is a monster of a paperback and an absolute steal for the price. (It’s also available in Amazon’s Kindle edition at a budget price.) I estimate In Her Name to be at least two pounds of solid entertainment.

Dr. Past goes over a synopsis of the plot (without giving out much in the way of spoilers), before he gets to his impressions of the novel:

That was what I liked best about the book: the author’s complete and convincing rendering of a non-human culture, to the point that the reader comes to understand and respect it, honor it, and even root for it! That is no mean feat of imagination, and it makes what could have been a purple-prose space opera into a delightful recreation…The bottom line is that In Her Name is highly recommended to those who love the sci-fi/fantasy genres, or are even tempted to try them.

So, a big thanks to PODBRAM and Dr. Past for the kind words! To read the complete review, click here!

suite101.com’s Review of In Her Name


12 Jan

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 As I try to catch up on getting the site put back together, I figured I’ll go ahead and add in new stuff first and mix in the better bits of the old content.

Sooo, with that, I just wanted to give you a heads-up about suite101.com’s review of In Her Name, by Kelley Huston. I think beyond the plot synopsis, Kelley hit the nail on the head on what the book is about: The underlying theme running throughout this book is that friends are often called to make extreme scarifices in the name of friendship.

But you don’t have to take anybody’s word about In Her Name! Feel free to check out the PDF sample, or use the sample feature for your Amazon Kindle or Mobipocket Reader.

Michael R. Hicks

Tales and Musings

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