Book Review (with GIveaway link): Reaching Angelica: Book #2 in the Tag Series by Peter Riva

Another wonderful sci fi adventure from Peter Riva, with engaging plot and characters.
Reaching Angelica: Book #2 in the Tag Series
by Peter Riva

File Size: 1678 KB
Print Length: 340 pages
Publisher: Yucca Publishing (February 2, 2016)
Publication Date: February 2, 2016
ASIN: B01AFE9UVU
Genre: Sci Fi, Cyberpunk
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

In a massive spaceship destined for Alpha Centauri B, with a genesis crew including Zip the telepathic dog, his old friendly nemesis Cramer, and a computer being name Ra (now inhabiting a human form and calling herself Aten), Simon Bank emerges from a hundred-year coma and is hailed as an awakened hero. Stuck with unwanted responsibility, he is forced to try and solve the entire enigma of the universe—a small undertaking—before the spaceship, his friends, and all life on Earth are swatted out of existence by super beings he has accidentally awakened.

Simon’s only hope is to plunge into other dimensions with his mind—into the secrets of the universe’s pan-dimensions—as only he knows how. The fate of all life hangs in the balance as he struggles to prove himself worthy of the Path and the absolute trust his friends place in him. Simon knows all too well that if he fails there is no hope—none at all—for anyone and that includes his best friend, an artificial intelligence computer called Apollo, which he sadly left behind. Besides, Zip would not be pleased, either.

For fans of cyberpunk and classic science fiction, Reaching Angelica is the second book in Peter Riva’s Tag series, the comic, thrilling, and continuing saga of Simon Bank—ex–master system computer wrangler and very unlikely savior of the universe.

Review:
This continues with the characters that I came to enjoy in The Path, with a few twists. It also continues with the dedication to the principals the lead characters chose for their adopted path.

The story is still narrated by Simon Banks, the brilliant codifier who helped parent, if not birth, Apollo (aka Peter) and Ra (nka Aten), two sentient computers. These computers friends helped Simon, with a few select humans like Simon’s oppositional friend, detective Cramer, to spread peace to all of earth creating Simon’s image as a hero.

The mind thoughts are the mature Simon although now he resides in a 10-year-old SynthKid body after waking from a hundred-year coma. Ra has been reborn (downloaded/transferred) and is now a maturing teenage girl known as Aten. Cramer unexpectedly has joined the community on the ship traveling to colonize a new world. There was some concern about Cramer’s comatose state but Simon knows just how to jar him awake resulting in the mature (mostly), cunning of the former detective brimming in his seven-year-old body. Added to these characters is Zip, a telepathic dog on board who attaches himself to the group of heroes.

I enjoy the expanded universe exploration even if some of the scientific theory again passes over my head. It doesn’t hurt my appreciation of the perceived danger and concerted efforts needed to save mankind from extinction. Everyone works their part of the puzzle but, once again, it is Simon who must enter the world of virtual code. He is in a time pressure to locate and either hide from, negotiate with or outwit a superior, universe-controlling entity. It is feared that the entity may view humans as a virus to be wiped out rather than beings who can contribute to the entity’s plan or purpose… if only Simon can figure out what that might be.

The rapport among the characters continues to be fun and invigorating. The sci fi, cyperpunk adventure is fast paced with danger, excitement and a natural humor. This is the second book in the series and I do recommend reading The Path first to get a proper foundation for the characters and the path they are on. I highly recommend both books.

I received this through iRead Tours for an honest review. This qualifies for R in my Alphabet Soup Challenge. See my review of The Path and the Giveaway link*** HERE.***

Praise for Reaching Angelica
“Thrilling moments keep the suspense high in space. . . . The way Riva describes the mysteries of the universe is intriguing. . . . This cyberpunk world has its own laws of stretching brains wide with its mind-bending concepts.”
—Jake Vyper, Fantascize.com

Buy the book:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Book Depository   Chapters/Indigo

Full tour schedule can be found at the author tour page at iRead Book Tours.

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Book Review and Tour Giveaway: The Path by Peter Riva

This is a remarkably smart sci fi with mystery and surprising twists. Quite a ride!
The Path
by Peter Riva

File Size: 1849 KB
Print Length: 224 pages
Publisher: Yucca Publishing (January 6, 2015)
ASIN: B00PSSEMJ4
Genre: Sci Fi, Techno-thriller
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

All life on earth is about to be terminated by an entity as old as the galaxy itself. To make matters worse, Simon has broken everything already.
In a future world that is run by computer systems and that is without want, how can a man find his role? Then, if the very computers he works on to try to make them more human suddenly try to kill him, revealing a secret so vast that it affects every living soul on the planet, can that man be a hero?
These are the questions that face the stumbling, comic, and certainly flawed Simon Bank. His job is to work with the System’s artificial intelligence, making it fit more perfectly into human society so that it can keep the country running smoothly. But when the System threatens the peaceful world he knows, Simon suddenly must rush to save his own life, as well as the life of everyone on earth. Forced to reassess everything that he thought he knew, he is caught within circumstances way beyond his control.
Simon’s only hope is to rely on intellect and instincts he didn’t know he had, and on new friends, not all of them human, to change himself and all humanity. And he doesn’t have much time.

Review:
The New Republic of America is controlled by a supercomputer. The System controls the country defense shields, the weather, the power, farms providing food, communication, travel and delivery systems. Everyone is happy with their basic needs met and the freedom to choose a job they love. Simon Banks is a brilliant codifier. His job is to enter a virtual world duplicate of the computer system and insert programming glitches. The changes are monitored by a Control Committee who continually fixes them. The described goal is to continually train the computer to behave in a more human fashion; to humanize it for the continued and improved well being of the people.

Suddenly there are glitches to the real System. When a tornado breaks through the weather dome in front of Simon, he knows something is seriously wrong. Simon figures it is the work of other codifiers or maybe errors made by the Committee. Chief Detective Cramer accosts Simon and insists that he is tampering with the System. Simon agrees to enter the System with Cramer to see if they can uncover the problem. What Simon discovers, in addition to a history built on lies, is an emerging sentience in the computer. This could pose a threat not only to the American New Way, but to all of mankind on earth.

Simon and a few friends, as well as the pushy Cramer, are in a race against the System (computer within and government without) to try to save humanity. It will take a lot of scheming to determine the right path to get things back on track and hopefully save the world from destruction.

I admit that the beginning of the story is difficult to follow. I have studied computer language but the details as Simon enters and navigates the computer stream are confusing. However, it is well worth getting beyond that to enjoy the rest of the mystery.

The story is told in first person by Simon, who is a likeable character whose thoughts drift from the complex computer language to very human matters. I enjoyed Cramer’s brusque detective nature as the two tried to outguess each other. There is a thread of mystery from the beginning that kept me on my toes trying to determine who is in control and who are the good guys and bad guys. I learned some interesting true experiments that formed a platform idea for the story.

I really enjoyed following the developments and exchanging discussions on ‘the path, the way and the truth’. Along the way, horrible aspects of politics and man’s insistence on power are revealed. In the last third of the book the twists, or at least surprises, come in rapid succession. The ending is humorous if a bit anti-climactic. I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy science fiction especially as it relates to artificial intelligence.

I received this title through iRead Book Tours for an honest review.
I am looking forward to reading the second book, Reaching Angelica, for review on May 3.

Buy the book:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Book Depository   Chapters/Indigo

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Author's Bio:
Peter Riva has worked for more than thirty years with the leaders in aerospace and space exploration. His daytime job for more than forty years has been as a literary agent. He resides in New York City.

Connect with the author:   Website  Twitter   Facebook

TOUR GIVEAWAY:

Prizes: ​
Win 1 of 5 sets of books (The Path Book 1 and Reaching Angelica Book 2) + 1 of 2 $25 Amazon gift cards
(open internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Audio Book Tour Review with Giveaway: Murder on Safari: A Thriller by Peter Riva

This is a well plotted, engaging mystery thriller with a fascinating setting. 
Murder on Safari: A Thriller
Written by: Peter Riva
Narrated by: R. D. Watson

Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:05-19-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genre: Mystery Thriller

My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Only a reality TV producer and an expert safari guide can stop a terrorist attack.
Every adventure starts at the fringes of civilization. For expert safari guide Mbuno and wildlife television producer Pero Baltazar, filming in the wild of East Africa should have been a return to the adventure they always loved. This time they'd be filming soaring vultures in Northern Kenya and giant sea crocodiles in Tanzania with Mary, the daughter of the world's top television evangelist, the very reverend Jimmy Threte. But when a terrorist cell places them in the crosshairs, there is suddenly no escape, and they must put their filming aside and combine all their talents to thwart an all-out al-Shabaab terrorist attack on Jimmy Threte's Christian gathering of hundreds of thousands in Nairobi, Kenya. The problem is Pero has a secret - he's been working as a clandestine courier for the US State Department for years. If anyone finds out, it may get them all killed.
Exciting and expertly plotted, Murder on Safari is a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller set in the great wide-open plains of East Africa.
©2015 Peter Riva (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Review:
Pero Baltazar is a wildlife producer accustomed to working with a close knit TV crew. Mbuno is a long time friend and an expert Safari guide. This trip the crew starts by filming the star, Simon, hang-gliding under the curious gaze of soaring vultures. The filming is good until Simon suffers an ‘accident’. Pero and Mbuno realize that the scene shows more than expected. The two crew land rovers end up fleeing an armed caravan that Pero believes is terrorist related. Pero, who has, for years, quietly and secretly worked with an old college friend at the US State Department, calls in his suspicions.

Pero is determined to find Simon's killer but he keeps the show moving along. The crew picks up Mary, the daughter of a top, highly respected and loved, televangelist, Jimmy Threte. Mary specializes in crocodiles and the team has a program to film her with giant sea crocs in Tanzania. As they move along in their program they dodge a bombing and other threats causing Pero to think fast and keep changing travel plans. Bit by bit clues are revealed that indicate a major terrorist attack is in the works and that Pero's crew has been targeted for getting in the way. Pero is promoted to the position of a field agent out of necessity – there being no other asset near enough to help control the investigation. Pero is distressed at bringing danger to his friends who have a surprising reaction to discovering his secret connections.

Parts of the setting in the story are amazingly beautiful and exotic. Other scenes portray the harsh reality of poverty, divided classes and distinct cultural differences. It took me a little bit to get into the story and the narrator, but after the first hour or so, the mystery and danger really pulled me in. The story is told from Pero's view and he shares background of the country and his friends that adds depth to the story. The second half of the book is amazing as Pero and his friends share clues and work out the details of a multi-tiered attack with a few surprising conspirators. Pero and another friend are the only ones on hand to face down the main threat in an exciting and dangerous aerial fight! Pero and Mbuno are especially wonderful characters, supported by a handful of interesting side characters.

This is a really well plotted thriller and the wildlife details are a wonderful background. I would like to read more suspense by Mr. Riva and wouldn't mind revisiting some of these characters. I highly recommend this book to readers who love a mystery with strong characters and lots of danger and clues to work through.

Audio Notes: I have to admit it took me just under an hour to get accustomed to the narration by R. D. Watson. Once I became more engaged in the story I appreciated the narration. Watson does a good job with most of the accents although the females and American accents are a bit exaggerated. Still, the narration brought the main characters alive, adding to the intensity and intrigue as well as the emotional elements of the story. I recommend the audio to those who like to listen instead of reading – just make sure you push through the first hour or so and then buckle up and enjoy the ride.

I received this for review through I Read Book Tours. It adds to my Audio Challenge.

Buy the book:     Amazon    Barnes & Noble     Chapters/Indigo

Author's Bio:

Peter Riva spent many months over thirty years in Africa, many of them with the legendary guides

for East African white hunters and adventurers. He created a TV series (seventy-eight 1-hour episodes) in 1995 called WildThings for Paramount TV. Passing on the fables, true tales and insider knowledge of these last reserves of true wildlife is a passion.

Connect with the author:
    Website  ~   Twitter  ~   Facebook

The tour schedule can be found at the author's iRead home page.

GIVEAWAY

Win 1 of 10 copies of Murder on Safari (print or audiobook)

& 1 of 2 $25 Amazon gift cards (international)

a Rafflecopter giveaway