A controversial title? For sure. Want to know why we are telling you this? Then read on.
Imagine a dangerous chase scene. The main characters under fire, running on an open field, and somehow, every single bullet the the villains shoot, misses. Odd, you think, but it’s fiction, right? Right. The scene carries on at full pace, the descriptions are exhilarating, and it seems like there is no escape. A missile hits, inches from one of the main characters! BUM! The roar and impact shakes the ground, the character is thrown in the air with the blast, flies two meters like a rag doll, and hits the ground hard! Everything stops for a second, and after a moment, it gets up, and continues running like a madman!
At this point your reaction would be to take a step back and see what genre the book is. It’s fantasy, not sci-fi, so this should be ok, right? We are sure that we both have the answer to that, don’t we?
This is one of THE MOST common mistakes writers make, bestselling authors included.
We at Scribble’s Worth Book Reviews have encountered and rejected hundreds of books in the last 2 years, because of this problem. Yes, we are THAT selective, and rigorous in terms of the quality of books we accept.
Not being factual in your book, in certain situations and with certain plot decisions will destroy your book. Do not think otherwise.
Instead of telling you which books didn’t make it, we will tell you about 3 OUTSTANDINGLY realistic fiction book series, from 3 different authors that made their books so real that you will scream at them. The funny thing is that, two of them are Fantasy and only one series is Sci-fi. Let’s go:
1- The Raincatcher’s Ballad Series by Steven McKinnon. (Fantasy)
I get goosebumps just thinking about this book series.
Steven McKinnon, is one of those Indie authors that will make you re-think the whole Indie industry scene. From the narration to the plot, Steven kicks the concept of normal, dances with the dynamic, the unpredictable and the brutally insane.
The reason why we brought this book series to your attention? Well, your beloved characters WILL die. All of them. No mercy, no second chances, no introductions, no goodbyes. Steven made us realize a golden rule that every author must follow:
– “If you don’t want want to kill your characters, don’t put them in situations where they MUST die. “
In this series, every time a character, faces a circumstance where they suffer grave injure, they are either badly injured for the rest of the book, or they die, regardless of the plot possibilities and needs. They die. Main character or not, they WILL die, and you WILL be upset. But you know what? You will adore this series, because this factor of unpredictable deaths will make you appreciate every single moment of it, and the time you have left with your characters. And that, made all the difference.
Get to know more about Steven and his work on this cool interview with us.
2- The Last of the Gifted by Marie Powell (Fantasy & Historical Fiction)
Marie Powell stole our hearts with this YA Fantasy Historical Fiction about The Welsh before and during English invasion.
Why? Not only because Marie made lovable characters that we attach ourselves to, an incredibly magical and original story that evolves as the lines mount, but because there are consequences.
Every single action that our main characters, and even secondary characters make, correct or not, pull out the most unlikely of results, but, always the most appropriate when you consider all the elements in play, and that’s genial, sublime, and for readers, maddening.
Nothing that you will want to see happen will, and when it does, the consequences of it are still to come, to the point where things get so dire that you will scream at Marie and shake your fist at fate.
This compelling realism in the books of The Last of the Gifted Series, many times bloody and twisted when not lovable and surprising, will add a sense of interacting and participating on the book as an unwilling spectator of the challenges of this outstanding series. You can read the reviews of both books here.
3- Aces High, Joker’s Wild Series by O. E. Tearmann (Cyberpunk & Sci-fi)
Fighting for the #1 spot book series, and with 3 contenders of the 2022 Book of The Year Award, AND for the #1 spot in the sub-categories of Sci-fi, Cyberpunk and LGBTQ, we have this mind-blowingly relatable, gripping, factual, BEAUTIFUL, and poignant book series by O. E. Tearmann. (More about them on this interview)
Yes, this series is THAT good, and you can read the reviews of all books, from the first to the last, on our site right here.
What makes this MASTERPIECE of a series so good? It’s real. O. E. Tearmann wrote the most emotionally relatable characters, with the most original quirks that are highly diverse (not simply put-ins of non-white characters for the sake of it), imperfect and with each plot, of each series of the book with not only consequences, but also the sheer brutality and harshness of life.
In this series you will find: PTSD, depression, anxiety, fear, love, courage, SEX, death (lots of it), more PTSD, the most amazing gay and trans characters EVER, a mechanical arm with a badass human attached to it, more death, electric punches, technology that makes sense, HIGHLY researched science at every corner, conspiracy, more PTSD, coffee beans, clones, more SEX and …. dog ears on a donkey with wings. OH, we almost forgot to tell you the BEST thing about this entire book series: Janice.
The weight of reality in these books will make you buckle. The gravity of these words is so strong that you will want to take a break when you finish each book, even while also wanting to devour them at once. Why? They are based on facts and struggles that real people face, even being a fictional book series. You feel like these books are already happening, even being set on a distant future. And guess what? They are.
Get your copies on their site, and read our reviews about the books so you can see it for yourself.
Yes, that is it for this article. We will see read each other on the next one.
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