Quick Reviews – Project Namahana & The Scorpion Rules

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Project Namahana by John Teschner
Narrator: Kurt Kanazawa
Published by Forge Books, Macmillan Audio on June 28, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Length: 9 hours 19 minutes
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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Two men, unified by a string of disappearances and deaths, search for answers—and salvation—in the jungles of Kaua‘i. Together, they must navigate the overlapping and complicated lines between a close-knit community and the hated, but economically-necessary corporate farms—and the decades old secrets that bind them.

Project Namahana takes you from Midwestern, glass-walled, corporate offices over the Pacific and across the island of Kaua‘i; from seemingly idyllic beaches and mountainous inland jungles to the face of Mount Namahana; all the while, exploring the question of how corporate executives could be responsible for evil things without, presumably, being evil themselves.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This book was okay for me. I have to admit that it was a bit of a struggle for me at times. I had to try a couple of times to get into the story and even then it was hard to follow and rather confusing at times. I did like the story but it took a little bit of extra concentration on my part to keep everything straight. I am glad that I decided to give this one a try.

On the island of Kaua‘i, there have been some mysterious deaths and Bernt decides to see what he can find out at the request of one of the widows. The deaths appear to be linked to the corporate farm on the island since most of those that have died had ties to the company. We also see things from one man working at the company which made me question everything just a little more.  thought that the setting was very well done and liked the fact that there were some pretty big surprises worked into the story.

This was my first experience with Kurt Kanazawa’s narration and I thought that he did a great job with the story. I thought that he did a wonderful job with the character dialects which added to the authenticity of the story. I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to this narrator again in the future.

I think that a lot of readers will like this one more than I did. This was an interesting ecological thriller that kept me guessing even though it had some issues. I would encourage anyone who thinks this book sounds interesting to give it a try.

I received review copies of this book from Forge Books and Macmillan Audio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
Narrator: Madeleine Maby
Series: Prisoners of Peace #1
Published by Simon and Schuster Audio, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing on September 22, 2015
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Science Fiction
Length: 10 hours 21 minutes
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Library, Publisher
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The children of world leaders are held hostage in an attempt to keep the peace in this “slyly humorous, starkly thought-provoking” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) novel.

Greta is a Duchess and a Crown Princess. She is also a Child of Peace, a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world, the great Artificial Intelligence, Talis. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Start a war and your hostage dies.

The system has worked for centuries. Parents don’t want to see their children murdered.

Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elian arrives at the Precepture. He’s a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. His rebellion opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power.

Then Elian’s country declares war on Greta’s and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to deliver punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elian will be killed...unless Greta can think of a way to break all the rules.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were things that I liked and some that didn’t do a whole lot for me. I thought that the world that this was set in and the premise was incredibly interesting and well-done. I do wonder why there was such a big focus on goats during parts of the story. I like goats but it was weird how much there were talked about in this book. I was not a fan of some of the decisions the characters made which took me out of the story a bit.

Greta lives with other kids like her at the Precepture school. In a world controlled by Artificial Intelligence, each of the world leaders must send their children to this school. All is well if there is peace but if war breaks out the children of the leaders involved are killed. I thought that this was a pretty original set-up and was curious how things might change when a new student, Elián, arrives. As it looks like Greta and Elián may be at risk, they have some big decisions to make.

Madeleine Maby did a wonderful job with this book. I thought that she did a great job bringing this group of characters to life. She added enough emotion to her voice to really take the story to the next level. I have not listened to her work before but hope to again in the future.

I have a feeling that many readers will enjoy this one quite a bit. It didn’t completely click with me but I still found a lot to appreciate in the story. I don’t think that I will continue with this series but am glad that I gave this one a try.

I received a review copy of this book from Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

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