Sebastian Black (Author of A Dangerous Game)

Sebastian Black made a comment in the group Review Group — Group 383. Out of This World - Mod. Jeff topic " Amazon review for "A Scarred Drifter". Https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re... ...more "
Sep 08, 2025 06:50PM
Sebastian Black rated a book really liked it A Scarred Drifter by Sotto Voce (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"A Scarred Drifter" tell the story of a young man named Cole and how him and his family deal with a societal breakdown. It's told in four parts, and not all of the story is in chronological order. It starts in the year 2043 with Cole living as an out ...more
Sep 07, 2025 07:08PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Scarred Drifter by Sotto Voce. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Scarred Drifter by Sotto Voce <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sebastian Black rated a book really liked it A Scarred Drifter by Sotto Voce (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"A Scarred Drifter" tell the story of a young man named Cole and how him and his family deal with a societal breakdown. It's told in four parts, and not all of the story is in chronological order. It starts in the year 2043 with Cole living as an out ...more
Sep 07, 2025 05:59PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Scarred Drifter by Sotto Voce. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Scarred Drifter by Sotto Voce <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sebastian Black liked Lynn Helton's review of Ridge Stryker in the 23rd Century: The Sins of War: "This first-person narrated story furthers the adventures of Ronny Singer, aka Ridge Stryker, now living in the universe of his favorite sci-fi show Jet Maddox in the 23rd Century. Early pages do well at reminding the reader what happened in the first" Read more of this review »
Aug 26, 2025 05:22PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ridge Stryker in the 23rd Century by Sebastian Black. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ridge Stryker in the 23rd Century by Sebastian Black <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sebastian Black rated a book it was amazing Wild Hare by Laura Koerber (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Laura Koeber's 'Wild Hare' is the story of Bobby Fallon and the northern Wisconsin small town he calls home. Set in the very near future, the world he occupies is afflicted with the double whammy of climate change and political upheaval. Bobby is hal ...more
Aug 22, 2025 07:49PM · 1 like · like · see review
Sebastian Black is now following Tenkara Smart Author of She Named Me Wolf (Book #1, The Many Lives of W...
Aug 22, 2025 08:12AM · like
Sebastian Black is now following Laura Koerber Author of I Once Was Lost, But Now I'm Found: Daisy and t...
Aug 22, 2025 08:12AM · like
Sebastian Black rated a book it was amazing Wild Hare by Laura Koerber (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Laura Koeber's 'Wild Hare' is the story of Bobby Fallon and the northern Wisconsin small town he calls home. Set in the very near future, the world he occupies is afflicted with the double whammy of climate change and political upheaval. Bobby is hal ...more
Aug 20, 2025 06:39PM · 1 like · like · see review
Sebastian Black liked Andrew Baltasar's review of A Dangerous Game: "A Dangerous Game is a fast-paced, gritty dystopian story set in a world where survival is everything. The writing is vivid and immersive, pulling you straight into the streets of a broken future Manhattan. The three main characters—a warrior, a shopk" Read more of this review »
Aug 15, 2025 06:05PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Dangerous Game by Sebastian Black. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Dangerous Game by Sebastian Black <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sebastian Black rated a book really liked it Just Joe by Phillip Murrell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"Just Joe" tells the story of Joseph Odoemen, a fresh grad of the Academy who is plucked by the legendary Captain Kirpicsiskway (yes, that's a mash up of four different Star Trek captains) for a plum assignment as a 'space flapper' (a helmsman) on th ...more
Jul 25, 2025 12:32PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Just Joe by Phillip Murrell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Just Joe by Phillip Murrell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

Sebastian Black made a comment in the group Review Group — Group 383. Out of This World - Mod. Jeff topic

" Amazon review for "A Scarred Drifter". Https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re... ...more "

Sebastian Black rated a book really liked it

A Scarred Drifter
by Sotto Voce (Goodreads Author)

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

"A Scarred Drifter" tell the story of a young man named Cole and how him and his family deal with a societal breakdown. It's told in four parts, and not all of the story is in chronological order. It starts in the year 2043 with Cole living as an out "A Scarred Drifter" tell the story of a young man named Cole and how him and his family deal with a societal breakdown. It's told in four parts, and not all of the story is in chronological order. It starts in the year 2043 with Cole living as an outsider on Willow Island (in an unspecified part of the globe). The world is already in chaos, but we don't know why.

Gradually, Cole earns the trust of the community and the eye of a young woman with a cake shop named Kai. Scarred on the face from an unexplained violent encounter, Cole is restless and despite a mutual attraction between him and Kai, Cole feels there is some unfinished business in his life related to parents and siblings who he left behind on a larger land mass. So, he gets in his boat and leaves Willow Island, which sets the rest of the story in motion.

In Part 2 the story goes back in time to when Cole was a boy living with his parents and older sister Josephine (and two younger brothers) and we see the beginnings of how civil society began to degrade (food scarcity, riots, and the culling of citizens), though we still don't know why it's happening. As Cole grows into his teen years, fear, violence, and the loss of control begin to shape his life. The story works as a parable for how when societies collapse, family bonds can strain to the breaking point, and the story explores the length a parent (Cole's father) will go to protect his family, even if it causes pain.

Part 3 is easily the most harrowing, though the prose's third person perspective softens what could have been a ghoulish take on mankind's sadism when moral constraints no longer exist. In other words, it doesn't quite delve into 'The Road' territory, skimping on some of the more visceral details, and perhaps that was for the best.

The novel's strongest element is the way it's structured, presenting Cole as a mystery with a hidden and unresolved past, and the four parts work to unravel how Cole became the man he is. I did have to suspend disbelief on occasion; a gas motor still working after several years of non-use, old anti-biotics, and a knife wound that should have been fatal. Despite those little nitpicks, it's a well told dystopian tale for readers who want some hope and resolution along with the doom and gloom. ...more

Sebastian Black rated a book really liked it

A Scarred Drifter
by Sotto Voce (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

"A Scarred Drifter" tell the story of a young man named Cole and how him and his family deal with a societal breakdown. It's told in four parts, and not all of the story is in chronological order. It starts in the year 2043 with Cole living as an out "A Scarred Drifter" tell the story of a young man named Cole and how him and his family deal with a societal breakdown. It's told in four parts, and not all of the story is in chronological order. It starts in the year 2043 with Cole living as an outsider on Willow Island (in an unspecified part of the globe). The world is already in chaos, but we don't know why.

Gradually, Cole earns the trust of the community and the eye of a young woman with a cake shop named Kai. Scarred on the face from an unexplained violent encounter, Cole is restless and despite a mutual attraction between him and Kai, Cole feels there is some unfinished business in his life related to parents and siblings who he left behind on a larger land mass. So, he gets in his boat and leaves Willow Island, which sets the rest of the story in motion.

In Part 2 the story goes back in time to when Cole was a boy living with his parents and older sister Josephine (and two younger brothers) and we see the beginnings of how civil society began to degrade (food scarcity, riots, and the culling of citizens), though we still don't know why it's happening. As Cole grows into his teen years, fear, violence, and the loss of control begin to shape his life. The story works as a parable for how when societies collapse, family bonds can strain to the breaking point, and the story explores the length a parent (Cole's father) will go to protect his family, even if it causes pain.

Part 3 is easily the most harrowing, though the prose's third person perspective softens what could have been a ghoulish take on mankind's sadism when moral constraints no longer exist. In other words, it doesn't quite delve into 'The Road' territory, skimping on some of the more visceral details, and perhaps that was for the best.

The novel's strongest element is the way it's structured, presenting Cole as a mystery with a hidden and unresolved past, and the four parts work to unravel how Cole became the man he is. I did have to suspend disbelief on occasion; a gas motor still working after several years of non-use, old anti-biotics, and a knife wound that should have been fatal. Despite those little nitpicks, it's a well told dystopian tale for readers who want some hope and resolution along with the doom and gloom. ...more

Sebastian Black liked Lynn Helton's review of Ridge Stryker in the 23rd Century: The Sins of War:

Ridge Stryker in the 23rd Century by Sebastian Black

"This first-person narrated story furthers the adventures of Ronny Singer, aka Ridge Stryker, now living in the universe of his favorite sci-fi show Jet Maddox in the 23rd Century. Early pages do well at reminding the reader what happened in the first" Read more of this review »

Sebastian Black rated a book it was amazing

Wild Hare
by Laura Koerber (Goodreads Author)

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Laura Koeber's 'Wild Hare' is the story of Bobby Fallon and the northern Wisconsin small town he calls home. Set in the very near future, the world he occupies is afflicted with the double whammy of climate change and political upheaval. Bobby is hal Laura Koeber's 'Wild Hare' is the story of Bobby Fallon and the northern Wisconsin small town he calls home. Set in the very near future, the world he occupies is afflicted with the double whammy of climate change and political upheaval. Bobby is half human, half hare (a nature sprit) and it allows him to wield powers like 'glamouring'-- as in getting people to do things they don't want, and the even neater concept of 'fairy time', which can slow time down to a crawl if one is inside of it. Oh, he can fly too, but not endlessly like Superman, he gets tired.

Despite these powers he can't do much about the corrupt local government, particularly when the militia arrests his friend Arne for having some unpaid tickets. In order to secure Arne's release, he needs to pay his fine, but because work and money are scarce and the fine isn't paid promptly, it's then raised to levels where it's almost impossible to pay off. Quite the little fascist trick. This serves as a catalyst for the rest of the story involving a local Congressman, some bear-hunting Russians, and an extreme act of violence.

There's a great line from the main character that sums up what he often feels living in the town--"I wanted a cigarette, not because I smoke, but because I wanted to burn something up and stub something out."

It's all very well told from Bobby's first person POV. The prose is tight and smooth, and the descriptions of the surroundings, while in a state of decay, still has room for moments of beauty. Bobby's found-family of nature spirits (hares, wolves, ravens, coyotes, water fairies) including Sally along with the 'regular' humans like Charlie, Arne, and newcomer to his life Taylor, give the novel a lived-in feel, these are exactly the kind of people you'd run into in a certain neck of the woods. Despite the supernatural elements, it's very much about how in dire times, when humanity's worst aspects thrive, the need for family (and allies), found or otherwise, becomes more important with each passing day.

Wild Hare is a small slice of a post-America world where no one is truly safe. The story is set in the year 2032 and if you discount the fairy-like strangeness, it doesn't seem that far-fetched, which is the real scary part. ...more

Sebastian Black is now following

Tenkara Smart

Author of She Named Me Wolf (Book #1, The Many Lives of W...

Sebastian Black is now following

Laura Koerber

Author of I Once Was Lost, But Now I'm Found: Daisy and t...

Sebastian Black rated a book it was amazing

Wild Hare
by Laura Koerber (Goodreads Author)

Rate this book

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Laura Koeber's 'Wild Hare' is the story of Bobby Fallon and the northern Wisconsin small town he calls home. Set in the very near future, the world he occupies is afflicted with the double whammy of climate change and political upheaval. Bobby is hal Laura Koeber's 'Wild Hare' is the story of Bobby Fallon and the northern Wisconsin small town he calls home. Set in the very near future, the world he occupies is afflicted with the double whammy of climate change and political upheaval. Bobby is half human, half hare (a nature sprit) and it allows him to wield powers like 'glamouring'-- as in getting people to do things they don't want, and the even neater concept of 'fairy time', which can slow time down to a crawl if one is inside of it. Oh, he can fly too, but not endlessly like Superman, he gets tired.

Despite these powers he can't do much about the corrupt local government, particularly when the militia arrests his friend Arne for having some unpaid tickets. In order to secure Arne's release, he needs to pay his fine, but because work and money are scarce and the fine isn't paid promptly, it's then raised to levels where it's almost impossible to pay off. Quite the little fascist trick. This serves as a catalyst for the rest of the story involving a local Congressman, some bear-hunting Russians, and an extreme act of violence.

There's a great line from the main character that sums up what he often feels living in the town--"I wanted a cigarette, not because I smoke, but because I wanted to burn something up and stub something out."

It's all very well told from Bobby's first person POV. The prose is tight and smooth, and the descriptions of the surroundings, while in a state of decay, still has room for moments of beauty. Bobby's found-family of nature spirits (hares, wolves, ravens, coyotes, water fairies) including Sally along with the 'regular' humans like Charlie, Arne, and newcomer to his life Taylor, give the novel a lived-in feel, these are exactly the kind of people you'd run into in a certain neck of the woods. Despite the supernatural elements, it's very much about how in dire times, when humanity's worst aspects thrive, the need for family (and allies), found or otherwise, becomes more important with each passing day.

Wild Hare is a small slice of a post-America world where no one is truly safe. The story is set in the year 2032 and if you discount the fairy-like strangeness, it doesn't seem that far-fetched, which is the real scary part. ...more

Sebastian Black liked Andrew Baltasar's review of A Dangerous Game:

"A Dangerous Game is a fast-paced, gritty dystopian story set in a world where survival is everything. The writing is vivid and immersive, pulling you straight into the streets of a broken future Manhattan. The three main characters—a warrior, a shopk" Read more of this review »

Sebastian Black rated a book really liked it

Just Joe
by Phillip Murrell (Goodreads Author)

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

"Just Joe" tells the story of Joseph Odoemen, a fresh grad of the Academy who is plucked by the legendary Captain Kirpicsiskway (yes, that's a mash up of four different Star Trek captains) for a plum assignment as a 'space flapper' (a helmsman) on th "Just Joe" tells the story of Joseph Odoemen, a fresh grad of the Academy who is plucked by the legendary Captain Kirpicsiskway (yes, that's a mash up of four different Star Trek captains) for a plum assignment as a 'space flapper' (a helmsman) on the Astro Alliance's flagship, the Crowntrotter. This jumps him from an ensign to Lt. Commander, a bit odd considering that he wasn't as 'brilliant' as the other Academy grads (ranked 817), save for his record-shattering time for asteroid rescuing, a record previously held by Kirpicsiskway.

Joe assumes his new position on the Crowntrotter, though he's wracked with a bad case of impostor syndrome, which only intensifies as the story progresses where he deals with the demanding Commander Murphy, who lacks the easy charm of Kirpicsiskway. Despite his belief that he's not good enough, he manages to make friends along the way, including the prototype officer android named Perfecta, who reminded me of a female version of Data from TNG and was one of the more memorable characters. He also meets Sava (also memorable), a member of a crab-like species called the Camelon, who the Astro alliance just negotiated a peace treaty/armistice with.

There's even room for a little romance, first with engineering officer Mary, who shall we say is quite the handful, and later with fellow Academy graduate Makawee Yazzie (great name). In between there's even an awkward attempt with the Android Perfecta, who like Data, wanted to explore her burgeoning sentience (or in the vernacular of the novel, sapience).

Much of the story feels episodic (and not in a bad way), with the Crowntrotter bouncing from mini-episode to mini-episode much like classic sci-fi TV. Some of the more enjoyable tales involved a ship run by children who weren't very child-like, an attack from sentient slugs (though told after Joe wakes from a coma), and an ep where the Crowntrotter crew meets a parallel universe version of itself (something the various Star Treks were always doing). In addition, the chapter featuring a romance turned sour was key as it plays heavily in the final quarter of the novel.

There is a big 'turn' in 'Just Joe' that shakes the carefully laid foundation of this story that I never saw coming. I'm kind of on the fence about it but at the same time the moment of realization for Joe worked quite well, and the final chapters are rather chaotic but also help Joe complete his character arc, utilizing the friendships he's made along the way.

"Just Joe" is for readers who love deep dives into space opera world building. It's clear a lot of work went into constructing the different cultures and histories of the Astro Alliance and how it affected the story as it evolved. The characters are fun and diverse, and there is enough variety in the mini episodes to keep readers entertained throughout. Worth a read. ...more

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Review Group: Group 380. Out of this World - Mod. Gene - CLOSED	154	79	Aug 17, 2025 03:00AM
Review Group: * Group 383. Out of This World - Mod. Jeff	144	70	17 hours, 59 min ago

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	A Dangerous Game 4.89 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ridge Stryker in the 23rd Century 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ridge Stryker in the 23rd Century: The Sins of War really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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