Reviews OF Christina Engela’s works:
The following are official full-length reviews of Christina’s books by book reviewers (professional and amateur), book bloggers, etc. (For reader’s comments, refer to the “Fan Mail & Compliments” (or “Hate Mail & Negative Comments“) pages, or the “reviews” pages for each book. Reviews are arranged by series and title. (For reviews BY Christina Engela, please go here.)
About Christina herself:
“Christina Engela is a South African editor and author of horror, fantasy and science fiction novels. Her books are never short of suspense, adventure and humor, while her colorful characters and thought-provoking settings take readers into another world, making her one of the most gifted and creative storytellers. A firm supporter of the LGBT community, Christina believes that Sexual and Gender Minority characters aren’t reflected enough by authors due to a number of reasons. As such, Christina’s writing isn’t stereotypical, and her characters aren’t stereotypes, regardless of their sexuality or gender.” – Booksradar.com, June 21, 2021.
The Galaxii Series:
“Blachart”
‘Blachart’ by Christina Engela – Enjoyable action-packed original space sci-fi
“Christina Engela delivers with this action packed tale that introduces the Galaxii series; an expansive world of Imperial space fleets, distant planets, space pirates and beyond. Utilizing her unique, fun and strong narration style we meet ‘Mykl d’Angelo’ who serves firstly as a mystery man seemingly marooned alone in space until the authorities take him in and learn he is trustworthy. His brutal back story becomes apparent and as a reader you naturally side with him. Whether it be for his quick witted one liners or ability to deal with most situations and seemingly get out of them; the Imperial space fleet soon employ d’Angelo. He even reconnects with an old flame in the form of ‘Ripley Jones’ who vouches for him.
The real threat in Engela’s deep space Galaxii universe and much like many of her other books are the Corsairs – a mystery group of pirate types who appear to ravage any civilization they can. Soon enough d’Angelo’s rescuing ship comes across another vessel manned by them and so the action, drama and deception begins. In order to fully intercept the Corsair world, they must align with an unexpected ally.
While this tale is wholly original there are some fun references throughout from old school weaponry, pirate slang terms and even a hilarious fast food reference. From shootouts to car chases this book has everything fans of sci fi action could want. It’s imaginative, highly readable and fun much like many of Christina Engela’s works which I highly recommend!
5 Stars – A cracking read. Reviews left via Goodreads and Amazon.” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, November 10, 2020.
Enjoyable action-packed original space sci-fi…
“South African Author Christina Engela was the very first person to reach out to this site for a book review and served as an important turning point for this blog. Since then her work has probably been one of the most featured here and for good reason – she writes great books! Even though it has been a while I eventually got to the next book in the space sci fi Galaxii Series ‘Blachart’ and was not disappointed by this futuristic action packed tale of space pirates. Highly recommended!” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, December 04, 2020
“Demonspawn”
A real page turner
“This Sci-fi thriller brings everything to the table, murder, suspense, action, love. A real page turner by Christina Engela.” – Zenja Collins, Zen Entertainment, 2014.
She slowly builds the tension to a shocking and tense climax
“Christina Engela has a unique and brilliant voice that helps make this story her own as she slowly builds the tension to a shocking and tense climax.” – Mark Woods, author & reviewer, 2015.
An enjoyable read that will leave you wanting more.
“Demonspawn is a detailed well-imagined space story, which I found hard to put down, in fact I read the book in just 3 sittings.
Christina Engela has created a believable world of space travel, delivering it in way that seemed to me logical and explained without straying from the main plot.
From the very opening, there is a deliberate psychological vagueness as to what the ‘big bad’ could be. This heightens the mystery giving readers a real urgency and a want to find out, eventually you will.
With that tension steadily building the story follows the somewhat damned crew of the I.S.S. Mordrake; a ship seemingly stranded and damaged beyond repair in the furthest reaches of space. Their captain is found murdered and so it’s up to main character Joe Lofflin to investigate along with a cast full of convincing characters.
Then they discover a derelict ship just floating in space.
This story reminded me of films such as Alien and Event Horizon but Demonspawn could easily stand shoulder to shoulder with them. There were many concepts of the sci-fi genre in this book that were original and put together in a way not seen before anywhere else (this was especially so for the ‘Akx’.)
It’s an enjoyable read that will leave you wanting more.
5 Stars.” – by Lee Hall, UK writer and reviewer, October 3, 2018.
“‘Demonspawn’ by Christina Engela is a sci-fi horror space story with psychological mystery and suspense throughout. The somewhat damned crew of the I.S.S. Mordrake; a ship seemingly stranded and damaged beyond repair in the furthest reaches of space then stumbles upon another ship, derelict and just floating there…
The story reminded me of films such as Alien and Event Horizon but Demonspawn could easily stand shoulder to shoulder with them. There were many concepts of the sci-fi genre in this book that were original and put together in a way not seen before anywhere else. You can grab yourself a copy here.” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer in “Chilling Book Recommendations For Halloween part 1” Oct 11, 2019.
“Spooky Season Book Recommendations by Lee Hall, October 19, 2020.
It’s the season of spooky and what better way to celebrate the nights drawing in and those leaves falling than to read a Hallow-tastic book. Here at the Hall of Information we love a thrilling and chilling reading experience so here’s a run down of some recommendations perfect for the season…
‘In space, not all things are certain… not even death’
Space and horror, simultaneously they are right up my alley and back in 2018 Christina Engela made history by being the first ever author to approach the Hall of Information for a book review. Of course we obliged and the journey of discovery began.
Imagine ‘Alien’ and ‘Event Horizon’ combined with Engela’s immersive writing style and you have the tale of the I.S.S. Mordrake; a ship seemingly stranded and damaged beyond repair in the furthest reaches of space and then it begins…
They run into another ship that appears abandoned and just floating there. What unfolds is a tale of mystery and suspense. Check out my full review here and this book is part of the wider ‘Galaxii’ series which I plan on reading more of soon! [read more]” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer in “Spooky Season Book Recommendations” Oct 19, 2020.
“Sentinel”
Immersive and enjoyable space-sci fi
“Christina Engela returns with her immersive and enjoyable brand of space sci-fi in the latest instalment of the Galaxii series.
Captain Sonia La Belle is faced with the uphill struggle of bringing the starship I.S.S. Munray back up to better standards. With mostly disorganized personnel and the former disgraced captain leaving the ship in disarray, not to mention an old flame on the crew, this new skipper has her work cut out – and then come the space pirates.
In the wake of these Corsairs being near enough wiped out, two particular outlaws find themselves in possession of a dooms day-esque technology that threatens not just La Belle’s reputation, but much more. A pirate resurgence begins along with a matter-of-time chase that ensues with drama and deception at the forefront of a great story delivered by way of Engela’s best writing to date. For anyone looking to for some fun space sci-fi immersion then ‘Sentinel’ is the book for you!
5 Stars – thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review!” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer in “‘Sentinel: Galaxii Book 4’ by Christina Engela – Review” May 17, 2022.
The Quantum Series:
“Overall I have very much enjoyed reading the books in this series. They are fun, quirky, imaginative and their biggest quality is that the style and the way they read is very much accessible to pretty much anyone. I highly recommend the Quantum series to everyone! 5 Stars – Fun and powerful. Have you read the Quantum Series? You should!” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer.
“Black Sunrise”
“When you have no idea what to expect, you sometimes end up pleasantly surprised. Black Sunrise is a weird little gem of a story that has elements of satire and parody—a talking plant named Fred, a planetary setting that’s something akin to an old Western, reptilian alien invaders taken out by a vat of sherry—as well as other fantasy and sci-fi aspects.
But there’s also a dry wit and humor wrapped around a serious, heartfelt subject here. Cindy-Mei Winter is a trans woman who was fired from her job for showing up in a dress. She suffered transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, and general stupidity from her coworkers and bosses. After her gender affirmation surgery, she takes a galactic cruise and ends up in the middle of major weirdness. So much for a relaxing vacation!
The cast of characters is divine. There’s the bored-off-his-gourd Captain of the vessel that brings Mei to Deanna. Gary Beck the Badfeller is a PI/bounty hunter who got his tough nickname from a stupid childhood stunt. The Gimps aka Ruminarii, reptiles who think being bad is good and typically rise in power and status by killing those above as well as below them in rank and power. And Fred, the Arborian, a talking plant who has spent the last several years hanging out on the rec deck of the freighter that brought Mei to Deanna.
The multiple-points-of-view style the author chose works very well for this story. There is a large cast of characters, and we get to see their thought processes, and often the inner workings of the characters’ strange, minds. The pacing of the story reminds me of the ending of the Clue movie, where Tim Curry runs from place to place explaining what really happened: rapid bursts from the characters, some ironic, some humorous, and some sad and heart-wrenching.
I thoroughly enjoyed this raucous little story. It’s weird and irreverent, but has a deeper, more important message dressed up in a slapstick-comedy tale. I will definitely read more by author Christina Engela.” – Lucy, Queer Sci Fi, 29 July 2023.
A terrifically entertaining science fiction feature two LGBTQ+ characters! I want more in audio!
“New-to-me writer Christina Engela was responsible for one of the most delightful listening experiences I’ve had in a while. I expect my favorite writers and narrators to be predictably awesome but I admit to feeling especially grateful when a new writer turns my head about my shoulders! Black Sunrise is an incredible novel that has something special for any LGBTQ+ readers with an appreciation for science fiction. The writer has a premise that will blow most readers out of the water. Just imagine a hostile society bent on conquering the Terran race at a third-rate colony only to get their butt handed to them some eighty years earlier when the Terrans fight back! Then it all happens AGAIN(!!!) but this time the reader is front and center for the excitement during the latest attack of the Ruminarii.
Cindy-Mei was terminated from the Colonial Intelligence Agency for being trans, and sees an opportunity to regain some respect, notice, and her position for recapturing the Ruminarii commander. Cindy was visiting Deanna on holiday after her gender affirmation surgery when the Ruminarii tried yet again to subjugate the Terran population. When the bombing of Atro City occurred, a call to arms was sent out for the entire citizenry at Deanna who showed up en mass to kick alien butt! The call was also answered by the men of the Skeggs Valley Dynamite Fishing Club led by General Albert McIntyre-Smythe, a 74-year old retired serviceman of the Imperial Officers’ Reserve who had ordinance aplenty along with the courage and enthusiasm to use it. Cindy makes her way to Atro and with the assistance of security cameras, noticed that a Ruminarii fighter (who just so happens to be the Hammerhead’s commander) was thrown clear of the fighting masses and escapes on foot.
Cindy hides behind her canceled CIA badge to approach Sheriff Peggy-Ann with the need to track down the escaped alien for information regarding the Ruminarii’s objectives, plans, and other intel. The sheriff assures Cindy that a payment for a captured Ruminarii will no doubt be offered and gives her the name of Gary “The Badfeller” Beck, a successful local bounty hunter who would be instrumental in capturing the alien. While traveling to Deanna, Cindy befriended Fred the Aborian–a sentient walking-talking plant who pot sat in the Recreation deck of the Duval. She made such a favorable impression she left on him, Fred felt compelled to intervene from the controls of the Duval to aid the Terrans in their successful bid to fight the attacking Ruminarii. He manages to get Captain Johannsen’s vessel to drop one of six tanks containing over 660,000-gallon in sherry to crash down upon the hull of the Ruminarii Hammerhead spacecraft named Black Sunrise that arrived alone to give the Terrans major grief.
The sherry tank’s fiery destruction of the Black Sunrise scuttles the commander’s plan to have his troops retreat within the craft and then for it to bomb Deanna from space. Fred leaves Captain Johannsen and the others aboard the Duval to search for Cindy, being filled with purpose and a zeal to start a brand new life following his successful assistance to the Terrans. The Captain is left realizes he isn’t even as effective as a plant in a pot! The contrast between these two beings is a pivotal point in the narrative as readers witness Fred making his way across the space station to encounter people that for the most part allow him to be. Surely praise for his role in overthrowing the aliens will make it easier for him to carve out a wonderful life!
While Gary and Cindy pair up to find the alien, the alien is discovered by Jenny whose family has been targeted by a criminal miner determined to acquire their valuable land. Finding the alien overheated, injured, and dehydrated, Jenny leaves the alien with a water canteen and her ‘good will’ towards his right to continue to exist. He’s puzzled not only by the Terrans ferocity during the resistance but the compassion he received from a woman who was fully aware of his status as an enemy. One good turn deserves another as the alien saves Jenny and her trans sister Danielle from being murdered by the miner and his gang members. Gary and Cindy decide to leave the alien alone, determining he was a good person who was obeying bad orders.
Now what I found especially effective was the writer’s ability to bring the readers right up to the main event in a round-Robin way of each character having their part of the story told. At times the more distant yet relevant past is shared with the current information, allowing the readers to have a clear idea of where the players have been and the value of their current roles in the narrative. Even as the different stories are being relayed, the readers are left feeling fully let in on what’s going on in the narrative. Never once did I feel the need to replay segments of the audiobook to know “who’s on first base”. The novel is compelling, thought-provoking, and exciting with awesome world-building, excellent character growth for most players in the narrative, and balance with pacing that keeps the reader turning the pages! Dang! This book is GREAT!!!
The narrator was a bit stilted at points in the book but she is one incredible performer and seemed to genuinely love the book she was reading. There were times when she chucked, snickered, giggled–and she seemed to improve as things went along. It’s hard to say, I was having too much fun. There is NO greater honor a narrator can have for a writer than to enjoy their book in a way that shares the appreciation with the listeners. It is my sincerest hope that the writer’s other work for this series finds its way to audio format and that this writer is able to continue narrating for it. I’d love to share another fun time with Darla Middlebrook.” – Natalie Nicole, Book Bub review, September 09, 2021.
A fun and enjoyable quirky multi-character story that carries an important message…
“Black Sunrise is about a lot of different things and the author has done a great job of linking them all together by way of a story that is not only funny, it’s also strange in a good way and carries a positive message. The diverse array of characters range from a bounty hunter to a talking plant called ‘Fred’ who in some senses stole the show considering this ‘Arborian’ seemed to be more of a secondary character.
Set mostly on the planet of Deanna; this holiday destination see’s the arrival of an alien spaceship helmed by the ‘Ruminarii’ a race of hostile lizard type aliens looking to send a message. Along the way we see the story from many different points of view; including these aliens who (spoiler alert) fail in a sense to send said message.
Cindy Mei Winter; a former government agent is trying to put the past behind her and provides the important message this story carries.
What first appears as a suggested undertone comes center stage in the latter part of the story as Cindy is revealed to be transgender; something that is portrayed in a positive and modern way. In fact there are two transgender characters in this story. This message extends to many of the other characters who are all different in their own way questioning the concept of what an alien really is.
Overall I found this story enjoyable with a positive message that puts the ‘conscience over paycheck’ concept into practice.
There are some parts I found to be genuinely funny while in other moments it was thought provoking.
Seeing as this book is a part of the wider ‘Quantum’ series I will be sure to check out the others.
5 Stars” – by Lee Hall, UK writer and reviewer, May 7, 2019.
“The Time Saving Agency”
Christina Engela Builds Her Sci-fi Universe Fast And Well – 4 stars
“Agents from the Time Saving Agency (TSA) have to guard the ‘Anals’ of History from Time Terrorism. Brad Xyl, a Time Terrorist has escaped from the Limbo Practicale and now it is up to our Agent Scrooby to take him out or Xyl will blow up the universe…
Christina Engela builds her sci-fi universe fast and well. She doesn’t mess about with boring fluffy descriptions. To do this she utilizes a lot of creative acronyms, concepts and humor. Usually when an author introduces so much with such a lightning speed I would struggle to keep up but here it was definitely not the case. The story just speeds along merrily and I am constantly enjoying being introduced to a cast of new characters.
I really enjoyed Brad Xyl. He was by far my favorite character. As bad guys go he really kicked ass and somewhat came across as a fabulous rock star. The omnivorous Crabby-Grass was intruding and I liked that Christina incorporated a little dog Vluffy that was the cutest little thing ever.
This story includes Cindy-Mei Winter a trans-lady. It is a real pleasure to have such a character in this story. As a gay man, I have experienced how affirming it can be to read stories of other gay men falling in love and living their lives. So it is not that hard to imagine that trans-youth would experience the same reading a novella with a trans-character. An insightful quote from Cindy-Mei Winter in this book, “She judged the tendency to reject people for things which in no way affect them to be at worst some kind of borderline insanity…”
A Science Fiction story filled with wit, humor and sarcasm. This novella includes some very creative characters and concepts. Rating: 4 Stars out of 5.” – Mr. Green.
An Interesting New Look At The Time-Travel Genre
“The Time Saving Agency is an E-book that I downloaded recently and is something of a different read for sci-fi fans as it mixes a lot of interesting themes together to produce something that is actually not bad!
Written by what is commonly called an indie-author, The Time Saving Agency first caught my interest because it was described as having Transgender themes. Not normally my sort of thing but I was interested to see how this was worked into the story as there was no mention of any such thing in the synopsis! It turns out that the author themself is transgender which explains the presence of one female character in the novel who was formerly a man but has had futuristic gender reassignment to make her a woman! Though this character only plays a minor and supporting role, I nonetheless thought this was an interesting angle and actually fitted in quite well into Christina’s version of the future!
The premise is a simple one. Situated outside of Time, The T.S.A controls the status quo and tracks down Time Terrorists determined to cause mayhem and realign the future. When a particularly nasty villain escapes from what they had always considered an inescapable gaol with the intention of causing mayhem, one Agent is sent out to recapture him or remove him from the Time-line permanently. But he soon finds he needs a little help when the villain turns up on a remote human colony on the outskirts of the universe!
Though the end was a bit of an anti-climax, the remainder of this book was certainly a good read! I would say it was slightly above-average in its style and content and the characters instantly believable! There is lots of humour present too and while this never makes the book laugh-out-loud funny, there were plenty of moments where I had a little chuckle!
If you like the sci-fi of Michael Marshall Smith, you may find a few similarities in the humour. The afore-mentioned transgender character is treated, as one might expect, with respect and, as a whole, the whole thing is lots of fun. I am not sure if I would pay for this but as a freebie it was pretty good.
So much so that I have downloaded more of her books in the series for future reading!
Summary: A not bad, very clever slice of free sci-fi.” – Mark Woods, writer & reviewer.
A highly enjoyable time travel caper…
“Only two months previous were the citizens of Deanna dealing with the threat of an alien attack, but now another threat of perhaps greater proportions emerges from the fabric of time, quite literally.
Christina Engela has created a story that follows not only a similar concept of the previous entry in the Quantum series, but one that fuses those ideas with something completely different and original. Written in a way that sometimes tributes Terry Pratchett, yet again readers will find this story quirky and clever with a style that confides in the reader.
Familiar faces Gary Beck the ‘badfeller’ and Cindy Mei Winter return as their story together continues and while that is happening the main story arc begins to unfold from an unexpected place; the fabric of time where there are Time Agents and Time Terrorists. What ensues is a cat and mouse time travel story seeing ‘Agent Scrooby’ trying to track down the evil genius and escaped terrorist known as Brad Xyl, who has dastardly universe destroying aspirations! Scrooby enlists the help of Bounty hunter Gary Beck and together they set out to to put Brad Xyl’s plans to a halt.
Although Cindy-Mei Winter takes more of a cameo role along with ‘Fred the Arborian’, in this story Cindy’s journey and life as a trans-woman is briefly touched upon giving an important and positive modern spotlight on the subject.
Overall ‘The Time Saving Agency’ is a fun read which sees the ‘Quantum Series’ taken on an unexpected journey of time travel while also continuing the journey of the characters seen in the previous book in the series (‘Black Sunrise’). The narrative is delivered with a sophisticated level of humor and sometimes sarcastic wit that never allows for a dull moment.
4 Stars” – by Lee Hall, UK writer and reviewer, July 5, 2019.
“Dead Man’s Hammer”
Suspense, drama and modern issues all of which are tackled in a fun but important way…
“As the Quantum series unfolds, it grows more and more impressive. Dead Man’s Hammer is proof that Christina Engela can build an established world and insert so many genres into it along with retaining a unique style of writing that not only tributes her influences but has a way of confiding in readers.
We are back on the quirky planet of ‘Deanna’, home of the rather ominous sounding ‘obsidian crows’ and more specifically ‘Atro City’ – a place this time around we get to know a bit better while referencing the previous stories of the ‘Quantum series’.
Someone is targeting my favourite characters; an assassin enigmatically named ‘Villainessa Tittel’ who is after one person in particular – series regular, Cindy-Mei Winter. ‘Villainessa’ proves to be quite a force in her field of work and does everything in her power to draw in ‘Mei’, with whom she shares an interesting history. It is in this history where readers will find the true message and meaning of the story. While ‘Mei’ has moved forward in life she must face what is essentially a demon of her past and a life before she became ‘Cindy’ and it’s trying to torment her! This is a massive nod to modern issues that many people face in the transgender community and in life as a whole, sometimes it isn’t about who you were, but what you are now and what you truly feel. This concept is galvanized by another character ‘Danielle Grauffis’ who is in a process of transition in her young life compared to ‘Mei’.
Of course other returning regulars such as ‘Beck the Badfeller’ – who we get a name origins story from and special branch ‘Fred’ the Arborian make appearances along with an extended appearance from ‘Sheriff Peggy-Ann Muller’ who makes quite a team with ‘Mei’ – and this is where a crime mystery element of the story truly shines.
Suspense, drama and even tragedy are ways that I would describe the journey this story represents, not to mention that crime-mystery theme along with some more important issues that these books are not afraid to tackle; as much as this sounds heavy, it’s a fun read! Throughout Engela’s writing style naturally flows and is fun to read.
Revenge is a dish best served cold, you could even say as cold as ‘Winter’ – but that’s only something ‘I heard through the grape vine…’
5 Stars” – by Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, September 9, 2019.
“Loderunner”
A fun tale about the perils of voyaging through space to earn an honest buck with a meaningful important message…
“In the already established ‘Quantum’ universe comes a tale of the unexpected and it might be the best of the series so far. Although initially set on the planet of Deanna we are introduced to P.I Timasket Skooch who happens to win the deeds of a ‘Loderunner’ ship during a card game.
From the early stages of this story Christina Engela makes great efforts to not only tell a story with wide appeal but also includes a powerful inclusive message about the subject of transphobia and embracing who you really are on the inside. In this book particular its a subject that runs as one of the main themes; our main character ‘Tim’ shares a relationship with ‘Dory’ – a woman for all we know but in pre-transition. This subject as a whole doesn’t particularly matter for ‘Tim’ who see’s ‘Dory’ as much more.
Leaving his significant other behind ‘Tim’ sets out into the depths of space with an assembled multi character crew on his newly acquired ship in search of earning a buck or two. I particularly enjoyed the depth of character quality in the crew and it made for another crucial element of this book. They agree to take a pair of passengers who appear to be more than what they appear and again the powerful gender message follows while being intertwined with mystery and deception (saying any more would involve spoilers).
What ensues is a story with a powerful meaning along with the usual fun moments Engela is known for, space stories really are her specialty and the setting makes the writing feel very much at home.
“Does age define the ability to suffer?” A question which best describes the theme in the book and it’s done in a way that doesn’t feel preachy or even like a protest but more so with deeper meaning. By the end of this book I found myself rooting for the characters who deserved the resolve they got. Overall a fun meaningful read.” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, Oct 4, 2019.
“Prodigal Sun”
“Fun, quirky and most probably the strongest of the Quantum series!
Christina Engela has a unique way of telling a story that has lots going on without making it seem confusing or cluttered. Having read all of the previous books in her ‘Quantum’ series this one carves a unique but powerful path that faces many issues without any fear.
Characters who have established themselves in this colorful and fun universe are taken somewhat by surprise much like the reader as a political supremacist group looks to overthrow the current regime on Deanna. In fact everything about the ‘Deannan Service league’ reeks of revolt but some revolutions aren’t for the greater good – a strong and relevant political message that many can relate to today.
We see Danielle Grauffis; a student and transgender character who becomes directly caught up in the political overthrowing and subsequent storm. You cannot help but sympathize for her story which is one that is just of a person looking to be included and positive inclusion is a huge theme in this book much like all of Engela’s works they directly and sometimes indirectly set an example that champions everyone and anyone including the minorities.
As the story unfolded it became more and more gripping as events turn for the worse. Sheriff Peggy Ann-Muller may well be in over her head even if she does express exactly what is going on through a powerful quote ‘Anyone else want to be on the wrong side of history?’ Powerful is probably the one word which sums up the plot of ‘Prodigal Sun’ but as usual there is way much more happening. I have only just realized ‘Atro City’ is in fact meant to be pronounced as ‘Atrocity’ which is just one of the many fun quirks you’ll find in this great read! Left very much open and on a cliff hanger, I shall be diving right into the next story!
5 Stars – Great read, review left via Goodreads over the holidays but now I am back to review more indie books! You can expect a review of the next book in the Quantum series soon!
Happy new year readers!” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, January 02, 2020.
“High Steaks”
An epic ensemble of characters fighting for the importance of inclusion…
“The Quantum Series carries a consistent theme throughout all six of it’s stories; that being inclusion no matter how different one is or where they come from. Whether you are human, alien, plant or anything else in between. No matter your beliefs, non beliefs, orientation or anything else that may set you aside and make you different. Christina Engela’s stories in this series champion that and it’s an important modern cause to stand for in literature. She manages to do and say that without being preachy and while also and importantly telling fun, action packed, sometimes quirky but always enjoyable stories. It’s also what is being fought for in this book.
High Steaks picks up pretty much where the previous encounter ‘Prodigal Sun’ left off. The planet of Deanna has been over run and taken over by some quite nasty forces. Their stance is the exact opposite of what Engela’s stories and their heroes stand for. And for this one these heroes are out in full force, names whom readers will find familiar. Their goal to undo what injustice has been done not just for the different but for everyone and the greater good. It’s an echo towards our own history and more importantly a tribute to the fight against separatism and nationalist socialists who only see the world one way.
Everything that makes up the good parts of these stories has been painstakingly crafted into this one. It’s quick paced in moments with a sense of an ensemble cast all working together to fight for one another making it probably the most epic story in the series. Quite late on I realized this wasn’t going to be the final book of the series, at first I felt a little disappointed but then elated that what will follow if there is a 7th which will be one hell of a culmination and I am more than interested in reading.
Overall I have very much enjoyed reading the books in this series. They are fun, quirky, imaginative and their biggest quality is that the style and the way they read is very much accessible to pretty much anyone. I highly recommend the Quantum series to everyone!
5 Stars – Fun and powerful. Thank you to the author for providing me with all books in this series! Review left via Goodreads and Amazon UK.
Have you read the Quantum Series? You should!” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, January 06, 2020.
“Underground Movement”
The Quantum series returns and with it the resistance grows
“It has been a while since I last read a book in the Quantum series and I’m glad to see Christina Engela is on form yet again to deliver an immersive brand of sci-fi. With the usual humour and occasional stab at the forces who chose not to embrace inclusivity there’s a relevant and meaningful social commentary here. Much like most of Engela’s stories they contain heroes of all backgrounds – a positive and modern choice while also being quite enjoyable.
‘On Deanna, a seed had been planted, a sinister, malevolent seed…’
These heroes are spread around the planet of Deanna which has been taken over by a totalitarian regime who have suppressed the diverse inhabitants. This story lays out their movements in creating a force for resistance and they’ll do everything they can to fight back from this suppressive regime. From dealing with local mobsters to gain equipment to even meddling with the concept of the time space continuum – time travel in this series is a focal point and a vessel that will hopefully guide Deanna to freedom. There are even vampires so all of the cool story bases are covered here.
Underground Movement is an appropriate title for a book which recaps the series so far with some returning faces like ‘Fred the Arborian’ and ‘Gary Beck the Badfeller’ plus many more while also paving a way for what is to come. Enjoyable and immersive.
4 Stars” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, review of Underground Movement, June 1, 2023.
“Xanadu”
The space sci-fi action continues and faces a darker path than usual…
“With the planet of Deanna under new fascist rule and a Time Agent missing; it is up to the diverse cast of heroes who make up the always colourful Quantum series to put in the save. The space sci-fi action continues and faces a darker path than usual this time.
Christina Engela delivers a story that is both entertaining and poignant in places with a fun writing style that isn’t afraid to highlight modern society with inclusivity being at the forefront. Her vessel for this has been a series of books that continue to entertain in a meaningful way while even expressing the positive potential to having diversity in the world. On the planet of Deanna, you can be pretty much anyone you want but all of that has been taken away by a fascist regime who have even found a way to erase the planet from the solar system to passers by. Many of those who don’t fit within the ‘regime’ find themselves at a cruel and brutal place known as ‘Xanadu’ which serves as a sinister prison camp but ultimately they are neither.
With some familiar faces and even call backs to older faces seen in the previous entries to the series, they look to find a way out of this storm which has seemingly engulfed the planet – this includes a former enemy, a once ‘Ruminarii’ Captain who join forces with those looking to fight back and ‘Gary Beck’ receives a temporary assignment in the wake of a missing Agent ‘Scrooby’.
The Quantum series continues to entertain and even cover real world issues in a modern way via some great writing and a plot that keeps on giving. 5 Stars.” – Lee Hall‘s review of “Xanadu“, September 12, 2023.
“The Last Hurrah”
The epic Quantum Sci-Fi series concludes with a perfect ending
“Having been an avid reader of Christina Engela’s works for some years I’ve found myself enjoyably immersed in the setting and planet of ‘Deanna’ over 9 books. The Quantum Series and Engela’s writing represents lots of themes with some that are on the lighter side while others contain an important inclusive message but all of them merge together in telling a fantastic story.
This final entry into the series captures the end of an era for the planet as the ‘Deannan Uncivil War’ comes to a close alongside the stories of many colourful inhabitants that make up recurring characters throughout the books. Some have evolved over that time while others have been deeply effected by their path and recent political regime that attempted to take over, either way character development sits at the forefront of this series and its enjoyable to see. Every action has a reaction and this is especially so when it comes to the concept of time which is one of the many pillars that holds up the series. We see the series favourites such as ‘Fred The Arborian’ and of course ‘Mark Grauffis’ who finds his place alongside ‘Cindy Mei Winter’ and ‘Gary Beck’ but even the smaller players in this composition contribute to a story well told.
For anyone who enjoys space sci-fi set on distant planets that are alive with variety, inclusion and diversity while being told with some humour and power (of the right kind) then the Quantum Series is definitely for you! 5 Stars – A fantastic close to an awesome sci-fi journey.” – Lee Hall, review of The Last Hurrah, December 12, 2023.
Panic! Horror In Space:
‘Page turning space sci-fi full of chills and fun from beginning to end…‘
“I’ve mentioned before that I enjoy space science fiction quite a lot and my go-to author of that genre is Christina Engela who once again provides another awesome series but this one contains some chilling but fun spills that begins with ‘Static’. The ‘Panic! Horror in Space’ series is well worth a look for some awesome Halloween spooky goodness.” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer in “Spooky Season Book Recommendations 2“, Oct 26 2020.
“Static”
Page turning space sci-fi full of chills and fun from beginning to end…
“Christina Engela delivers a fun but chilling book that contains many of the familiar horror story tropes only now they are in space and on distant planets of the haunted/abandoned persuasion.
For what reads and feels like an anthology of shorter stories they are all linked by their events and of course ‘Captain Stuart Flane’ who by the end of it all has probably seen it all. From space ‘zoms’ to possessed dolls and ‘toys’ all the way to an abandoned formerly colonized planet that’s now inundated with ghost types playing havoc with furniture; our hero ‘Flane’ can only explain this stuff to the higher ups in the least absurd ways possible.
Those who are fans of classic and recent horror stories will find this to be a read in somewhat familiar territory while much of the events come unexpectedly and on the fringes of laugh out loud comedy. There’s mystery, suspense, a lot of fun and of course that element of the unexpected which will keep readers turning the pages. Many of the sub genres of horror are represented with hauntings, zombies, possessions and urban exploration all of which are set in the science fiction universe of the ‘Panic! Horror in Space series’.
4 Stars – Thank you to the author for providing an e copy. Reviews left via Goodreads and Amazon.” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, February 13, 2020.
Book Review – Static: Panic! Horror in Space Book 1
“All things considered, Static: Panic! Horror in Space Book 1 provides amusing and light-hearted action within a science-fiction setting, sprinkled with the odd spooky scene and a strong comic current too.” – J.D. Keown (for Night Terror Novels), May 24, 2021.
“Life Signs”
A trio of enjoyable sci-fi tales filled with mystery, fun and revelations…
“The second entry of Christina Engela’s Panic! Horror in Space series takes the reader on a ride of mystery through three tales of the ghostly, vampiric and even cursed objects; all of which are hazards that come with deep space travel.
Captain Stuart Flane returns to face these perilous situations and has developed a rap for finding trouble of such persuasions. He’s used to dealing with the macabre and that’s what all three of these stories have in common. All of them begin in one place and through the vessel of immersive and readable story telling they end up somewhere completely unexpected.
From poignant to quirky and fun, these stories pretty much cover everything that Engela is known for with a writing style and depth that will draw you in. I particularly enjoyed ‘Lange’s Legacy’ which carried a certain detective vibe while also being full of twists and revelations.
5 stars – A fun read that will appeal to most readers. A thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for a review left on Goodreads and Amazon.” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, March 18, 2020.
Christina Engela has done it again with her immersive brand of space sci-fi
“Next up is a regular name who appears in the reviews here because Christina Engela has done it again with her immersive brand of space sci-fi.
The Panic! Horror in Space series presents ‘Life Signs’ and my recent review headline reads ‘A trio of enjoyable sci-fi tales filled with mystery, fun and revelations…’
This is the second entry of Engela’s series which I am gradually working my way through. In these distracting times, stories like this are easy to read and are light on the mind while also being enough to whisk you away for a while. I urge you to check out these books along with her many other books which I have reviewed here in the past year (the Quantum series comes to mind…)” – Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, April 06, 2020.
“Dust”
Dust! The final frontier, for one unfortunate crew anyway…
“Captain Stuart Flane is back and is called in again to investigate yet more strangeness in what is becoming a fun and mysterious version of X-Files in Space. And by X-Files, I don’t mean government secrets and the truth being ‘out there’, as much as these stories are ‘out there’! Like most of Engela’s works, this book, like the others in the series, represents the better episodes of the X-Files or even the Twilight Zone in places. And by that I mean the good stand alone episodes that make you think and keep you interested until the end!
While Captain Flane has seen it all in terms of the strange and macabre – he’s even been chased by superiors with golf implements and lived to tell the tale – this latest mission will leave you guessing all the way until the final stages. An unmanned ship arrives with zero trace of a crew apart from an abundance of dust being left in their absence. It’s well written, fun and all around a good read to take one away from the mundane of life if only for a while.
4 Stars – another fun read from Christina Engela whom I must thank for the copy in exchange for a review.” – review by Lee Hall, UK writer & reviewer, May 04, 2020.
Space Sucks:
Space Sucks!
“The rise of science fiction as we know it stemmed from short stories published in feature magazines by authors like Asimov, del Rey, and van Vogt. Short stories are an ideal medium to convey snapshots of imaginary worlds while limiting exacting details that would detract from the main focus of the story. Christina Engela’s Space Sucks! is a collection of various science fiction scenarios that, though common enough to be familiar to readers, still offer a unique perspective tinged with the author’s sense of humor.
From first encounters to interstellar emergencies, Space Sucks! by Christina Engela manages to pique the reader’s imagination with concise prose and descriptive language. The dialogue may be a bit awkward at some points, especially in the first story, but it does not sufficiently detract from the reader’s enjoyment of these stories. The stories themselves just get better as they go, with A Really Bad Day In The Life Of Lance Corporal Thomas O’Blivion, I. Mac, and Beyond all being exceptional reads. Beyond in particular stands out as the epitome of what science fiction has always aimed to be: a literary mirror that highlights human circumstances in fictional situations and puts current themes and norms into perspective. A Really Bad Day In The Life of Lance Corporal Thomas O’Blivion also deserves mention as being a concise but highly action-packed and enjoyable read.
Space Sucks! is a little collection that packs a big punch, enough to leave readers in an imaginative stupor after reading each of the stories it contains. 4 stars.” – Eduardo Aduna (for Readers’ Favorite), May 09, 2020.
Other:
“Mirror, Mirror”
“Mirror Mirror by Christina Engela is a science fiction fantasy that would have fitted perfectly into the old TV show The Twilight Zone if it were still around today. It’s the story of two men in two different dimensions, who are unknowingly swapped. One is Charlie, an actor, playing the role of the captain of a commercial space liner. The supposed starship that he is on is only a simulator, built to give paying customers the experience of flying around out in space. The man Charlie gets swapped with is named Andy, and he is a real captain of a real spaceship that transports tourists around the solar system. Andy and Charlie retain their memories and minds as they each wake up in the body of the other man in a strange new reality. In essence, the book is two stories in one as we watch both men struggle to make sense of what has happened to them.
Mirror Mirror is clever, quirky, intelligent, and frankly a lot of fun to read. The author purposely allowed the two stories to mirror each other with almost identical story arcs for both men, and the technique works extremely well. Seeing the men go through similar traumatic experiences and handle them in their own unique way is very entertaining. This is less of a science fiction story and more of a study of life choices and how they can affect a person over time. The author, Christina Engela, has a whimsical way of telling her story that makes an otherwise out-of-this-world plot feel very relatable and human. I highly recommend Mirror Mirror to anyone who likes a well-told “what if” story with lots of heart. FIVE STARS.” – Reviewed by Scott Cahan for Readers’ Favorite, January 31, 2022.
“Other Kids Are Kids Almost Just Like You”
“‘Other Kids Are Kids Almost Just Like You‘ by Christina Engela celebrates the concept of diversity and how precious every child is. This book is about intolerance, diversity, and bullying and encourages readers to accept everyone, irrespective of their differences based on gender, race, and color. The book also emphasizes being compassionate to everyone, regardless of their color, status, and gender. Bullying and intolerance are relevant topics in today’s times and this book is good for read-aloud sessions in classrooms to help children be more tolerant and compassionate towards others. The illustrations lend clarity to the concept and help readers connect with the author’s words. The author’s approach to the subject is unique and different, and she makes the book appealing to children with the help of colorful illustrations. It is a good book to teach children to be kind and compassionate.” – Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite, Oct 17, 2019
“‘Other Kids Are Kids Almost Just Like You‘ digs deep into the reality that children come in all shapes and sizes. But more importantly, it’s perfectly okay that they do! There are so many impactful lines of text in this book that it would be impossible to select my favorite. Come see for yourself!
Rhyming can be difficult for many children’s book authors. However, author Christina Engela gives us a master class on how to do it just right in this book. The words flow beautifully. It’s as if they bounce from page to page. Further, the words are so carefully chosen to meet the creative illustrations that capture the uniqueness of every child portrayed. This is why I think it’s an “instant classic,” and give it five stars. I highly recommend this book for anyone rearing children in today’s diverse world!” – Dr. Robert F. DeFinis, Ed.D. March 18, 2021.