10 July, 2012

Witches by Phil Stern



For centuries, the witches have controlled the power of magic. They have travelled between the worlds and used their ‘gifts’ freely. But now a wizard has rising and challenging their powers. One by one, three young witches have disappeared. With notes left behind in their place, it was as if the wizard was mocking the witches. The council decides and sends six of their best to find and kill this wizard. With other dead or captured or injured, it falls on Tiffany to take care of the business herself. She is the strongest witch of their generation and turns out to be the only hope that her people could have of survival.

This is an action packed novella of some 55 odd pages. There’s a lot in those few pages. We learn a lot about the different worlds, how the witches’ council works and how the witches themselves live their lives. There is a lot of action, emotion and drama. There’s also a matter of domestic violence handled in this book.

Phil Stern’s writing style in unquestionably amazing. Few days back I had the chance to read & review another book of his, and though the plots of both the books are very different – two things about his writing has turned out to be consistently good – his writing style and his characters.  I loved them both.

About the Author

Phil Stern is the author of both Contemporary and Science Fiction.
His debut novel, The Bull Years, was published in 2011. A hard-hitting commentary on both the frustrations and ultimate validation of modern-day life, The Bull Years follows the lives of four people throughout the late 80′s, 90′s, and into the 21st century, directly addressing the gradual alienation and disconnection often experienced during young adulthood.
“I wanted to write about characters everyone could relate to,” Stern says. “We’ve all had our ups and downs. I think people sometimes feel everyone else has experienced more success than they have, or are more firmly grounded in our world than they could ever be. My hope is that everyone will recognize a little part of themselves in Steve, Sophia, Dave, and Brooke.”
Born in 1970 in Ossining, New York, Stern grew up with a love of all types of science fiction, including the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, John Wyndham, Piers Anthony, and more.
“Speculative fiction is so different today than it was back then,” Stern says. “I wanted to write stuff a bit more recognizable to fans of my generation. Science fiction should be about ideas and alternate worlds, strong characters and good stories.
Going into talk radio after attending SUNY Albany, Stern hosted regular shows in the New York City area, Albany, Utica, NY, and Greenville, NC. He later went into the advertising and sales industries.
Stern now lives in Florida, and is working on his next novel.

Connect with Phillip

Tour Stops

May 2- Witches Reviewed at Books, Books, and More Books
May 4 - Rogue Powers Reviewed at Books, Books, and More Books
May 6 - Witches Reviewed at The Writing World 
May 11 - The Reclaimed Reviewed at Books, Books, and More Books
May 18 - A Time for Ryda Reviewed at Books, Books, and More Books
May 19 - Rogue Powers Reviewed at My World
May 25 - The Bull Years Reviewed at Books, Books, and More Books 
May 26 - Witches Reviewed at My World
May 31 - The Reclaimed Reviewed at Book Reviews, Fiction Reflection, & More 
June 8 - Witches Reviewed at Immortality & Beyond 
June 8 - Rogue Powers Reviewed at Book'em Eric
June 12 - Rogue Powers Reviewed at Words I Write Crazy
June 12 - Witches Reviewed at Book'em Eric 
June 16 - The Bull Years Reviewed at My World 
July 16 - Rogue Powers Reviewed at A Book Lover's Library
July 19 - Witches Reviewed at A Book Lover's Library 
June 19 - A Time for Ryda Reviewed at Words I Write Crazy
June 22 - Witches Reviewed at Book Spark
June 23 - A Time for Ryda Reviewed at Book Spark 
June 26 - The Reclaimed Reviewed at Words I Write Crazy
July 1 - Rogue Powers Reviewed at Soliloquy
July 2 - A Time For Ryda Reviewed at Soliloquy
July 3 - The Reclaimed Reviewed at Soliloquy
July 3 - Witches Reviewed at Words I Write Crazy 
July 4 - Witches Reviewed at Soliloquy
July 5 - The Bull Years Reviewed at Soliloquy 
July 6 - Rogue Powers Reviewed at B00K R3Vi3Ws
July 10 - Witches Reviewed at B00k R3Vi3wS 
July 11 - Witches Reviewed at MK McClintock's Blog 
July 13 - Rogue Powers Reviewed at Bren's Book Reviews 
July 29 - The Reclaimed Reviewed at Self Taught Cook 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of The Virtual Book Tour Cafe' and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by The Virtual Book Tour Cafe', no payment was received by me in exchange for this review nor was there an obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*




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