Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

The Clones believe the Megasphere is an "ark" surrounded by water. If they try to leave, the water will flood the Megasphere drowning the residents. The Clones were created to do their assigned duties and not think for themselves. However, a few of the Clones were beginning to develop an imagination. They wondered what a tree would look like, or a flower. One engineer Clone found a small snake and hid it in his cubicle. Things began to change. A mouse, a parrot, or an elephant, the DNA was all stored there. It was forbidden to clone any animal or plant.

One Clone was sent to detainment, a dreaded place where no one ever returned. He discovered a world unlike he ever imagined: sunshine, grass, dogs, trees, a corridor with a yellow strip and a metal box with four wheels on the bottom and a wheel inside. Suddenly he wanted to share it with everyone.

The government denied the existence of the Clones and would destroy them rather than allow citizens to discover the deception.

In the author's words: "Clones, created and deserted by a corporation, form their own society. But as the facility housing them erodes, they begin to suspect that there's more to the world than they've been led to believe."

I hope I have piqued your interest without giving too much away. A few weeks ago I was at a book fair in the beautiful city of Little Rock, Arkansas. I wandered from author to author talking to each one, glancing through their books. One book kept jumping out at me: The Clones of Langston. The cover alone piqued my interest, but having the opportunity to discuss the book with the smiling author, Carol Fullerton-Samsel, made me more eager to read this book. I was thrilled when a few days later the book appeared on my desk for review.

As I mentioned the cover is wonderfully illustrated. I find it impossible to describe it and do justice to it: a blueish face that looks almost clear, obviously female and a hand holding test tubes. The print is a nice size on paper that is heavy enough to hold up and not so white that it glares. This book is 380 pages and I could have read another 380 pages without complaining. I did not want this book to end. I became so caught up in the plot and characters that I felt I was participating in the rescue. The characters are exquisitely developed. Camryn is a strong female lead. Dobie is a brilliant clone secretly in love with Camryn. Brian is not what he first appears. I loved the characters Freeman and Professor. I wasn't sure if I wanted Camryn's romantic interest to be Mark or Dobie.

I believe this is the first book in a new series. The plot moves along at a swift pace and builds to a crescendo ending. This book was written for Junior High youth but will also please adults. Carol, how long must I wait for Book II? Please hurry.

Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite

Ian Conners is a 16-year-old psychic working for Marscorp. From a young age he has been trained to use his ability to give the organization an advantage over other groups vying for control of Mars.

Ian's job is to use his visions to locate smaller organizations in order to plunder their valuables and incorporate their masses. In one of his visions he sees a young girl and decides he must learn more about her. Willing other visions of her, he has one disturbing image showing a horrible lost cause. After more visions, Ian begins to doubt his loyalties to a corrupt, dictatorial admiral controlling Marscorp.

No longer willing to be a pawn in the Admiral's dangerous game, Ian plans his escape to find and protect a girl he sees himself with in the future. His only hope is to join a new organization known as Vallar - an alliance of rebel organizations willing to fight for their survival against the ever powerful Marscorp.

Vallar is very well written in the best style of good science fiction. The characters are well developed and the dialogue is very good. After a somewhat slow start, the action began to build as the suspense and drama mounted. I would like to have seen a little more descriptive detail, particularly about the terrain and equipment used, as well as a little more about the corporations on Mars, their purpose, and the reasons why they could not return to Earth. However, these small details did not detract as I soon found myself drawn into the story. I found the protagonist to be a likable character and found myself eagerly waiting to see what would happen next. Overall, it is a good solid space opera.

Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite

A psychopath, now a dictator known only as Zodiac, has hatched a diabolical plan and in doing so has succeeded in reducing the world into chaos. By secretly planting flash bombs in every major city across the world and simultaneously detonating them, in the blink of an eye, civilization has ceased to exist. In the wake of the destruction, Zodiac unleashed the Seekers (mindless warrior drones with the ability to radiate an aura of intense fear) to complete the enslavement and extermination of humanity. A former vigilante, forced to become a government super-soldier, has emerged to lead a ragtag group of survivors in a fight to the death. Vincent Black, formerly known as Night Viper, has no desire to be a leader. However, someone must lead this unlikely group if any are to survive. In doing so he must also overcome his own demons from his past in order to help preserve the future of humanity.

Lovers of Apocalyptic action adventures will quickly be drawn into this story. From the opening pages, the author has left nothing out as the reader is assailed with action, death, and destruction. 7 Scorpions-Rebellion is a large book filled with memorable characters, particularly those simply wanting a chance to survive against those that are nothing more than pure evil. Overall, the book is well written, and the dialog is very good as well. Unfortunately for me, occasionally the plot would drag in parts, and I would wonder where the author was going. Toward the end it picked up again as the author brought the story to a satisfying conclusion and set the stage for the next installment of the series. I would be interested in seeing what's in store as these improbable heroes fight for their very existence. Very good.