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Anything and Everything DREWSHI |
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Warts and All (Press, even bad press, still means someone is paying attention.) |
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The Dome “Avatar” "I've listened to some of John Drew's other audios, but this marks the first time he's produced one himself. His stories are always well paced and a great deal of fun and The Dome is no exception. With a catchy theme tune that leads into an adventure of mystery and intrigue, The Dome is sure to please even the casual listener of audio dramas. Looking forward to the next installment." _______________________________________________________
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Star Trek: SCE #43 “Paradise Interrupted” "In #43, Paradise Interrupted, author John. S. Drew presents a sweet little story set on the one planet most trek fans wish really did exist — Risa.
"New Frontier had one, but I'm glad to see another good Risa story to wash away the memory of "Let He Who Is Without Sin...." Between the Gorn and the nebula dwellers, there's a nice mix of old and new creatures. I like the continuity bit with Songmin's yacht. It's good to see that older stories are not just forgotten the next month. I'm sure I have never read about the Johnsons or Sparky before, but they felt like old friends almost immediately. After reading Paradise Interrupted, I hope to read more Drewshi Trek in the future."
Creative Couplings Omnibus edition “Paradise Interrupted gets the collection off to a strong start, charting an unusual first contact on the pleasure planet Risa. The idea of other life forms having a different lifespan has been tackled before across Trek but the S.C.E. way of handling it is unique.”
“Paradise Interrupted, by John S. Drew, is a story that seems to be aimed more at the teen market with a tale of a young boy's meeting with an alien entity on the pleasure planet of Risa. How does this concern the Da Vinci? Well, without spoiling the story for you, let’s just say that things are not going so well on the pleasure planet when the weather goes all to hell. The story is well written if a little sentimental for my tastes, but with a book like this it's horses for courses - what I may not find engrossing, others will.”
“Paradise Interrupted is a pretty straightforward story. It’s nothing overly original, but it tells a relatively interesting story. The story also has a nice pace and the characterisations are good, but somehow it just doesn’t really made click for me while reading the story. So while all the pieces for a good or even very good story are there, John S. Drew didn’t really put all the pieces together to form a truly outstanding story. If you’re searching for a decent way to kill an afternoon, you can’t really go wrong with Paradise Interrupted, though.” _________________________________________________ |
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Untold Tales of Spider-Man “Moving Day” "A well-balanced tale by John S. Drew. This story features Mysterio getting in the way of Peter moving into his first apartment, and Aunt May coming to terms with the changes in her life. This is a story which should have been told the first time around. Thanks to John for bringing this one to light. 4 webs." ———————————————————————————- |
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Missing Pieces “Time Gained, Time Lost” "Another sombre, heart-warming story - and just like 'A Winter's Tale' and 'Loose Ends' and the brilliant 'Eurydice's Repreive', the piece highlights a great knowledge and care for the characters. The end was a tad too coincidental for my tastes, but Drew handled it nicely and so I didn't find it too jarring. And like the stories that I've mentioned above, this piece was the perfect length - not too long and never belabouring the point." ———————————————————————————- |
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Meltdown/Star Traders "The best thing about this is the sound effects. They are very good and believable. The story is pretty good, with the script dialogue not quite holding it up. But the acting is very bad. Everyone sounds like they are reading it, some for the first time. Mistakes in reading are sometimes left in. Pacing and emotive levels of characters seem like they are from a different play. They've also just done another story by the same author, John S. Drew, with the same strengths and faults. It's called "Mission to Aranus." Both stories show a sense of the scope of science fiction, but need practice in story that doesn't telegraph everything in advance, and in dialogue that doesn't sound forced and amateurish. And get rid of that character that speaks like Yoda, with backwards sentence structure." |
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Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership “Form Little Acorns…” “Epilogue”
“After a short introduction editor Keith R.A. DeCandido, the anthology starts with the first part of the framing story, From Little Acorns..., written by John S. Drew. It’s a solid story, and it adequately does what a framing story is supposed to do: set up a stage for the stories still to come in the anthology. The part about the King's first meeting with the Doctor isn't overly original, but is written in a lighthearted, engaging way, so that it ultimately is a nice enough opener to the anthology.”
“John S. Drew’s epilogue wraps up the anthology, keeping it simple and not only gives his opening story a nice and fitting end, but with the combination of his both stories he also gives the whole anthology a frame that is actually working rather well and gives it a bigger meaning than just that of a collection of stories. They might not be the highlights of the anthology, but they do very well what they were written for: leading the reader into the narrative(s) of the anthology and giving them a proper send off.”
Jens Deffner-”The Accessibility of Leadership”— Unreality SF
“The collection opens with From Little Acorns..., the first half of a framing story from John S. Drew. The Eighth Doctor arrives on an alien world, advising the young and unprepared king-to-be with stories of leaders he has encountered in his lifetimes. The plot is a little limp, and whilst it has some funny moments it lacks enough drama to make it engaging. The idea of the Doctor sitting down campfire-style and remembering past adventures seems artificial, but is essentially successful in catalysing the rest of the stories, and placing the anthology into context. Ultimately, From Little Acorns... is a functional set-up for what's to come, and doesn't work as much else. “
“An epilogue by John S. Drew rounds the collection off neatly. In contrast to his opening story, this piece works remarkably well, providing a nice coda to the anthology and rounding it off in a satisfying way. It makes The Quality of Leadership feel like one coherent adventure rather than a selection of loosely-connected vignettes, and this ultimately enhances the reading experience.”
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