Blog Archives
A Fresh Start For Humanity
Tim Rees’ Original Earth: Book One follows the last survivors of humanity who have, for generations, drifted through space and now, after their ship is sabotaged, are forced to land on what they now call Earth 2. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
What a great question! Thank you for asking it.
I live very near a beach in Wales called Freshwater West. It’s a beautiful beach and I walk on it pretty much every day. Whilst walking on this one beach in Wales, I will see the debris of humankind. Our rubbish. Manmade items that have no place in the natural world. I am constantly being shocked by what I see in this very small corner of the world and this is just one beach. I’m sure you could walk on every beach in the world and experience shock and horror at what we’ve done. And what I see is of little consequence to the bigger picture. What is the rubbish made of and where do we get the materials to make the rubbish in the first place, that’s the bigger picture. And, of course, I’m only scratching the surface here… So, to keep this short, I find myself gasping on the same question every day: imagine how beautiful this planet would be without humans?
I’m a novelist and my tools are words, so the story evolved upon the question: imagine if we were offered a new, uncontaminated planet and a fresh start, how would I, as an author, wish to see humanity move forward…?
And I wanted the main character to be an individual in perfect harmony with the natural world, so through that character I could play with scenarios and ideas about what it must feel like to be truly in harmony with nature and with all my fellow natural beings.
One of the things that stands out in your novel is the complex relationships of the survivors as they try to rebuild a life on this new planet. What aspects of the human condition do you find particularly interesting that could make for great fiction?
I like your use of the term ‘human condition’, because we live in societies where we are conditioned to live in particular patterns and aspire to particular goals. I could go on, but let’s keep this simple. On the spaceship, everyone was forced to live together in a sterile, confined space. They knew no different, so it wasn’t really a problem, that is, until they were exposed to the hope or the opportunity to explore their own dreams and aspirations. They land on a planet without any experience of how to live in the ‘real’ world. They are completely innocent, except for information and data they have with regard Original Earth. So I asked myself the question: where do these people begin to build a community into a free-thinking society? To begin to answer that question, I reflected on a passage in a previous novel I’d written called Delphian. In the novel there is this relevant passage:
For some reason his thoughts always ended up at the same questions: society and establishment; two words describing the maze of structure created to protect and enable the vast variety of people to live in apparent harmony. His mother had put it perfectly when she’d said: ‘People are different shades of colour, darling, and too often the colours clash.’ She was so right. Different shades of colour. Beautiful. Different shades of personality in a rainbow of dreams, aspirations, hopes and desires… It is we, collectively, who accept terms like human resources, for instance. It is we who put up fences labelled ideology and either stand on one side or the other and proclaim this is right and that wrong…
As an author, I’m hugely excited to explore this landscape. No spoilers, but in books two and three you see those colours naturally coming together and blending, whilst other colours clash and pull apart. I leave that very much to the characters to play out. I’m in discussion with a film producer at the moment, not for Original Earth, but another story, but he complimented me on the fact my scenes breathe. I know what he means, but I don’t create that, the characters do.
What themes were particularly important for you to explore in this book?
That’s an easy question. The damage we have done to planet Earth. The damage we have and are continuing to do to ourselves, because, whilst we poison the planet, we also poison ourselves. And the damage we have done and continue to do to the planet and all other life forms with whom we share this space has to stop, because we only have this one planet. I write fiction so can imagine exploring different worlds, but will humanity survive our collective suicide in order to really explore other worlds?
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
Anu grows closer to Sonri and together they will explore the universe. You already see that in books two and three and in all the planets Anu visits you’ll see a reflection of humans on Earth. For instance, in book three Anu visits a planet run by a humanoid species governed by a repressive, authoritarian ideology similar to Afghanistan and the Taliban – Anu, of course, liberates the women in that society. In book four, the novel I’m currently writing, Anu returns to Original Earth about 150 years in our future. Planet Earth is unrecognisable.
I think in the back of my mind, I always had the idea I’d like Original Earth to evolve in a similar way the stories of Star Trek must have for Gene Roddenberry.
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Now, armed with some knowledge of the complex relationships that exist between both fauna and flora – all life with whom we share this incredible planet – what lessons have we learned?
This is a story about a new beginning…
Anu has a gift: her personal vibration is in perfect harmony with the natural world.
Tim Rees’ Original Earth: Book One
When I opened Tim Rees’ Original Earth: Book One, I expected a familiar survival tale. Instead, I found an emotional journey that runs from the claustrophobic passages of a crippled starship to the harsh beauty of an alien planet. Humanity’s last thousand survivors drift in space for generations before sabotage forces an emergency landing on a world they call Earth 2. Tim Rees explores not just survival, but whether people can truly change when given a second chance. At the heart of it all is Anu, an eight-year-old girl whose honesty and quiet courage cut deeper than the words of most adults.
The opening chapters carried a warmth that drew me in. Anu’s algae-block “strawberry” breakfast was both sweet and heartbreaking, and it showed me how well Rees balances innocence with underlying loss. That sense of comfort didn’t last. The sabotage of the algae vats shattered it in an instant. The frantic scramble to abandon ship, paired with Juno’s ruthless grab for power, made me feel just how fragile their world had always been.
The landing on Earth 2 was one of the most striking sections for me. Rees describes grass beneath bare feet, birds overhead, and the shock of real air with such vividness that I felt the settlers’ exhilaration. Yet he cuts that wonder short with the sudden appearance of a dinosaur-like creature, a jarring reminder that this new world is as dangerous as it is beautiful. Survival becomes grueling, and the endless cycle of hunting, gathering, and securing water presses heavily on every page. Rees captures that grind with a stark honesty that left me uneasy but deeply invested.
For me, Juno’s tightening grip was one of the most unsettling parts of the book. His obsession with water control felt alarmingly real, and it made me think about how fragile any society can be when power rests on basic needs. At the same time, I found myself drawn to Emrys and Onua’s struggle to hold their family together, even as Onua’s injuries dragged them down. What struck me most was Anu’s quiet strength in these chapters. Watching her comfort her brother with a maturity far beyond her years was both moving and painful.
The latter portion of the narrative resonated with me. The pages carried betrayals, losses, and a sliver of hope that felt almost too fragile to hold. Anu’s reflection near the end on what survival truly costs stunned me. It wasn’t neat, and it wasn’t reassuring. Rees doesn’t hand out easy answers. Instead, he leaves us with the harsh truth that humanity has to keep trying, even when the odds feel impossible.
Tender and tense, Tim Rees’ Original Earth: Book One blends discovery, danger, and humanity’s flaws with remarkable honesty. For readers who love survival stories with heart and grit, this book delivers.
Pages: 338 | ASIN : B0DLPGDKQF
The Haunted Purse
Kimberly Baer’s The Haunted Purse tells the story of Libby, a teenage girl who stumbles upon an old denim purse in a thrift store, an object that quickly proves to be anything but ordinary. What begins as a quirky tale about misplaced homework turns into a strange, emotional journey, blending the everyday struggles of adolescence with eerie, supernatural twists. The purse makes things vanish and reappear, leading Libby to uncover pieces of another girl’s life while also grappling with her own fractured family, fragile friendships, and the heavy weight of being far more responsible than a 15-year-old should be.
What I really liked about this book is the way Baer balances the supernatural element with the gritty realism of Libby’s life. Right from the first chapter, when her history report goes missing only to reappear later in the depths of her purse, I was hooked. The purse feels almost like a character itself, playful, mysterious, and sometimes cruel. But what kept me reading wasn’t just the magic. It was Libby herself. She’s sharp, sarcastic, and quietly hurting, and her voice feels completely authentic. When her mom breezes back into her life for a night of fake promises and cigarette smoke, the ache in Libby’s words made me want to both hug her and cheer her resilience.
Another standout for me was the friendship between Libby and Toni. It’s messy and complicated in exactly the way teenage friendships usually are. Toni is bossy, dramatic, and sometimes dismissive, like when Libby finally confides in her about the purse’s supernatural powers and Toni just laughs it off as “woo-woo crap”. Yet, despite all their friction, the bond is real. Their arguments over school dances and borrowed clothes feel so grounded, and it’s through these moments that the story explores deeper themes, loyalty, envy, and the fear of being left behind.
And then there’s the haunting itself. I loved how Baer keeps the paranormal subtle and slippery, never giving us easy answers. Objects vanish, like the bottle of perfume or Toni’s brand-new jeans, and sometimes they reappear, sometimes not. The uncertainty adds tension, but it also works as a metaphor for Libby’s unstable life. She’s constantly holding on to things, friends, family, dreams, that seem to slip through her fingers no matter how tightly she grips them. The purse is magical, yes, but it’s also heartbreakingly symbolic.
By the end, I was both unsettled and moved. The story never veers into outright horror, but it carries a steady undercurrent of dread, softened by the warmth of Libby’s determination to keep pushing forward. Baer’s writing is vivid but unpretentious, full of small, sharp details that make the characters and their world feel lived in.
I’d recommend The Haunted Purse to anyone who likes their coming-of-age stories with a supernatural twist. It’s perfect for readers who appreciate strong, flawed teenage voices, or for anyone who remembers what it felt like to navigate the messy in-between of adolescence, when friendships, family, and self-identity all feel like they could disappear at any second. For me, it was equal parts strange, sad, and hopeful, and that combination made it a book I won’t forget anytime soon.
Pages: 265 | ASIN : B0FLWK2DQM
The Impossible Choice
Time Lines follows a group of characters who move between the Nazca desert, space stations, collapsed civilizations, and alternate timelines, trying to find a timeline that saves humanity. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Originally, this idea was supposed to be a Mayan prophecy story/idea that I had back around 2010. It mostly involved the main foundation of my ultimate story – with 2012 approaching, I thought it would be interesting to revolve a story around the memory of a cataclysmic event involving the moon that would be sent back in the time with the astronauts who then help send a message forward. That moment came and went, and I never committed to writing the story.
My brother Peter passed away in June of 2021, and that experience and feeling of loss is what drove me to finally start writing. My brother was always an inspiration – a person who always worked to better himself and never left anything on the table, so to speak. The grief I felt after losing him inspired me to get this story out of my head. It became my outlet.
I have always been fascinated by ancient cultures – the Nazcan lines and the Nazcan people in particular and thought I could weave some of their unexplained history into my story. I admit, the story became a whole other thing after that.
I know that the combining of philosophy, some hard sci-fi, and the palatable feelings of loss and grief create what is perhaps a unique story. I wrote the story and then put it all together in a purposeful nonlinear flow that I hope will resonate with future readers. Memory isn’t linear, and neither is my story.
I agree it can be frustrating to read at times. That is purposeful. I want you to feel that sense of frustration and feeling of living similar moments over and over again – but set in different timelines. I want the reader to feel the same sense of loss that one of our characters feels after losing their family to the past. Only in the end do I allow the reader to see the story for what it is – A story of sacrifice, loss, and the wish to spend one more day with those you love that are now gone.
This story was and is at its very soul a story written to allow me to grieve in my own way. Once I wrote it, I then decided I owed it to the memory of my brother and to myself to share it. I have been fully committed to that endeavor since the book was published.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
The human condition truly is a beautifully flawed idea to me. We call it a condition, as if it has been diagnosed with some ailment or disease. We, the ones bestowed with this condition, are not perfect, not even close. We strive to be better through our own actions, and many times, thankfully, with the help of those around us. If we are lucky, this gift can allow us to be better – to help tender our fire and hopefully in time that fire will grow into something even more beautiful.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Time Lines isn’t just a story about time travel. It’s a story of love, of loss, and of the impossible choice to leave your family in the past… so the rest of us might have a future.
It is also a story of grief and trying to take something back from the thief that is time, so that we have the hopeful chance to get it right just once.
Where do you see your characters after the book ends?
I hope that wherever they are – lost in time or those who have made the final sacrifice so that the rest could have a future will know that they had purpose. I see Elly, Max, Sunita, Renée, Sam, and Peter as they are in my mind – people who have lived a thousand lifetimes and have always been the best of humanity.
Through fractured memories created from these many lifetimes, these characters never cracked. Others, trapped in their shattered lives, could never move forward.
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Four suits. Four names. No astronauts missing. No mission logged.
The spacesuits had been there for 2000 years—how did they get there?
When archaeologists uncovered them beneath the Nazca desert, time itself began to fracture.
What followed wasn’t just discovery. It was memory—echoing across centuries. It was sacrifice, carried from the Moon to the ancient past. And it was the desperate search for the only timeline that worked.
Time Lines is a haunting, non-linear science fiction novel where the past collides with the future, and memory itself becomes the battlefield.
Perfect For Fans Of
- Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves
- Arrival and thought-provoking, idea-driven sci-fi
- Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven
- Post-apocalyptic and time-travel thrillers
Why You’ll Love It
- Nonlinear storytelling that mirrors memory itself
- Ancient mysteries intertwined with futuristic science
- Emotional depth: love, sacrifice, and the cost of survival
- A pulse-pounding finale where not every astronaut makes it home
Time Lines isn’t just a story about time travel. It’s a story of love, of loss, and of the impossible choice to leave your family in the past… so the rest of us might have a future.
The past is buried in the desert. The future is written in the stars.
Discover Time Lines today.
The World Persists
Ghost of Nostalgia follows a woman living in an impoverished village who is taught to suppress all emotions or risk death at the hands of mysterious, ethereal beings drawn to human emotions. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
As cliché as it sounds, I had a dream. In this dream, there was a magnificent city floating in the sky surrounded by a spherical energy barrier. The land around the city was a complete wasteland, and underneath the city was a pile of battered cylindrical tubes. Suddenly, a hatch along the bottom of the city opened, and a silver tube dropped and landed on the pile. Something happened next, but for the sake of spoilers, I’ll have to keep the rest to myself.
The dream stayed with me for a long time, until I finally decided to take it to the page. The feeling of it was so bleak. The isolation is absolute. I realized the reason I remembered the dream so perfectly was because of how it made me feel. I sought to capture those emotions by making emotions the center of my world. I wanted them to be something that could set you free or lead you to death. But as I find with all my writing, it doesn’t come out quite the same as the inspiration. The dream was definitely more hardcore science fiction, but as I’m quite a romantic at heart, the result ended up softer with a heavy dose of romance. Even with those changes, I sought to have Gavril’s world be one that stirred the heart in many ways.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?
I’m glad you think so! Steampunk played a heavy role in inspiring the setting, but as much as I love it, I wanted to branch out into something that had a similar feeling but with its own flavor. This is one reason I decided to go with an electric-based power system rather than a steam-based one. As for the cultural inspiration, Victorian England was out, so I did a bit of research and landed on pre-revolutionary France. It had everything I was looking for: elaborate fashion, notable architecture, and a stark class divide. Gavril’s home, Nostalgie, is a village literally made of scraps. They have nothing but hope. I wanted to show the progression of “moving up” as Gavril travels to different towns, and how, instead of sympathy, the rich feel nothing but contempt for the “lesser.” Since each town is isolated in its own barrier, they feel like different worlds of their own. There is no camaraderie, just hope for the government’s favor. As Gavril learns along her travels, even the most beautiful place can be a cover for ugly behavior.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One of the biggest themes of Ghost of Nostalgia is control. Controlling emotions, controlling citizens, and controlling towns. All of these are accomplished in different ways and play different roles. As the story progresses, it becomes less clear who actually benefits from this behavior, and despite the suffering of some citizens, the world persists as is. Part of this is the class divide, and yet, no one rises to challenge the authority of the land.
Other themes are more personal to Gavril. She’s seen as a burden, and then the town’s fate rests on her shoulders. Self-worth, sacrifice, and being true to yourself are challenges she faces, especially in this patriarchal world, which sees her as only worth what she can birth. Her view of the world is full of despair, but sometimes hope can be found in the unlikeliest of places. Finding one’s truth is central to the story.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
The sequel! The sequel, which is tentatively called Sphere of Ardent, is currently in the editing process at Indigo River Publishing. We do not have a release date yet, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to make an official announcement by the first half of next year. I’m very excited about it. The world-building really takes off, and the themes blow up in such unexpected ways.
Since I’m a glutton, I’ve already started writing the third book, which will finish out the intended trilogy.
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Gavril follows the rules. Don’t dream. Don’t imagine a better future. Don’t cross the barrier, and whatever you do, don’t open your heart to emotions-especially the most powerful one: love.
Breaking the rules is deadly. Phases surround Gavril’s rural, impoverished village of Nostalgie. These mysterious ethereal beings, attracted to human emotion, suck passion and soul from anyone they touch-if the victim survives the encounter. Despite the danger, demanding questions linger in Gavril’s heart. What might life be like beyond the electrical barrier keeping the Phases at bay? What happened to her father, a legendary Résonateur gifted with the ability to combat Phases, who vanished several years ago? What does freedom feel like?
When the Solenoid powering the village’s barrier begins to die, Nostalgie’s mayor offers Gavril’s hand in marriage to the son of a nobleman in the distant village of Envie-a woman of a Résonateur bloodline to raise the family’s prominence in exchange for a new Solenoid. Gavril has no choice but to comply. If she refuses, the barrier will fall.
Gavril will do anything to save her mother and fellow villagers-even if it means breaking a few rules.
Led by a heart that suppressed curiosity and compassion for far too long, Gavril befriends a Phase named Morrow. When her actions are discovered, she is deemed a traitor by her future in-laws and sent to the Capital, Éthéré Coeur, for judgement. Commandant Serein, a Résonateur like her father, escorts her to her destiny.
In the whirlwind of French-influenced, retro-futuristic adventure that follows, Gavril’s spirit is freed. She meets wonders of human achievement-from motorized automatrams and flying soulevers to massive electronic libraries holding the world’s secrets.She encounters the rich, vibrant, and sometimes horrifying world beyond Nostalgie . . . and she falls in love.
Once you break the rules, where do you draw the line?
Ghost of Nostalgia will resonate with readers drawn to rich worldbuilding, emotional rebellion, and character-driven dystopian fantasy. For fans of lyrical prose, slow-burn tension, and stories that challenge what it means to feel—this journey lingers long after the final page.
The Phoenix Experiment
Aaron Ryan’s The Phoenix Experiment is a sweeping, futuristic tale that follows a group of orphaned teens conscripted into life aboard The Origin, a sentient science vessel orbiting Earth in the year 2471. At its heart, the book blends classic coming-of-age themes with science fiction, grief, and resilience. The Phoenix Experiments themselves are a chilling yet fascinating invention: a way for the bereaved to reconnect with the dead in dreamlike states, designed to ease loss and build future warriors called Speakers who can pacify banshees haunting Earth. The story unfolds through the eyes of Jax Hutson, a sharp and restless boy who longs to see his parents again, and it grows more tangled as the destruction of The Zephyr, the sister ship carrying girls, upends their isolated lives.
I found myself pulled in quickly by Ryan’s voice. The opening chapters do a good job of setting up the claustrophobic yet strangely wondrous life aboard The Origin. I loved the mix of sterile science fiction trappings with messy teenage emotions. Jax is both likable and frustrating, which feels honest for his age. His sarcasm and longing made me root for him even when he was being immature. I also appreciated how Ryan handled the Phoenix Experiments themselves. They are eerie, tender, and sad all at once, and that blend of emotions kept me hooked.
What I liked most was the way grief underpins everything. These kids are essentially being raised to weaponize their pain, and that idea is both fascinating and unsettling. Ryan doesn’t shy away from showing how loss shapes them, but he also weaves in humor and teenage banter that lightens the mood. The balance mostly works, though there were moments where the dialogue felt a little too modern, almost like kids from today had been dropped into a far-off future. Still, I can’t deny that it made them feel relatable, and that relatability deepened the impact of the darker themes.
I walked away feeling like The Phoenix Experiment was a story that mattered more for its emotional core than its sci-fi trappings. It’s a book about kids searching for connection, about finding ways to rise out of ashes, both literal and emotional. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy character-driven science fiction, especially younger readers or anyone drawn to stories of grief and resilience wrapped in an imaginative premise. If you like your sci-fi less about hard technology and more about the human heart, this one’s for you.
Pages: 315 | ASIN : B0FNLY8YW3
The Presence of Magic
The Heart Scarab examines the fates of warriors, mystics, and serpents who are navigating a landscape that has been altered by mining, politics, and tribal magic. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
THE HEART SCARAB is Book 2 of the second series, so there are many strands of plotlines. The writer assumes that a reader who made it this far into the story is invested in the characters and ready to see them triumph.
Mostly, my stories are about the women, but this setup offers two men to carry the plot. Rufus el Arrivi has been present in all the previous books. Now, as a grown man with children, he decides to run for the office of khalif in open elections in a duchy where refugees called Rundi are allowed citizenship.
Meanwhile, Stuben works with Rufus as police in Urbyd and witnesses some difficult moments for the refugees. He breaks with Rufus and goes on an adventure with Obye, who is laboring to recover some Rundi who are abused at a stone quarry.
My inspiration comes from a love of the characters and my own questions about how their lives shape – sometimes as much of a surprise to me as to you.
Were there any characters that you especially enjoyed writing for?
Kore is 14 now and has inherited the treasure of Rularim. She attends a wedding in Utica, traveling with Rufus and her half-brother Karisma. Always willful, she gets into plenty of trouble.
Bybiis, the beastmaster, has worked through some of her problems with finding a place among the tribes, following her own destiny for working with sea serpents. She has met Aresur, who has some skills with magic and takes the banner for countering Ulaya, who wants Bybiis dead. I had fun with Aresur and her sideways attitudes about how to handle a difficult boss. She manages to
undercut Ulaya at every turn.
How did you balance magic and its use throughout the story to keep it believable?
Ah, magic…Hedge magic belongs to Aresur – charms and hexes – and Bybiis has many tattooed skin wards. The serpent pouches are based on a real occurrence in our world where sharks make pouches out of seaweed fronds as an incubator for living newborns. Bybiis has harvested a clutch of serpent pouches made the same way. When a holder stares into the hole drilled through the brain of the dead serpent fetus, she may connect with the holder of a similar pouch. I like it! Mostly, though, I wanted the presence of magic in their everyday lives, and several characters don’t believe in its power over them.
Can you give us a peek into the next book in this series? Where will it take readers?
THE IRON SNAKE is about resistance to a larger country tangent to the duchies and sending assassins to take or kill the children in order to weaken leaders. We follow Rufus again and Stuben, who grows into his leadership roles. Kore becomes a young woman – vulnerable to abduction, in fact – who becomes an opponent to Ulaya (and more) and her scheming ways. I keep setting obstacles in the paths of primary characters and fashioning a plot where they must work together to get ahead.
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Meanwhile, Stuben el Cylahi has taken a position as police in the duchy capital of Urbyd where he butts heads with his boss Rufus el Arrivi. Stuben realizes that he also must strike out on his own and joins a group of Rundi who are on mission to recover some quarry slaves. His witness of coming events makes him wish that he had remained nearby Rufus. Can Stuben regain his tribal status?
Family Dynamics
Toriko Tales: Toriko vs. The Crowned Paw follows a brilliant and eccentric catgirl engineer as she tests her groundbreaking AI-powered battle armor, who ends up in an emotional and ethical conflict when the AI goes rogue. There was a lot of time spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?
The main characters—Toriko, Spark, Maro, Ujaku, Minea, Mini-T, Allia, and Ichini—originate from my main D’mok Revival series. They’ve long been among my favorites, so I was thrilled to dedicate an entire book (and side-series) to them. Even though I’ve “known” them for years, each revealed personal depths I hadn’t expected. As a mostly dedicated “pantser” in my writing approach, authenticity and consistency are the two most important factors for me. Beyond the usual character interviews I conduct to understand them, I also wrote numerous short pieces exploring their homeworlds, histories, families, and formative events—so I could portray how each character’s actions and choices would naturally unfold.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I’ve been evolving my writing from simply telling an entertaining story to sharing a perspective and sparking conversations. My background—both in formal education and a career focused on crafting technologies and driving innovation—has taken me to the edges of AI research. I’ve seen firsthand how our culture is responding to it, and I have both possibilities and warnings I want to share.
In Toriko Tales, those ideas found the perfect home. The characters, the moment in time within the D’mok literary universe, and the events unfolding in our real world all came together to make this the right story at the right time.
Beyond technology, there are many all-too-human themes: deep roots in family dynamics, sibling rivalry, and hidden secrets coming to light. These elements ground the high-tech story and offer readers something relatable amidst the adventure.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
This book is part of a much larger story arc within the D’mok Revival literary universe. It really showcases who Toriko and her family are, and helps shape the impact they’ll have in the future. Originally, I didn’t think there would be more—but this isn’t the first time an initial impression turned out to be wrong.
Based on how the story ends (no spoilers!), there are so many threads that could continue Toriko Tales—alongside the ongoing D’mok Revival series. I’m all about giving readers what they want, so I can’t wait to hear which topics and issues they’d love to see explored in a future Toriko Tales adventure.
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LITERARY TITAN 