Tuesday, December 31, 2013

More Great Reviews on Nastragull: Pirates (1)


Pirates (1)
By: Erik Martin Willen
(21 reviews)
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, September 18, 2013
I sincerely love this book. I love the opening scene. I love the flow of the story; I love how the adventures just never cease rolling in...It's so easy to get swept up into the book and forget about everything else. Time slips and by the time you notice it, hours have passed. It's that good. I am so glad Erik Martin Willen has made this into a trilogy series... and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.

This story grabbed my attention right from the start! The characters are believable and intriguing. The story line keeps you from wanting to put the book down. We need more books like this and are looking forward to anything more from this author! A delightful read!
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Groovy fun time, August 26, 2013
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
Awesomeness times ten. Although it was hard at first catching on to the flow of the story. Once the pieces fell into place I was hooked. Can not wait to read the next installment!!!
 
5.0 out of 5 stars 50 Shades of Gray in Space!!!, July 25, 2013
WOW - this one came as a shock! A new author that knows how to write a really great sci-fi story! As a sci-fi fan I have a tendency to compare anything I read with the best: Star Wars and Star Trek. What was missing in these epic stories you will not miss in this awesome story. It has everything any reader could want. Even though at times there are some very detailed described acts of violence and some sex the story itself overwhelms all that. What we have here is a new great author. A very fast read, cover to cover and the best part; you don't even have to be a sci-fi fan! Overall I think most people will fall for this epic story. Watch out Star Wars and Star Trek a new star has risen!  
5.0 out of 5 stars Arrrr - There be Pirates out here matey !, June 30, 2013
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
Though science fiction is not really my cup of tea - I'm a horror fan - I found Nastragull to be exciting, well written & interesting.
I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next installment.
5.0 out of 5 stars Nastragull delivers!, June 13, 2013
By Barbara A. Sullivan (Southern California)
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
Action lovers, SciFi enthusiasts, mythology mages this is for you! And even for general fiction readers. This is good literature pretending to only be entertainment. (Good literature can be a chore to like. Nastragull is the cure for your boredom.) Don't let this masterful work pass you by. Willen has done this right!
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome story... great characters ... need more ...., June 5, 2013
By Lei Lani "Lei Lani" (Hampton, VA)
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
This story surprised me (not only because I have to wait for the next part to find out what happens to these characters) because the author has created realistic characters in a fantasy environment that I can relate to, and I fell invested in what happens to them. The first part has a few erotic undertones (I'm not complaining!) but it is still suitable for older children and any adult who likes Joss Whedon's Firefly or the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The character development reminds me of one of my favorite authors, Heinlein. Highly recommended.  
5.0 out of 5 stars A new way to read about becomeing Pirates, February 15, 2013
This story is made to just be better and better. The writter really knows what a Sci Fi reader want in reading way and when (Must just be a matter of time) this book will be a film I will follow it for shore.

I'm shore we just have seen the Start of a new becomeing hit in the movie world

Read it and Love it/ it's worth it D.R 
 
5.0 out of 5 stars An intergalactic, edge of seat, saga., February 8, 2013
By Chris Graham (Manchester, UK)
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
Take Star Wars, add the motley crew from Pirates of the Caribbean, liberally sprinkle with intergalactic species of all imaginable kinds, throw in chunks of robust sex scenes, torture, hand to hand fights and daring escapes, then stir in vengeance and cook at gas mark 5 until something is ready to explode

The Prologue leads you gently into this book with a Father telling his son and daughter a bedtime story, but all is not what it seems.

Chapter 1 starts your journey into a tale which builds up to a finish that will leave you biting your nails and wishing for the next instalment in the saga.
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Just waiting for the Movie!, January 3, 2013
By The Baron
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
Wow, this is the best sci-fi I've read since Robert A. Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" (which was made into a great movie but missing the best from the original book).

Erik Martin Willen really delivers action and suspense and some surprices too! The book is very graphic and it feels like watching a movie while reading. Maybe someone like Peter Jackson could develop this great sci-fi story into a big blockbuster movie.

The pace is great and it's page are filled with swashbuckler adventure in outer space and what else could you ask for?

Looking forward to the next book in this series! 
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and Thrilling Sci-Fi Adventure, December 5, 2012
By Amazon Customer (Bartow, Florida
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
Nastragull: Part 1 Pirates by Erik Martin Willen is an exciting and thrilling science fiction adventure. From the first page to the last it kept a firm grasp on my attention, making it hard to put down.

The story line was well developed and easy to follow. The fast paced action kept me wondering what was going to happen next. With each new twist you just kept saying wow. I love a good space opera and this is one.

The characters were easy to identify with and were very believable. Each of the main characters was well developed and their background info was relevant.

There is one sour note in the story. There is a section where the author wrote an intense scene which had graphic and extreme sexual content. I felt it added nothing to the content of the entire story and in fact distracted from it. My personal opinion is it needs to be rewritten and toned way down. Other than this, it is an excellent book.

I highly recommend Nastragull: Part 1 Pirates by Erik Martin Willen with the caveat "for mature reader."

[Please note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.] 
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Pirates Indeed!, November 18, 2012
By Floyd B. Largent Jr. (San Antonio, TX USA)
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
Until I read Nastragull: Pirates, I thought they didn't make decent space opera anymore. This rip-roaring new novel delivers action from the very beginning, segueing from a haunting prologue immediately into a pitched space-battle between a multispecies gang of cutthroats and the passengers of the cruise liner they've targeted. You haven't seen action like this since the old Doc Smith days of classic sci-fi, though Willen does Smith and Co. one better. You see, these aren't the roguish heart-of-gold space pirates so beloved of the old pulp masters. These pirates are literally monsters--some half-human and others entirely alien, all eager for blood, loot, rape, and slaves...and a nice meal of human meat on the side, civilization be damned.

Fortunately for the Bright Star and its 20,000 passengers, she's carrying a cadre of recently graduated military cadets who rally the crew and passengers to fight the pirates nearly to a standstill, rather than just giving up without a fight. They inflict serious damage on their attackers, but are finally overwhelmed. Cadet Alec Horn, who led the defense--really Alec af Hornet, son of the top military leader of the Nastasturus Federation, a local superpower--is among the enslaved survivors.

One of the pirates, a young human girl named Alexa, becomes enamored of Alec. Alec is equally smitten with her...and uses their mutual attraction to arrange an escape. He makes off with a shuttle loaded down with an emperor's ransom in precious metals, antiques, and other booty. And then...

Well, I don't want to ruin your enjoyment of the book by including a blow-by-blow description or too many spoilers. Let me put it this way: just like it says in the description, this is a blockbuster of a book. It's pretty sizeable too, but it moves fast, with slap-dash action sure to delight any adventure fan. It would be perfect for adaptation into a movie...a more adult version of Star Wars, maybe, because this universe is by no means as conservative as Lucas's. Fair warning: prepare for some serious sex scenes that are so hot the pages would probably catch fire if you weren't reading this book on your Kindle!

Willen doesn't pull any punches in his writing, whether in the battle scenes or the romantic ones. His settings are vivid and energetic, just like his characters. For pulse-pounding, exotic (and erotic) sci-fi action, you're not going to find better than Nastragull: Pirates. I can't wait for the next installment! 
 
 
4.0 out of 5 stars Follow this author, December 16, 2013
By Jason (Dallas TX)
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
Good solid SF. Well worth the time of a good read.

The story line is fun and a good saga. The characters are mostly good - with lots of fun. Interestingly the supporting cast are better developed and more believable than the main two characters - though the top two are fun all the way through, they just sometimes come in and out of character.

Some of the violence is a bit over the top with too much detail without really adding to the value of the scene.

I have two recommendations. One, get it and enjoy it. Two, follow the author. I believe he will only get better. The minor flaws in this book are those of a new author - many very good books should be on the horizon!
 
 
4.0 out of 5 stars keep writing, December 14, 2013
By Lee (Missouri,USA)
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
This is more for the author, others have written fine reviews. I really like what you have started here and hope you continue. I am looking forward to your next book. To me that is the highest praise, anticipation for your next offering.  
 
4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty Entertaining Sci-Fi, August 5, 2013
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
'Nastragull' is the story of pirate Alexa, and military cadet Alec who is captured by her captain along with his friends.

The story strikes a dark and remorselessly brutal tone right from the start, which fits very well with the main cast of characters being blood-thirsty pirates. It's a graphic and gut-wrenching tale of the depravities and brutality visited upon the helpless slaves of these truly evil, twisted pirates. There is a ray of hope within all of this darkness however, with Alexa's dream of being rescued from the awful life she has been brought up in and Alec's attraction to her in spite of what she is.

There's a wild mix of action, sci-fi, horror, erotica, and romance in this novel which makes it difficult to classify. I enjoyed it as an entertaining and gritty read, made more believable by the brutality of the pirate characters. There were perhaps moments where what was going on was more extreme than technically required but I think that is what makes it unique. I liked the main characters but found it hard to connect with them, simply due to these extremes.

All in all I found this to be a gripping, entertaining read. I will warn it's not for the faint-hearted due to the graphic scenes of horror and erotica it contains. If you enjoy horror or dark, gritty novels this is a must read.
 
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Exiting Big Scale Space Adventure, February 14, 2013
By Mr. Richard Lw Bunning (Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland)
This review is from: NASTRAGULL (Pirates) (Kindle Edition)
This first part of an epic Star Wars type of production is very entertaining, often gripping, and well written. It is also easy reading, which isn't necessarily the same thing. The characters are strong, and the main ones are easily identifiable and very memorable.
There is only one thing wrong, and that is my reason for only giving the book four stars. In the mix are a couple of chapters of unnecessarily graphic sexual and sadistic activity. This may be considered a rather starchy view, but it is more than that. I am all for mixing genres, but not in this particular case SF adventure and "adult" material. Willén writes very well in both genres, the problem is in the mix. Indeed, I could include horror when considering one or two of the very descriptive violent actions.
The modern use of the term Space Opera, as used to describe this book by another reviewer, Floyd B. Largent Jr., is, I think, highly appropriate. This book really is on a big production, dramatic, scale. The themes are familiar, but very well mixed, and although I can't claim to have read any but a tiny fraction of these types of books I feel that there is more than a touch of originality as well. The story would work as big budget film, or possibly more realistically as some form of modern motion capture animation. I see fantastic potential here, if Willén can decide which audience he is really going for.
I never doubted that I would finish the book, and I was left with an interest in reading more. That is evidence enough for me that this writer deserves success. This is a full length, good value and highly entertaining novel. If this story appears with a greater purity of genre I will absolutely give the fifth star. As someone who detests the necessity of genre classification, I never thought I would say that.

 

New Great Reviews on Nastragull: Hunted (2)


Hunted (2)
By: Erik Martin Willen
(5 reviews)
 

Format:Kindle Edition 

The second book in the Nastragull series is even more graphic in it's descriptions of events than "Pirates", the first book. The very strong violence, sex, torture and rape is not for the average reader of a sci-fi novel, it simply breaks new ground.
They way the book is written feels like watching the movie while reading it. Mr Willéns fantastic imagination of the main characters of Alec and Alexa, spaceships, weapons, aliens races and battle hardware is simply amazing!
The evil pirates hunt for revenge in this story and starts a space war involving thousands of ships and the fast pace never really slows down. Some twist always move the story forward. The end of the book is not for the weak hearted, be warned.
Looking forward to part 3, "Dawn sets in hell".
 


Format:Kindle Edition
 
Warning: if you haven't already read Erik Martin Willen's first book, "NastraGull: Pirates," then grab a copy and read it before you move on to "Hunted." "Pirates" sets up the complex situation and backdrop for "Hunted," and makes it easier to understand what's happening in this, the second book of the series. That said, it's still a remarkable read as a standalone book.

In this science fiction epic, which picks up just after the first book left off, "hidden prince" Alec Hornet has been reunited with his wild pirate lover, the reformed Alexa, who with her rescued compatriots are trying to settle down as good crewmembers of the pirate-hunting frigate Predator. Having enriched himself fantastically with recovered loot from a cannibalistic pirate horde while escaping from their clutches, Alec is determined to recover his captured friends and fellow military cadets before returning to his homeworld of Tallas and taking his place among the leadership of the Nastasturus Federation.

But his attempts to do so are repeatedly derailed, not just by his feverish attraction to the untamable Alexa, but also by insubordination and betrayal among his crew -- which isn't surprising, since everyone in the galaxy seems to be after him, eager to collect the enormous bounties on his head.

When a tremendous explosion destroys the space station the Predator is trying to protect -- home to millions of people -- the shockwave hurls them into the depths of uncharted space. It's up to Alec to save them in any way he can, constantly running on the ragged edge of exhaustion and nervous breakdown, besieged on every side, tortured by the supernatural whispers in the depths of his mind, forced by circumstance into ruthlessness in order to survive. It takes its toll, making him vulnerable to...

Well, I won't give that away. Just rest assured: with Willen at the helm, "NastraGull: Hunted" is an intense, bone-shaking ride. For those of you who like your pirates mixed with Johnny Depp, this is not the story for you. No offense to Mr. Depp -- I think he's an incredibly versatile actor -- but I've never understood the people who have criticized "NastraGull: Pirates" because the pirates portrayed there are so brutal. Come now, this isn't a Disney or Pixar movie. Like pirates in real life, these pirates are nasty, despicable creatures who taint everyone they come into contact with. Even (or perhaps especially) Alexa, who was forced into the lifestyle in childhood when she was sold to the pirates by her siblings, has her dark side -- which often comes between her and Alec. And beware, if you're a prude: the story contains graphic and kinky sex scenes, which some people have also complained about.

Grow up, folks. Let's face reality. In the real world, evil is truly evil, not just some Darth Vader caricature of bad that gets forgiven in the last reel for no discernable reason. In the real world, people are inevitably and permanently twisted by terrible personal experiences. In that way, Willen's characters are more realistic than 99% of the characters in popular fiction, and it makes his writing all the more compelling.

Read this book, if you think you can handle it. You'll be glad you did.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Science Fiction novels November 26, 2013 By Arthur N McGillem

Format:Kindle Edition 

Nastragull Hunted and Pirates are adult science fiction books. The stories are entertaining and the plot is well developed with consistent characterization. Many of the characters are not human although they do communicate freely and possess mostly human demeanors, so be prepared for some unpleasant to encounter situations.

5.0 out of 5 stars It's EPIC !!! August 30, 2013 By GAVIN SMITH
 
Format:Paperback

Be Prepared to go on a roller coaster ride!!

The second part in this awesome story had me from the first page to the last. I have never had goose bumps from reading a book, until I read Hunted. When I finished the last chapter I was shocked. The entire story has become a mystery for me and I have found numerous messages/passages and codes bedded into the story – I think? There was one particular passage in the middle of chapter 10 that was really creepy, not sure why? For being a science fiction story there is something, almost troubling realistic about the Nastragull saga. Wilen have an extraordinary ability to capture his audience unlike no other author. The story is action packed and it moves faster and faster like a roller-coaster ride. The characterizations are superb with as many strong women as men, something I find unusual. There wasn’t as much romance in this part as I prefer but it wasn’t needed. There is no doubt in my mind that Nastragull will be the next big thing in sci-fi and Hollywood should really take a closer look to this epic adventure. If you like a great story with action and adventure, then Nastragull is it!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Jennifer Aniston Pregnant


 



 
 
 
CREDITS
Advertising Agency: AR New York
Chief Creative Officer: Raul Martinez
Executive Creative Director: David Israel
Executive Producer: Helaina Buzzeo
Director of Client Services: Jason Garcia
Account Director: Kristen Opalach

Production Company: Station Film
Director: Alek Keshishian
Executive Producer: Michael Di Girolamo
Executive Producer, Producer: Caroline Gibney
Unit Production Manager: Leanne Amos
First Assistant Director: Anthony Dimino
Director of Photography: James Whitaker
Art Director: Gary Matteson

Editing Company: Cosmo Street
Editor: Tessa Davis
Executive Producer: Yvette Cobarrubias
Producer: Patty Paz
Assistant Editor: John Bradley

Post Effects Company: Arsenal FX
Visual Effects Supervisor: Lauren Mayer-Beug
Visual Effects Executive Producer: Ashley Hydrick
Visual Effects Producer: Pravina Sippy
Flame Artists: Mark Leiss, Terry Silberman
Computer Graphics Artist: David Hyatt
Design Artist: Nathan Boldman
Roto Artist: Crystal Strait

Sound Company: Beacon Street Studios
Sound Designer, Mixer: Paul Hurtubise
Producer: Caitlin Rocklen