Recollection and Retribution reviews on Amazon

A delightful Regency Romp.

It’s a very brave writer indeed who takes on the task on producing a novel in the style of a literary icon. You’re far more likely to get brickbats than bouquets. So a big bunch of daffs to Michael Anderson for this delightful pastiche of Jane Austen. Austen’s novels are steel cloaked in gossamer and you have to get both elements just right, which Anderson manages with skill and brio. His heroine Kitty Strickland has strong echoes of Elizabeth Bennett and several other characters trigger memories of Austen’s creations from other novels. So, pray get yourself a sofa, a box of chocs or a gin and tonic and wallow in this highly enjoyable divertissement.

A Tale of Past and Payback.

Recollection and Retribution” is a delightful read for fans of Jane Austen’s novels. The author skillfully captures the essence of Jane Austen’s England, with its societal intricacies, romantic entanglements, and the ever-present struggle between appearances and hidden truths. The characters are well-drawn and vivid, each carrying their own secrets and desires, which adds depth to the story line.

The novel weaves a suspenseful and emotionally charged plot, keeping the reader engaged throughout. It explores themes of love, trust, and the consequences of confronting one’s past. As the story unfolds, the intricate relationships between the characters and the web of secrets become increasingly compelling.

It’s indeed a delightful novel that offers readers a chance to escape the cares and worries of the real world, transporting them to a another time and place. Curling up before a warm fire with this book is a perfect way to spend a few hours.

OLD GODS review on Amazon

An intriguing story and a good read

It took me a little while to get around to reading the full book, but I was very glad that I did. The beginning of the book is very engaging and compels you to want to read further. As you move through the story, the plot develops nicely and the description of the characters induces a good mental visualisation.

What starts as a fantasy story develops into a complex and imaginative tale that must have involved considerable research into the history of the factions involved.

The plot twists and turns unexpectedly, unpredictably and intriguingly to a well told ending, which to be honest, was not how I wanted it to end, but certainly kept me engaged until the last word.

I particularly liked the writing style involving the use of many synonyms, which always helps to make the writing interesting. This, along with the eloquent writing style and good diction, gives the confidence that this is a writer to be trusted. There were very few loose ends and there was good consistency throughout, closing all the loops after the many changes in direction and new revelations that kept the book alive.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in light modern and historical fantasy.

A very good read that would make an enjoyable movie, with a storyline, far better than many movies that have been made in a similar vein.

THE RETURN OF MAGIC review on Amazon

A good page turner! A little complicated at the start but once into this book I found it it enthralling. Reminiscent of Bernard Cornwell.

HEAVEN’S ABOVE reviews on Amazon

A thoroughly enjoyable read that truly transports you into the world of these characters and their stories. Michael Anderson captures India and it’s many tapestries so vividly in his writing that you can almost smell, taste and feel exactly where the drama unfolds, as if you are just around the corner following each character in their many situations. A collection of colourful and sometimes tragic stories that are cleverly weaved together by the author using the characters shared location the apartment building “Heavens Above” and a mysterious magical crow that touches all of their lives and often saves their soul too! I loved it and highly recommend this book .

Too Good

I grew up in Mumbai, Bombay in those days where this tale unfolds. But it could take place anywhere. Delightfully charming in the way Michael portrays the characters from different social backgrounds in a unique setting; they all reside in the same apartment building. My favourite character is Kavas because he was special but I did not realize his importance until the very and unexpected ending.
Enjoyed very much. Bravo.

Heaven’s Above

A thoroughly enjoyable read that truly transports you into the world of these characters and their stories. Michael Anderson captures India and it’s many tapestries so vividly in his writing that you can almost smell, taste and feel exactly where the drama unfolds, as if you are just around the corner following each character in their many situations. A collection of colourful and sometimes tragic stories that are cleverly weaved together by the author using the characters shared location the apartment building “Heavens Above” and a mysterious magical crow that touches all of their lives and often saves their soul too! I loved it and highly recommend this book .

He gets it!

The author knows and understands India – he really gets it. The only disappointment was that the stories had to end. I could have kept on reading for much, much longer.

A Riveting and Entertaining Read! Review by Sarah Heger, author of Becoming Farah

There is a kaleidoscopic range of fascinating characters in “Heaven’ Above,” which is the name of an upscale apartment building in Bombay (now Mumbai) – from an eccentric Parsi called Bomab Sodawaterbottleopenerwalla (“walla” means “maker of” or “dealer in”) (This is not a concoction of the author. Believe it or not, there really was a Sodawaterbottleopenerwalla in my school!), to an alcoholic Sikh, a Bollywood star with her Eurasian son,a loyal but worried servant, a Muslim watchman and a Hindu liftman – and many others. They are all brought together in a thrilling denouement, and the book is highly entertaining and a riveting read. I couldn’t put it down, and was sorry when it was over.

HEAVEN’S ABOVE extracts from a review by Shweta Kesari

The interesting characters with different lifestyles residing at Heaven’s Above … come to meet you through this book. The … crow on the cover, and it’s frequent visits in the story … driving you impatient to find its role. What role does the crow play in the life of residents of Heaven’s Above was a thing worth to find out, and how their life in spite of being different from each other led them to the same place.

The first paragraph of the blurb … has a magnetic effect. What ancient tragedy the author is talking about and how is it going to affect present lives … the answer to this very question drives the reader to explore the unexpected.

He so tenderly uses words and expresses his thoughts in such a lively manner that … the reader would love to go through his words. The Hindi monologues he uses in between bring charm to the story and very-well complement the scenes where they have been used … I was not sure where the story would lead me … but one thing that I was sure about was soon I would be greeted with something unexpected, and in wait of that very unexpected, I completed the journey in a very short span.

In a book of 250 pages, life of so many people is so radiantly narrated that one could easily feel the … emotions from the story of each individual … with his clever writing style he speaks with the reader’s mind in quite an interactive manner which leads reader to feel his/her presence in the story throughout.

With his debut book, Michael Anderson comes with an intriguing and distinct plot, and impresses reader with his narrating style.

Shweta Kesari is a reviewer on Johntext Madhya Pradesh Book Reviews

NIGHTHAWKS review on Amazon

An extraordinary book! A Great Read!

Shivers will run down your spine as you read these eerie tales of a world where the supernatural mingles with the familiar; where the lives of characters so real you could expect to meet them tomorrow on the high street are torn apart by unseen forces they neither understand nor control and where earthly beings, such as yourself, lose their way amidst uncanny elements that sweep them along to an utterly unexpected, yet on reflection inevitable, fate.

GARDENING BY MOONLIGHT review by Barbara Bisco

“Powerful and gripping, Gardening By Moonlight is a collection of chilling tales that will send you hurtling through space to the world of an alien life form only to bring you back to planet earth for an encounter with a UFO that looks like a truffle and, through a devilish trick with time, a face to face confrontation with the most vicious dinosaur of them all. You may laugh; you may cry; you may feel your blood run cold but you will not be able to put this cunningly crafted book down until you come to the end.”

Barbara Bisco is the author of A Taste Of Green Tangerines, Night Of The Water Spirits, and her latest book, Tiger With A Human Soul. Click her book covers below to check them out.