"In Zephyr Unfolding, Nicole Givens Kurtz creates a frightengly plausible future and populates it with very human and believable characters. A great read."
- David Lee Summers, editor of
Tales of the Talisman Magazine***
"This was a fascinating read!"
-
Angela Verdenius, author of
Soul of a Witch***
"Kurtz paints a bleak outlook of the future, but underlying the brutality of war
is an exciting tale of survival and perseverance."
-
Jaye Roycraft, author of
Rainscape***
"The NATO virus was only a ruse to decimate the leaders and population for the United World Council to take over. After all, they found a cure for cancer so they must be on the track for a cure for this. The beginning of this story was told in the BROWNE CANDIDATE.
This is another solid novel from a thoughtful writer that draws a picture of an unpleasant future, but at least it is a future with hope. Put this on your list." - Barry Hunter from Baryon Online. See the full review here.
***
"ZEPHYR UNFOLDING is a powerhouse of a sequel to BROWNE CANDIDATE. Ms. Kurtz does a great of job of interweaving political drama into the story without seeming heavy-handed or predictable. The cloak-and-dagger sequences are as good as any episode of "Alias" and certainly as well-written as Tom Clancy or Larry Bond. All-together, ZEPHYR UNFOLDING is a wonderful read. If you are a fan of science fiction, political thrillers, or just looking for a great adventure story, don't miss ZEPHYR UNFOLDING--you'll never forgive yourself!"
-Beverly Forehand, Roundtable Reviews. See full review here.
***
"This is the first work I've read of Nicole Givens Kurtz and I doubt it will be the last. Zephyr Unfolding is a well written, thought provoking, fast paced novel based on the premise that the Earth of the future has been under biological siege by those whose job it had been to protect it."
Leola Brooks at The Eternal Night Full review here.
***
"Zephyr Unfolding has realistically complex characters, a quick pace, and a great sense of intrigue. Some readers will be put off by the graphic brutality; I had some trouble with it myself. On the other hand, Ren is a magnetic character, whose inner rage fires up every scene he inhabits. Meantime, Aurora, slave turned freedwoman, delves through her own uncertainties in a way familiar to many of us.
"Ms. Kurtz has written a lively and intricate book. Zephyr Unfolding is a worthy adventure."
Jeanette Cottrell
eBook Reviews Weekly
http://www.ebook-reviews.net/ (direct link to the review here)
Author of At Risk of Being a Fool
http://www.jeanettecottrell.com/
***
"Nicole Givens Kurtz has written a complex piece, filled with all the spine tingling suspense and mind-numbing action of a science fiction story; ZEPHYR UNFOLDING will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end."
See the entire review
here.
--
Carol at Romance Junkies***
"ZEPHYR UNFOLDING takes the reader down a new road to the future. Often popular sci-fi depicts post apocalyptic scenes but usually the situation is the direct result of our misuse of nature and lack of caring for our fellow man. Interesting that solving the world’s major problems leads to exactly the same end. Power corrupts no matter what the original intention."
Read the entire review
here.
--
Tami Bradi, TCM Reviews***
"Though fictional, the future Nicole Givens Kurtz envisions in ZEPHYR UNFOLDING will haunt you with its very real possibilities. It gave me pause."
-- Sheri L. McGathy, author of Season of Gold***
"A compelling novel...A work of vision and maturity that is a pleasure to read, and read again."
--Michael LaRocca, author of
Vigilante Justice***
"Nicole Givens Kurtz offers a frightening, yet possible look into the future. The characters are real and their feelings touch the reader. Ren is a strong character with depths of caring that Catch you unaware. Aurora makes people feel happy for her until Bane's defection. Then anger is felt.
"The book brings forth feelings that few have done in the past. With heroes, heroines, villains, as well as the good versus evil scenarios, this book has it all."
--
Charlotte Zimmerman
***
"Zephyr Unfolding is a fascinating, though terrifying, look at one possible future for Earth. Tyrants of the United World Council have taken control of the world. Commander Ren is a member of the Resistance, resolute in the fight for freedom for all. At a Resistance hideout, innocent people are murdered and Ren's love is kidnapped. In following the orders of his general, a mission goes wrong and Ren is accused of murdering a UWC official. Suspicion that an informant lurks among his unit gnaws at him. Will he find proof that a traitor exists, or will he be executed before he has the chance to do so? Will he be able to locate and rescue the woman he loves from a sadistic torturer, or will he arrive too late? What chance does the Resistance have against the superior military powers of the UWC?
Zephyr Unfolding is a skillfully-plotted, roller-coaster ride of a story, packed with action and suspense, love and betrayal. It kept me turning pages long into the night!"
--Jeanne Allen, author of Orphilion Dreams
***The future is here with Al-Quada and natural disasters providing the trigger point for a CWU takeover.
Zephyr Unfolding by Nicole Givens Kurtz is a good solid science fiction read. 5 Thumbs Up!
--Lillian Cauldwell
***
"The United World Council had the answers to so many cures of deadly diseases, and the environmental problems that plagued earth. By saving the lives of thousands, they became revered. But then the mastermind became greedy, and the UWC ruled the world, unknown to the public. To ensure complete compliance, they released the deadly NATO virus and withheld the cure until all would bow to their might.
But a small group of international resistance fighters stood between the UWC and total domination. The wars continued, and finally, to save face, the leader of the UWC gave the cure to the NATO virus to the public, and once again the UWC became the 'hero'.
The Resistance Army knows the evil that exists in the UWC, and they will not surrender. And so the war continues. Lives are changed forever, and betrayal runs just as rife as loyalty, for "evil knows no sides, and betrayal no loyalty."
A fascinating look into the future of what could happen when power becomes corrupted, people will do anything for the 'great cure', and the effects it has on the lives of those caught in the web of betrayal."
-- Angela Verdenius, Soul of a Witch
***
"This novel paints a vivid and disturbingly plausible story of the future of our world. An organization called the United World Council, or UWC, dazzled millions by creating cures for almost every human ailment. Cancer, the ozone layer and the rainforests were all problems deftly solved by the UWC. Soon the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta closed, and later the World Health Organization leaving no competitors for UWC. A few small individuals protested these actions, but these cries were not heard over the kudos of millions of cheers. The genius behind all this was Laurel Andersen, who through deft political maneuvers became the director of the UWC at the young age of thirty-five. Meanwhile whispers of UWC's researchers being pushed to the brink of insanity spread but were outright dismissed by supporters of the organization. Then someone killed all the members of the United Nations, while small countries across the world were being quietly overthrown, all power being signed over to an unknown dictator. The Great One left the present governments in place however the true ruler was hidden, and pulling the strings. Soon the Great One gave the French government a choice, submit or else, France refused and a week later a small village of 300 people became ill and died from a strange illness. Possibly a new strain of pneumonia, the NATO virus as it came to be known spread and killed quickly; it liquefies a person's lungs from the inside. As the number of dead quickly climbed, governments poured more money into UWC, hoping for a fast miracle. After a few years with no known cure, four world power leaders met at the UWC headquarters to face the world health issue. Once directed into Laurel Andersen's office the four world leaders were told of his nefarious plan. The NATO virus which killed millions was planted, UWC had the cure all along. In exchange for the cure, Laurel only asked for the leaders to turn their countries over to him. When they refused, they and their bodyguards were executed. The UWC overthrew the remaining governments in the weeks to follow, with a small but bothersome band of resistance fighters who engaged with them in small repetitive skirmishes. Laurel then remarketed himself and the UWC in the eyes of the public by handing out the NATO cure to some countries becoming a hero figure. Soon after Laurel's death, the virus he created mutated, leaving the UCW to find a new cure. To date they are still looking. Now, the true leader of the UWC is hidden from the general public, with a propaganda leader of Todd Alt.
"Ren, the current second-in-command of the Resistance, is on a beautiful island with other fighters, including his brother, Bain. Ren had in the previous book kidnapped Todd Alt's public wife, Angel. She was then kidnapped by UWC agents from the rebel's island in an attempt to locate the rebel headquarters location, killing many rebel soldiers in the effort. Bain rescued Aurora, a woman who was a Candidate, a woman who is sold to wealthy families to help them have children in the author's first book, "Browne Candidate". While Angel deals with excruciating torture from her ex-husband, Ren returns to headquarters with the rest of the rebels. Ren has to clear ghosts from his past as he searches for Angel, his future. Political wrangling continues and an assassination plan helps the UWC to capture Ren, where in captivity Angel and he discover the depths of their love while fighting for an escape. Bain meanwhile struggles with his heart, torn between a new and exciting woman and leaving Aurora alone and pregnant with his child. Can this cast of love-torn characters win the fight to save the world? You must read to find out....
"Aurora, who was Browne in the first book "Browne Candidate" has some strange personality quirks. The motivation behind these actions are a mystery, and perhaps a reader would need to read the first book to unlock the enigma of her psyche. There is a surprising amount of military and naval detail to enthrall strategy buffs. This book features equipment and vehicles which rival and at times parallel Star Wars - air bikes for example. Political wrangling and foreshadowing involved are subtle and almost impossible to find, much like the subdued sensuality of Victorian gothic novels. There is however, an annoying lack of contractions throughout the book. One would think with time speech would be shortened even more, as written creatively to the other extreme in "Clockwork Orange". Time also seems to be a problem element. Time seems to mysteriously pass; no years, months, or days are mentioned. While this is understandable when writing from a viewpoint of someone held captive, Aurora when pregnant should remember time and remark more upon it. There is a lack of time between conceiving the baby and discovery of a pregnancy could be days or months.
"Shades of Orson Wells (whatever that guys name is that wrote "1984" and "Animal Farm") are evident again when the torture to Angel is detailed. I believe they even use the same room number as detailed in "1984" or similar for the torture room. The details of the Pale Soldiers, robots with fake flesh and no conscience, proved to increase my horror at the type of torture Angel and others had to endure. Some secondary characters are introduced who were reportedly born on the resistance island and never seen the resistance headquarters. However 19 years is a long time to be on a single island, when the UWC is looking for resistance fighter locations. There is a wide difference between the people that served with Ren before and those that are new, these marked contrasts provide an interesting subtext for the plot.
"Altogether, the book is a vivid and imaginative plot, wrapped around some characters that with some more background would be easier to dive into the plot. Some of the details are a bit murky, but with close reading, this is a wonderful book, full of plot twists, loves and betrayals, and the eternal fight between good and evil. There are graphic details connected to torture included in the book, readers should be warned. I give this book a 3 ½ out of 5 stars! Its wonderful as a stand alone, and has made me want to read the first book even more. "
review by Danelle Callahan, HUNTRESS BOOK REVIEWS
ZEPHYR UNFOLDING finaled in the Fresh Voices 2006 Book Awards for science fiction (January 2006)--join in the fun and order your copy today!