Guy Lane Fiction Writer Book Reviews

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Read Aquaria Today

Aquaria

Carola Jonas - Marketing & EV Professional

A fascinating story about a female super hero who places the lives of sea creatures over her own while trying to navigate corporate politics at the same time. It was so good, I lost a couple of hours of sleep over a few nights. Guy Lane created a wonderful character in Lucy Callahan balancing her ambitions, emotions and feelings beautifully. ​

Read The Moogh Today

The Moogh

Jonathan Wills - Counsellor

Be intrigued, be very intrigued. The Moogh will have you laughing, crying, and above all intrigued! Lane has created a fantasy world that somehow remains tethered to real life. Real life is the quagmire of our existing failing capitalist and communist socio-economic and political systems that deplete our natural capital and unsustainably skew scarce resources into the hands of a small percentage of the global population. The fantasy is the antidote, that longed for utopia of the long future where human beings are 'in sync' with their environment and fat bees are numerous! What is the the Moogh? Well I won't give the game away, because that's where the intrigue lies. As our adventurous odd couple Sperrin and Tarp track and report on local events which shape the world, we are reminded of Local Agenda 21s - 'think local, act global'. The events they experience play out across the globe, they are our eyes and ears as we welcome the literal greening of the planet - but I've said too much already. Get your copy of The Moogh to unravel the deceit to get to the truth. The truth will out - and so will the Moogh.

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Bill Spee - Company Director

Maybe the Moogh’s young heroine, Maggie Tarp, is a barbed reference to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the American Government initiative to transfer US$700 billion of public money into the hands of the greedy, elitist bankers who caused the GFC. I wouldn’t be surprised, because Guy Lane’s fiction writing shows him to be a cerebral world-watcher who tells a simple story as a way of communicating the complexity of today’s 'fractious' world.

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Jeanie McKillop - Environmental Scientist

The moogh was a real romp in a very believable future for me. The themes were entirely relevant to modern times but the real appeal was the cheeky, irreverent way in which such societal catastrophe could occur. I think the Moogh demonstrated our disconnect from reality and our utter inability as a society to come to terms with a manipulative media and our own shallow needs. It was a satirical and often poignant reflection on humankinds inability to blend our consumer society, our ecological ignorance and our basic desire to strive for a greater good. It's so nice to be reminded of these inadequacies as well as our potential - thanks guy lane.

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Philip Sutton - Co-author Climate Code Red

The Moogh is like the Lorax for grown ups. For me the hidden take away is that we need to not only plant the seeds, we have to invent them!!!

 

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David A Hood AM - Chairman, Long Future Foundation

The Moogh is an easy, fast paced novella with a serious message about the state of our planet and the life on it that is slowly being extinguished by the actions of one particular species. The plots take the reader through many of the business and lifestyle behaviours that are sometimes knowingly destroying nature and disrupting society for profit, but also touches on many that unknowingly contribute to the decline of nature and society. Highly recommended for anyone looking for good fiction with a message.

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Martin Leipziger - Street Artist

The Moogh is a wonderful and interesting character, with his appearance he can help to improve the people's consciousness about our environment and nature. Just with his present and exotic looking occur, people show attention and follow their natural curiosity to experience the Moogh. With his positive influence to the humans it is a fantastic symbol for all life which surround us and it should be handled mindful and respectful. If we take a closer look and time to explore deeper the micro and the macro from our unique beautiful nature, than we understand the message from the Moogh.

Read Intervene Today

Intervene

Leah Burns - Senior Lecturer, Griffith University

Intervene is a fast paced adventure that takes us from the Queensland rainforest to the opulent built landscape of Dubai following a man from another planet whose mission is to save ours. Will he succeed? Will he ‘humanise’ and find love along the way? Lane has created characters that the reader may not necessarily feel comfortable with, yet will feel compelled to stay with until the end, and that is part of the point. Changing the way humans currently live in order to save the planet is not a comfortable proposition, intellectually or physically. The answer, in this fictional novel embedded in enough fact to keep us hoping and believing, is that unlimited money and an end to the way we harvest oil can change our otherwise inevitable fate. A solution may not be that simple, but the easy readability of this engaging novel effectively challenges us to think about our collective future as humans on Earth.

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Philip Sutton - Co-author Climate Code Red

Before there were technical reports and powerpoint presentations, people used to explore how to live through allegorical story-telling. Guy Lane has recovered this lost art. Intervene is a love story and a fast-moving adventure. But at another level it is also a profound provocation – a challenge to a complacent society to find a way out of our ecological madness, fast. The telling of the Intervene story invites the asking of the Intervene question: what if we don’t wait for a spaceman to drop to earth to get us moving? What if the humans Intervened ourselves? What would we do?

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Kirsty Chen - Audiologist

I found Intervene very entertaining and thought provoking. The book proceeded at good pace, striking a fine balance between action, education and reflection. Each page and chapter enticed me to want to proceed to the next pages, which I consider remarkable for self-confessed non-reader like me. The imagery describing the projects undertook by Zem's Between Destinies company was staggering and reassuring at the same time, leaving me wishing they were true. This book was about more than the mission that the main alien character Zem undertook to save the earth. I particularly enjoyed observing how Zem gradually learned how to be 'human', with moments that caused me to laugh, contemplate and even cry. The way Zem's relationship unfolded with each character in the story, especially with his earthling personal assistant Megan, was realistic and easy for me to relate to. This book also gives the reader hope and a sense of ownership for a better world, as its final chapters taught me that the world's destiny is not in the hands of one particular alien superhero, but that it is actually in our own hands.

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Bill Spee - Company Director

Intervene is an exciting, innovative and interesting story on how to save the planet from the humans in quicktime. It's just a pity it's fiction as we could do with these solutions to play out in fact. Guy has a vivid imagination and an unlimited font of unique ideas and concepts and it is clear that his sustainability advisory work informs his fiction. Intervene is a gripping yarn with serious environmental repercussions. I found it difficult to put down and was frequently caught in a dreamy wonderland willing it to end so that I could get some sleep. When it ended I felt complete and then wished that there was a sequel so to start the experience again.

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Grace Lieb - Environmental Scientist

Guy Lane's Intervene is unprecedented. In it, Lane poses questions and offers scenarios that many environmentalists meditate on: what actions could humans take to shift the global economy from oil to sustainable energy? How much money and manpower would it take? Could humans even find it in their nature to allow for such a switch? From beginning to end, these topics are explored in an entertaining, didactic manner, building up to a cliffhanger ending that leaves you craving more. The story revolves around Zem, a human-like alien who is sent by his people to help save the earthlings' environment. Throughout Zem's journey, selfish human emotion in turn intervenes with his mission, be it in the form of love for oneself (the oilman Tom Wayward) or love for another person (the personal assistant Megan). Elaborate descriptions and tense action sequences captivate the reader throughout, all leading up to a major juncture: does Zem save the planet or does his love for Megan interfere? Although Lane answers the questions posed in the first paragraph, in the end he leaves room for the reader to self-reflect; perhaps one does not need to be wealthy, nor does he or she need world-renowned power. Perhaps, with a focused mind and unwavering principles, anything can be accomplished by any individual on this planet. That we, like Zem, can also intervene.

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Steve Oing - Business Management Student

The story you did was pretty good. Your knowledge about the environment, politics and business isn't bad at all, especially the chapter on the oilman' awards. That chapter was tense and clever. There are other chapters but this one struck the most. It is different from the books I've read as it talks about a range of issues... however it soesn't seem to delve in enough about business and the various projects. It would be nice if they talked about it in detail. Although there are somethings I didn't like (most likely due to things I have yet to do research), but I would recommend it for those that love a bit of sci-fi with a hint of real world situations. I could say some more. I think I might, but I'm pretty busy with doing studies in business management. Thanks for a good read and keep up the work on deliverng the message about sustainable energy and buiness in an environmental scale. Cheers, Steve Oing

P.S.

Lyonne liked the book too. She thought it was thought provoking.

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Jennifer Cunningham

Very enjoyable, I read Intervene in a couple of days. I liked the Australian connection and the unpretentious attitude of the first characters in the story. It was an enjoyable yarn, with an interesting plot and a happy ending, always a preferred ending for a story. I would enjoy reading more work by Guy Lane.

Read Yongala Today

Yongala

Karl Friedrich Lenz - Scientist

The book takes a real maritime disaster, the sinking of the “SS Yongala”, which happened in 1911. It then adds an interesting global warming angle. The premise is that Professor Portland has developed a “smoke engine”, which would be able to displace coal use. Portland is well aware of global warming coming from the emission of “carbonic acid”, as CO2 was called at the time. His invention is supposed to do something about it. That doesn’t sit well with the “Queensland Coal Board”, the villains in this novel. The Board sends a mercenary to kill the professor and destroy his prototype. Both are on board of the “Yongala”, which provides the stage for some fighting and disaster scenes. I liked the fact that this novel has a solution for global warming, though it probably would not work in real life. It is based on burning biomass. I also liked how the lead character (the mercenary) is developed, with a lot of inner conflict.

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Andrew Buckwell - IT Manager

Enjoyed your book [Yongala]. Great story and message, but loved the detail of the ship. Made it seem like you had actually strolled the decks in real life!

Read The Oil Price Today

The Oil Price

Andy Morrison (on whom Andy Harris from The Oil Price was based)

I liked the book but I must say Andy Harris was a bit wet behind the ears. I never woulda let no fat cat schmooze my international guests. Apart from that it was good fun.

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Jonathan Wills - Counsellor

The Oil Price is a roller-coaster of a novel and shows the oil industry for what it is, a DIRTY BUSINESS! But our hero Danny will survive the torture and the torment of those in power and Lala will be saved! The intrigue mounts as the plot twists and turns as the story unfolds, but theres many more surprises than in a Kinder egg! I thoroughly recommend The Oil Price - a great read.

Read Heart of Bone Today

Heart of Bone

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Read The Martian Cat Today

The Martian Cat

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Read Eearth Today

Eearth

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Read Love in the
Age of Bitcoin Today

Love in the Age of Bitcoin

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