13 Secret Cities Review: "I actually felt for Clara"

"A well-written and thrilling piece of literature"

Here's a recent review about 13SC as seen on Amazon.com.

My overall opinion of 13 Secret Cities is that it is an amazing story that is represented in a very well-written piece of literature. Torres does a great job evoking empathy from his audience through diction, imagery and simile. Torres uses descriptive language that makes the reader feel as if they are in Clara’s shoes and experiencing the horrible suffering that she had to go through. Some parts of this book made me chuckle, some made me cringe, and some even made me cry. The imagery that Torres uses really got me involved in the text and made me feel a certain way that many other readings don’t. I actually FELT for Clara, her family, and for every other person that was remotely involved in the events at Millennium Park that day. While reading I could actually feel, smell, and taste the suffering that Clara went through that day in Chicago. Some good examples of simile that stood out to me while reading include:
“They wore gas masks lowered over their face and their Kevlar gear protected them like scarab shells” (6).
“If I craned my head toward the sky, I could see his or her head bobbing, like a black bowling ball” (10).
“The redness of her cheeks invaded the skin, and the matted hair, wrapped in blood around her cranium like a cocoon” (12).

Some examples of descriptive language and imagery include:
…the pointed spikes of sailboats in the marina, and the silvery reflections on the waters of Lake Michigan… (6).
…cool darkness underneath the hard concrete structure… (7).
I liked how Clara’s experiences were all interconnected. She was able to look back at how her 19th birthday connected to the massacre and how the feeling she felt in that moment lying on the lawn beneath the Pritzker Pavilion was connected to the book that her brother had given her to read. There was also a connection between the protests in Mexico that Clara’s father attended to the protest that she participated in. I also like how the author gives such good detail about what happened that day in Millennium Park, and then explains how in the big picture it was just a tiny moment that has come and passed. The author states, “[t]hat four-minute moment became one of the stars in the firmament of my life” (7). This book really does show how one single incident can change your life forever and how you should be happy for the moments you have alive and for the lessons learned through your experiences. It also demonstrates the importance of family and the relationships you build as a young person. I strongly recommend reading this book if you want to follow a thrilling and exciting journey of a young adult, never knowing what is going to happen next.

 

13 Secret Cities Omnibus releases today

It's here. You can buy Part 4 of 13SC if you've been reading along, or get the omnibus.

Part 4

13SC OMNIBUS

Here's also our press release below, and downloadable for your pleasure.

Download the Press Release

Cesar Torres
Solar Six Books, solarsixbooks.com 347-699-0802
cesar500@gmail.com, Twitter @13SecretCities 13secretcities.com

13 Secret Cities Omnibus releases October 28

October 27, 2014 – Solar Six Books is proud to announce the final release of 13 Secret Cities: A Novel in Four Parts (Amazon Kindle Store), by fantasy and sci fi author Cesar Torres. This Kindle serial is the thrilling kick-off that introduce readers to a dark, adventure-filled universe created by author Cesar Torres, who is known to many readers for his 2010 short story collection The 12 Burning Wheels and his popular podcast The Labyrinth.

In The 13 Secret Cities, Cesar Torres breaks new ground in sci-fi by generating a fantasy universe in which Aztec and Maya mythologies blend with current political and global themes in its setting of present day Chicago. Fans of YA fantasies with female characters of color will also find in Clara Montes a great new archetypal heroine who must overcome political and supernatural challenges unlike any other.

The 13 Secret Cities is being release as a Kindle serial first. A paperback will collect the cycle and release in November 2014.

RELEASE SCHEDULE
Kindle
Parts 1-3: April 28 (AVAILABLE NOW)? Part 4: October 28
Kindle Omnibus: October 28? Paperback: December 2014

Clara Montes has a single goal in life: to achieve social justice. Within weeks of starting her freshman year in college, Clara Montes joins the Occupy Liberation front, a controversial political group that has planned a gathering of thousands in Chicago’s Millennium Park on a chilly Friday afternoon. Nothing will stop her from attending.

When the protest turns into a riot, Clara is swept into a horror that will change the course of American history forever. As a result, Clara’s parents forbid her to return to the OLF. They warn Clara that she has developed a thirst for chaos and violence that goes against every tradition her family brought with them from Mexico.
Clara will need to atone for her transgressions by traveling to the mythical city of Mictlán, the realm of dead spirits. During the journey, she will face the Lords of the Dead, two ancient gods who will show no mercy, and who thrive on the taste of human blood.

About Author Cesar Torres

Cesar Torres is the author of the 2010 short-story collection The 12 Burning Wheels. Cesar was born in Mexico City, lived in Japan and Ireland, and currently resides in New York City. He is also a journalist and serves as Managing Editor at The Wirecutter and The Sweethome. You can follow him at @13SecretCities.

About Solar Six Books

After working in new media and technology for almost 20 years, Cesar Torres created Solar Six Books as a way to transfer his knowledge from tech and startup culture into the world of traditional book publishing and digital media. Solar Six favors both e-books and print equally: The imprint is dedicated to well-honed, genre disrupting novels with an artisanal approach to detail and craftsmanship. For more information, email editor@solarsixbooks.com.

Come celebrate the finale of 13SC at our Party

It's a celebration.

We will be hosting a party on Saturday, November 1 at Secret Clubhouse to celebrate the finale of 13 Secret Cities, and the release of the omnibus. We'll have special prizes, literary readings, and we'll celebrate Dia de Los Muertos.

Get your ticket here on EventBrite: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/13-secret-cities-book-party-reading-dia-de-los-muertos-edition-tickets-13557628231?aff=eac2

Meet Author Cesar Torres at NY Comic Con

New York Comic Con is a monster of an event, and author Cesar Torres is lucky to be attending this year as a pro. As you know, the serial 13 Secret Cities has one more part to go, and that means we won’t have paperbacks available to sign at NY Comic Con!

But never fear.

Cesar will gladly sign your Kindle, and he would love to take a selfie together with you. Also, if you meet up with him at NY Comic Con, we will add you to a special list of readers who will receive a special 13SC gift when the paperback is out.

The best way to find him: Twitter. Cesar will be tweeting his location often, and if you want to meet up, it’s as simple as a tweet. He tweets from @13SecretCities.

 


Message for 13SC Part 3 Pre-Order Customers

If you pre-ordered 13 Secret Cities part 3 and got a cancellation email from Amazon this morning, we are very sorry for the inconvenience. The book is definitely coming out on time, but if you used the pre-order link, you'll need to use a new link (which we will post to this site). Again, sorry for the trouble, but we hope you love 13SC part 3. Official launch is Sept. 9 in the Kindle store.

You can read Cesar Torres' 13 Secret Cities Parts 1-2 now in the Amazon Kindle Store.

Open invite for writers for the next #13SC Party

Our first #13SC release party in June at Secret Clubhouse in Brooklyn was a blast. We drank beer and cocktails, and I scared the pants off a few audience members during my reading of part 2 of The 13 Secret Cities.

We are already planning a second party in September (the weekend after Labor Day), and we would like to invite writers to read together with me at the next party! We are looking for:

Fiction writers. No specific genre required. This event is open to all kinds of artists.
Non-fiction writers. Essay, spoken word, and great storytellers welcome
Self-publishing professionals who would be willing to do a short Q&A on facets of self publishing.
The themes we're looking for at this event are: JOURNEYS and/or the color BLUE. Yep, if your story touches on either of these themes, we want you there. Your reading should be no longer than 10-12 minutes long.

If you're interested, please send an email to me @ cesartorres.net (use the subject line #13SC readers)  or use our contact form.

Cesar Torres' debut novel, The 13 Secret Cities launched April 28 in the Kindle Store. In "13SC", Clara Montes, a college student in Chicago, survives a violent political riot in Millennium Park. To atone for the bloody events that transpire at the riot, Clara must travel to the mythical city of Mictlán, deep in the realm of the dead. AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

The 13 Secret Cities: A novel by Cesar Torres