Author: markswritingcorner

Mark Ahern was born in 1979 and is from Ireland. He attained a Degree in Commerce from UCD in 2000 and a Masters in European Studies in 2001. He has written three novels to date encompassing science fiction and thrillers. At times Mark has used his experiences as an individual with a disability to write from a truly unique perspective. "Chronicles of Martan" which is his sole science fiction work to date, is an epic space odyssey inspired by his love of Star Wars. This was followed by "Not the Usual Suspect" and "Paradigm". His current project is called "The Irish Ripper" and should be available late 2019.

Wheelchair Wars (Part 21)

Every day is a good day for you to die – The Emperor

Timothy thought that he was ready for anything. But when Timothy woke the morning of the battle the room was already shaking as sounds reverberated through. All he could do was wait the few minutes and listen till his Da arrived to get him up.

“What’s happening?”

“Everything is okay. The crowd is already building in the stadium. It’s already almost completely full, they say. The noise is so loud that it transmits through the structures of the city and that is what you are feeling now. The level of excitement is incredible. No matter what happens today son, I am so proud of you son.”

The next few hours went by in something of a haze for Timothy. Fortunately, his plans were already in place and all the preparation had already been done. He made sure to take the time to speak to each of his fighters.

“Trust in the plan. We will get through this.”

Some, such as Audrey looked back at him with steely determination. With others, such as Caoimhne you could sense the fear. Still, he trusted all to do their duty.

Finally, it came time to leave.

There were met by huge crowds each corner they turned, that roared their love. Some of the women even through their bras at them. But Timothy kept his concentration on what he would ultimately be facing. The exultation could wait.

The Irish language thriving? (comedy)

Ever since I was young, there was one thing you could be certain of. Well apart from death and taxes, that is. And that was that was the Irish language was on its death bed and soon would be no more.

It’s still dying according to the average person, even though I’ve never heard so much of it. Whether it be on the television, radio or when the Feile came to town.

They claim it’s Definitely Endangered. That young people no longer speak the language. This is despite the fact that 8 percent of students are now in all-Irish medium education.

Yes, things are so dire that I got a scam email sent to me in perfect Irish during the week. Does the Government have some secret deal with criminals, that a certain percentage of fraud must be conducted through Irish or they can’t claim some fraud grant. I wouldn’t put it past them!

Writing in Irish kind of worked too. I actually read the whole email rather than just deleting it. But the usual sob story wouldn’t work on me even if it was genuine, which it wasn’t.

I decided to do my own Irish exam yesterday. I know, the things I do for kicks. Even my parents looked at me funny when I told them about it. I got a D1 in ordinary level you see, something that my Dad loves to bring up. He got an honours in his, and it’s the only score of mine he remembers.

Anyways, I digress. After many years of watching and listening to Irish, mostly on TG4, I scored a B1 Lower Intermediate Irish. If things were really that bad for the language, I’d be heralded as part of the linguistic community. But I’m not.

Oiche mhaithe agat.

Wheelchair Wars (Part 20)

Gargantuans love tearing humans to pieces. It’s like a pasttime to them. They enjoy playing with their food – General Mudd

Timothy was relaxing on his bed. It was so much more comfortable at this level just like everything else. There was now just one time cycle away from going to battle. His preparation and research were now complete. Within the next two hours he would divulge his plans to his battle group. They would either agree to follow his battle plans to the letter or they would die.

There was then a small knock on the door, and he heard a quiet but recognizable voice. It was Caoimhne asking if she could come in. She always spoke so softly.

“Enter.”

She was in her manual wheelchair and only just about managed to push the door open.

“I was feeling.. I don’t know.”

“It’s alright, the big battle is not too far off, I understand.”

“Can I lay down next to you?”

“Yeah, sure.”

It was a large double bed so there was enough space. He had only shared his bed for sex though and he found his heart had started beating that bit faster.

She elegantly parked parallel to the other side of the bed before maneuvering herself on to it

“These really are so comfortable. I just wanted to be with someone. Tomorrow, one or both of us may be dead.”

“You shouldn’t think like that.”

“You know, I’ve never kissed someone. I know women are sent into you and the rest lads of the battles. They are usually so beautiful. I’d really like to experience it. Can I kiss you?

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

With that, she leaned towards and kissed. Then she wrapped her arms around him till it was time for the battle plan.

Wheelchair Wars (Part 19)

There is no such thing as good or evil, only servitude to your God – The Emperor

They were permitted just one visit to the legendary Groak stadium prior to their battle. It was not surprising. The stadium was much more famous for its glorious battles and raucous atmosphere than the planet itself and was well-known throughout the quadrant. Huge masses of people visited it every day even when it was not in use.

Timothy was mesmerized by what he saw. The stands were sheer like a cliff face and stretched upwards as far as he could see. The battle area was extensive. He noted that the surface was sandy, probably to suit the Gargantuan but it made it difficult for their wheels. They would need to change to tracks.

Some of the group started to pace around the battleground, making sure they understood its proper scale. Like a well-oiled machine they then all gathered in the center for a battle talk.

Audrey was the first to chime in.

“So, what’s the plan Timothy?”

“Space, we must use this huge battlefield to our advantage. That and work together. On our own we are nothing but as Omega we can destroy anybody. Yes, this Gargantuan is terrifying but so are we. This is our opportunity for glory and a life that we could never have imagined.”

Then the chanting began.

“Omega, omega!”

Timothy let the chanting reverberate through him. He looked at those around him and wondered if any would survive.

Wheelchair Wars (Part 18)

The Gargantuan world is bereft of Civilization due to their ferocity. But they escape extermination only due to my admiration – The Emperor.

It was like a different planet. They had come from darkness and sickness. But here, the tunnels were lit brightly, and they were spacious with marble floors. Even, the simple act of breathing was different on this level. There was no filth or dust in the air. Timothy noticed that his father had even stopped coughing. People were more beautiful on this level too; they all had their teeth and were dressed in immaculate white or navy robes. Nobody looked old.

Timothy noticed that they were lauded wherever they went. Crowds would reach out to touch them as they yelled and screamed their adoration. It made him feel awkward and unworthy. Their previous battles had been watched, even here at this high level.

They were provided with a new camp close to the Groak Stadium. It was the only place where they could talk together as a group.

“So how are you all finding Level 1?” Timothy asked.

“Incredible.”

“Like a dream.”

“Heaven.”

He nodded in agreement as he looked around at their new base. It even had windows where you could see the purple sky surrounding distant mountains.

The fight was due to take place in five time-cycles. There was much preparation that needed to be done. First, they would need to see the fighting arena though.

Review of “The Beijing Conspiracy” by Shamini Flint

Hi readers. Hope life is good with you all. I have just finished the above novel and thought I’d let you know what I thought.

First of all, the blurb from the book itself –

One man is caught up in a lethal global conspiracy in this explosive spy thriller.

“I need your support. There is no one else I can trust. Please help her. Please help our daughter.”

When ex-Marine Jack Ford receives a letter containing news of a daughter he never knew he had, he feels compelled to return to China, a country he hasn’t visited since 1989 when, as a young American spy, he fell in love with a beautiful student activist and found himself caught up in the horrors of the Tiananmen Square massacre. But why has Xia got in touch now, after a thirty-year silence?

On arrival in Beijing, Jack finds himself accidentally in possession of an explosive piece of information both the Chinese and American governments are desperate to get their hands on. Alone in a strange city, suspected of being a traitor by his own side, not knowing whom to trust, Jack is faced with an impossible dilemma: should he save his new-found daughter or prevent a new world war from breaking out? –

I think it can be best described as a political action thriller. And not one that the Chinese Communist Party would be too impressed about either. If I suddenly disappear, you can guess what happened! It starts off and ends at a frenetic pace. In between not so much and it was tough to keep on reading at times. The book is very long, contains a multitude of characters and can at times be difficult to keep on top of. The intrigue revolves around two different factions in the Chinese government – one wants the status quo, the other liberalization and democracy.

It also relies somewhat on coincidence, which I found a tad unfulfilling. One man after very many years of inactivity finds himself at the heart of two conspiracies at the one time. A bit of a long shot.

There were things I really enjoyed. The action scenes are enjoyable and very well written. I also found the relationship between Ford and Xia, his old love to be suitably complex and interesting.

All in all, I’d give it three stars out of five.

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Wheelchair Wars (Part 17)

The Emperor is your God. You must suffer for his glory – The Emperor

Timothy was still sleeping when the boom of the speakers called all fighters to the ready hall. He had been practicing new combat maneuvers long into the allotted sleeping time and was now late getting up. Unusually, he could sense excitement in what was usually a drone like voice. Just a minute later his Da entered his quarters.

“There’s a lot of excitement out there. We need to get up fast.”

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know son, but it’s big, really big.”

By the time he managed to get dressed and into the wheelchair, there were already roars of “Omega, Omega”.

He raced into the main hall. There was a euphoric atmosphere.

He reached his group, who looked more forlorn and serious than the rest.

“What is it?”

“We’re to battle Gargantuans on Level 1,” Caoimhne sobbed.

He felt his pulse race. Gargantuan were legendary creatures from a neighboring star system. They were huge and loved tearing humans to pieces. But was it fear or excitement that he was feeling, he was unsure. He also sensed an opportunity. The fight would be on Level 1 and the battle would be in the great Croak Stadium that could hold over a hundred thousand spectators. This could change all their lives forever. He just wondered if the others would be up to the task.

Then he roared out “Glory to the Omega”.

If nothing else, it would be a glorious death.

Wheelchair Wars (Part 16)

Eat, drink, train, repeat. That was now the story of his life. Each time cycle seemed the same as the last. For good measure, he would watch videos of other Wheelchair Wars videos in his spare time. He knew that his life and those of the rest of his warriors depended on it. It was impossible to know who their next opponents would be, so there was always more research that could be done.

There was a growing distance between himself and Audrey. She no longer accompanied him to review battles. He was unsure why, but it seemed she didn’t want to spend time alone with him anymore.

It saddened him. He had enjoyed the intimacy and the feeling that he could be special to someone. At times, his Da seemed to sense something was up.

“Why don’t you just go and talk to her?”

But he never responded.

Their squad had been given two new replacements to keep them at their original strength. There was Derek, whose only disability appeared to be his short stature. He didn’t use the wheelchair apart from fighting. Some of the others threatened to drive over him when they saw he was out of his wheelchair as if he was insulting them. The other was Caoimhne, who had no feelings below her waist. She had long, curly black hair and was quite attractive. She recoiled at some of the fighting though, which wasn’t a good sign for her long-term survival.

They were inexperienced but eager to learn. They readily accepted his leadership, never questioning what he wanted them to do. He just hoped that they could survive the next battle.

Wheelchair Wars (Part 15)

Timothy hadn’t realized how stratospheric this victory would be. His Dad told him that it had been beamed throughout the planet.

“Everybody, even at the highest layers now knows your name.”

It took over a time cycle for him to get back to the base. Huge crowds lined every tunnel. Some reached out in their rags and tried to touch him as if he had magical power.

Pregnant mothers roared out that they wanted their babies to have his twisted limbs and to be just like him. It was something that he had never expected to hear.

He was exhausted on his return but there was no time for rest. Once again, his father undressed him and left him naked on the bed. He still wasn’t sure what to make of what was happening.

This time a different woman entered his room. He suddenly felt strange, she was beautiful and unlike anything that he had seen before. She was black; naturally, not from the pollution that pervaded the city. Her dark eyes and sublime smile immediately seduced him.

“Don’t worry I will look after you champ.”

And she did. It was an experience unlike any other.

But this time, the celebrations were still not over. He was woken and dressed by his father, then brought out where all the team was assembled. They were given a drink called whiskey. The taste was strange, but they drank a few cups each. He began to feel strange. Happy, then sad. He thought about the two team members that had died on the mountain – Ciaran and Mairead. He could see tears rolling down Audrey’s face and went to be by her side.

“You okay?

“Not really, I’m going to miss Mairead. I keep thinking of her falling down that stupid mountain.”

“You still have me?”

“But for how long?”

With that, she left the group to be on her own.

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Review of “Confessions of an Irish Rebel” by Brendan Behan

I first came across the name of Brendan Behan when I was reading about Christy Brown. Socially, they were on friendly terms but Brown was anxious to match his success. Behan, just like Brown was a voracious drinker, and it played a significant role in his early death at the age of forty-one.

This book was released posthumously. It tells the story of his life, in his own inner voice after Borstal Boy (when he was imprisoned for attempting to bomb the Liverpool docks). Brendan dictated this book during the last years of his life. Thankfully, the book had been completed, but it had not been edited by Behan. It tends to wonder at times and is a bit loose here and there. It can meander from one subject to the next and at times it can be hard to keep track of.

More importantly, for me anyway it leaves many questions unanswered. He never states why he drifted away from the IRA, just that he did. There is nothing about how he feels about his poor health in the end or about his illegitimate child (a further child is born to his wife post death).

However, it is very well written and has many very funny sub stories. One of the funnier aspects is how he gets on with some of the British police and prison guards. For instance, after another stint in prison, he is given the option to get out if he agrees to leave the country. A policeman goes with him to the port and they both get drunk along the way. He is supposed to spend his last night in another prison but they won’t let him in as they say he is too drunk! The book is full of such anecdotes and can be very laugh out loud at times.

Another, is when he’s working for a pimp in Paris from one of the pubs. A man is there with his mother, so they convince her that her son heading to a late night mass only for men.

He never talks about his own liaisons, but the book gives me the impression that there were many. It’s a pity cause I’m sure there must have been some stories left out.

The book ends quite abruptly. Probably, on his death he didn’t want to say too much about those he loved most.

I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5.