**Potential Spoiler Warning** I have to add this first, although I try hard not to ruin too many books for people. However, this is a sequel so it gets harder to not drop the odd S-Bomb.. I reviewed Tides of Mana a while back, and liked what Matt Larkin had done with Hawaiian mythology after his tour de force retelling […]
Review – Ghosts of Gotham by Craig Schaefer
Lionel Page is an investigative reporter, one who has dedicated his career to outing frauds, charlatans and hucksters. He’s successful enough to have made something of a name for himself, so it’s not really a surprise when someone offers him a private gig to dig up a newly discovered first draft of an Edgar Allan Poe short story. The offer […]
Review – Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrick Backman
Seeing as I read mostly speculative or historical fiction, this was something of a departure for me, so maybe you can factor that into the review somehow. Anyway, when I saw the title pop up on Netgalley, I decided to give it a go. After all, I have a young son, and Fredrik Backman is a well known author with […]
Review – Oracle’s War by David Hair
Odysseus is back in David Hair’s pseudo-autobiography of the hero’s early days. I loved the first book in the series, and while the second certainly has a lot going for it, there were some things I didn’t like. But let’s start with the plot. In the interest of not being too spoilerific, I’ll try not to mention too much from […]
Review – A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by CA Fletcher
The world has ended, not with a bang, but more of a whimper. There were no meteors, no alien invasions, no zombie apocalypse. Instead, people just stopped reproducing. No more babies = no more humans. Of course, if that were 100% true, this would be a very short book. A minute percentage continued to conceive, and lived on in the […]
Review – Low Town by Daniel Polansky
**Audiobook Warning** This has been on my TBR for a bit, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that my library had it on downloadable audio, so I jumped at the opportunity. Turns out to be have been worth my while, and it’s totally worth yours too. The story tells of (and is told by) a character known only as […]
The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz
The premise hooked me for this one. A bunch of aspiring writers are invited to the world’s most lauded author’s secluded home for a writers’ retreat. There’s a prize of a wad of cash and instant fame for the winner, a return to obscurity for the rest. As one could imagine, tensions are high and the competition is fierce, but […]
Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes
Sam Sykes. Heard of him? Funny dude and possibly the best Twitter follow anyone could wish for. His interactions with Chuck Wendig are freakin’ hysterical. Look it up if you don’t believe me. Anyway, he also writes books which, like his Twitter persona, are funny and irreverent. Seven Blades in Black is no different. It tells the tale of Sal […]
Review – A Memory of Empire by Arkady Martine
Mahit Dzmare is the new new ambassador to the Teixcalaan Empire. The problem is, her predecessor is dead, and that’s the least of her worries. She hails from Lsel, a space station and trader with the Empire. Lsel lives in constant fear of annexation, and sent the original ambassador to stave off any desires Teixcallan has of adding Lsel to […]
Review – Dawn of the Exile by Mitchell Hogan
I read and reviewed Shadow of the Exile a while back, and really enjoyed it, giving it a strong 4.5 out of stars. It’s rapid pace, engaging plot and likeable hero in Tarrick ensured I’d be checking out part two when it came out. Of course, then the problem becomes, can the author maintain his standards? Well, in short – […]