I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Queen of No Tomorrows by Matt Maxwell Published by Broken Eye Books on December 4 2018
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 120
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Full of dangerous magic, secret gangs and books that can conjure monsters, Matt Maxwell’s noir vision of 80s Los Angeles is an addictive treat.
Well, this was a strange little book, but I enjoyed it! I had never heard of Broken Eye Books until the author got in touch with me. And when the publisher contacted me as well, I just couldn’t say no! And I’m so glad I took a chance on Matt’s book. Queen of No Tomorrows is a novella length story with an L.A. noir vibe and a touch of H.P. Lovecraft influence thrown in for good measure.
Cait is a library scientist, but on the side she is a book forger. She skillfully creates forgeries of collectible books and sells them with the help of her “agent” Rico. In order to stay off the radar of the police, she’s created a fake identity, a person named Rory Soame, who is the “actual” creator of the books she sells. She’s successfully kept this secret until one day, she discovers that Rico has sold her out to a dangerous and mysterious Los Angeles gang called No Tomorrows. The Queen of No Tomorrows knows her identity and is asking—no, demanding—to see a book called the Smoking Codex, a book that technically doesn’t exist, since Cait wrote it herself.
When Rico turns up dead, Cait knows she needs to meet the Queen for herself, if only to find out how she possibly knows about the Codex. But there are forces at play that not even Cait can stop…
Maxwell packs a lot into this short story, including some surprisingly well-developed characters. I loved that Cait knows how to forge books, and I don’t think I’ve ever run across that line of work in fiction before! Cait has literally brought an old god to life, although she certainly wasn’t planning to do so, and I loved seeing her struggle with the repercussions of writing the Smoking Codex. Most of these characters are hard and shady, and live life on the edge. Even the girl in the salon who dyes Cait’s hair in the beginning of the story has some rough edges to her. Maxwell evokes a noir sensibility that had me jumping at shadows and wondering what the hell was going to happen if the book got into the wrong hands.
Then there’s the title character, the Queen of No Tomorrows, a scary and determined woman named Ariela who intends to unleash hell on earth no matter what, and one scrawny girl with purple hair isn’t going to stand in her way.
For the most part, I loved Maxwell’s writing, although there was the occasional awkward sentence that jumped out at me. But overall his writing is atmospheric and conveys a sense of mystery and danger that was perfect for his subject matter.
I keep wondering what Maxwell could have created if he’d expanded on his ideas and made this into a full length novel. There’s plenty of great fodder here for even more mayhem, and the city of Los Angeles is a perfect setting for occult gangs and otherworldly monsters. I would not mind if the author decided to write more stories set in this world!
The ending was both terrifying and mind-bendingly good, and the fantastic cover art by Gabriel Hardman will clue you in to the cosmic horror that’s in store for readers at the end. I’m so glad I had the chance to read this book, although it will take some time before I’m comfortable looking up at the night sky.
Big thanks to Matt Maxwell and Broken Eye Books for supplying a review copy.
Adding to my tbr!
Great review!
Thanks Lauren:-)
Wow, this sounds like a little gem. I’ve not heard of it anywhere but I’m glad you gave it a chance so others might pick it up too now!
I’m glad I found it too, and a new small publisher that I like!
Sounds like he could have a sure fired winner, if this one was expanded with the help of a good editor.
It actually worked pretty well at this length, but I definitely wanted more when I was finished.
Sounds kind of interesting and that cover is very cool! 🙂
I think the cover is gorgeous:-)
I haven’t heard of this one, but sounds really good! Gotta love secret gangs and books that conjure monsters 🙂
Lisa @TenaciousReader recently posted…Review: An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris
Also main characters who know how to make/forge books:-)
This sounds scary but so good!
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday – ONCE & FUTURE by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
It was very suspenseful:-)
I’d never heard of this book or the publisher either, but I’m glad you enjoyed it! I know how much you like to try “strange” books 😀
This was definitely in the “strange” category but it worked!
Sounds like a fun one! I love that cover. Glad you enjoyed it!
I adore the cover too!
This does sound suspenseful and completely original, Tammy! Loved your review and hope you find many more books you love from this publisher!
Thanks Jennifer, I would definitely check out more of their books:-)
a book forger??? *gasps in horror* that’s a very interesting character 🙂
Ha ha, maybe that’s why she’s such an interesting character, she’s a criminal!
A book forger really does sound like an original idea – not for me as I tend to avoid short stories, pity it wasn’t expanded – I’d have definitely been keen to pick it up.
It’s more of a novella, so longer than a short story. I would have liked to read more because I enjoyed the characters and the setting.