The nitty-gritty: A lovely blend of history and fantasy, The Mermaid is a beautifully written ode to the sea and one of the iconic creatures who lives there. Those eyes were not of the shore, he thought. They were grey as the storm that boiled below them, the constant swirl and crash that was the […]
The nitty-gritty: A disturbing and atmospheric story that had some cool ideas but didn’t quite deliver overall. When I saw the cover of Aetherchrist I just knew I had to read it. I mean, come on! It’s such a cool cover. And after reading this VERY dark novella, I can say that the cover perfectly […]
The nitty-gritty: Big on atmosphere but lean on plot, Space Opera is a colorful, musical, over-the-top love song to music and musicians everywhere Except that the Voorpret turned out to be really rather good at the whole civilization thing. Yes, yes, they obliterated the natural biodiversity of any region they touched, but wherever their infection […]
The nitty-gritty: Bursting with complex magic, populated with fascinating and lovable characters, and written in sparkling prose, The Last Sun can’t possibly be a debut. And yet. Pyr is knocking it out of the park lately, folks. And I mean you need to start paying attention if you aren’t already. After I was bowled over […]
The nitty-gritty: A slightly uneven but entertaining collection that is made better by the relationship between Dana and Jana. It’s been years since I’ve read anything by Joe R. Lansdale, and so when I was offered the chance to read his latest collection, co-authored with his daughter Kasey, I didn’t hesitate to say “yes.” Terror […]
The nitty-gritty: A fast and furious science-based space thriller with plenty of surprises. The minute I read the synopsis for Obscura I knew I had to read it, and I’m so glad that I did. This was a fast-paced, twisty mystery in space that kept me guessing and scared the pants off me more than […]
The nitty-gritty: An unexpectedly delightful and varied collection of stories about a most magical place, the underwater ballroom. Having enjoyed Stephanie Burgis’ adult fantasy novels, I was thrilled to receive a review copy of her new anthology. I had never heard of underwater ballrooms—I mean, really, is that a thing?—but Burgis has based her idea […]
The nitty-gritty: A fast-paced thriller with a sci-fi sensibility, this debut is not to be missed! Veteran comic book writer Charles Soule asks some thought-provoking questions in his debut novel, The Oracle Year, but he makes sure his readers are having a blast while pondering those questions. I had so much fun reading this book, […]
The nitty-gritty: A surreal, Gothic nightmare of a story that beautifully explores the depths of grief and loss. I didn’t know I was in the mood for a creepy, Gothic horror story until I picked up The Atrocities, and boy did it deliver! This is one strange story, but it’s so well written and has […]
The nitty-gritty: A story full of great ideas that really shined in some parts, but unfortunately needed more polishing and editing to make it a standout debut. I was intrigued by the idea of Smoke Eaters, a story about a special crew of firefighters with the ability to withstand dragon smoke and slay dragons. And […]