Leather and Lace by Magen Cubed
First Disclaimer: I received an advance digital review copy of this book in return for an honest review. Second Disclaimer: The copy used for this review is an uncorrected proof. The published edition may be subject to further editing and revision. With that in mind, I will not discuss editing, spelling or grammar in this […]
The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
Frankenstein meets Hacker meets Solo meets Legend of Zelda, in an Asian family drama. Given my interest in Asian-themed fantasy, it came as a surprise that I didn’t hear about Andrea Stewart’s debut novel, The Bone Shard Daughter, until about a week before it launched to a parade of glowing critical reviews. Of course, Stewart […]
First, Become Ashes by K.M. Szpara
Trigger Warning for First, Become Ashes: This books (not this review) contains explicit sadomasochism and sexual content, as well as abuse and consent violations, including rape. An individual carries their beliefs throughout their life: religious, political, truth and reality. There comes a point within each individual when those beliefs become fixed notions, which become more […]
Anna by Sammy H.K. Smith
The Government has fallen, society is broken, and to survive in the land you need to be intelligent, cunning, and tough. Above that though, you need to be watchful. The towns and cities are walled communities which protect those within and distrust those without. Each maintains a small armed force, and there are those who […]
Scott Kaelen Interview – The Nameless and the Fallen
Scott Kaelen’s debut novel, The Blighted City, was a semifinalist in the Fourth Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO4), and one of my favorite novels to emerge from that annual fantasy competition (reviewed here). The audiobook version of The Blighted City was also a finalist in the fantasy category of the 2020 Independent Audiobook Awards. When […]
The Fall of Erlon by Robert H. Fleming – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
As empires burn, heroes must rise. Elisa Lannes was once heiress to the mighty Erlonian Empire. But when her mother abandons the empire and her emperor father is defeated on the battlefield and sent into exile, the world she would rule collapses around her. As enemies converge on the capital, Elisa must join with the […]
An Incomplete List of Women Writing in SFF
*Disclaimer* This is, as the title says, an incomplete list. I have tried to put each author in every subgenre they write in. It is very probable there are glaring omissions and that I will facepalm when I notice them missing. It is also very probable that I have accidently put someone in the wrong […]
The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Editor’s Note: Our overall rating for The Combat Codes is 7/10 as stated above. But our SPFBO rating is 3.5/10. See below for more details. “We fight so the rest shall not have to.” In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight so the rest can remain at peace. […]
His Dark Materials: Season Two – TV Series Review
Over the years, fans of media adaptations of books had to learn to live with the possibility the sequels and/or the follow ups to TV shows and/or movies would never be made. The opposite of this would be when the sequels were made and released, and the audience was left feeling the same finesse was […]
Testament of Steel by Davis Ashura
If Cradle were set in South Asia with elves and dwarves. I had been aware of Davis Ashura as an author of South Asian fantasy for several years and got to see him speak on a panel about diversity in fantasy at DragonCon (before the plague cancelled all the cons). Duly impressed by demeanor and […]
Joshua Phillip Johnson Interview – Odyssey Writing Workshop
Today I get the rare chance to interview a fellow fantasy author Joshua Phillip Johnson concerning is debut novel The Forever Sea (DAW, 2021) and how his time at the Odyssey Writing Workshop program helped him pursue his writing dreams. Enjoy! To start, Josh, tell us a little bit about yourself. Hello! I live in […]
The SFF Content That Got Me Through 2020 – YouTube & Podcasts
[Editor’s Note: As the author relays below. Last year was A YEAR. Turns out this year has also been A YEAR. Which is why this article is going out in March instead of January. (Completely my fault.) Someday reality will return to a semblance of normalcy. Until then thank all that is good in the […]