The Hallows by H. L. Tinsley
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
The Hallows by H. L. Tinsley is a 1920s urban fantasy, which was a very nice change in pace! It’s not as dark as her previous series, but it still…
noir
Shadow of a Dead God by Patrick Samphire – SPFBO #6 Semi-Finals Review
A. M. Justice
Among the coincidences of topics and titles in the sixth annual Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog-Off, Fantasy-Faction had not only four books with dragon in the title and five titles containing shadow,…
Lela Gwenn Interview – Bad Luck Chuck
Dan Hanks
An intriguing new comic mini-series is heading our way in March from Dark Horse Comics. Billed as ‘slapstick noir’ from the writer, Lela Gwenn, it’s about the cursed Charlene “Chuck”…
Candy by Lavie Tidhar
Jonathan Thornton
“A long buffet table on the other side was laden with sweet pastries, chocolate and cream, in flagrant violation of Prohibition. They must have been brought in from out of…
Chaos Trims My Beard by Brett Herman – SPFBO Finalist Review
Laura M. Hughes
The SPFBO team here at Fantasy-Faction (G. R. Matthews, James Latimer, Kitvaria Sarene, Michael Everest and myself) have been through something of a turbulent decision-making process during these past few…
Hammers On Bone by Cassandra Khaw
Tor’s novella series was started in 2015, with the aim of promoting this shorter medium. The line includes both established authors and those just making their debut, and has included…
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids by Michael McClung
Richard Bray
At 210 pages, The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids isn’t trying to be the next bookshelf-bending epic fantasy that changes the way you think about the genre. Instead, it’s…
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The back cover and inside jacket of American Gods would have you believe this is a novel about gods, carefully hidden amongst American mortals, gathering their forces for a bloody…
Last to Rise by Francis Knight
Nicholas Schmiedicker
I was sold on the Rojan Dizon series as soon as I heard the words “noir-fantasy.” Delving into the subgenres of fantasy has been a fun and rewarding experience as…
Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins
Idlewilder
Investigator Vissarion Lom has been summoned to the capital in order to catch a terrorist – and ordered to report directly to the head of the secret police. A totalitarian…
Tomorrow, The Killing by Daniel Polansky
Zachary A. Matzo
Writer’s Note: This review DOES NOT contain any spoilers for The Straight Razor Cure, the first book in this series. Or any spoilers for Tomorrow, The Killing. You’re welcome. Tomorrow,…
Low Town by Daniel Polansky
Mike Shackle
One thing is for certain. Low Town is not your typical fantasy book. Sure, it’s got wizards, magic and demons but this book owes more to Raymond Chandler than Tolkien.…