She Dreams in Blood by Michael R. Fletcher
A. M. Justice
First person narratives don’t naturally jive with me. Those in present tense bring to mind loquacious toddlers who narrate their existence to doting parents, and the ones in past tense…
self-publishing/indie
The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Anderson does a masterful job weaving a fast-paced adventure—including harrowing action scenes involving lots of monsters and zombies—into a fascinating backdrop involving economic ruin, misinformation, nativism, and stigma.
Voice of War by Zack Argyle – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
While preparing for the birth of his first child, Chrys Valerian is tasked with uncovering the group responsible for a series of missing threadweavers—those able to see and manipulate threadlight.…
Leather and Lace by Magen Cubed
Richard Marpole
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.…
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…
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 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…
Testament of Steel by Davis Ashura
JC Kang
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…
Nether Light by Shaun Paul Stevens – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Take a journey through a world punished by a dark, imprisoned magic. A world where children are given poison. A world where your talent is decided by the state. A…
Last Memoria by Rachel Emma Shaw – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Sarilla has learnt one thing from stealing memories. Everybody lies. There’s nothing Sarilla hates more than stealing memories, but the king forces her to, just so he can keep his…
Oh, That Shotgun Sky by Sarah Chorn
The other night I caught the Cohen Brothers’ remake of True Grit. When I saw it in the theater, I thought it a profound meditation on the price of freedom—that…
Darkness Forged by Matt Larkin – SPFBO #6 Finals Review
Vengeance is wrought. Darkness is forged. The greatest crafts on Midgard come from the dvergar realm of Nidavellir. Volund, a gifted smith and once apprentice to the dvergar, escaped their…