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Book Review: Swashbuckling Cats Edited by Rhonda Parrish
A book about pirate cats, conceived on Twitter. Do anthologies get better than this? 14 stories concerning felines of the high seas make up this adorable, imaginative and invention anthology of short fiction, edited by Rhonda Parrish. I am predisposed to love this book. Filled with cats, as well as other animals, cheese (yes, cheese!)…
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Book Review: Deep Roots by Beth Cato
A welcome return to the same world, and some of the same characters, of The Clockwork Dagger duology with two short stories and a novella in this slim volume. The Deepest Poison opens the book with a story of Octavia Leander working as a matron in the war between Caskentia and the Wasters. The title…
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3 Book Review: The Final Wars Trilogy by SA Asthana
The Final Wars Begin Earth is a barren husk. Humanity clings precariously to life in three separate colonies; under Paris, on earth, on Mars, and on the moon. When the Trilateral Treaty between the planets is broken, the delicate peace is shattered. Is this how the final wars begin? In the distant future, World War…
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Book Review: Thornhill by Pam Smy
Drawings and a diary combine to produce a moving story of neglected youth. In 2017, Ella has just moved into a house across from the ruins of Thornhill house, which used to be an orphanage in the 1980’s. In 1982, Mary writes about her traumatic experiences in Thornhill. This story is deceptively simple. Ella’s story…
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Book Review: The Heart of Owl Abbas by Kathleen Jennings
With the intricate world building of China Miéville, and the same unique beauty as the author’s art, The Heart of Owl Abbas is a short story to be cherished. Set in the city kingdom of Owl Abbas, the story concerns a starving artist who writes songs under the name of Excelsior, and the Nightingale automaton…
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Book Review: After the Change by Michael J Moore
The psychological complexity of the characters elevates this apocalyptic young adult horror novel above the usual fare. Fifteen year old band mates, Diego, Cali and Wes have managed to last six months after most of humanity simultaneously transformed into deranged, murderous cannibals. Fed up with constantly running, Wes plans on settling somewhere and rebuilding society.…
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2 Book Review: The Clockwork Dagger Novels by Beth Cato
The Clockwork Dagger A healer heroine, a detailed magic/spiritual world and endearing animals – it’s like Beth Cato wrote this book just for me! Octavia Leander is a medician – a mixture between a doctor, nurse and a faith healer. Deeply spiritual, Octavia combines her knowledge of herbal law with her ability to hear infection…
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Book Review: Crowman by David Rae
Stylistic, symbolic and absorbing, Crowman takes you to a dark fantasy world where the sun is held captive in a box. Utas, a textile trader, is fleeing from the city of the sun with his near comatose daughter, Alaba. The dark lord, Vatu, who holds the sun in a box and only lets it shine…
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Book Review: Stranger Paths by RJ Zarkani
Raghad Jabbar Zarkani grew up in Iraq, survived a war and now lives in the U.S. These are her poems. Divided into three parts; Part I Contains poems of her life in Iraq during wartime, her childhood experiences of Saddam Hussein and the way people treat her as an immigrant. Part II has poems that…
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Book Review: Prophet of the Badlands by Matthew S Cox
Matthew S Cox may well have invented a new genre in this post apocalyptic blend of science fiction and fantasy. Twelve year old Althea has known only capture and imprisonment. Because of her glowing eyes and magical healing abilities, she is famous throughout the Badlands as the Prophet, a very valuable commodity that is worth…