A Song for the Void is an excellent historical fiction novel brimming with cosmic horror ambience. It is extremely well constructed, full of foreboding atmosphere and memorable characters. There are a few imperfections, but what novel can say otherwise? Despite the relatively slow burn of the ‘descent into madness’ trope, the author manages to craft […]
Red Rising is a dystopian science fiction novel of oppression and revolution…sort of. Darrow is slave. A Red. A downtrodden caste living beneath the surface of Mars. When his life is upended by the cruelty of the Golds, his society’s lofty rulers, Darrow embarks on a quest to transform his society. For me, this story […]
The opening hundred pages or so of this chunky epic fantasy are twisty and delightful, delivering unexpected reversals of fortune and unforeseen complications that set up a dynamic plot. The author excelled at continually deepening and expanding conflicts on multiple axis. In my opinion, this is one of the core requisites for a truly captivating […]
Jade Legacy sets the standard for great urban fantasy trilogies. In the culmination of her Green Bone Saga, Lee achieves a novel that feels epic in a different way than other fantasy stories. The narrative doesn’t aspire to grandiose feats of magic, or world-shaking stakes of cosmic proportions, it paints the image of a family, […]
The Pariah is a captivating, masterfully told tale of adventure and revenge. This book got its hooks in me from page one. It is full of vibrant characters and dire moments, breakneck action and fireside recollections. The Pariah feels gripping in the same way as Anthony Ryan’s earlier novel, Blood Song. Ryan’s immersive style of […]
An End to Sorrow is the culmination of the Obsidian Path trilogy, a grimdark gem that is very bingeable, and totally unique. The story follows Khraen, the once demon emperor and his quest to reclaim the shards of his soul and take back the world he once ruled from the merciless wizards. Pretty metal, right? […]
Daughter of the Cyber Dragons is another action-packed collaboration between C.T. Phipps and Michael Suttkus. It’s a cyberpunk comedy jammed full of pop culture references and triple crosses that’ll keep you guessing until the end. The world building was great. It was a post-apocalyptic setting with very specific formative events that shaped it as well […]
Shadows of Ivory is an entertaining adventure story full of interesting characters and memorable scenes. When a young noble woman steals an ancient artifact from a dastardly aristocrat she stumbles onto a secret buried in the pages of history. What follows is a globe spanning hunt for a set of powerful relics shrouded in mystery. […]
Gunmetal Gods is a dark fantasy epic set in a world reminiscent of the crusades. It has elements of military fantasy and eldritch horror that are expertly woven into a story with big stakes, epic worldbuilding, and convincing characters. Kevah is an aging janissary, one of the Shah’s slave soldiers. He is renown throughout the […]
Space Academy Dropouts is a high adventure farce that was a quick and fun read. I’d highly recommend it for fans of humorous sci-fi, or just sci-fi, or just humor. Captain Vance Turbo, yes he legally changed his name to that, is a screw up. Sure he is a crack shot, a smooth talker, and […]