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 […]
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 […]
Burn Red Skies follows a host of characters on an adventure that spans a realm teeming with political intrigue and elemental magic. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and in general the characters, but there were a few issues that kept me from complete immersion in the story. Despite these issues, Burn Red Skies is an epic […]
Norylska Groans is a stylish fantasy thriller with a pitch perfect noir aesthetic. In a setting with post-revolutionary Russian themes, the brutal reality of a city on the edge of the tundra shoves two inhabitants of Norylska into a deadly power struggle. Conscripted into Norylska’s secret police, Katyushka juggles the expectations of her conventional life […]
An Altar on the Village Green is a fantastic tale of madness and horror. Nathan Hall weaves a story that ebbs and flows with a unique atemporal logic. This, more than anything else, sets it apart from your run of the mill fantasy novel. At its core, The Chained God is a series that is […]
Dragon’s Gate: Kingdoms at War is an underdog story through-and-through. Jak and Jadora are mother and son archaeologists unearthing an ancient artifact when the oppressive forces of their wizard rulers swoop in and not only take the artifact, but kidnap them. I really enjoyed the opening. It did an excellent job of painting a vivid […]
The warlike pantheon of Ishmere is on the move. What remains to be seen is whether they will march on Guerdon, the Undead Empire of Old Haith, or the Dragon Syndicates of Lyrix. Meanwhile, each faction’s intrigues set the stage for a cutthroat romp with all sides maneuvering for control of the infamous God bombs. The Shadow […]