“Source Mage” is a tightly written, fast paced action adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world of declining military resources and increasing magical influence. This writer knows his weapons and his modern battle terminology, and he accomplishes the difficult blend between the mundane and the supernatural and keeps the conflict realistic. It’s a tightrope walk, making […]
“the butterflies have died” by Rinoshun
This is a debut poetry collection from an Indian author. It is a book of love poems, most of them sad. To be accurate, these are not love poems but poems about love, because while some of them seem to be written to a lover, they mostly discuss the love: its success or failure, its […]
“The Cycle of Harm” by M H Snowy
This story starts out as a typical Medieval action fantasy, with stereotypical characters: magician, mute apprentice, legendary hero, berserker warriors. Plenty of magic, violence, and gore. The setting seems simplified, with no extraneous details. Nothing but warriors, victims, and battles. In fact, it all seems so simplified that Montague the Magician begins to get suspicious. […]
“Fate Lashed” by Josh Erikson
I do wish otherwise good writers would stop trying so hard to be creative. Let’s take “Fate Lashed” as an example. It’s a non-standard love triangle driven by a main character with commitment issues. It’s also a classic Modern Epic Fantasy containing huge numbers of supernatural beings of varying levels of power, with the fate […]
“Heir to the Underworld” by J B Dennis
Many have noted that the ancient Greek gods acted like a bunch of rowdy teenagers. Most days it seems Olympus closely resembled a middle school at lunch time. J. B. Dennis has capitalized on this and made the metaphor the reality for his novel. You see, the gods have grown tired of their occupation and […]
“Night Shifter” by L. E. Horn
I found this book an enjoyable read. Well, perhaps “enjoyable” is a little tame for a werewolf thriller, but it takes all kinds. This author’s writing style is smooth and well edited, and nothing distracts us from our enjoyment of the story. It has well-rounded characters and several different levels of conflict, from the most personal […]
“Cynetic Wolf” by Matt Ward
This is a Post-Apocalyptic Action Fantasy with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. It is the story of a suppressed majority in rebellion against an authoritarian government that controls the population by the traditional Orwellian mixture of propaganda, subterfuge and armed force. The population is made up of several different offshoots of the human […]
“Rise of Anowen” by Renee Peters
This is an interesting take on the whole vampire genre, pushing the languid, luxurious experience of eternal life to an extreme. The whole book plays like a scene from a Felini movie; the various members of the king’s family circle around him in a stately pavanne. There are no other characters as such, just hazily sketched […]
“The Epiphany Club” by Andrew Knighton
Whooda thunk it? Steampunk fantasy with depth. I kid you not. What starts out to be just another hi-jinx adventure with turn-of-the-century (19thto 20th, that is) steam-powered sci-fi and stereotypical characters, turns quickly into something more interesting. Oh, don’t worry. The tales are still full of the whole shooting match of far-fetched action sequences, mutated […]
“The Secret of Hawthorne House” by Donald Firesmith
The secret in this novel is a dream every school child must have at some time: a magical way to deal with bullies. Of course, the problem is to use the magic without letting anyone, especially your new best friend, know you’re using magic. This theme of the problems of “otherness” adds depth to the […]