This is a fascinating novel. Billed as humour, with all the trappings of an Action Fantasy, it also manages to draw us in emotionally on a deeper level. Let’s put this story into perspective. It has towns called Spittlesburg, Whatadump, and Bristol. (What does the author have against Bristol?) It has a Province of Malevolentia, […]
“Pentimento Mori” by Valeria Corciolani
This is very different murder mystery. A story of art dealers and ancient relics, of forgeries and academics. And above all, about people. Each new character is a work of art, described in the articulate detail of an art dealer’s catalogue. And each is an individual par excellence, including one that seems to be a […]
“Dancer on the Ceiling: More Darkly Humorous Tales” by Mark Nutter
This is a book of creative comedy, mainly based on opposites. Think of an idea that our society holds dear, and Mark will come up with a completely illogical reason to believe the opposite. The story on Reverse Psychology is perhaps the quintessential tale of opposites, except Mark always has to go one step further […]
“Eye of Ksera” by Sedigitus Swift
This Fantasy novel is a good story with the unfortunate addition of a certain amount of extraneous material that adds something to the overall atmosphere of the setting but pulls the reader’s attention away from the action. I sometimes find this situation in academic writers who don’t realize how much footnoting and interesting sidebars get […]
“Brainstorm” by Nissa Harlow
This story starts out to be a standard YA Paranormal novel. It soon develops into more than that, mainly because of its quirky sense of humour, in places involving the main character’s extreme embarrassment at having two other characters — who happen to be boys her age — discussing events which happened in the bathroom […]
Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc.” by Ash Bishop
This novel is lighthearted Space Opera with a strong but chaste romantic element, making it appropriate for young adults. However, there is enough action and serious conflict to make it appealing to adult Sci-Fi readers as well. The earthly section of the plot is portrayed realistically and well described, with just enough detail to put […]
“Small Stories: A Perfectly Absurd Novel” by Rob Roy Okeefe
This is a book of off-the-wall interactive humour, with the author breaking the fourth wall often to speak directly to readers and stopping the story for tongue-in-cheek explanations of esoteric details and facts. It’s the story of the inability of humans to get along with each other, as typified by small-town civic politics, with a […]
“Dr. Metifunger’s Transdimensional Veterinary Clinic” by Todd Strubbe
I would classify this novel as Quirky Sci-Fi Humour. Humour, most definitely. It had me chuckling aloud several times. The premise of the story is a vet clinic that exists simultaneously in five similar, but not completely the same worlds. This gives the author a chance to toss in any number of weird and wonderful […]
We All Have Our Demons” by Gerrard Tyson
“Demons” is a novella of about a hundred pages, Paranormal Fantasy with a touch of humour. It involves two separate settings: a college campus in the real world, and hell. The main strength of this book is the balance of the writing. We get just enough description to orient us and pull us in, but […]
“Twisted Cow Tales” by Debby Schoeningh
This book is not a novel. It’s a compilation of a set of newspaper articles. As such, it’s meant to be enjoyed in small batches, not read through at one go. As we expect with this sort of book, its success is mostly because of the author’s low-key sense of humour and imaginative wit. She […]