I’m not trying to be tautological when I say that history is written by the writers, cute as it may sound. And I’m not talking about historians. I’m not even professional writers, whether of fiction or journalism or what-have-you. I’m talking about writing history as it happens, taking control of a narrative that is still …
Road of Bones by veteran horror author Christopher Golden is a horror novel the way Resident Evil IV is a horror game. It’s scary, and it’s eerie, but in the end it’s all about the action. The isolation, the psychological elements, and the gore all feed the sense of dramatic forward motion, and not the …
You want a masterclass in worldbuilding? Look no further. Kate Elliott hasn’t been in the game for this long for nothing, and it’s clear from this brief novella that she has only grown in power. Servant Mage combines sharp insights, swift character work, and a magnificently complex world to make a story that feels both …
There are still WAY too many good books coming out for this list to be comprehensive, so here’s the second 1/3rd of my most anticipated books. The middle of the year is particularly bountiful since a lot of books had their release dates pushed back due to supply chain issues. It’s been another chaotic year, …
2022 is going to have some incredible books, and I’m especially looking forward to certain series continuing on or wrapping up entirely. There are too many to cover in a single article, so this is only the first 1/3rd of the year. And, as always, the best way to support authors is to preorder their …
This list makes no claim to comprehensiveness, even as far as I, the reviewer, am concerned. It’s just a list of books I liked and wanted to talk about at the end of the year. Most have been perhaps a little overlooked. “I think these books are good and that you should read them” is …
Stockings are one of my favorite Christmas traditions. There’s something that never stops being fun about finding small treasures meant to do nothing but delight, with no running around to find the hottest and least-in-stock game or toy necessary. If you’d like to sneak a book in with the little snacks and games and baubles, …
Fairy tales are a double edged sword. I think all of us have been inclined toward reboots not because we’re Hollywood dupes or whatever the alarmist discourse is now, but because the familiar is comforting—and after these past few years, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting comfort. But it puts authors in a bind, because …
It’s a lovely morning in the village, and you are a horrible girl. Wait. Goose. You’re a horrible goose. Well, you’re a horrible goose girl. The Goose Girl, to be more specific—or both of them, the princess with the disobedient servant and the servant who steals her mistress’s place in the Grimm’s version. The fairy tale is about punishing those …
I only meant to start this book. I did. And then suddenly it was way too late at night and I was several hundred pages deep, reading the same paragraph three times because I was falling asleep but not even mad about it. Reading Caitlin Starling’s prose is a pleasure no many how many times …