Review of Keith Stevenson’s “Traitor’s Bargain (Lenticular Book 2)”

On February 22, 2024February 22, 2024 By Carol RylesIn Reviews By Me, SF

This space opera continues from Traitor’s Run, with rebels from different planets joining forces to stop the invasion and destruction of not only the Kretz Homeworld, but also many worlds beyond.

Udon, is a humanoid crustacean-like alien, and also a survivor of the first assault on his Homeworld. Like many of his kind, he has been maimed to purposely strip him of the advantage of having telepathic abilities.

Rhees is a disgraced human pilot who soon learns that most of what she previously believed was a lie, and was consequently sentenced to a death she managed to escape.

Denev, who was once loyal to the Hegemony, suspects its leaders murdered his parents, and now understands Rhees is not a traitor, but is fighting for freedom from the evil forces that have corrupted the Hegemony’s original goal of protecting Earth from future invasions.

This novel’s strengths are in its character development. It was great to see Udon progress from a victim to a fighter. Rhees who often second guessed herself in Book 1, now refuses to be gaslit and is assertive and commanding. Denev’s role is relatively minor so far, but I suspect there will be a few surprises for him in Book 3. I enjoyed seeing good and bad in enemies and friends alike, which reinforces the understanding that peace can only be found when pre-conceived prejudices are questioned.

Readers who enjoyed Book 1 of this series will definitely enjoy Book 2. And the cover is awesome!

Review of AG Slatter’s “Briar Book of the Dead”

On February 16, 2024 By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Reviews By Me

It’s always a pleasure to dip into AG Slatter’s Sourdough stories, and this latest offering is an absolute gem. Ellie is from a long line of witches, and is supposedly without magic. Soon she is plunged into a role that requires both magic and wits. Will wits be enough? Or will she master secret newly-discovered skills in time to prevent an evil that threatens not only her loved ones and herself, but her entire village and beyond. There is so much to love about this novel, and for this reader, the characterisation turned out to be as stunning as the trials and tribulations Ellie must face. I found myself easily immersed in this imagined world that was equal parts intriguing, wonderful and surprising. Highly recommended for anyone who loves intelligent fantasy fiction outside of the generic mould. And if they haven’t read any of Slatter’s previous fiction, it will definitely have them seeking out more.

Cover Blurb:

“Set in the same universe as the acclaimed All the Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns (one of Oprah Daily’s Top 25 Fantasy Novels of 2022), this beautifully told Gothic fairy tale of ghosts, witches, deadly secrets and past sins, will be perfect for fans of Hannah Whitten and Ava Reid.

Ellie Briar is the first non-witch to be born into her family for generations. The Briar family of witches run the town of Silverton, caring for its inhabitants with their skills and magic. In the usual scheme of things, they would be burnt for their sorcery, but the church has given them dispensation in return for their protection of the borders of the Darklands, where the much-feared Leech Lords hold sway.

Ellie is being trained as a steward, administering for the town, and warding off the insistent interest of the church. When her grandmother dies suddenly, Ellie’s cousin Audra rises to the position of Briar Witch, propelling Ellie into her new role. As she navigates fresh challenges, an unexpected new ability to see and speak to the dead leads her to uncover sinister family secrets, stories of burnings, lost grimoires and evil spells. Reeling from one revelation to the next, she seeks answers from the long dead and is forced to decide who to trust, as a devastating plot threatens to destroy everything the Briar witches have sacrificed so much to build.

Told in the award-winning author’s trademark gorgeous, addictive prose, this is an intricately woven tale of a family of witches struggling against the bonds of past sins and persecution.“

Details and purchasing options at Titan Books and also:

Review of Richard Harland’s FERREN & THE ANGEL

On November 22, 2023November 24, 2023 By Carol RylesIn Uncategorized

In Ferren and the Angel Harland reworks the trope of celestial intervention into a dystopian future where Heaven and Earth have been at war for hundreds of years and both are all but destroyed. Humanity’s few remaining tribes must now endure a pre-industrial existence, where outside oppressors forcibly recruit young men and women to fight. As yet, no tribe member has ever returned. When the time for the next recruitment draws near, the strangest of things happens: an angel falls to Earth. Seemingly clueless, helpless and fragile, her presence is as much problematic as miraculous.

Ferren is almost of age. His curiosity and willingness to question traditional beliefs risks turning him into an outcast. When he discovers the angel and decides to help her, his eyes are opened to enemies who lurk in the most unexpected of places. Ferren must now step away from his familiar life and face horrors that even the angel could not imagine.

There is so much to love about this newly revised, Richard Harland classic. Along with a fast-moving story and excellent world-building are little details that made me smile, eg, the everyday relics from the present world of the reader, revered as treasures by Ferren’s people, much like we, ourselves, value — and at times puzzle over — everyday relics from our own distant pasts. At times, it is difficult to tell who is friend and who is foe, and therefore it is most satisfying to see the main characters develop and grow as they struggle to learn.

Ferren and the Angel is an enjoyable coming of age story, in a society that has unknowingly reached a turning point. Can the survivors reclaim the glorious years of their distant ancestors? Or will they discard their humanity and devolve into something unrecognisable?

Published 6th November, 2023 by IFWG. Click here for more details and purchasing options

Review of: The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar

On July 29, 2023July 29, 2023 By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Reviews By Me

A Novella by Indra Das

I absolutely loved this novella. Ru comes from nowhere, but maybe from somewhere in Calcutta. His mysterious beginnings shape his way of seeing in ways he can barely comprehend. His path to understanding is thwarted when his eccentric parents regularly feed him a tea of forgetfulness. He is not quite an outcast in the world he inhabits, and barely belongs to another world that may or may not exist.

The gorgeous cover was enough for me to pick up this novella, even before I’d read the equally gorgeous sample chapter. Rich and poignant prose, along with a wonderfully slow burn about queerness, difference, growing up, falling in love, and the yearning for a reality that is more complex than it seems. Adding to the beauty – and also blurring the boundaries between the impossible and the real – are dragons!

Published June 2023 by Subterranean Press. Details here.

Review of Thieves’ Gambit

On July 23, 2023July 23, 2023 By Carol RylesIn Reviews By Me, YA

A new novel by Kayvion Lewis, (Simon & Schuster, October 24, 2023)

Seventeen-year-old Roslyn (Ross) Quest hails from a family of high-end professional thieves, and has been groomed since birth to follow in their footsteps. Although amazingly proficient at her job, her dream is to attend university and train as a gymnast. All too soon, her meticulous plans are thwarted when a rival faction kidnaps her mother. Ross’s only chance of saving her is to compete against eight equally-proficient teens in the Thieves’ Gambit, a notorious competition where murder is a permissible strategy to win. To complicate things even further, Ross has been taught to trust no one outside of her family, but when the handsome Devroe offers the affection and support she deserves, what is she to do?

This is a fast-paced read about heists that are as much fun as thrilling; and who doesn’t love heists? I cared about the characters from the start, and continued to be emotionally invested in their successes and failures, especially when they face choices that go against everything their parents have taught them. As the competition progresses, and the heists become more and more complicated, the tension ramps up, and the teens must try to cooperate with each other, while at the same time, both predict and take advantage of the probability of betrayals. When lives are at stake and morality enters the mix, which will win: nature or nurture? Needless to say, every adult in this entire novel is beneath contempt for forcing teenagers into situations that encourage physical and emotional abuse.

Social commentary aside, if you love heists and lots of action that keeps you guessing, along with a group of teens who are audaciously resourceful, this YA novel is for you. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending this book for review consideration.

Review of “Traitor’s Run” by Keith Stevenson

On July 16, 2023 By Carol RylesIn Reviews By Me, SF

Space Opera with a Twist

The Hegemony is a human-led federation of worlds that safeguards its dominance by subjugating potential opponents. When the insular Kresz – a crustacean/insectile humanoid species – refuses to join, the Hegemony treats them as a threat. The subsequent drama unfolds from mostly two points of view: Rhees Lowrans, a talented albeit disgraced human pilot who blames herself for the death of a loved one; and Udun, a Kresz who prefers to live offworld, a rare trait amongst his species. As each is drawn into separate conflicts – ones that threaten their lives and challenge their beliefs – they are forced to make choices that were previously unthinkable.

There is much to like about this novel, including the representations of good and evil in both humans and aliens, and also the strong female characters working in institutions that, thus far, appear to be dominated by males. The novel’s strengths lie with Stevenson’s thoughtful and intelligent depictions of various aliens and their cultures, particularly the worldview, religion and social mores of the empathic Kresz. The narrative voices are successfully character specific, though can be dry at times and often remained so during weapon-to-weapon conflict and scenes of emotional turmoil. Readers looking for classic space opera with a twist will enjoy this novel. I will certainly be looking out for Book 2. Thank you Net Galley and coeur de lion for sending this book for review consideration.

Release Date: October 1, coeur de lion Publishing

Review: “Bitters” by Kaaron Warren

On July 13, 2023 By Carol RylesIn Horror, Reviews By Me

Literary Horror at its finest.

An enormous metal man has stood in the town for over a thousand years. McNubbin’s job is to climb the 400 steps to the top, and tip freshly deceased bodies into its mouth. The result is a much-needed tonic that is delivered through a tap in the man’s toe and sold to visitors from far and wide. When McNubbin begins to receive the bodies of broken girls, he must step outside of what is expected of him and risk upsetting his comfortable status quo.

Multi-award winning Australian writer, Kaaron Warren, has that perfect knack of making the impossible believable, the horrifying compelling, along with well-written characters who keep me reading. This novella is highly recommended if you are a fan of horror and dark fiction.

Bitters was published by Cemetery Dance, May 2023.

A Wee Horror Drabble in Dark Moments

On February 20, 2023 By Carol RylesIn Horror

Last year, I was challenged to write a 100 word horror drabble for Black Hare Press. “100 words!” I thought. “Should be easy.” Only it wasn’t. It took me three goes over three months to get it right, but in the end my little Christmas tale — slightly humorous and very dark — was accepted into the December Issue. You can find it at this link: A Song for Dorian.

The Eternal Machine Gets a Makeover

On November 9, 2022November 9, 2022 By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Novel, Steampunk

I’ve been messing around with photoshop these past few months, learning how to make composites and touch up images. After a number of tries, playing with stock images and combining them and turning them into something new, I came up with an image that made me think, “Hey, this would make a good cover for The Eternal Machine.” I loved the one I already had, but it didn’t look its best online. Looked lovely in print though. So I got David from David Schembri Studios to help me polish it up and add some fonts, and now here it is: My new cover.