Category: Fantasy

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

On 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: The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar

On 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.

The Eternal Machine Gets a Makeover

On 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.

I was very happy to find a place for the dragonfly, which David drew especially for the original cover of this book.

Paperback and ebook available at: Amazon, including Amazon.com, Amazon.com.au, Amazon.co.uk,
ebook: Kobo US, Kobo UK, Kobo AU, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Scribd, & Apple Books.

Book Review: Burnt Sugar

On By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Reviews By Me

Burnt Sugar is the first in the Never Afters Series by Kirstyn McDermott, and published by Brain Jar Press (QLD, Australia).

I’ve been a long-term fan of Kirstyn’s dark revisioned fairytales. Burnt Sugar is up there with the best. Told from the point of view of a very much older Gretel, both she and her brother Hansel carry scars from their early childhood abandonment, near death at the hands of the witch and subsequent escape. But everything isn’t as it seems. There are secrets still unanswered and a book of magic that promises old nightmares and deadly temptations. The prose is lovely and evocative, and the story grabbed me from beginning to unpredictable end.

I will definitely invest in the rest of the series.

Shop at Brain Jar Press

Feature Image: Gingerbread house by Theo Crazzolara

Book Review: Bourbon Penn #25

On By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Reviews By Me

This was my introduction to the Bourbon Penn anthologies and I’m now asking myself: how has it taken me so long to discover them? At 150 pages, Issue #25 is pleasingly weird and quirky, exactly as its cover image promises.

My favourite story was Anthony Panegyres’ “Anthropopages Anonymous (AA)”, which totally nails the thoughts and actions of upwardly evolved bears. The humour is subtle and dark, while the bears’ way of thinking is a dangerous mix of animal and human.

I was particularly drawn to the mystery of Louis Evans’ “Lazaret” with its strange Twilight Zone-esque vibes; and also to the precarious balance of tragedy and creepiness in Simon Stanzas’ “That House”.

E Catherine Tobler’s “The Truth Each Carried” allows the reader to discover more than one secret through the eyes of a perceptive and gifted older woman. Her horses are wonderful!

Allie Kiri Mendelsohn’s “Mosaic” is a tale of magic told from the point of view of a very young adult. Mendelsohn’s use of language does much to enhance the characterisation and setting.

Gregory Norman Bossert’s “Appearing Nightly” is an atmospheric vignette about a magician whose performances are at once perplexing and elusive.

I finished this antho in less than a day. All six stories left me thinking about them afterwards.

Bourbon Penn #25 edited by Erik Secker is available online at Amazon, Book Depository and Bourbon Penn Website

Leanbh Pearson Reviews The Eternal Machine

On By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Novel

The Eternal Machine launched last week 14th January, and at last I feel as if I’ve reached the first milestone of a very long fourteen-year journey. It was my first novel, one I didn’t think I would ever publish, and almost ended up in the trash basket forever. Instead, I decided to use it to work my way through the entire learning process of writing longer fiction. I used it to learn how to write character, then plot, dialogue, world building, emotion, description. At times it felt as if I were painting a picture, adding each layer at a time, making sure they not only complemented each other but also interacted. Now that it’s done, I’m glad I stuck with it. Using input I received from critters, editors, beta readers and now reviewers, the ongoing process feels like a masterclass with my own work as a focus.

I was therefore delighted to receive a review from spec fiction writer and book blogger Leanbh Pearson, who summed up her commentary with:

A new steampunk read from a debut author in the genre. Highly sophisticated world-building with combination of alternate history, steampunk and gaslamp fantasy makes this suitable for audiences of all three genres. A well-recommended read!

You can read the entire review at Leanbh’s website.

THE ETERNAL MACHINE:

ebook and paperback from Amazon US   Amazon AU   Amazon UK   

ebook from Barnes & Noble  Kobo US  Kobo Au and  Kobo UK

Tomorrow!

On By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Novel, Steampunk

At last, The Eternal Machine will be released tomorrow, Friday 14th January! I’m excited, a little bit scared and happy to have nearly met the goal I made 14 years ago. If you like weird steampunk, gothic urban fantasy with lots of strong female characters, and a little bit of Leibniz, then this may be for you.

Edited by Amanda J Spedding and Pete Kempshall.

I must admit the scariest part was putting it up on NetGalley via BooksGoSocial a couple of months ago. But I bit the bullet and jumped in, and received an interesting mix of reader reactions, which are now on Goodreads. I took a few risks with this book by including themes that I care about and are as much a reflection of the present world as the novel’s nineteenth century setting; but that’s what a lot of steampunk is about, isn’t it? Taking risks.

Anyhow, allow me to introduce you to some of my girls.

Starting from Top Right and moving Clockwise:

1. Em is an underpaid & underemployed mechanic who dreams of being a designer, but has little chance in a city owned by industrialists; so becomes a rebel instead.

2. Solly is a resistance fighter, Em’s friend and mentor; and is a wise and natural leader.

3. Lottie is a shapeshifter trapped in the body of a human. She is wise, irreverent, witty, flippant and loves smoking cigars.

4. Phidelia is on a mission, but her unconventional behaviour has many tongues wagging against her. She ignores this narrowmindedness with all the contempt it deserves.

5. Orla is spectacularly badass and somewhat corrupted. She wants to rid the city of industrialists, but cares little about who she hurts along the way.

6. Myrtle has worked as a horologist for 24 years. She is a rebel, Em’s mentor and is fiercely protective of her younger brother who is very very tall.

Furthermore, there are also some kick-ass male characters, some good, some bad, and some a bit of both.

THE ETERNAL MACHINE: ebook and paperback from Amazon US   Amazon AU   Amazon UK   ebook only from Barnes & Noble  Kobo US  Kobo Au and  Kobo UK

Image Credits:

Damask Wallpaper No-longer-here
Oval Picture frame: Darkmoon_Art
Gold Rectangular Picture Frame: Aventrend
Em: Kiselev Andrey Valerevich
Solly: Atelier Sommerland
Lottie: VikkiB
Phidelia: Atelier Sommerland
Orla: Darksouls1
Myrtle: Ollyy

Images edited by Carol Ryles

Unexpected Discoveries

On By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Novel, Steampunk

What does this image represent?

A. Me proofreading and spotting a typo?

B. A character learning that something is not as it seems?

C. A reader surprised by a plot twist?

Answer:

All of the above 😉

THE ETERNAL MACHINE ebook and paperback go live 14th January, 2022 worldwide including Amazon US   Amazon AU   Amazon UK   Barnes & Noble  Kobo US  Kobo Au and  Kobo UK

Video Credits:
In video

Feature Image Credits:

Worried woman sitting at table: LightField Studio
Damask Wallpaper No-longer-here
Oval Picture frame cut out from image by: Darkmoon_Art
Steampunk man’s and steampunk woman’s face in oval frames: Kiselev Andrey Valerevich
Framed steampunk airship: flutie8211
Gold Rectangular Picture Frame: Avantrend
Woman in Red dress: Avesun

Images edited by Carol Ryles using GIMP

The Eternal Machine is Almost Here

On By Carol RylesIn Fantasy, Novel, Steampunk1 Comment

It has certainly been a learning curve getting this book ready for publication. But I’m almost there. Meanwhile, if you are interested in reading Sample Chapters One to Six, you are welcome to take a look.

I started this novel back in 2008 and it has since been through many redrafts. It has been professionally edited at three stages of production:

Structural and Line Edits: Pete Kempshall

Copy Edit: Amanda J Spedding

It’s now going through a very slow, final proofread.

Currently available for pre-order worldwide including Amazon US   Amazon AU   Amazon UK   Barnes & Noble  Kobo US Kobo Au and Kobo UK. Trade paperback will be released 14th January, 2022.

Praise for THE ETERNAL MACHINE

Victoriana comes to Sydney in an alternative 19th Century, bringing dark Dickensian factories and even darker souls. Mages too, practising heart magic and skin magic, along with shapeshifters, demons and automata. Mix in a mad scientist, a touch of romance and a plot to keep you guessing—wild! What’s not to love? Highly recommended.

~Richard Harland, Author of Worldshaker, Liberator, Song of the Slums and more.

…nicely sensory, gritty, darkly colourful… an apparently real world from the first sentences, and I very soon got caught up in it… the novel’s tone, characters, and themes make it apparent that Ryles takes the genre as seriously as the best steampunk writers take it…

~James P Blaylock – author of Homunculus, Lord Kelvin’s Machine, River’s Edge, and a whole lot more.