Every new book from Angela Slatter becomes my favourite. The Crimson Road is no exception. It has everything I look for in dark fantasy fiction: a strong-willed and perfectly ironic heroine whose wry humour is subtle has me rooting for her from the first chapter, excellent world building, with friends and enemies appearing from unlikely places, along with many recognisable folkloric creatures, and others made all the more frightening with an original spin, eg, the Leech Lords along with the terrifying thing that resides in the Anchorhold. I enjoyed the detailed build up to the novel’s conclusion, so many details to make everything about this part of the Sourdough universe and its people feel real. A book I did not want to put down, and left me eagerly awaiting the next adventure set in this fascinating world.
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!
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Glenda Larke’s years spent as an Australian living in Malaysia are often reflected in her fantasy fiction through the use of non-stereotypical settings and postcolonial themes. Her world-building is complex, distinctive and believable, while her characters’ strengths and (intentional) flaws are both admirable and pleasingly infuriating. The Lascar’s Dagger, Book One of The Forsaken Lands Trilogy continues that tradition and is easily one of Larke’s best.
Saker is a priest, scholar and spy. Handsome and quick thinking, he is courageous and driven by a strong sense of morality which, in matters of the heart, lead him along paths that a hard-hearted or perhaps wiser man would leave untrodden. His story begins with a routine spying mission which is almost ruined when he is attacked by a barefooted sailor – a Lascar from the mostly unexplored islands on the opposite side of the world. When the Lascar disappears into a nearby canal, Saker unwittingly gains possession of his dagger.
Saker soon learns that the dagger has a will of its own and if he does not discover its purpose, his knack for attracting trouble may well destroy him.
What follows is an entertaining and thoughtful tale of danger and discovery as Saker is sent to the royal court of Ardrone ostensibly as a spiritual advisor, but in reality as a spy. Immediately he finds himself embroiled in plots and counterplots as Lady Mathilda, a princess who longs to be king, proves herself to be both intelligent and conniving.
At the same time, Saker is blinded to the true nature of Mathilda’s dowdy yet outspoken handmaid, Sorrel Redwing. A woman with a tragic past and hidden magic, Sorrel outwardly disdains him. When the two interact, sparks fly. Saker cannot tell if she is his friend or enemy.
As always with Larke’s fiction, the setting is not simply a backdrop, but as much a player as the characters themselves. The Kingdom of Ardrone and the Regality of Lowmeer are both patriarchal societies separated not only by borders but also by their differing interpretations of religion, their divergent cultures and their leaders’ lust for power. In both regions, religion is linked to magic, while magic is an integral aspect of religion. Both are easily corrupted to support the needs of those who rule.
As a result, the novel’s conflicts and outcomes are logical developments inside the rich social tapestry woven around them. At the same time they are full of surprises that add up to a book that is difficult to put down.
Although I’d like to discuss the Lascar’s place and the post-colonial themes in this novel, I cannot do so without giving too much away. Therefore I will deal with them in my review of Book Two: The Dagger’s Path, which is due out in January 2015.
CAROL RYLES 