Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Book Reviews
Welcome to this, the first post in what I hope will be a long-running book review blog…
“Dicken is clearly a natural fit for the Legend of the Five Rings setting, and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next. You can be sure I’ll be reviewing his next novel from Aconyte Books as soon as I can.”
“Age of the Undead is an atmospheric, blood-soaked & action-packed zombie-fest from C.L. Werner that perfectly meshes with the Zombicide: Black Plague setting, and demonstrates why Werner is such a prolific and popular author. His characters are deftly crafted and well-developed, there’s a carefully-developed atmosphere of quiet desperation and short, violent bursts of undead violence that permeates the entire narrative, and Werner manages to expand upon the overarching Zombicide setting while also imbuing it with his own unique take on the setting as a whole, creating something both unique and original.”
“I am absolutely delighted (and honoured) to be able to publish the first ever guest article here on The Scifi and Fantasy Reviewer – the first of what I hope will be many thought-provoking articles focusing on different aspects of writing, editing, publishing and even reviewing the written word. To kick off the series, author and publisher David Flin asks us to consider how authors tackle the past as a subject – and some of the common pitfalls when dealing with the past ‘as a foreign country'”
“The Flower Path is nothing less than Josh Reynolds at the height of his considerable talents as an author, an intricate, complex and tightly-plotted murder-mystery perfectly integrated into the Legend of the Five Rings setting, and populated with a richly-imagined cast of characters to create an elegant novel that might well be the best thing that Reynolds has ever written.”
“An increasingly common occurrence when it comes to titles published by Aconyte Books, The Necropolis Empire is a sequel that not only meets the expectations set by its predecessor, but actually manages to exceed them. Once again, Tim Pratt has delivered an energetic, thought-provoking and hugely entertaining slice of space opera, leavened with a quirky sense of humour and populated with a superb cast of well-rounded and memorable characters. Pratt is clearly having a blast writing in the Twilight Imperium universe, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the concluding title in the trilogy, The Veiled Masters, when its released later in the year. I’ll be grabbing my review copy right away, and you can be sure I’ll be reviewing it as soon as I can…”
“The Night Parade of 100 Demons is a slow-burning, contemplative spiritual adventure novel set in a richly-crafted and finely-detailed corner of Rokugan, the fictional setting of the Legend of the Five Rings role-playing game, populated with deftly-imagined characters and highly engaging worldbuilding, drawn together into a fascinating mystery with some surprising twists and turns as layer after layer of personal and cultural secrets are uncovered by two samurai from rival Clans in the Emerald Empire…”
“I’m absolutely delighted to continue with this series by interviewing Meghan Douglass, a new author focusing on science-fiction and horror stories. Her debut publication was the scifi/horror novella Humanity Lost which I reviewed in November last year, and found to be both a sterling debut – well-written, atmospheric and quietly disturbing – and also a superb slice of scifi-horror, a subgenre that still doesn’t get much love even these days. She also has an upcoming collection of short stories – Tormented Tales: A Collection of Nightmarish Short Stories – which is due out later this year. She was kind enough to find time in her schedule to agree to answer some questions from me about her background and life experiences, and how those have influenced her writing and goals as an author; the inspirations behind her various stories; how she manages to write stories across different genres; and what her plans are for the future.”
“Populated by a carefully-crafted cast of characters, an atmospheric and often chilling plot, and filled with some superbly cinematic and tension-filled action sequences that thake their cues from the stunts found in those early Jazz Age monochrome, silent movies, The Deadly Grimoire is not only a superb addition to Aconyte Books’ Arkham Horror series, but also the best book that Rosemary Jones has written yet. Jones manages the devilishly – or should that be squamously – difficult job of crafting a novel that works on multiple levels: as its own stand-alone occult horror novel, as a sequel to Mask of Silver that further develops the plot and characters of that novel, and also as a work of Lovecraftian fiction that further expands on Arkham Horror as a setting.”
“Seeds of Destruction is another superb piece of occult military horror that results from the genius collaboration between Anthony Watson and Benedict J. Jones, and is one of those rare sequels that is not just as good as its predecessor, but actually even more impressive and engaging. The blend of action, espionage and Lovecraftian horror is as thrilling, fast-paced and action-packed as that found in Ragnarok Rising, but also feels more fluid, assured and confident than in the first novel in the series. That’s a sign, I believe, that Watson and Jones have found their pace for the series and are now able to fully deliver on the potent potential found in the premise and setting…”
“Sons of Sol is a whiplash-fast, smartly-written, often hilarious and utterly thrilling homage to the Golden Age of science-fiction writing, brought into the 21st Century by Kevin McNally who has proven that his skill as an author equally matches his skill on stage and screen.”
“Autumn: Inferno is another masterclass in writing zombie fiction from David Moody, and further proof that Moody is a maestro at the very peak of his talent as an author of horror fiction. With Autumn: Inferno Moody has once again demonstrated his undeniable ability to revolutionize and revivify the zombie as a staple of the horror genre, reframing the humble, shambling corpse as a genuinely terrifying opponent in a way that hasn’t been seen in the genre for some time.”
“I’m absolutely delighted to continue with this interview series by interviewing S.C. Jensen, an up-and-coming science-fiction author whose works I recently discovered after reviewing her debut novel, Bubbles in Space: Tropical Punch which is a gritty blend of the science-fiction and noir detective genres. Jensen is the author of the popular cyberpunk Bubbles in Space series, featuring protagonist Bubbles Marlowe, a cyborg detective investigating cases in futuristic dystopia HoloCity, as well as the on-going series HoloCity Case Files which are a spin-off of the Bubbles in Space series. She has also had several short stories published in anthologies, the latest of which is in the Neo Cyberpunk: Volume 2 anthology.”
“Redcoat is not only the best song released by Forlorn Hope in their career as a heavy metal band, but I would go so far as to say that it is one of the best heavy metal songs that I have ever listened to in my life, easily standing up-to anything that giants of the genre like Sabaton have performed. The single is a clear demonstration of the depth and variety of talent found within Forlorn Hope, and their ability to deftly blend together superb lyrics, awesome vocals and utterly sublime instrumentals to create something that lodges itself in your head long after the song itself has finished, and happily lingers for a long time afterwards. You’ll find yourself – as I did – humming the chorus and repeating those sublime lyrics randomly throughout the day – before going back and listening to Redcoat on repeat for a while longer.”
“Humans are the Problem is a brilliant collection of horror stories, the sort of tales that are needed to keep the Horror genre as fresh and vibrant as it is at the moment, and I am greatly looking forward forward seeing what the editors and publisher Weird Little Worlds do in the future – I’ll certainly be watching closely.”
“Taken all together, Kaiju Time Slip is a delightfully chaotic blend of kaiju action, political intrigue, timely satire and well-executed black comedy, all deftly woven into a fast-paced and thoroughly engaging plot that’s stripped of any padding or extraneous scenes. Murphy is clearly a fan of kaiju media and keenly demonstrates an inherent understanding of both its strengths and weaknesses, adroitly avoiding the latter and smoothly playing up the former, including numerous cinematic action sequences that I would kill to see on the silver screen..”
The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviewer 