Fantasy Books
SPFBO XI - The First Update
The time has come to make choices. Not always comfortable, not always happy for all concerned, but such is the nature of this bloodbath competition.
FBC Judging Process
Our judging process is straightforward. Each of the five judges is assigned (randomly) six books and can select one of them as a semi-finalist. We then evaluate each other's semi-finalists and assign ratings. The book that receives the highest score is chosen as the finalist.
Each judge determines their own approach to reading their set of six books. This year, I made sure to read a minimum of 25% of the books assigned to me.
If you're interested, a few words about my preferences. I love genre-bending books and character-driven stories. I love good pulp fiction, too. My pet peeves include unnecessary wordiness, redundancy, and blocks of exposition (I don't care about the world or magic if you won't hook me with your voice or make me care for characters, first).
Before I wrap things up, I want to emphasize that SPFBO's main strength and addictive nature lies in the wonderful community and process of discovering and discussing books. Submitting your book to a contest takes courage, and I applaud all of you for doing so.
Getting involved in the community is one of the best things any self-published author can do. I encourage you all to follow the contest and engage with bloggers and other authors regardless of the outcome of this round of cuts. I hope my mini-reviews will allow potential readers to pick books that may appeal to them.
Here is our first batch of six books (in alphabetical order). Let's take a closer look at each of them.
Amoran by Debra KoelherPublished August 28, 2025; 424 pages (Kindle edition)Genre: Romantic Fantasy, Portal Fantasy
Amoran was a nice surprise. It’s very readable from the first chapter. Kerrin Scott is juggling work, marriage, kids, deadlines, and mild existential dissatisfaction when a strange pink letter appears in her house and refuses to be either read or ignored. Soon after, a grumpy dwarf-like guardian shows up, followed by elves, vortexes, and the revelation that Kerrin is far more important to the fate of two worlds than her calendar currently allows.
Kerrin lands on Amoran, a strange, colorful world tied to ours through an energy vortex that is slowly destabilizing. If the vortex collapses, both worlds are done. Not ideal. The complication is that Kerrin was supposed to remember who she really is, and due to an unfortunate toilet-related incident, she doesn’t. The rest of the story builds around that missing knowledge, Kerrin's training and light romantic tension. All with a touch of humor. Well, actually, more than a touch.
Humor is everywhere. Sometimes a bit too much. The jokes are good-natured, in character, and generally pleasant. They fit Kerrin’s voice and never feel out of place, but they tend to pile up. Moments often go like this: something happens, Kerrin reacts, explains why it matters, reassures herself, then cracks a joke. As a result, scenes last longer than they need to, emotions are explained, and internal monologue often repeats what the scene already showed.
Anyway, this is clearly meant to be a feel-good portal fantasy. Stakes exist, but they’re softened by humor and reassurance. Nothing feels truly threatening, and the tension comes more from logistics and timing than from genuine unpredictability. Readers looking for a fun, comforting story with an enjoyable heroine, a warm tone, and light romantic tension will likely have a great time here.
That’s ultimately where Amoran lands. It’s competent, comforting, and easy to sink into, but it doesn’t push hard against its genre boundaries. The tension comes more from logistics and timing than from genuine unpredictability.
Overall, Amoran is a smooth, accessible start to a fun portal fantasy series that cares more about readability than innovation. If you like gentle humor, likable heroines, and fantastical world, you'll enjoy this one.
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A Sharper, More Lasting Pain by Alex Harvey-RivasPublished November 1, 2024; 282 pages (Kindle Edition)Genre: Dark Fantasy Horror
A Sharper, More Lasting Pain is dark, explicit, and emotionally heavy. It’s also clearly written by someone who knows what they’re doing.
The characters carry the book. Simone is controlled and distant, while Nadia is sharp-tongued, self-destructive, and spiraling, but never written as helpless. Their relationship is intense and unhealthy, and often uncomfortable. The supporting cast (Etienne, Chantal, Luc) feels functional, not just there to fill space.
I mostly liked the writing, which is confident and effective. With one caveat - it doesn’t know when to stop. Metaphors stack up, emotions get spelled out, and scenes sometimes end past the point where they’ve made their impact. For a book this short, it drags more than it should.
Structurally, the story overpromises. The prologue hints at something bigger ( monsters, dangerous research, deeper magic), but what follows is a very narrow, character-focused story set almost entirely in one place. A dark-academia mystery teases itself into existence and then mostly refuses to develop. Many of the more interesting ideas are introduced and left untouched.
Basically, this is a tragic sapphic romance about illness, addiction, and self-destruction, and that part works. Everything around it feels underdeveloped by comparison.
Worth reading if you’re here for characters and atmosphere. Less so if you want plot momentum, mystery payoffs, or world-building that actually goes somewhere.
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Empire of Ash and Blood by Matthew ThompsonPublished January 13, 2025; 433 pages (Kindle Edition)Genre: dark science-fiction dystopia
This is an ambitious, angry book. It follows Matias, a long-lived bloodman who has suffered deeply and wants you to understand exactly how and why.
Matias is bitter, thoughtful, and shaped by loss. His relationships show how faith, violence, and love pull him in opposite directions. The plot sounds great on paper, since it contains escape, rebellion, forbidden relationships, and the looming threat of imperial power. Sometimes, it works well, sometimes it has a serious self-control problem.
The novel, you see, explains everything. Then explains it again. Then pauses to make sure you understood the moral implications. In other words, there are moments when backstory overwhelms forward motion. Whole sections feel like they exist because the author didn’t want to let them go, not because the story needed them right then. And so the book feels longer than it needs to be and heavier than it has to be.
Still, there’s no denying the commitment here. Empire of Ash and Blood makes a serious statement about power, freedom, and who gets to define monstrosity. Whether it succeeds will depend on how much patience you have for monologues, ideology, and backstories.
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Life Remains by Niranjan K.Published September 16, 2021 ; 202 pages (Kindle Edition)Genre: Romantic Urban Fantasy
Life Remains does almost everything right, even though its portrayal of vampires is far away from what I prefer. I like vampires to be about death. These ones walk in daylight, eat normal food, run society, and spend a lot of time talking about coexistence.
The story follows several connected threads. Mabel, whose parents were killed by vampires, is forced to live under the protection of Frederick, one of their leaders. Ken, a human hunter (and Frederick’s lover), tries to help people without starting a war. Luke and Clint are two boys caught in the middle, owned by vampires who decide their fate without asking. Secrets, latent powers, old connections, and shifting loyalties slowly push everyone toward conflict even though most of them would really prefer to avoid one.
From a craft perspective, there’s little to complain about. The book is well paced, clearly structured, and easy to read. The chapters move quickly, action scenes are clean and understandable, and the story never gets bogged down in exposition. Characterization is solid across the board.
That said, the plot rarely surprises. The intrigue is competent but most twists are easy to see coming. If you’re waiting for a moment that genuinely changes the game, it never arrives.
Overall, Life Remains is a well-written, dark urban fantasy with vampires who are more interested in control, politics, and relationships than blood and death. To be fair, they don't experience emotions the way people do. A good pick if you want a smooth, fast read and don’t mind your vampires being civilized.
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Pilgrim by Mitchell LüthiPublished October 31, 2023; 693 pages (Kindle Edition)Genre: Dark Fantasy / Horror / Medieval
As a fan of dark fantasy and cosmic horror, I was stoked to check this one out. And it delivered.
Pilgrim is set in 12th-century Jerusalem, at the tail end of the Crusades. Dietmar, a broke and grieving German knight, is hired to smuggle a holy relic back to Europe. That’s the plan, anyway. Instead, a sandstorm drops him and his companions into a nightmare road trip through lost cities, ancient gods, and places that feel fundamentally wrong.
I can't imagine the amount of research that went into it. Lüthi is clearly a scholar, and it shows. Pilgrim pulls from Christian, Islamic, Arabic, and pre-Christian traditions and smashes them together.
The vibe is bleak. Monsters show up often, but the real horror is existential and theological. It shows faith breaking down, reality bending, and the sense that God might not be what anyone thinks He is. Any moment of safety gets erased fast and hope is in short supply by design.
That said, it’s long. Like, 700 pages long. And you feel it. The structure starts to repeat: arrive somewhere strange, encounter a horrifying mythological entity, people die horribly, survivors move on, repeat. Not every encounter feels necessary, and some conversations circle the same questions about faith and evil without really moving things forward. I liked the ideas being explored, but there were stretches where it felt like a lot of words to cover familiar ground.
The characters are interesting, but not always fully developed. Dietmar’s grief and guilt drive the story, but his motivations feel a bit muddy. Razin, on the other hand, is fantastic. Lüthi’s knowledge of Islamic philosophy really shines through him. Still, it can be frustrating that Razin, who clearly understands more than anyone, constantly withholds insight. I get that uncertainty is a theme here, but sometimes I just wanted someone to try and put the pieces together on the page and for people to communicate.
Pilgrim has issues. It’s too long. It repeats itself and drags in the middle. It could’ve been tighter. But it’s also bold, deeply researched, and unique. I’m really glad I read it, and I’ll absolutely be checking out more from Lüthi.
Reflections of Lilje Damselfly by Natalie KeldaPublished June 23, 2025; 219 pages (Kindle Edition)Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Reflections of Lilje Damselfly has a solid idea. Lilje is a water nymph suffering from a chronic illness and constant pain. Her father sends her to an Edwardian spa retreat to live among humans and, hopefully, get better. This means learning human customs, clothing (important), and social norms. Some of this is played for gentle humor, and it mostly works.
Lilje is a likable protagonist. Her illness forces her to leave her family and familiar surroundings, and that sense of loss comes through. The book takes a warm, affirming approach to disability and chronic pain, and despite the subject matter, the overall tone stays light and comforting. There’s also a sapphic romance, which develops without much melodrama (well, there's just a bit of it). This is very much a feel-good story.
Unfortunately, the execution didn’t work for me. The stakes are close to non-existent, and there’s no real urgency to the plot. Things happen, but rarely feel like they matter much. The characters are pleasant but shallow, and most of them don’t develop beyond a single defining trait. Even at just over 200 pages, the book feels over-written*. There’s a lot of description, a lot of explanation, and very little momentum.
I understand the story is, above all, about coping with disability and it can be therapeutical. With that said, I wasn't impressed by writing about disability. Lilje tells us she’s in pain. Often. But we rarely feel it through the scenes themselves. Combined with the slow pacing, this made the reading experience feel flat.
If you’re looking for an easy, cozy read with a warm take on disability, self-acceptance, and finding love despite hardship and illness, this might work for you. If you’re hoping for tension, depth, or a tighter plotting, it probably won’t.
* After checking GR reviews, I'm definitely in the minority. Most readers loved lyrical writing.
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Verdict
The books in my batch were solid, but, being perfectly honest, only one impressed me. So, without further ado, our first semi-finalist is:
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Pilgrim by Mitchell Luthi. Congratulations to Mitchell Luthi and commiserations to the fallen.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Cape Fever
1920: Nineteen-year-old Soraya, an intelligent and sensitive Muslim girl, takes a job as maid and cook for Mrs. Hattingh in an unnamed colonial harbor city after the Great War. Mrs. Hattingh’s son still resides in England after his war service and, despite her busy life full of good works, Mrs. Hattingh lives alone in some isolation. As Soraya begins her service as a live-in maid, she also encounters a mysterious grey woman, a spirit in the house only she can sense. At length, Soraya’s employer—unaware that Soraya is literate—offers to write weekly letters to Soraya’s fiancé. The two women, alone in the old decaying mansion, develop an oddly intertwined relationship, while her employer demands more of Soraya’s time, limiting her days off and opportunities to visit her beloved family.
This novel totally engrossed me; I devoured this book in one sitting. The writing is masterful and the complex characters hypnotically compelling. As the two women’s convoluted relationship deepens, dark secrets rise to consciousness. The story easily transcends the Gothic genre and makes for a memorable read—a tender and scathing meditation on power dynamics and human experience, on colonizer and colonized, and, more intimately, on two women thrown together by need and circumstance. Easily among the best books I’ve read this year, this book is highly recommended… a fantastic story!
The post Cape Fever appeared first on Historical Novel Society.
Categories: Fantasy Books
The Boy with the Jade
In 18th-century China, Baoyu is a child of privilege, heir to an important family of Chinese nobles. He is said to have been born with a jade pendant in his mouth and surrounded by luxury. His grandmother swears to this legend and tells him that as long as he wears the jade around his neck, he will have good luck. He is adored and pampered by his grandmother, but his father hates him, and he has no idea why. He prefers to avoid his father and spend his time with his brilliant and beautiful cousin Daiyu, with whom he quickly falls in love. But then a cruel beating, death, betrayal, and the loss of his jade lead Baoyu to look inward.
The descriptions in this novel, which is inspired by the Chinese novel Hong Lou Meng, are absolutely vivid, and written words spring to life: the opulence in which Baoyu lives, the privilege he enjoys, and the servants who meet his every physical need, with no exceptions, paint a lush but questionable picture of his young world. The evil is apparent too. The hatred his father has for him absolutely thumps across the page. A jealous half-brother hates him. Young Baoyu’s unchecked self-indulgence also has the potential for evil.
The reader is quickly immersed in Baoyu’s world, good and bad. The author’s extensive research and knowledge of Chinese folklore and customs, as well as Taoist, Confucian, Zhuangzian, Buddhist, and other teachings is apparent. Baoyu’s response to devastating loss and agony defines this whole book. The impact on this reader, from the vivid imagery combined with the depth of feeling portrayed by the author, was immense. Eye-opening, artful, exquisite, and painful, this is a journey of self-discovery that is not to be missed. Highly, highly recommended.
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Categories: Fantasy Books
My Top Thirty Films, Part 3
The Party (United Artists, April 4, 1968)
Following the excellent Starship Troopers feedback last week, here’s a selection that might be a little less controversial.
Kidding.
The Party (1968) Who’s in it?Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet, Steve Franken, Denny Miller
What’s it about?Hrundi V. Bakshi (Sellers) is an up and coming Indian actor who dreams of the big time. Unfortunately, being prone to mishaps leads to him blowing up a very expensive film set, and he is fired on the spot. Due to a clerical error though, he ends up on the guest list to a party being thrown by the film’s producer, and he attends in the hope that he can apologize in person. Through no fault of his own, Bakshi stumbles through one surreal incident after another, ultimately leading to the partial destruction of a Hollywood mansion, and a blossoming romance with a young French starlet.
Why do I love it?A perennial family favorite and endlessly quotable; “Birdie num num,” and “I would have been most disappointed if you had not crushed my hand,” are a couple that we use in any given situation.
Of course we should address the painted elephant in the room — Sellers is playing an Indian actor, complete with brown-face and head gestures, so incredibly taboo in this day and age, and there’s nothing I can say to defend it. I will venture one small snippet though with the fact that this film was a huge hit in India, and a favourite of the then PM, Indira Gandhi, who was prone to quote it herself. So there’s that.
Moving on, Sellers’ performance aside (he is, of course, Jacques Tati-inspired perfection), for me the star of this daft slice of celluloid is Steve Franken, who plays Levinson, the increasingly inebriated server. While Levinson is keeping the party guests lubricated, he is also secretly draining any leftovers he happens upon, and is soon three sheets to the wind. Franken’s physical comedy chops are on full display here as he staggers and weaves around the house, baffling guests and infuriating his boss who finally snaps and tries to throttle him in the kitchen, a tableau only revealed to us in a living triptych as the kitchen door swings open and shut during the struggle.
I can’t forget the beautiful score by Henry Mancini either, especially the dreamy song ‘Nothing to Lose’ wistfully sung by Longet at the midway point. A sheer delight.
Sleeper (United Artists, December 17, 1973)
Sleeper (1973)
Who’s in it?
Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Jon Beck, Don Keefer
What’s it about?Miles Monroe (Allen), a mild-mannered owner of a health food store, goes into hospital for a routine operation, which goes wrong. He is placed in a cryogenic chamber and forgotten about, only revived 200 years later when rebel scientists need an unidentifiable citizen to infiltrate the tyrannical government in an effort to bring down their ‘Leader.’ Monroe is forced to go on the run after the rebels are captured by the police state, and ends up entwined with socialite slacker, Luna Schlosser (Keaton). Through a series of misadventures they both end up back with the rebels, where Luna falls for the rebel leader, Erno (Beck). After accidentally foiling the government’s efforts to clone the Leader from his only remaining body part, his nose, Monroe and Luna go back on the run again, knowing that staying with the rebellion would only lead to more political power grabbing.
Why do I love it?Speaking of questionable films and filmmakers, if I found it hard to separate the artists from their art then I wouldn’t have read half the books I have, so I have no problem shoving a Woody Allen comedy onto this list.
Sleeper is one of a trio of his early films that I adore (the others being Bananas (1971) and Love and Death (1975)), and it’s the Allen film I return to time and time again. I’ve seen other reviews of Sleeper describe it as Allen’s most Chaplin or Keaton-like, and it’s hard to disagree. The physical comedy, running around, balancing on a ladder, certainly channels Buster Keaton at his best, and he reserves the Charlie Chaplin influence for close-ups to great effect, but it’s not all fighting off sentient puddings or slipping on genetically mutated banana peels. Allen peppers the script with his usual wry observations and self-deprecation and, as was his wont in the early films, usually ties it all back to sex (or lack of it).
It’s the physical comedy for me though; the hapless police and their useless weapons, the flying machine (which made me laugh like a drain when I contemplated him being stuck, rotating in a tree’s branches until the battery ran out), and the ‘Orgasmatron’ plus bonus ‘sex orb’. Diane Keaton showed what a brilliant comedian she was, holding her own in improvised scenes and perfecting the vacant stare, and Allen’s jazz soundtrack is to die for.
Also, did you ever realize that ‘God’ spelled backwards is ‘dog’?
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (20th Century Fox, August 14, 1975)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Who’s in it?
Richard O’Brien, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick
What’s it about?An innocent young couple, Janet Weiss (Sartandon) and Brad Majors (Bostwick) are on their way to their university professor’s home to celebrate their new engagement when their car suddenly breaks down in a terrible thunderstorm. They run to the closest house in the hopes of finding a phone, but this house is inhabited by an assortment of glorious weirdos who appear to be dedicated to partying and free sex. This throng is led by the fabulous Dr. Frank N. Furter (Curry), a transvestite scientist in the process of building the perfect man. As Brad and Janet try to survive the night, their innocence is shattered by the highly charged energy of the place, and they both undergo sexual awakenings thrust upon them by the aliens who run the place. Hijinks ensue.
Why do I love it?I’m not a fan of musicals, although I make an exception for this one (and Little Shop of Horrors (1986)), purely because everyone seems to be having a lovely time, and the lyrics are hilarious. I saw Rocky Horror in 1983 at a good age, 16, when teens are legally obliged to be discovering who they really are, and it turned out that I was a kid in love with Susan Sarandon who rather enjoyed wearing fancy clothes to the subsequent stage productions I took myself off to. Confusing times!
Still, the main reason I adore this film is, of course, Tim Curry. I had seen him as the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance one year earlier and his stage presence, let alone his astonishing voice, was still fresh in my mind. What a whiplash when I saw him not as an overtly rogueish ne’er-do-well, but as a maniacal, fragile, highly sexual ‘sweet transvestite.’ Cue more confusion for teenage me.
Curry is hypnotic, and as much as I enjoy all the preamble and set-up at the start of the film, when I watch his stomping high heel descending in the elevator I know I can finally settle in and let myself go with the flow. I watched it again recently after quite a break, and it truly felt like slipping on a comfortable old pair of fishnets. Ha! Take that, slippers. The songs were as fresh as ever (my personal favourite is the beautifully haunting ‘Over at the Frankenstein Place’), the frantic direction was energetic and subversive, and it still made me feel like I shouldn’t be watching it. Time to show my kids.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (Columbia Pictures, January 25, 1974)
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
Who’s in it?
John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker, Martin Shaw.
What’s it about?When Sinbad (Law) intercepts a homunculus messenger from the evil sorcerer Koura (Baker) it leads him to the Grand Vizir of Marabia, who requests Sinbad’s help in stopping Koura from acquiring the three pieces of a golden artifact that will lead the owner to the Fountain of Destiny and provide them with immortality, invisibility, and riches. A servant girl, Margiana (Munro), joins them on this quest, as she was born with the mark of an eye on her palm, which seems connected to the artifact. So off they sail, encountering several Harryhausen beasties along the way, in an effort to defeat Koura, protect the kingdom of Marabia, and uncover the secret of the eye.
Why do I love it?Two of the films on this list of thirty are true comfort films for me (you’ll meet the other in the final spot) — films that feel like old friends, always there to cheer me up when I’m down, or distract me when I’m sick. Like any sensible child, I adored all of the films that featured Harryhausen’s wizardry, but this one is my absolute favorite, due to arguably his best bit of stop-motion, Kali (yes, I’m putting her over Jason’s skeletons), and then there’s the little rubbery homunculus, the wooden ship figurehead (the sound design here is fantastic, all squeaks and splinters), and a battle royal between a cyclopean centaur and a (sadly underused) griffin.
Golden Voyage has the best cast of any of the films. Law is a fantastic Sinbad, masculine, respectful, wily, and he is ably supported by a crew that is not just there as fodder for monsters. Shaw’s Rachid feels like a true shipmate, you get the sense they have seen a lot together, and he acts as the voice of reason to Sinbad’s whims. Then there’s Tom Baker’s tortured turn as Koura, all wild eyes and gnashing teeth. Baker sells it in his usual extravagant manner, but never takes it too far, and then we have Caroline Munro. Good lord. I recently made a list of all of my comfort films from every genre, and Munro appears in seven out of twenty of them! I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.
Fun fact: that weird, goat-faced oracle that Sinbad and his chums confront in the temple well? That’s an uncredited Robert Shaw.
Fright Night (Columbia Pictures, August 2, 1985)
Fright Night (1985)
Who’s in it?
Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowell, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse
What’s it about?Charlie Brewster (Ragsdale) is a horror nut, obsessed with a cheesy TV show that features old horror flicks, introduced by second-rate actor Peter Vincent (McDowell). When he suspects that a vampire (Sarandon) has moved in next door, Charlie eventually recruits Vincent to help him eradicate the monster before it can put the moves on Charlie’s girlfriend, Amy (Bearse). Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of vampire lore, and some hokey slayer tools, Charlie and Vincent enter the vampire’s lair, ill-prepared and unready to face the monsters within.
Why do I love it?I was at art college when this was released, and had a best friend who was as heavily into horror films as I. We had a mutual love for Hammer and Amicus, hosted regular video parties, and used college resources to practice make up effects. Our first love however was vampire flicks, and every teased image from Fright Night just whetted our appetites even more. Plus, it featured Roddy McDowell, and as huge Planet of the Apes fans, we would watch anything he was in.
The film was playing for one week in the cinema closest to the college, The State Cinema, a 1930’s picture house complete with a wurlitzer organ and scary ticket booth lady. We went to see the film every night that week, steeping ourselves in its gently humorous lore and seductive undertones, to the point that we scared ourselves stupid one night when some leaves rustled in the cemetery we had to walk through to get to the train station. Ah, happy times.
Everything about this film hits the spot; Brad Fiedel’s aggressively boppy score, McDowell’s cowardly custard actor and his redemption arc, Charlie Brewster being a horror freak ‘just like us,’ and the gnarly, blood soaked effects. However, the film belongs to Chris Sarandon. I would argue that there has never been a sexier vampire than his portrayal of Jerry Dandrige. Every word, every move, is precise and effortless (until he gets thoroughly miffed at the end), and he oozes sexual confidence, whether cozying up to his live-in familiar, Billy Cole, or ensnaring Charlie’s girlfriend, Amy, in his nightclub sweater.
The make up and creature effects, headed by Steve Johnson, also make me extremely happy, and this was at a time when we were spoiled for vampire prosthetics (see The Lost Boys (1986), Vamp (1987), Lifeforce (1985) et al). At once hilarious and horrifying, the plethora of creatures on show, vampires, giant bats, an almost cute werewolf, look great and are filmed with appropriate energy by horror legend Tom Holland.
Another one to finally show my kids.
Previous Murky Movie surveys from Neil Baker include:
My Top Thirty Films, Part 1
My Top Thirty Films, Part 2
The Star Warses
Just When You Thought It Was Safe
Tech Tok
The Weyland-Yutaniverse
Foreign Bodies
Mummy Issues
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Monster Mayhem
It’s All Rather Hit-or-Mythos
You Can’t Handle the Tooth
Tubi Dive
What Possessed You?
See all of Neil Baker’s Black Gate film reviews here. Neil spends his days watching dodgy movies, most of them terrible, in the hope that you might be inspired to watch them too. He is often asked why he doesn’t watch ‘proper’ films, and he honestly doesn’t have a good answer. He is an author, illustrator, teacher, and sculptor of turtle exhibits.
Categories: Fantasy Books
You’ll Love “The Magicians Trilogy” | School Of Hard Knocks (And Spells)
The post You’ll Love “The Magicians Trilogy” | School Of Hard Knocks (And Spells) appeared first on LitStack.
Categories: Fantasy Books
What Stalks the Deep - Book Review
What Stalks the Deep (Sworn Soldier #3)by T. KingfisherWhat is it about:Alex Easton does not want to visit America.
They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.
But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin—who went missing in that very mine—well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do...
What did I think of it:I am so in love with this series!
This book was yet another great read. It's funny, witty, suspenseful, and full of creepiness.
I absolutely adore Alex, they're sensible, but at the same time end up in trouble because they're also more courageous then they give themselves credit for.
I had a great time with this book and I wll most probably reread all three books in this series soon, while hoping Kingfisher writes tons more.
Why should you read it:It's a fun and suspenseful Horror read.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Forgotten Authors: Robert Moore Williams
Robert Moore Williams
Robert Moore Williams was born in Farmington, Missouri on June 19, 1907 and attended the Missouri School of Journalism, from which he graduated in 1931 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. He married Margaret Jelley in 1938 and they had one daughter. The couple divorced in 1952.
Williams published his first short story, “Zero as a Limit” in the July 1937 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, at the time still edited by F. Orlin Tremaine. Later in 1937, he published a story in Thrilling Wonder Stories, edited by Mort Weissinger, and his third story, “Flight of the Dawn Star” appeared in the March 1938 issue of Astounding, now edited by John W. Campbell, Jr. By the end of 1938, he added Amazing Stories, edited by Raymond A. Palmer to the list of magazines and editors he sold to.
In addition to science fiction, Williams published in a variety of other genres, occasionally using pseudonyms, including John S. Browning, H.H. Harmon, and Russell Storm. He also used the house name E.K. Jarvis on some stories written for the Ziff-Davis magazines, such as “Hickson’s Strange Adventure.” Although Williams was the most prolific (and possibly only) author to use the Jarvis name in the 40s, Robert Bloch used it most often in the 50s, with seven stories appearing under that byline. Other authors to use it included Paul W. Fairman, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, and Henry Slesar.
By the end of the 1950s, Williams had sold more than 120 stories to the magazines, and would consider selling short stories throughout most of the decade. He published his first novel, The Chaos Fighters, in 1955, after which he focused primarily on novels, although he had several short stories continue to appear through the end of the decade. Ten of his stories appeared as part of the Ace Doubles series between 1955 and 1964, backed with authors included Leigh Brackett, Eric Frank Russell, John Brunner, Keith Laumer, Terry Carr, and Samuel R. Delany.
While most of the novels Williams published were standalone novels, he did publish novels in two series. The three Jongor novels, which started as novellas published in Fantastic Adventures between 1940 and 1951, were published in book form in 1970 and are a Tarzanesque series focusing on Jongor (born John Gordon) in an Africanized Australia.
His other series, four books about Zanthar, was published as original novels between 1967 and 1969. Just as the Jangor novels were a pastiche of Tarzan, Zanthar is more in line with Burrough’s Barsoom novels, setting human physicist John Zanthar to a foreign and primitive planet courtesy of a cyclotron.
His 1970 novel, Love Is Forever—We are For Tonight has been described by multiple sources as autobiographical and shows a man who has subscribed to Dianetics and Scientology. Other, more science fictional works of the last years of Williams life also have a tendency towards fringe theories. When describing Love Is Forever—We are For Tonight in a Curiosities piece publishe din the January 2007 issue of F&SF, Graham Andrews wrote it “captures his surely unique blend of madness and/or vision in its simon-pure form.”
Gerald W. Page noted that Williams “doesn’t seem to have very often probed deeply into any of his ideas or themes, and this makes some of his work, while perfectly readable on the surface, seem disturbingly incomplete.”
Williams died in Dateland, Arizona on May 12, 1977.
Don D’Ammassa reviewed Williams’ novels on his website, concluding that “Despite his many faults as a writer, Williams is above average for the pulp SF adventure of the 1940s and 1950s. His reputation began to slip during the 1960s as standards for publication rose…”
Steven H Silver is a twenty-one-time Hugo Award nominee and was the publisher of the Hugo-nominated fanzine Argentus as well as the editor and publisher of ISFiC Press for eight years. He has also edited books for DAW, NESFA Press, and ZNB. His most recent anthology is Alternate Peace and his novel After Hastings was published in 2020. Steven has chaired the first Midwest Construction, Windycon three times, and the SFWA Nebula Conference numerous times. He was programming chair for Chicon 2000 and Vice Chair of Chicon 7.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Book Review: Artifact Space by Miles Cameron
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Artifact Space by Miles Cameron
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of Arcana Imperii
Publisher: Saga Press (January 27, 2026)
Length: 528 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Artifact Space was a book I felt genuinely excited about checking out. I already have a couple Miles Cameron books under my belt, mostly epic fantasy, but given his range as a writer, a science fiction novel felt like a natural next step. I was curious to see how his style would translate to a space opera setting. That said, military sci-fi being outside of my favorite corner of the genre, I wasn’t too surprised when I ended up struggling a bit.
The story follows a young woman named Marca Nbaro, who, despite growing up in the harsh conditions of an orphanage, has dreamed for years of one day being able to travel to the stars. And at long last, after countless hours of training and preparation, she finally has the chance to join the crew of the Athens, one of the massive Greatships involved in interstellar trade across the galaxy. Unfortunately though, getting aboard isn’t exactly legal. Marca had to spend the last of her resources forging her papers, which means that even if she manages to pull off her long-awaited escape, she’ll be at constant risk of being exposed.
Marca’s efforts pay off, however, when she is allowed onboard and made midshipman. Throwing herself into learning the ropes, she also tries to earn her place among the crew by adjusting to the realities of life on a Greatship run by a ruthless mercantile government. The primary mission of the Athens is the transport of a rare and immensely valuable material called xenoglas, which forms the backbone of human and alien trade. Crew schedules are tightly structured, and any mistakes are judged harshly, which only heightens Marca’s fears of being discovered and cast out. But even as she struggles to prove herself while keeping her head down, the ship becomes involved in an increasingly complicated web of trade politics and risky encounters, pushing Marca well beyond simply trying to get by unnoticed. Apparently, her past isn’t as easy to outrun as she’d hoped.
In a way, Artifact Space almost reads like a slice-of-life book, focusing on everyday moments of Marca’s life aboard the Athens as we follow her through the training routine and developing relationships with the other crew members. That’s not to say the story isn’t plot-driven or devoid of drama and action, because there’s plenty of those. Rather, we just work towards them more gently and slowly. Indeed, a high-stakes conflict does eventually emerge from a series of escalating developments that hint at bigger things in the background.
But while this setup is impressive, I think it’s also what caused the book to drag for me. One quirk I noticed is that although the Athens is a trading vessel, life onboard resembles more like the navy. There’s a lot of complex military-like jargon, heavy emphasis on ranks and hierarchies, as well as the logistics of operations and transport. Cameron clearly wants the reader to view these dynamics as an ecosystem and to understand how they function. The same goes for the political side of the story involving trade alliances and power structures. Of course, none of this is inherently bad, but I confess it didn’t always hold my interest. While I can appreciate this extreme level of detail, at times the minutiae can feel a little overwhelming and more methodical than I personally prefer.
My feelings are also mixed when it comes to Marca. As a protagonist, she’s clearly meant to be likeable, but emotionally, there was a distance. Character work was perhaps on the weaker side, as I often found it difficult to connect with her on a deeper level. For example, her reactions, especially when it came to attraction and romantic elements, didn’t feel fully developed or convincing. The camaraderie between the crew members added some warmth, but many of those relationships stayed fairly surface-level.
That said, the world-building is truly incredible. Just like in his fantasy and historical fiction, Cameron’s attention to detail pays off. The Greatships are a unique concept, giving off cool old-school-meets-futuristic-tech vibes. The setting feels well thought-out and lived in. Storytelling is consistent and shows plainly that it knows where it’s going and what kind of narrative it wants to be, even if it didn’t always line up with my own tastes.
In the end, Artifact Space is a solid start to a new series, but it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger and so also works perfectly well as a standalone. The scope of its wider world reminded me a little of The Expanse, while the more intimate, zoomed-in looks at daily life aboard the Athens even reminded me a little bit of The Wayfarers. Personally though, I do think experience or an appreciation for military sci-fi will help increase enjoyment. I didn’t love this, but I didn’t dislike it either, and I’m curious enough about where things are going that it’s likely I’ll be picking up the sequel.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Dark Muse News: Anna Smith Spark’s A Sword of Bronze and Ashes
A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, September 12, 2023, FLAME TREE PRESS (Cover illustration by Broci)
Welcome to more Dark Muse News. This post reviews Anna Smith Spark’s A Sword of Bronze and Ashes. It was released in September 2023 (Flame Tree Press, cover illustration by Broci) and is the first book of the series The Making of This World: Ruined. The sequel, A Sword of Gold and Ruin, was recently published in October, 2025.
Anna Smith Spark is known as the Queen of Grimdark, a moniker she acquired with her Empires of Dust series. You can expect the same poetic brutality here. Her style and approach are very unique but are reminiscent of Tanith Lee. Literary wording may keep you distanced as a reader, but the raw emotion expressed throughout is so real that it makes the fantasy feel real, too. We interviewed Anna Smith Spark in 2019 – Disgust and Desire as part of our Beauty in Weird Fiction series, where she revealed all sorts of muses and inspirations. That year, we hosted a Q&A Session at Gen Con; there, she, John O’Neill, and I showed off our footwear (link); Anna’s footwear won hands down!
Anyway, this post reviews the book, offers excerpts, and explains a few new blurbs we posit:
- A Sword of Bronze and Ashes could easily represent Hellblade 3: Family Edition!
- If Lewis Caroll’s Alice lived within Little House on the Prairie, infected by Silent Hill, you would experience A Sword of Bronze and Ashes!
A Sword of Bronze and Ashes combines the fierce beauty of Celtic myth with grimdark battle violence. It’s a lyrical, folk horror high fantasy.
Kanda has a good life until shadows from her past return threatening everything she loves. And Kanda, like any parent, has things in her past she does not want her children to know. Red war is coming: pursued by an ancient evil, Kanda must call upon all her strength to protect her family. But how can she keep her children safe, if they want to stand as warriors beside her when the light fades and darkness rises?
Introducing Ikandera Thygethyn (Kandra)Kandra is the dominant protagonist. She is haunted by memories of her mythological past. At first, it seems she is an unreliable narrator, perhaps a mentally ill one, whom her family, and you as a reader, must trust simply because she is mom. The antagonizing forces do not just affect her, though, and the family embarks on a quest for sirvavil together. This is really fresh stuff. How often have you read a book with these qualities:
- Female protagonist… not a warrior like Jirel of Joiry or Marcel’s Black Widow, but a mother living in a remote homestead
- She is aging… not in her young prime
- Having an identity crisis… not a confident heroine, but one full of doubts and insecurities, fighting memories and dreams
- Accompanied by her family (three young daughters and a passive, farmer husband)… not a sword-wielding buddy or party of four adventurers
As surely as Kandra wrestles with aging and her identity evolving, she must endure watching her children become independent as they all confront supernatural horrors. Kandra is battling with self-talk and arguments with ghosts. She was once a warrior, but now she is an old mother. Check out Kandra’s description of herself in the Excerpts below. Strangely, I was reminded of Kate McKinnon’s performance on Saturday Night Live with her Gifts from Mom skit, where she plays the stereotypical apologetic, insecure mother. This book is far from comedy, but Kandra is definitely dealing with similar emotions.
Kandra, with her husband Dellet, has three daughters: the oldest is Sal, who is empathetic and quieter compared to the middle child, Calian. Calian is spunky and channels similar powers as her mom; her coming of age as a de facto apprentice sparks much parental grief. The youngest, Morna, offers an innocent perspective and vulnerability.
The mystery of what Kandra did/experienced before marrying Dellet is carefully revealed chapter by chapter. It is tough for her and her family to discern fantasy from reality. Some spell casting is traditional, but one particular mechanic really plays with your mind. As Kandra’s horrors and past threaten her family, she protects them by telling stories. Somehow, the act of storytelling literally creates a shieldwall against lingering nightmares. The implication is wildly fantastic: fiction protects people from supernatural horrors that are becoming real!
If Lewis Caroll’s Alice lived within Little House on the Prairie, infected by Silent Hill, you would experience A Sword of Bronze and Ashes!Millieu
I am not a native of England or Wales, but as an outsider, the setting screams Celtic and Welsh vibes. Actually, with the potentially psychotic Ikandera Thygethyn in the lead, with disembodied voices and haunting memories stalking her across the Hall of Roven and the mountainous Mal Amwen, I was reminded of the video game series from Nija Theory, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Saga. That game series features Senu, a Pict warrior, on a haunting journey to Vikingesque Helheim to save her lover’s sou known for highlighting mental health through auditory and visual hallucinations, brutal combat, and perception-based puzzles. Rumor has it that a third game is in the works, and there is no reason to think Anna Smith Spark is involved (thought that would be cool); however, A Sword of Bronze and Ashes could easily function as Hell Blade 3: Family Edition. Think of Senua going through the same horrors, facing similar sword battles, but with a family in tow!
A Sword of Bronze and Ashes could easily function as Hellblade 3: Family Edition!Excerpts: Kandra Describes Herself:
“I wet myself when I laugh too hard, Geiamnyn, I have stretch marks from my armpits to my kneecaps, every other month my bleed is so heavy I should strap a cauldron between my legs. You forgot to mention those things. I’m sure my husband could tell you more about me, if you ask him, I sweat in my sleep so the blanket needs washing, I snore, I fart in my sleep, sometimes I piss and fart when I come.” – p103
Fighting with a Family in TowKandra’s sword clashed against the faceless woman’s white blade. The woman too shrieked in joy. White fire crashed around them, the shock of it crashed through Kandra. So long. Too long. A vast shape rising before her, tall as the sky, all she could see. Arms of white fire, wings of white fire, a sword of fire, a crown of gold flames. She saw it with her eyes closed and burning. She tried to raise her sword, her arms were on fire, her sword was melting, glowing, the bronze glowed and dripped. She could hear the children screaming. through pain she lashed out, felt the blade meet and open long-dead bloodless flesh. “Dellet!” she screamed. “Dellet, get away. The children, Dellet!” -p23
Weird Conflict & MeleeKandra came to meet the [a “hodden”, think scarecrow with a horse skull]. The broken sword was out, the sword met the stone hand with a stroke so mighty chips of stone flew up. It towered over her, the length of its wooden arms was twicethe twice the length of her sword blade. She spun back, hacked low at its legs. Her sword caught its left leg and sank into it, sending out a shower of rotten wood dust. It neighed, its teeth clacked. A flint hand came down heavily against the shoulder, pain blossomed, she twisted away drgggin the sword out. She tried not hear her family’s cries as they saw she was bleeding. She staggered, struck again. Harder! Harder! A shower of wood dust that made her choke. Splinters of rotten wood in her mouth. Now Kandra gagged and rethced. The hodden lumbered forward, smashed Kandra sideways. She grasped its arm, the wood crumbling under her hand, driving splinters into her skin… -p52
Sequel just arrived October 21, 2025: A Sword of Gold and Ruin Cover BlurbThe sequel to the masterpiece folk horror high fantasy A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, a lyrical blend of epic myth and daily life.
Kanda and her family are on a quest to rebuild the glory that was Roven. Mother and daughters stand together as a light against the darkness. But mother and daughters both have hands that are stained red with blood. They walk a path that is stranger and more beautiful than even Kanda dared imagine, bright with joy, bitter with grief. Ghosts and monsters dog their footsteps – but the greatest monsters lie in their hearts.
Anna Smith Spark is a critically acclaimed, multi-award short-listedgrimdark epic fantasy novelist. She writes lyrical prose-poetry about war, love, landscapes, and war. Her writing has been described as ‘a masterwork’ by Nightmarish Conjurings, ‘an experience like no other series in fantasy’ by Grimdark Magazine, ‘literary Game of Thrones’ by the Sunday Times, and ‘howls like early Moorcock, converses like the best of Le Guin’ by the Daily Mail. Her favourite authors are Mary Renault, R Scott Bakker and M. John Harrison
S.E. Lindberg is a Managing Editor at Black Gate, regularly reviewing books and interviewing authors on the topic of “Beauty & Art in Weird-Fantasy Fiction.” He has taken lead roles organizing the Gen Con Writers’ Symposium (chairing it in 2023), is the lead moderator of the Goodreads Sword & Sorcery Group, and was an intern for Tales from the Magician’s Skull magazine. As for crafting stories, he has contributed eight entries across Perseid Press’s Heroes in Hell and Heroika series, and has an entry in Weirdbook Annual #3: Zombies. He independently publishes novels under the banner Dyscrasia Fiction; short stories of Dyscrasia Fiction have appeared in Whetstone Amateur S&S Magazine, Swords & Sorcery online magazine, Rogues In the House Podcast’s A Book of Blades Vol I & II, DMR’s Terra Incognita, the 9th issue of Tales From the Magician’s Skull, Savage Realms Magazine, and Michael Stackpole’s S&S Chain Story 2 Project.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Spotlight on “The Optimists” by Brian Platzer
Other LitStack Spots Along with this book in our LitStack Spotlight, our interests have been…
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Categories: Fantasy Books
The Conan novels of John Maddox Roberts
The Conan novels of John Maddox Roberts (Tor Books, 1985-1995). Covers by Boris, Ken Kelly, and Julie Bell
The name John Maddox Roberts (1947 – ) first came to my attention as a writer of Conan sword & sorcery pastiches from Tor. He wrote eight, and when I talk to other REH fans Roberts’ name is almost always listed near the top of the Conan pastiche writers.
Of the pastiches that were published by Tor between 1982 and 2004, I’d have to agree, although I like the earlier pastiches by Andy Offutt and Karl Edward Wagner better.
Roberts’ pastiches were:
Conan the Valorous — 1985 (Boris or Les Edwards cover)
Conan the Champion — 1987 (Ken Kelly cover)
Conan the Marauder — 1988 (Ken Kelly cover)
Conan the Bold — 1989 (Ken Kelly cover)
Conan the Rogue — 1991 (Ken Kelly cover)
Conan and the Treasure of Python — 1993 (Julie Bell Cover)
Conan and the Manhunters — 1994 (Ken Kelly cover)
Conan and the Amazon — 1995 (Ken Kelly cover)
Some quick notes on the books. I’ve read all but The Champion, which I don’t own. There’s some confusion about the Conan the Valorous cover. My copy lists Boris as the artist inside but there’s no signature and it doesn’t look like Boris to me. Another source claims Les Edwards as the artist and I suspect that’s correct.
As for plots and details, Conan the Rogue is a retelling of A Fistful of Dollars, which was a retelling of Yojimbo, a Samuri movie by Akira Kurosawa. Overall, Roberts’ Conan is more controlled and less impetuous than REH’s Cimmerian at this early time in his career. However, Roberts catches the “barbaric” strain of the character better than any of the other TOR pastichers.
All the TOR Conans are a little too long, including these. That’s probably not the authors’ fault, since I imagine they had pretty specific word counts to hit. I think that sword and sorcery works best at novella length.
The Falcon series by John Maddox Roberts (Signet, 1982-1983)
Years before I read my first John Maddox Roberts Conan pastiche, I read a violent series about a crusader named Draco Falcon, written by an author named Mark Ramsay. This was certainly not Sword & Planet, nor even Sword & Sorcery. It was/is historical fiction in the tradition of Harold Lamb and Talbot Mundy, though with a bit more adult content. It featured a young knight named Draco Falcon who returns from a crusade to the Holy Land to seek vengeance on those who betrayed him there.
Mark Ramsay turned out to be a pseudonym for John Maddox Roberts. The four books in the series, all from Signet, are:
The Falcon Strikes, 1982
The Black Pope, 1982
The Bloody Cross, 1982
The King’s Treasure, 1983
I was unable to find any information about the cover artists. They look as if they could have all been done by the same person.
Signet certainly intended to continue the series. In the back of Book #4 is a teaser chapter for a Book #5, which was to be entitled Greek Fire. It never happened and I don’t know why. I wish it had. The series has the feel of authentic history (exaggerated, of course), and is quite brutal and full of battles. Draco himself is a Conan type figure, although less of a loner.
King of the Wood by John Maddox Roberts (Tor, April 1986). Cover by Kirk Reinert
I have several more of Roberts’ books in my collection and will probably get around to reading them one day. The only other one I’ve read is King of the Wood, which is an alternate history in which North America has been settled by Vikings, Mongols, and other old-world populations. I classify it as sword & sorcery and liked it pretty well.
Charles Gramlich administers The Swords & Planet League group on Facebook, where this post first appeared. His last article for us was a review of Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer. See all of his recent posts for Black Gate here.
Categories: Fantasy Books
7 Author Shoutouts | Authors We Love To Recommend
Here are 7 Author Shoutouts for this week. Find your favorite author or discover an…
The post 7 Author Shoutouts | Authors We Love To Recommend appeared first on LitStack.
Categories: Fantasy Books
The City in Glass - Book Review
The City in Glassby Nghi VoWhat is it about:A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world.
The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.
And then the angels come, and the city falls.
Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.
She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.
Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.
The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and build it anew.
What did I think of it:I love the The Singing Hills Cycle books by Nghi Vo, so wanted to give something else by Vo a try.
And got my heart stepped on and broken in the most devastatingly beautiful way.
This book is so gorgeously written. The imagery, the stories, the doomed city, I fell in love with Azril even where I didn't have it in me to love Vitrine. With all her passion and love for the city, Vitrine was too selfish to be the heroine in this story even as both she and the angel are changed by their connection. Instead she's the catalyst, the heart of Azril for better or worse.
All in all this is both a wonderful story and one I will not easily pick up for a reread, although it will definitely get a spot on my keeper shelves.
Why should you read it:It's hauntingly beautiful.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Book Review: How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva
Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Orbit (January 20, 2026)
Length: 384 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva is very clearly designed to be a comfy popcorn type read, so I’ll keep that in mind while I review the book in order to give it a fair shake. Given the title, the riff on the movie How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days should also be obvious, with the story unapologetically borrowing from rom-com traditions like clashing personalities and forced proximity before the inevitable happy ending. And while this concept didn’t end up being a slam dunk, I can easily see it working better for readers in the right mood for something cozy, light, and deliberately low-stakes.
The story follows Pansy, a young halfling who inherits her late grandmother’s cottage and is quite eager to prove her independence to her parents by moving into it. When she gets there, however, she is dismayed to find the home already occupied by Ren, an exiled goblin who tells her that in fact they are the rightful owner of the land. Using the key to the property that her grandmother had passed down to her, Pansy refutes this claim, and thus the two arrive at an impasse. With no one willing to back down, they decide to stay at the cottage together while each trying to drive the other out, with the understanding that whoever gives up first relinquishes their claim.
From there, the book dives headfirst into the romantic comedy playbook, as Pansy and Ren both start coming up with schemes that steadily escalate. But living in such close quarters also forces them to confront their assumptions about one another, as well as the cultural differences that shape how they see the world. Despite herself, Pansy begins to sympathize with Ren’s reasons for being so attached to the cottage, and Ren eventually learns why Pansy is so determined to make it on her own. What started as a struggle between rivals gradually transforms into something far more tender and intimate, though it remains complicated by the very different worlds they come from.
Given its premise, the plot is intentionally familiar, and so is the setting. The world-building is charming enough, but also somewhat broad. Sylva relies heavily on readers’ knowledge of fantasy archetypes and tropes, trusting it to do most of the work for her, particularly when it comes to filling in the gaps around the lore, cultures, and appearances of various creatures. While this makes the world easy to settle into, it also means that world-building isn’t as rich as it could be, specifically lacking in depth and detail.
That said, this book is a cozy fantasy through and through, and it goes all in on those vibes. The tone has an almost Disney fairytale-esque simplicity to its conflicts and resolutions, bludgeoning you with its messages of acceptance, co-existence, and challenging prejudice. Heartfelt and sincere these messages may be, they can also at times feel trite and repetitive, to the point where it sometimes feels like reading a picture book that has been stretched far beyond its proper length and welcome.
Still, at the end of the day, this is not a story interested in moral gray areas so much as emotional reassurance. Pansy and Ren make for an endearing couple. Their dynamic may follow a painfully predictable trajectory, but it is also genuinely sweet. The relationship unfolds exactly as expected for this kind of story, which will likely be a selling point for readers looking for coziness rather than surprises. For me, this made the pacing feel slower than necessary, but I concede that it also suits the book’s quiet, gentle approach.
Ultimately, How to Lose a Goblin in 10 Days presents itself as a pleasant and cozy read that personally didn’t quite click with me, but I appreciated its romantic comedy inspirations and the confidence with which it carried out the premise. Recommended for readers with more interest in low-stake fantasy and cute, whimsical romance.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Dave Hook on The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories and Other Stories by Gene Wolfe
The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories (Pocket Books, June 1980). Cover by Don Maitz)
It’s still January, which means I haven’t yet abandoned my ambitious New Year’s Resolution to get caught up on my favorite blogs. I started with Rich Horton’s excellent Strange at Ecbatan, and this week I’ve been spending time at Dave Hook’s book blog A Deep Look by Dave Hook.
As the name implies, Dave spends his time on his reviews, with deep dives that usually include a lot of biographical information and entertaining anecdotes. His recent reviews include looks at David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer’s groundbreaking 2002 anthology The Hard SF Renaissance, Alastair Reynolds’ 2021 collection Belladonna Nights and Other Stories, and a long-forgotten SF anthology from 1954, Sam Moskowitz’s Editor’s Choice in Science Fiction.
With all that (and much more) to choose from, the piece I started with was of course his review of Gene Wolfe’s first collection, one of the most famous science fiction collections of the 20th Century, The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories and Other Stories (and no, that’s not a typo), first published by Pocket Books in June 1980.
The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories includes all three tales in Gene Wolfe’s Archipelago sequence, the Nebula-nominated title story and two ‘sequel’ novellas, unrelated (or are they?) except for the reordered natures of their titles.
“The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories” (Orbit 7, June 1970) – Nebula nominee
“The Death of Dr. Island” (Universe 3, October 1973) – novella, Nebula and Locus Award winner, Hugo nominee
“The Doctor of Death Island” (Immortal: Short Novels of the Transhuman Future, May 1978) – novella
It also includes three other novellas, including Nebula nominee “The Eyeflash Miracles,” and Hugo and Nebula-nominated “Seven American Nights.” Here’s the rest of the TOC.
“Alien Stones” (Orbit 11, October 1972)
“La Befana” (Galaxy, January-February 1973)
“The Hero As Werwolf” (The New Improved Sun, September 1975)
“Three Fingers” (New Constellations: An Anthology of Tomorrow’s Mythologies, November 1976)
“Feather Tigers” (Edge, Autumn/Winter 1973)
“Hour of Trust” (Bad Moon Rising, 1973)
“Tracking Song” (In the Wake of Man, August 1975) – novella
“The Toy Theater” (Orbit 9, October 1971)
“Cues” (The Far Side of Time, 1974)
“The Eyeflash Miracles” (Future Power, April 1976) – novella, Nebula nominee
“Seven American Nights” (Orbit 20, March 1978) – novella, Nebula and Hugo nominee
One of the things I appreciate about Dave is that, in keeping with his ‘deep dive’ philosophy, he researches what other notables have said about his selections. Here’s Rich Horton on “Tracking Song,” in a comment on a 2011 Jo Walton post at Tor.com on the 1976 Hugo Nominees.
And the best novella of the year, ignored either because it was in an Elwood anthology or because that anthology, regardless of editor, just wasn’t that much seen, was another utterly amazing story by Gene Wolfe: ‘Tracking Song.’ That would be my choice, at this remove, for the best novella of 1975.
And Gardner Dozois on “The Hero as Werwolf,” commenting on the same article.
In novelette, ‘The Borderland of Sol’ is a weak winner. The clear winner for me here is ‘The Hero as Werewolf,’ one of my favorite Wolfe stories; I liked it better than ‘Tracking Song,’ which I liked, but always got the uneasy feeling from that I didn’t really understand it (Michael Swanwick and I once sat down and spent about an hour trying to puzzle out what was really happening in ‘Tracking Song,’ and ultimately failed).
Ah, the enigmatic appeal of Gene Wolfe. It’s comforting that, at least at times, Gardner Dozois doesn’t have any more success than I at deciphering Wolfe’s fiction.
Dave includes his usual well-researched commentary, and eventually gets around to a few brief comments on the stories themselves. Here’s a taste.
When The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories was released in 1980, Gene Wolfe was a major, happening author for both novels and short fiction that a lot of people were paying attention to. It finished fourth in the Locus Best Single Author Collection Award for 1981. My overall average rating… is 3.76/5, or “Very good.” I loved reading several stories that were new to me, and enjoyed all but one. Recommended, with one caveat.
The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories, an Archipelago short story. I enjoyed this fantasy about a child whose life comes to interact with several characters from literature, perhaps inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells. Great characters, love the writing. On latest reread, “Great” on reread, a lot of fantasy and rather meta fiction, perhaps, and substantial drug abuse. I love Wolfe’s afterword in The Best of Gene Wolfe: A Definitive Retrospective of His Finest Short Fiction, where he tells the story of Isaac Asimov mistakenly attempting to give him the Nebula Award for this story when he was a Nebula Award finalist for it. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great.”
“Alien Stones,“ a novelette. An interesting story of space and exploring an alien ship, with both ships giant, with crew way spread out, and with artificial intelligence. This story was new to me, and I am glad I read it. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good.”
“The Death of Dr. Island,“ an Archipelago novella. A great story, inspired by a comment by John Jakes from when Asimov mistakenly announced Wolfe a Nebula Award award winner for “The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories.” Jakes said, “You know, Gene, if you’d just write ‘The Death of Doctor Island’ now, you’d win.” The protagonist is a therapy patient in the outer system who has been transported to a satellite where therapy will occur. He meets two other patients and Doctor Island, an AI. One of them dies to heal the other, and the protagonist is very changed. This is quite a story; I don’t see how I missed reading this before. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great.”
“Tracking Song,” a novella. A superb story of a person who has substantial amnesia in a post-human world, with cyborgs and many related human-like sapients and a few frozen robots. He goes on a journey, and discovers things. One hell of a story, definitely great early Wolfe. I was surprised that this story had no award nominations. Rich Horton suggested this was because of Roger Elwood as editor, and the Elwood anthology was not seen much (see above for quotes by Horton and Dozois). Gardner Dozois liked it also but not quite as much, and also mentioned not really understanding the story. I agree with Dozois that at the end I am not really sure I understand the story either, but I love it. Granted that it’s a 60 page (estimated) novella, but I am surprised this has only been reprinted in this Wolfe collection and in German and Croatian anthologies. Rated 4/5, or “Great.”
Read Dave’s complete review here, and check out his excellent blog A Deep Look by Dave Hook.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Teaser Tuesdays - Six Scorched Roses
The first time I met death, it was in my first breaths - or rather, the first breaths I didn't take. I was born too small, too sickly, too quiet.(page 3, Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent)---------
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Categories: Fantasy Books
Book review: Goth the Wanderer by Raymond St. Elmo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Raymond St. Elmo is a programmer of artificial intelligences and virtual realities, who has no time for literary fabrications of fictitious characters and world-building. And yes, that was meant to be ironic.
A degree in Spanish Literature gave him a love of Magic Realism. Programming gave him a job. The job introduced him to artifical intelligence and virtual realities; as close to magic as reality is likely to get outside the covers of a book. And yes, that was meant to be cynical.
The author of several first-person comic-accounts of strange quests for mysterious manuscripts, mysterious girls in cloaks whose face appears SUDDENLY IN THE FLASH OF LIGHTNING. And yes, that was meant to be dramatic.
Publisher: Raymond St. Elmo (January 18, 2026) Page count: 181 pages Formats: ebook, paperback
I'm always looking to see what Raymond St. Elmo creates next. I dig his imagination and playful turn of phrase. Goth the Wanderer is, I think, his shortest book, and it’s pretty unique.
It has a strong Alice in Wonderland vibe. Except, Goth has a long knife, a battle pack, is hard-headed, bossy, brave, and likable. She sets off on a quest to recover her stolen shoe and quickly gathers companions, forming what becomes the Questers of the Shoe. Along the way she’s joined by a conversational wolf, a ghost girl, a candle that talks (mostly in exclamations), and a Very Large Mouse, who is absolutely not a rat. At some point even the shoe thief herself joins the party, which complicates things nicely.
Because it’s short and light on stakes, Goth the Wanderer reads quickly. As expected from the author, the ideas and imagery are vivid and odd, and the tone sits comfortably in cozy-adjacent territory. Don’t expect epic consequences or world-shaking revelations. Do expect wild imagination, whimsical writing, and the pleasure of watching a bossy eleven-year-old charge boldly into the unknown. The story maintains dreamlike wonder with just a hint of menace.
While it works as a standalone, expect nods to the previous Wanderer stories. Night Creep, for example, plays an important role here. The author’s own drawings appear throughout. They're simple, slightly rough, but they suit the book perfectly.
In short, Goth the Wanderer is imaginative, odd, and fun. A bold little quest with strange companions and unlikely places led by a girl who refuses to wait for permission.
Categories: Fantasy Books
ON SUNDAYS SHE PICKED FLOWERS by Yah Yah Scholfield
Yah Yah Scholfield’s On Sundays She Picked Flowers marks her impressive debut. It is a novel about perseverance, generational abuse, race, and shapeshifting creatures. It is part horror, part southern gothic and has the surreal, magical feel of a fairy tale. It is an arresting, powerful debut, in other words. In this sinister and…
Categories: Fantasy Books
Strange Horizons Roundtable on Influence
This week is the 2026 Strange Horizons Criticism Special, which includes a new essay and review every day, a podcast, an editorial, and a roundtable: “Giving Permission: A Roundtable on the Obscurity of Influence” with Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, Charles Payseur, Daniel A. Rabuzzi, and me. You can read the entire discussion here. Here’s a bit about the overall premise from the preamble: “We were seeking to identify a score or so authors who defy easy classification, whose unique style and/or […]
The post Strange Horizons Roundtable on Influence first appeared on Fantasy Cafe.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Spotlight on “The Ghost Women” by Jennifer Murphy
Other LitStack Spots Along with the book in this LitStack Spotlight, we’ve also spotted a…
The post Spotlight on “The Ghost Women” by Jennifer Murphy appeared first on LitStack.
Categories: Fantasy Books
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