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In reply to Tharaniya.

The cover will probably be a bit delayed this time due to the slowness of the edits. Title should be relatively soon.

In reply to Selma.

First I’ve heard of that! According to my publishers they’re still aiming for November 2026.

In reply to Selma.

2027

In reply to Benedict.

That’s wonderful news! A retailer’s website listed march 27th as the publishing date for book 4 so that had me a little worried for a moment.

The Vanishing Tower (DAW Books, June 1977). Cover by Michael Whelan

Here’s another in my series of reviews of “mostly obscure” 1970s/1980s books — the last one was of Evangeline Walton’s The Children of Llyr. That book was published in 1971, and so was the original edition of The Vanishing Tower (first titled The Sleeping Sorceress.)

And already I can hear people asking “Obscure? Obscure?! Evangeline Walton’s Mabinogion retellings were not really obscure, and Michael Moorcock’s Elric novels are not remotely obscure!”

And I apologize — because you’re right. This novel in particular is part of one of the major sword and sorcery series of all time. Yet — as with the The Children of Llyr — it’s a book I myself didn’t read until just now, over 50 years after it first appeared.

Science Fantasy 47, June 1961, containing Michael Moorcock’s “The Dreaming City.” Cover by Brian Lewis

I’m going to delve into the publishing history not just of this book but of all the Elric books, because it gets a bit complicated. The first Elric story, “The Dreaming City,” appeared in the classic British magazine Science Fantasy in June 1961 (shown above). Over the next few years, several more stories appeared there and in Fantastic Stories.

Some of these stories formed a fairly coherent narrative that fundamentally ended with the 1964 story “Doomed Lord’s Passing,” though the publication order of the stories and the internal chronology don’t match at all. The first Elric book, The Stealer of Souls (1963), included mostly stories set somewhat early in the internal chronology, while the second, Stormbringer (1965), included four of the latest stories in internal chronology.

The Stealer of Souls (Lancer Books, 1967). Cover by Jack Gaughan

Beginning in 1970 Moorcock began to expand and reorganize his Elric sequence — first with a collection, The Singing Citadel, that included four of his earlier stories, and then in 1971 with some new work, that eventually included stories set before any of the earlier pieces, as well as stories set at various times in between the already published works.

Later books would include new stories and also stories from the first and third collections reshuffled — though Stormbringer remains the capstone of the whole series. (This chaotic chronology is actually quite appropriate for the themes of the whole series.)

The six-volume Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock (DAW Books). Covers by Michael Whelan

In 1976 and 1977 DAW published a set of six volumes, in internal chronological order, serving at that time as more or less the complete official Elric series, with restored texts and titles preferred by Moorcock. Three more books have been added in the subsequent decades, most recently The Citadel of Forgotten Myths in 2022.

The Vanishing Tower was fourth in the DAW set, and is sixth in the current chronology. It was first published by the New English Library in the UK as The Sleeping Sorceress in 1971, and by Lancer Books in the US in 1972. The DAW edition, from 1977, was the first to use The Vanishing Tower as the title.

The early collection The Singing Citadel, containing the Elric tales
“The Singing Citadel” and “Master of Chaos,” and the Eternal Champion tale
“To Rescue Tanelorn” (Berkley Medallion, August 1970). Cover by Gail Burwen

The novel comprises three closely linked “books,” all concerning Elric attempting to find and kill the evil sorcerer Theleb K’aarna. The first “book,” here called “The Torment of the Last Lord,” was published separately as “The Sleeping Sorceress” in the UK anthology Warlocks and Warriors, also in 1971, and reprinted in the February 1972 issue of Fantastic Stories in the US.

Elric, the tall, gaunt, albino warrior, long since exiled from his home Melniboné, and his sidekick Moonglum, come to the kingdom Lormyr, near the World’s Edge, where they believe they can find Theleb K’aarna.

Fantastic, February 1972, containing the Elric novella “The Sleeping Sorceress. ” Cover by Mike Kaluta

After some travails they happen on an isolated castle — and in it they find a beautiful woman in an enchanted sleep. This is Myshella, and she is another enemy of K’aarna. She, even as she is enchanted, reveals to Elric that Theleb K’aarna has allied with a certain Prince Umbda to attack her castle. If Elric can find a certain pouch Myshella may be able to wake and help Elric and Moonglum in a battle against Prince Umbda and the sorcerer.

Of course they succeed, but only partly, and in the second episode Theleb K’aarna, having miraculously escaped certain death, has come to Nadsokor, the City of Beggars. He has a proposition for the Beggar King, Urish, about the destruction of Elric, for Elric had previously stolen (or reclaimed) something from Urish.

The first two volumes of The Elric Saga omnibus editions from Saga Press: Elric of Melniboné
(February 15, 2022, cover by Brom) and Stormbringer (April 12, 2022, cover by Michael Whelan)

Meanwhile Elric and Moonglum, believing Theleb K’aarna to be dead, plan to go to the eternal city Tanelorn for some rest. But on the way, Elric loses the Ring of Kings to a thief — and soon realizes that the ring is on the way to Nadsokor. And — you guessed it — after some more adventures and perils, Elric and Moonglum are successful — except that Theleb K’aarna escapes again.

The final episode involves another encounter with Theleb K’aarna, who now threatens Tanelorn (and thus many of Elric’s friends.) This is in some ways one of the most interesting parts of the book, for Elric meets some avatars of — himself; which explicitly links this series to Moorcock’s overarching Eternal Champion series, and his “multiverse,” along with characters with the initials JC (and with the Three Who Are One!) There are journeys to other Planes, and a battle alongside Corum and Erekosë, and a bitter reunion with Myshella.

The first US release of The Vanishing Tower, first published as The Sleeping Sorceress
(Lancer Books, September 1972). Cover by Charles Moll

So, what did I think?

I don’t really think this is likely the best place to start with Elric. There are good points — Moorcock’s imagination is fecund, and the character of Elric is a worthwhile counter to traditional Sword and Sorcery heroes like Conan. But on the whole the novel doesn’t do a whole lot. The writing seems hurried — the prose isn’t terrible but it’s a bit slapdash. The action scenes seem run of the mill S&S — there isn’t a lot of suspense, just superhuman swordplay.

It’s not bad stuff, but it’s not special. I can see via the outlines of the entire series why this is a key part of fantasy history. But for me, the Moorcock I want to stick with is stuff like The Dancers at the End of Time — or like the novel up next, Mother London.

Rich Horton’s last article for us was a review of The Children of Llyr by Evangeline Walton. His website is Strange at Ecbatan. Rich has written over 200 articles for Black Gate, see them all here.

In reply to Benedict.

That is great news – looking forward to Book#4!

These novels, story collections, and works of nonfiction by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors…

The post Celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with 7 Great Books appeared first on LitStack.

In reply to Bill.

Love the books, but I have to absolutely agree with you on the last point, especially.

In reply to Bill.

I think he also has one that he wears around his neck as a necklace.

In reply to Hubert.

It shouldn’t delay things. Book 4 is still on track to release this November, and Book 5 is currently on track to release a year after that.

R J Barker’s latest fantasy novel goes into the Grimdark – a murder mystery story of steampunkish machinery, death, political manoeuvrings and corruption in a grimy, unpleasant world. Irody Hasp is a Mortedant, a cleric tasked with reading the last thoughts of the dead—though no one thanks him for it. No Mortedant is popular –…

Given the timing of the book 4 edits, curious what you think this will do to the release dates of the rest of the books (particularly for books 4 and 5), if that’s something you can share?

Thank you very much for the update on Book#4. I’m assuming that there will be further world-building, perhaps when the edits are complete, these expand our knowledge of Stephen’s world and add to our enjoyment of the whole IoM series. However, I can see why they wouldn’t fit within the Novels themselves but are an amazing bonus for fans to peruse while waiting for the next book in the series. They are also, so far, factual (I think?) so missing out on speculation on the ‘grey areas’ of the world such as the mysterious powerful groups in the background, influencing a lot of the world’s major events.

I can understand that you don’t want to include spoilers with the world-builders, but think (perhaps?) that your readers would be justified in knowing as much as Stephen does at this stage in the series? I’m thinking Primal and Dimensional Drucraft and how these can be used. We haven’t heard in the books that he has tried these but even if he hasn’t found wells and tried/failed to fashion Sigls he must has seen some indications on what range of sigls be structured from the what’s offered in the Exchange Catalogue?

Stephen has also met “the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen” and has been thrown into close proximity to her with his Personal Security work. While I am not expecting the series to morph into a Romance Novel, although I would guess that his post-teenage hormones mush be firing at each encounter? I was hoping that interactions between the two of them would figure in his narrative of events, rather than they suddenly emerge as a couple (as Alex and Ann did in the previous series).

Happy Friday!

The Random Number Generator performed its duty and gave us the winner of the vellum overlay set for This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me:

Congratulations, Erin Phillippi!

I will contact Erin from the modr@ilona-andrews.com email address. If we don’t hear back by Thursday, May 14, a new winner will be drawn next Friday.

What are these?

For anyone who missed it, Ilona made a video explaining and demonstrating the vellum inserts, which you can find here.

Briefly: vellum overlays are not art prints. They are semi-transparent character portraits printed on softly textured vellum, which is a frosted, slightly cloudy specialty paper that lets the art show through while giving it a muted, layered effect. They are designed to be tucked into the hardcover book or placed over a page, not framed as standalone wall art.

The vellum overlays will be available as a set of six in the Ilona Andrews merch store when it reopens. I don’t have an official date for the opening yet, and House Andrews are still working out whether international availability is possible. The best way to make sure you don’t miss the announcement is to subscribe to the Ilona Andrews newsletter.

At the moment, the set will include only the six character portraits by Helena Elias: Clover, Solentine Dagarra, Ramond vi Everard, the Sun Margrave, Doran Arvel and the Man from the Garden.

If you are looking for This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me art prints, reminder that many of the commissioned artists have prints available directly through their own stores, which is covered and linked in this post. Buying from them is a wonderful way to support the artists and their original, human-made work, taking a stand against AI content.

Speaking of AI and spam, a quick online safety reminder: please stay vigilant for scammers. House Andrews will never ask you to cover postage costs, pay fees, or make any kind of money transfer connected to these giveaways. Winners are announced here on the blog, and we will only contact you from an official Ilona Andrews account or email address, with the link to the public blog post as proof that you are indeed the winner.

May your weekend bring good times, good tidings, and yummy snacks!

Note from Ilona – we should have the first batch of vellum next week. We will be doing a trial run of 120 sheets, with 20 sets of 6. We have never acted as a fulfillment center before, so we want to make sure that we iron out any kinks before fully unleashing the Horde. If you miss the opportunity to order, don’t panic. We will be doing a larger print run, and this vellum is printed locally by a small business, so it’s not shipping in from overseas and it will be available much faster.

The post This Kingdom Vellum Overlay Giveaway Winner first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.

MIles (Miloslav) J. Breuer

Miles J. Breuer was born in Chicago on January 3, 1889, but the family moved to Crete, Nebraska when he was four years old so his father could attend medical school. He attended the University of Texas and went on to medical school at Rush Medical Center. He worked as an internist, specializing in tuberculosis at Lincoln General Hospital in Nebraska. He often bylined his work with his credentials as an M.D.

In 1916, he married Julia Strejc and they had three children, Rosalie, Stanley (who died at 18 when he fell from St. Isabel Glacier), and Mildred. During World War I, he served in France and achieved the rank of first lieutenant in the Medical Corps. Upon his return to the U.S., he joined his father’s medical practice and began publishing medical articles in Czech language newspapers and a monthly medical column in a Czech-language agricultural magazine. He published the Index of Physiotherapeutic Technic in 1925, outlining physical therapy practices.

His first English language science fiction story, “The Man with the Strange Head” appeared in the January 1927 issue of Amazing Stories, however, it was previously published as “Muž se zvláštní hlavou” in a Czech language almanac published in Chicago. He also appears to have published “The Man without an Appetite” in the Czech magazine Bratrský věstník in 1916, although it didn’t see English publication until 1963. His Czech stories tended to be published under the name Miloslav J. Breuer, and he continued to publish in Czech throughout his early writing career.

Amazing Stories, 1/27, Cover by Frank R. Paul

The majority of his work, more than two dozen stories, were published within a five year period, with only half that number appearing in the following decade. While his fiction included gadgets and other standard tropes of science fiction of the time, Breuer tended to look at how those things impacted humans rather than focus on the cool gizmos. His earlier works tended to be stronger stories and better written than works he published later in his career.  One of his most famous stories was 1930’s “The Gostak and the Doshes,” whose seemingly nonsensical title became a catch phrase in early fandom.

Breuer collaborated with Jack Williamson on the story “The Girl from Mars” and novel The Birth of a New Republic. The idea for the novel was Breuer’s, with Williamson doing the majority of the writing. He also collaborated with Clare Winger Harris on the story “A Baby on Neptune.”

The majority of Breuer’s fiction was published in either Amazing Stories or Amazing Stories Quarterly, but he did publish “The Problem of Communication” in Astounding, “Mars Colonizes” in Marvel Tales, “The Disappearing Pages” in Future Fiction, and “The Oversight” in Comet.

In 1942, Breuer suffered a nervous breakdown and moved to Los Angeles as a means of giving himself a fresh start, setting up a medical practice there. Breuer died on October 14, 1945 in Los Angeles and is buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery. His father died the following year.

In 2025, Jaroslav Olsa, Jr. published Dreaming of Autonomous Vehicles: Miroslav (Miles) J. Breuer: Czech-American Writer and the Birth of Science Fiction.

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.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Length: 5 hours and 10 minutes
Publisher: Sittin’ on a Goldmine Productions LLC
Release Date: October 26, 2021
ASIN: B09KDGTDDS
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Mitzy Moon Mysteries series
Source: Bought on Audiobook
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Mitzy Moon plans to take a break from snooping and learns to ski. And after receiving a mysterious gift from her travel companion, she feels light as a feather, but her heart goes stiff as a board when she faceplants into a corpse.

Racing back to the bookshop to consult her otherworldly helpers, Mitzy is horrified to discover her meddling Ghost-ma is missing. Her spoiled feline seems to ignore her pleas, and her alchemist attorney isn’t answering either. She can’t decide if she’s lost her powers or her mind….

Can Mitzy solve a murder without her extrasensory perceptions, or will one misstep put her in the killer’s crosshairs?”

Series Info/Source: This is the 5th book in the Mitzy Moon Mysteries series. I bought this for audiobook.

Thoughts: This was an entertaining and well-done installment in the Mitzy Moon series. While these books don’t really “wow” me, they are fun little diversions. I originally started this series because I wanted an audiobook to listen to during a regular 6 hr (round trip) car trip I need to do monthly. These are the perfect length to get done during that commute.

In this book Rory wins a vacation at a nearby ski resort and asks Mitzy to accompany him. Of course the first thing Mitzy does on her virgin ski run is to face plant into a corpse. Oddly Mitzy is struggling to use the very powers she thought she was finally gaining control of. Now Mitzy is on the case and is uncovering things both about this ski resort and about Rory she wish she never knew.

All of our favorite characters are in the story along with a few new ones. I enjoyed the mystery here and enjoyed watching Mitzy mature a bit more and open her eyes to some of the manipulations happening around her. I have complained in previous books that Mitzy seems a bit naive for her upbringing, and she makes progress in being a bit more savvy in this book. I hope at some point she will learn that when her cat, Piwackett, brings her clues she needs to listen!

I listened to this on audiobook and it is well done. The narrator does character voices well and consistently, and it’s fun to listen to.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I thought this was a very solid addition to the Mitzy Moon series. I enjoy the town of Pincherry Harbor and really enjoy the quirky characters here too. It was fun to see Mitzy grow more as a character and become a bit more savvy. I am excited to see what happens in book 6. If you are looking for a novella paranormal mystery series, this is a decent one. It takes a few books to get moving, but once it does, it is a lot of fun.

In August 2025, we hailed the emergence of a second Chain Story project championed by Michael A. Stackpole. This is a Sword & Sorcery-focused, contagious set of connected (“chained”) stories.

Each is:

• A standalone tale
• Readable in any order
• Free to read!
• Interconnected via a theme involving a Crown

We round up groups every several weeks, but check the Chain Story website. for the latest. Here we highlight the latest set of five, Episodes 19-23:

• 19 Of Crowns & Consequences  by Jason M. Waltz
• 20 The Hunt For Violet Shatterwing by Bryan Young
• 21 Into The Badlands by Alina Lee
• 22  Abhartach’s Castle by Aaron Canton
• 23   A Feast For Pan by James D. Mills

Previous Black Gate posts have chronicled groups of the growing chain:

• The Chain Story 2 – Sword and Sorcery – Episodes 1 – 3 (Aug 2025)
• The Chain Story 2 – Sword and Sorcery – Episodes 4 – 8  (Oct 2025)
• The Chain Story 2 – Sword and Sorcery – Episodes 9 – 13 (Nov 2025)
• The Chain Story 2 — Sword & Sorcery – Episodes 14 – 18 (Feb 2026)

 

Entry Chain Post (Link on Chain site) Story (Link to Free version) Author Abstract 23 March 25, 2026 A Feast For Pan James D. Mills IN THE WASTES, ALL ARE FODDER FOR PAN. In a return to the world of SOIL and Ashen Rider, Hromgir and Arvid of Clan Sparrow are on the run after a raid gone wrong. Braving the frozen wastes of the northern coast, they must reach the mountain pass to escape the Wystran riders close on their heels. Hiding from the riders, they take shelter in the depths of a strange cave, unearthing otherworldly horrors better left buried…. 22 March 11, 2026 Abhartach’s Castle Aaron Canton A trio of student witches head off on a dangerous adventure to obtain a powerful artifact—aiming to retrieve it and keep it out of the hands of sinister forces.
Unexpectedly they meet opposition in the form of a classmate they’d once all considered a friend, but who has become a most dangerous foe. 21 February 25, 2026 Into The Badlands Alina Lee Rowan Grim’s world is one which is long on places you don’t want to travel to, and few people return from. But what is out there draws her, and she willingly embraces the challenges which have devoured so many others. 20 February 9, 2026 The Hunt For Violet Shatterwing Bryan Young Now returned to Nightfall Forest, and in the company of the fox bard Ashley, Pip finds the hamlet of Riveroak ablaze. The mouse knight, his war cat, and companion race to quench the fires and hunt the leader of the crow cult, intent on putting an end to her evil. 19 January 28, 2026 Of Crowns & Consequences Jason M. Waltz Direk, wielder of the magickal sword Retribution, has been dispatched to destroy an old enemy at the behest of his King. In his pursuit he encounters a newly awakened power which challenges his knowledge of the world, and threatens to up end all he knows to be true. 18 January 19, 2026 The Sapphire and the Sorceress Bryan Young As with all good heroes, Pip does not shrink from danger and adventure. Still, there are times when it would be good to relax at home. But Pip is far from home, and is searching for a powerful sorceress who can help him on his way. 17 January 14, 2026 Terror Above Icehenge Malcolm T. North To reach her, however, he’ll have to venture through the Chaos Realm and, as every true hero knows if you undertake that journey lightly, it will end quickly. But Pip has no choice, and therein our adventure begins. 16 December 31, 2025 Demonfire: A Tale of Shintaro Oba  C. L. Werner A forbidden ritual conducted in secret, bathed in blood and death enables a demon to grasp unimaginable power—the power to destroy all enemies and raise himself above all others. 15 December 24, 2025 In The Land of the Giants, Bryan Young A Samurai, whose duty calls for him to hunt down such a creature. A destiny he must pursue even as the world burns around him. 14 December 10, 2025 Blight Katherine Monasterio Forest Ranger Hazel Boncliff is a Green Speaker, a person with the magical ability to commune with plants. When the king summons Hazel and her assistant to the capital to heal the strange blight affecting his hunting grounds, she’s reluctant to help—least of all because he’s insisting his inexperienced secretary go along for the journey. But with a reward she can’t refuse and the blight’s effects more harrowing by the moment, she’ll take all the help she can get. 13 November 26, 2025 Ice Hawk’s Aerie, Bryan Young A chance meeting in the dark forest. A tale of woe and injustice.
Pip Strongpaw, the last of the fabled Great Catriders, must once again wield the runed-sword Feathersbane, to end the chilling menace threatening to destroy the hamlet of Riveroak. A menace of sorcerous origins against which even the bravest of heroes may not prevail. 12 November 12, 2025 Blood for the River Michael Stackpole Chased into a swamp by homicidal cultists, Kellach and Serinna encounter a fire mage who saves their lives, and then leads them on an adventure that is sure to get them killed. 11 October 14, 2025 Of Nightmares & Jewels Robert Greenberger Something drew the mage onward, always toward the northwest, through restless evenings and dark dreams of ill portent. Yet when Jareth’s traveling companion, the swordswoman Talin, asks him why, he has no idea.
And then they reached a tiny town at the edge of nowhere, wherein lurked an evil with roots sunk deep in times beyond remembering; an evil that has chosen their visit as a time to awaken. 10 October 14, 2025 The Cursed Cuff Aaron Rosenberg She came to them spinning a tale of woe. An army of undead lay siege to the Manor she called home. She had barely escaped and sough adventurers brave enough to free her people.
But to do that Birr Blackjaw and his companions would have to wrest an ancient artifact from the hands of a cult leader who had his own army, and a hellish pet none could hope to defeat. 9 October 1, 2025 The Monastery Plot Bryan Young Shield Maiden and legendary sleuth Sister Agatha, accompanied by her faithful initiate, Brother Dominguez, sought to enjoy peace and quiet at  the Monastery of St. Maryam.Despite their desires, they soon find themselves investigating twin murders. Murders which become all that much more bizarre when the name Tarru-Syn turns up, and their search leads them into the very bowels of the earth, to face a foe from beyond their reality. 8 September 24, 2025 On Memories Michael Stackpole Dancillius Hrekt is fairly new to the world of Monster Fighting. All he wants to do is to make a good impression with his peers.  And all they want is for  him and his best friend to die. 7 September 10, 2025 The Village of Morvoss Thomas Grayfson In this new Kavion adventure, our tormented knight clings to the last threads of family and sanity as he navigates the mysterious Village of Morvoss. Haunted by fractured memories, he must confront the darkness around him—and within. 6 August 27, 2025 Fragment of a Sorcerous Crown Joan Marie Verba In this tale from the Chronicles of the Library of Sorcery, the sorcerers investigate a dangerous magical artifact of mysterious origin. Can the sorcerers uncover the truth?Sorcerer Serena is called to investigate an enormous, carnivorous plant. She finds that a mysterious magical artifact is behind the phenomenon. To find out where the artifact came from and what its properties might be, she consults the Library of Sorcery, where she uncovers the answers, but not on the Library shelves. Can the artifact be banished from the sorcerous regions before it becomes a more deathly threat? 5 August 13, 2025 Grave’s Brood S.E. Lindberg Doktor Grave sends Brood to recover a crown from the Red Orchard, only for Brood to find it is the source of a bloody plague caused by Grave’s experiments. Facing vampiric plants and their loyal clan, Brood must confront his past and question whether he can trust Grave or escape the nightmare himself. 4 July 28, 2025 Shard of Song Rigel Ailur Two wizards search desperately for a way to stave off a vicious magical-musical attack before the dragons succumb.  A powerful relic ancient beyond memory calls to them, but do they dare use it? 3 July 16, 2025 Forest of the Fallen Colossus Bryan Young A dying robber hands Laila and Zaki a mysterious artifact in the middle of a fae-haunted wood. “Danger,” the robber manages before dying. Suddenly sister and brother find themselves safeguarding an unwanted gift—on the run for their lives in the Forest of the Fallen Colossus. 2 July 3, 2025 Death Grip Michael Stackpole The man hadn’t died easily.A smoking hole sat where his heart should have been. Terror twisted his features, and he clutched an emerald reeking of magick as if would somehow save him. Neryon and Magistrate-Martial Logan find themselves in a race to find the killer before he has a chance to harvest more victims. But, with the amount of power used on his first target, there was a big gulf between finding and stopping; and no guarantee he wouldn’t kill them, too. 1 July 3, 2025 Blade of the Storm Witch Robert E. Vardeman Her vengeance became elemental! The Conqueror-King’s minion murdered her pirate husband.  The Lady Rennata was condemned to follow him into a watery grave—until wind and wave swept her to a magical blade that commands all of Nature.

 

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. 

Wait.. Doesn’t Stephen wear most of his sigls as rings?

LitStack Spots by Maggie O’Farrell We’ve also spotted these titles by Maggie O’Farrell that we…

The post Spotlight on “Land” by Maggie O’Farrell appeared first on LitStack.

 

Buy The Last Contract of Isako
FORMAT/INFO: The Last Contract of Isako was published on May 5th, 2026. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: When Isako's boss unexpectedly retires, she knows she's at the end of her career. Afterall, what is a longkniveswoman without a contract? But an expected offer comes in from a rival executive for one last job - one that will allow her to retire on her own terms. The contract: successfully find dirt on one of the most powerful executives at the Company and stop him from joining the Board of Directors. But as soon as Isako starts poking around, she starts finding a bigger conspiracy than she anticipated - and all roads lead back to Martim, the last person Isako ever took on as an apprentice.

The Last Contract of Isako is an atmospheric mystery set in a bleak, harsh world that offers little comfort to the reader or those who live in it. By far the highlight of this story is the world-building. The author has created a pressure cooker of a city, where everyone's value is determined by whether or not they're deemed useful to society. Every element of this world boils down to the fact that it is a resource scarce colony. If you aren't contributing to the colony's survival, then you're a drain on resources. But of course, the people who determine what is useful are the elite who will almost never have to face the consequences of the society they've created. And like the frog in the slowly boiling water, the rest of society doesn't realize it's already cooked.

I've found myself calling this a cybernoir book. There's elements of cyberpunk, with one giant corporation controlling everyone's lives, technology integrated into bodies, and a big disparity between the haves and the have nots. That melds nicely with the noir aspects, where the world is hugely weighted against you unless you have stacked the deck yourself and solving a mystery doesn't necessarily mean justice is achieved.

Enter Isako, a woman in her fifties who has been working in corporate life for decades. Her job is something of a cross between a consigliere and a bodyguard; she helps plan her boss's corporate strategy and she also defends his life. Isako understands she's a cog in a system; she has a role to play and she does it well, even if it means sometimes doing terrible things. Her life is dedicated to serving her Principal, and that means following their orders. But now, faced with the end of her career, Isako is also facing that big existential question: in the grand scheme of things, what did her work and her life mean? What legacy will she leave behind?

I understand some of the misgivings of people looking for the next GREEN BONE SAGA. I've seen a few comments that people missed having a sprawling cast of complex characters. But bear in mind this isn't a grand sweeping trilogy with 1500 pages at its disposal. This is a standalone (if still a hefty one) that is getting through a complex story. There's only time to build out a few characters with true depth. You'll get to know a few people really well, and some you'll only see the surface of, but that doesn't detract from the overall story.

I will admit, there were times when I wasn't sure how I was going to ultimately feel about this book. It is broken into three parts, and after spending the first half of the book getting to know and root for Isako, it's jarring to switch to following a different character. But after Isako uncovers the what of the mystery, this new character perspective offers the WHY of the mystery, and that's the thread that ties everything together. It's what makes the finale really land when the last chunk of the book switches to resolving the conspiracy that's been exposed.

As a result, the ending is a quiet gut punch. Jade Legacy may have left me a bawling mess, but The Last Contract of Isako had me just staring into middle distance, unpacking everything that happened in the last 50 pages and what that meant for the characters. It's an ending that somehow manages to be both tragic and hopeful and not at all where I thought things would end when I started the journey.

The Last Contract of Isako is not here to fill you with sunshine and it's not quite here to stomp on your heart. Instead it leads you through a world that is completely unbalanced, slowly filling you with existential dread. Surely society can't be this uneven, surely there's a way out. Surely a life will have meaning when all is said and done. But if you're looking for those reassurances, The Last Contract of Isako is not here to offer them.