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Celebrate the launch of Twelve Months with Jim on Reddit with an “Ask Me Anything” event!

…Not to mention all the stretch goals. Yes, we’re running a Make 100 Kickstarter, and it ends today. So, if you were thinking about getting 100 detective stories in all genres, you’re almost out of time. Fifty of the stories are mine, and fifty are Dean’s. Plus any extras that came with the Kickstarter itself.

(And if you signed up for my newsletter, you got two more.)

If you want a sample, read my Free Fiction Monday story, “Helmie.”  Last week’s free fiction story was also from the book, but alas, free fiction vanishes from my site when I post the new one. However, if you read it last week, you might remember…

Anyway, the Kickstarter with all of its deals on books and workshops will vanish at 7 p.m. PST tonight. So click here for your last chance to get all the good deals.

Titles by Arturo Perez-Reverte

The post Spotlight on “The Final Problem” by Arturo Perez-Reverte appeared first on LitStack.

 

A Court of Hearts and Hunger (Wicked Darlings #2)by Rebecca F. Kenney
What is it about:Just as Clara and her sister are settling into their new life, Drosselmeyer sends a desperate message to the Seelie Court. With Lir and Louisa occupied elsewhere, Clara and Finias (the Sugarplum Faerie) have no choice but to respond and forge deep into Unseelie Territory, where a cruel Queen, known as the Eater of Hearts, has taken the throne. As they infiltrate the Court of Dread, Finias and Clara are forced to keep their relationship a secret. Meanwhile, the ravenous victims of the Queen, called the Heartless, turn the Unseelie kingdom into a far more dangerous place than usual.
Brimming with drama, horror, and spice, this sequel to "A Court of Sugar and Spice" brings back Clara and Finias, while introducing new characters like the fiendishly hot Cheshire Cat, the enigmatic Rabbit, the terrifying Queen, and more.
What did Voodoo Bride think of it:I totally bought this because it had more Clara and Finias. And this book is a must have for anyone who loved them in A Court of Sugar and Spice in my opinion. They're chapters are worth it all by themselves.
I did really enjoy the chapters with Alice, Rabbit, and the Cheshire Cat as well, but more because of the Rabbit and Cheshire Cat than because of Alice. I didn't click with her at all. Her personality just felt off to me. That aside, I had a great time with this book, and treated myself to the print version as an early Christmas present after finishing it.(yes, I'm behind on my reviews and still catching up)
Overall a really enjoyable read with some darker elements, so I advice you to look into the content warnings before diving in.
Why should you read it:More Fin & Clara!

Updates on the Wrath & Desire book release in February, including pre-order links, details on maps and dictionaries, ARC team info, and a bonus story I'll be including.

 

The Midnight King: A Cinderella Retellingby Rebecca F. Kenney
What is it about:Bound by magic, Celinda serves her step-family night and day with little hope of escaping the drudgery of her life, and even less hope of attending the upcoming series of royal parties hosted by the Crown Prince, who is seeking a bride. When a family heirloom summons a handsome Faerie, Celinda sees a possible avenue for escape. But she finds herself being seduced, not by the prince, but by his incredibly attractive father, the King. Tempted by the pleasure the King offers and drawn by the magic her Faerie godfather can access, Celinda's heart is tugged in two different directions, even as she fights to circumvent the cruel schemes of her malevolent stepmother.
This spicy romantasy retelling of the Cinderella fairytale will appeal to fans of Scarlett St. Clair, Karina Halle, and Raven Kennedy. It's a fantasy romance novella with a love triangle and frequent spicy scenes in addition to a compelling plot. 
What did Voodoo Bride think of it:After finishing A Court of Sugar and Spice I immediately grabbed my e-reader and started on The Midnight King, which I got as a freebie by signing up to Kenney's newsletter.
For some reason I assumed it was a novella, so I was surprised to find out I read until deep into the night when I finished it.
This book is just as delicious, although with a very different (triangly) back and forth between Celinda and her Faerie godfather and the King.Not that I minded: I was totally engrossed and was eager to see where the story would lead and how Celinda would escape her miserable life and find happiness.I loved seeing how Kenney bends the original fairy tale and makes it her own,
And when I finished this book and saw there was a version of it with bonus content on Amazon, I totally bought it, as well as the other books in the Wicked Darlings series.
Why should you read it:It's a yummy Cinderella reimagining.

Buy The Trident and the Pearl
FORMAT/INFO: The Trident and the Pearl will be published February 24th, 2026. It is 464 pages long and available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: With a storm threatening to wipe out her people, Queen Coralys strikes a desperate bargain: she will marry the first person to step foot on her island's pier, in return for an end to the disaster. Unfortunately, the first person to arrive is not the hoped for prince from a neighboring kingdom, but a lowly, smelly fisherman. But Queen Coralys honors her word, marries the fisherman, and sails off to her new home. What she doesn't know is that her new husband is actually the god of the sea - and he believes Queen Coralys is the key to stopping a dark threat facing mortals everywhere. Unfortunately for the sea god, Queen Coralys may have obeyed her bargain, but she secretly harbors revenge in her heart against the gods themselves.

Despite a strong start and lovely prose, The Trident and the Pearl completely flounders in creating romantic tension. That's quite a big thing to stumble over, given that this book is being marketed as a romantasy. While I could believe the sea god Okeanos had fallen for Coralys, I didn't for a second believe the reverse was true at any point in the story. Any tender moments towards the end of the story struck me as false.

I will give the book credit for having some high points that made me wish I liked it more. I was really pulled into the beginning of the story, with the initial introduction of Coralys's island nation, their culture, and the bargain she strikes with the gods. I enjoyed the turn the plot took at the midpoint, and thought it was taking the story into a genuinely interesting direction. The overall atmosphere is well done, and I loved the style of writing that felt appropriate for a story about a woman caught in the machinations of gods.

But overall, the plot just felt a bit of a mess. Characters refuse to divulge information to a frustrating degree, stalling out story momentum. Other characters seem deliberately obtuse. Even allowing for the emotions at play, the sheer refusal to consider evidence that they are being lied to or manipulated made me want to scream. The last third of the book felt scattered and meandering, and I ultimately lost interest in the plot.

I really wanted to like The Trident and the Pearl, and for the first several chapters it seemed like it would hit all the right boxes. Unfortunately, the plot completely stalled and characters behaved in a way that was frustrating to watch. I sadly cannot give this book a recommend.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Length: 325 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: November 11, 2025
ASIN: B0DQJ422QX
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Legends and Lattes series
Source: Borrowed ebook from from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

If only things were so simple…

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable.”

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Legends and Lattes series. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: This was an amazing follow-up to Legends and Lattes and follows Fern, from the Prelude book. I really enjoyed that this went from more of a cozy fantasy to an adventure fantasy (with some coziness of course). I thought Fern’s struggles felt very real and was hoping for her to find her path and happiness. It was incredibly relatable.

Fern relocates her bookstore to Thune and gets set up with the help of Viv, Tandri, and Cal. However, she isn’t happy. Fern finds herself panicking when she realizes this move to Thune didn’t fill the empty spot in her. For a solution, she has a night of hard drinking and then wanders around town, inadvertently falling asleep in the back of a wagon. Unfortunately, she wakes up on the road with a famous warrior elf, the elf’s odd captive goblin, and no money whatsoever. Now Fern is on an adventure that will test her courage and make her question what she really wants out of life.

I really enjoyed all of the adventuring in this book. It is different from previous books in this series, but I enjoyed the change. The adventure is exciting and life-threatening at times, but still stays cozy feeling too.

I also really enjoyed all of the characters here. Fern is a foul-speaking Ratkin in a tough spot but she tries to be as helpful as possible and really is struggling to find her happiness. The elf warrior she joins up with is a creature of habit, she’s been a merc for centuries and can’t imagine doing things any other way. The captive goblin is pure chaos, and it’s tough to figure out if she’s actually a captive. In the end, they all end up being what the other party members need. They all end up pushing each other out of their comfort zones. The antics here were humorous, fun, and thought-provoking.

This was very easy to read and I enjoyed it. It is quite different from the last two books in this series in format and tone, but I thought that was a good thing. It was still a cozy and thought-provoking read. This was incredibly well written, and I breezed right through it and enjoyed every minute of it.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this new installment in the Legends and Lattes series. The format is different this time around with a lot more adventure, but I liked the format even better than the previous books. We do see a bit of Viv and Tandri, but the story really focuses on Fern and a cast of new amazing characters. If you enjoy thoughtful adventure fantasy with some coziness, I think you will enjoy this. If you enjoyed the other two Legends and Lattes books, I think you will enjoy this as well, just keep an open mind and go along with the adventure.

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (January 20, 2026)

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Author Information: Website

Narrators: Bel Powley, Henry Rowley, Richard Armitage

Alice Feeney is an author I can usually depend on to deliver an edge-of-your-seat thriller, and on its surface, My Husband’s Wife sounded like it would be exactly that. So, imagine my disappointment when it did not work for me the way it clearly has for so many others. Now, I’m aware I’m in the minority with this one, but somewhere along the way I felt the story just went so far off the rails that I stopped enjoying myself.

The book opens with Eden Fox, an artist about to have her career breakout moment, deciding on an evening run to blow off some steam before her first gallery exhibition. As always, she leaves all her valuables including her phone, wallet, and wedding ring at home before she heads out. When she returns, however, she discovers something very wrong. The key to her house no longer works. Someone answers the door to see what’s going on, and it’s a stranger who looks remarkably like Eden—similar build, hair, facial features—and she claims that there must be a mistake, because she lives there, not Eden. Then, a man come downstairs to investigate the commotion, and Eden is relieved because it’s her husband, Harrison. He’ll sort out this mess and kick this crazy lady out of their house! Except to Eden’s shock, Harrison stares back at her with no recognition in his eyes. He insists the strange woman beside him is his wife, and that he has no idea who Eden is but if she doesn’t leave the property, they will have no choice but to call the police. Carrying no proof of her identity, Eden is forced to flee into the night, feeling frightened, hurt, and confused.

Running alongside Eden’s story is a second one following Birdy, a reclusive woman living in London who has just received a devastating diagnosis and may only have months to live. That same night, however, she is visited by a representative of her estranged grandmother’s estate and learns she has unexpectedly inherited a house in the seaside village of Hope Falls, where her family once lived. When Birdie arrives at the property, affectionately known to all the locals as Spyglass, she discovers a letter among her late grandmother’s belongings from a mysterious corporation claiming it can predict the exact date of a person’s death. Given the timing of her diagnosis, Birdy’s curiosity is understandable, and she decides to look more closely into the company’s mission and history. As her investigation unfolds, the novel gradually stitches together these two seemingly separate narratives, linking half-truths and coincidences that may not be coincidences at all.

For the most part, this works. I’ll say this about all Alice Feeney’s books: her prose is snappy, the atmosphere is intense, and the pace is so brisk that the thought of taking a pause is nearly impossible. I was genuinely curious and looking forward to the reveals for at least the first half of My Husband’s Wife, even when I wasn’t entirely sure what the hell was going on. After all, confusion is part of the deal here, completely by design, and the plot is structured in a way to make the reader feel disoriented.

Where the story started to lose me was in the second half, with its handling of twists. Not because there were too few, but because there were too many! At a certain point, the story completely gives up on building upon its own foundations and begins pulling the rug from under itself, over, and over, and over again. Shocking revelations became less about providing answers and more about being completely unpredictable, even if it doesn’t really make sense or throws everything that we know about the characters out the window. When you realize that anything can change at any second and none of the truths that were previously established matter, it all starts to feel rather pointless.

To be clear, I have nothing against twists. It’s one of the best reasons to read thrillers and why I enjoy the genre so much. But at the same time, My Husband’s Wife was a bit much even by Feeney standards. Thing is, I don’t want to remove all thinking from the equation. I’d like to be given the chance to form coherent theories and emotional attachments to characters that could hold out to the next chapter. Without that expectation, I’m afraid it undercuts tension rather than heightens it for me.

That said, the audiobook narration is fantastic. Read by Bel Powley, Henry Rowley, and Richard Armitage, all three delivered strong and engaging performances. I’m especially a big fan of Armitage, who does incredible voice work on anything he does, not just Alice Feeney audiobooks. To be honest, even when the story frustrated me, the narration kept me listening.

In the end, I think My Husband’s Wife will be very much a “your mileage may vary” thriller. For me, the book started strong but ultimately collapsed under the weight of its need to induce whiplash, leaving me entertained but mentally exhausted and emotionally detached. But like I said, I suspect I am the outlier here, and fans who love Alice Feeney’s books despite or perhaps because of her bold, major-suspension-of-disbelief twists will probably have a great time.

 

Several people asked my opinion "as a military man." They were wrong about the man part, but the thought of explaining Gallacia's sworn soldiers to a boatload of Americans was so exhausting that I needed a gin and tonic just to contemplate it, and a second one to decide that explaining would be a bad idea.

 (page 1, What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher)

---------
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!

 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Publisher: Page count: Formats: audiobook, ebook, paperback

I loved Ling Ling Huang’s Natural Beauty and couldn’t wait to read this one too. Sadly, Immaculate Conception didn’t fully live up to my expectations.
There’s a lot here that I admired. The ideas are strong and timely; we get cloning, AI replacing artists, art as commodity, art as theft. The obsessive dynamic between the narrator, Enka, and Mathilde is fascinating. That slow burn of jealousy and the way admiration curdles into resentment, guilt, and self-loathing is incredibly well written. Huang nails that emotional ugliness. 
Enka isn't likable, nor is she relatable. She makes selfish, cruel choices and justifies them badly. But she’s believable in her pettiness and envy. She want what others have instead of building something of her own and I know people like this.
Despite my appreciation for the ideas, the book felt very detached and emotionally distant to me. I finished it, but I never truly connected to Enka, to Mathilde, or to the story as a whole. I wanted deeper character development early on, especially for Enka and Mathilde, before everything spiraled. Their bond is supposed to be intense, but I struggled to feel it.
Huang is an excellent writer, though. The art discussions are fantastic. I actually went and looked up the artworks mentioned, and that genuinely improved my experience. The performance art sections, in particular, are powerful. 
To sum it up, where Natural Beauty pulled me in immediately, this one took effort. I was also, admittedly, hoping for a bit more weirdness and a little more unhinged energy. And while I appreciated what the book was saying, I think it could’ve been shorter.
In the end, I liked it more in theory than in practice. It's smart, thoughtful novel about awe, jealousy, and artistic obsession, but it kept me at arm’s length. Despite my reservations, I’ll absolutely pick up whatever Huang writes next.

Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files is one of the best selling and most beloved fantasy sagas on the shelves. How can a series that is now 25 years old with 17 books on the selves stay fresh? Well, one way is to change up* how the story is told. Jim Butcher has said that a Dresden…

Once again, I have scoured the internet for information on speculative fiction books coming out this year and compiled a list of works I wanted to highlight. After looking through book descriptions, early reviews, and any available excerpts, I’ve put together a list of 18 fantasy and science fiction books coming out in 2026 that sound particularly compelling to me. (Of course, some of these did not require research since I had already enjoyed previous books in the series or […]

The post Anticipated 2026 Speculative Fiction Book Releases first appeared on Fantasy Cafe.

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Steampunk
Length: 378 pages
Publisher: ‎ Self-Published
Release Date:July 11, 2024
ASIN: B0D54FPW8Z
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in The Lamplight Murder Mysteries
Source: Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 5/5 stars

“It’s the week of Hunter’s Eve, a yearly celebration of monsters, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. But for Huntress Isabeau Agarwal, the event is a stark reminder that in her line of work, there is never a day’s rest.

Murders rock the city, and Isabeau is charged with solving them before the killer strikes again. One, a macabre accident during a dangerous magician’s trick gone awry. The other, a slain politician, his disfigured body displayed atop Lamplight’s most memorable landmark.

The deaths are seemingly unrelated, until Isabeau learns both magician and politician belong to the same mysterious social club filled with powerful paragons of the city, each with their own hidden agendas—each with a reason to kill.

And during it all, a werewolf stalks the streets, bounding from rooftop to rooftop and claiming the lives of innocent citizens. As Isabeau uncovers the city’s secrets, complications arise: the monster and the murders may be connected.

The magician. The police chief. The Ethereal Maiden. The professor. The criminal kingpin. The industrialist.

One may be a killer. One may be a werewolf. All are hiding something.”

Series Info/Source: This is third book in The Lamplight Murder Mysteries. I borrowed this on ebook from Kindle Unlimited.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this third installment in The Lamplight Murder Mysteries. This book was a bit different than previous books in that we are let loose in the city of Lamplight rather than in an enclosed environment. I actually loved this format even more than the previous two books. I have been wanting to learn more about the mysterious city of Lamplight and this book didn’t disappoint.

There is a werewolf loose in Lamplight…and even worse a murderer loose. Isabeau and Evie are trying to enjoy a night at the theater, watching a magician, when his show goes very wrong and his assistant is killed. They quickly find out that this isn’t the only killing of the night, and Evie is called in on the case. Isabeau and Evie find out that both murders are linked to a mysterious social club, and the werewolf may somehow be linked into this all as well.

This book had a lot more action than the last couple books. I actually enjoyed this open format a lot more and really enjoyed exploring Lamplight. The things I like best about this series are the amazing world and the intriguing characters, and we get to see a lot more of both in this story. I actually am not a huge fan of murder mysteries or who-dun-it types of stories. However, I love this setting and these characters.

I also love that we learn a lot more about monsters and about Isabeau’s past in this book. Both Evie and Isabeau are growing and changing as characters which is fun to watch. There was a bit more about politics and we are exposed to more of the ghostly aspects of this world as well.

This was a very fun and easy read that I enjoyed immensely.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this book and thought that this was the best book in this series so far. I loved the more open format and venturing into the city of Lamplight. I loved how the murder mystery intertwined with other aspects like werewolves, ghostly apparitions, and politics. I really love the characters here and enjoyed learning more about their history and watching them grow. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a creative dark steampunk-esque fantasy world with intriguing characters and a well done murder mystery.

Fiends, Ronams, Countymen, Lend me your paws!

Oooh, I think it might be time to develop a drinking problem.

You’re not wrong.

I have no problem. I drink, I fall down, I sleep, it’s basically the state motto.

Why are your paws spinning? Or…is that just me?

 

A Court of Sugar and Spice (Wicked Darlings #1)by Rebecca F. Kenney
What is it about:With their inheritance restricted until their marriage, sisters Clara and Louisa, both in their twenties, must live with their godfather Drosselmeyer. One night, an accident brings to life one of the strange wooden dolls in Drosselmeyer's mansion. The Nutcracker doll is a cursed Fae prince, and he pleads for the sisters' help. During the ensuing journey into the Fae realm, Clara encounters the handsome Sugarplum Faerie, and he promises her the chance to enact all her forbidden fantasies. Meanwhile Louisa and the Nutcracker Prince battle and bicker over everything, despite the growing attraction between them. And to make matters worse, the entire Seelie kingdom is under threat of conquest by the Rat King, ruler of the Dread Court.
This is a spicy, adult, fantasy romance retelling of "The Nutcracker" fairytale.
What did Voodoo Bride think of it:I will confess I've had a couple of ebooks of this author linger on my e-reader, but I tend to skip over my digital library in favor of print books, so it took me seeing this mass market paperback and buying it to actually read something by Kenney.
And I've been missing out!
This is such a delicious read.I connected with Clara from the start. Louisa and the Nutcracker/Fae prince were less interesting to me, but the story was enjoyable enough to keep reading and to see what would happen next. 
And then the Sugarplum Faerie entered the stage!I absolutely adored him and Clara together. From there on out I was hooked and was cheering Clara and Sugarplum/Fin on and enjoying their super delicious romance.
For those more familiar with The Nutcracker there will probably be a lot of overlap with the original tale, but as someone who only knows the music and not the story I can tell you, you can read this without having seen The Nutcracker.
And you bet I grabbed my e-reader after finishing this book to see what books by Kenney I had lingering there.
Why should you read it:It's absolutely delicious!

 

Buy The Red Winter
FORMAT/INFO: The Red Winter was published by Tor Books on February 24th, 2026. It is 544 pages long and available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Twenty years ago, Professor Sebastian Grave killed the Beast. At least, that's what he hoped. But when word arrives that the Beast is stalking the French countryside once more, Sebastian resigns himself to returning to Gevaudan to finish the Beast once and for all. Returning to Gevaudan means facing the ghosts of his past, but also the chance to reconnect with an estranged lover Sebastian hasn't seen in two decades. But as Sebastian draws near to his destination, he realizes the situation is far more complicated than he realizes. As Frances teeters on the brink of revolution, can he slay the Beast without plunging the country into war?

The Red Winter is a fantastic reimagining of the story of the Beast of Gevaudan, one sure to appeal to fans of European-style monster-slaying adventures. It is fantastically atmospheric and does a great job of envisioning a supernatural layer to the world, creating a version of Europe closer to The Witcher in feel than standard history. There are ghosts and small monsters alongside powerful forest spirits who can grant boons - or curses. There are immortal beings who play power games from the shadows, using humans as pawns. And at the center of it all is Sebastian Grave, a man caught up in these power games by a quirk of fate.

And it is Sebastian Grave that I wrestle with the most as I wrap my head around how I feel about this book as a whole. On the one hand, Sebastian is your classic grizzled monster hunter character, one who is exceedingly good at his job and does it all with the wry weariness of someone who has seen humans be idiots far too many times in his life. But he is also morally gray, someone who proves that just because you hunt monsters, you aren't automatically a good person.

Sebastian is driven by a quest for power and by complicated feelings for a man he, despite everything, still loves. But as the book came to a close, I struggled with whether this was enough to make me interested in the character's fate. Sebastian wants power...and then what? Does anything else drive this man? There are moments in the book that raise this very question and suggest the purposelessness is part of the struggle of the character...but towards the end I found myself not quite caring.

I will also admit that I occasionally found it easy to get muddled over what events happened in which timeline. Large parts of the book take place in the same area with some of the same characters, just twenty years apart. Unlike a visual medium like film, I didn't have a constant reminder that a character has visibly aged and therefore we're in 1785, not 1765, or vice versa. It's a small note, one that is admittedly more of a personal problem, but it happened often enough I wanted to mention it.

The Red Winter is a well-crafted dark fantasy tale. Although I'm not sure how I feel about lead character Sebastian Grave, the fact that I'm still thinking about him weeks after finishing the book is a testament to how much this story got inside my head.

 

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Series: Anthology

Publisher: Tor Books (December 9, 2025)

Length: 448 pages

Author Information: Website

I’ve always found myself somewhat on the fence when it comes to Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the books themselves, but following the ever-expanding web of connections has never been a big part of my interest. I just care that the stories stand well on their own, which is why Tailored Realities, a collection of Sanderson’s non-Cosmere short fiction, felt especially appealing. As I’ve always said, he’s also one of the rare authors whose storytelling and world-building generally leave a lasting impression, whether he’s writing ten pages or a thousand.

There are a few exceptions to that, of course. The following are my thoughts on each story, though a couple have already been previously reviewed on their own, and you can search for these earlier reviews for more detail. In addition, Tailored Realities includes three brand-new stories appearing for the first time.

Snapshot (4.5 stars)

Reviewed previously, and even better the second time around.

Brain Dump (4 stars)

A very quick and clever sci-fi vignette that wastes no time getting to the point. Imagine a near future where prospective parents can literally shop for a designer child, browsing through genetic models in a showroom. While the concept isn’t especially groundbreaking, it’s the execution that makes this story work. For one thing, it embraces brevity, and though Brain Dump reads almost like a thought exercise, sometimes that’s exactly what sci-fi needs: a simple setup, a clear social question, and the restraint to step away before it becomes overly trite and pretentious. Sanderson’s trademark humor also helps make his point without bogging things down, and despite its short length, this was one of my favorites.

I Hate Dragons (3 stars)

Speaking of experimental, this story about a boy’s magical talent for smelling good to dragons as well as his ability to hear spelling and punctuation makes for a fun little tale, and not surprisingly, it was born out of a writing exercise. Not much else to say about this one, but I did find it useful as a way to show my middle schooler what effective dialogue looks like.

Dreamer (2.5 stars)

Dreamer is a horror story about body snatchers, but it’s handled in a subtle way that’s less about what’s happening on the page and more concerned with making readers uncomfortable through ideas. In a way, this conceptual approach is very typical Sanderson, messing with your mind instead of relying on shock value. That said, this story didn’t do much for me. It’s simply much too short to leave a lasting impression, and while the ideas are interesting in theory, they aren’t explored deeply enough to make them particularly memorable.

Perfect State (3.5 stars)

Perfect State explores perceived realities and asks, what if nothing is real and our brains are simply living in fully simulated worlds tailored to our wants and needs? This is the case with the protagonist of this tale, who rules a fantasy kingdom in a simulation created just for him. He can be the hero he wants to be, even if it’s only in his own virtual existence. But does it really matter? This story examines consciousness and ambition, as well as the ways one measures satisfaction and achievement. Compared to the previous entries, this one is thematically heavier and denser in its world-building, which made it a bit harder to get into. While the concept itself is fascinating, the execution didn’t quite hold my interest and ultimately felt a little too slow to fully engage me.

Probability Zero (1.5 of 5 stars)

Ugh, I hate flash fiction, so take my rating with a grain of salt, but this story exemplifies why. Again, this one is told entirely in dialogue but has none of the charm of I Hate Dragons. At under 500 words, I barely see a point in reviewing this one, but it follows a human selected by aliens to be uplifted, and aside from a clever little twist at the end, it passed by with barely a blip on my radar. I have to say, I got far more insight from Sanderson’s author’s note for this story, which ended up being more enjoyable than the story itself.

Defending Elysium (3 stars)

I love the Skyward series, so I was giddy with a fair bit of anticipation by the time I got to Defending Elysium which apparently lays the groundwork for the Cytoverse. That said, the age of it shows, and as this is early Sanderson still developing his craft, the writing can feel a bit rough around the edges, as in heavier on description and telling rather than showing. While I’m fascinated by what feels like the origin seeds for the Skyward books, the mystery plot itself was fairly underwhelming, and the storytelling occasionally drags under too much detail. Still a neat little read though, especially if you are a Cytoverse completionist.

Firstborn (2.5 stars)

This is one I wish I had enjoyed more, and maybe I would have had I been more of a short fiction fan. However, I tend to struggle with novelettes, especially when they try to cram so much into such a small space. Firstborn is about a young man who follows in the footsteps of his legendary older brother, a brilliant and admired military strategist he knows he will never live up to. With so much potential for human conflict alone, the story barely has room to explore the characters once the epic battles are factored in. Any messages about inherited talent versus personal circumstance are completely overshadowed along the way.

Mitosis (4 stars)

Previously reviewed, this mini-story takes place in the Reckoners universe after the events of Steelheart. A quick, fun read that stands alone from the rest of the novels but worth reading for the supervillain and his cool powers alone.

Moment Zero (4.5 stars)

Moment Zero is the longest story and likely the collection’s selling point as it is also a brand-new, never-published-elsewhere-before novella. Part detective story, part time travel adventure, and part zombie apocalypse, it follows two police investigators and former lovers as they try to stop the same catastrophic event from happening, but from opposite directions in time after one is transported a few days into the past while the other is thrown forwards into the future. The dual-timeline structure here is clever, but like all time travel stories, it’s probably best not to think too hard about the mechanics behind them. Still, what’s lovely about Moment Zero is its longer page length, which gives readers more time to know the two main characters. The relationship between them carries a surprising amount of emotional depth, hitting harder than I expected for a novella. This one is hands down the best story in Tailored Realities—not only the most memorable, but the most satisfying as well.

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TRANSLATIONS

SPAIN

I know, I know, I said I would never even contemplate a Spanish translation again, after the disaster I had with the first 4 books of Bite Back in 2023.

But then Cinta gives me a call and points out that SF is a very different genre, and is popular in Spain, and the heroine Zara is part Spanish with an obviously Spanish name, and she’ll give me such a good price on translating ‘A Name Among the Stars’, and maybe it’ll provide a boost for Amber as well…

So…

In the spring of 2026, hablando en español, Zarate Mirari Aguirre, daughter, and last of the Founding Family Aguirre, will speak her Name with pride, for it is a Name Among the Stars, and that they can never erase.

Y veremos. And we will see.

For those who haven’t read the Among the Stars books (currently 2, but another 2 coming):

An heiress fleeing for her life. A forbidden and terrifying Artificial Intelligence loose in the galaxy. A telepathic alien race living hidden alongside humanity. A deadly conspiracy silently spreading through human space. The secret sorrow of a whole planet revealed for all to see.
A vow that must be broken. A love that cannot be.
Duty and honor.

A huge and developing story set in the distant future with a sweep that encompasses the whole of humanity, told mainly from the perspective of Zara Aguirre, daughter, and last of the great Founding Family Aguirre, who abandons her home world to save her life.

A review of Among the Stars by
Charles de Lint
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

“It’s a delicious mix of the Brontë sisters, murder mystery, sf drama,
space opera, and just general romance and derring-do…
I could sense the joy of storytelling on every page.
This one hit the mark on every point.”

http://mybook.to/Among_the_Stars

And at the same time as I release ANAtS, I will unpublish Revelación (the Bite Back series name in Spain) and re-brand in line with the English and German style, and republish. Amazon mis-categorized book 1 as erotica when it was launched, which just destroyed all the marketing effort. They claim that the problem was ‘fixed’, but it was still possible to get an Amazon list of Urban Fantasy books with book 1 suppressed completely. Makes selling it difficult. Republishing with a different ISBN and Amazon code will finally cure that, I hope.

FRANCE
I have been promised the final editing for ‘L’oeil du Serpent’ (‘Snake Eyes’) in French will be complete in December, and so we’ll be launching in January along with the 3 translated novellas (‘The Biting Cold’, ‘Winter’s Kiss’ and ‘Change of Regime’).
I’ve tentatively agreed for ‘The Harvest of Lies’ to be translated into French as well next summer. It is, after all, set in French Saigon!

GERMANY
I’m wondering if I should get ‘The Harvest of Lies’ translated into German. Thoughts?

All of which will increase the pressure on me to write more and write quickly.

WRITING PROGRESS

I spent a lot of November coughing and sneezing, which was irritating and held me up a bit. I am making progress, but I have clearly bust the predictions I made for publication, and Bite Back book 9 is now categorically and unequivocally ‘late’.

I keep editing and re-editing, feeling that passages are simply not good enough. I am trying various ways to fix this. Keep checking in.

A snippet. Amber and party have been ambushed, but who are the ambushers?

MARKETING

Been in the doldrums a bit this year. Our main marketing channels are Facebook and Amazon. Both of them have apparently turned over their internal algorithms to AI, and now no one knows how to get any traction for any length of time. The support execs can’t tell you because they don’t know why the algorithms are doing what they’re doing.

We’re running an Amazon Countdown now (basically SoH for 99c), which has got the Amazon rating moving, and we’ll follow that with another concerted effort right through into 2026. Traditionally, pre-Christmas isn’t a good time for marketing, but nothing is working ‘traditionally’, so we’re trying different things.

Yes, we’ve had a look at BookBub and BookTok and Instagram.

Our other marketing challenge in the new year is how to advertise those translations.

In France, although Hachette have closed the deal we had, I don’t have the rights for the rest of Bite Back series. Those could come back by expiration or purchase of the contract, but that’s in the future. The first challenge is how to advertise for book 8 on its own! Theoretically, you should be able to go to Amazon and say ‘promote this to everyone who has read the Bite Back series so far’. Amazon might do that, but again, they might not. The second point is that Hachette’s main market was in bookshops with printed copies, and there’s no way we’ll be able to match their access there.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

URBAN FANTASY THRILLERS
Amber Farrell – Paranormal PI

BITE BACK SERIES
I anticipate 11 or 12 books in total to conclude the series arc of Emergence
Prequel: Raw Deal
1: Sleight of Hand
2: Hidden Trump
3: Wild Card
4: Cool Hand
5: Angel Stakes
5.1 The Biting Cold (associated novella)
5.2 Winter’s Kiss (associated novella)
5.3 Change of Regime (associated novella)
6: Inside Straight
7: Queen of Diamonds
8: Snake Eyes
9: Not yet named

Others from the BITE BACK universe
Characters from these books appear in the main series

BIAN’S TALE
1: The Harvest of Lies
Anticipated 6 books following Bian from her early life in 1890 Vietnam
to the point she becomes Daikon of House Altau, prior to the start of BITE BACK
https://mybook.to/THoL

BITE BACK: OUTSIDERS
1: The Biting Cold
https://mybook.to/TheBitingCold

2: Winter’s Kiss
https://mybook.to/WintersKiss

A short novella series with a PNR flavor introducing the background of House Lloyd
This miniseries fits between books 5 and 6 of the main BITE BACK series

LONG ISLAND ATHANATE
Change of Regime
https://mybook.to/ChangeOfRegime

Stand-alone novella set between books 5 and 6 of the main BITE BACK series
providing some insight into House Altau in New York
When ‘Stand Up’ appears, it will be in this group

SCIENCE FICTION

THE LONG WAY HOME
I anticipate 6 or 7 books in this series
Prequel: No Other Course
1: The Dark Takes Fools
2: Out of the Dark
3: Born in Fire
4: Don’t Stop Now

Their war has just ended.
Their struggle has just begun.
Their colony will die if they fail.

Finally discharged from the military, Janice and Bjorn are the only two survivors of a group recruited from the remote and isolated colony of Calloway. It’s left to them to find a way to get life-saving technology back to their home planet before everyone left in the colony dies.

It’s an impossible task, but no one can convince Jan and Bjorn of that.

Betrayed by the Earth’s government, never more than a step from disaster, they have to battle against corruption, greed… and pirates… on The Long Way Home.

Series link
https://mybook.to/TLWH

AMONG THE STARS
I anticipate 4 or 5 books in this series
1: A Name Among the Stars
2: A Threat Among the Stars

(As detailed in first section)