Cover artist: Author’s wifePublisher: Self-PublishedRelease Date: May 31st, 2024 I am thrilled to be hosting this cover reveal for a debut self-publishing author, who I first met at FantasyCon in 2022. When Will asked me if I would help him out with his reveal, I didn’t hesitate. And when I saw the cover for the first time, I […]
Review: Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Alien Clay provides further evidence of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s unparalleled and unfathomable imagination. A master storyteller and world builder, Tchaikovsky delivers another fascinating speculative vision of an alien ecology, that is innovative and immersive.
The Bookwyrm’s Best Reads of 2023
Suffice to say, 2023 has been my best reading year by far. And not just for the quantity read, but most importantly the quality. I have read widely across the SFF spectrum, both self-published and traditionally published, reading many authors for the first time, and discovering some new favourites along the way. This year has […]
Review: Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Cage of Souls is a captivating work of speculative fiction of the highest order. A standalone that felt like an entire series in scope and imagination. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s world building and storytelling is off the charts in this outrageously entertaining story.
Series Review: The Expanse by James S.A. Corey
If you are a fan of space-opera, space travel, colonisation, first contact, politics, war, strong characters, intricate plotting, and epic realistic space battles, then there is something for everyone in this expansively epic sci-fi series.
Review: The Book That Wouldn’t Burn (The Library Trilogy #1) by Mark Lawrence
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn is the book that will not leave my head.
Review: All Of Our Sins (Dark Legacies #2) by Yuval Kordov
All Of Our Sins is the psychotropic fever dream follow-up to The Hand Of God. The Dark Legacies series is proving to be one of the most all-consuming reading experiences I have had. The vivid, dark, and immersive hellscape introduced in book one is further explored in this cerebral and cinematic sequel.
Review: 36 Streets by T.R. Napper
This book is everything I want from cyberpunk. I want morally grey characters. I want a dystopian world. I want mind-bending tech. I want to question what is real. I want the story to ask the difficult questions. I want everything that 36 Streets delivered – a challenging and rewarding story.
Series Review: The Hybrid Helix Series by JCM Berne
The Hybrid Helix Series is superhero space opera fantasy. It’s action-packed, entertaining, witty, and with wonderful slice-of-life moments that give it an episodic feel that works so well.
The series is a melding of genres – sci-fi, fantasy, space opera, and superhero – perfectly mixing action, humour, and mystery. Ultimately, it is supremely character driven in the style that makes the superhero genre so enduringly popular.
Review: Ascendant (Songs of Chaos #1) by Michael R. Miller
Ascendant gave me everything I expected from an epic fantasy dragon rider story – all the usual tropes are present, like coming of age, found family, good vs evil, magical bonds – but it felt so fresh and new. The author has taken a tried and tested formula and made it his own.
Review: Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0) by Travis Baldree
Bookshops & Bonedust is a story that will warm your heart, put a smile on your face, and leave a tear in your eye. Travis Baldree has truly created something very special with his characters and world.
The Necessity of Rain by Sarah Chorn
This is a book that can and should be appreciated by everyone, not just SFF readers.