Synopsis Brushing away dust and dirt and sand and grit, the towering penumbra men stagger, drift, and wonder of the dark earth that surrounds them. These gods of an ancient world are simple men staring at a nothing moon struggling to invent a word to describe such darkness. The penumbra once had a word for the sun, VVLNA, but in […]
Dark Fantasy
Review: The Dissonance by Shaun Hamill
Synopsis From the acclaimed author of A Cosmology of Monsters comes an epic contemporary fantasy: a story of dark magic, terrible mistakes, and second chances. “You can never go home again,” the saying goes—but Hal, Athena, and Erin have to. In high school, the three were students of the eccentric Professor Marsh, trained in a secret system […]
Review: Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of The Fallen #2) by Steven Erikson
Synopsis In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha’ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising known as the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in size and savagery, this maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust will embroil the Malazan Empire in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping […]
REVIEW: Mushroom Blues (The Hofmann Report #1) by Adrian M. Gibson
SYNOPSIS ENTER THE FUNGALVERSE. BEAT THE WINTER BLUES. Blade Runner, True Detective and District 9 meld with the weird worlds of Jeff VanderMeer, Philip K. Dick and China Miéville in Adrian M. Gibson’s hallucinatory, fungalpunk noir debut. Two years after a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hōppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko […]
Review: Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1)
Synopsis Read less Acclaimed by writers, critics and readers alike, here is the opening chapter in what has been hailed a landmark of epic fantasy. A novel in which grand design, a dark and complex mythology, wild and wayward magic and a host of enduring characters combine with thrilling, powerful storytelling to resounding effect. Bled […]
Review: Darkdawn (The Nevernight Chronicle #3) by Jay Kristoff
Synopsis: The greatest games in Godsgrave’s history have ended with the most audacious murders in the history of the Itreyan Republic. Mia Corvere, gladiatii, escaped slave and infamous assassin, is on the run. Pursued by Blades of the Red Church and soldiers of the Luminatii legion, she may never escape the City of Bridges and […]
Review: Renia (Luna Ruinam Book 1)
Synopsis The Halls of Venn are the seat of both knowledge and power in the great continent of Luna Ruinam. Renia, a scribe with a tragic past, spends her days expertly copying books that do little to satiate her desire for knowledge.When a fateful commission lands on her desk, she finds herself tasked with transcribing […]
Book Review : A Cask-Aged Blade by Benjamin Aeveryn
Rating – 9/10 Synopsis: The intense conclusion to the post-apocalyptic fantasy series inspired by The Witcher, The Last of Us, and Arthurian Legend. Unable to set the past behind him, Galahad plots to bring justice to the Unholy King. But when his fury draws the attention of an ancient danger, he must set aside revenge if he’s […]
Review: Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff
Synopsis: In a land where three suns almost never set, a ruthless assassin continues her quest for vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family. Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church hierarchy think she’s far from earned it. Plying her […]
Review: Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark by Stephanie K. Smith
Synopsis Tourmaline Larou lives an idyllic life of learning by day and partying by night. An aspiring poet, her future promises nothing less than brilliance. Then, Vignette Stonemoss walks through the door, and Tourmaline’s world is upended. As she struggles to understand the effect this stranger has on her, Tourmaline and her fellow fae face […]
Book Review: Thieves Duology by MJ Kuhn
TL;DR Review: Fast-paced, gritty action, high stakes, and delightful characters. The perfect series to scratch my Locke Lamora itch! Synopsis: In just over a year’s time, Ryia Cautella has already earned herself a reputation as the quickest, deadliest blade in the dockside city of Carrowwick—not to mention the sharpest tongue. But Ryia Cautella is not […]
Review: Serpentus (A Relics of War Novel) by A.J. Calvin
Synopsis Dispatched to Stone Hill to oversee the city’s defenses among nebulous rumors of the Shadow Council’s threat, Owen Greenwaters must rely on the city’s guard and its natural defenses to protect the citizens. But when an army of mythical hooded ones bolstered by a sea serpent and the Soulless arrive in the wake of […]