2024 has been a monster year for SFF. From indie fungalpunk-noir (like Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson) to brand new epic fantasy series (The Gods Below by Andrea M. Gibson) to time-loop romances (A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen) to fantasy-creature-compendium-encyclopaedias (Loreland Bestiaries by Hope Christofferson) and innovative weird fiction that I still can’t fully describe (Three Eight […]
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Review: The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien De Castell
Synopsis: Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat’s a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn’t want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being […]
The Shaggy Shepherd’s Most Memorable Reads of 2024
I’ve been going back and forth between ways to recognize my favorite reads. Throughout the year, I was tracking which books I rated the highest each month, but that came with multiple issues. First, some months had multiple books with a high rating and it was difficult to just choose one winner. Second, some months […]
Review: Blood Of Heirs (The Coraidic Sagas #1) by Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Synopsis Lidan Tolak is the fiercest of her father’s daughters; more than capable of one day leading her clan. But caught between her warring parents, Lidan’s world begins to unravel when another of her father’s wives falls pregnant. Before she has time to consider the threat of a brother, a bloody swathe is cut through […]
Dissecting The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim First and foremost, I want it to be understood that this is not so much a review as it is my attempt to dissect the good and bad of the latest entry into the world of Tolkien. With that being said, any or all of […]
Darby’s Best Comic Books And Graphic Novels Of 2024
After what has seemed like momentary stagnation, comic books and graphic novels reflected a turbulent, erratic year with vital, innovative, diverse stories. From superheroes to fantasy landscapes in the backyard or someone’s mind – or both – comics like Absolute Batman took big chances and delivered in big ways for readers. My biggest regret in […]
Review: Lightfall (The Everlands Trilogy #1) by Ed Crocker
Synopsis: For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you’re poor, you drink weak blood. If you’re nobility, you get the good stuff. And […]
Review: Acceptance (Southern Reach #3) by Jeff Vandermeer
This is the final book in the original trilogy and I think my second favourite after the first book. Acceptance doesn’t give answers but does give a little bit more context to the possible creation of Area X and a bit more of a look at Area X in the present day.
Craig’s Top Reads of 2024
It’s the end of the year as we know it (and I feel full of cheese and chocolate). 2024 has been an extremely good reading year for me, and with so many highlights it’s made this post very difficult to narrow down. So I’m going to do something a little different and break it up […]
Review: Fury Of The Gods (Bloodsworn Saga #3) by John Gwynne
Synopsis The Fury of the Gods is the earth-shattering final book in John Gwynne’s bestselling Norse-inspired epic fantasy series, packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance THE FINAL BATTLE FOR THE FATE OF VIGRIÐ APPROACHES Varg has overcome the trials of his past and become an accepted member of the Bloodsworn, but now he and […]
Review: Hark! The Herald Angels Scream Ed by Christopher Golden
Synopsis Eighteen stories of Christmas horror from bestselling, acclaimed authors including Scott Smith, Seanan McGuire, Josh Malerman, Michael Koryta, Sarah Pinborough, and many more. That there is darkness at the heart of the Yuletide season should not surprise. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is filled with scenes that are unsettling. Marley untying the bandage that holds his […]
Review: The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville
Synopsis There have always been whispers. Legends. The warrior who cannot be killed. Who’s seen a thousand civilisations rise and fall. He has had many names: Unute, Child of Lightning, Death himself. These days, he’s known simply as ‘B’. And he wants to be able to die. In the present day, a US black-ops group […]