Synopsis Saffron’s resolve will be tested as the fate of a kingdom hangs in the balance.Young Dragon Rider Saffron and her faithful comrade, the rightful king Bower, have survived their first battle, but the war for Torvald is far from over. She warns the scholarly prince they must take action and adapt for the sake […]
Fantasy
Book Review: Majordomo by Tim Carter
TL;DR Review: Immediately relatable and engaging with a surprising amount of heart. Fun, fresh fantasy in the vein of Kings of the Wyld, The Dungeoneers, and Orconomics. Synopsis: A plucky underdog. A powerful necromancer. And the idiot heroes bent on murdering them. Kobolds are supposed to run away—it’s what they’re best at. But Jack? Born […]
Review: The Hiding by Alethea Lyons (The Seer of York Book 1)
Old York… cobbled streets where dreams are made of Synopsis Arcane archivist Harper has always been plagued by dreams of grotesque creatures and bloody deaths. When she bumps into a ghostwalker in the Shambles and has a visceral experience of his execution, she knows it’s a foretelling. Yet fear of the Queen’s Guard stops her […]
Australian & New Zealand Author Showcase No 22 – S.K. Putt
An idea squeezed into my head in 2023, after seeing so many of the book community gathering at conventions across the US and UK. And once my FOMO subsided, I got to thinking about who might be gathered together if we had similar conventions closer to home. Pending the master planning required to arrange a […]
Review: Trials of Empire (Empire of the Wolf #3) by Richard Swan
TL;DR Review: Grimdark and brutally epic, a solid conclusion to a trilogy that promises to be one of the best reads of the year. Synopsis: THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there’s life in the great beast yet. To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt […]
Author Chat: Seán O’Boyle – The Ballad of Sprikit The Bard (And Company)
Author Bio (in their own words) Seán O’Boyle is an Irish, London-based, writer on his self-publishing journey. Since he was a young lad, he’s loved creating stories; whether scribbling short fiction in his school copybooks, or creating dramatic home movies with his toys. He’s even dabbled in the fine art of stand up comedy, with […]
Interview with Douglas Lumsden
Well, the first thing I would do is jam the buttons so that the elevator would stop and I’d have a captive audience, because I like to take my time with my pitches. But if I was in a hurry, I might say something like: A cynical detective finds mystery, murder, and dark magic in […]
Review: The Malevolent Seven by Sebastian de Castell
TL;DR Review: Suicide Squad done right. Grim, gritty, sarcastic, and charmingly irreverent. Entertaining from start to finish. Synopsis: ‘Seven powerful mages want to make the world a better place. We’re going to kill them first.’ Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. No […]
Review: Dragons of Kings (Upon Dragon’s Breath #2) by Ava Richardson
Synopsis The battle for Torvald begins. As the young heir of a noble house fallen into decay, Bower has reluctantly shouldered the mantle he was born with—that of Torvald’s rightful king. It is his destiny to throw off the shackles of King Enric and lead his people to freedom, or so he’s been told. With […]
Review: Dragons of Wild (Upon Dragon’s Breath #1) by Ava Richardson
Synopsis The once peaceful kingdom of Torvald has been ravaged by evil magic, forcing Riders to forget their dragons and their noble beasts to flee to the wilds. Now, anyone who dares to speak of dragons is deemed insane and put to death. Into this dark and twisted land, Saffron was born sixteen years ago. […]
Review: The Hallows by H.L. Tinsley
Drugs, nuns and secrets – no, not your average weekend night out but the return of the Princess of Grimdark. Synopsis The Hallow serum was once sacred to the Auld Bloods. Used to gain access to their lost ancestral powers, now it is regulated and administered by the powerful Providence Company. Evolved from the echelons […]
Australian & New Zealand Author Showcase No 21 – Aman Bedi
An idea squeezed into my head in 2023, after seeing so many of the book community gathering at conventions across the US and UK. And once my FOMO subsided, I got to thinking about who might be gathered together if we had similar conventions closer to home. Pending the master planning required to arrange a […]