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. […]
Fantasy
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 […]
Review: God of Broken Things (Age of Tyranny #2) by Cameron Johnston
Synopsis An outcast magician must risk his body and mind to save the world from horrifying demons, in the heart-pounding epic fantasy sequel to The Traitor God. Tyrant magus Edrin Walker destroyed the monster sent by the Skallgrim, but not before it laid waste to Setharis, and infested their magical elite with mind-controlling parasites. Edrin’s […]
Review: Don’t Bloody the Black Flag by James Lloyd Dulin
Synopsis The fight for peace is often a war. To end nearly a century of war plaguing Ennea, a clan of nomads plans to bring leaders from the four nations together. They task a young water dancer named Isála to deliver a missive to a northern general, her estranged mother, and convince her to join […]
Review: The Way of the Renegades by Steve D Wall (The Bards and Dragons Saga 1)
Rating: 8/10An action-packed flintlock fantasy book about guns, mages, bards and dragons! Ulric, former war hero, has been living a quiet life of exile in the frontier city of Quinport and wants only to continue hiding from the mistakes of his past. But then he discovers the invention of a revolutionary new kind of rifle, […]
Review: A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe #1) by P. Djèlí Clark
Synopsis Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of Djinn Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the […]
Review: The Traitor God (Age of Tyranny #1) by Cameron Johnston
Synopsis A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut. After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magician Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened […]
Australian & New Zealand Author Showcase No 19 – Joshua Walker
Its 2024 and the Showcase you didn’t know you needed is back! The idea came to me whilst seeing so many of the book community gathering at recent conventions in the US and UK. And once my FOMO had subsided, I got to thinking about who might be gathered together if we had similar conventions […]
Review: Night of Knives (Novels of the Malazan Empire #1) by Ian C. Esslemont
Synopsis: The empire is named for the tiny island and city of Malaz, now a sleepy, seedy backwater port. Tonight however, a once-in-a-generation Shadow Moon brings demon hounds and darker beings. Also, a prophecy promises the return of long missing Emperor Kellanved to the contended imperial throne. This night will determine the fate of the […]
Review: Undead Samurai by Baptiste Pinson Wu
Rating – 9 /10 Synopsis ” His hand moved before his brain could. His left hand pulled on the saya, while the right drove the blade forward.” Japan, 1625 A new Drum Master has risen, and soon the nation will fall to the curse of Izanagi. Answering the call of his kotsuzumi, dead warriors abandon […]
Harry’s Top 10 reads of 2023
Without further ado, here are my top 10 reads of 2023!