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 […]
Fantasy
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!
Review: Elegy of a Fragmented Vineyard by Kaden Love
TL;DR Review: A stunning complex, thoroughly fleshed-out world and a terribly grim premise heralding from a talented new voice in fantasy. Synopsis: Forced to appease the policies of a foreign fiefdom, Phenmir must do the unthinkable: harvest organs from infants. Ten years ago, a new generation of children began to manifest abilities from the gods. […]
REVIEW: Heliotrope by Palmer Pickering
SYNOPSIS Teleo is a retired soldier descended from Mages, who were cast out of power generations ago. After years of war and sorrow, he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life on his farm and work his stonemason’s craft. His wife and daughter had been murdered during a war raid several years earlier […]
The Way of Renegades (The Bards and Dragons Saga #1) by Steve D. Wall
Synopsis 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, and worse, the ruling Coalition discovers his identity. Rather than be […]
The Horns of Grief (Blood and Steel Saga #2) by E.J. Doble
Synopsis In a quiet tower, in a black stone keep, a new era of man had begun… The Imperial Army has been routed.Rebellion strikes in the Provenci homeland.A champion is sent north to serve the Iron Queen with every intent on exacting her demise.And the Successor of the All-Mother, champion of the known world, discovers […]
REVIEW: His Ragged Company (Testimonies of Elias Faust #1) by Rance D. Denton
SYNOPSIS A pissed-off warlock with a taste for revenge. An army of sand-golems with fistfuls of magic. A wishing well with a mind of its own. No wonder Blackpeak, Texas never got its spot on the map. Town marshal Elias Faust thinks that he can make any problem go away if he throws enough lead […]
Review: Murtagh (The Inheritance Cycle #5) by Christopher Paolini
Synopsis The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. An evil king has been toppled, and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone, exiled to the outskirts of society. Throughout the […]
REVIEW: Sea of Souls (Sea of Souls Saga #1) by N.C. Scrimgeour
SYNOPSIS Dark be the water, and darker still the creatures that lurk within… Free-spirited Isla Blackwood has never accepted the shackles of her family’s nobility. Instead, she sails the open waters, searching for belonging on the waves. But when tragedy calls Isla home, she realises she can no longer escape the duty she’s been running […]
Author Chat: Frances White (Voyage of the Damned)
Born in Leicester and now residing in Nottingham, Frances is an English Literature and Creative Writing graduate from Royal Holloway University of London. She has a soft spot for writing unlikely, flawed, messy heroes and loves mixing humour and heartbreak. She is an advocate for fat positivity and queer representation in fiction. When not writing, […]
Review: The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang
Synopsis A mother struggling to repress her violent past,A son struggling to grasp his violent future,A father blind to the danger that threatens them all. When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies […]