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REVIEW: The Forbidden Realms by H.C. Newel

H.C. Newell puts the fun back in dark fantasy with The Forbidden Realms, the exhilarating second volume of her Fallen Light series and the follow-up to her highly accomplished debut novel, Curse of the Fallen. I will keep this review 100% spoiler-free for people who have not yet read Curse of the Fallen.

As in Curse of the Fallen, the lead heroine of the story is Nerana Leithor, or Neer for short, a young woman imbued with magical powers, including the ability to teleport short distances. But magic is forbidden in the land of Laeroth, making Neer the target of religious fanatics and rulers in the human-controlled territories.

Neer is an absolute joy to read: strong but vulnerable, funny but with a deep-seated sadness carrying over from events in the first book. In The Forbidden Realms, Neer finds herself stranded in the desert wastelands of Aragoth without any of her companions from Curse of the Fallen.

The Forbidden Realms introduces us to a new point-of-view character, the powerful elvish sorceress Aélla, as well as a delightful cast of supporting characters who have more than a few surprises in store for our heroine. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about getting a whole new setting and cast of characters in The Forbidden Realms, but I quickly became attached to the new characters and their rip-roading adventure.

The Forbidden Realms is much faster paced compared to Curse of the Fallen. H.C. Newell delivers a constant stream of action which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat:

“Neer curled on top of the ground, gasping for breath. The burning in her veins had reduced to a low simmering heat. Her muscles were rigid and hard to move, and she reached shakily for her sword, just out of reach.”

Beyond the heart-pounding action scenes, there are also plenty of emotional moments:

“Leaning onto his shoulder, she closed her eyes and was comforted by his embrace as he wrapped his arm around her back. They sat in a comfortable silence for the rest of the morning, and for the first time in months, she knew she wasn’t alone.”

H.C. Newell is a natural storyteller, and her writing is the perfect match for this dark tale. The story includes some rather gruesome action scenes that are never gratuitous but will delight even the most skeptical grimdark reader.

Newell’s worldbuilding in The Forbidden Realms is also outstanding, a Tolkienesque nightmare with an undercurrent of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Newell builds an impressive depth of lore in her series, with plenty of nuance and Easter eggs that will reward the careful reader.

I still have mixed feelings about Newell’s use of footnotes to explain some of the worldbuilding elements. While it’s great to learn these additional pieces of history and lore, it would have been preferable to incorporate this information into the main text of the novel somehow.

H.C. Newell improves upon her craft in every way with The Forbidden Realms, delivering a fast-paced epic adventure that is equal parts dark and delicious. The Fallen Light series will continue with the third book, Shadows of Nyn’Dira, where the action shifts to the dark elven forests of Nyn’Dira.

4.5/5

Read The Forbidden Realms by H.C. Newel

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REVIEW: Conan the Barbarian #2 by Jim Zub (W) and Roberto De La Torre (A)

The second issue of Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian begins in the ashes of Aquilonian frontier outpost Hauler’s Roam. Conan and the Pictish scout Brissa watch from hiding as the undead “Tribe of the Lost” wordlessly gather together the bodies of their savaged victims. Loading the corpses into a net they drag behind them, the rotting horde heads north, crossing the border into Conan’s homeland of Cimmeria. Sole survivors of the supernatural raid, Conan and Brissa follow in pursuit, hoping both to warn Cimmerian warriors of the encroaching threat and learn the location of the larger army of zombies. Along the way Conan and Brissa learn more about one another, with initial mistrust eventually giving way to camaraderie.

The artwork for this issue is the best seen thus far. For Conan the Barbarian #1 I commented that the reader’s viewpoint often felt a bit too distant from the action, obscuring facial expressions and other fine details. Issue #2 displays a marked improvement on that front. Not only are we given a clearer look at character’s faces, they are good faces as well. As to be expected given the situation, Conan mostly wears an expression of grim determination throughout the issue, but Roberto De La Torre avoids stone-faced monotony through subtle attention to Conan’s eyes. Now that we’re able to get a better look at her face, we can see that Brissa is rendered in a style that would not be out of place alongside Belit, Valeria, Red Sonja, and other warrior women and love interests from the 1970s issues of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian, rather than a more modern standard for comic book heroines. This consistency with the classic artwork is appreciated. While the characters and fight scenes take center stage, De La Torre’s art also does a quietly effective job showcasing the rugged wilderness of Cimmeria.

There’s more narration than dialogue in Conan the Barbarian #2, but Jim Zub continues to take a light hand with the text. He mostly lets the artwork speak for itself, using brief and evocative language as needed to communicate the less visual aspects of the story. Most of this issue is taken up by overland travel, but there are some nice character moments as Brissa and Conan—thrown together by circumstance—gradually feel each other out. The Tribe of the Lost and the unseen power commanding it remain mysterious, but some intriguing hints are revealed.

There has been a small amount of grumbling from canon purists about the coziness of comic book Conan’s relationship with the Pict Brissa. In “The Black Stranger,” one of the original short stories by Robert E. Howard, Conan takes considerable umbrage at another character’s suggestion that he has been living among the Picts: “Even a Zingaran ought to know there’s never been peace between Picts and Cimmerians, and never will be.” The comic book Conan is much younger than the one depicted in “The Black Stranger,” and I’m curious to see if this long-standing feud between Cimmerians and Picts will be reflected in the plot developments of subsequent issues of Conan the Barbarian.

Conan scholar Jeffrey Shanks’ brief article for this issue takes no position on “Pictgate”; instead he draws a connection between Zub’s comic character Brissa and the lineage of Howard’s Pictish characters Brule the Spear-slayer and Bran Mak Morn. The issue concludes with a letters column, in which Zub reiterates a statement he has made in interviews, that his intent for Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian is to focus on creating new tales, rather than retell classic adventures. A laudable goal, in this reader’s opinion.

Enthusiasm remains high regarding Conan’s comic revival, with Conan the Barbarian #1 reportedly outselling all Titan Comics releases to date. A third printing of the first issue is in the works, and Titan reports that this second issue is already back at the printers for a second run. Conan the Barbarian #2 maintains the high standard of quality seen in #1 and the Free Comic Book Day issue #0 and is an easy recommendation for fans of dark fantasy comics.

Read Conan the Barbarian #2 by Jim Zub (W) and Roberto De La Torre (A)

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REVIEW: Behind Blue Eyes: Last Stand by Anna Mocikat

Behind Blue Eyes is a fantastic cyberpunk series that remains one of the best indie experiences I’ve had the pleasure of finding. Kindle Unlimited is a feast or a famine with nine terrible books for every great one, so it’s always good to find some that are worth the effort. This is the fourth book in the series and continues directly from the cliffhanger of the previous book, so if you’re planning on starting the series, it’s best to avoid the rest of this review. For those who read the previous volume, this is a real escalation in the series’ stakes as well as a change in a lot of characters’ behavior.

Last Stand is a dark and edgy sci-fi thriller that isn’t afraid to deal with dark and difficult subjects. It reminds me of the original Altered Carbon that didn’t shy from social satire even as sex and violence were on full display. Anna, as a female writer, knows how to present numerous subjects in a way that focus on their victim as opposed to glorification of the abuser. Still, let the reader beware that it’s a series that definitely earns its hard R status.

The series’ premise is that far in the future, humanity has fallen under the sway of three separate corporate overlords. Two of them, Rosprom and Olympias, are on the verge of war with both of them waging a behind-the-scenes espionage campaign in order to prepare for their inevitable conflict. The primary protagonist, Nephilim, is a cyborg soldier for Olympias’ death squad known as the Guardian Angels.

In previous volumes, Nephilim broke free from her brainwashing and sought freedom but ended up falling back into the sadistic clutches of obsessive psychopath Metatron. Metatron has been mentally preparing Nephilim to be his consort since she was thirteeen. Something detailed in the spin-off  Nephilim series. He fancies himself a romantic hero but deleted Nephilim’s memories of her rebellion in order to better control her.

War Games ended with Nephilim critically injured trying to deal with serial killer Cillian Stavos. Stavos is a board member of the Olympias Corporation and has voluntarily sold out his country-corporation in exchange for what he believes will be a position of increased power in the new regime. Unfortunately, for him, his latest victim not only exposed his machinations but personally infuriated powerful entities on both side: Jake and Metatron.

Metatron has deluded himself that Nephilim would love him even without his brainwashing and Jake is a Rosprom spy who is happy to let Stavros horribly mutilate Guardian Angels until it’s the one he’s sweet on. Nephilim, herself, is hospitalized but struggles to be ready when the Rosprom forces invade. All three characters undergo significant arcs with Metatron deciding he’s willing to die for the woman he’s wronged the most, Jake succumbing to insane jealousy as well as self-delusion, and Nephilim fully embracing the ideology of Olympias that she previously discarded. It’s a major set of twists that turn hero to villain and villain to hero (or do they?).

We also get some good development on the side characters front as well. Finwick, Nephilim’s computer hacker sidekick, has managed to change his face as well as adopt a little girl in recent times. It was his information that allowed Stavros to kill so many Guardian Angels but he has no idea that’s what use it was put to. He’s matured considerably from the creepy geek he was at the start and is a much more likable character. We have the police detectives investigating the murders that are now troubled by crippling debt due to the injuries sustained by one of them during the battle. No police health insurance plans in our dystopian future.

In conclusion, Last Stand is a great installment and I can’t wait for the next one. These serialized adventures are fun, dark, disturbing, and sexy in equal parts. Cyberpunk is best when it’s genuinely edgy versus sanitized and for everyone. This is no exception.

Read Behind Blue Eyes: Last Stand by Anna Mocikat

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REVIEW: The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer

The King of the Spoil is dead. Assassinated. In the massive hive city of Varangantua where the rich few use the unending mass of the poor to make their fortunes, a gang war is is about to set The Spoil and all of its inhabitants aflame.

Part of the Warhammer 40,000 crime series, The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer tells the story of an uprising of the destitute against the wealthy and safe, started by a dangerous assassin. With the death of Sorokin (the titular King of the Spoil) the agreement between the Valtierri cartel, who smuggle obscene wealth through the Spoil, and the Spoilers, who scrape by on the Spoil’s cut of the smuggling now that their natural mineral wealth manufactory districts lie mostly in ruin, is very quickly falling apart. A new voice in the Spoil calls for the Spoilers to take back what is theirs, and all hell breaks loose.

Melita the data broker has just woken from a drug haze to the news that the King of the Spoil (Sorokin) is dead. Her bodyguard punches a needle into her thigh and she explodes from her comfortable blackness into a world of new born fear and opportunity. A clipper of tickets, in the chaos is where opportunity lies for her, but also danger. Melita provides the top-down view of the story as she mixes with those who stand to lose the most financially.

Haska is a wannabe street ganger, choosing the violent and often short life of a street knife over the slow debilitating fate of her mother, who works in a factory that is slowly killing her. For Haska, the king’s death also means opportunity—the big gangs that could secure Haska and her friends’ future will war. And war creates gaps in the ranks, and chances for her and her friends to find their place. Haska provides the ground-up view of the story, her crew sitting underneath even the lowest blooded gang member, and the people she loves desperately scratching a short, painful, and often violent life from the rust and rubble of an Imperial hive city.

The opening scenes of the book are absolutely brilliant. They introduce you to each character and their relationship to each other, while also epitomising the old saying in business that shit rolls downhill. It was a really fun way to be introduced not only to Melita and Haska, but also to Mattix the corrupt regional Sanctioner leader, Vasimov the brutal mercenary desperately trying to retain a veneer of power while the Valtierri Cartel’s domain starts to crumble around him, and Edi the ex-Sanctioner bodyguard to Melita who does his best to keep her alive while simultaneously watching her destroy herself.

The King of the Spoil is an unwilling detective tale meets 40k-style massed battle against a backdrop exploring the absolute hell life is in the Imperium is for untold trillions of unfortunate citizens. Beer does well to take advantage of the ridiculous wealth of 40k lore available to build this tale while not locking out the new reader who might not know the universe well, if at all. It’s a difficult balance to strike that Black Library don’t always get right. The King of the Spoil is a fun read as you unpick the mystery of Sorokin’s assassination and the purpose behind it, and there is a clear intention there for this to be a series, which I’m quite excited about.

Beer absolutely nails his character cast. From the first chapter when we meet the key players through to the way they tell the story from opposite sides of the poverty line, each character feels worth investing in and plays a key point in creating the story. In particular, Melita’s addictions are well thought out and portrayed, and the way Edi interacts with her around them was well written. I feel those two have a tumultuous future ahead, should Black library continue the Melita Voronova tale. I also loved Haska’s stand-offish relationship with her mother, who slowly kills herself every day to try and make sure Haska can have a meal while Haska almost can’t bear to look at her. Haska sees her mother’s debilitating and slow trudge towards death as her most likely future without joining the short bloody lives of a gang, and this fear drives her decisions. There are times when Beer tugs very hard on the heartstrings through that relationship.

The feeling and scale of the massive Imperial hive cities is also brilliantly done here, with the sweeping plain of The Spoil surrounded and walled in by the massive districts of wealth that both distance themselves from the destitute while also using them to make fortunes—a rather common theme in the harsh 40k universe that lands quite well with the divide between first and third worlds in our contemporary society. That theme is also central to the story, with the downtrodden reaching their breaking point while the rest of the hive city watches them fade, and a spark lighting a match to set the world ablaze. This also provides probably the only thing about the book that I wish were different, which for the sake of spoilers, I’m going to be as vague as possible on (you can also just completely de-risk yourself by skipping the rest of this paragraph): when I discovered the reason behind the uprising, I was a bit disappointed. While completely understandable from a universe perspective (and I feel most readers won’t even blink at it), I think it left what could have been an excellent Imperial society story ending on the table.

In plenty of my reviews of 40k books I often point out that a part of the enjoyment of these 40k books is rolling with some pretty ham-fisted info dumping. If that’s not a style of storytelling you enjoy, generally you just know that it’s coming, accept it, and get on board with it. With The King of the Spoil, I feel Beer handled this really well and created a story that really flowed and released the lore to you in a smoother, less noticeable fashion. A tip of the glass to the author for really nailing that immersion.

The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer is a fast paced cyberpunk detective milSF read that is a fun read, and likely also a solid entry point to the 40k universe for fans of gritty stories where the massed battles of the space marines and Imperial Guard perhaps aren’t the most appealing part of the universe. If you’re a fan of the Eisenhorn or Ravenor series, I think you should give this a go.

The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer

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REVIEW: The Division: Hearts On Fire

The Division: Hearts On Fire is an audiobook drama produced by Ubisoft and Audible. It is written by KC Wayland and stars a cast including Katie Sackhoff (The Mandalorian, Battlestar Galactica) and Shannon Woodward (Westworld) among a dozen other actors. It is set in the dark and austere world of The Division video games. It may seem strange to review a Tom Clancy video game spinoff here but despite the “realism” of the games, they are post-apocalypse science fiction.

The games’ premise is that an unknown individual or organization has launched a bioweapon attack on New York City during the infamous Black Friday sales after Thanksgiving. The Dollar Flu, also known as the Green Poison, is a smallpox variant that is incredibly lethal. While starting in New York, it quickly spreads across the globe and the United States activates the Strategic Homeland Division (AKA the titular Division) with broad authority to do whatever it takes to get the country back in order.

Mostly, the games exist as an excuse to explore the ruins of once-majestic American cities while shooting up hundreds of criminals preying on their fellow survivors. They’re basically zombie games without the zombies. However, both games contain a massive number of side content that tell very human stories of survival as well as horror. As with most post-apocalypse fiction, the real enemy of most survivors is less the crisis than their fellow humans taking advantage of it. Though, The Division is more hopeful than most as the SHD woks tirelessly to get things back in order.

Hearts on Fire is a story that attempts to expand upon the world established in the games and function as both side content for those who already enjoy them as well as an introduction to those who aren’t already players. Video game spinoff fiction is, bluntly, usually crap but there have been rare diamonds among the rough. Much to my surprise, I’m going to say that I think this may be one of the best examples of its medium and is a genuinely good story. It’s also on the short side with only five and a half hours of content, which means it doesn’t make the usual mistake of wearing out its welcome.

A summary of the audiobook versus the games’ plot is that Melanie Hoskins (Sackhoff) is a fire fighter and paramedic who impresses a Division agent while trying to save a dying child. Offering her membership in the Division, she would only be activated in the event of a catastrophic disaster and would mostly just return to her normal life with her husband as well as young son. Unfortunately, catastrophic disaster has occurred, and she is activated, only to find that the government is grossly unprepared with many of the Joint Task Force unwilling to guard contagious victims.

The matter is even more complicated because of Melanie’s sister, Johanna Fisher, who is a member of the New York Sanitation Department and an Iraq veteran. Unfortunately, she’s become embittered by her experiences and sucked in by conspiracy theories that convince her that the Dollar Flu is a product of the US government. Rejecting vaccinations and hospital treatment, she joins with her fellows on a mission of burning alive the infected to “cleanse” New York. It is a Cain and Able situation that might seem contrived, but I can personally attest to plenty of families being divided on how to deal with Covid-19, so I’m willing to take this as a simple exaggeration for storytelling potential versus wholly unbelievable.

Fans of the game will obviously get the most of this story, but I believe someone unfamiliar with the Division world would find this a pretty good introduction. The acting is top notch throughout the story, and I really believed in Melanie’s character. Sackhoff is definitely the best narrator, but everyone did a good job. One particularly powerful moment was a Division agent having left his family in quarantine and finding out that they’d been burned alive to “contain” the infection. It has dark but good stuff and definitely something for those who love dystopian and apocalyptic fiction.

Listen to The Division: Hearts On Fire

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REVIEW: Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun

Ehigbor Okosun debuts her refreshing new voice in a tale following Dèmi, a young woman who has had everything taken from her in an empire that wants her dead. Magic-users, known as Oluso, are enslaved and tortured in the land that was once their own, but is now controlled by the non-magical Aje. The murder of Dèmi’s mother, a renowned user of healing magic, sets Dèmi on a path of vengeance. Years later, after biding her time, she is approached by Lord Ekwensi, an Oluso hidden in the throes of government. Dèmi is offered the perfect opportunity to avenge her mother, as well as the prosecution of her own people. Ekwensi proposes that she kidnaps the tyrant king’s nephew and heir, and bargain with his life to save what is left of the Oluso. When Dèmi is suddenly faced with the fact that this is the same prince that she had once trusted in her youth, consequently leading to her mother’s death; she is determined to carry the plan through. We follow Dèmi, alongside childhood friend Colin and Prince Jonas, in their hopes to bring justice to the Oluso. Along the way, they are met with communities and tribes that have effectively played branches in Dèmi’s family tree, all of who are paths in the prophecy that Dèmi has found herself at the centre of.

The world-building in this novel is incredible; the story is weaved through a rich tapestry of Nigerian folklore, and it is exquisite. It was a truly immersive experience reading through the mythology in this book, and one that I hope is continually explored in the sequel. It is a feat within itself that Okosun was able to paint such a vivid picture in each setting as a debut author. This is my first foray into Nigerian folklore, and what an introduction it was! A bar has definitely been set.

Okosun encompasses the essence of the novel in a sentence she drops in chapter 27: Breath:

“People will always fear those with more power, and those with power will always fear that they will lose it.”

Whilst this of course related to the tyrants at the helm of this genocide, it is one that is also reflected within the protagonist. Dèmi’s role as a heroine goes beyond that of vengeance. She holds the foundations of the Oluso faith in her actions, in that she will never cross the boundaries she has been placed within. She fears that the powers bestowed upon her as an Oluso will be stripped from her once she takes the life of another.  Dèmi, whilst deeply angry at all that she and her people have suffered, is an idealist. In the fight for justice, she believes there is no space for murder. I both enjoyed Dèmi’s unwavering faith, whilst also slightly hoping she would let vengeance steer her choices for her. Dèmi is firm in her beliefs, but I wonder if the sequel will be willing to challenge her character a bit more. I look forward to seeing where Dèmi goes in the sequel.

In a similar vein, I must point out that the morality that drives the characters are quite one-dimensional. Thus lacking the classic morally-grey element that often drives the grimdark genre. Almost all the of characters’ intentions are laid out quite clearly in front of them, so it was difficult to be moved by any character’s grand gestures when they have all acted fairly predictably. The storyline steers over to young-adult territory, whilst still wrapped in swaths of grimdark. Whilst it feels very YA in its execution, the visceral violence within the book does aid in somewhat aging the story up to the ‘epic adult fantasy’ label it has been dubbed as, although not enough to convince me entirely.

The story ultimately follows the easiest path set out, and drinks in all the mainstream tropes that have populated YA fiction, such as love triangles, fated mates/partners, and prophecies. The romance felt juvenile and rushed, especially when Dèmi would flit between the two love interests quite openly, without truly establishing a foundation of their relationships beforehand. I had hoped the love triangle did not take such a central theme within the book, as it often gave way to weakening the political intrigue. Prince Jonas is infatuated with Dèmi, and she him. The focus of the book often felt unbalanced, staggering between trying to free the Oluso to falling in love with the nephew of the king who had brought upon the genocide. It’s a classic and well-loved trope, just not executed as well as it could have.

Whilst the storyline is punctuated with thrilling twists and turns within the second half of the novel, readers are not given much time to steep in the grand turn of events that are take place throughout throughout. This isn’t to say that Okosun fails in surprising the reader throughout. There were several turns in the novel that had me practically tearing into the next page. I’m super intrigued to see how the sequel plays out.

Read Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun

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An Interview with T. Kingfisher

Thornhedge is the latest novella from the bestselling, award-winning author T. Kingfisher. She is known for her dark, fairy tale-inspired writing, such as Nettle and Bone, and her gothic novels, like A House with Good Bones. I’ve loved everything I’ve read of hers, with Thornhedge being no exception, so I am so excited to be able to interview her for Grimdark Magazine. Ms. Kingfisher, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.

[GdM] Firstly, how would you pitch Thornhedge to someone who knows nothing about the novella?

[TK] Well, I keep telling people that it’s very sweet and only has a few dead bodies, but that may not work as an elevator pitch. So I’d say it’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty where the heroine has a very, very good reason to keep her locked away in the tower. Also the heroine is a were-toad.

[GdM] Thornhedge was inspired by the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. What made you pick this particular story to rework? How did you approach taking something so well-known and shaping it in to Thornhedge which is so uniquely yours?

[TK] I was actually writing a totally different Sleeping Beauty retelling—a children’s book under my other name, Ursula Vernon—called “Hamster Princess.” And the heroine is basically Xena: Warrior Princess as a hamster. But at the time I was writing it, I had this little nagging idea that I could go completely a different way with the story. Sometimes that happens when I’m writing—two books diverge in a yellow wood, something like that. But for once, I was actually able to go back and find that other story and chase it down.

As for why it’s uniquely mine…well, you know what they say, give any ten writers a prompt and you’ll get eleven different stories. (One person won’t turn theirs in and two others will do two different stories apiece.) It’s mine because everything I write ends up sounding like me, I suppose! But in this case, I really related to Toadling, because she is anxious and out of her depth and worried that she’s not doing the right thing, which is a place that I know all too well. I wanted to write her story, and I wanted her to win and to be able to go home again.

[GdM] I love how much of your work is rooted in folk lore and draws from fairy tales and well-known stories. Why have you chosen to use these as your inspiration? Are there any lesser-known tales that you would love to retell?

[TK] Oh, goodness. I love fairy tales because I am great at writing scenes and terrible at writing plots. Fairy-tales give me the plot already intact! I already know the main beats, I can just get in there and change the set-dressing and twist things around, without having the whole tyranny-of-the-blank-page going on.

Plus there’s a built-in resonance with a lot of fairy tales. Most of us know these stories from childhood, and they’re snugged right up against the bone. If you hit the right note with a fairy tale retelling, you can practically make the reader’s teeth vibrate. That’s a great place to work.

As for lesser-known stories…oh, there’s a few. Snow White is famous, but there’s Snow White and Rose Red, which goes a totally different way. And I’ve written a Bluebeard story already, but I wouldn’t mind writing another one. Or ten.

[GdM] In your retellings you often take stories we think we know and twist them into something darker and more interesting, rather than following the known beats of the story. What do you think makes a good retelling, and are there any that have been an inspiration to you? 

[TK] One thing I like to do with fairy tales is to look at them and go “How can I make this even worse?” (I have a retelling of The Goose Girl coming out from Tor next year, which is a dark story to begin with, full of talking horse skulls and whatnot, but I thought I could go darker. It’s called A Sorceress Comes To Call.)

But a lot of times, I don’t even have to make them darker, I just have to have the characters react to what’s going on in the way that normal people react, not fairy tale heroes. Most fairy tale protagonists do not react to things the way I would! They’re way too blasé about the talking horse skull on the wall, or the roses that bloom every day at midnight, or the house full of invisible servants. And often they’re just too accepting and don’t try to figure things out. I wrote a retelling of Beauty & the Beast where the Beast is magically prevented from talking about his curse, so he and Beauty are trying to communicate with each other via words underlined in books and whatnot. So I think mine come across differently, even where the fairy tale is played fairly straight, just because I’m trying to write protagonists that are acting like people I know would act.

[GdM] Your writing always seems to strike the perfect balance of very dark themes and content with the right amount of comfort and humour. I describe it to people as being creepy cosy fantasy. Is this something you intentionally work towards, and if yes, do you have any sage advice for readers who may be writers too?

[TK] I think it’s less intentional than inevitable—the humor shows up because it’s very hard for me to stay Very Serious for more than the length of a short story. But also, people under stress crack jokes all the time. There may or may not be atheists in foxholes, but there’s a helluva lot of comedians! I never know what to tell other writers, except maybe go binge watch M*A*S*H* or something. And when in doubt, write the joke. I think writers and editors worry sometimes about giving readers whiplash, but I usually find that readers handle it just fine.

As for comfort…well, there, again, it’s very individual, but in my experience, the vast majority of people aren’t awful. If you were dangling off a cliff, 99% of people are going to go “Oh crap!” and pull you up without thinking twice about it. And yeah, we’re all tired and busy and have bad days and lack empathy sometimes, but there are so many people out there who really want to help make the world better in any way they can. Maybe not 99%, but a whole lot of people nonetheless. So I write about those people, which I guess turns out comforting in practice. A large part of it is just that I spend so much time in my character’s heads that I have to like being there!

[GdM] Flora and fauna play a huge part in your stories, most recently with the brambles, briars, birds and the swamp in Thornhedge. Do you plan and research this extensively for each story or is this something that grows organically?

[TK] Oh, believe me, if being an amateur naturalist was a profession you could make a living at, I’d be there! I love bugs and birds and plants and gardening and nature in general, so usually by the time something gets into a book, it’s a thing I already know about. I had to check a website for Thornhedge on bird behavior for the wagtails, because they’re European and not one of my backyard visitors, but I can’t say I’m doing extensive research so much as dredging up Cool Stuff I read about and wanted to put in a story.

[GdM] One of the things I love about the women in your stories is that you focus on those who might otherwise be relegated to background characters like Marra and Agnes in Nettle and Bone or Samantha in A House with Good Bones . In Thornhedge, Toadling also seems to fit this mould; she anxious, knows she is not beautiful, and feels like she does not belong for much of the novella. Why do you choose to do this?

[TK] Practical overworked middle-aged women basically keep the world running. (The corollary to this is that ten overworked furries keep the internet running.) And being myself a rather frumpy middle-aged woman, I write stories about people like me partly because they’re very much who I can write, but also because I want those women to have stories.

Sometimes we read fantasy stories in order to pretend we’re someone else, but sometimes we read fantasy stories in order to pretend that people like us can have adventures too.

Mind you, if the readers ever get tired of reading about middle-aged gardeners, I’m probably in trouble, but so far, so good…

[GdM] The strength of your characters really makes your work stand out. I really appreciate how I can relate to these characters so easily and genuinely care about them. Are you able to pick a favourite of yours? (Mine is Samantha from A House with Good Bones because of the box wine and the love for ladybirds)

[TK] Samantha was a heckuva lot of fun to write, and yes, I do drink boxed wine and watched British murder shows and love insects. But my favorite is probably Halla from Swordheart, who has serious ADHD and is interested in everything, and is as close to a self-insert character as I’ve ever written. (My editor actually called me out on that, to my great amusement and mild embarrassment.)

[GdM] There have been some amazing anthropomorphic characters in your writing. From memory there’s been possums, chickens, vultures, and now toads. What is the animal that you would most love to include in a story just because you think they are awesome?

[TK] Oh gosh. Rats, maybe—rats are marvellous. And I probably need to write another horror novel with a dog, because people are always so happy when the dog lives through it (and the dog always lives through it. Me and Dean Koontz, we’re not killing the dog.)

There are some obscure birds I’d love to include in a book—the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock just slays me completely—but I’d have to actually know more about their behavior to write it, and I haven’t spent time with any of them, just admired photos. Maybe someday!

[GdM] I’m always curious about how an author approaches the hands on process of writing their books. Could you please describe your writing process? Are you very regimented where you sit from 9-5 at a desk or is it a little more fluid? Do you research and plan every detail before you start or do you let the story drive you?

[TK] Oh heavens, no. I am a night owl by nature. I sleep late, get up, have lunch, then usually go to the coffee shop for two or three hours. I have to write a thousand words a day at least four days a week or the system collapses. I often do more, but I’m pretty firm on the thousand word minimum. And I only outline under duress. If I have to outline the whole story, then I feel like I’ve written it already and I get bored. Usually I’ll know one or two things that happen in the book—with fairy tale retellings, I’ll have a couple landmarks in the plot—so I just start writing and kind of aim the story at those landmarks. It’s more like wandering through the woods, picking up interesting leaves and turning over logs, and occasionally checking the map to make sure I’m headed in the right direction. Frequently new landmarks will pop up as I figure things out, or I’ll realize that one of the distant landmarks isn’t a place I want to go after all, but it tends to be very loose and organic and meandering.

I also have three or four or five projects going at any given time, so those thousand words may not all be on the same story. Lots of my writer friends have to do a deep dive into one project, and there’s a lot of advice out there that says a desire to work on a different story is a sign that there’s something wrong with your WIP, but me, I’ve got ADHD like whoa, and sometimes I want to write a horror story and sometimes I want to write a fantasy about were-toads. (If I have any writing advice, it’s that “if you get a book at the end of it and no one is dead or on fire, you’re not doing it wrong.”)

[GdM] Are you able to reveal what you are currently working on?

[TK] Sure! At the moment, due to medical issues, I’m actually slowed down for a few months, but I’m trying to get the fourth book in my fantasy romance series, The Saint of Steel, off to the editor. It’s nearly done, but it turned out longer than I anticipated. I’m also working on the next Sworn Soldier novella for Tor Nightfire, and on a very odd mystery novel.

[GdM] Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate it. It has been so lovely to get the opportunity to chat with you find out more about your works.

[TK] Delighted to chat about Thornhedge! Toadling is near and dear to my heart and I’m so glad people are getting to meet her!

Read Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

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REVIEW: Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones

Lord of a Shattered Land opens immediately after the decisive conclusion of a brutal, genocidal war. After two previous conflicts were fought to stalemate, the expansionist Dervan Empire has finally succeeded in crushing Volanus. Not just content to dominate the rival city-state militarily, the Dervans exterminated nearly all the populace, razed Volanus’ iconic silver towers, and salted its fields. The handful of survivors were shipped back to the Empire in chains. Leading troops in the field, Hanuvar—Volanus’ greatest general—was absent for the obliteration of his homeland. Having witnessed him plummet into the ocean from a great height, the Dervan legions rejoiced at the death of their hated foe. But reports of Hanuvar’s demise have proved premature. After washing up on an island, Hanuvar immediately pits his formidable military mind against the Dervans anew. He vows not to rest until every Volani survivor has been freed from slavery.

First volume in a planned five-book saga entitled The Chronicles of Hanuvar, Lord of a Shattered Land has an unusual structure. Rather than a conventional novel, it’s a cycle of 14 linked short stories. Each chapter is a self-contained story but taken together they tell a greater narrative. Unlike the fix-up novels of classic science fiction and fantasy, where disparate short stories are tied together post facto, the individual component stories that make up The Chronicles of Hanuvar were intended from conception to contribute to a planned, overarching plot. This structure feels a bit like a market-driven compromise between the typical short story format of Sword & Sorcery fiction (Jones is a vocal proponent of Sword & Sorcery and also serves as editor of the subgenre’s premiere magazine, Tales From The Magician’s Skull) and major publishers’ preference for multi-volume epic fare, but in the end it works surprisingly well. Each chapter satisfies as a bite-sized piece of entertainment while still providing a sense of overall progression and forward momentum.

While many of the stories collected in Lord of a Shattered Land involve Hanuvar traveling to a new locale, encountering Volani survivors, and attempting to free them from the yoke of Dervan slavery, there is significant variation in tone throughout the book. Straightforward man vs. monster Sword & Sorcery tales are included alongside heist and espionage stories. There’s even a fairytale: “Shroud of Feathers.” While Hanuvar himself displays too much integrity to be considered a grimdark hero, his mission and the setting are decidedly grim, with the oppressive cruelty of the Dervan Empire on constant display. Depictions of violence are generally brief—Hanuvar tends to eliminate threats with cold efficiency—but graphic, and chapters like “The Eyes of the Reaper,” “The Missing Man,” and “The Light of the Lovely Ones” emphasize horrific elements, venturing deep into dark territory.

Given the nature of the book, whether Lord of a Shattered Land will be successful for a given reader or not depends greatly on how they react to Hanuvar as a character. Jones makes no secret that his hero is inspired by the great general Hannibal of Carthage, known for his strategic genius in the Punic Wars against Rome. While historically the destruction of Carthage took place decades after Hannibal’s death, Jones has Hanuvar survive the razing of his Carthage analogue, rising again as a sort of avenging angel for his people. Fiftyish and hindered by chronic war injuries, Hanuvar relies on clever tactics, decades of hard-earned experience, and steely determination. Despite all the historical flavoring, however, Hanuvar’s preternatural competence and tendency to be several steps ahead of the opposition reminded me of cinematic spy heroes like James Bond, or Ethan Hunt from the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE series. Some of the quieter moments in the book reveal that Hanuvar carries a great deal of survivor’s guilt for not being present at the destruction of Volanus, but he never allows himself to wallow in self-pity or indulge himself in “extracurricular” revenge. The mission to free his enslaved countrymen is always first and foremost in his mind, and deep within enemy territory he frequently finds himself left with no choice but to work alongside citizens of the very Empire that destroyed his homeland.

While readers who prefer significantly flawed or morally ambiguous protagonists may be left cold by Hanuvar’s righteous certitude, Lord of a Shattered Land is ideal for fans of intensely driven, hyper-competent heroes. The episodic nature of the storytelling makes it an ideal book for brief reading sessions, and the individual chapters span a wide range of story types. The pseudo-Mediterranean setting and Roman trappings are also a nice change of pace from Northern European-inspired fantasy.

Readers who enjoy Lord of a Shattered Land will not have long to wait for a sequel. The City of Marble and Blood is set to arrive this October, with two further volumes in THE CHRONICLES OF HANUVAR scheduled for release in 2024.

Read Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones

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EXCLUSIVE: Cover reveal for Shadows of Nyn’Dira by H.C. Newell

We are excited to host an exclusive cover reveal for H.C. Newell’s latest book, Shadows of Nyn’Dira, the third entry in her Fallen Light series, which puts a grimdark twist on classic Tolkienesque fantasy.

The first volume, Curse of the Fallen, introduced Neer, a young woman cursed with forbidden magical powers which make her a target of religious zealots. H.C. Newell’s worldbuilding features classic Tolkien elements, including elves, halflings, and demonic beings, but in a grimdark world that doesn’t shy away from showing the brutality of violence and its aftermath.

The Fallen Light series continued with The Forbidden Realms, which found Neer wandering the dark wastelands of Aragoth, relying on the trust of a powerful new point of view character for her survival.

The cover art for the third volume, Shadows of Nyn’Dira was designed by Thea Magerand, the same artist who created the covers of both Curse of the Fallen and The Forbidden Realms. Known for her imaginative design and vivid imagery, Thea Magerand has produced artwork for dozens of fantasy, science fiction, and horror books.

Shadows of Nyn’Dira will be released on October 31, 2023.

About the book

Deep within the forests of Nyn’Dira, darkness rises, and Neer finds herself hunted at every turn. Fleeing from relentless enemies and vicious creatures of darkness, she embarks on a treacherous journey through the dangerous woodlands in search of strength and salvation.

As the humans push further into the forbidden lands, the Nasir and his men close in, finding strength in the blood of the innocent. With the balance beginning to shift, Neer is caught in a war she was never meant to be in, and is forced to make a decision that could change the tides of fate, or cause it all to collapse and burn.

Cover for Shadows of Nyn’Dira

Read Shadows of Nyn’Dira by H.C. Newell

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REVIEW: Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine

Delicate Condition is the emotionally fraught Adult Horror debut of bestselling YA Horror writer, Danielle Valentine. The book, pitched as a feminist update to Rosemary’s Baby, is already making waves, having been chosen as the premise for the upcoming American Horror Story: Delicate. Now in its twelfth season, the popular TV show will star Kim Kardashian, and will air sometime later this year.

Anna Alcott is desperate for a baby. As she balances her public life as a critically acclaimed actor with her gruelling IVF journey, she becomes increasingly convinced a sinister stranger is trying to thwart her pregnancy. As her symptoms become more frightening and the sense of impending doom escalates, Anna begins to fear the thing growing inside her. But why won’t anyone listen when she tells them something is horribly, painfully wrong?

A cathartic and reassuringly familiar read in many respects, Delicate Condition is also a traumatic and potentially triggering one. It’s been a long time since I thought so highly of a book I simultaneously found so unpleasant to read. Danielle Valentine pulls no punches as she thoroughly explores the very real horror of medical misogyny and the psychologically damaging effect it has on its victims. The things Anna experiences in this book are utterly horrific, and will feel painfully familiar to any woman—cis or trans—who’s had the misfortune of being processed through our deeply flawed medical system.

“Nearly everyone on this planet was welcomed by the sounds of a woman screaming.”

As such, if you’re actively seeking some kind of supernatural body horror from Delicate Condition, you may find yourself disappointed. Although these elements are present to a certain extent, the book’s true horror lies in its stark mirror of reality. When the thriller elements do take a backseat in favour of the more traditional horror set pieces—all of which are heavily backloaded—they can feel left-field and jarring. Even as a fan of supernatural horror myself, I have to say I could’ve done without them.

None the less, Danielle Valentine is a very skilled and practical writer who does a great job of ratcheting up tension. The pacing can be a little on the slow side, but it is steadily maintained throughout, resulting in a consistent, stomach-churning tension that never stops rising. My heart ached for Anna as she fought to be heard by those meant to support her, and I felt sickened with frustration over her complete lack of body autonomy. I even found myself shedding a tear over one particularly harrowing scene, which I don’t think anyone with even a shred of empathy would fail to be moved by.

Some of the characters in Delicate Condition—particularly the men, and especially Anna’s loathsome husband Dex—do read a little on the flat side, but in my opinion, it doesn’t really matter. The careful deconstruction of not only Anna’s fracturing psyche, but the behemoth that is the medical institution, more than makes up for it. I do wish Danielle Valentine had gone in a lot harder on additional nuances like medical racism and classism, but I’m pleased to report these were not completely ignored.

This was without a doubt one of the most uncomfortable reading experiences I’ve had in a long time. And yet, I do still find myself strongly recommending people read Delicate Condition. If you’re looking for your next psychological thriller—and the content warnings printed in the front of the book do not give you pause—then this is an important and insightful read which could very well be worth your time.

I myself am not a mother; I do not want children. And yet there isn’t a single mother I know who doesn’t have at least one pregnancy horror story to tell. We need to challenge the harmful idea that pregnancy is a universally wonderful experience, far too unknowable and mysterious to warrant further consideration. Delicate Condition makes a good start.

Read Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine

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