Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 21

Book Review: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1), by Martha Wells

The Murderbot Diaries won both Hugo and Nebula, and with good reason.

What to Expect

A novella told from the point of view of an android assigned as a security unit to a team of scientists exploring a new planet. action is packed in this very short novel (or lengthy novella), but more importantly there’s an impressive character arc.

What I liked

Excellent story and world-building in such a short scope, with Wells doing an amazing job of depicting the point-of-...

Anna Belko (of Wrong Place, Right Time, by E.B. Roshan)

Dear readers, tonight we listen in while the protagonist – Anna, a young factory worker – is  having tea with her husband’s aunt, Oxsana. All she wanted was a quiet cup of tea, but an unexpected encounter blooms into new-found love that changes her life.

OXSANA: (sitting down opposite Anna and pouring a cup of tea.) Oh, Anna—I’ve been wanting to do this ever since Boris first told me you were the one for him. I feel that I don’t know you at all, really. Could you tell me a...

Book Review: Mon Dieu Cthulhu! by John Houlihan

Historical Fantasy (my weakness) mixing with Napoleonic Wars and Cthulhu mythos – what’s not to like?

What to Expect

‘Mon Dieu Cthulhu’ is a collection of two stories with the inimitable Gaston d’Bois, a hussar lieutenant fighting in the Iberian peninsula against Wellington’s army. While dealing with the war, he comes across monsters far older and far worse than anything he encountered on the battlefield.

‘The Crystal Void’ is a novelette, d’Bois’ first encounter wit...

Grey (of The Ascension Machine, by Rob Edwards)

Dear readers, tonight we print an in-story interview between two teen superheroes, studying in the Justice Academy, the special school for their kind. We’ll learn about assumed identities, alien races, and friendship.

I’ve been thinking, Grey. After seeing Sunbolt handling those journalists on Bantus, should we, maybe, practice interview techniques?

Hmm? Sorry, Seventhirtyfour, I was light years away. What was that about interviews?

I was just saying I should...

Naughty Roman Mice

Let’s start this week with toys, though we have much larger things in store for you.

Over at Vindolanda, while closed to the public their curators have been going over some of the existing collections. They have been slowly releasing information, like this article on combs and articles and videos about broaches in the collection, but one whimsical recent find is a toy mouse amongst the hundreds of other leather scraps and offcuts.

Why do I say these mice were naughty? Rea...

Annabella Cordova (of Initiated to Kill, by Sharlene Almond)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a deaf art student, who was dragged into a trail of murder, revenge and vengeance spanning centuries and countries.

What was it like living in London, then moving to Spain with your Aunt and Uncle?

For some reason, I don’t remember much about living in London. Snippets of events pop up here and there, they just don’t seem real. I remember our house in London. It always felt so cold, impersonal. I felt I had to tip toe around everywhe...

Book Review: Into the Second World, by Ellis L. Knox

I’ve previously read Goblins at the Gate by Ellis Knox and loved it, and was looking forward to delve again into his brand of alternate-fantasy-history.

What to Expect

Into the Second world is a novel of nineteenth-century exploration and adventure, in the style of contemporary masters like Jules Verne and HG Wells. In fact, the novel is very much an homage to “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, but with a unique spin.

Knox builds an alternate history where magic i...

Taliesimon Tothrangan (from Shadow of the Overlord, by Kevin Potter)

Dear readers, tonight we print the secret files about the first female Dragoon warrior. We get a peek into the entry exams of two very remarkable young girls.

Highlord, as you requested, I have enclosed all records we could find of the Dragoon, Taliesimon Tothrangan. I am afraid nothing here appears to give any indication of her current whereabouts, but it makes for interesting reading nonetheless. She and her friend were apparently quite the pair, even then.

What f...

Book Review: Kalanon’s Rising, by Darian Smith

Kalanon’s Rising was one of the finalists of SPFBO 2019, and the premise of magical murders mystery caught my eye.

What to expect

The murder of the king’s nephew (and presumptive heir) is guaranteed to draw attention. The King’s Champion, a current physician and previous war leader, is tasked with finding the murderer and resolving what promises to be a highly political crime.

Together with a few unlikely helpers, Sir Brannon must navigate a world where mages draw on...

Colin (of Punk Novelette, by Nick Gerrard)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a man from the seventies, here to tell us about growing up and the ethos of Punk.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I grew up in the inner city of Birmingham UK, a grim industrial city. In the early seventies working class people were moved out of the city to smaller industrial towns with new homes. We hated these towns, as there was nothing to do but drink and fight. At least the city had football tea...