Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 5

New Publication!

I’ve been talking about resuming writing, and now it’s time to reveal my latest publication!

The fine fellows at Purple Toga Publications have set out to issue speculative anthologies. The first is dedicated to the meaning of care and compassion, to imagining worlds where taking time off work to care for others is not a career suicide (like many women feel today), where the duty of care between leaders and their communities is more than lip service, and where the merit of compassion is recogn...

Books Review: Black City Tales and Black City Angel, by Richard A. Knaak

What’s not to love about this series? Roaring 20’s, mythological creatures, and a hard-boiled noir gumshoe.

What to Expect

Black City Angel is the fourth full-length novel in the series (and it’s been a while since the previous). This one sees Nick dealing with an increasing number of refugees from Feirie. Trying to investigate affairs draws him deeper into the ugly politics of the Feirie court, and brings him in contact with old and new acquaintances. Most notably, we see a lot more o...

Tasmanian Crime Fiction – or is it?

My backyard on a misty morning. Certainly spooky enough for a shallow grave.

Since moving to Tasmania and embracing the scene, I have naturally started to toy with an idea about a modern-day, Outback-noir style, fantasy (duh) crime mystery. So for the sake of ‘research’ I’ve been reading a few police procedurals and crime fiction set in Tasmania.

Or so I thought.

This post collects several reviews in one, and my observations on the genre. Must say, I’ve been caught by surprise with som...

Book Review: Fated, by Benedict Jacka

The Alex Verus series of urban fantasy has been recommended to me repeatedly, so finally got around to it.

What to Expect

Expect a well-written, original take on urban fantasy themes. TRhe story is told from the point of view of Alex, a mage living in London. While he’d like nothing more than to run his magical shop in peace and quiet (and avoid the unavoidable demons from his past), he naturally gets drawn into power struggles between light and dark mages as their forces struggle to g...

Book Review: A Specter Raps on My Windowpane, by Douglas Lumsden

I love the urban-fantasy noir-detective blend of this series, and have followed it from the start – it maintained its high quality throughout.

What to Expect

Trigger warning: Alex doesn’t get paid for this case. Well, OK, that’s not that atypical of gumshoe detectives – but most cases don’t start with being ‘hired’ by the ghost of the deceased. When Alex is woken up by a spectre of an old lover at his window looking for closure, he decides to investigate her death. Poking his nose wher...

Fun with Latin

You might have noticed there’s a certain Latin flavour around here that has nothing to do with salsa. As Roman life makes one of the “Three-R” pillars of this blog (Reading, Writing, and Romans), this also seeps in to the language.

Now, I’m the first to admit my Latin is atrocious, but that doesn’t mean I don’t find Latin fun (on the occasion I can make sense of it). So here are a few non-stuffy resources to learn Latin — including the use of Lego!

legonium.com

The above is made by L...

Book Review: Shattered (Iron Druid #7), by Kevin Hearne

I’ve read an d enjoyed the previous books – now it’s time to finish the series

What to Expect

Shattered starts soon after Hunted (the previous novel in the series), with Granuaile getting a call about her father which takes her to India, and Atticus bringing his recently-revived former archdruid Owen up to speed on the modern world and then sending him to Tir na nOg to be presented to the fae court.

To add complications, some loose threads from previous novels keep surfacing up and...

Book Review: Dragonfired (The Dark Profit Saga #3, by J. Zachary Pike)

I’ve enjoyed the first two parts of this trilogy (Orconomics and Son of a Liche), and was eagerly looking forward to the grand finale.

What to Expect

Pike started the Orconomics series as a deep satire, on both fantasy and economics. This continues in this vein, though the focus shifts more toward the epic (which the bard of the group keeps saying, so you’ve been warned :).

It’s still a brilliant story, exploring both funny fantasy economics and deep societal issues of injustice, pr...

Book Review: Split the Party, by Drew Hayes

Though it’s been a while since I read the first book of this series, I was in the mood for some light entertainment and this fit perfectly.

What to Expect

Another D&D-ish adventure for the band of heroes, this one leading them to chase an evil artifact that a whole town into zombies. Naturally, they end violating the cardinal gaming rule of ‘never split the party’ as they chase evil priests, fight bandits, and explore mysterious ruined catacombs. At the background, a group of ‘our-worl...

Reflections of 2023

My last post every year is about reflections of the year just passed, and the tone I hope for the coming one. This past year has been… eventful.

And not always in a good way. I’ve learned a lot, but many were the days where I was wishing life would finish up with the lessons and let me just get on with the basics. Y’know, like a lunch break at the school of hard knocks.

Anyway, here’s the good, bad, and ugly of 2023, and my hopes — including book news — for 2024.

The Go...