Beth Tabler's Blog, page 200
February 1, 2022
#FebruarySheWrote Review – Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton
“But in the Third Kingdom a strong mother-line was respected, and for a decade now Celeda had gathered allies and woven her plans, always knowing she’d never be invited home. Knowing if she was to return, she would have to seize back her legacy.”
Tessa Gratton had my attention as an incredible novelist with the first book I read by her, The Queen of Innis Lear. As a huge Shakespeare enthusiast, a lover of female powerhouses in lead roles, and a devourer of books that are epic in scope, that have nuanced storylines, and of course exquisite prose, Gratton offered everything I desire in a book and more.
The Queen of Innis Lear was a remarkable book that definitively convinced me to read everything that Gratton writes. So there was no question I would be signing up for the follow-up, entitled Lady Hotspur.
I was very eager to read it, and it was the first book I selected for my #FebruarySheWrote reads, where I will be reading exclusively female authors who use the pronouns she/her. I got started a little early (late January), in my excitement to see what Gratton would do next, and because with such an ample book as the opening read, I needed that head-start to digest it, and still fit all my #FebruarySheWrote books into the month.
This novel is no less lengthy than The Queens of Innis Lear, Gratton’s previous Shakespearean fantasy retelling, set in the same universe. Yet, for me, while I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this duology, Lady Hotspur is even a cut above the marvellous The Queens of Innis Lear. This second novel is around 600 pages of simply glorious prose, an intricate plot, startling magic, love, passion, intrigue and betrayal, and characters so wondrous you will immediately miss them when you turn the last page.
In Lady Hotspur, Gratton is as reverent to Shakespeare’s original work, Henry IV, Part I, as she was to the famous Bard’s King Lear in her The Queens of Innis Lear. Yet she makes everything feel new, fresh, modern, while maintaining the classic feel of a famous literary masterpiece.
As the passage at the start of this review, taken from early in the novel, indicates, the plot centres, just like Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I (and part of the preceding play in chronological order, Richard II) around rebellion that causes turmoil and sets dramatic events in motion.
“This is how kings die, she thought, again and again. Betrayed.”
But Gratton swaps most of Shakespeare’s male leads for females, save for King Rovassos of Aremoria, who stands in for the ineffectual and tragic figure King Richard II of England. The powerful Celeda (compared to Henry Bolinbroke, later King Henry IV), Celepia ‘Hal’ Bolingbroke (Prince Hal Bolinbroke who goes onto to become King Henry V), Isarna ‘Hotspur’ Perseria – known as the Wolf of Aremoria (Harry ‘Hotspur’ Percy), her mother Caratica Persy (Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland), Isarna’s aunt Vindomata, Duke of Mercia (Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester), Princess Banna Mora, heir of Rovassos (Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March), knight Ianta Oldcastle (Sir John Falstaff) are all women, and partial composites of the male historical figures.
Like in the Shakespeare plays, Rovassos banishes Celeda. But with the help of supporters such as her daughter Hal, Hotspur, Mata Blunt, Caractica, and Vidomata, the ambitious Celeda returns to Aremoria and overthrows Rovassos. Yet Banna Mora, the disinherited heir, does not take losing out on the throne lightly. At one time, she was the Crown Prince of Aremoria, and the new Crown Prince Hal was once her loyal retainer and friend, serving Banna Mora as part of the Lady Knights, the royal personal bodyguard, of which Ianta was also a prominent member.
Hotspur too, was once a dear friend and vassal of Banna Mora, and Hotspur is the most feared warrior in the land. Banna Mora eventually falls into the hands of the royal family of Innis Lear, but marries into that family, and comes in line to rule in that kingdom. But Mora is not satisfied with only Innis Lear, and dreams of uniting both stolen Aremoria and Innis Lear under her rule.
The key to victory is having the generalship, allies, and forces of Hotspur on Mora’s side. Hotspur, meanwhile, has fallen in love with Hal, and Hal with her – a great twist Gratton throws in to completely change the nature of the retelling. Celeda similarly needs Hotspur on her side, and Hal’s relationship with the love of her life will be put to the test, because of all the tension surrounding Mora’s aspiration to rule Aremoria, versus Hal’s new position as heir to Aremoria.
Just as the Bard purported with his portrayal of Hal, Gratton paints Crown Prince Calepia as one who is all about hanging out with her rowdier friends – led by Ianta – carousing, drinking, and avoiding facing her princely responsibilities. The aptly named “Prince of Riot” holds a shadow court of hangers-on, lovers, and those who encourage her to keep cavorting in style.
This contrasts to the austerity, discipline, and suspicion hanging over the real court of Hal’s mother, because, as history shows us, usurpers can never completely rest easy. Hal was easily my favourite character, and her conflicted feelings about ascending the throne, her natural charm and wit, and her desire to keep Mora in the fold, have Hotspur as her consort, and yet stay loyal to her mother’s ideals, make her extremely fascinating.
There are plenty of extremely well drawn and engrossing male characters in the book. Rowan Lear, Connley Errigal, their love affair, and the jealously of the mysterious Ashling ghost towards Rowan was one of my favourite subplots. Charm is an intriguing figure, and the quirky wizard, whose identity was a great reveal, was a blast of a character.
But this book is all about the magnificent women, and they are intelligent, charismatic, fierce, wonderfully conflicted, and kept me glued to every page. Even the more minor female characters, such as Vatta and Nova, stole plenty of scenes. The titular Hotspur is a force of nature, and while as noted Hall was my fav, I truly enjoyed Hotspur’s arc, and wanted to see if, as in Shakespeare, she would finally come to sword-points with Hal, despite the love for one another that Gratton has added in her retelling, to ramp the stakes of such a potential show-down even higher.
The contrast of the elemental, earthy, grounded magic, and casual, rather informal monarchy of Innis Lear with the pragmatism, more stern militaristic culture, and legacy-bound royalty of Aremoria was exceptionally done by Gratton. The esteemed Morimaros, patriarch of the Aremoria royals, looms ever-present as one ideal as a ruler, compared to the legend of the wild and unpredictable wizard who founded Innis Lear.
I loved the call-backs to The Queen of Innis Lear, with the spectre of the three sisters who nearly tore the realms apart – warrior Gaela, schemer Regan, and dreamer Elia – still haunting the new characters about a century later.
Finally, in my praise for the book, we cannot talk about Gratton without specifically talking about her astounding prose. Let’s just admire one of my favourites:
“The sky glowed with stars: bright, silver, white and pink and yellow, pinpricks of illusory colour, a rainbow shattered and tossed into billions of points. There the half-moon, a chunk of magic that hung, only the saints knew how, so near one could count its gray freckles and pockmarked shadows. Hotspur took a deep breath, her body filling up with a sensation she hardly knew how to name: awe, peace, longing. Love, maybe.”
I am voracious for every word that Gratton pens, because she writes in such a lovely, detailed, lyrical style that is more than worthy of the legacy of Shakespeare. But Gratton’s book is no mere copy of the Bard.
In creating a masterpiece of her own, with #OwnVoices, injecting magic, unique characters, and gender inversion based on the writing of the icon that is Shakespeare, Gratton once more weaves her spell around the reader, drawing us into her world of prophecy, divided loyalties, and destiny.
With evocative, edgy prose, engaging drama, and overall a dreamy feel to her books, Gratton has me hooked, and I will surely be coming back for more. Five plus stars for Lady Hotspur!
Purchase a Copy HereCheck Out Some of Our Other ReviewsReview – Blackbird Vol. 1 by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel
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January 31, 2022
Review – Jennifer Government by Max Barry
JENNIFER GOVERNMENT by Max Barry is a satirical anti-corporate dystopian science fiction novel. One that I put squarely within the cyberpunk category despite its relative lack of rain, neon, AI, or cybernetics. It is entirely driven by its powerful social satire and near-future-driven storytelling.
The premise is that in the future, corporations have been utterly liberated from government control. They no longer pay taxes and all services are privatized from the police to social services. Indeed, everyone’s surname is replaced with whatever corporation they’re presently working for. John Nike, Buy Mitsui, and so on. Jennifer Government is working for the last remnants of the US government that has a shadow of its former authority.
Already, it’s pretty obvious this is a deeply political book but its politics are pretty timeless and not related to recent events in the United States. Instead, its politics are the same as they were in 2003 when the book was first published. Specifically, its a critique of issues of privatization as well as unrestrained free-market capitalism. If that’s not the sort of thing you’d be interested in having dissected then Jennifer Government (as well as things like Bioshock) probably aren’t for you.
Things are already pretty bad for the world with the poverty in the United States and other USA-style economies in the world (by which we meant the parodic super-capitalist cyberpunk states) being out of control. Children are taught to believe that the poor should be left to die for their laziness and other charming ideas in school. However, a man named John Nike is bad even by the standards of the setting.
John Nike has a plan to drive the sales of Nike’s latest sneaker release up via a guerilla marketing campaign of having a bunch of children shot after they buy pairs. If there’s any further need to establish him as a monster and psychopath after this, he actually gets worse after doing so. However, John isn’t as competent as he thinks and his plan results in a ripple effect that has international implications.
Jennifer Government is an excellent protagonist as she struggles to try to take down John Nike and get enough funding to investigate the mass murder of children. She’s someone who used to work in the corporate world but has since tried to atone for her past mistakes. She’s also the mother of an adorable child that is one of the few innocents in the world.
John Nike and Jennifer Government aren’t the only protagonists, though. There’s the poor corporate schlub, Hack Nike, who wants to avoid hurting people but is intimately involved in a lot of horrible evils. Violet is a young computer programmer attached to Hack and willing to go to horrifying lengths to fix things. Claire likes Hack (for some reason) and is sisters with Violet. Buy is a stockbroker traumatized by giving a girl enough money to buy sneakers on the day of the aforementioned massacre. None of them except for Jennifer is particularly likable but provide a lot of insights into how this crazy world works.
In conclusion, this is a fantastic book but probably very much to your tastes in terms of politics. Its a ridiculous and dystopian world with a very anvilicious message but some anvils need to be dropped. It’s also still an enjoyable book. However, sometimes the protagonists can be infuriating as only Jennifer and John seem to have their heads on straight. Blame the McDonalds-run education system.
Purchase A Copy HereCheck Out Some of Our Other Reviews
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January 30, 2022
REVIEW – LORD FOUL’S BANE – STEPHEN R. DONALDSON
I did very little fantasy reading in my twenties and thirties, as it was a busy time with family / school / work. One series I did find the time to consume voraciously just before I hit that frenetic period in life was “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant”. As the books came out, I tore through them. I got through the first and second chronicles, both trilogies, prior to University.
I finally finished the third and last trilogy in my forties, reading “The Last Dark” about three years back. I started at the beginning, with “Lord Foul’s Bane”, published back in 1977, which I first read in the mid-eighties. I was hooked. It is still one of my top 25 favorite fantasy books, and my first real introduction to the concept of an “anti-hero” in fantasy, being the protagonist, Thomas Covenant.
Prior to reading about Covenant’s story, I would say that there were few main characters I found other than scrupulously noble ones in the realm of fantasy fiction. Donaldson, the author, weaved Covenant as a sympathetic character, but tetchy, gruff, and someone who did despicable things. Nonetheless, Covenant was not evil, rather extremely flawed, suffering, haunted by his disease, and his past.
Unwillingly cast into a magical world from the modern-day, the tortured Covenant, a leper estranged from his wife, eventually rises to the occasion, and becomes the reluctant hero of “The Land”, with his simple white gold wedding band as a talisman of immense magical power. Complexities of the protagonist aside, this work still lines up as a classic, and thrilling battle between good versus evil.
There are other ambiguous characters throughout the series, and in “Lord Foul’s Bane”, but there is little room to mistake who are the goodies versus the baddies in this novel, and the entire series. The beginning of the conflict with the eponymous Lord Foul, “The Despiser”, the various races that populate “The Land”, the magical creatures, inventive landscape, fantastic secondary characters such, and a powerful, exceptionally-crafted story all combine to make the novel a tremendous work, and one of the best ever fantasy books.
If you have never read ”
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January 29, 2022
Interview with Cameron Johnston, Author of The Maleficent Seven
"I was a kid that was always in the library and coming out with an armload of books, so it comes as no surprise that I always wanted to write my own..." Cameron Johnston, Author of The Maleficent Seven, as well as the series Age of Tyranny sits down with guest interviewer Mihir Wanchoo. Check out their great interview below and make sure you check out Cameron’s newest book The Maleficent Seven on sale now.
Q] Can you tell us about yourself, tell us what inspired you to write and describe your journey to becoming a published author?
Hi, and thanks for having me. I’m a Scottish writer, working the day job grind while writing on the evenings and weekends like so many of my fellows. I’m sure once your first book is out you are meant to be spending your time sipping fine wines and whiskies by a crackling fireplace when not taking strolls through atmospheric woods and moorland pondering your next works. After The Traitor God and God of Broken Things, this will be my third book, and by now I’m suspecting that TV and movies might have lied to me…
I was a kid that was always in the library and coming out with an armload of books, so it comes as no surprise that I always wanted to write my own. I dabbled a bit over the years without much idea of what I was doing, and even wrote two full novels that will never be published for good reasons. In 2009 I joined a local writer’s group and began honing my craft on short stories. Once I felt like I had leveled up, I wrote The Traitor God and then began the age-old rite of sending the manuscript off to literary agents. One agent thought it had legs and picked the book up, and then Angry Robot eventually snapped it up.
Q] Can you talk about the genesis of The Maleficent Seven and how it occurred? What inspired you to write a story from the POV(s) of such black-hearted villains?
I’ve always had a soft spot for anti-heroes or villains with a spark of goodness left, and often found them more interesting characters than the nominated hero of a novel. Marvel’s Loki, or even the mythical man himself, is a good example of the fun you can have playing with them and I’ve often wondered what Lord of the Rings would be like from Sauron’s perspective. So why not write a book about seven villains? What fun!
Q] I loved that you wrote a standalone story in this era of huge tomes. Was this a purposeful decision to write this epic story in this manner or was it a coincidentally one?
I think it’s a story that just does not require to be needlessly stretched out into a series. Seven Villains. One Town. One battle. That feels like a complete story arc in one book to me. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for a long series, and I’m hopeful there is a lot of other people looking for a complete story contained within a single book.
Q] For some authors, it’s easier writing their second series. For others, it can be difficult. What has it been like for you compared to writing your debut series? Have you done anything differently the second time around?
It’s been much easier this time around. Every author writes and creates differently and I know how *I* write novels now, and that’s half the battle when you are learning your craft. That said, never one to take the easy route, I went from The Age of Tyranny duology with a single point of view character to The Maleficent Seven with seven main PoV’s and a bunch of minor ones. It was a shock to the system and been quite a flexing of my writing muscles I can tell you that, but a very interesting journey.
Q] TM7’s titular characters are brutally tough, incredibly violent and glorious bastards in all senses. How did you make them so dark and yet incredibly charismatic?
I’ve always said that you don’t need to have nice or sympathetic characters, you just need to have interesting characters. As long as you avoid the old moustache-twirling villain trope where they do evil because they are evil, you can show the reader plenty of reasons why characters are the way they are and why they do the monstrous things they do. A little understanding and a little humour goes a long way.
Q] I have to ask among all the seven, which one is your favourite? Was that character the easiest to write about as well?
It’s so hard to say as they were all incredibly fun to write in different ways. Amogg’s insight into the weirdness of human society, Tiarnach’s foul mouthed shit-stirring and Lorimer’s inhuman vampiric state all offered me particularly good opportunities to have fun with the story. At a push, I’ll go with Tiarnach, and he was pretty easy to write about as he’s not a terribly complicated man at heart.
Q] This book while having copious amounts of death, dismemberment and dark deeds, isn’t a chore to read. It has solid amounts of dark humour that coupled with the action sequences made this book a real standout read for me. How did you manage this delicate balance?
In all honestly it came to me fairly easily. It’s often advised to writers to write what they themselves would like to read and that is exactly what I did with The Maleficent Seven. Given the messed-up state of the world right now, I really didn’t fancy writing an entirely grim and deathly-serious book of vile darkness. Instead, I wanted a good balance of darkness and entertainment, and people are rarely darker than black-hearted, and villains can also have their virtues. Even the bad guys can have a sense of humour, you know? Maybe some of them anyway…
Q] The main plot is incredibly twisted and very fast paced. I was surprised at the possible siege storyline, which has its own tropes. How you resolve that is incredibly exhilarating to read. Was this always the plan with the plot including that epilogue?
I started off with the basic concept, and then the beginning and the end of the story immediately followed, swiftly crystallizing in my head. What I then had to do was tie it all up with a riveting middle. That took a lot more time to develop, from the ‘gathering the old gang’ back together to the prelude to the siege itself, as did the voices of the characters that evolved as I was writing it.
Q] So what can readers expect from The Maleficent Seven and what should they be looking forward to according to you?
Readers can expect a dark and gritty fantasy take on The Seven Samurai or The Magnificent Seven, and the book does exactly what it says on the tin. They should be looking forward to savage action, gallows humour, backstabbing, and even unexpected heroism and comradeship.
Q] After releasing this standalone, what do you hope to write next? Do you see yourself trying out different genres? Different formats, etc.
I think another standalone fantasy novel is next in the works – I have a story just dying to get out. That said, I would love to try my hand at different genres – supernatural horror certainly, but also – and I imagine you wouldn’t expect this – a good old light entertainment romcom. My only problem is having enough time and energy to do all the things I want to do.
Q] What are you reading currently? Are there any current authors or books that you would like to give a shout out to?
I’ve just finished The Coward by Stephen Aryan and Call of the Bone Ships by RJ Barker and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. At the moment, I’ve just starting Priest of Gallows by Peter McLean and it’s already sucked me back into his world.
Q] What do you do when you are not writing, what hobbies and proclivities engage you?
I love a good board game or tabletop RPG that takes me away from screens for a while, but I enjoy some good PC gaming as well. I love visiting historical places: history, archaeology and mythology are my jam and I will happily visit, read or watch anything on those topics. I also dabble in historical European Martial arts and blacksmithing.
Q] In closing, do you have any parting thoughts or comments you would like to share with our readers?
I just want to say that I hope your readers enjoy the book as much as I did writing it, because I had so much fun with these
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January 27, 2022
Review – Rabbits by Terry Miles
Rabbits by Terry Miles is a mind-bending head trip that is part Ready Player One and part The Matrix. It is a book that creeps and burrows into your mind, and you can spend weeks or months analyzing what you read.
“We each had our reasons for wanting the fantastical world promised by Rabbits to replace the flawed emotional narrative of our real lives.”
Rabbits is based in the world of long-form pseudo-documentary by Terry Miles. Rabbits the novel is about a narrator known as K searching for information about the addictive underground game Rabbits.
The game is very hush-hush. Players who play it do not speak of it and operate on the clandestine fringes of retro-tech and obscure culture. All research done on the game takes place in a shadow world of people in the know. Finding information and clues about Rabbits becomes as much a part of the game as the obvious goal of winning. K’s research leads her down winding paths and rabbit holes, searching for information that will help K win the game. Once the game is won, a new iteration will start.
Eventually, K becomes wholly addicted to the game. With the help of K’s friend, Chloe, they become entangled in the game world. Also, to complicate things, a reclusive billionaire gets involved who mysteriously ends up disappearing and eventually winning the game has possible world-ending repercussions.
Terry Miles’s writing feels very much like listening to a mystery podcast. I haven’t heard the original podcast. However, it has a dedicated cult-like following. The problem that I ran into with the story is both positive and negative. Rabbits is a very intricate and entangled story. The entangled characters question their reality, and the story’s narrator is unreliable. It can be challenging to follow along, and I found myself going back and rereading sections of the book, trying to keep track of some of the plot details.
I liked Rabbits quite a bit because of the highly complex nature of the story. I find this kind of story very engaging, and I am a fan of unreliable narrators. But I can understand how a story like Rabbits would be complicated for some readers to enjoy. No part of K’s journey is straightforward. Matter-a-fact, there are false starts and details that you think will be important but turn out not to be. Because of this, I can see a story like Rabbits obtaining a cult-like following with the strength of his writing and world-building. Especially if Miles continues to write in this world and interconnects Rabbits to other books.
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January 26, 2022
Review – Blackbird Vol. 1 by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel
About Blackbird Vol. 1
Nina Rodriguez knows a hidden magical world run by ruthless cabals is hiding in Los Angeles. When a giant magic beast kidnaps her sister, Nina must confront her past (and her demons) to get her sister back and reclaim her life. Don’t miss the first collection of the smash-hit neo-noir fantasy series from fan-favorite writer SAM HUMPHRIES (Harley Quinn, Nightwing) and red-hot artist JEN BARTEL (Mighty Thor)!
Stats
3 out of 5 stars
Paperback
168 pages
Expected publication: May 14th, 2019 by Image Comics
ISBN1534312595 (ISBN13: 9781534312593)
Edition Language English
SeriesBlackbird #1-6
My Thoughts
“Blackbird Vol. 1” was a decent comic. It is visually well put together. The story is interesting but I felt it was rough and flat in sections. More detail could be added to flush out the characters and backstories. Substance abuse was represented in the story, but that did not feel authentic. “I need my pills. I need my pills.” Then now what? It felt as if it was a side note, and not a major part of the character’s life. As the issues progressed, the story and writing became better and more coherent.
The visuals of “Blackbird Vol. 1” is a very well put together story as you get into it. Often when looking at the page it seemed like the colors would pop out at you and start blinking like a neon sign would. The character design and aesthetics had a manga vibe for me which was interesting. It was over the top and oversaturated. I will be looking into the next issues to see what happens with the characters if I happen upon the books. Otherwise, I might give future reading a pass.
Purchase the Book Here
Procurement
I received an electronic copy of this via Edelweiss+ and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
About the Author
Sam Humphries is a comic artist living in Los Angeles.
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January 25, 2022
REVIEW – THE LAST KINGDOM BY BERNARD CORNWELL
There are very few books that I can say truly impacted and resonated with me to the degree that “The Last Kingdom”, and indeed the entire “The Saxon Stories” have, and there are few authors like Bernard Cornwell that I find unforgettable in terms of their narrative style, writing gravitas, pacing, ability to excite and intrigue, and all the other qualities you look for when you think of the perfect writer.
“The Last Kingdom” is not perfect because no book can be considered perfect. Reading preferences are subjective – like most of life. That being said, other than “The Return of the King”, there is no book I have re-read more times, because I enjoy it so much. Uthred’s story, a Saxon-born earl, disinherited, forced to live among Danes, and be raised as a Dane, is the greatest historical fiction account I’ve ever read.
Cornwell’s straightforward yet eloquent prose, the peerless battle scenes, the amazing secondary characters such as the Ragnars and Brida, villains like the Kjartans and Aelfric, and of course, looming larger than all, Alfred the Great, one of Britain’s (real) most famous kings, if not THE most famous, all make this book astoundingly brilliant. But the protagonist is what makes this series work, and why it is so overwhelmingly popular. They made the book series into a successful Netflix series because Uthred is a household name now, one of the best fictional characters ever written, and you’ll see why when you read “The Saxon Stories”.
This first novel in the series is a coming-of-age tale. We see Uthred evolve from young noble, to orphan among the Danes, to conflicted young warrior, whose identity crisis of “Saxon versus Dane” shapes his life, and eventually the whole fate of the future England, as he later becomes Alfred’s greatest warlord as the series progresses.
I absolutely adored this book, and can’t find enough superlatives about Cornwell. Cornwell should consistently be mentioned along with Ken Follett one of the best authors ever of historical fiction, or any other genre.
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First Chapter, First Paragraph – Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
A god has died, and it’s up to Tara, first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring Him back to life before His city falls apart.
Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without Him, the metropolis’s steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will riot.
Tara’s job: resurrect Kos before chaos sets in. Her only help: Abelard, a chain-smoking priest of the dead god, who’s having an understandable crisis of faith.
When Tara and Abelard discover that Kos was murdered, they have to make a case in Alt Coulumb’s courts—and their quest for the truth endangers their partnership, their lives, and Alt Coulumb’s slim hope of survival.
Set in a phenomenally built world in which justice is a collective force bestowed on a few, craftsmen fly on lightning bolts, and gargoyles can rule cities, Three Parts Dead introduces readers to an ethical landscape in which the line between right and wrong blurs.
First Chapter, First ParagraphWhy You Should Check This Out...God wasn’t answering tonight. “Glory to Thy Flame, Thou Ever-burning, Ever-transforming Majesty,” Abelard chanted, kneeling, before the glistening brass and chrome altar. He hated this part, after the call, when he waited for the response—when he waited and tried to tell himself everything was fine. If there were a real problem, warn- ing flags would fall from the ceiling, alarms would sound, and higher-ups of the Crimson Order would rush in through the side doors, angry and officious. If there were a real problem, plain Novice Technician Abelard, so young he still needed to shave the inside of his tonsure, wouldn’t be all alone to deal with it.
Three Parts Dead looks like a fun and twisty story, and I am a sucker for fun and well written urban fantasy. I am coming to enjoy Gladstone’s work in general and am always looking forward to tackling more of his catalog this year.
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January 24, 2022
Five Recommended Indie Cyberpunk Novels
cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a genre that hit its peak in the Eighties but has still carried on like the little Replicant that could ever since. Really, it’s now split between present day cyberpunk (Watch_Dogs, Mr. Robot, Hackers) and far future experiences (The Expanse, Altered Carbon). However, I think the best place to find cyberpunk novels these days is the indie writing scene.
There’s something decidedly cyberpunk about going to writers not affiliated with the big corporations to get your fix about cybernetically enhanced humans, transhumanist themes, social satire, and street samurai action. Cyberpunk comes in many forms and just because we’re living in a world where everyone has a computer monitored by sinister corporate forces trying to sell us stuff doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it still.
1 Cyberpunk City: The Machine Killer by DL Young 
Blackburn Maddox is a hacker with a decent job at a legitimate corporation. He should have known it was too good to be true. It turns out his employers hired an ex-con in hopes of getting him to do a heist for them and he’ll lose his awesome new job if he doesn’t cooperate. Hooking up with an annoying kid, a treacherous fence, and a beautiful combat cyborg–the heist is just the beginning. I like The Machine Killer because it’s a more PG-13 adventure novel take on cyberpunk. It’s full of fun nods to other cyberpunk fiction and the start of a very entertaining series that I binged in a week.
AboutFor fans of Altered Carbon, Neuromancer, and Snow Crash.
Former data thief Maddox thinks his life of cybercrime is behind him. He couldn’t be more wrong.
Forced by a powerful executive to steal a priceless dataset, Maddox uncovers the shocking truth of a secret war between AIs, raging inside the digital universe known as virtual space. Plunged headlong into the deadly conflict, he’ll have to use every trick he’s ever learned—and a few he’s never tried before—if he wants to survive.
Sprawling megacities, rogue AIs, black market tech, modded mercenaries, and a pulse-pounding story filled with unexpected twists. If you love gritty, hardcore cyberpunk, you won’t want to miss this series!
2 The Immorality Clause by Brian Parker 
I’m a huge fan of cyberpunk combined with noir detective series. Ever since Blade Runner, I’ve felt this was the best use of the genre. Zach Forrest is a detective in Easytown, the Red Light District of New Orleans in the 2060s, and he is very good at his job. Which is good because he’s terrible at every other element of his life. After a chance encounter with a very lifelike robot results in his suspension from the police force, Zach finds himself in a complicated conspiracy that requires him to ally with a local crime lord. Typical noir stuff and made fantastic thanks to all the scifi touches.
AboutEasytown’s robotic pleasure clubs are a serial killer’s playground.
The futuristic slum in eastern New Orleans is a violent place where any vice can be satisfied–for a price. As long as the taxes are paid and tourists continue to flock to the city, businesses are allowed to operate as they see fit. Easytown has given rise to the robotic sex trade; where the robots are nearly human and always better than the real thing.
Homicide detective, Zach Forrest, has never trusted the machines. When a string of grisly murders rocks the city, he must hunt down the killer responsible. With no witnesses, and no evidence, Forrest embarks on an investigation that will challenge the very scope of reality. Will Forrest find the killer before he becomes the next victim?
3 Bubbles in Space: Tropical Punch by S.C. Jensen 
Bubbles Marlowe is another cyberpunk detective, every bit as screwed up as Zach Forrest but also terrible at doing any actual detecting. Having lost her right arm at the hands of dirty cops, she finds herself hunted down by forces she doesn’t understand. Having seemingly coincidentally won a free vacation on a space luxury liner, we have the beginnings of one of the most oddball adventures in cyberpunk history. Bubbles is a fantastic character and always entertaining as she struggles to deal with the cast of weirdos she’s surrounded with.
AboutStrippers, Drugs, and Headless Corpses…
All in a day’s work for Bubbles Marlowe, HoloCity’s only cyborg detective.
What do an anti-tech cult, a deadly new street drug, and the corrupt Chief of Police have in common?
It’s a question Bubbles can’t afford to ask. Last time she got curious it cost her job, a limb, and almost her life.
She vows to stay out of police business. But with a newly minted cybernetic enhancement, a semi-legal P.I. license, and a knack for asking the wrong kind of questions… Vows are made to be broken, right?
When a seemingly straightforward contract takes a dark turn, heads literally roll. Unless she wants to take the fall for the murders Bubbles needs to cut town on the double. Too bad she’s flat broke.
And now, she’s being hunted.
In a world where dreams can be made real for the right kind of dough, nothing is as it seems. One thing is clear, though. The dream is becoming a nightmare.
As the body count stacks up, Bubbles realizes she’s made a terrible mistake.
Can she figure out who is behind the murders before she loses her head?
Warning: Don’t read this book if you hate fun, glitter, sassy robotic pigs, or hard-boiled badassery. Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett are rolling in their graves, but this is all their fault.
Get Punched! Buy it now!
4 Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R. Fletcher 
Michael R. Fletcher remains one of the best indie fantasy authors out there, pushing the envelope with books like Beyond Redemption and Black Stone Heart. My favorite of his works remains Ghosts of Tomorrow, though, which is a modernized cyberpunk crime drama where human trafficking remains alive and well into the 22nd century. It’s just that it exists for the purposes of scanning minds into AI, a process that kills the people involved.
AboutThe children are the future.
And someone is turning them into highly trained killing machines.
Straight out of school, Griffin, a junior Investigations agent for the North American Trade Union, is put on the case: Find and close the illegal crèches. No one expects him to succeed, Griffin least of all. Installed in a combat chassis Abdul, a depressed seventeen year old killed during the Secession Wars in Old Montreal, is assigned as Griffin’s Heavy Weapons support. Nadia, a state-sanctioned investigative reporter working the stolen children story, pushes Griffin ever deeper into the nightmare of the black market brain trade.
Deep in the La Carpio slums of Costa Rica, the scanned mind of an autistic girl runs the South American Mafia’s business interests. But she wants more. She wants freedom. And she has come to see humanity as a threat. She has an answer: Archaeidae. At fourteen, he is the deadliest assassin alive. Two children against the world.
The world is going to need some help.
5 Behind Blue Eyes by Anna Mocikat 
Behind Blue Eyes is something that helped reignite my love of cyberpunk after a long period of dormancy. Nephilim is one of the Guardian Angels, a group of assassins who work for the Olympias Corporation in exterminating dissidents. They’re also brainwashed out their gord but an accident frees Nephilim’s mind. The clock is ticking until they “correct” the issue and she must come to some important decisions if she wants to remain free–or not.
Review – Behind Blue Eyes by Anna Mocikat
AboutThey are the perfect hybrid between human and machine. They are the next step in the evolution of mankind. And when they come after you, nothing in the world will save you…
Welcome to the year 2095.
Society has overcome everything that made human life miserable. It has become perfect — so perfect that it needs killer cyborgs to hunt down anyone who disagrees with it.
Nephilim isn’t just any elite death squad member, she is the best. Genetically and cybernetically enhanced, she and others like her strike terror wherever they go. Knowing nothing besides this lifestyle, Nephilim believes that she’s part of a righteous cause.
But everything changes for her after a hostile EMP attack.
She suffers a severe system glitch. Disconnected from the grid, for the first time in her life, she begins doubting the system.
Shortly after the attack, she meets Jake, a 100% biological human, and she falls in love with him. Jake helps her discover that everything she had believed in was a lie.
But there is no walking away from the system. And soon, Nephilim finds herself hunted by members of her own death squad.
In an era of deception, who can she trust? And in this brave new world, is there a place for love between a human and a cyborg?
Behind Blue Eyes is a fast-paced, cinematic action story in a dystopian setting. It’s a modern-day version of 1984 – on steroids.
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January 23, 2022
REVIEW – DARK ENDS ANTHOLOGY BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
I will be the first to admit, I rarely read anthologies. Moreover, I do not turn to Grimdark as my fantasy sub-genre of choice – I am more of the high, epic fantasy preference. But a set of dark fantasy snippets by some of the top Indie fantasy authors out there today was a bit too much to resist. So, I was led to the compilation of short stories called “Dark Ends”.
No doubting the resumes of Stabby Nominee Luke Tarzian, author of the widely-acknowledged “Indie Fantasy Book-of-the-Year” Krystle Matar, Self Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPBFO) Semi-Finalist D.P. Woolliscroft, Stabby Nominee and SPFBO Finalist Angela Boord, and Stabby Nominee and 3-time SPFBO Semi-Finalist and SPFBO Finalist Clayton Snyder. One would be hard-pressed to find such an assembly of Indie fantasy luminaries compiling a book together, anywhere.
For me, the “darkest” story was that of Tarzian’s, called “The Laughing Heart”. The prose was outstanding, instinctive, lyrical, haunting. Tarzian is poetic in his narrative, yet the feeling of the story at times was hallucinogenic, dissociative. It was visceral, raw, and disorienting. There were times, frankly, I was completely lost in terms of where I was in the story and where it was going. With Tarzian’s brilliant, yet chaotic style of writing, it took a bit to find footing again. The depth of emotion and poignancy with which Tarzian writes can be dizzying, and bring one to one’s knees. The heart of the story is about an ethereal war, in which a human warrior, Caliean, is grieving for the loss of his husband Bar, who has been murdered by the demon Galska Nuul. Caliean lusts for revenge, and his quest to destroy Galska Nuul takes him on a fantastical journey of pain, fury, and ultimately wonder. Caliean will bring the reader along for the ride, and the bizarre journey will leave you stunned, confused and reeling. Powerful stuff. If you find yourself weeping openly for Caliean, don’t be surprised – that is a what a gifted writer can accomplish.
Krystle Matar’s entry is called “Tainted.” It is part of the Brightwash universe, was done in her trademark style: she pulls on the reader’s heartstrings, makes one examines one’s own values and beliefs, and leaves one feeling emotionally exposed. It’s an ill-fated love story between Gianna and Galen, two “Tainted”, whose forbidden love (people with Tainted powers are not permitted to fraternize) runs them afoul of Authority Regulation Officer Tashue Blackwood (protagonist of Matar’s heralded “Legacy of the Brightwash”). Tashue’s stoic enforcement of the law, coupled with Galen’s confusion over the fact that Tashue does not seem to hate the Tainted, and that Tashue’s own son is imprisoned by the Authority, leads to Galen’s intense animosity toward the lawman. Meeting Tashue’s son only serves to further Galen’s resentment of the father, and tragedy strikes, leading to a fateful confrontation. Matar’s world feels real in every aspect: her vivid, descriptive writing will suck you into the surroundings and mindset of the characters, and refuse to let you go. She is an utterly brilliant writer.
Angela Boord’s “Dragonmeat”, only cements her reputation as a master of detailed world-building, outstanding character development, and compelling themes. Set in the island city of Medeas, the story centres around Peri, daughter of a former prominent father, who has suffered a disability. Peri’s mother has run off, abandoning the family and consigning them to poverty. Peri has tried to save her sister by sending her away from Medeas, and struggles to care for her father. Medeas suffers under the oppressive rule of a cruel governor, who has allowed famine to take hold of the city. Peri is forced to steal to keep her and her father alive, until caught by a stranger, who changes her fate. Meanwhile, human sacrifices to dragons – who terrorize the city – are recruited in cult-like fashion, in order to satisfy the monsters and keep them at bay. Angela Boord’s evocative writing will make you feel like you are seeing, smelling, hearing and tasting what Medeas has to offer. Read “Dragonmeat” and become immersed in the delightful world Boord has created; it will only leave you wanting more.
“Strays” by D.P. Woolliscroft is a classic heist story, and fun to read. The world Woolliscroft creates is realistic and gritty. There’s plenty of satire, and the camaraderie and comedic play between the rouges, led by Trypp, is right on point. Trypp is a master thief, and although he and his band have just successfully completed a huge job, always count on the greed of those searching for one more big payday. Trypp meets an attractive girl, and with her involvement, a tantalizing target is developed, that the gang can acquire. The job is fraught with danger, and Woolliscroft writes the violence in the story with crisp precision. The author is also not afraid to address issues such as racism and classicism, and it was well-handled. This short story packs a lot into its pages, and it was excellent. Woolliscroft had long been on my radar as someone to read, and reading “Strays” has only prompted me to push his books up my TBR list.
Finally, “Savages” by Clayton Snyder, lives up to the author’s tag as one of Indie fantasy’s best grimdark creatives. This story reeks of savagery, ruthlessness, and despair. Jack Nyx is the protagonist, and he is an enforcer, a private detective, and a mercenary all in one. He is also possessed by demons, whose power he cannot completely control. His best friend Ivy, a dangerous witch, has destroyed the body of Jack’s lover’s, confining it to a receptacle in Jack’s apartment – a talking receptacle. In the story, Synder tackles child abuse, domestic violence, torture, murder, possession in the adroit fashion of a grimdark maestro. The reader feels physical and mental anguish along with Jack, feels the helpless watching their own blood pouring onto the floor, feels their guts twisted in a knot with fear, feel the rage and swollen knuckles as Jack punches his way out of danger, trying to stay alive. The dark humour is utterly sarcastic and merciless, the pacing relentless, the climax tremendous. “Savages” feels like a mash-up between dark fantasy and a crime noir classic, and is extremely well-done.
I have tried to evaluate “Dark Ends” on the sum of its parts, rather than the individual stories on their own merits. Each writer has their unique strengths, and have written their own books, but chose to compile these particular stories together, and have them judged together. Therefore, I have rated the anthology in that spirit.
“Dark Ends” is exceptional, and highly recommended. If you have been contemplating reading bigger works by these five authors, but have not yet had the opportunity, I suggest you start with “Dark Ends”, then work your way up to the more expansive narratives by these talented writers.
Five out of five star overall rating for this anthology!
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