David A. Riley's Blog, page 12
July 30, 2024
My original review from March 15th 2022 of Childe Rolande by Samantha Lee published by Futura Books
Some time before I was given the opportunity to reprint this novel under my own Parallel Universe Publications imprint this was a review I wrote and had published on amazon for its first publication in 1989 by Futura Books. CHILDEROLANDE by Samantha Lee
FuturaPublications 1989
Althoughthis dark fantasy novel of a post-apocalyptic Scotland was published thirtyyears ago, it reads as fresh today, with issues that are just as pertinent nowas they were in the 1980s.
Mostof the story is told in the first person by Rolande her-or-himself. I say her-or-himselfbecause, in the woman-dominating culture that rules Scotland in this futuretime, Rolande is that rarest of beings, a hermaphrodite, having both thegenitals of a man and a woman. As only a handful of drugged, caged and pamperedmales are allowed to live intact as “breed beasts” in the Scotland of thisstory, the dwarf Morangy, a eunuch aswell as chief “healer” in the royal household, steals Rolande away and puts herin the care of a renegade male known as the prophet. Morangy realises thatRolande could be the fulfilment of a prophecy that a hermaphrodite will one dayrise to become “the Redeemer”, who will end the vicious tyranny of the femalerulers of Alba and restore equality between the sexes.
Rolande’sstory becomes ever more complex as she grows older, especially after, as partof a travelling band of entertainers, she catches the romantic attention of theMaxwell, Chief Warlord of the Clans of Alba (Scotland), which results in herbeing brought into the royal household where she meets her twin sister, though neitherknow of their relationship yet or even that the other existed, as the events ofRolande’s birth were a secret known only to a few.
Thisis a complex novel, with some strongly delineated characters, and some of the fiercestviolence and graphically described tortures and executions I have ever read,perhaps expected from a veteran writer of the Pan Books of Horror. Overand above this, though, it is an epic saga of a struggle to end a repressivetyranny, with perhaps one of the blackest, most evil villains I have comeacross in the form of the mad sorceress and high priestess, Fergael, whobecomes uglier and psychotically more dangerous as time goes on. There is magictoo of the darkest sort and the occasional monster, though both occur sparinglyand are all the more credibly dramatic for it.
Anexcellent novel and one I would recommend unreservedly for anyone who loves thedarkest of fantasies in a post-apocalyptic future - and a damn good story too.
Reviewedby David A. Riley
July 26, 2024
The Demon From Another World accepted for publication
The good news this morning is that I have just received word that another rather longish sword and sorcery yarn of mine has been accepted for publication. Unfortunately, I am not allowed as yet to reveal any more details about it other than that the story is called The Demon From Another World.
This marks the eighth new story chosen for publication this year.
July 25, 2024
The Complete World of Horror Volume 1
Just received one of the largest hardcover books in my posssession, Volume 1 of The Complete World of Horror, which contains a reproduction of the first three issues of that iconic magazine from the mid 1970s. Although I had nothing in these earliest issues, I did have a couple of stories in later ones, The Shade of Apollyon and Terror on the Moors, illustrated by Jim Pitts, which I hope to see eventually in volumes 2 and 3.
The Complete World of Horror is published by Confessions Press, edited by Gent Shaw with a Foreword by John Probert.
Anyone interested in buying a copy could use this link to Confessions Press.
July 24, 2024
My latest sword and sorcery story In the Temple of the Snake is in Crimson Quill Quarterly No 3
I am very pleased to be able to announce that my latest sword and sorcery story, an 8000 word yarn called In the Temple of the Snake, is in the latest issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly, along with some stellar contribributors.
Crimson Quill Quarterly is available as a papertback and kindle eBook.
A City of Phantoms (Part 2 of 2): Teel James Glenn - When their caravan is attacked, Dunal and Ada are captured and taken to the legendary city of Atlaztan, a frightening madhouse of magick and murder, and it is up to the two companions to not only survive - but escape against all odds!
Backed Up in Iber: Carl Ellis - Ceeon, wayward, once-retired thief, drowning in medical debt, takes on one final job in the hopes of rebuilding his life and reconnecting with his daughter. All he has to do is steal some items from one of the most heavily guarded vaults in all of Iber!
King of Killers: Mario Curic - The barbarian king Keroveh rules the former No Man's Land with the aid of an army of sellswords and an ancient relic of mysterious power. When another mercenary carries a similar gift arrives to offer his services, the ruthless warlord sees an opportunity to spread his reach, all the while plagued by a worm of doubt.
Trollslayer: Susan Murrie Macdonald - After being sent on what Vilne believed would be a boring errand, it was not long before he began to detect the presence of nearby trolls. After destroying their dwelling, he is set upon by a pair of the foul monstrosities. These monsters, however, may not be as mindless or heartless as legend has let on.
In the Temple of the Snake: David A. Riley - To the snake charmer, the proferred journey to the Temple of the Snake by the secretive sorcerer Roannda Caltrani was barely a challenge to his abilities, and in the end it would make him wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. Little did he suspect that the horrors he would find inside the forbidden temple would be incredibly far worse than anything he could have imagined and would change his life forever.
Trail of Steel: Damir Salkovic - Having narrowly escaped a hanging, three unlikely companions rob a wealthy merchant, set free a chain of slaves, and become embroiled in a tribal feud as they flee civilization. Over the mountains, the unruly coast beckons, a frontier of sinister magic and hungry swords where they hope to escape their past misdeeds. But redemption has a price, and the dangers are many on the trail of steel.
The Drakvur Challenge: Rab Foster - In a temple dedicated to a mysterious deity known as Drakvur, at dawn on the longest day of the year, six prisoners are forced to take part in a ritual. They must race across a lake using stepping stones that weave between sinister statues and rise above shoals of hungry fish. Unfortunately, they have a seventh competitor to deal with: Drakvur itself...
July 17, 2024
Book Review: The Instruments of Darkness by John Connolly
THEINSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS by John ConnollyHodder& Stoughton 2024, 450 pages
Availablein hardcover
Iam a big fan of John Connolly’s Charlie Parker novels, all of which I have read.This, unbelievably, is the twenty-first!
Youwould perhaps expect after so many tales for there to be a gradual lessening oforiginality but believe me The Instruments of Darkness reads as fresh asever. With its subtle blend of crime and the supernatural, you are never quitesure where common criminality ends and worse takes over. And believe me howeverbad common criminality is the other is far, far worse.
Thisis certainly the case here where Parker is hired to look into the guilt orotherwise of Colleen Clark whose young son has disappeared, either kidnapped ormurdered. The local district attorney, out to make a name for himself in anupcoming election to higher office, and his equally ambitious assistant, out totake his place when he steps up, are determined to prove Colleen is guilty ofmurdering her son and hiding his body. Compounding how bad things look for her,her estranged husband finds a bloodstained blanket in the boot of Colleen’s carand is outspoken in his belief his wife is their son’s killer. Things, indeed,look bad for Colleen, but she is lucky in having recurring character MoxieCastin as her lawyer, who wisely asks Parker to investigate what happened.
Andso begins a darkening tale of mysteries, intrigues and malign influences.
Connollyhas again given us a great cast of vividly depicted characters, whether they’repeople you love, pity, despise or hate. Plus plenty of action. And we also haveother recurring characters we are used to expect in any Charlie Parker novel,such as Angel and Louie.
Thelast Charlie Parker book, The Furies, was made up of two novellas, whichI found less satisfying. Thankfully The Instruments of Darkness is onelong, full-blooded novel, into which it is easy to become thoroughly absorbed.The only problem for me, despite being well over four hundred pages in length, isthat I found it such a page-turner it didn’t take me long to finish it! Now Ihave at least another year, perhaps more, before I can dip into another.
This review was first published in Phantasmagoria Magazine Summer 2024
Book Review: Germanicus, Lord of Eagles by Adrian Cole
GERMANICUS,LORD OF EAGLES (WAR ON ROME BOOK 2) by Adrian ColeDMRBooks 2023, 336 pages
Availablein hardcover, paperback, and kindle
Firstof all I must make an admission of being a huge fan of anything to do withRome, especially in the first century AD, during and after the emperorAugustus. One of my favourite series of novels are of Centurion Macro and hisfriend Cato by Simon Scarrow.
Soyou can imagine how much I was looking forward to reading this. And I was notdisappointed. With Germanicus, Lord of Eagles Adrian Cole has embarkedon an ambitious rewrite of Roman history in the early empire, in which eventshave been derailed from those we know by the sinister machinations of two competingsecret cults steeped in sorcery, the Via Sinister and the Via Tenebrae, whoseplots are as mysterious in their objectives as they are blatantly malevolent.
Ourfirst glimpse of their malign intervention comes in the opening pages when theman who would have otherwise become Emperor Claudius in years to come is brutallymurdered while still only a young man. As a result of these plots other playersin Roman history either manage to live far longer than they did or meet different,sometimes horrifying fates.
Germanicus,Lord of Eagleshas an impressively large cast of characters spread across the length andbreadth of the Roman Empire, from the rain-drenched forests of Germania to thesun-baked cities of Egypt and Judea. As the plot has already deviated fromhistorical fact there is, of course, the added tension of now not knowing what willbefall anyone. Being rather pro-Roman I must admit to feeling concerned aboutthe plot to assassinate Germanicus, next in line to be emperor after the aging Tiberius,so as to enable Caligula to succeed him instead. I won’t give anything away, asit’s all in the lap of the gods, so to speak. Or at least in the lap of AdrianCole, who knows how to create wonderfully vivid characters and intriguing plotsand has obviously made a thorough study of this period.
Iwon’t give away any plot details as this would spoil reading this book, exceptto say that it is eventful, vivid and thoroughly credible once you accept theinvolvement of the supernatural behind the scenes. There are many reallylikeable characters – and no shortage of the opposite, including the everscheming, massively ambitious Sejanus, prefect of the praetorium guard, who Istill remember from the BBC adaptation of Robert Graves’ I, Claudius, inwhich he was brilliantly portrayed by a young Patrick Stewart.
Germanicus,Lord of Eaglesis a far cry from Adrian Coles’ Elak stories, with much less use of thesupernatural, but when it occurs it certainly makes an impact. With so manyindividuals’ storylines still ongoing, and with the plotting of both ViaSinister and Via Tenebrae deepening I am looking forward to reading the next inthis brilliantly conceived series.
This review was first published in Phantasmagoria Magazine Summer 2024
Elak, King of Atlantis is now available as a paperback and kindle eBook
We are pleased to announce that the second volume of Adrian Cole's Atlantis Trilogy, Elak, King of Atlantis is now available as a paperback and kindle eBook.Here are two quick links to the trilogy so far:
Stories included in Elak, King of Atlantis are:
BLOOD OF THE MOON GOD
First published in Strange Tales, no 10, Wildside Press (US), 2007, in a slightly different version.
WITCH QUEEN OF DOOM ISLAND
First published in Worlds of the Unknown, no 1, Spectre Press (UK), 2014.
REVENGE OF THE SORCERER
First published in magazine form in Skelos, no 4, edited by Mark Finn, 2020, (US) and reprinted in 1st edition of ELAK, KING OF ATLANTIS, 2020 (US).
SPAWN OF THE SEA GOD
First published in The Mighty Warriors, Ulthar Press (US), 2018.
SKY WARRIORS OF ATLANTIS
First appears in this volume.
June 26, 2024
Book Review - Savage Realms Monthly: Tales of Swords and Sorcery May 2024 Issue
SAVAGEREALMS MONTHLY: Tales of Swords and Sorcery
May2024 # 28
Editedby Willard Black
LiteraryRebel LLC, 2024
109pages
SavageRealms Monthlyis now up to its 28th issue. Each issue publishes three stories,often by new writers. This month’s features the return of Steve Dilks, who hasthe distinction of having had a story in the very first issue. He returns withhis popular character, Bohun, a huge black mercenary whose adventures featurefrequently in Steve’s stories. Red Trail of Vengeance brings Bohun intocontact with a desperate and violent gang of cutthroats who ambush him and,after inflicting him with some sadist tortures, leave him for dead. Which is abig mistake as Bohun is not so easily killed. Even before he has fullyrecovered from his injuries, Bohun sets out for the bloody vengeance of thetitle, which takes him to the tyrannically run city of Dhamur from where thecutthroats sprang. When reading sword and sorcery stories I must admit topreferring long stories in which the writer can all but weave a yarn with aninvolved plot. Which is exactly what Dilks gives us here. Without a doubt RedTrail of Vengeance is the standout story in this issue, with some greatfight scenes and finely woven twists and turns and vividly drawn characters.Not that Matthew McConkey’s Last Sigh of the Sea is not brilliant initself, with a story that edges close to being a fable, as the ruthless KingAelfydd extorts enormous powers by torture from a sorceress which he uses tofulfil his own insatiable ambitions, despite dire warnings of the catastrophicfate he risks by doing so. A well told tale with an increasingly more ominous climax.The final story is John DeLaughter’s Last of the Star-Crossed Wizards, aninvolved tale of intrigue and double-dealings by powerful beings with whom itis dangerous for mere humans to become involved, laced with some dark humour.
Allin all another excellent issue, proving that Savage Realms Monthly is areliable cornerstone of the current resurgence of interest in the sword andsorcery genre.
June 20, 2024
Sherlock & Friends edited by Lyndon Perry is now available - contains my story The Adventure of the Mouldy Book
I am pleased to announce that Sherlock & Friends: Eldritch Investigations is now available as a hardcover and paperback. This anthology, edited by Lyndon Perry, contains my Max Carrados story The Adventure of the Mouldy Book, which is my first attempt at a pastiche.Nine tales of mystery and suspense featuring friends and rivals of Sherlock Holmes pitting their investigative skills against Lovecraftian horrors. Enter the halls of madness as each of our contributors ‘channel the spirits’ of Victorian and Edwardian age detectives who graced the dime novels and pulp magazines of that golden era.
Novelets by Derrick Belanger, Gustavo Bondoni, Mike Chinn, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Steve Doyle, Elana Gomel, Stephen Herczeg, Naching T. Kassa, and David A. Riley. Interior illustrations by Gilead the Artist accompany each story. Edited by Lyndon Perry and published by Tule Fog Press.
It's available here:
June 15, 2024
Elak, Warrior of Atlantis by Adrian Cole is now available as a paperback or Kindle eBook from Parallel Universe Publications
We are pleased to announce that the first volume of Adrian Cole's Elak of Atlantis trilogy, Elak, Warrior of Atlantis, is now available as a paperback and Kindle eBook.It's 320 pages contain the following stories:
A SONG OF PICTISH KINGS, first published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly Magazine, no 49, 2021DEMONS OF THE DEEP, first published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly Magazine, no 40, 2019ON DEATH SEED ISLAND, first published in Tales from the Magician’s Skull, no 4, 2020TOWER IN THE CRIMSON MIST, first published in Savage Scrolls 1, edited by Jason R Carney, Pulp Hero Press (USA) 2020A DREAM OF LOST VALUSIA, first published (as Dreams of a Sunken Realm) in Tales from the Magician’s Skull, no 5, 2020SAILING ON THE THIEVES’ TIDE, first published in Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy vol 3, edited by David A. Riley, Parallel Universe Publications (UK) 2021THE SINGERS IN THE STONES Published here for the first time. Artwork on the cover and inside is by Jim Pitts. The Introduction is by David C. Smith.Below are two quick links to amazon.com and amazon.co.uk: Amazon.com - paperback $16; ebook $3.70 Amazon.co.uk - paperback £12.99; ebook £2.99 Volume Two, Elak, King of Atlantis, will be published next month.
