Guess what!  I’ve decided to release a novelette called “Unplanned Parenthood” this Friday.  It’s a dystopian sci-fi little number I wrote a few years ago and then never did anything with.  Well, due to recent events, I decided to dust it off and put it out there.  If you’d like a free ARC, let me […]

Read more "New Release on Black Friday!"

A cute Christmas-time cozy mystery that is so full of vintage British charm it is often in danger of becoming twee. Retired art teacher Miss Seeton stumbles into not one but TWO mysteries, one involving Roman ruins and the other about a gang (no, wait, there are TWO gangs) of bank robbers. There’s also the […]

Read more "“Starring Mis Seeton” by Hamilton Crane"

“Off to See the Wizard” is just as madcap and zany as the blurb promises. Also coarse, vulgar, gruesome, and laugh-out-loud funny. In a brilliant display of polyphony, it’s presented as the post facto justifications of a magical party for the disastrous outcome of their failed quest, with each character possessing a distinct (and hilarious) […]

Read more "“Off to See the Wizard” by Clay Johnson"

Reading Western fiction set in Russia, or some version of Russia, is always a little off-putting for me, and at first I didn’t know what to make of “Egg and Spoon.” It’s certainly a Western take on Russia, but it’s a gorgeous, multi-layered confection for all that. It’s set sometime shortly before the Revolution, if […]

Read more "“Egg and Spoon” by Gregory Maguire"

“The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds” is a fascinating story about a culture I knew very little about prior to reading this book, and I really appreciate it bringing Nyonya/Baba culture to my awareness. However, that is not the only reason to like it: it’s also a well-written and heartfelt account of one woman’s struggles […]

Read more "“The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds” by Selina Siak Chin Yoke"

As a professional Russianist, I approached this book with both curiosity and trepidation. I’m always excited to see a Western book with a Russian theme, but at the same time, I’m so often disappointed in the execution. “Who Is to Blame?” definitely reads more like a Western take on a Russian theme than like actual […]

Read more "“Who is to Blame?” by Jane Marlow"

“Blood Divine” is a Southern Gothic vampire/ghost story with a bit of a twist. Cooper has been running away from his special abilities for the past decade, trying to silence his problems by throwing himself at every boy-toy he can find. But. as so often tends to happen, his past catches up with him. As […]

Read more "“Blood Divine” by Greg Howard"

A fascinating science fantasy tale about Ayn, a young intersex person (this book follows him from birth to adolescence) who is believed to be the second incarnation of his society’s great leader, and has been raised accordingly. His sheltered life is thrown into chaos by a terrorist attack, and Ayn has to flee for his […]

Read more "“Shiva XIV” by Lyra Shanti"

Good Lord!  Just when I think this series can’t get any goofier, it raises (or lowers) its game!  This latest installment features a game full of Star Trek/Star Wars/Doctor Who/Sherlock (and was there also a passing reference to Red Dwarf?) allusions, sure to delight fans of any of those franchises.  Providing you don’t mind a […]

Read more "“All Men’s Space–In Space!” by CB Archer"

A rich and evocative high fantasy novel about a boy who, unlike in Faust, is always willing good but keeps doing evil. Brandye is orphaned as a baby and raised by his grandfather, one of the few who has ever ventured outside the land of Consolation. Brandye finds he doesn’t fit in amongst the others […]

Read more "“The Redemption of Erath: Consolation” by Satis"