Cover design by (studio)Effigy, from an image by Jose A.S. Reyes. The background to the main image is the cover art for A Prayer for Dead Kings and Other Tales (in which the story first appeared), which is an illustration by Alex Tooth
I love it when I get such detailed information on the cover art. The knife is very appropriate to A Space Between.
Scott Fitzgerald is a demanding name to give your child. Talk about pressure. Fortunately Scott Fitzgerald Gray manages to live up to the expectations of his name.
A Space Between is a dark short story. Talk about dysfunctional family. Love, secrets, betrayal, ambition and murder are all part of the game.
Charan and Jalina make an interesting set of siblings. Their love/hate relationship is what drives A Space Between. Add to that the accidental death of their father and we have the recipe for an interesting tale.
I found myself liking Charan and Jalina. Their love and the murder are very much against societal mores, but society is a fluid thing shaped by its members. Their discovery of two magical artifacts changes their ability to see each other.
It was strange reading A Space Between. Gray’s writing was so beautiful I forgot to pay attention to what I was reading. I got caught up in the flow of the words. I have said this before and probably will again: There are some advantages to being within the autism spectrum. Because my “thing” is words I get the pleasure of finding myself lost in them. A Space Between was a word autists/aspergian dream.
For those of you who aren’t that lucky rest assured that the quality of Gray’s writing is high.
First of all I would like to compliment Jeff Gunzel on his choice of cover artist. The cover of Land of Shadows is amazingly beautiful. Love the work of Ronnell D. Porter.
I see that some of the earlier reviews have asked for editing of Lands of Shadow. I have an updated version from 2013 and have a feeling that there must have been quite a bit of editing done if the previous critique was true. I like that in an author – the ability to listen to what people have to say and then decide if what is said is worth listening to. So that is one plus in Jeff Gunzel’s favor.
I loved the opening scene. The warrior Morcel’s choice to leave off the life he had been leading lately brings him in a sense back to the land of the living. All because that one last drop had fallen. Life is like that (although maybe not quite as brutal as the village scenes). Sometimes that one drop extra falls and you cannot stand your own choices any longer. Change comes – sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Morcel’s having had his fill plays an important role in the plot of The Land of Shadows.
Right away I am going to warn you of a particularly gruesome scene – the one that changes Morcel’s life. This is NOT a book for Young Adults and there are definitely trigger factors for those who have been victims of sexual abuse. Consider yourselves warned.
In this scene we meet a girl who also plays an important role in the development of the plot. If you are awake you will spot her reappearance. She is quite a strong character.
There is action from the beginning of Land of Shadows. Talk about intense scenes that just grip me and will not let me go. Not until Chapter 3 do we get a description of beautiful Tarmerria. But that beauty does have a back side. There are plenty of unwanted elements, crime and scary outlanders.
What we get in the Land of Shadows is a bunch of people who have had to make terrible choices in order to stave off a potentially terrible future. But bearing the consequences of their choices takes a toll on them and the ones they have made those choices for. Life is all too often like that. A person can only do what they think is right and hope that they do not mess up too badly.
Land of Shadows is a dark novel, dark and beautiful. It is well worth the read and I would say that Jeff Gunzel has the potential of being an amazing writer. He already hits the flow over and over again and plays with my feelings like a virtuoso.
There seem to be pirat copies of the digital version around – according to the author. Amazon has taken their copy off the air.
The Urban Elves series is a sub-series to the Elves on the Road Universe an urban fantasy universe depicting the interaction between the human and the elven world adding in a bit of diesel/gas.
As far as I can see Ellen Guon (Beeman) has written three novels: two in collaboration with Mercedes Lackey and the Bedlam Boyz on her own.
Bedlam Boyz is a stand-alone novel set in Los Angeles. It is about getting the surprise of your life and how that surprise changes your life. In a life-threatening situation Kayla discovers she has the power to heal.
A talent like that is bound to bring a lot of attention. Not all of that attention is positive. In fact most of the attention Kayla garners because of her ability to heal is quite negative. Gangs, elves and social workers all want a piece of her and only one of the parties wants to help Kayla get a better life.
Bedlam Boyz was a fairly good novel. It seemed believable when it came to the fate of Liane. I imagine that to be the fate of quite a few homeless kids. Kayla’s fears are also believable and her confusion about her talent seems natural. I imagine there are police officers and social workers who care about the homeless kids the way a couple of the characters in the novel did.
I liked it. It wasn’t great but it did entertain me enough to keep me reading to the end. With a bit more editing it would have been a much better read.
Goblintown Justice first appeared in 2011 in the Carnage & Consequences Anthology. It is the second story in the Shotguns and Sorcery series.
Goblintown Justice is definitely a mystery with Max Gibson as its investigator. Max Gibson is one of the main characters of the Shotguns and Sorcery series. He is a pretty tough guy who just happens to be a sorcerer.
Max lives in Dragon City. Dragon City is like any rough city in the world. It is divided between the powerful and the ones not so powerful. Rich and poor are as usual placed in different parts of the city and the various races also tend to congregate among their own. So, nothing unusual there. Even our capital Oslo is like this – and we are a puny country.
We find the police looking for easy answers because they want some body to blame. This time they blame Sig, one of Max’ acquaintances. Since the victim is one of their own Dragon Guard the police are especially keen on getting their perpetrator. But Max does not think that Sig did it and he is given a short space of time to prove it.
Power and corruption, fear and power, rich and poor are all found in this short story. In an amazingly short time Matt Forbeck manages to show the helplessness of the weak. But the weak have Max Gibson to bat for them and that is not such a bad thing. He fights well, takes a beating without giving up and manages to give as well as get. I like Max Gibson’s character – this hard-shelled adventurer.
I had great fun reading Goblintown Justice and wouldn’t mind reading more of Matt Forbeck’s work.
Cover photograph by Robert Glen Fogarty Cover design by Kathleen J. Cheney
Three short stories are presented in A Hand for Each. The stories are: A Hand for Each, Masks of War and Fleurs du Mal.
A Hand for Each was published in 2007 in Shimmer’s Pirate Issue. From it we learn that if your ship is conquered by natives of some island and all of its crew left dead except yourself, you had better get off that ship as soon as possible. Otherwise you are going to be in serious trouble.
I guess you could say that A Hand for Each is reminiscent of The Flying Dutchman. That would make this a semi-horror story, although with the ending it might be more appropriate to call it a horror story. I like stories like these. I just know how it is has to end but I keep on hoping that I am wrong. (It probably doesn’t help that I often read the ending before I get there).
Masks of War was published in 2008 in Fantasy Magazine. It is obviously a story about masks of some kind, in this case a literal one. Sergeant Grey is given the job of tagging along with a German soldier who has had his face disfigured. Once the soldier puts on a mask to hide his disfigurement something strange happens and off the both of them go.
Masks of War is a story about hope and change. Sometimes it is possible to right a wrong, to change your path in life by acknowledging what has gone forever. I found it fascinating to follow along with the two ex-soldiers as they watched the amazing unfold.
Fleurs du Mal was published in 2010 in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I think you could probably call Fleurs du Mal a horror story. We have here a story about possession, a really strange type of possession. Good thing I have the opposite of a green thumb. Any plant that comes near me had better run for its life.
Fleurs du Mal was fun. It’s story has all of the ingredients that a mild horror should have. I am unable to read anything harder than that. The oh, oh feeling came back again and again and I kept a running commentary on the characters of the story. (I do this with movies as well.)
So, all in all A Hand for Each was fun to read and I definitely kept reading through all three stories. Good job Kathleen J. Cheney.
First things first. You really ought to take a look at the website Chronicles of Covent. It is full of great art and loads of information about characters and storylines. The cover artist, Thom Scott, is responsible for the artwork done on the website. From what I can see on their website Ficks and Dugue aim to create a world that functions as the Forgotten Realm does – with an abundance of authors dealing with the eight continents of Covent.
The Shade Chronicles are about Shade the assassin, probably the best in his field. He is an Unseen (the best of the best) gone rogue and knows to stay away from the forest surrounding his school. Shade is also a dark elf and are exposed to prejudice just like the ones in the Forgotten Realms.
The Waiting Game is the first book of this series. It has a proper ending and that makes it a series. I prefer stand-alone novels to the serial type. Serials can be annoying.
Shade is bored. He has been trained to utilise his killing abilities to the fullest and is beginning to run out of challenging kills. Anything will do as long as the hit is difficult. He gets what he wants and from there on there is action galore.
There were two scenes that I really liked. One was in the underground while fighting his challenger. The other was in the bar when Lewd’s hench(wo)men kept coming.
It was refreshing meeting someone who wasn’t out to save the world or make it a better place. Instead we find a dark elf who strikes fear into the hearts of all who realise just who they are dealing with. Only idiots mess with Shade but despite the fear he engenders, Shade is not a bully.
Shade was an interesting character, maybe even some one I would like to meet again. What did I think of the writing? Well, Ficks and Dugue kept me reading. They are above average but fall out of the flow at times. That just gives them room for improvement and I expect we shall see that as time passes.
Cover art by Donato Giancola / Cover design by G-Force Design
Both my son and I agree that Kristen is a cruel, cruel woman. Telling why would be a major spoiler, but keep in mind that Kristen Britain likes to torture her readers. Aaaaargh.
I love the cover that Donato Giancola has painted. Maybe it is a little cheerful for Blackveil, but it is still pretty bleak.
Usually Kristen writes in a manner that makes reading aloud a delight. This time there was one exception. The name “Gerlrand Fiori” was a tongue twister, but that was it. The rest of the words were fun to read.
Our adventure into the world of Blackveil begins with Grandmother and her crew. Blackveil is not a place one would normally venture into as it is filled with messed up magic as a remnant of Mornhavon’s attempt to establish Arcosian rule on the shores of Sacoridia. I consider the Second Empire followers to be nuts, but who knows who of us is?
My 18-year old was disappointed when we began our journey with some one other than Karigan G’ladheon. He likes her character, all of it. She tends to see the world in black and white although she has mellowed a bit after all this time as a Green Rider. One thing that has been difficult for her to mellow out about is her father’s acquaintance with prostitutes and his previous life as a pirate. She intends to challenge him about these two issues.
Children, no matter how adult they think themselves, have a scewed picture of what their parents are supposed to be like. If they have seen you in a certain manner losing that fantasy can be difficult. Let’s just say that Karigan’s confrontation with Stevic was an eye-opening one.
One thing that is certain in Karigan’s life is that her abilities bring trouble her way, trouble she tends to barely survive. Supernatural powers aren’t necessarily a gift.
Captain Mapstone meets up with the Eletians after a visit to an ex-Green Rider. This meeting is fortuitous for Laren Mapstone and perhaps so for the Eletians. Together they travel back to the Castle and King Zachary. The Eletians intend to enter Blackveil at the spring Equinox and King Zachary intends to send some of his people along. We all know who one of Zachary’s people is going to be. They agree to meet at the gap in the wall on the day of the Equinox.
One thing I find problematic with the Green Rider series is this ongoing desperate love between Karigan and Zachary. I guess that would be part of the attraction. In this insane world we live in forbidden fruit is always supposed to be soooo much tastier than the permitted. What I do like is that Karigan and Zachary at least have the good sense to not do anything about their feelings. Poor Lady Estora who is doomed to marry a man that loves another. On the other hand she is realistic enough to know that these are the risks of arranged marriages. I like her. Estora is kind, strong and gutsy. She tries to make the best of a difficult situation in spite of her own pain, and she will have plenty of that in Blackveil.
I’m wondering why Britain added the Amberhill story. To me it seems completely irrelevant and as if Britain has just added him to make her series longer?????
While the Green Rider books are a series, there is also a serial bit to them. You do not have to read the previous three novels to understand the story (I think) but it might help. I have enjoyed them all and enjoyed Blackveil as well. My son and I agree on the excellence of Britain’s ability to write novels that can be read as audio.
Once again my son and I enjoyed reading Kristen’s work together. As I have said before, Kristen Britain’s writing makes reading aloud a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Her prose flows through my eyes and out of my mouth with no effort on my side.
We are both fans of Karigan G’ladheon’s adventures however unlikely they might be. In The High King’s Tomb you will find plenty of action and political scheming. It is always interesting to see how two sides can be equally certain of how right their points of view are. Following along with Grandmother’s fight for the Second Empire is an excellent lesson in just that. Both the followers of the Second Empire and Sacoridia are certain that their way is the right way. I am on Karigan’s side, of course, as she is the one I have followed all along. But it is easy to see how it could have been the other way around if Grandmother/the Second Empire had been the ones whose story had been told as a fight for the right side.
Another new player is the Raven Mask. Noble-women swoon and wish for a visit by him in their budoirs or bedchambers. But he is a thief, a thief who is going to have his values challenged.
I love Karigan’s teaching experience with Fergal. Two stubborn people travelling together makes for funny situations and lessons in patience for them both.
Alton is another person who has had his patience tested. Getting into the Tower just isn’t working for him and he is getting more and more frustrated. All of the effects of the poisons of Blackveil have not worn off yet. Thankfully he gets Dale Littlepage (another Rider) up by the wall. She gets him out of his self-pitying funk.
It is strange how some writers manage to give so much to their readers. Kristen Britain has a talent that has given my adult son and me the opportunity to spend some fun time together.
When I first started reading Through the Waterfall I thought it would be a regular Young Adult novel. It is, because it is about young Tess – 17 years old. If you have problems with sexually explicit scenes then consider yourself warned.
Young Tess lives with her grandmother. She has since both parents were killed in a car-accident. Grandmother is a witch and Tess seems to have strong witchy powers herself. One day she is sent to hunt for toadstool from a fairy ring and to her surprise she finds not only that but also fairies.
In fantasy fairies can be so many things. Anything from being cute and cuddly to being not so cute and cruel goes. The ones in Through the Waterfall fall in the category lovely, self-centered and willing to do a lot to get their own way. The fairies in Through the Waterfall want Tess as a guardian of their realm. Protection against predators wanting the fairies as fingerfood will be the job of the guardian.
Tess does not like “Others” (elven world). The car accident that her parents died in was caused by an “Other”. That makes Tess less cooperative than the fairy king wishes. She has demands that need to be met before she will consider taking on the position of Guardian.
I liked Tess’ first meeting with the fairies. Because she has power she is attractive to the fairies, but that power also makes it possible for her to both see and catch them. She wasn’t all oooh, la, la about them. The relationship between Tess and Trey was kind of predictable. He was a hottie, so it had to be he who Tess ended up with. I wonder if any of our heroes/heroines ever end up with average looking partners? Probably not.
Other than that Through the Waterfall was an above average fantasy novel that I enjoyed reading.
The Diablo Ouija is a Haward Mysteries short story. The Haward Mysteries are about the police officers Remy and Theo Haward at the Sorcerous Crimes Taskforce’s, Murder Squad. With a name like that for a task-force you can probably imagine that their investigations most probably involve something inexplicable. The title of the short story also makes it obvious we are dealing with the super-natural/para-normal.
I’m not saying the twins are insane, but a little unorthodoxy is the least of their qualities. They are on the look-out for an incredibly dangerous magical item: (drumroll) The Diablo Ouija. Three teenagers are already dead and Remy and Theo suspect they have not seen the last victims yet. When they turn to Theo’s old boss, retired DCI Swanson, for information about the old case, they discover something they had not previously known, something that will lead them into dangers untold.
Like most brothers, Theo and Remy are very different. In spite of their differences, they are willing to go to any length to make certain the other brother is safe. The Diablo Ouija tests their loyalty to each other. We get plenty of creep-factor but no tipping over into horror. An enjoyable tale.
ShadowsBeforetheSun is the 4th installment of the Charlie Madigan series. Whether it is the final one remains to be seen but it did represent an ending to me.
Charlie needs to go to Elysia to find Hank. She did promise him that at the end of The Hour of Dust and Ashes. Their friendship is too important to leave anything to chance and the words of ambassadors. Right now Hank needs a friend who is willing to break the rules to get to him. Charlie and Allessandra, the Oracle, end up as travelling companions. They both consider the other a severe test of patience.
The world of Elysia turns out to be as bad as the Earth Charlie is from. There is plenty of political maneuvering, power-plays and mayhem. But there is also help from unexpected quarters.
Charlie’s character has grown during her trip through these four novels. With her growth has come a better understanding of other people and perhaps even an ability to see them as individuals and not just part of some great mass that she has to keep safe.
We get action with plenty of fighting and some sex. I guess both could be considered somewhat adult in content.
My journey with the Charlie Madigan series has been a pleasant one. Shadows Before the Sun is easy to read, difficult to put down and fits the other three novels well.
Announcement from Kelly Gay: “8/1/12 — There’s been some talk about SHADOWS BEFORE THE SUN being the final book in the series. Guys, nothing like this has been decided or announced. Official news will come straight from me. I’m usually contracted 2 books at a time. Shadows completed my second two-book contract. This does not mean I’m done writing the series or that I won’t go back to contract.”
Does Kelly Gay keep up her good work in The Hour of Dust and Ashes? Yes, she most definitely does. She has that rare ability of being able to keep her writing tight, very tight. That and her spelling and grammar helps the reader keep from being distracted. Add to that a pretty good plot, fun characters and talent and you have the flow.
Charlie Madigan is an interesting character. She is a believable woman in a fantastic yet believable world. Yes, this is all science fiction and fantasy, but the plot is about recognisable problems and her characters are flawed and gifted like the rest of us. Fanatics are fanatics and greed is greed.
Charlie suffers from a save-the-world-all-on-her-own syndrome. That makes it easy for her to take the blame for her sister’s ash addiction. It is true that Bryn got addicted to ash while helping Charlie out, but Charlie tends to forget that Bryn has her own will and this is creating trouble between the sisters.
When ash addicts begin taking their own lives, Charlie becomes desperate to make certain Bryn stays alive. Thus far the hunt for a cure has led nowhere. When Charlie goes to the oracle, Allessandra for help, she is told that she will need sylphs. On to Charbydon she must go and Hank and Rex get to go along with her.
Rex (the ex-jinn now revenant), Brimstone (the hellhound) and Hank (the Adonai) make themselves better known to us. We also get to see Charbydon at its best and worst. No wonder the people there think of Earth as a vacation spot.
We get tons of action and some of the fighting is explicit. If you don’t like that, consider yourself warned.
Christian McGrath’s portrayal of Charlie Madigan is gritty and strong complementing the writing of Kelly Gay. Gay’s writing continues to engage me as a reader. She maintains the balance between too much and too little keeping her novel tight and well-written.
The Darkest Edge of Dawn begins where The Better Part of Darkness left off. Atlanta became more in tune with the Charbydons living there. Charlie feels responsible for the “accidental darkening” and in a sense that is true. So, being the kind of person she is, Charlie sets a goal of saving Atlanta.
As we all know, the world is full of nutters. Being from Charbydon or Elysia makes no difference. Crazy people are found among all races. Sadly, some of the crazies go serial. In The Darkest Edge of Dawn Charlie and Hank investigate a warehouse where a dead body was found. Both find the place creepy and for good reason. In this lovely warehouse a pile of dead bodies and a pregnant hellhound is discovered. Something is off about the mound of bodies.
That was the second problem Charlie feels the need to save the world from. On a more personal level, the changes in her DNA are worrisome. What is she turning into and how is she supposed to control the powers she seems to have gained?
Trying to deceive your own daughter works like a charm unless she is psychic. And guess what, Emma is psychic. When Will died and his body was taken over by Rex, Charlie decided that they had to wait until Emma was ready before she could be told. Talk about messed up life. But Charlie also has the pleasure of having a hellhound living at her home, a hellhound that Emma has a mysterious link to.
That’s not all that is going on in Charlie’s life. Her sister Bryn was affected by the drug Ash while trying to help Charlie. Now she has to take regular doses of the drug in order to stay alive.
Charlie’s partner, Hank, still has his voice modifier fused to his neck – joy of joy – hindering his ability to be a proper Elysian.
One of the things Charlie has trouble with is accepting help from others. She is going to need help in The Darkest Edge of Dawn just as she did in The Better Part of Darkness. I get that. Asking for help is difficult even when it is obvious assistance is needed. Just because you are adult age, does not necessarily mean that you are able to act maturely. I guess that is part of the reason why I like Charlie so much. She is vulnerable and strong, prejudiced and willing to look beyond those prejudices.
I think Charlie Madigan could a be a good role model for young women out there.
Imogen married her Guaire O’Donnell from Iron Shoes. Their puca heritage has made their son Patrick (2yrs) adept at unbinding. Unbinding is a good way to keep your parents and the staff on their toes. Soon he will have a playmate in the child Mary Stewart is close to giving birth to. Then a mysterious man turns up in their parlor.
Snow Comes to Hawk’s Folly is fantasy but mostly about family (blood or otherwise). Love, worry, fear, anger and pride were all part of their family cocktail.
Sometimes the past comes and bites us on our behinds. Do we let what has happened control our reactions today?
As with Iron Shoes, Snow Comes to Hawk’s Folly was written in minor key. Everything takes on a different texture when words are played on the black tangents.
humanitysdarkerside 