Adventure, Fantasy, Humour, Science Fiction

Drake, David: Sea Hag (1988)

2013-04-15 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

David Drake is an author that has been in the business for ages. I have this really strange relationship with his work. For some bizarre reason I usually imagine that I am not going to enjoy what he has written. And what happens? I’m sucked in every time. EVERY time! And still I expect not to like his writing. Slow learner I guess.

The Sea Hag was no exception. I thought, “nah, I don’t like David Drake” …. What a joke. Of course I like David Drake. I always do. And I did.

When I started reading Sea Hag I thought it was a fantasy tale. That is intentional from the author’s side (see link). In addition to being a fantasy, it is also science fiction. You will see why, when you read the novel.

Dennis discovers his father has made a promise to the Sea Hag in exchange for a wish. But Dennis’ father tries to get out of his promise. When Dennis discovers what the promise was and that his father has no intention of keeping it, Dennis sets off to somehow make up for his father’s failure. What we end up with in The Sea Hag is a hero’s journey. As his helper/side-kick we have Chester. Dennis and Chester are odd. I don’t know how else to describe them.

Dennis starts off like most of us – terribly naive. His ideas of what it takes to make it in the big world are off by a long-shot and he is incredibly lucky to have Chester along. At the same time Dennis is plucky. He has that combination of stubbornness and stupidity that a hero needs. By stupidity I mean the inability to see when something is supposed to be impossible.

Like all heroes’ tales the journey of Dennis and Chester brings us a great deal of unlikely scenes. I just love the stuff heroes survive, this hero too. The duo is loveable.

Did I like The Sea Hag. Hell, yes. Of course, I did. David Drake has ended up writing a book that he says people either hate or love. I am in the second category.

Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Christensen, Andreas: The Tunnel (2012)

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Another Norwegian like myself. Woohoo!

Andreas Christensen is the author of The Tunnel. The Tunnel is the type of science fiction that I enjoy – weird and really cool.

Whenever I read a book, be it fiction or non-fiction (supposedly), I ask myself what I would do in a situation like the one an author describes. So, play along with me.

What would you do if you were on your way to work and suddenly discovered you weren’t? Here you are, driving through a tunnel you have driven through gazillion times before and your car breaks down. You think, ah – some person will stop for me. Then your cell phone doesn’t work. Because we are the people we are, we are geniuses at rationalizing what we experience into understandable boxes.

What do you do then? Well, you probably get out of your car and walk in the direction you were driving. Why that direction? I know I would.

Andreas writes in a nice tight style. The editing is excellent, unlike some of the stuff I’ve read lately. While a story can be good, editing can make or break it. Mr. Christensen manages to get the feelings of Randall across to me in a believable manner. He has definitely understood what the flow is all about.

Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult

Dalglish, David: Night of Wolves (The Paladins) (2011)

2013-04-09 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Grrr, roar. Kind of looks like those nails and teeth could do some damage. With abs like that there is probably some strength as well. This wolf-man looks like the description in Night of Wolves – dangerous and fierce.

Jerico’s charm lies in his red hair, according to himself. As a Paladin of Ashhur, he fights for light/life/order. As fate would have it he has actually befriended a traditional Ashhurian enemy – a Paladin of Karak. Karak stands for dark/death (non-life)/chaos. Darius thinks his charm lies in his personality. These guys are really supposed to try to kill each other. Instead they are working together for the good of the village they live in and both of them struggle with their consciences because of it.

On the other side of the river that is next to the village Durham a clan of wolf-men live (see picture above). Well actually they are wolf-people because there are wolf-women too. The wolf-people are desperate to get away from the Waste (the place where they live). To do so they will even gather their clans together into a unit led by a wolf-king and try to attack the human side of the river.

Both Jerico and Darius are interesting personalities. Their struggles with their beliefs of what they are supposed to be like make for interesting tension in the novel. But the really fun parts come in the action that the wolf-people engender. We all know that I like action and Night of Wolves has plenty of it. The tone in the first novel of The Paladins is lighter than the tone in The Weight of Blood. Interesting to see the difference between the two. I like authors who veer from formulas used with one character to try on something new. Good on you Mr. Dalglish.

Fantasy, LGBTQ+/GRSM, Romance, Short story/novella

Diemer, Sarah: The Witch Sea (2012)

2013-04-09 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Artist: Herbert James Draper

I love this cover. It illustrates perfectly the longing of the witch in the novel. In my head that is what The Witch Sea is about. Longing to belong, to have someone to love and to love you back.

Being responsible for holding the magical net surrounding her island is becoming a difficult task for Meriel. She is no longer certain of the beliefs that her mother and grandmother have tried to imprint on her.

Both Meriel’s longing and the longing of the sea-people shines through Diemer’s prose. Very minor-key and absolutely lovely.

The author makes a point of this being a lesbian fantasy short story. Once it was pointed out to me, I could see it.

The Witch Sea won first place in the Kissed by Venus Fresh Voices short story competition.

Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult

Dalglish, David: The Weight of Blood (The Half-Orcs) (2010)

2013-04-09 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

There is a timeline for Dalglish’ books. You can find it on his website. However, that does not mean you have to read the books in that order. I haven’t.

David Dalglish has created a world called Drezel. Once upon a time the brothers Ashhur and Karak came to Drezel and ended up representing dark/chaos/death and light/order/life. They are godlike-creatures who have been cast from the planet and acquired followers. Like many brothers out there Ashhur and Karak fight. Unfortunately that usually involves getting their followers to fight each other.

The Weight of Blood is a dark story, one of death and destruction. The Half-Orc brothers Harruq and Qurrah Tun are responsible for quite a bit of that destruction. These two brothers seem very different yet Harruq would do just about anything for Qurrah, even if it means killing children or friends. What Qurrah will discover in The Weight of Blood is just how far he can drive his brother. Because one thing is for sure, Qurrah manipulates his brother. In spite of this, the brothers have great love for each other.

Dalglish writes dark fantasy well. His characters are complex and loveable (in spite of their deeds). Life isn’t a matter of black and white in Dalglish’s litterary world. Instead we get shades of grey that mirror real life.

I loved his writing and the world he has created.

Fantasy, Humour, Short story/novella

Cheek, Kater: Mean Little Kitty/Waiting Room at the Hero League (2011)

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The really great thing about crazy authors is that they are hilarious. I couldn’t help visualising the scene in Mean Little Kitty where the mom in the story looked for her son all over the place and ended up naked on the roof. I’m serious, you just have to read Kater Cheek’s family description.

Waiting Room at the Hero League was the same. Ms. Cheek made the whole thing seem real and brought me into her story. I loved the powers the super-heroes had. That and the ruckus they just happened to cause. Priceless.

Adventure, Fantasy, Short story/novella

Cummings, Shane Jiraiya: The Smoke Dragon (The Adventures of Yamabushi Kaidan) (2011)

2013-04-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Shane Jiraiya Cummings is a popular writer of dark fantasy. You can get the short-story Smoke Dragon for free on his website.

Power-hungry and greedy people are to be found all over the world I imagine. Along with the hunger for more we also sometimes find those who work for a lighter world.

Smoke Dragon is the story of the fight between two who are on the polar opposites of the above traits. The people fighting on the side of the Smoke Dragon want what they do not have even if it means killing to get it. On the other side we find Yamabushi Kaidan and his apprentices.

In Smoke Dragon we get a story packed with action, magic and martial arts set in a kind of Japan. Mr. Cummings writes a fascinating tale of disillusionment and the fight for something more than oneself and those nearest and dearest to us.

Originally published as “Yamabushi Kaidan and the Smoke Dragon” in Fantastic Wonder Stories, ed. Russell B. Farr (Ticonderoga Publications).

2008 Ditmar Award Nomination, Best Novella/Novelette
2008 Aurealis Award Nomination, Young Adult short story

Mystery, Science Fiction, Short story/novella

Crusoe, Andrew: The Secret Beneath the Ice (The Epic of Aravinda) (2012)

2013-04-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover design by Andrew Crusoe

The Secret Beneath the Ice is the story of the thoughtship Navika and its pilot Oonak and their journey through the Galaxy. In their attempt to avoid the Enemy they come upon the lovely blue world of Avani. They expect to touch down without problems due to the seeming lack of technological advance on the planet. They were wrong.

What we have here is a science fiction action tale/adventure. Oonak and Navika are interesting characters who are going to have to figure out what happened to them – a regular whodunit I guess. We have got 16 pages that I really want to find out the rest of the story to.

Andrew Crusoe writes well. 16 pages is not a lot to impart a story with but Crusoe manages just fine.

Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Thriller

Cowie, Kim: An Implementation of Magic (2012)

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“This short story was previously published in the small – press fiction magazine ORION, issue #3, in the early 1990’s. Revised 2012.” (Amazon)

What if there was a way to manufacture magic, make it real somehow? Kim Cowie has written 26 excellent pages about what might happen if science managed to make the super-natural/para-normal accessible. Knowing humans, I find Kim’s story pretty believable.

The ending is perfect.

Fantasy, Thriller

Doyle, Kevin: Mourning’s Song (2010)

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I have not been able to find any information on Kevin Doyle (except the email address he shares at the beginning of the novel). Too bad, really. The best I can do is link you to Amazon.

Super-heroes. Their aliases are Poison, Winterkill, Eagledawn, Heart, Kalide, Squire, Plaza, Kriegen and Liegelord. These are the ones we are introduced to in Mourning’s Song. These super-heroes are born or created genetically.

While hiking in the mountains two young guys discover an oddity. When they go to find out what it is they get attacked and disappear. This is our first meeting with the Liegelord. Lord of the mountain, insanity and world leaders. We then jump to the city and get to meet two run-aways and five superheroes who try to make the world a better place.

If you are looking for a happy story with a happy ending, you need to go elsewhere. Mourning’s Song is filled with tension, action and death.

So, is it any good? Holy, freaking cow – YES. Mr. Doyle certainly knows how to hold my attention. I recommend Mourning’s Song to any and all interested in mutants, superheroes and fighting/action-scenes. There are no rose-colored glasses to make life beautiful. But in all its harshness Mourning’s Song manages to leave the reader with a tiny ray of hope.

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Short story/novella

Cheney, Kathleen J.: Iron Shoes (Hawk’s Folly Farm) (2011)

2013-04-07 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover designed by Cheney/ photography by Alex Gorstan

Kathleen J. Cheney writes in minor key. I’m getting the mushy parts of her story. Maybe mush has be written in minor for me to understand it???

Ms. Cheney has written a lovely story about coming to terms with prejudice, betrayal and power-hunger but also about loyalty, love and unexpected friends.

Imogen Hawkes is a conflicted young widow who not only has to come up with money to prevent foreclosure but also has to find a way to accept herself for who she is. Not an easy thing in the early 1900’s in Saratoga.

2010: Nominated for the Nebulla award for best Novella: Iron Shoes’, J. Kathleen Cheney (Alembical 2)

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Cole, Laura R.: Unleashed Fury (Blood Runes) (2011)

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The spilling of blood as a way to power is certainly a topic that more than fantasy writers have embraced, war being the first thing that comes to mind. In fantasy the spilling of blood for power generally comes in relation to either war or magic. In the case of the Blood Runes’ novels we are talking about magic.

Laura R. Cole has written a trilogy about the attempted awakening of the old Dark King. The Dark King had become so powerful through his use of blood-magic that he could not be killed, only put to sleep.

In the prologue we are introduced to a couple of semi-awakenings of the Dark King. He really wants to wake up and come into the world again to wreak his special kind of havoc.

One of our main characters is Jezebel. Jezebel is power-hungry and does not let anything hinder her. Her problem is that she is easily manipulated (all the while thinking that she is the one doing the manipulating).

The other character that we meet the most in Unleashed Fury is Layna. Layna is the unassuming and stunning servant who ends up having unexpected powers. She is humble and pretty much everything else that a HERO is supposed to be. Her main problem is that she is Jezebel’s servant and Jezebel is not the best master to have.

The action parts of this novel were great. There was plenty of it and it was well-written. Jezebel’s character was fun. She is so wrapped up in her own world-view that she just does not see even the most obvious signals that she might be wrong. My problem, as usual, lies with the mushy bits. I don’t get them – plain and simple.

Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Clement, J.A.: Parallels: The Black-Eyed Susan (On Dark Shores) (2011)

2013-04-04 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Cover art based on a photo by Jeffrey van Possum

The Black-Eyed Susan tells the story of a captain we heard about in the two first novels of On Dark Shores. The Lady and The Other Nereia both mention a captain that was tricked by Mr. Copeland and later killed by his bodyguard Blakey as a consequence of forfeiting his loan.

We get a look into the workings of Mr. Copeland’s mind. His mind is not a pretty place to be. We also get a closer look at Blakey’s character and a deeper understanding of the choices that have been made.

The Black-Eyed Susan is only a few pages long, but those are incredibly enjoyable pages.

Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Clement, J.A.: The Other Nereia (On Dark Shores) (2012)

2013-04-04 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

Cover artwork based on a photo by Jeffrey van Rossum

J.A. Clement is the author for the novel The Other Nereia. The Other Nereia is book no 2 of the On Dark Shores serial. I see an omnibus of books no. 1 and no. 2 has been released.

I enjoyed The Other Nereia as much as I enjoyed The Lady. Clement kept her minor-tone throughout the novel. Flowing authors make my reading experience about as enjoyable as sinking under water. There is just something about feeling the water close over my head that makes my head so happy it wants to stay there forever. See what you did to me Ms. Clement.

In trying to run away Nereia woke a feeling of community in Scarlock that had been missing for quite a while. Mr. Copeland senses this and it stirs his paranoia and insanity even more. Poor Blakey (yes, I feel sorry for him and his mom) is left trying to make things less awful for the population. Poor Nereia is left with very few choices in what to do. Novel two is a terribly wonderful novel.

Having read as many books as I have, I still find myself caring for the characters and being able to dive into worlds created in another person’s mind. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.

Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella, Young Adult

Clement, J.A.: The Lady (On Dark Shores) (2011)

2013-04-04 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

First of all, I want to congratulate J.A. Clement on her choice of cover artist. Fena Lee captures the spirit of The Lady perfectly in the mood of her cover creation.

I loved The Lady. There, that really should be all you needed to hear, shouldn’t it. After all, my taste in books is superb and anything I like others must too. Or not.

Let me list the reasons why:

J.A. Clement flows. The Lady is a minor-toned novel (musically speaking) – exactly like the cover.

J.A. Clement’s characters grow on you, even Mr. Copeland. He is a sociopath. I know of no other words to describe him. Well, I do, but sociopath is the most descriptive one. His bodyguard has a reputation of breaking bones and possibly even killing people for Mr. Copeland.

The Lady is the Mother of the Shantari. She has made an awful choice (as in for herself) and is feeling a lot of pain.

Our main character is Nereia, another person having to make choices that will demand a high price. But sometimes you don’t really have a choice in life. You just do your best and hope the tides of fate will turn.

I have one complaint about The Lady. It was toooooooooo short.

A warning. This is a serial. You all know that means that you are left with a cliff-hanger. Fortunately book no. 2 in the serial is out along with a short-story giving some background information on one of the characters.