Tag Archives: #Consequences

Gray, Scott Fitzgerald: A Space Between (The Endlands) (2011)

2013-05-11 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

A Space Between 2 — 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.

You can catch Scott Fitzgerald Gray at facebook / twitter / google.

Print Length: 35 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Insane Angel Studios (May 18, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B0051OR1FM

Adventure, Fantasy

Gunzel, Jeff: Land of Shadows (The Legend of the Gatekeeper) (2012)

2013-05-11 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

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.

Print Length: 219 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Jeff Gunzel; 4 edition (July 29, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B008QQ60BI

Fantasy, Mystery, Young Adult

Guon, Ellen: Bedlam Boyz (Urban Elves) (1993)

2013-05-10 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

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.

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Fantasy, Mystery, Short story/novella, Thriller

Forbeck, Matt: Goblintown Justice (Shotguns and Sorcery) (2011)

2013-05-10 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Info: You can get Goblintown Justice for free at Matt Forbeck’s website.

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.

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

Cheney, Kathleen J.: A Hand For Each (2011)

2013-05-09 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

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.

Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult

Ficks, J.L. / Dugue, J.E.: Waiting Game (The Shade Chronicles) (2012)

2013-05-09 humanitysdarkerside 5 Comments

Waiting Game (The Chronicles of Coven) — Cover artist Thom Scott
Logo by James Gilks

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.

The Chronicles of Covent website
Thom Scott’s website (last updated 2011)
Christ Church interview with J.L. Ficks (p. 26/27)

Fantasy, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult

Angell, Lorena: A Diamond in my Heart (The Unaltered II) (2012)

2013-04-19 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

First of all, I would like to thank Lorena Angell for sending me a review copy of A Diamond in my Heart.

While each novel is a stand-alone, they are part of a series and as such are best read in order.

Now we’re talking. A Diamond in my Heart is a much tighter book than A Diamond in my Pocket. Angell has cracked the code to the flow. Flowing demands a lot of an author and is probably not always a fun process. As with A Diamond in my Pocket I like the cover of A Diamond in my Heart. I don’t know if it was intentional, but the print in my copy was a little strange at times. It would change type and parts of it was highlighted.

Calli still has the shard of diamond lodged in her heart. That shard enables her to do things like read minds when she concentrates, read emotions, heal, run fast and hunt. For her abilities to blossom completely Calli will need to have the whole diamond lodged in her heart. I found that Callie had grown as a person. There is less angst and more acceptance of life as it is.

Calli’s side-kick is Brand. Brand is a horny senior whose main goal in life seems to be to have sex with every girl on the planet – at least every girl he encounters. He is the quarterback so that should help. But you would think not all girls would fall for whatever lines he uses. Strangely enough they do and the other guys at school are not happy with. Calli doesn’t get it and when she doesn’t fall for Brand’s lines they end up becoming friends. For some bizarre reason I loved him. I hope he turns up in the next novel as well.

Calli’s mentor is Mathea (from A Diamond in my Pocket). Mathea helps Calli understand the responsibilities that come with being a diamond bearer. Turns out they are supposed to keep the world in balance. We get some background information on Mathea. She sure is one strange cookie.

Calli’s enemy is Freedom. Freedom is a previous follower of Mathea who is now out to get Calli’s diamond for himself. He is a diamond bearer but no longer a follower of Mathea’s circle of diamond bearers. This is one seriously messed up dude. His sociopathic traits are fairly strong.

This time I thought the novel was too short. Angell kept me reading and her twists and take on her world was interesting. I like the fact that she has little or no previous experience with fantasy before writing these two novels. It doesn’t show, but then fantasy is about so much more than the flashy stuff. For those of you who worry about anything explicit be it violence or sex you can safely read these two novels.

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Monk, Devon: Magic Without Mercy (Allie Beckstrom) (2012)

2013-04-17 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

I think this is my favorite Allie Beckstrom cover thus far. There is something about the atmosphere in it.

Devon Monk keeps on writing well. As a reader, following Allie’s journey from lonerhood to a leadership position among her friends has been a fun ride. Monk has managed to keep her characters alive without slowing down the pace of the novels.

Things are really moving along now. The Authority has officially decided to go for Allie. All of her friends and near-friends have to make a choice as to who to follow. Because they are rebels, we know what the choice will be. But their fight to overcome the opposition while at the same time figuring out how to battle the magic plague is going to challenge all of their abilities.

Allie is affected by the magic plague. Whenever she pulls it in she gets sick and ghosts turn up. Ghost magnet is what she is. She and her father have come to an arrangement – that sounds really weird considering their co-habitation. Anyways. Zayvion still loves her and Shame is her best friend. Shame and Terric still haven’t come to terms with what they are, or rather Shame hasn’t quite. He would go down fighting.

Jingo-Jingo is his same old creepy self. Mwah, hah, hah. A regular old Dracula is what he is. Eli is/was a bad guy – or maybe we could say a guy with very special interests. But he is important to the game, so Shame and Zayvion are stuck with him.

I look forward to reading the conclusion. As long as Devon Monk keeps the quality of her work at the level that it has been, then I have something to look forward to.

My reviews for books 1 (Magic to the Bone), 2 (Magic in the Blood), 3 (Magic in the Shadows), 4 (Magic on the Storm), 5 (Magic at the Gate), 6 (Magic on the Hunt) and 7 (Magic on the Line)

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Monk, Devon: Magic on the Line (Allie Beckstrom) (2011)

2013-04-17 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

I wonder if they used the same method for Devon Monk’s covers as they have for Jean Johnson. Jean Johnson was kind enough to explain that her publishers had gotten the photographer and model together for a session and taken tons of pictures. Pictures from this session are what the publisher uses to design the covers. I know Devon Monk has some say in the design of her covers. You will usually find some kind of reference to Portland on the cover.

It really is too bad, but we are getting closer to an ending. Two more books to go and there we will be. I’ve grown to care about our Allie. She knows that what she does has consequences, yet she goes ahead anyway. I guess paying the price for magic for so long has made her willing to pay the price for other choices as well.

There are two other characters that I have enjoyed thoroughly. These are Shame and strangely enough Stone. Stone the gargoyle.

The new leader of the Authority, Bartholemew Wray, is not a fan of Allie and her gang of followers. If he could get away with closing the lot of them, he would. Allie certainly does not trust Bartholemew. This makes for a conflict-filled situation for Allie, and some of her choices will affect those she cares most for.

Her Hounds are loyal to Allie to an extent that she had not expected of such loners. They are doing their best to protect her because they see a good thing they simply cannot lose in Allie.

I think this is part of what I’ve really enjoyed about the Beckstrom series. These characters are a gang of rebels (with the exception of Zayvion). In the end, he, too, will have to make some incredibly difficult choices. These rebels seem to be more in touch with reality than the Authority and as such they reflect the way I see the world in general. But the Authority had better watch out, because choosing a fight with this gang might not go as they wish.

My reviews for books 1 (Magic to the Bone), 2 (Magic in the Blood), 3 (Magic in the Shadows), 4 (Magic on the Storm), 5 (Magic at the Gate) and 6 (Magic on the Hunt).

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.

Science Fiction, Short story/novella, Thriller

Cowie, Kim: An Implementation of Magic (2012)

2013-04-08 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

“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.

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.