Die Vol. 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker, by Kieron Gillen, has a fairly simple premise. It’s about a gritty tabletop RPG that sucks its players into the game and refuses to release them until they win, die, or decide to leave as a group. The concept alone was enough for me to give the graphic novel a…
Lately, there has been no shortage of Eastern-inspired fantasy, and I doubt we’re even close to a drought. There are countless epics, wuxia, and even more personal stories. However, I personally have not encountered a lot of fiction that dives into the philosophy of eastern traditions. Luckily, J.T. Greathouse wanted to throw his western hat…
Gangsters, ghosts, and gods. That’s what you’re up against in Black Water Sister by Zen Cho. Be prepared to deal with at least two threats at any given time. And when a god shows up, well, just start praying. Cho’s standalone story is a brilliant blend of reality and the supernatural set against the vibrancy…
“As if Deadpool had slipped into the body of the Witcher Geralt,” reads the NYT book review of K.J. Parker’s Prosper’s Demon. And the NYT is mostly correct in that description. We reviewed (and unilaterally enjoyed) Prosper’s Demon last year, going so far as to give the novella a perfect 10. Prosper’s Demon earned the…
I know next to nothing about Norse mythology. I don’t even have a basic idea of the stuff from Marvel because, well, I don’t follow anything from that universe. But even the Marvel stuff seems to be a liberal interpretation of the original source material. Needless to say, I stepped out of my comfort zone…
The World Gives Way, a debut novel by Marissa Levien, is a super depressing book that you probably shouldn’t read if you are in a bad place. This standalone story focuses on the idea of coping with your impending death, and not in a peaceful, fulfilled, going silently into the night sort of way. It's…
Continue reading ➞ The World Gives Way – What The World Need Now, Is A New Hull
Last year around the same time Andrew read Butler’s Parables, I also embarked on a similar journey. I had heard about Butler’s work over the years, and felt it was high time I took a dive into her library, and landed on the Xenogenesis trilogy as my next read. It's a story about first contact,…
When I filled out Brandon Sanderson’s website contact form, I did it in the most bardic way I could: by unfurling a metaphorical scroll, standing in the town square, and shouting: “DO YOU HAVE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT BARDS?!” And while he may not have had time to spin a tale longer than a…
Continue reading ➞ We’re In The Middle Of A Bardic Revolution
We're back for our mid-year Dark Horse check-in! This year, we've already had a huge slate of amazing debut books. For a full rundown of our picks from the first half of 2021, enjoy our round-up. We're ahead of our game for the second half of 2021, and two reviews are already live. Check out…
I know you come to a book review site to find books that can help you escape from the world, but unfortunately I am that guy, the one who brings you screaming back to reality. I am talking, of course, about climate fiction, and boy was this book a treat. I’ve only read one other…
Continue reading ➞ The Past Is Red – Endearing, Compassionate and Impassioned
