I recently took a break from SFF, sojourning into the world of crime-fiction master Elmore Leonard. The occasional crime novel tickles my fancy; in 2021 I reviewed both The Silence of the Lambs and The Silent Patient, and my reviews were anything but quiet. Leonard’s Out of Sight marks my latest crime novel, but does…
If you have been hanging around The Quill to Live for a while you might know that we love Sebastian de Castell. Author of The Greatcoats and Spellslinger series, de Castell is a permanent fixture in our hidden gem recommendations. He has a swashbuckler charm that pervades all his stories with humor, drama, and emotion…
Continue reading ➞ The Malevolent Seven – Angels, Demons, And What Lies Between
Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden is both triumphant and devastating. This book will comfort you, hurt you, give you hope, make you angry, and send you spiraling. As the grim reaper, Mrs Death takes but she also gives, and she’s here to stay whether we like it or not. A young child named…
Infinity Gate is the latest book by M.R. Carey of The Girl With All The Gifts and The Book of Koli fame. It is a story about infinite Earths, all separated by thin barriers of parallel realities, and the people who pass between them. It is a baton race of human suffering that explores the…
Science fiction and horror go together like peanut butter and jelly. It’s a delicious concoction that begs to be devoured whenever it makes its way to my plate. And much like the sandwich, there is no perfect ratio of jelly to peanut butter, each sandwich offering its highs and lows, but always delectably finishable. But…
Continue reading ➞ The Scourge Between Stars – Fills The Void
Sailing on a ship sounds awesome until I think about being in the middle of the ocean when a storm hits. It’s fun until it isn’t, and that’s exactly how I would describe my time aboard The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman. With a final sacrifice, the goddess Barrica ends the war by…
Continue reading ➞ The Isles Of The Gods – Charted Trope Territory
Just as I was getting tired of magical school stories, I found myself presented with possibly the best one yet. Some years it is difficult to know which books will be in your top picks and other years you get standout paragons of excellence, like James Islington’s The Will of the Many. Islington already rates…
Continue reading ➞ The Will Of The Many – The Strength Of The Few
April rolls along, and it brings with it nice weather for this winter-addled Chicagoan. And lo, an added bonus! Brandon Sanderson’s second Kickstarter book—The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook For Surviving Medieval England—dropped on April 1. It’s the only non-Cosmere book of the bunch, fitting in well with his other projects like Skyward. Mild setup spoilers follow. …
Continue reading ➞ The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook For Surviving Medieval England – Not Quite
After reading the back cover of To Poison a King, I thought I had a good idea of where this story would go. I had the formula mapped out in my head and was convinced I knew how everything would play out. But S.G. Prince said, “To hell with your preconceived notions!” and decided to…
There is not a whole lot of climate fiction out there yet, even though the niche seems to be growing more and more each year. But there has always been one author who has pervaded this small genre whenever people mentioned it: Paolo Bacigalupi. I had read one of his short stories a long while…
