Shadow Of The Smoking Mountain – Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire

If you, dear reader, are looking for a hidden gem, I have some secret sauce for you. Late last year I snuck in a review for Lord of a Shattered Land, the first book in The Chronicles of Hanuvar. The book, by Howard Andrew Jones, made our Best of 2023 list and was easily one…

Mostly Void, Partially Stars – Shines Bright In The Dark

I am a latecomer to Welcome to Night Vale, much to my shame. If you are unfamiliar with the famous podcast by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, it’s a humor-based series about a small American town replete with supernatural happenings. The character who narrates the series is a small local radio jockey who does his…

The Vela: Season One – Didn’t Quite Come Together

The Vela is a (fairly) new serial story that can be purchased in seasons from Serial Box or in collections from Amazon. As a concept, the idea of serials is interesting: the book is written and released one chapter at a time. Instead of having a single author, serials are often written by a group,…