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sScience Fiction New Release Roundup: 25 November 2017
Saturday , 25, November 2017 Fiction 2 CommentsThis roundup of the newest releases in science fiction features a group of interstellar refugees who band together to return to Earth by any means necessary, an alien abduction to a planet full of dinosaurs, and a return to the universe of the Four Horsemen for another round of aliens, human mercenaries, and uneasy contracts. […]
An Excerpt from THE HERETICS OF ST. POSSENTI
Friday , 24, November 2017 Fiction, Publications 2 CommentsIn THE HERETICS OF ST. POSSENTI, Bishop Thomas Cranberry finds himself at a loss when he is confronted by a thief and realizes some disturbing truths about himself. The experience sends him in search of the men who are increasingly absent from the Church, who find themselves at a loss in a world that has […]
An Excerpt from THE LAWDOG FILES: AFRICAN ADVENTURES
Sunday , 19, November 2017 Fiction, Publications Leave a commentThe following is an excerpt from one of the many hilarious stories in LawDog’s second straight bestseller, THE LAWDOG FILES: AFRICAN ADVENTURES. * * * * * SQUEAKS, Part 1 Many, MANY moons ago—and don’t even ask, ’cause I won’t tell you—when I was still a pup, the […]
Fantasy and Adventure New Release Roundup: 18 Nov 2017
Saturday , 18, November 2017 Fiction Leave a commentThis roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure features a dragon hunt in a China inspired fantasy, a bishop seeking to save the souls of modern men, and, from Germany, an alternate history in the tradition of 1632 and the Destroyermen series, as a World War I cruiser arrives just before the fall […]
Starting with a space pirate raid of Hell, Brian Niemeier introduced us to the universe of the dead gods Thera and Zadok in the Dragon Award winning Soul Cycle as it wound down like clockwork towards its end. To cataclysm and rebirth, and to the Souldancers, wounded men and women with fractured souls and great power. Now, in THE OPHIAN RISING, the […]
When writing about the future, authors have three choices. They can describe a world as hopeful and flawed as the present one. They can create a more utopian world, where life is better and humans have solved some of their eternal problems. Lastly, they can build a relative dystopia, where daily existence is a struggle […]
World-building is frequently mentioned as a vital aspect of science fiction and fantasy alike. According to certain critics, it’s what distinguishes standard, forgettable fare from the all-time great works. They will write paragraph after paragraph praising a book for solely this trait. And yet, while an important element, I have found that it’s far from […]
Invincible, by Kit Sun Cheah
Thursday , 19, October 2017 Book Review, Fiction, Short Fiction 2 CommentsIn an Empire beset by internal rebellion and ferocious yaomo, the elite Shenwujun stand ready to defend human civilization. Among the Shenwujun there is none finer than Ensign Zhang Tianyou, who earned the nickname Zhang the Invincible. During a mission to quash a nascent rebellion, a Shenwujun detachment discovers evidence that the Grand Union is […]
At first glance, they don’t have much in common. One deals with the future, the other with the past. One with alien civilizations and another with eminently familiar human ones. One with advanced science, and the other with nothing more complex than saddle bags and .45 Colts. And yet, there is a lot of similarity, […]
One of the more striking aspects of how science fiction has changed over time is the lack of works that appeal to younger fans. Think back, dear reader, to the first books and authors in the genre that really grabbed your attention. In my case, it was Heinlein. Not only his famous series of juveniles […]
The glare and the clatter died at the same time throughout the Club Samedi. Even the buzzing crowd-noise suspended in expectation. Behind the orchestra sounded a gong. Once. Twice. Thrice… The master of ceremonies intoned: ‘Midnight. The witching hour. And Illyria!’ The gong chimed on to twelve and stopped. * * * […]
This is from Daughter of Danger: The Dark Avenger’s Sidekick, Book One. It is the fourth in John C. Wright’s wonderful Moth & Cobweb dodecology. * * * * * The Three Intruders A strange, painful sensation of hope came across her then. It was like a sick, hot feeling […]