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Meadows, Joshua: Sleeping God (Iyetra I) (2010)
Cover art by Joshua Meadows “Iyetra is an episodic series of novellas set in a hybrid sci-fi/fantasy universe.” Each novella can be read as a stand-alone-novella. Sleeping God is the first of the...
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Lockshin, J.L.: Crash Landing (2013)
Satire at its best. My goodness, all the issues an author can manage to cram into 16 pages. I guess we cannot call Crash Landing an apocalyptic novel due to its humour. However, it is terribly...
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Broda Jr., Dale: The Old Warrior (2010)
Cover art by ChristineI really like this cover I’ve been wondering for ages what being a soldier for years upon years would do to a person. That is a soldier who is out fighting all the time. It would...
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York, J. Steven: A Holiday Explained (2011)
If you are into macabre humour, you have to read A Holiday Explained. You just have to read about how Santa gets the presents delivered and how the Easter Bunny became hollow. A Holiday Explained is a...
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York, Steven J.: One Foot in the Grave (2010)
One Foot in the Grave is a wonderful little (5 pages) tale about loss. Stories that have the sense of the macabre about them hold a special place in my heart. Death and coming to terms with unresolved...
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Diemer, Sarah: Our Lady of Wolves (2012)
Lady of Wolves adds itself to the list of bleak stories I have been reading ever since I discovered folk-tales way back in my childhood. Bleak and grim stories about people having to deal withthe...
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Shirer, George R: The Finishers (2011)
Perhaps we might call the zombies in The Finishers “Flippers” since they rose after the world seemed to “flip”. We meet Tobias and Archer who get paid for making sure the dead remain lying down. They...
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Somogyi, Jeffrey M.: Some Summonings Are Suspect (2011)
What should have been a brief, bloody battle wound up lasting for hours – partially due to the Robes’ fervor and zealotry in defending their cause and partially because of the Armoreds’ fervor and...
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Wolf, Adam: A Pale Horse – Installment I (2013)
Poor Eugene. His curiosity is as mine – incorrigible. You just know he is going to get himself into trouble with it. And he does. Does he ever. This is when he should have stepped from the restroom,...
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Hunter, T.M.: Seeker (Aston West) (2011)
T.M. Hunter describes Aston West thus: “Aston is not what your first choice for a hero would be. He doesn’t fit the stereotype of the (as my favorite label from the “Firefly” series indicates) “big...
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Anderson, E. David: Into the Valley (Triton) (2012)
Into the Valley is supposed to be E. David Anderson’s first installation in the Triton series. I believe Into the Valley is Anderson’s first published work. It does not show in its presentation and...
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Brand, RyFT: Crash Down (Jazz, MC: Earth’s Lament I) (2010)
Earth’s Lament is a serial that is both fantasy and science fiction. I love it when an author defies convention and writes the way they want not the way tradition … Continue reading →
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Dupree, Ross: Midnight on Frostveil Mountain (Tales of Correndrum) (2013)
Short stories are fascinating creatures. Family, grief, danger, courage, hope, death, and relief. All of this in 18 pages. Amund is Barrandal’s sheriff and when the log palisade around the … Continue...
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Creaney, R.J. Leathern Men (Kozef & Ceinan I) (2012)
This adventure story is about 56 pages long. It is about two mercenaries who make their living selling their services to people Kozef and Ceinan feel deserve it. These two … Continue reading →
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Stross, Charles: The Atrocity Archives (Laundry Files I)
The Atrocity Archives consists of two stories: The Atrocity Archive and The Concrete Jungle. “Saving the world is Bob Howard’s job. There are a surprising number of meetings involved.” (The … Continue...
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Lee, Yeongdo: Over the Horizon (오버 더 호라이즌) (2004)
Yeongdo Lee (李英道 / 이영도) is a new discovery for me. Considering how poor my Korean reading abilities are, that is no wonder. Again, it was the cover that drew … Continue reading →
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Hall, Tyler Rudd: The Death of Jonas Wakefield (King and Wakefield) (2013)
It never ceases to amaze me to find that I am the first person to review a story I like. When I first saw that Jonas Wakefield was an Imp … Continue reading →
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Berg, Albert: Derelict (2009)
Derelict is a proper little horror tale. Even I was able to figure this out. Berg managed to keep the creepiness going throughout the story by little tricks and cues. … Continue reading →
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Augustin, KS: Collateral Damage (2013)
Collateral Damage is an erotic space opera short-story with little emphasis on the realities of space and more on the story between the two characters Meyal and Waryd. The only … Continue reading →
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May, K.C.: Sole Sacrifice (The Kinshield Legacy – prequel) (2010)
Author’s note: This is the tragic story of how one character in my novel The Kinshield Legacy became who he is. We all know it. As he dreaded, Sithral Tyr certainly comes to understand that his choices...
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Edwards, Nigel: Garrison (2011)
Editing and cover design by Tim C. TaylorCover images by KireevArt and fotola70 Garrison is a military fantasy in novella format. It is set in another time and place with pre-industrial technology and...
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Marlowe, Scott: Fine Wine (A Tale of the Assassin Without a Name #1) (2010)
Never underestimate the power of the right sort of alcohol. Especially if your life is on the line. Abelard discovers the importance of a well-stocked wine-cellar during his dinner with the person who...
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Marlowe, Scott: Killing the Dead (A Tale of the Assassin Without a Name II)...
So, how does an assassin go about killing a ghost? Scott Marlowe has certainly thrown his assassin a seemingly impossible job. Getting rid of a necromancer, who was supposed to be dead, is a task...
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Anderson, Blackthorn & al: A Forest of Dreams (Edited by Roy C. Booth) (2014)
Cover art by Drusilla Morgan I tried to find a link to all of the authors in A Forest of Dreams. As you see below, I couldn’t find them all. Allan B Anderson: The Trouble with Dragons: This is a funny...
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Tuttle, Frank: The Mister Trophy (The Markhat Files) (2008)
Humans are herd animals with a strong need to belong to some kind of group. Markhat is seemingly a loner, but as The Mister Trophy develops, I got more a sense of loneliness. The ending cinched my...
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Lewis, Gareth: Street of Lost Gods (Tales of the Thief-City I) (2011)
I had a grand time reading Street of Lost Gods. Mr. Lewis’ writing was a delightful combination of humor and mystery. Rax did the Mautheri eaters proud with his handling of Angel Arden. The Thief-City...
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Turner, Chris: Magical Entities Are Not For Sale (Fantastic Realms) (2011)
Magical Entities is a cute story that seems to intend to teach children the importance of keeping their promises even when keeping them is difficult. Radpa, has chosen Klarys to take over his store....
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Turner, Tej: The Janus Cycle (2015)
A common theme in all of these short stories seems to be bullying of one sort or another. Needing to dominate others is part of our human history. Countries bully other countries into subservience and...
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Robertson, Edward W.: Outcome (Breakers 0) (2013)
Across the table, Ellie Colson’s bosses laughed what might be the last big laugh of their lives. She forgave them. They didn’t know they were joking about the end of the world. She smiled thinly....
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Bunn, Christopher: The Christmas Caper: A story of Merriment, Mayhem and...
“Hey,” I said. “Don’t I get a backpack?” “No, boss,” said Snix. “You get something better. You’re the commander of this operation, so you, uh …” He looked around and then picked up something from under...
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McGuire, Seanan: Midway Relics and Dying Breeds (2014)
“Thing was, the westward portage rope was attached to Billie’s harness, and Billie, for all her advantages as a draft animal, is about as smart as damp moss when it comes to things like “noticing...
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Bunn, Christopher: The Girl Next Door (2012)
“What do you do?” she asked. “Well, it’s funny that you should ask. I do a little proofreading, sort of a family thing. My father did it before me, so I decided to carry on the tradition. Editing....
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Scott, Alan: The “Y” Front Chronicles (2013)
Alan Scott has written a wonderfully funny and dark story about murder and mayhem. I suppose it could be read as a warning about the consequences of training our soldiers too well. The thought did not...
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McCoskey, Scott: Bad Mojo Blues (2014)
Merriam-Webster defines mojo as: “a power that may seem magical and that allows someone to be very effective, successful, etc.” Bad Mojo is certainly something Marcus suffers from during the three days...
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McKinley, Brian Patrick: The Chermasu (Order Saga) (2007/2012)
“Alia went still as she remembered exactly where she’d seen him before. It swept out from her childhood memories like canyon debris washed out by a flash flood …” Memories have power. In Alia’s case...
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Brae, Adriaan: The Pitch (2009)
“So, let me get this straight, I pay 10% to you guys until I die, whenever that is, and after I die I’m resurrected in paradise, where I can live forever, free of charge?” The salesman smiled. “Yes,...
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Roberts, Richard: The Doll House (1): Inventory and Price List (2011)
Ray has signed, in blood, a spell for knowledge. When he falls asleep, he finds himself dreaming of a house, The Dollhouse. Entering the Dollhouse is akin to playing with fire. Except Ray didn’t think...
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Scott, Alan: The “Y” Front Standoff (The Y-Front Chronicles) (2014)
Once again Alan Scott serves us a plateful of humour with a dash of serious. OMG, that talk-show. “Women Who Bitch With Other Women” remind me of some very popular talk-shows that definitely do not...
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Joiner, Ann Levingston: Vision Quest (2010)
The Vision Quest is the first short-story exploring the lives of Daniel “Two Horses” Thorne-Redstone and his friend. We are only introduced to Two Horses in The Vision Quest. After Daniel had been on...
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Zanbaka, Elias: Environmentally Friendly (2016)
“Yeah, well, have a talk with ’em. They somehow only managed to get the money and the okay to do this right after he escaped a week ago. They got an opportunity and they ran with it! Either way, he’s...
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Farrugia, Nathan; Interceptor (Helix III) (2016)
Sievers turned his lapel out so Denton could see him reaching for a small, slender tin. He crouched and opened the tin on the floorboards, then stepped back. Inside, a large stainless steel and glass...
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Farrugia, Nathan M.: Helix: Episode 1 (2016)
Hi, I’m Nathan and I make up stories. There’s a word for that. Delusional. And sexy. Helix: Episode 1 is part of the world of The Fifth Column. What I like most, aside from how well the text flows, is...
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Farrugia, Nathan; Exile (Helix II) (2016)
Nathan. You cretin. If telepathic strangling had been possible, I might have given it a try all the way from Norway. Cliff-hangers like this should be forbidden. History repeats itself over and over...
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Farrugia, Nathan; Anomaly (Helix IV) (2016)
Sometimes getting to know the author is as fun as getting to know the characters. Farrugia is probably as adrenaline addicted as Sophia but, thankfully, seems a ways off Denton’s brand of crazy. He is...
View ArticleDavis, Milton & Ojetade, Balogun (ed); Steamfunk! (2013)
Steamfunk! is my first encounter with the genre. Like all anthologies I have ever read, some of the stories appealed to me while others did not. No wonder, given the span of genres. Steamfunk is a...
View ArticleFarrugia, Nathan M; Exclave (Helix VI); 2017
When we last left Sophia, unfriendlies came to visit. She deposited her empty glass beside Aviary’s phone on the coffee table. The phone flashed. Infrared cameras. Stingball grenades hit the floor....
View ArticleTorr, Edwin; Blood, Bone and Coffin (Dead Means Dead 0); Obulus Books, 2017
The relative merits of my weapon of choice all became a little academic when my phone began to play the Mexican Hat Dance. I rummaged in my pocket, wishing I was better at technology so that I could...
View ArticleSvingen & Pedersen; Flushed (Meantime stories I) (2018)
Topics of the Meantime short-stories are independent of each other. Thus far there are three of them. Flushed is the first one, and the one I enjoyed the least. Most of that has to do with translation...
View ArticleSvingen & Pedersen; Converted (The Meantime stories II)(2018)
Converted is the second short-story of The Meantime Series. “Draghan and the shaman had been on the inside of the innermost circles of power since the previous regime” until “King Avlar met his...
View ArticleSvingen & Pedersen; Warped (The Meantime stories III)(2018)
Of the three Meantime stories, Warped is my favourite. It is probably the shortest of the three and certainly the wackiest. Svingen and Pedersen take us on a journey to figure out where the Agatha X...
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