Beth Tabler

Calico Thunder Rides Again by T.A. Hernandez is an adventure book that I did not know I needed. It has Dragons, circuses, and gangsters. While I don't often read books suitable for the under 18 audience, Calico Thunder Rides Again is well written enough to excite and entice readers of all ages. As a participant in the BBYNA tour, I was given an opportunity to check out this story; it appeals to all the things I like. So, I dived in, and I was so glad I did.

As I mentioned, Calico Thunder is a book that is written for a younger audience. But while the writing style has more youthful themes to it, I come from an intense love of grimdark; it still was descriptive and engaging. The description of the circus with its kaleidoscope of colors and cacophony of sounds seemed fantastic. I could practically smell the popcorn.

I was engaged with the characters right from the get-go. It has frenetic pacing at times, which added to the situation that Jake found himself in. I routed for Jake as an underdog the whole time. Even well-timed bits of laughter and jokes helped lighten the mood just enough so that you don't take it all too seriously.

Calico Thunder Rides Again is a fun story, and it is rather obvious why it was a final in the competition. I am glad that I had a chance to read something out of my standard repertoire, and the story did well for me.

The Only Living Girl on the Earth by Charles Yu is a novella-length novel consisting of three interrelated short stories. The stories have featured Jane, the customer service representative/short-order cook/hotel manager of the Earth's only gift shop. Well, the Earth's only “anything” as everything else was destroyed a thousand years ago. Mostly from vaguely referenced devastating climate change and a rueful AI robot that scorched the skies.

Jane is like most 18 years old's in many ways. She is trying to figure out what to do with herself—thinking about college. She is dealing with the after-effects of very grown-up issues with her father and the general futility of being the only girl on an entire planet.

In the first story, Jane talks about the history of the Earth's giftshop and how it started as a museum, then an amusement park, and finally became just a gift shop selling souvenirs of a time gone by. There is a specific tone that Wu takes during the story the belies the solemn subject matter. Jane is funny as a character and allows for fun while still maintaining the deep subject matter. Without that, this collection of stories would be too much.

The first story talks about how human history has been boiled down to something consumed at a gift shop or an amusement park. Oddly enough, the first story reminded me a bit of Percy Shelley's “Ozymandias.”

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

The second story is from a different perspective of someone living in a Smalltown, USA type before the decline of civilization. It is from the standpoint of people trapped on an amusement ride that makes all choices for them from birth to death. There are obvious nods to the problem of mass consumerism and the hamster-wheel-like existence people get trapped in, birth, learn, work, consume, end. This story treads no new territory as this topic is a huge one in science fiction of capitalism run amok. Still, the imagery that Yu creates as people trapped on an amusement ride is actually pretty horrific.

The third story is from Jane's perspective again, except this time it is how two travelers had to stop at the Earth because their spaceship was malfunctioning. This story reminded me of the bygone era of people traveling on freeways and having to get off and end up on route 66 in a town that had seen its heyday. But, now it was a bit past its prime because no one stopped there anymore. All three of the characters, Jane, the dad, and son, end up inside the boarded-up amusement park/Smalltown USA and discover something sinister and rather sad. Again, the story nods to much deeper topics than the dialog and bantering.

The Only Living Girl on Earth is an unusual take on the decline of civilization. All of the stories unite to make this a cohesive narrative and a with Yu's exceptional writing skill, a definite worthwhile read.

Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton is a melancholy story with uplifting moments that did not entirely connect with me as a reader. I picked it up initially because I liked the cover and the blurb on the back. I saw a trailer for the movie adaptation of the novella starring George Clooney but did not connect the trailer I saw and Lily Brooks-Dalton's book. I was going in blind, which is a great place to be. You can internalize a story without it being overshadowed by what you had heard about it.

”. . .as the silence wore on it grew cacophonous.”

Good Morning, Midnight follows two characters. Augustine is an aging Astronomer on a work trip in the Arctic. He now resides in isolation, as all his team and coworkers fled some unknown cataclysm. Augustine decides to remain behind. Not for the betterment of the situation for anyone; he is older and likes it up there. Sully is returning to Earth with a crew from a protracted visit to Jupiter. All they are met with is silence as they return. And, no idea what they are returning to.

The narrative follows a dual structure and switches each chapter jumping from Augustine and Sully's perspectives. We get little tastes of each of the characters, wondering the whole time whether these characters were going to meet somehow. It is the will they or won't they. Or does it even matter if they do.

“Only the cosmos inspired great feeling in him. Perhaps what he felt was love, but he'd never consciously named it. His was an all-consuming one-directional romance with the emptiness and the fullness of the entire universe. There was no room to spare, no time to waste on a lesser lover. He preferred it that way.”

Style aside, this is a thought-provoking novel. It is novella lengthed, so Brooks-Dalton entirely focuses on the relationships that the lead characters, Augustine in the Artic and the Astronaut Sully, use intense and descriptive imagery arctic and space. Both of the main characters have different experiences; the arctic and space are different areas. But, also very shared experiences of loneliness, isolation, pain, depression, and regret from their past lives led. Both Sully and Augustine are selfish characters in their lives before event X happened to the Earth. I am labeling it as X as we readers have no clue anything that has occurred beyond Augustine's coworkers evacuating the Arctic station very quickly. All the astronauts know is that there are no radio signals, and the power is out and is blanketed in uncertainty.

Author's make purposeful choices when talking about everything in their books. But, I am not sure that Brooks-Dalton decided not to discuss what has happened to the Earth as a means of this being a purely character-driven novel, and on the grand scale of things, it doesn't matter. Due to the short format, there isn't a lot of space available to go into it for length worldbuilding. If the choice was the former, I think that was a hard pill for me to swallow as a reader. Without spoilers, choices at the end of the book necessitate info like that being valuable. To the readers specifically because otherwise, it seems rather hopeless. It is pure indeterminateness and an uncomfortable position for the characters to be sure, but for the readers certainly.

My detachment from the story might be that I am not the perfect reader for the narrative's somber and subtleness. Brooks-Dalton is a tremendous writer. There is an ephemeral way she describes things, almost as if she is seeing things through a mist and describing them. This style was complex for me to read; I don't tend to get hooked on the characters and stories as much as I would have liked. This detachment is not the author's fault, just stylistic differences. Even though this wasn't the perfect choice of storytelling for me, this is an excellent book written by a very skilled writer. And, if you like open-ended type storytelling, I am sure you will love it.

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey is a queer western with dystopian roots and a whole lot of moxie.

“She wanted that satisfaction. She wanted it for herself wanted it like a half-starved alley-rat watching that table through a window on a bellyaching night. She didn't know how to get it—but she had a feeling that if she stuck with the Librarians for long enough, she might be able to figure it out. How to feast instead of starving.

How to like the person who she was instead of fighting it.”

In this future, the State, in combination with religious fanaticism, controls everything you listen to, what you eat, and who you love. Our protagonist, Esther, is the daughter of a high-ranking official who is fleeing her home. Esther's life was thrown into turmoil when her best friend and lover was hung in front of the town for owning unapproved reading materials. She hides in the back of a wagon of a Librarian with hopes of joining their group. A Librarian travels and provides approved reading materials to the townsfolk of the various frontier communities in their area. Esther hopes for a better life and to be cured of her' wrongness.” What Esther finds is a group of people who are accepting and very much themselves. They are people who have to hide from the State but in secret live in queer relationships or live as non-binary individuals. Things that Esther did not think even possible.

“When there's people around that we don't trust, we let them think we're the kinds of people who are allowed to exist. And the only kind of Librarian that's allowed to exist is one who answers to she.”

Upright Women Wanted is a novella-length story, so author Sarah Gailey had to condense a lot of story, nuance, and world-building into few pages. For the most part, Gailey is very successful. They created an engaging story, highlighting critical societal problems that play a pivotal role in the plot and character development. The story is too short to provide you with a backstory on the librarians, though, which I badly wanted considering the depth of character their few lines had and how impactful they are. Bet and Leda are a queer couple in a solid long-term relationship, Cye is non-binary, and Amity rounds out the group but remains a mystery. Gailey could write a full-length novel in this world, and I am here for it. Esther is a good character also and is the most developed, but the other librarians stole the show.

The conflict of the story, aside from Esther's initial reason for running, is the Damocles hovering over the group from being discovered. If they are found, the consequences will be dire. Instead, the group of librarians works to subvert the system from the inside. From there, the narrative plays out a bit with the Librarians dealing with skirmishes and problems in their line of work.

Upright Women Wanted is a clever book. Clever in wordplay, as in “what is an upright woman? But also creative in style and characterization. Gailey gets what it takes to create an engaging novella, just enough of a story bite that gets the readers hooked, and just enough back story and world-building to understand the setting. It is well done. I loved the characters, and it allows me to use the underutilized word like moxie. Them folks are full of all sorts of moxie, and I loved reading it.

The Children God Forgot by Graham Masterton is a terrifying story that pulls many of the different horror levers. 

The story starts with pain, visceral stabbing pain in a woman's belly. The woman in question wakes up in the hospital, completely confused. She finds out she is pregnant, which is impossible. There is no way that she could be pregnant; she had an abortion three months ago. The doctors perform an emergency c-section and deliver a horrifically malformed fetus. One that could not possibly be alive, but it is. Major Cthulu vibes here. Then a rash of strange births and pregnancy sweep through London. 

“How much worse could her life become, if she wasn't even allowed to die?”

Simultaneously, sewage engineer Gemma, owner of the sewage company, and cameraman make a routine check in a section of London's sewers. As they travel through the engulfing claustrophobic darkness of a sewer pipe, they discover a fatberg, a stony mound of toilet paper, and grease clogging the sewer flow. They also find a severed women's hand floating in the refuse. Immediately, chaos happens, lights flash, electricity arcs, and the three workers are thrown into utter and complete darkness while trudging through human waste. To say that the moment is something of nightmares would be an understatement. 

Up ahead around the pipe bend, the three workers can see child-like figures glowing amongst the waste. Child-like figures made of claws, horribly and inhumanly disfigured, that move with lightning speed. They make a run for it, and all make it out except for Gemma's boss, who disappears only to be found later with his legs amputated and his eyes ripped from the sockets. 

DC Jerry Pardoe and DS Jamila Patel of the supernatural squad team up once again to delve into what is lurking in London's sewers and if it is going to stop with one dismembered body or if there will be more. 

Spoiler alert, there will be more. Because, of course, there will be. Masterton will be Masterton, and it won't be just one type of horror. He is going to poke and prod every kind of horror with a stick. He makes you squirm and scream and feel sick. I think that you could have a solid horror story of just the sewer part of the story because, especially for someone with claustrophobia...holy shit. But, there is a robust supernatural angle to this story. What are these things that look like malformed children, and who is the woman with the knives that keeps appearing? 

Unfortunately, I will have to stop the description there because it will give it away if I say anymore. Imagine something like The Strain, but with occult vibes taking place in a sewer. Now top it all off with a police procedural, and you won't be far off. Because at the story's heart is a case that needs to get solved. 

The supernatural squad is a competent duo. There is no flash with them, aside from wanting to get to the heart of the case. They had appeared together in the novel Ghost Virus; if you have read that, you would be familiar with the pair. However, reading the previous installment in no way affects your enjoyment of this one. 

The Children God Forgot will not be for everyone because this is some deep body horror. It is terrifying. I'd put some trigger warnings, flaying, abortion, claustrophobic spaces; there is a lot. If you can't make it through the first three chapters of this book, you will not like what is in store. It will only get scarier and darker with a lot more gore. I love horror, and even I had to put the e-reader down now and then. Because, wow, some of these scenes are dark as hell. One particular one included one of these monstrous fetus-creatures eating a cat and tearing it apart with a cracking sound of a broken rib cage—bits of fur flying everywhere. You get the point. 

If you love horror of all sorts and want to be scared, The Children God Forgot is for you. Masterton is, well, a master of writing horror. If you are new to his books. Congratulations, you are in for a hell of a ride! I know that some of these scenes will be burned on your brain like Masterton used an actual branding iron; I promise you will recover from the cat scene and a few others soon.  

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine is an expertly crafted science fiction fantasy novel that incorporates real-world cultures into the intricate Aztec Empire influenced mythos. It is shining and immersive and should be read and read often.

“This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever fallen in love with a culture that was devouring their own.”

Right from the first pages of the story, you know that you are reading something different, and doing a little research into author Arkady Martine I instantly knew why. Martine is by profession a historian and city planner. The city planning part thrilled me to no end as I was also a city planner once upon a time. She has many prestigious degrees, one of which is a Ph.D. in medieval Byzantine, global, and comparative history at Rutgers University. When you read this book, you will notice the excellent care and detailing that went into the language and worldbuilding of the Teixcalaani Empire with obvious influences from the pre-colonial/conquest Aztec Empire and influences from the Nahuatl languages. The Nahuatl language group is currently spoken by close to two million people in central Mexico and was spoken by the Aztecs.

“Released, I am a spear in the hands of the sun.”

Often you read science fiction and fantasy novels that are based on or influenced by a particular culture. They usually only “pay lip service” to that culture. Authors delve deep enough historically and sociologically to have a general understanding of that culture enough to be as respectful and authentic as they can in the depiction with varying degrees of success. I think that what is so exceptional about A Memory Called Empire, and why it won the Hugo award for best novel and a finalist for the Nebula for the same category is that instead of superficially glancing at the culture, it is intensely immersive. The worldbuilding in this story flows like rain flowing to the ocean. Every detail was imagined, and it coalesced into a much greater picture of the history, city planning, and generally the Teixcalaani. There were no moments in which the detailing was off that it threw me out of the story.

“A MIND is a sort of star-chart in reverse: an assembly of memory, conditioned response, and past action held together in a network of electricity and endocrine signaling, rendered down to a single moving point of consciousness”

The story follows the protagonist Mahit Dzmare. She arrives as an ambassador to the imperial city of Teixclaan as a representative of the space station Lsel. She is to advocate on behalf of her fiercely independent homeland of Lsel Station and investigate the previous ambassador's death. The Teixcalaani is a glorious golden empire that swallows and changes everything it touches. It is beautiful to behold, but so much so that places like Lsel Station will get swallowed by its magnitude. Mahit is new to her ambassadorial duties, although she has studied the Teixclaan culture, language, and history for most of her life. But studying something and living it are two very different things. She must figure out a way to protect her small homeworld's independence in the face of everything.

Martine does an excellent job in representing the feelings of Mahit being a stranger in a strange land. Everything is foreign to Mahit, right down to customs of facial expressions and food. She desperately needs to belong and assimilate into this foreign culture, but she can't because she is missing a critical piece of information. One of the important pieces of hardware that the people of Lsel station use is a device called an imago. The device is the memory and personality of people who have come before her, saved as data to be re-downloaded. It is used so that none of the experiences and aptitude of the Lsel citizens is lost at the death of the person. The experience is then added to the new wearer, and the personalities are blended.
Nothing is lost. But, for Mahit her imago is malfunctioning. The previous ambassador's memory and experiences are gone. She is a fish out of water. Without the experiences and knowledge of her predecessor, how is she supposed to do this?

As befits her station, Mahit is assigned a cultural liaison named Three Seagrass. The naming conventions in this story are spectacular. While not the main protagonist of the story, three Seagrass is hugely important to the narrative and often steals the scenes with her wit and systematic efficiency. She is brutally efficient. As Mahit surfs the political intrigue of the city Teixclaan and its people must not pull her under.

“I could have told her the truth,” Mahit said. “Here I am, new to the City, being led astray by my own cultural liaison and a stray courtier.” Twelve Azalea folded his hands together in front of his chest. “We could have told her the truth,” he said. “Her friend, the dead Ambassador, has mysterious and probably illegal neurological implants.” “How nice for us, that everyone lies,” Three Seagrass said cheerfully.”

A lot is going on in this book. Right from the get-go, Mahit is thrown into a world of political intrigue. This book is called a space opera, but the genre title is misleading, as it often is. Space operas are usually around space battles, often having a plucky captain or a quest to save the universe. I love the genre, but I don't consider this to be a space opera.

Instead, A Memory Called Empire is a deep science fiction story that asks questions on the nature of memory. What is memory? Can it be taken away? Is memory the collective history of a rich culture like that of the Teixcalaani people or a moment of a single individual? It can be so many things. Simultaneously, while A Memory Called Empire delves into what memory is, it also has a complicated mystery plot of “who done it” laced with wordplay, culture, and political intrigue. There are even cyberpunk elements laced into the story, which is hard to believe, but they work with the narrative perfectly.

The plotting of the story is swift. It moves from scene to scene with no lag and propels the narrative forward. Honestly, the story just got better and better as it continued.

“Nothing touched by Empire stays clean.”

A Memory Called Empire had me stopping and evaluating my thoughts on what memory actually is many times. It is a story that can be taken in sips or devoured for hours at a time. It is glorious and shining like the golden city of Teixcalaani. It has made me remember why I love science fiction as much as I do.

For all those readers who love deep, well-written, and intelligent science fiction and fantasy, A Memory Called Empire should leapfrog all other books on your to-be-read list for your immediate attention.

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames is Legend...wait for it...dary. So legendary, in fact, that The Boys are Back in Town by Thin Lizzy was on constant repeat in my head while reading it. Hell, I even thought about just reprinting the lyrics to the song and forgoing a proper review altogether. But cooler heads prevailed, and here I am sharing what is one of my favorite books now and is one of the most enjoyable experiences I had reading something in a long time.

Let me tell you about a little band named Saga and known for their deeds and misdeeds the land over. This band consists of five legendary mercenaries, thugs for hire who have slashed, bashed, magicked, and screwed their way across the empire of Grandual. And while this could have been a token machismo fest, it isn't. Eames humanized each character and added depth and breadth to them, which allowed them to be more than caricatures of who people wanted to emulate, and everyone wanted to be with.

“Among them is a renegade king, he who sired five royal heirs without ever unzipping his pants. A man to whom time has imparted great wisdom and an even greater waistline, whose thoughtless courage is rivalled only by his unquenchable thirst.

At his shoulder walks a sorcerer, a cosmic conversationalist. Enemy of the incurable rot, absent chairman of combustive sciences at the university in Oddsford, and the only living soul above the age of eight to believe in owlbears.

Look here at a warrior born, a scion of power and poverty whose purpose is manifold: to shatter shackles, to murder monarchs, and to demonstrate that even the forces of good must sometimes enlist the service of big, bad motherfuckers. His is an ancient soul destined to die young.

And now comes the quiet one, the gentle giant, he who fights his battles with a shield. Stout as the tree that counts its age in aeons, constant as the star that marks true north and shines most brightly on the darkest nights.

A step ahead of these four: our hero. He is the candle burnt down to the stump, the cutting blade grown dull with overuse. But see now the spark in his stride. Behold the glint of steel in his gaze. Who dares to stand between a man such as this and that which he holds dear? He will kill, if he must, to protect it. He will die, if that is what it takes.

“Go get the boss,” says one guardsman to another. “This bunch looks like trouble.”

And they do. They do look like trouble, at least until the wizard trips on the hem of his robe. He stumbles, cursing, and fouls the steps of the others as he falls face-first onto the mud-slick hillside.”

But that was 19 years ago. Their time in the sun has turned to shade. Time, that bitch of a mistress, has changed things for them. They have gotten greyer, older, slower, and in some cases wiser. But not really. They are warriors of old staring at middle age, wondering where the hell the last two decades went.

The story starts thus, Clay Cooper an ex-mercenary, now just a regular fellow with a family and responsibilities receives the inevitable knock upon his door. He opens it to find his ex-bandmate and brother in arms Gabriel. Gabriel is in a tizzy as his beloved daughter Rose has run off seeking fortune and fame, just like dear old Dad. The only problem is that she could be in grave danger, the kind of trouble that you don't come back from. Clay immediately says no. He doesn't do that thing anymore. But, with the realization that he would do this and more, including burning the world to cinders, to save his own daughter, he decides that he is in. Let gets the band back together.

Thus begins the tale of finding and coercing the bandmates to leave their comfy lives; one is currently a king. And embark on a quest that will take them across the empire and into the heart of a wyld forest full of poisonous spiders, giants, and an owlbear or two.

The full force of Eames's creativity shines on every page of this story. Honestly, I think under any other writer this story could have gone two ways. It could have been sullen and mean, decrying the effects of aging. Or it could have all the depth of an AC/DC concert. Fun yes, but fun for fun's sake and lacking any gravitas and having the depth of a thimble. Instead, we have brotherhood and not a fake, forced brotherhood. Real people, with real issues, are forced to take an in-depth look into the mirror at their past deeds and the pain they caused.

“What was it about fathers, Clay wondered, that compelled so many of them to test their children? To insist that a daughter, or a son, prove themselves worthy of a love their mother offered without condition?”

Also, there is grand silliness to the narrative that Eames crafted. Kings of the Wyld has serious themes, but it can't take itself too seriously. I mean, cmon, Kings of the Wyld is a band of brothers slaying everything that dares to cross their path. You have to find things funny, gallows humor, or otherwise. Also, the conversations, bantering, and ripping on each other is brilliant. They come off as friends or at least individuals with a deep common history. In any other circumstance, they would probably not be friends, but life and shared goals have brought them together. So because they are in this awful situation that they will probably not survive, it is entirely prudent that they poke fun at each other at every convenient moment.

“How do I look?” he asked.
Barret grinned. “Old.”
Moog glanced over appraisingly. “Tired.”
Gabriel snorted a laugh. “Fuck you guys.”

Each of the band members has a weapon of destruction, including Moog, the band's magician whose bag of tricks is literally a bag of tricks. Each weapon they wield has obtained its own legendary status. And much like the legendary warriors who wield these objects of destruction, they also play a part in the story. It is all very Dungeons and Dragons, but a very accessible Dungeons and Dragons for the masses that also involves the “fuck yeah” of 1980s metal bands. Eames made everything so fun and accessible. I think that even the greatest fantasy hater would enjoy this book and understand, at least for a few minutes, why people play Dungeons and Dragons and read fantasy.

This story is fantastical, Kings of the Wyld has all the right parts blended together by a brilliant storyteller that has you traveling with delight page to page. Bring me, Moog. Bring me, Gabriel. Bring me owlbears! This is a splendid book that I cannot recommend enough.

Let us destroy those in front of us and search for glory!

A Head Full of Ghosts by horror master Paul Tremblay is an experience which I would sum up as, “What the hell happened?” 

A Head Full of Ghosts is about the familial strife of the Barret family. The mom, distant and frustrated. The dad, on the brink of religious zealotry. The younger sister Merry, both a part of the craziness and separate from it due to her age and naivete. And Marjorie, a 14ish-year-old young woman who may or may not have a head full of ghosts. The story covers the small amount of time before Marjorie's exorcism. Yes, I said exorcism. A Head Full of Ghosts isn't your typical ghost story as it is a story of horror but also one of psychological trauma. 

“On the morning of the exorcism, I stayed home from school.”

The story has many distinct parts of a horror possession story. It has plenty of nods to The Exorcist, arguably the most famous possession story in the history of writing and cinema. Like The Exorcist, Marjorie vomits, spews profanities, makes inappropriate sexual comments, dark and sinister voices, and levitation. And, just like The Exorcist, all of the actions terrify Marjorie's loved ones. They scare them to the point of madness. 

The difference between The Exorcist and A Head Full of Ghosts is that while the acts Marjorie performs are terrifying, we aren't sure what is going on. We are, as readers, able to make a decisive call on whether she is or is not haunted as Tremblay plays his cards close to his chest. He plays every scene both ways. Is Marjorie a person who has an extreme mental illness? Or is she a child that has been invaded by an unearthly demonic presence? 

“Ideas. I'm possessed by ideas. Ideas that are as old as humanity, maybe older, right? Maybe those ideas were out there just floating around before us, just waiting to be thought up. Maybe we don't think them, we pluck them out from another dimension or another mind.”

The story is told, mostly, through the eyes of a no grown Merry. A somber woman living a life of quietude and off the earnings of the TV show about her family. Marjorie's experience was televised to be consumed by the masses. Television is not the truth. This adds to the unease about the original story of what happened to Marjorie. Merry meets with a writer to discuss writing Merry's life and experiences at age 8 to be put into a tell-all book.

The book bounces back and forth between the recollections of a now older and wiser Merry and the young child Merry who sees everything through the lens of an 8-year-old. The memories are painful for her to live through again. Because she is an unreliable narrator and children see a lot of what they want to see, we get mostly a child's view of the monstrous happenings in the household. While Merry talks very candidly about the events that tore her family apart and were filmed for live television, she admits that these were her memories, and things could be different. 

“I sneak into your room when you are asleep, Merry-monkey. I've been doing it for weeks now, since the end of summer. You're so pretty when you're asleep. Last night, I pinched your nose shut until you opened your little mouth”

At the beginning of the story, Marjorie has been acting up. There is strain and tension between the children's parents. When someone has a mental breakdown, that puts natural pressure on parents, they want what is best for their child. However, what is best differs significantly between Merry's mother and father. Merry's mother wants Marjorie to see psychiatrists and be put on medication, while Merry's father wants Majorie to rely on the church and ask God for help. 

As events progressed and the family suffered severe financial hardship, the family agreed to have Marjorie's exorcism and the preceding psychological trauma that she was inflicting on herself and the household members to be televised. This pain will be televised.

“After your performed the exorcism, how did you know that demon wasn't still in there, hiding? How do you know it didn't go in a hibernation state, quieting down to come out later, years and years later when no one would be around to help? Hey, how do you know if the wrong spirit left? What if you expelled the person's real spirit and only the demon's spirit was there to take its place? If I believed in any of that stuff, I'd be afraid that was going to happen to me.”

It is a gross sort of consuming and voyeurism that the audience participates in, the blogger/reviewer/reader included. The cut-ins to the blogger's critiques, which jarring, play an essential role in the narrative. What is truth? What is a ghost story? Merry does not speak the truth, the reality show does not speak the truth, and indeed, the conjecture of a random horror blogger doesn't. So what the hell happened? 

Everything could be true, or all of it could be a lie. 

 Beyond the terrifying scenes of vomit spewing like fountains and gore, what the hell is going on? I, as a reader, spent many pages screaming, “Please, someone, help this child.” But the only adults in the room seem to want to abuse her in different ways? Is abuse ok if you are trying to save this child's mortal soul? Or is she faking the whole thing for attention? Is she mad, is she possessed? We shall never know. 

“There's nothing wrong with me, Merry. Only my bones want to grow through my skin like the growing things and pierce the world.”

A Head Full of Ghosts is all about perception. What is horror to one person is entertainment to another. What is psychological trauma to one person is trafficking in demons in another. At the heart of it is either a confused and terrified girl or a mastermind of manipulation. It is levels upon levels. Tremblay showed some serious skills crafting such a meta psychological story. 

Also, Head Full of Ghost has terrifying visceral scenes. Terrifying! They are spread throughout the story like one would sprinkle salt on food. Tremblay never lets the reader relax or become numb to the gore. They are surprised on you like a popping balloon. He never lets you forget that, yes, this is a psychological story in a meta form, but he is also a damn fine gore writer and will scare the hell out of you. 

I feel trapped by this story in an ethical and psychological spiral, one that can never be satiated. The story is done, the ending has happened, and no conclusion shall be found, which in itself is another kind of horror—ones of the mind, feelings, rationality, and spirit. We readers are dirty in our voyeurism and consumers shoveling the contents of Marjorie's descent into madness into our minds page by page. If you read this, you will not be satisfied. But, this is a brilliant and compelling story. The ideas will cling onto you like a crusty barnacle that draws blood if you try and scrape it off. That in itself is worth the price of admission. 

Was she or wasn't she? We will never know, but damn, is it an interesting book to read. 

White Trash Warlock is a hell of a good urban fantasy that stands heads above most stories in the genre. If you are looking for a story that incorporates realistic characters, good pacing, an exciting magic system, and LGBTQIA representation. This is the book for you.

“People aren't less just because they don't live the way you do.”

“I didn't say that,” Robert said.

“You think it,” Adam said. “You think we're all trash because we don't have nice cars and ugly houses. Life isn't just about money.”

I am someone who has read extensively in urban fantasy. It had been my choice genre until about three years ago when I became more interested in dark fantasy and graphic novels. I have read hundreds upon hundreds of books in the genre. Many follow a very formulaic structure. The main character is plucky but down on their luck, or they probably do investigations of some sort and are either a wizard, warlock, or witch. Sometimes even a druid like in the great Kevin Hearne novels, The Iron Druid Chronicles. Plot-wise, there is a massive problem with the protagonist's city or family. Usually, a big baddie comes to kill magic practitioners or the protagonist's family and friends. Or protagonist must go through some transformation and become something else. It can be formulaic, but I don't mind that. It is part of the joy of the genre; not every author has to reinvent the wheel to tell an engaging and thought-provoking story. I bring this up because while White Trash Warlock does have some of the genre's more formulaic tropes and tendencies. i.e., a big bad boss that only the protagonist can kill, but at no time when reading White Trash Warlock did I feel it was stale. Quite the contrary, Slayton took some formulaic tropes and twisted them around a bit. He made something that could be an old hat, exciting.

The plot of the story rolls out thus. Adam Binder is a sensitive man. Sensitive in being able to feel the energies of the paranormal. He has a gift or a curse, depending on how you view it. This sensitivity rules his life, and he tries to work around it; he is often overwhelmed by the energies and feelings of masses of people. “Adam Binder hasn't spoken to his brother in years, not since Bobby had him committed to a psych ward for hearing voices.” Being committed causes great turmoil between Bobby and Adam, as it should. Something dark and murderous possesses Bobby's wife, Adam comes to Colorado from rural Oklahoma to see if he can help. This dark thing that is infecting people in the city is a power unlike anything Adam has ever seen, and to survive, he must call on energies above his paygrade. Plus, there is a great love triangle and banter with immortals of all sorts.

“He wants to help you. It's okay to ask for things, Adam. It's okay to need or want things for yourself.”

Adam is brash and egotistical at times, but at other times he is calm and broken. The author does an excellent job of walking the line of not being too much of either quality. It adds authenticity to Adam's character. Furthermore, Adam and his brother Robert's backstory and family drama are infinitely more in-depth than the usual passing mention of a troubled past. Their pasts have defined who they are. It shows in the way they talk and interact with each other. I connected with these characters in ways that I did not from authors like Laurell K. Hamilton or Jim Butcher's urban fantasy. We learn about the backstory of the main characters Anita and Dresden in those series, but it takes a lot of time and books to make the connection that White Trash Warlock sought to make right away. That makes White Trash Warlock stand above its contemporaries in the urban fantasy genre.

The pacing of the tale is smooth, with action and bits of horror in all the right spots. My only complaint about the story was it was too short. I wanted more from author David Slayton. Not a bad complaint to have, and I am desperately hoping for a sequel as the story ends in the perfect spot to jump into another book.

“Bobby gripped his fork. “I just want you to be happy, Adam, to be-“

“Normal. I know,” Adam said, trying to keep calm. “But I'm not normal, Bobby. And I don't want to be. Stop trying to fix me.”

Also, author David Slayton wrote and is essential to mention that Adam Binder lives in a state of food insecurity. It is quite the contrast to his brother Bobby, a doctor who lives a very fluffy life in a big house where he never has to worry about what he will eat next. Adam also has been witness to and been the victim of domestic violence. Adam is also gay and has faced discrimination from his family. All of these aspects of Adam's life enhance Adam's character and give it, again, authenticity. None of the writing that Slayton did regarding these aspects of Adam's life come off preachy or forced. It feels like Slayton touched on all these things with great sensitivity and understanding.

So, if you dig urban fantasy that is deep, well written. It has excellent characters, pacing, and plot, and an authentic lead protagonist White Trash Warlock is for you. It is a hell of a good book.

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht is a dark space opera that will appeal to Firefly fans. The story has that same sort of found family/mercenaries type vibe. Stina Leicht, known for her short story work and The Fey and the Fallen and the series The Malrum Gates, brings us her first full science fiction novel in Persephone Station.

“Why do you think, bitch?” His accent was pure West Brynner. A local. That could mean many things. “If you're here for a robbery, you picked the wrong damned apartment, asshole. Drop the knife.”

The story stars Angel de la Reza, an ex-marine thrice revived head of a band of criminals for hire. Reza is a deep and sympathetic character. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are certain Firefly tones to this story. Angel reminds me a bit like Malcolm Reynolds. She is gruff, gritty, with a complicated backstory, who once adopts you into her motley crew, you become family. Angel and her team take a job and are framed for an assassination that they don't do. They may steal from you, kill you if you look at them wrong, but assassination something they won't do.

Angel, as well as her crew, are forced to flee the station. Rosie, a sympathetic crime lord, has a different idea for them. Protect the planet from another from the Serrao-Orlov corporation that is a front for another crime lord. Things get complicated as they meet the indigenous people of the planet and find out that this isn't just a protection job, but they will have to fight an army of mechs, drones, and other ships. There are quite a few shooting, explosions, and battle scenes to balance the dialog and quieter moments.

“The question was rhetorical. They knew why it had been done. Intimidation. But they had a powerful need to verbalize even a small piece of outrage. It was like puking up the tiniest bit of poison. The end was inevitable—the toxin had done its work, but the impulse was unstoppable nonetheless.”

This book is full of wonderful space opera moments. The plot is very character-driven. The cast of characters is almost entirely female, non-binary, or gender-neutral. As someone who reads a ton of space opera, I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to see BIPOC or non-binary individuals as strong characters.

The world-building in Persephone Station is unique. It has the feel of an old west frontier but in space. There is an outlaw type feel over all of the descriptions. The planet that Angel's team works to protect seems very Earth-like; however, the indigenous people and creatures are very imaginative. Especially the aliens and how they communicate. It reminded me a bit like Adrian Tchaikovski's Children of Time series, where the spiders rely heavily on scent as a means of communication.

“Rage, pride, and avarice, Rosie thought. Three of the seven deadly sins. A great fall after such an auspicious start.”

The pacing was uneven in the story, and that is my only complaint. The beginning of the story had some exciting fight scenes. They were exceptionally well done, with a little bit of gore. However, the pacing slowed down a bit. The middle portion of the story seemed to be holding its breath before the big finale. I would have liked a bit more transition between the beginning and the end. But, once you got to the last part of the book, everything came together beautifully. The different characters' perspectives made sense, and the ending had an unexpected twist, which was fun.

Persephone Station was a great read. From beginning to end, even with the plot slowing down a bit, I still couldn't put the book down. The characters are dynamic, and the found family trope is always excellent, and that cover was gorgeous. If that cover doesn't make you want to read this book, the opening two chapters will. If you are looking for a space opera with BIPOC and queer representation, this is your book. Check it out!

Remote Control by Hugo Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor is a timeless story. This story's narrative is at home in a world of dust and mosquitoes of rural communities of Ghana or at home in a big city with cars and mobile phones. It is told in parts like a fable complete with a companion fox. Other times, the stories' fable-Esque tones are intruded upon by very current problems like being snatched off the road or getting hit by a truck. In both types of storytelling, Sankofa is the same. A girl out of time and adopted daughter of death. She has too much power and not enough experience using it. Thankfully Okorafor never brings the narrative down by finding comedy in Sankofa's mistakes. There is no pratfall type of jokes here. Instead, the story has a level of sophistication, once Fatima, now Sankofa's journey is reclaiming a gift given to her by the stars and using the power given to her by someone or something wisely. But most of all, the seed is hers, and it is wise to stay out of her way.

The story starts two-fold. In chapter one, we are introduced to a woman named Sankofa; a pure red fox follows her. She is dusty; her leather sandals slap the road. You get the impression that Sankofa has walked many streets, kicked up a lot of dust. The animals in the trees take no notice of her as she strolls. She is fourteen years old, but she is far wiser than her years.

A young man is leaning against a tree smoking a cigarette at the site of Sankofa. “Sankofa is coming! Sankofa is coming!” There are terror and urgency in his speech. People peak out of windows and out of doorways. People yell, “Beware!” The only question I have at this point is, “who is Sankofa? and “How is a fourteen-year-old engendering so much fear for these people?” Because you are terrified of this little girl walking down the street, but you don't know why. Such is the beauty and strength in Nnedi Okorofor's writing. In two pages, she effortlessly had me feeling terror and dread at who this little girl is. Yet, in none of the text, is there anything that portrays that idea. She is just a girl, isn't she?

The people of the town bustle about her; Sankofa looks around and finds the wealthiest looking home, walks up, and knocks on the door.
“She lifted her chin, raised a small fist and knocked on the gate's door. “Excuse me, I would like to come in,” she called in Twi. She wasn't sure how far she'd come. Better to stick to the language most understood. Then she thought better of it and switched to English. “Gateman, I have come to call on the family that lives here.” When there was no response, she turned the knob. As expected, it was unlocked ...Then he turned and spat to the side, making no move to escort her to the house. “Thank you, sir,” Sankofa said, walking”

A stunned family greets Sankofa. “I would also like a change of clothes,” Sankofa said. “I have been wearing these garments for a week.” The woman smiled gratefully and nodded. Sankofa guessed the woman was about ten years her senior, maybe even fifteen. “Something like what you are wearing now?” the woman asked. Sankofa grinned at this. “Yes, if possible,” she said. “I like to wear our people's style.” The woman seemed to relax. “I know. We all know.” “My name is known here?” Sankofa asked, the answer being obvious.”

This girl is known and feared. Enough so that she can walk into a stranger's house and eat food and be dressed in prepared clothing if she deigned to stop by. At this point in the story, you are grabbed and reigned in. You want to know more about Sankofa. Who is she? Why does she have this immense power? And what is she searching for? And, through Okorafor's beautiful gift in storytelling, we are given answers, some we might not have been prepared for. But answers none the less.

Then the story reverts back to the very beginning, to Fatima. To how all this happened and how Fatima became Sankofa. We journey with this young girl of seven and watch her age in both years and wisdom until the two narratives collide and Sankofa is 14.

Okorafor's is a master of the shorter novella style story. She creates a tight and crisp dialog and ideas that are full of descriptions so accurate you can smell the dust in the air. There are no wasted words or ideas; everything she writes is purposeful. And, just like her Binti stories, the dialect and prose flow like water or fall like rain. You are these characters. In the case of Sankofa, you are immersed in her and why she feels the fear of the unknown. You are in her when she feels gratitude to the townsfolk, and most importantly, you are in her as she feels rage at anyone who stands in her way.

It is a beautifully written burst of a story. It is full of so much joy, love, and power, and by the end of it, there is some resolution, although it might not be what you would think.

Nnedi Okorafor is the queen of Afrofuturistic fiction. Binti is a work of art and one of my favorite series I have read in the last few years. Also, her short story Hello Moto, and the comic Shuri. You cannot go wrong by picking up all her work and binging it, Remote Contol included.

Check out Remote Contol so that you can love it as much as I did.

Pawn's Gambit by Rob J. Hayes is one of my most anticipated releases for 2021, and it lived up to the hype. Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing the Wuxia epic Never Die, it was my first introduction to Rob as a writer, and I got to say that his books are fast becoming some of my favorites.

“Beauty is emotion, good or ill. Pain or happiness or fear or love. Beauty is in the experience.”

From my review, “Never Die is centered around Ein...and has been sent on a quest from God. ..For Ein's mission to succeed, the mysterious and powerful Emperor of Ten Kings must fall. To succeed in his quest, Ein must walk barefoot across the cities, mountains, and rivers of the countryside and never don footwear. Ein must select champions to fight the Emporer for him, and these champions must die first so that their souls are tethered to Ein.” Never Die was the first installment in the Mortal Techniques world. Pawn's Gambit takes place many years after Never Die and is not a sequel, although there is some fun scattered Easter eggs for the readers of Never Die to enjoy.

Instead, Pawn's Gambit is a stylized Wuxia epic with some steampunk and game theory thrown in that takes place in the same world of Never Die. It has the same rules and techniques, which we learn more about, but it is about redemption and finding peace.

“Yuu shrugged. “Throw her a tea party or something, sure. Whatever works.”

Pawn's Gambit's plot centers around the protagonist Yuu, also known as The Art of War. Yuu is a former famous military strategist, who wears a white mask at all times, and is known for pulling out military wins in the direst of situations. Her ability to see all the angles of a fight are legendary. Though these wins often come at the high costs of human lives lost. Her grandmother, the previous incarnation of Art of War, trained Yuu in all the aspects of war and strategy. However, unlike Yuu's grandmother, Yuu cannot separate herself from the battles. She feels the pain of the deaths that she helped cause, even if she won the war. They weigh heavy on her heart.

“Failure was always due to a lack of focus. With enough attention and preparation, no outcome could not be predicted, and no situation could not be overcome.”

Five years ago, Yuu made a choice that cost her the thing she held most dear but won the battle. The repercussions of that choice caused her to drop the mask and leave batteling forever. She no longer wanted to be The Art of War. Now five years later, we find Yuu sitting in a bar, getting drunk as she does every night, fleecing men for coin in battles of chess. It is below someone who was once The Art Of War, but at this point, all she wants to do is forget and drink till she feels the pain of the loss no more.

Meanwhile, in another realm, the Gods are having a battle of their own. Every 100 years, the gods have a contest to see who will sit upon the throne for the next 100 years. The God who is currently sitting on the throne, Batu, is the God of War. He has brought nothing but devastation and horror to the land of men for the last 100 years. He cannot help it; it is his nature. But it is time for a change.

“The first step toward winning is knowing which game you are playing.”

The contest is this: Each God participating must give up a thing they hold most dear. The objects are placed throughout the land, and champions, chosen by the benefactor God, must go out and find those objects. Whoever has the most items wins. It is a grand scavenger hunt. Natsuko, the Goddess of missed opportunities, has chosen her champion, Yuu. Yuu is not thrilled with this.

Yuu is an interesting character. She is one of those types of characters that isn't likable, but she could care less about being liked. She has a core of inner strength that you can see even when readers start the story, and we see Yuu at her very lowest point. But this story is her redemption arc, and what that redemption actually is, is up to the reader. Hayes doesn't concretely define what redemption looks like for Yuu. I think that makes her a stronger and more interesting character. She has layers and different parts to her. Is she the strategist, the friend, the woman, the human? I am not sure, but I know that the various facets of Yuu are tested thoroughly throughout this story.

The dialog for the story is funny and very human. Hayes can bring out a situation's nuance and doesn't need to pound the reader with heavy-handed dialogue. This made me relate all the more to Yuu and the supporting characters she finds along the way to help her. These characters, seen on the superb Felix Ortiz and Shawn T. King cover, help her in different ways. The journey is not the same as Never Die, but there are similar teamwork elements that carry through.

Pawn's Gambit is a worthy addition to the Mortal Techniques series and a follow-up to Never Die. It is really good, and I am so excited that I got to immerse myself in this Wuxia inspired world with great characters, exciting fight scenes, and heartfelt dialog once again. This story asks some big questions and challenges what redemption is.

You should come and take this journey with Yuu; you will not regret it.

The final book in The Omte Origins, Ever After, brings to a close the exciting series staring Ullaakuut “Ulla” Tulin. While the previous novels in the series had a lighter tone, Ever After delves into Ulla's experiences as she was held captive by the Älvolk and its traumatic effects on her psyche.

In this final story, Ulla and her friends from her time in Merella search for the mythical first city and the bridge that connects the realms. The Omte Origins series is just that, the origins of the Omte people talked about in her Trylle series. If you are familiar with the Omte series of books and the rich history that Amanda Hocking created. One of the aspects that I enjoyed in the original series was taking the idea of a troll and turning it on its ear.

Trolls have always been depicted as dirty and scary creatures, a la Harry Potter. Instead, the history of the troll people is much more complicated, nodding to both Scandanavian and Norse people. The original series touches on some of the mythos, but I am glad that Hocking took the time and detailing of this series to flesh out the ideas.

The Omte Origins story follows a naive Ulla, as she first comes to Merella for education and a chance to research her family find who abandoned her. Even with everything Ulla has been through, she has an endearing kindness that permeates her interactions with people. This draws people to her. In the previous two books, Ulla meets Dagny and Pan. Both become very important in her life but in different ways. Dagny becomes a surly sister and Pan a love interest. This basis of family helps give Ulla the stability to seek her missing family and find out what really happened.

Ever After is a super fun conclusion to the series. It is both heartfelt and action-packed, which is par for the course for Hocking's books. They are always a good mashup. Check out this series and all of the Trylle books.

Usually, when I read a Seanan McGuire book, such as her newest October Daye book, When Sorrows Come releasing soon, I fall face first into it and do not come up for air until the book is over and I am near dead. I am sad to say that did not happen. I wish it had.

A bit about where we are in the October Daye series and in When Sorrows Come specifically. This is the fifteenth book in the October Daye series, plus multiple short stories and novellas. It is a big world with a substantial backstory incorporating myths and legends of various cultures worldwide. The story's main character is the titular October Daye, daughter of Amadine the Liar, one of the firstborn children of the King of Fairie. Her love is The King of Cats, Tybalt. Their love has been a long time coming; it has been full of twists, turns, and drama. But at the end of the day, their love is two unlikely people finding that familiar spark between them igniting a bonfire of passion at first, but that eventually simmers down to a love and familiar that you spend lifetimes protecting.

A few books back, Tybalt asked October to marry him. Marriage in itself is fraught with all sorts of issues as October is a half-born or changeling child and a hero of the realm. The changelings are not a protected class in fairy, and being a hero requires heroic acts and stepping into uncomfortable situations. October has also had various difficulties that come about through the neglect that she faced at the hands of her mother that she has fought hard to overcome. This is very honestly told and addressed throughout the series and affects her love life. I believe McGuire has handled her difficulties with care. one thing that McGuire is as an author is one where representation is hugely important and is prevalent throughout her work. I respect that and love that about her work.

In this story, October is finally getting married to Tybalt. Things are never that simple though...

October and Tybalt have been requestatold to come to the high king's knowe in Ontario to have the ceremony. This is a great honor but also stacked with logistical issues. McGuire spends a lot of time on these at the beginning of the story. And as always, through passive resistance, Toby wants nothing to do with wedding planning and logistical issues. She wants to show up and marry. Futzing is not something she is good at. I get this as a part of her character. Frillyness is not part of October's personality.

However, I think this tiny bit of passive resistance irked me in this setting. Instead of it coming off as a part of October's personality makeup, it came off a little like a toddler stamping her foot. I felt like it was time for October to embrace her destiny, even in small things and even if it was for just a few moments. Her family and friends have done a lot for her, and while October, as you will see as the story progresses, whether this is by destiny or her insatiable need to help, she cannot stay out of things. An attempted coup happens right as the festivities begin. And the shenanigans begin.

I get that all of October's stories have a mystery element, which is an essential part of the makeup of the series. However, just this once, the mystery part felt shoe-horned into a much bigger narrative of them finally getting married. Tybalt seems careworn trying to get this woman to the alter. Honestly, McGuire could have written this as a novella. I enjoyed the story, especially the ending. It was still a fun time. But it did not have the charming effect I look forward to when diving into one of her books.

When Sorrows Came is still very much worth still reading. But only if you have read the other books in the series. You have to read this one because we are fifteen books in. There are still many unanswered questions, and two future books planned that I know of. And while this certainly seemed like the weakest of the entire series, I cannot wait to continue with Toby's story.

One Day All This Will Be yours, Adrian Tchaikovsky's newest novella releasing in early 2021, is a brilliant and witty time-channel take on what happens when you are the only one left, and you damn well want to keep it that way.

Our titular narrator wakes up from his calm and untroubled clumber. He peers out onto his estate; there isn't a cloud in the sky. And, even if there was one, a little rain is good. Bring on the rain for us farmer types, he thinks. It is a beautiful day because everything and all days are gorgeous, forever and ever amen. This beauty was hard fought for in a winner take all fight over the future, past, and every branch of possibility spread out forever—the casualty war. A war waged by many who could not remember why they were fighting. The past had been expunged, and the future was a fractured mess.

The narrator, the last soldier of the causality war, and his cohorts fractured and dismantled time itself. If you don't like the current path this government is on? Go back and sew discord 200 years ago so that that government won't come into existence. Don't like that Einstein helped develop the Manhattan project, go back in time and scare him so badly about what his ideas wrought that he destroys everything around his energy formula. It takes the philosophical question of, “would you go back in time to kill Hitler as a baby” to a whole new level.

The list goes on and on. So much so that there isn't much left after time has been tinkered with so much. Just pockets of reality that disintegrate in the blink of an eye when they reach a critical moment.
It is as if many malicious time lords from “Doctor Who” were warring with each other had no scruples.

How do we get to the point of a bright sunny day on a perfect farm? Well, if I told you that it would spoil the fun, and in the words of River Song from Doctor Who, “Spoilers!” However, know that it involves an Allosaur named Miffly, poison (occasionally), a couple of statues, and a possible sarcastic bastard of a soldier, or he just might be lonely. It's hard to tell.

This soldier narrator has an excellent reason to act the way he acts and do the things he does without compunction. In his saving the future and living it up as best as possible, he faces something that challenges everything. That is the exciting part.

One Day All This Will Be Yours is another brilliant science fiction novella in the sea of Tchaikovsky's deep and brilliant catalog. Tchaikovsky has proven in the last decade or so that he is a man who can write anything. Such as science fiction, as seen in his Children of Time series, where he eventually became known as the “spider guy.” Walking in Aldebaran, where he smashes horror and science fiction, creating an existential take on madness. Or his huge epic Shadows of Apt series. A sprawling and immense epic story involving beings known as Kinden. You would be hard-pressed to find a story by Tchaikovsky that is not a great read. One Day This Will Be Yours, which takes the time-travel-gone-crazy trope and turns it on its ear, is another excellent read to add to his catalog.

Pacing and world-building wise, Tchaikovsky understands the fundamentals needed for a tight and gripping novella. Unlike regular novel lengthed stories, novellas have a stricter economy of words. You only get so many words to work with to create world-building, dialog, and character arc. It is the same constraint that short story writers deal with but to a more extreme extent. Some writers are good at this “dialed in” type of writing style, while other writers are very good at it. I would put Tchaikovsky in the latter group. I have read three of his novellas/short novels recently, and not in a single place did I ache for some part of story creation that was lacking. Readers loathe to branch out into novella/short novels and short story length stories because some writers struggle to pare their ideas down to the minimum word count with the maximum effect.

This problem isn't the case in One Day All This Will Be Yours.

The humor is wry and witty; the narrator's situations are hilarious and wild but do not stray into the ridiculous or uncomfortable. The pacing is quick, a must for a novella. And, the story overall is sweet in its own twisted way.

I loved this book, in case you can't tell. It will find a place of honor on my bookshelf and as a delightful reread in my future.

Made Things, Adrian Tchaikovsky's wild take on puppets, a puppeteer named Coppelia, and the schemes of a local thieves guild. What is becoming known to me as a very Adrian Tchaikovsky way of approaching an idea. Adrian took the concept of puppets, which under any other author would be twee and quaint, and gave them personality and breadth of character. The main protagonist is the puppeteer Coppeliam and the trials she faces with two of her homunculi friends Tef and Arc.

“They were very beautiful, to her eyes. They were horrible, too, but only in a way that uncanny things often are, and in Loretz, the magicians' city, one got used to uncanny things.”

Made Things is a story of many layers. Firstly we have the view of Tef and Arc. Two creatures who are trying to make their way in the world. When you are small and insignificant, the view from those who lord power over you is quite different. Though they are small, they be mighty. Secondly, Coppelia is learning to trust her mind and heart and where she should put her trust. There is also an exciting magic system in place, one that allows creating objects like Tef and Arc.

In the background are political disputes, but I think the real magic of the story and where Tchaikovsky has excelled is in the character creation of Coppelia and Tef and Arc. He fleshes them out and gives them life. These humonoculis's are no Pinocchios.

“The workshops of her mind were minting sincerity in unprecedented quantities, depressing the market for years to come with their adulterated coinage.”

Suppose you are not familiar with Tchaikovsky's other stories. In that case, they all have very similar qualities to them that make him one of the leaders in science fiction and fantasy writing today. He puts a lot of time and detail into his characters. I see this intensity of creation in his characters most in his novella work. It is as if his gift for writing has been distilled down for this medium.

The story's plot is interesting, but honestly, I thought of it as only a vehicle to learn more about the characters and where they fit into the world. So, if you enjoy very character-heavy stories, don't overlook Made Things. It will appeal to fans of fantasy in general, and as a shorter read, I think just under 200 pages, you can't go wrong with it.

The House In The Cerulean Sea is a lovely book incorporating unique world-building and Characters. It is a cross between Mrs. Peregrins Home for Peculiar Children, 1984, and a bit of Umbrella Academy. It is a captivating read and has been making the rounds amongst readers this past year with solidly five-star reviews, and it is wholly deserved of its praise; this is a gorgeous book.

“Humanity is so weird. If we're not laughing, we're crying or running for our lives because monsters are trying to eat us. And they don't even have to be real monsters. They could be the ones we make up in our heads. Don't you think that's weird?”

The story's main protagonist is Linus Baker, a gentle soul living a life of quiet desperation. He is a caseworker for a department that is in charge of Magical Youth. While Linus is calm and obedient in most aspects of his life, he is a champion of children and will defend those who can not protect themselves. This sentiment may sound a bit twee, but it comes off as a very authentic aspect of Linus's personality. Linus loves kids and as a caseworker who audits orphanages and makes sure that the children are receiving adequate care.

“Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. Like-minded people building it up to a roar.”

Because of the organization Linus works in, it is essential that Linus reports and observes the orphanages with objectivity. He needs to remain impartial and not get attached to the children. Linus generally does this well, as he is a more effective advocate for children when he is an impartial witness. But, even with all that he does for children, Linus is a lonely, unfulfilled person. He leaves the office every night, comes home, argues with his busybody neighbor, and goes to sleep. The only passions he allows himself are a love of music and a grumpy cat that he shares his life with.

On a rather ordinary day, Linus's life changes. Extremely Upper Management summons him. I love how the author creates this level of bureaucracy. Instead of just upper management, we are talking Extremely Upper Management—the people who aren't typically seen but who pull all the levers. They want him to evaluate Marsyas Island Orphanage, home to six special kids who aren't human. In this world, Linus is very familiar with the non-human population and has worked with them many times. Even so, this is a strange project to be given.

“Sometimes our prejudices color our thoughts when we least expect them to. If we can recognize that, and learn from it, we can become better people.”

Linus arrives at the orphanage, and this is where the magic happens in the story. The interactions between the six children: A wyvern, a gnome, a weredog, a green blob, a sprite, and the child of the devil and Linus are charming. It is also an exercise in acceptance. While Linus is unnerved and sometimes terrified by these children, especially in Baby Lucy, he sees their innocence and wants to protect them. He wants to teach them as an elder about courage and kindness, even in the face of townsfolk who don't want their kind around here. Linus has a month on this island, and while he tries to keep his typical objectivity, it isn't easy in the face of the beautiful interactions with the kids.

Additionally, Linus needs to interact with the headmaster of the school. A Mr. Arthur Parnassus, whom Linus is intrigued by, but again tries to remain impartial as he is there to evaluate Arthur as well. The relationship between Arthur and Linus is written as if they are dim lights circling each other, but they get brighter as they get closer to each other. It is a beautiful thing to read.

The entire story is uplifting. I know that many who read fantasy like it dark; I mostly look for morally gray characters and dark fantasy myself. The House in the Cerulean Sea seemed quaint and not something I would typically read when I originally read the blurb. But, there is something about TJ Klunes writing that is wonderful. It isn't quaint or cutesy, but something far more elegant and lovely. The relationships that Linus has, first with the children and then with Arthur, have a healing quality that extends past the character and affects the reader. Marsyas Island Orphanage was healing for Linus's soul after years of stagnation and repression, and it feels healing for readers like me after this long year of suckage. This story is like a warm mug of hot cocoa with a shot of whiskey in front of a fire. This story's message is powerful, and it goes to the top reads of 2020 for me.

Even people who love the darkest and meanest fantasy will get something out of the story, and it is well worth the journey to read it.

Review to come.

Superheroes can be complex characters, and none more so than dr. Fid in Fid's Crusade by David H. Reiss. Gone are the days of herculean knights swooping in to save the damsel in distress while simultaneously grinning at the camera with a twinkle on a tooth. Readers are asking more of their characters. It is not enough to be super anymore; we want super and complex—no small feat. It is this desire for more is why Fid's Crusade is such a successful story; Fid is an incredibly intricate villainous superhero.

Fid's Crusade is the story of a master villain and his endless quest to punish the unworthy. Who the real villains of the story change and develop as the narrative progresses. In that, it reminds me of Garth Ennis's The Boys. None of that is why you would read the book. The plot in itself is interesting, but not why I kept turning pages. Fid and the roundness of his character was why I did. Essentially, Fid is a man with the temperament, intelligence, and moral compass to punish those who deserve it. And when I say punish, I mean that if Fid finds you wanting, he will rain unholy hellfire upon you, destroy everything you hold dear in life, and walk away feeling as if he did an adequate job. I appreciate the thoroughness of his villainy.

In comparison, this could have been a flat story. Reiss could have borrowed from “Batman” and Tony Stark's cultural mythos and created an amalgamation of characters who just happened to fall on the dark side. That would have been lazy writing. What he did do was give us a broken man, wracked with pain and emotional trauma, fighting to make things right, and he gave us a character to empathize with and understand why he did horrible things. Essentially, David Reiss gave us an anti-hero who is morally gray in the form of a superhero book.

“In the end, it may take a villain to save the world from those entrusted with the world's protection”

Fid's Crusade by David H Reiss was the 2018 Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize winner. In an interview regarding why he tackled an antagonist, the author David Reiss said, “I read John Gardner's Grendel when I was young. That's a deep dive into the mind of the beast from Beowulf. Ever since then I've wondered what the antagonist was thinking throughout a story whenever I saw what the hero was doing. In superhero stories, the villains are more proactive. The heroes all react. The villain's robbing a bank, so the heroes run to save the day. But the villain's the guy that has to start things rolling. I was trying to approach the genre from what initiates conflict.” While all that is very true. Approaching a story from a villain's perspective because the villain's actions are the catalyst for plot movement is different. However, all I could think of having finished Fid's Crusade was “Every fairy tale needs a good old fashioned villain.”

The action scenes are intense in this story. They usually involve technical jargon about Fid's suit, weapons, and bloody battles with the “good” heroes. At the beginning of the story, this is overwhelming. We start the story right in the middle of a fight; Dr. Fid wields his weapons and intellect like a cudgel against his opponents. I wasn't sure what I was in for from the first chapter. But as the story progresses and we get into Fid's backstory, it becomes a much more engaging read. Instead of the technical jargon and fight scenes being the story's meat, they become details that help us understand Fid's intellect.

I want to be very clear; Reiss did not write this story with any pretense that the reader will like Fid. I wouldn't say I like Fid as a person. Some of the things he does are horrifying. But that isn't important. What is important is I loved reading about him as he is morally gray and complicated. I empathized with his journey, and I understood the foundations of his villainy. Even when he starts moving away from his violent tendencies and finds some peace, and yet again is faced with a personal tragedy that sends him reeling to the dark side, I got it. When a reader can empathize and understand a character like that, it is good engaging writing.

Fid's Crusade is a complicated story to explain pacing wise. Reiss takes a long time with nuanced writing to explain Dr. Fids backstory. It is smart in that it would be very easy for a reader to fall into a trap of not liking Fid and not empathizing with his plights. However, because of the nuanced writing and the time Reiss took to create a clear mental picture of Fid as a villain, I didn't have that issue. But, because of the long buildup for Fid, I found the novel slowing down a bit. All of the detailing Reiss was putting in was important, but I can see some readers feeling like that section of the story is overlong. I think how you react to the first section of the book will come down to personal preference. It all becomes seamless as plot and character creation come slamming together, but it is a meandering path.

Fid's Crusade stands heads above its superhero novel contemporaries. While some readers may have difficulty with Reiss's meandering path to the plot denouement, I found that it was all worth it. Fid's Crusade is a great story, well worth the time reading it.

I am looking forward to checking out the other books in the series.

Memoria, Kristyn Merbeth's second book of the Nova Protocol series, is another fun dive into the world of the dysfunctional Corvis family. In the first novel, Fortuna, Kristyn Merbeth introduced us to the Corvis family led by the reincarnation of Momma Fratelli from Goonies as the Momma. Momma reigned over here brood of thieves, swindlers, and smugglers with an iron fist. She was sparing of praise and love, no more so than with Scorpia Kaiser. In the first novel, Scorpia is the pilot of the family ship, Fortuna. She suffers from Middle child syndrome, where she feels not as good as her older and disappeared brother Corvus, nor does she get a pass on her actions like her younger siblings do. She spends a good part of the first novel drinking her problems away.

Corvus, on the other hand, was newly returned from the war in the first book. He left, against Momma's wishes, breaking cardinal family rules by disobeying her. The dynamics between the Kaiser family's siblings told through Scorpia and Corvus's eyes is spectacularly chaotic but changes as they grow, learn, and come into their own. Memoria, the second book of the Nova Vita Protocol series, is releasing this month. It is a continuation of the drama from the first book, again told through Scorpia and Corvus's eyes.

In the first novel, Fortuna came off as a character study of sibling dynamics and how people fold or grow under pressure. Memoria is a continuation of these developing characters coming into themselves set against the backdrop of war and vengeance, much out of their control, but they get swept up in it.

When I reviewed the first story, the main issue I had was that I did not empathize or care about the two dueling narratives. The worldbuilding was interesting and well done, the action was fast-paced, but when it came to reading about Corvus and Scropia, it held me back from falling into the story. In the first book, Scorpia was a mouthy caricature. She almost got her entire family killed twice, and none of it felt balanced by the other family members. I wanted to like her, and I wanted to cheer for her. But most of all, I wanted to slap some sense into her.

We have come a long way in Memoria.

Memoria's Scorpia and Corvus had many of the same issues that plagued them in the first series. Scorpia is a mouthy alcoholic that makes stupid impetuous choices. But this time around, the gravitas of their situation as a family and how her choices directly affect her family is changing. She is becoming a wiser leader and the Captain she has always wanted to be. Scorpia is someone I can see and understand more, and throughout the book, she comes more and more into her own. I loved that, I wanted and needed a wiser Scorpia.

Much the same can be said about Corvus. Corvus had his own set of issues to deal with in Memoria. I think much of that is Corvus is learning to stand on his own. He knows what is right, even if he has to stand against those he revered and loved. It is a great thing to see, as I have liked Corvus from the start of the series, but I like him even more now.

The plot and pacing were excellent in Memoria. The action has lulls, but those pauses give the story a more realistic feel. The action scenes are well crafted; you can tell that Merbeth appreciates tight and well-done action. One of the most exciting is a prison break out scene near the beginning of the story that is breathless with excitement.

Many of the problems I had with the first book have disappeared. The idea of the dysfunctional band of smugglers is still there. A very Firefly vibe, but Merbeth is coming into her own with these characters. It felt like a fuller and rounder story. The siblings outside of Corvus and Scorpia are not flat anymore, they have more definition, and the dynamic of how they fit into this band of misfits is more apparent.

I mentioned that I did not think I would be continuing with the series in my original review for Fortuna, but I am so glad I did continue. Memoria was a treat. A solid space fantasy with fun characters and a great plot. I think that if you hadn't read Fortuna, you could start with Memoria if you wanted to. You will miss some of the subtleties and character growth, though. So if you are interested in the Nova Vita Protocol, start with Fortuna, get introduced to Corvus and Scorpia. It will take you into Memoria, where you will have a solid foundation, and you can start loving these characters and this crazy dysfunctional family.

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht starts with a dark promise of scintillation and details so sharp and vivid they slice like a knife. For example, “Thin ice isn't a problem for the sea; it's a problem for the blind idiot who steps out on it. The fool who breaks it gets sucked under; the ice, it mends.” The visual is stunning.

An idiot on unforgiving ice falling through, passing into the icy depths as a relentless and ruthless sheet of ice mends the whole. The idiot disappears as if he never existed. It is gorgeous; it is the type of description that sticks with a reader. Sometime in the future, when a reader is next to a frozen lake, the visual of unforgiving ice will come crashing to the forefront of the reader's mind. It will cause them to take a massive step back from the edge.

The Monster of Elendhaven is brutal and full of passages that evoke such dark imagery. If I was to judge the reading experience of Giesbrecht's use of language and imagery, this is one of the most haunting and atmospheric books I have read in a long while. But a story cannot just be extremely quotable passages, and that is where it ultimately went off the rails for me.

The premise is that there is a town, a dark skulking village on the edge of a seashore where everything is poison. “(it) sulks on the edge of the ocean. Wracked by plague, abandoned by the South, stripped of industry and left to die. But not everything dies so easily.” Many things may kill you in this dark victorian-esque town, most notably is “A thing without a name stalks the city, a thing shaped like a man, with a dark heart and long pale fingers yearning to wrap around throats. A monster who cannot die.” This monster is a man named Johann, a man who remembers nothing of his creation. He is a man who cannot die, and he has tried many times. He has thrown himself off buildings, stabbed himself, poisoned... everything. He will not die.

The other character of the book is a man named Florian, who is a different kind of monster. Florian is an accountant by day but something else entirely by night. Johann becomes infatuated with Florian. These two monsters swirl and dance around each other like leaves caught in a tornado. There is gruesome detail, murder most foul, and a love story that left me a little confused and uncomfortable. Johann almost stalks Florian, but Johann is in for a surprise as Florian is no one's prey.

In the end, though, while the visuals and detailing in this book is spectacular, the plotting felt very shaky. It is a story that needs a nudge in a direction. If it is horror, revel in the spectacle of it. If it is a love story, fabulous. These two characters shall enchant me. But being in the middle left me neither scared nor enchanted with the love between the two main characters.

Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You by Scotto Moore is intriguing and quirky. I am a connoisseur of the offbeat comedy/horror book, and this story felt right at home for me. However, putting this novella into a concrete category is difficult. There are aspects of a lot of different genres present. Firstly, we have horror for obvious reasons, plus a touch of science fiction. Also, There is drama, and I also found it quite funny. It is a lot to unpack for such a short story.

The story starts with a music blogger, home alone. He finds a “hot new band on the scene, releasing one track a day for ten days straight.” I can empathize with the main character immediately. I feel like this when I discover a new story. I want to talk about it and share it with people. The band's name is Beautiful Remorse, and the band is creating the most glorious music he has ever heard. It speaks to his soul, probably a little too much. It makes the listener have an obsessive fascination with the band and everything it is putting out. The music blogger sets out to find out as much as possible about the band and the mysterious lead singer named Airee MacPherson.

Without much effort, he scores an interview with Airee, an invite to tour with the band, and help release the new tracks for Beautiful Remorse. Obviously, an offer that he couldn't refuse. But pretty quick into the tour, he realizes there is something sinister going on, and not all is as it seems.

The lead protagonist in the story is fairly fleshed out. He embodied the geeky nerd voice of anyone talking about their absolute favorite thing; I empathized with him a lot. However, the side characters were no more than cutouts. There wasn't much to them, which is acceptable in a book this short, 120 pages.

As I mentioned earlier, I love offbeat books. Something that is a little weird is usually up my alley. However, this book is certainly not for everyone. The sheer ridiculousness of the events that happen in the book can be a little offputting for some readers. But, if you want to read a story with an old-fashioned grindhouse kind of flavor, Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You is great.

Seanan McGuire, the author of Across the Green Grass Fields, the newest addition to the Wayward Children series, is bringing us a touching and verdant tale that takes place amongst centaurs and unicorns.

Seanan McGuire, author of countless novels, novellas, comics, short stories, and songs, has an inborn connection to myths and legends. In reading her stories, it seems like McGuire takes tales of old and twists them, turns them on their head, and serves them to her readers like an exquisite delicacy. I have gorged myself on her stories in the past. I can say that I have enjoyed what Seanan has written for her full catalog in one way or another. Even the stories that don't 100% connect with me as a reader, I appreciate her mastery as a writer. Luckily for me, she is a prolific writer, and I have many choices in stories.

All that being said, I enjoyed Across the Green Grass Fields, as I have enjoyed or loved the other books in her Wayward Children series, but this one was not my favorite. I came out of the story almost ambivalent to the plot.

The story starts with the main character, a little girl named Regan. Regan is different than other girls in the story. You see how Regan is kind and empathetic and how she stumbles in personal relationships as McGuire details the intricacies of those relationships with her peers. Girls can be mean, the mean girl stereotype is there for a reason, and she is getting the full force of it due to her “best friend.” While Regan is ten at the start of this story, that is only in years as Regan is far wiser in some ways than your average ten-year-old girl. Regan has one passion, and that is a love of horses. According to Regan, this is an acceptable passion for a young girl. Had she had a passion, for say, bugs, she knows that she would be ostracized and shunned as some of her classmates had been. She keeps most of this love to herself and does not share it with her schoolmates. This self-awareness plays a significant role in Regan's character's development as the story moves onwards.

As the story continues, Regan ages, and her schoolmates physically develop. But, Regan seems stalled in her childlike stage. She is standing on the precipice of starting that terrible transition to adulthood but not quite getting there.

She goes to her parents with the question, “Why?” Why is she different than the other girls? Her parents let her know that she is intersex. I am delighted that McGuire took such a real and pertinent issue and gave it the treatment it deserves. Regan is an example of one of McGuire's strengths, in that she treats and creates children as real human beings. They feel fear, panic, and emotional turmoil and are not treated with, pardon the pun, kid gloves.

Regan reaches out to a “friend” and explains to her friend what being intersex is. She wants to talk about a momentous thing in her life so she reaches out to a “friend.” The “friend” reacts as I can imagine some children reacting and starts yelling at her, calling her a boy and telling the school. What should be an intimate moment between friends turns into taunting and jeers from uninformed and cruel kids. Regan runs out of her school.

At this point, Regan finds a door.

If you are familiar with any of the Wayward Children books, you understand the significance of a door and what it means for the child. The door is to a place, unlike your home. In previous books, a door led children to a land of mad science and death, a goblin market, or lands made of candy. Each land changes the child. In this child's case, the land that Regan walked into is one called Hooflands. A land of centaurs, unicorns, and other creatures of the same ilk. Perfect land for one who loves all creatures equine. It is said when a human child comes through a door into the Hooflands; it portends to change. By the act of her coming to The Hooflands, her human nature wills a destiny into effect. One that will affect the citizens of The Hooflands and change the world they know. Regan does not believe in destiny.

“Welcome to the Hooflands. We're happy to have you, even if you being here means something's coming.”

The second and third part of Across the Grass Green Fields details the land of centaurs and unicorns. It is an unusual lake on the mythos behind these creatures. McGuire's Worldbuilding is lush and verdant. Like any of her other stories across multiple genres, there is always a slightly dark edge to everything. What may be green and gorgeous with towering trees and emerald green moss will likely be housing monsters. This speaks to McGuire's familiarity with folk tales and legends. Before Disney, stories such as The Little Mermaid and Hansel and Gretel were tales of fancy as much as cautionary. Good does not always conquer evil. Sometimes the witch does eat the children, and the mermaid might not get the prince. And, of course, everything has teeth.

Regan spends years living amongst the creatures of The Hooflands. She becomes a wild girl, probably who she was always meant to be. She also learns self-reliance, kindness, strength of will, and character. I like who Regan becomes; it feels like a proper extension and growth for her as a character. But, as a human is an omen for significant change in the Hooflands, Regan has a destiny that will be fulfilled. Even if she doesn't believe in fate and wants to be left alone with her found family.

“She still didn't believe in destiny. Clay shaped into a cup was not always destined to become a drinking vessel' it was simply shaped by someone too large to be resisted. She was not clay, but she had been shaped by her circumstances all the same, not directed by any destiny.”

The fourth and final act of the story is where Across the Green Grass Fields lost me a little bit. This book has beautiful writing, a great explanation of centaurs' matriarchal society, and touching descriptions of the real friendships Regan makes. But, beyond the lush details, the actual plot and final crescendo of the story fell flat for me. It felt anti-climatic in the face of such excellent writing. However, I have to say that Regan's very practical nature is entertaining to read. The vital thing to note about the ending, even though I found it anti-climatic; it is in line with Regan's character. One of the major themes of Across the Green Grass Fields has to do with destiny or lack thereof. Regan believes in her future, her own path. It will not be defined by what and who thinks it should. That idea starts slow when dealing with her peers' preconceived notions and eventually crescendos at the end of the story. Regan becomes more comfortable in her shoes and does not care if that bothers anyone.

Overall, I enjoyed this addition to The Wayward Children series, great characters, and a lush world. It is solid, but I think it lacks the same oomph that other books in the series have. I will continue reading the Wayward Books, taken as a whole series; they are lovely and some of McGuires best writing.

Have you heard of C.T. Phipps and Psycho Killers in Love? No? How about Straight out of Fangton and I was a Teenage Weredeer? If not, you are in for a treat because let me tell you about some very original and wild fiction by Phipps. And, when I say wild, the premise of Psycho Killers in Love is set in a world called The United States of Monsters.

I read this novel a couple of months ago and was tickled by it, but I had been holding off on writing a review because honestly, how do you write a review for a book titled Psycho Killers in Love and sum up everything? You should know a couple of things right off the start; Phipps appreciates puns and a bit on the nose kitsch. This greatly appeals to me as a reader. But, if that isn't your style, don't let that turn you off thinking that this will be a silly book; it isn't. Quite the contrary, it is a straight-up horror novel with great characters that pay homage to psycho killer movies of the 1980s but has a fresh modern feel to it.

The story is about the main brother and sister protagonists, William and Carrie England. If you know your horror lore, we have a nod to Carrie from King's Carrie and a nod to Robert England of Freddy Kreuger fame. Will and Carrie grew up in a slasher family, it is the family industry, and their father, Billy Jones Patrick, was a famous slasher who specialized in the 80s type slasher haunts. Killing in sororities, camps, and slumber parties is hard, but someone has to do it. After their father's death, William and Carrie were put into an insane asylum to languish drugs and electroshock treatments. We start the story with the two of them being on the run from authorities after their escaping government lockdown.

Instead of being psychologically off your rocker and being a slasher, you have the slasher gene, and it is innate. It is embedded in your DNA as much as blue eyes and height. Monsters, while not wholly outed to the public, are real. Ghosts, demons, zombies all have a part to play in Phipps's The United States of Monsters. And, of course, where you have zombies, and demons you have violence. The opening scene in a diner is worth buying the book to read.

With the embedded DNA, there are perks and pitfalls. They have supernatural abilities but also a thirst for blood, figuratively. However, I wouldn't put a literal thirst for blood past Carrie, who reminded me quite a bit of deranged Harley Quinn. Instead of being true psycho slashers, they exercise their slasher gene with vigilante-type killing.

Another main character, and important one, is that of the Artemis Nancy. We meet her a bit into the story, and she is the counterpart and love interest to the psycho killer, William. An Artemis is a person with the genetic makeup to kill the slasher gene. And, since we are talking homages here, Nancy (Nancy, the last girl from Freddy Kreuger movies) is an extension of the last girl idea. Slasher movies usually had one girl left after the killing who would defeat the psycho killer. She was typically virginal, kind, and mild until pushed too far. Nancy is none of those things.

The three of them come together for some Scooby-Doo type fun, involving some Cthulu style psychological horror as well as monster baddies. It is great fun with exciting action and memorable characters.

There is a lot to unpack with this story, and much of it would spoil the fun. But if you enjoy excellent writing and things with the 80s horror vibe to them, you will like this. Come for the title, but stay for the characters and world-building.

Essa Hansen's debut short story Save, Salve, Shelter in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction January/February 2020 is shining a light on the despair of Earth's ecological collapse. There are still good people who want to help.

“Corrupted babies wouldn't have survived this long.” Pasha shifts her trembling shoulders and tucks restless leverets back in their pouches. “Not everything out there is dead. And what isn't ruined deserves our care. The cause of the outbreak was us. Our fault.”

Hansen wrote this story in the wake of the California wildfires in 2017 and 2018. It was a reaction to the global trajectory the world is currently on regarding cataclysmic climate change. In Hansen's story, the chances for the Earth and all her inhabitants have come and gone. The United Nations is set to abandon the Earth with some humans and the DNA/Genetic sequencing of as many animals as the humans can find.

The humans that set out tracking across the barren landscape of the Earth are called catalogers. Pasha, the story's protagonist, is one of these catalogers. However, instead of leaving the animals to their fate, Pasha, in a moment of kindness and what I believe it means to be human, pick up the animals and carry them with her. She saves, salves, and shelters them, hence the name of the short story.

As anyone who attempts to save a baby animal can attest to, some make it; some don't. The point of the story is we should be trying to save them instead of abandoning them. We are stewards to the Earth, and the animal's fate is our fault. Pasha walks from launch site to launch site, each time trying to come aboard with her small menagerie. She is lied to, coerced, and the animals are euthanized repeatedly.

Her body is hunched and broken from carrying her hoard by foot for hundreds and hundreds of miles. Each time she comes upon an animal that can be saved, she picks it up, does her best, and moves on. It is heartbreaking and frustrating. You want her to succeed, but there is an air of desperation and futility to her struggles.

My only quibble about the story is the end of Save, Salve, Shelter. It is too abrupt and too out of character compared to the rest of Pasha's actions. I understand someone being at the end of their rope, especially with all Pasha has gone through, but it seemed too much. This is very much a personal reaction to the ending; your mileage may vary.

On the whole, this is a great read. I understand Hansen's feelings regarding the wildfires as I witnessed much of the same this year. It is a terrifying feeling to be so small in the face of such devastation. She took that feeling and transferred it well to Save, Salve, Shelter. There is hope for humanity in the form of Pasha. Even with the damage humans have wrought upon the Earth, there are still some good people.