Category Archives: Small Press Book Reviews

After the Ruin by Harriet Goodchild (Hadley Rille) After the Ruin is a retelling of the classic boy-meets-girl story. The background for this particular romance is the high fantasy kingdom of Felluria where the immortal (beautiful/tragic) Marwy Ninek rules. Her … Continue reading →

Ghosts of Forgotten Empires Vol 1 by Michael J Foy (Telemachus Press). Right off the bat, the prelude says the millennially ancient warbot that lost power may not have made it to its destination but “other planet-killers made it.” Then … Continue reading →

The Black Trillium by Simon McNeil (Brain Lag) Imagine a post apocalyptic world where swashbuckling meets a good Kung Fu movie meets I Am Legend, in Canada. I hesitate to call this book Sword and Sorcery since the “magic” is … Continue reading →

Recoil by Bonnie Brunish   There is simply not enough far-future science fiction being written, and this novel, first in a series, is a new addition to the subgenre of what may happen to the future human race if we … Continue reading →

Jews Vs. Aliens edited by Lavie Tidhar and Rebecca Levene  (Jurassic London) Jews vs Aliens is a charity anthology supporting Mosac (Greenwich, South London), which provides practical and emotional support to non-abusing parents, carers and families of children who have … Continue reading →

Sword of Shadows (Kristell Ink, Grimbold Books) by C.N. Lesley This book is all about a quest for a legendary sword, but the Excalibur of this tale is the key to an alien race. It’s not only a war of … Continue reading →

Pandora’s Gun by James Van Pelt (Faiwood Press)   If you enjoyed Paul Melko’s THE WALLS OF THE UNIVERSE, or Jay Lake’s ROCKET SCIENCE, you’ll love this! Peter is a high schooler who’s best friend is drifting away from much … Continue reading →

Back, Belly, & Side: True Lies and False Tales by Celeste Rite Baker (Aqueduct Press) Overall, I enjoyed reading this compilation of thirteen short stories by Celeste Rita Baker. As a collection, Back, Belly, & Side was thematically (mostly) consistent. … Continue reading →

Shadow Over Avalon by C. N. Lesley (Kristell Ink) Everything works in this truly different spinoff of the Arthurian legend. I’d reviewed C.N. Lesley’s riveting Darkspire Reaches so I was eager to read this, and knew it would be no … Continue reading →

The Stars Seem So Far Away by Margrét Helgadóttir (Fox Spirit Books) Margrét Helgadóttir is a Norwegian-Icelandic writer and editor who burst onto the scene in 2012. I’m very pleased she asked us to review The Stars Seem So Far … Continue reading →