Category Archives: Small Press Book Reviews

Abyss & Apex 2Q 2013 Small Press Book Reviews Darkspire Reaches by C.N. Lesley (Kristell Ink) Despite the cover this is not yet another book about magic and dragons. It is about a young woman’s journey of self-discovery. On par … Continue reading →

Near+Far by Cat Rambo. Welcome to the dark and realistic future worlds of veteran science fiction writer Cat Rambo. Two of the stories in this double collection were originally published in Abyss & Apex so when it came out we … Continue reading →

The Chosen by Jay Hartlove (Damnation Books) Okay, this I was not expecting. Chosen by Jay Hartlove is sort of black-Jason-Bourne-meets-Egyptian-Voodoo mashup. It chronicles an ancient rivalry between the chief magician of the Pharaoh mentioned in Exodus and his replacement … Continue reading →

by Elle Newmark (Atria Books) A friend touted The Book of Unholy Mischief as a fantasy, based on her expectations and the cover. The setting was 14th century Venice, which I had just been hearing about and looking at pictures … Continue reading →

Marooned by P.J. Druce Gryffynperch Books Marooned is a tightly-plotted dystopian future science fiction fantasy about a girl who fights . . . oh wait, you’re thinking The Hunger Games, right? Not quite. Alyssa Jordan, a.k.a. “Punk”  is a vicious … Continue reading →

River Edited by Alma Alexander Dark Quest Books It says much that is good about both Alma Alexander and Dark Quest books that they were able to assemble such an impressive stable of writers for this anthology. This is an … Continue reading →

Candle in the Attic Window Edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles Innsmouth Free Press Would I review a book of Gothic fiction? Well,  one of the few types of romances I enjoy are Gothic romances – and I … Continue reading →

Lore and Dysorder by Patrick Thomas, Padwolf Publishing Patrick Thomas is, in my opinion, the absolute master of the trickster leprechaun story. So when he decided to do a series on the ancient Sumerian god Negral, who chooses to work … Continue reading →

by Wendy S. Delmater THE SUMMER OF THE APOCALYPSE by James Van Pelt (Fairwood Press) A tour-de-force novel from prolific short story writer James Van Pelt. Eric, now age 75, lives in a post-apocalyptic Colorado, at the foothills of the … Continue reading →