The Dark Defiles review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Richard K. Morgan's new novel, The Dark Defiles the final book in the Land Fit for Heroes series. The first two paragraphs and a link are below the cover art. Check it out and feel free to share:

When we come to the end of anything, when we know that this is our last one, expectations go up and the pressure is on. With a book series the author has to tie up all loose ends and find a fitting goodbye to all of the characters they have given us over the years. While some authors handle this magnificently, others decide to try and cram a whole other book into the one they are writing.

Ringil Eskiath, our unstoppable warrior turned black mage, is at the end of the world looking for a mythical sword. The sword holds the soul of a dark king that the demons, the Aldrain, want to use to recapture the world as their own. Ringil finds that it was a ruse to separate him from his friends, Egar the Dragonbane and Archeth the immortal half Kiriath. Ringil has to find and face the Aldrain at their source along with their human coconspirators to rescue his friends. Along the way he has to fight to retain control of his growing dark powers as well as confront his family that rejected him because of his homosexuality. Meanwhile Egar and Archeth set out to find the truth behind the war that ended 5,000 years earlier and the massive weapons used to end it. If the Aldrain get their hands on the weapons, humanity doesn’t have a chance. The three of them look for answers, redemption, and the true measure of heroes. (more... )

Acceptance Review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Jeff VanderMeer's latest book, Acceptance. The first two paragraphs are below with a link to the review. Check it out and feel free to share:

We crave answers. Both the scientific and spiritual fields have dedicated a majority of time seeking out answers. As humans, we are hardwired to want evidence, to find out what the truth really is. At times we locate what we sought only to find the answers unsatisfying. Other times we find the answers only to beg the cosmos to unknow, unlearn what we find. Sometimes, the answers come crashing at us with horrifying revelation testing what we think of as truth.

It is wintertime in Area X, an area that has been identified as unlivable and even dangerous to the outside world, and the border is expanding. The Southern Reach was the last guard between Area X and the rest of the world. It now lays in tatters after Area X grew tired on its constant poking and prodding. The few survivors of the attack (an outsider that is losing what is left of his mind, one who was pulling the strings before they were all cut, and someone who came back from across the border that the other two can’t trust) go off in one final suicide mission to find the truth. Everything we’ve learned so far pales in comparison, as the final layers of the mystery are unraveled (more...)

Destiny Review up at PerihelionSF

The good people at Perihelion SF have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for the new video game, Destiny. There is a link below the picture, check it out and feel free to share:

Last review titled, Destined To Kill Time

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage Review up at Buzzy Mag

The good people at Buzzy Mag have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Haruki Murakami's new novel, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. The first two paragraphs and a link are below:

With the advent of social media our past always lingers around us like the smell of cookies that were baked days ago. Now we can see what our third-grade classmate had for lunch or what political belief they zealously follow. But maybe we are supposed to allow the past and the people of yesterday fade from our lives. Part of growing up is letting go of all the things that are no longer necessary to us. But we shouldn’t have our past violently severed from us.

Tsukuru Tazaki is closing in on middle-age and is about to enter a serious relationship. He explains a trauma of his past and quickly learns that he must deal with it in order to move on.

But for a man who hasn’t ever left Japan, he is now finding that he may have to travel far and wide, both outside of the country and deep inside his own mind, to get the answers he is looking for. But uncovering one mystery leads to another. All the while Tsukuru is having vivid dreams. Dreams that are powerful and reaching out into his life, to where he doesn’t know where the dream stops and reality starts. And his dreams may be going after those that made him suffer. (More...)

Storm Siren Review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Mary Weber's new novel, Storm Siren - a YA magic romp. There is a link below the cover photo, feel free to click and share:

Strom Siren Review

Watt O'Hugh Underground Review up at New Myths

The good people at New Myths have published another review I wrote for them. The review is for Steven S. Drachman's new novel, Watt O'Hugh Underground. There is a link below the cover picture feel free to click it and share. 

Watt O'Hugh Underground review