Historical-fantasy blends are my favourite genre, and the Roaring 1920’s is one of my fav periods, so of course this drew my attention. What to Expect Expect a half-heist half-revenge story, told in a somewhat non-linear way (lots of skipping back and forth). The story mostly follows Dolly White, with occasional other points of view, […]
Book Review
TV Series Review: Miss (and Ms) Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
Double whammy (and a half): review of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, the sequel series Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, and a note about the book series that sparked them. First, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room. Yes, I’ve watched the TV series before reading the books. However, that is how I found out about […]
Book Review: L’Esprit de L’Escalier, by Catherynne M. Valente
A promise of a Hugo-award finalist retelling of one of my favourite greek myth caught my interest for a quick read. What to Expect Expect a Gothic novelette, full of brooding atmosphere. The ancient Greek gods are the rock stars (literally) of the modern world, and we get to explore what might have been were […]
Book Review: Amongst Our Weapons, by Ben Aaronovitch
The Rivers of London is a good series and I’ve enjoyed the previous volumes, so I was quite excited with new release. What to Expect Expect another typical Peter Grant supernatural crime blend, reading like a modern British police procedural novel except that the crimes (and police people) deal with magic. By now Aaronovitch is […]
Book Review: Unremarkable, by Geoff Habiger and coy Kisse
I love the 1920’s and historical fantasy, so any combination is an obvious allure 🙂 What to Expect Expect a short novel about a good Jewish boy from Chicago getting caught in the notorious gang wars between AL Capone and Bugs Moran. Not only is that bad enough, but there’s a supernatural twist that bubbles […]
Book Review: A Practical Guide to Conquering the World, by KJ Parker
The Siege is one of modern fantasy most unique series, coming from one of the best authors out there, so of course I jumped on the latest (and probably last) installment. What to Expect Expect a story happening in parallel to the previous novels. This could be a different starting point (at least for those […]
Book Review: Invisible Romans, by Robert C. Knapp
As someone who writes fiction inspired by Ancient Rome, I am always fascinating by the lives of the ordinary people. I find the adventures of the ones comprising 99.5% of the population much more fascinating than the movers and shakers. What to Expect Expect a review of non-elite (as much as possible) sources, where Knapp […]
Book Review: Demon’s Dagger, by Douglas Lumsden
I find Lumsden’s urban fantasy series one of the best out there, and I will never get tired of saying it. So obviously I was very excited to see a companion novella. What to Expect Expect something a little different that the usual Alex Southerland novel. This one is doesn’t involve him, but one of […]
Book Review: Architecture 101: From Frank Gehry to Ziggurats, an Essential Guide to Building Styles and Materials, by Nicole Bridge
Architecture has been on my mind lately, so what’s better than a book with a review of the development of architecture throughout the ages? While this is a bit if the expansion of the usual remit of the Roman history side of this blog, I know many of you appreciate related topics like food history […]
Books Review: ‘Doughnut’ and ‘The Outsorcerer’s Apprentice’ by Tom Holt
Every time I read one of Holt’s books (often under his KJ Parker pen-name), I end up loving it. Since I was in the mood for light fantasy and he’s known for that, I picked this one up from my TBR. What to Expect With a deft pen, Holt packs a lot into a fantasy […]
FELIX THE FOX MYSTERIES 