The Historical Fantasy Book Club is one of my favourite FB groups (shocking, I know), and back in June they invited me for an “author takeover”. I thought rather than talking about my usual topics (Romans, and their obsession with fantastical beasts and how to cook them), I’d try to create a broader discussion, one […]
News / Blog
Book Review: The Good Audit, by C.P. Aiden
The Good Audit is one of the funniest, wittiest satires I have read in recent years, with humour and social criticism. A must for anyone who ever worked in the corporate world! What to expect A story about a team of accountants auditing a manufacturer’s financial records. Sounds boring? It’s anything but! In a brilliant […]
Special Announcement: OMG!
For those unaware, SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) is the indie equivalent of Thermopylae — 300 entrants and only one winner. It’s rough, brutal, and very prestigious. There are 10 blogs (some with multiple bloggers) judging 30 books each, and then the 10 finalists are judged with the help of Mark Lawrence for a single final […]
My Execution
This is a short piece I wrote when I wasn’t in a good mood… On the other hand, it suits the general October spookiness quite well. You’ve been warned. Today I will be executed for my crimes. The guard banged his truncheon on the bars, and I obediently kneeled at the back of the cell. His mate pushed […]
Fighting Rhythms and other rants
I’ve recently finished The New Magic by Joseph Malik (review to come soon — but his first book, Dragon’s Trail, was half of what prompted me to start writing advice on writing action scenes, as an example of how to do them right). Anyway. You often hear the advice about writing fight scenes to “use […]
Book Review: ‘Rocks Fall. Everyone Dies.’ by Eddie Skelson
I found out about Rocks Fall through SPFBO 2019, and an interview with Corbett (the cranky wizard) convinced me to read. It’s an excellent, lighthearted fantasy adventure that fans of D&D and MMORPGs would adore, and make just about everyone with a funny-bone snort at the jokes. What to expect Expect a funny fantasy romp, […]
Ancient Texts
Today’s post collects interesting articles on the subjects on ancient texts. From high-tech reading of ancient Roman scrolls to medieval books made now available (and down to some really pissed-off bronze age customers), we have an amazing selection for lovers of words. Protect yourself! First, let’s start with a bit of fun. Every author these […]
Book Series Review: Marcus Corvinus, by David Wishart
I’ve read and reviews Ovid, the first in the series, about a year ago. It was awesome, so naturally I went down the rabbit hole of reading through the 20-volume series… I’ve even chased down Corvinus himself for a character interview. I’ve posted my reviews of each individual volume on Amazon and Goodreads, but below […]
Book Review: Cabaret of Monsters, by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Caberet of Monsters presents a marvelous twist of Urban Fantasy. Though I was originally drawn by the Roman elements, the vibe of Parisian theatre and roaring 1920’s as a backdrop to urban fantasy was refreshingly original What to expect A novella set in the same world as the Creature Court trilogy, published a few years […]
Book Review: Rivers of London (aka in the US as ‘Midnight Riot’), by Ben Aaronovitch
Rivers of London was recommended to me by a bookstore owner (one who carries my novels too, and was trying to find similar target audiences). Considering my love of urban-fantasy detective, especially with an historical bent, I dived right in. What to expect Expect an interesting twist on Urban Fantasy, when an unsuspecting British constable […]
