I can’t remember exactly when What Kings Ate floated past me, but given my love of both fantasy and historical foodstuffs I knew it was going to be a hit. What to expect A non-fiction that’s still light-hearted, both informative and entertaining. The author covers many aspects of food throughout history as a way to […]
News / Blog
Antiquarians Antiquating (links from antiquity)
First, as a warm up, last October Archaeologists Discovered 20 Sealed Ancient Egyptian Coffins. It’s a unique find, in that the sarcophagi are very well preserved and are still entirely sealed. While I’m always the curious type, 2020 being what it is – may I suggest perhaps we shouldn’t open them? 😅 Seriously, though, read […]
Book Review: Penric’s Demon, by Lois McMaster Bujold
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Bujold’s writing, but somehow had never read them. I was in the mood for a short, light fantasy so jumped on Penric’s Demon. A few weeks later I read Penric and the Shaman, so this review will encompass both. What to Expect A quick, charming adventure of […]
Book Review: Thraxas, by Martin Scott
I can’t recall who recommended Thraxas to me, but the interest overlap was obvious: private detective in a fantasy world with a nod to Roman culture. I put it high on my TBR. What to Expect As it says on the cover, a hard-boiled-style story of a down-on-his-luck, drunken private investigator with magical education and […]
Book Review: A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan
Multiple people (whose tastes I trust) have repeatedly recommended me the Memoirs of Lady Trent, and I finally got to reading it. I can see what the fuss was about, as it is certainly a unique work in the realms of fantasy. What to Expect Written in first person as a memoir (an old lady […]
Roman Links: from military to sorcery
Welcome to our regularly scheduled survey of ancient news, from archaeological discoveries to experimental archaeology. This time we cover anything from shipwrecks to deliberate wrecking equipment, from war to medicine. Let us start with your classical bit of archaeology. This is an amazing find from the Danube: Probable Roman shipwrecks unearthed at a Serbian coal […]
Book Review: Draka Raid, by Nils Nisse Visser
I love historical-fantasy blends (no surprises), and the promise of a realistic depiction of the dark ages caught my attention. What to expect A novella based on Anglo-Saxon England in the 9th century. A village in Sussex is facing a Danish raid, with the chief and warriors away and his daughter ruling in his stead. […]
Dressmaking for Werewolves
This was a response from a writing prompt, that caught me in the mood. The original prompt was for up to 3 paragraphs on Small village dressmaker bit by werewolf Here’s my micro-fiction submission: Having been bitten by a werewolf, Betty found that her dressmaking skills were challenged to the extreme. In the first month, […]
Book Review: The Last Gladiator, by Daniel Ottalini
Daniel Ottalini’s Steam Empire Chronicles have an obvious appeal to me – writing fellow alternate history based on Rome – so I was quite glad to jump on the prequel novella. What to expect A story set in Ottalini’s Steampunk version of the Roman Empire, but a few years before the events of the main […]
Nesting with Books
Exciting news! It is with great pleasure, that I announce that I have been invited to join Booknest.eu as a regular contributor! Booknest.eu is a top fantasy book review site. They run their own yearly fantasy awards, and the blog is one of the ten SPFBO judging blogs every year (and has picked some of […]
