If you’ve read any of my stories, you know the main tenets they’re based on: Ancient Rome, an Occult Mystery — and a trip down the sewers… It’s not a Felix’s Mystery unless he’s literally dumped in it at least once! In the current WIP of In Victrix, one of the main villains is in […]
Historical Fantasy
Book Review: A Master of Djinn, by P. Djèlí Clark
Finally a full-length novel in Djèlí Clark’s steampunk Cairo series! What to Expect After three short stories / novelettes, Djèlí Clark delivers us a full length novel in the wonderful world of Fatma el-Sha’arawi! The shorts won many accolades and awards (deservedly), and this novel keeps the quality. The novel is set on a backdrop […]
Eclectic Musings (and Murderous Muses)
Salvete! Gratam hac nocte scriptor collectio… Err, nope. My Latin is still horrible. Welcome to tonight’s collection of random musings — mostly murderous muses 🙂
Book Review: A Dead Djinn in Cairo, by P. Djèlí Clark
I previously enjoyed Djèlí Clark’s “The Haunting of Tram Car 015“, so was looking forward to more stories set in the same world. What to Expect This story establishes the world, but many of the same elements as from Tram Car 015 are explained in either story. The stories are short and interesting enough for […]
Book Review: Purple and Black, by K.J. Parker
I love KJ Parker’s pseudo-Byzantine fantasy, and this short read was up to his excellent standard. What to Expect An epistolary tale, a series of exchanges and communiqués between (mainly) the emperor and his fried whom he sent to govern a frontier province. (The title refers to the ink used in those missives – purple […]
Book Review: The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djèlí Clark
I love the mix of historical fantasy and am fascinated by Middle Eastern cultures, so jumped on this as soon as I heard about it. What to Expect A Steampunk-ish world, where in the early 20th century Egypt – after releasing magic in the mid 19th century – has risen to a world power and […]
Book Review: How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It, by K.J. Parker
I’ve read the previous novel (Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City) just recently, and there was just no doubt I’d read this one as soon as it comes out. What to Expect Events in this book take place seven years after the previous one, with the The City still besieged all around by the […]
Book Review: Mad House, by Ellis L. Knox
I love Knox’s mix of history and fantasy, so was happy to find this novelette. What to Expect A quick read about a roguish sprite, a loyal ogre, and a house made of magic.This story is mostly atmospheric, but serves as an excellent intro or sample of Knox’s longer works. What I liked I liked […]
Book Review: Mon Dieu Cthulhu! by John Houlihan
Historical Fantasy (my weakness) mixing with Napoleonic Wars and Cthulhu mythos – what’s not to like? What to Expect ‘Mon Dieu Cthulhu’ is a collection of two stories with the inimitable Gaston d’Bois, a hussar lieutenant fighting in the Iberian peninsula against Wellington’s army. While dealing with the war, he comes across monsters far older […]
Book Review: Into the Second World, by Ellis L. Knox
I’ve previously read Goblins at the Gate by Ellis Knox and loved it, and was looking forward to delve again into his brand of alternate-fantasy-history. What to Expect Into the Second world is a novel of nineteenth-century exploration and adventure, in the style of contemporary masters like Jules Verne and HG Wells. In fact, the […]
