Monthly Wrap Up: September 2018

I had my eyes on this one for a while and it was sorted in our SPFBO group so I took the chance and used it as an excuse to read it 🙂 It brought out some nostalgic memories too.

“Anthony doesn’t shy away from writing some brutal scenes when it comes to fighting and the ancestors’ power. Subei is not a character I would call likeable, but he has some charm with his way of words. And the way he tries to come to terms with his situation and learns the importance of change.”

It was about bloody time to get my hands on a new Benedict Patrick book. And thanks to FBR I happened to be the first to post a review (well, technically, FBR posted the review, I just wrote it, but yeah, you get the idea). It was the most anticipated read this year for me 🙂

“From The Shadows Of The Owl Queen’s Court is a very dark tale about chasing your dreams, about nature having its own way in the end. Do you love the original Grimm tales? How about some action and monsters? Read Benedict Patrick’s other books or just looking for something original? Then you found the perfect book, my friend!”

This book is FBR’s second semi-finalist and I can’t wait to see what others think of it. This was a genuine surprise, because I didn’t expect it to be so freaking good. No matter what happens next, Steven can be one of the biggest discovery in this year’s SPFBO.

“Symphony of the Wind is intricate, surprising, and doesn’t shy away from giving punches. If you like your fantasy dark, don’t mind if the pace is a bit slower, want to be surprised and don’t see what happens next, you should absolutely check this out!”

This was a reread from next year, and ho boy, this one did live up to my memories. I’m not giving out 5 star ratings this year, but damn this one deserved it again. If you love grimdark, I strongly recommend checking it out!

“In Darkness Forged you might find everything you’ve been looking for: heroic fights, vengeance, violence (in many forms), enveloped in norse mythology. This book has an oddly satisfying ending on the bittersweet side. If you are into grimdark, norse mythology, have a few hours to spare and don’t mind having a dark twist in your read, I definitely recommend this book!”

Born in Edinburgh, Justin Lee Anderson spent a decade of his childhood bouncing around the US, following his dad’s professional football (soccer) career. He returned to the Scottish capital in his teens and, after a few brief sojourns to Dundee (for an English degree) and the South of France (for his family), settled back in the city that’s always been ‘home’, where he lives with his Brady Bunch family in a permanent state of happy chaos.

Lauren McNeil is a copywriter and author of fantasy novels. She published her debut novel, Moroda, in March 2017, with the sequel out in 2018. She is an introvert, petrolhead, foodie, thalassophile, and hopes to one day own a cottage by the seaside!

Staci Olsen grew up in Alaska in a 16×20 foot cabin with ten other people (give or take a few). She bathed in a wheel barrow, was hunted by wolves, and watched the northern lights dance in the sky. She survived earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and extreme cold. Now Staci lives in Utah with her husband, four sons, one daughter, and a dog in a townhouse that is much too small, but she is used to small houses.

A.Z. Anthony is best known for his genre-warping fiction whose popularity commonly crashes global markets. Also, his humility.

More realistically, he is an author of fantasy (as A.Z. Anthony) and LitRPG (as Alex Knight). He’s currently hard at work on the sequel to Servant of Rage (due Spring 2019), the sequel to Warden: Nova Online (also due Spring 2019), and a standalone survival thriller.

“Moonlight, Roses & Murder” is a suspense fantasy with a murder mystery. Selina is a woman with a secret and she has been hiding it for a very long time. With her nieces, she runs Luna’s, a nightclub in downtown Seattle, catering to Steampunk and Goth clientele. When someone leaves a body behind her club, she is drawn into a web of mystery and murder. Puncture marks on the body indicate a vampire might be responsible and when more women are killed, a red rose is left by their bodies. A vampire hunter with secrets of his own comes to investigate and Selina wonders, who she can trust…

Michael DeAngelo is the creator of the Tellest universe of fantasy books, and the lead designer of the tie-in tabletop game, Quantum Quest.

Michael enjoys any opportunity to flex his imagination, and loves building on the world of Tellest through any medium he can.  His other hobbies include anything Marvel-related, exploring other worlds in videogames, movies and books, and spending time with his wife, and their dog and cat.