Monthly Wrap Up: September 2020

I was lucky to get my hands on a physical ARC of Dan Hanks’ debut fantasy novel, published by Angry Robot.

“I like it when the lines between good and evil are blurred and it’s hard to decide who is on which side. This book embodies that. Even if it doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre.

Overall, I really enjoyed Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire. If you like adventure fantasy and Indiana Jones then you definitely will love this adrenaline-filled book. Dan Hanks can be an exciting new name in Fantasy in the coming years.”

I just love this series so much. I’m sorry it took me so long to get on board, but it had become one of my favorites over the summer. Can’t wait to read more.

“That being said, I loved the setting, the writing, the world-building, the awesome music-based magic (!), the twists, that even angels can’t be labeled as only good, and Diago’s character arc. But what I loved the most was the relationship between characters. The way they interacted. The banters with Guillermo from Miquel and Diago, the caring love between Miquel and Diago.”

It took me a while to get on the Michael R. Fletcher bandwagon, but here I am. Smoke and Stone was the second book I read from him in a short time, but definitely not the last.

“Smoke and Stone is the tale of what happens when mortals are forced to fight the gods’ war while blood flows through the streets as smoke fills the lungs of Akachi and Nuru. Fletcher‘s world yet again is relentlessly brutal and dread-filled. And yet, his writing is like a drug you keep wanting more and more of. Give me the next dose!”

Jen is slowly catching up with the series, she just read the sequel to Kings of Paradise.

“I don’t know the answers but whatever it was, it worked for me because here I sat, engrossed and rooting for this genius serial-killer character, wanting someone to love him and fix his hurt soul, all the while wondering where the hell did my values go?”

Arina’s review this month goes to Path of Ruin by Tim Paulson.

“Paulson’s work is the perfect counterpoint to anyone discrediting the value of SFF as “not real enough”. It builds clear parallels to our world and critiques the politics and workings of our contemporary society. How did it come to be so? Who owns the power, truly, and how and why have they seized such control?

Path of Ruin explores answers to those questions, and delivers a clever, entrancing story that garners surprise after surprise until its very end.”

I don’t know about you, but this cover is pretty cool. Anyway, Jen is here for the rescue to tell us what’s inside.

“Mage Prince is full of family, friends, and conversation – it’s noisy and brimming with life, letting you feel like you have a window into the world they are living in. That ‘life noise’ goes a long way in helping to temper that darker subject matter.”

Led by dragons, the Emperor’s vast army conquers every nation in its path…

Can Jarryd overcome the demons within himself and defeat the Emperor in time? Or will the Dragon Queen escape her prison and ravage the cosmos once again?

Sometimes it takes a pirate to catch a pirate.

With weather magic on her side, Lady Vice is the bane of the high seas, but she isn’t captain of her own ship. Yet. If she can persuade her captain to give her a command, she’ll be in charge of her own fate.

To pay off his family’s debts, Knigh Blackwood hunts pirates for the Royal Navy. And he’s damn good at it. When the bounty on Lady Vice increases, he’s determined to make her face justice, even if that means using unorthodox methods.

Forced to work together, neither can deny their mutual attraction. As they face battles at sea and schemes aboard their ship, they discover hints about a long-lost treasure that could be the answer to both their problems.

But treasure isn’t the only thing buried. Secrets best forgotten lie in wait that could blast them apart. And the closer Vice and Knigh grow, the greater the threat – to her freedom and to his family. Because for one to succeed, the other must fail.

If you love cunning heroes, feisty heroines, and enemies to lovers romance, you’ll love this new adult fantasy series that’s perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Miranda Honfleur.

Jonathan Pembroke resides in the deserts of the American southwest with his wife Lisa and a horde of unruly dogs, where he writes odd fantasy. He is a military veteran and was a meteorologist in a former life. His first novel, Pilgrimage to Skara, was a finalist in SPFBO 3 (2017). This year’s entry, Rumble in Woodhollow, is the first of The Holly Sisters trilogy; the next book, The Mauler, will be released Aug 2020.

I’m thirty two, from Nottinghamshire England. As well as being an author, I’m waiting for my furlough to end so I can go back to the advertisement factory.

I’ve been writing on and off for around seven years. I was in Rockstarlit Book Asylum’s group last year and did terribly. It took writing a second book to understand a lot of the problems in my first book. I should have never published it in that state, let alone enter it into a competition. I’m hoping this year’s book is gonna lead to my redemption.

I’m probably being too honest, but who cares.

Grace Bridges is a geyser hunter, cat herder, editor and translator, and Kiwi. The current president of writers’ organisation SpecFicNZ, she is often found poking around geothermal sites or under a pile of rescued kittens. She is a multiple nominee and two-time winner of the Sir Julius Vogel Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand, an editor and mentor for Young NZ Writers, and has edited dozens of published books. Her own novels include Irish cyberpunk, Classics in Space, and the Earthcore urban fantasy series based in New Zealand.

Michael R. Fletcher is a science fiction and fantasy author, a grilled cheese aficionado, and a whiskey-swilling reprobate. He spends his days choreographing his forklift musical (titled “Get Forked”), and using caffeine as a substitute for sanity. Any suggestions that he is actually Dyrk Ashton in disguise are all lies.

We gave the spotlight to Tuyo, an Epic Fantasy by Rachel Neumeier. Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews, excerpts, and other posts.

We gave the spotlight to The Lost Sentinel, and Epic Fantasy by Suzanne Rogerson in celebration of the Silent Sea Chronicles box set. Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews, excerpts, and other posts. Come and learn a bit more about the world of The Lost Sentinel through my Q&A session with Suzanne and her playlist for the Silent Sea Chronicles!

we gave the spotlight to The Skald’s Black Verse, an Epic Grimdark Fantasy by Jordan Loyal Short in celebration of its re-release! Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews and other posts. Come and learn a bit more about the world of The Skald’s Black Verse through Jordan’s inspirational board and playlist!