A plangent and dismal story that resonates in the now, Erin K. Wagner’s latest novella, An Unnatural Life, takes us to the coming probabilities of robot civil rights through an exploration of sentience, free will, and humanity. But more importantly, science fiction novella extrapolates on how we humans react and shun new forms of identity.
If you like strong characters and team stories with some political maneuverings, you’ll probably love The Gates of Golorath. Also, the running the gauntlet was the icing on the cake and just a huge amount of fun.
Call of the Bone Ships was one of my most anticipated books in 2020, and for a good reason. I really loved its sequel, The Bone Ships and I was pretty sure I’m not going to be disappointed. And hoo boy, I was not. It’s been a while I was so emotionally impacted by a book. RJ Barker absolutely destroyed me.
A Time for Witches is a most excellent follow up to Ghosts of Gotham. If Urban Fantasy and Greek mythology ever had a love child it probably would be this series. Schafer takes the reader on a thrilling ride along with characters you can root for all the way to whatever end. Buckle up people, because this will be a bumpy road. But so. Damn. Good.
Shadow Debt the newest book in The Tales of the Verin Empire series has all the hallmarks of a great western inspired fantasy and hits a lot of my buttons by including those things that make the wild west stories so fun; outlaws, saloon brawls, and shoot-outs involving a magical gun – that doesn’t ever let you forget what you owe it. Why, heck, there’s even a good old-fashioned train robbery.
If you are into some dark atmospheric epic fantasy which doesn’t shy away from some bloodletting, then you definitely should give Fae: The Wild Hunt a try.
A Ritual of Flesh is a good creepy zombie story that is perfect for this time of year, with Halloween fast approaching.
We arrived to the last semi-finalist review in the SPFBO 6 Phase 1. At last but now least we bring you The Knights of Dragonwatch by Eric T. Knight. Come and see what Team RockStarlit thought of it!
With rich vocabulary, writing as fascinating as skillful brushstrokes, and a slow-burn story filled with longing and chilling moments of divisiveness, Phoenix Extravagant will claim a spot on the shelf of anyone looking for a remarkable read within any genre.
In the next few weeks, we’ll review our semi-finalists in the same order as we announced them, our next up is The Hunter’s Gambit by Nicholas McIntire. Come and see what Team RockStarlit thought of it!