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Monday, December 23, 2024

Giveaway: Three Signed Copies of Kraken Rider Z by Dyrk Ashton and David Estes (open worldwide)

 


Dyrk Ashton is one of most beloved authors here at FBC. His Paternus trilogy is a unique epic and mythological fantasy hybrid that made us fall in love with it. His newest co-authored series Kraken Rider Z (with David Estes) is a fun take on nautical fantasy, military school fantasy & Krakens.

Thanks to the generosity of both the authors, we at Fantasy Book Critic are ecstatic to be giving away THREE SIGNED trade paperback copies of KRAKEN RIDER Z!!!

To enter, please send an email to "fbcgiveaway@gmail.com" with your Name, Mailing Address, and the subject: KRAKEN

Giveaway will end on Friday (01/03/25) 12:01 PM and is open to participants WORLDWIDE! Thank you for entering and Good Luck! 


GIVEAWAY RULES:
 1) Open To Anyone WORLDWIDE
 2) Only One Entry Per Household (Multiple Entries Will Be Disqualified)
 3) Must Enter Valid Email Address, Mailing Address + Name
 4) No Purchase Necessary
 5) Giveaway will end on Friday (01/03/25) 12:01 PM
 6) Winners Will Be Randomly Selected and Notified By Email
 7) Personal Information Will Only Be Used In Mailing Out the Prizes To the Winners
Friday, December 20, 2024

Book review: Pennyblade by J.L. Worrad (reviewed by Adam Weller)


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: J.L Worrad lives in Leicester, England, and has for almost all his life. He has a degree in classical studies from Lampeter University, Wales. In 2011 James attended Clarion, the prestigious six-week SF workshop held at the University of California, San Diego. There, he studied under some of the genre’s leading professionals. 2018 saw the publication of his first space opera duology ‘Feral Space’. He’s had short stories published by Daily Science Fiction, Flurb, Newcon Press and Obverse Books. He also writes screen plays for short films, one of which- Flawless was selected for both the Cannes and NYC Independent film festivals.

Publisher: Titan Books (March 29, 2022) Length: 389 Formats: Audiobook, ebook, paperback

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Book Review: Blood Brothers Beyond by Rob J. Hayes (reviewed by Adam Weller)



Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Having served in a hundred different offices as a keyboard monkey Rob J. Hayes finally decided to follow his life long passion of daydreaming. After writing a small horde's worth of short stories, he released his debut dark fantasy trilogy "The Ties that Bind" in 2013 as an indie publication and followed it up with the steampunk caper "It Takes a Thief to Catch a Sunrise" in 2014.

In 2017 he released his piratical duology, Best Laid Plans, and in 2018 the first book, Where Loyalties Lie won Mark Lawrence's Self Published Fantasy Blog Off.

Rob has now tried his hand at Science-Fiction (Drones, 2018) and Military Fantasy (City of Kings, 2018), and even East-Asian influenced fantasy (Never Die, 2019).

Publisher: Rob J Hayes (17 Dec. 2024) Length: 108 Formats: ebook, paperback

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Review: The Last Hour Between Worlds

 


Buy THE LAST HOUR BETWEEN WORLDS

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Melissa Caruso writes books of murder, magic, and mayhem. Her published fantasy novels include the Swords & Fire trilogy (THE TETHERED MAGE, THE DEFIANT HEIR, THE UNBOUND EMPIRE) and the Rooks & Ruin trilogy (THE OBSIDIAN TOWER, THE QUICKSILVER COURT, THE IVORY TOMB), all from Orbit Books. Her newest book, THE LAST HOUR BETWEEN WORLDS, arrives in November 2024 and launches a new series. Her debut novel was shortlisted for the Gemmell Morningstar Award in 2017, and her books have received starred reviews and made countless Best Of lists. Melissa is a tea drinker, larper, and mom, and lives in Massachusetts with her video game designer husband, two superlative daughters, and assorted pets. 

FORMAT/INFO: The Last Hour Between Worlds was published by Orbit on November 19th, 2024. It is 384 pages and told in first person from Kembral Thorn's POV. It is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. 

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: All Kembral Thorne wants is a night off from responsibility, but she's not going to get it. Usually a member of an investigators guild known as the Hounds, she's been on leave for a few months caring for her newborn child. Tonight, she's attending one of the biggest parties of the year and trying to enjoy an evening of not being a mother. What she gets instead is a party under attack; even worse, the party appears to be caught in a time loop. Somehow unaffected by the memory loss that comes with the time loop, it's up to Kem to unravel the dark ritual that's ensnared the party. And to do that, she'll have to enlist the aid of Rika, her archnemesis from a rival guild of thieves.

The Last Hour Between Worlds is a fun puzzle box of an adventure. I really enjoyed the elements of Kem trying to work out the rules of the time loop. What resets every loop? Who loses their memory? Who's behind the ritual? And how do we break the loop? This is all wrapped up in the additional complication that every loop, the party enters a weirder, more surreal version of their world, adding new dangers to the situation. To top it off, there's only so many loops that will happen until the manor - and everyone in it - is wiped out for good.

(A quick aside, I loved how every chapter heading featured a clock with a moving hour hand so you could keep track of which number loop you were in. It also creates tension as you see the hand getting closer to what will be the final loop where things become Extremely Dire.)

It's not just investigative work moving the story forward, there's some great action sequences. The party keeps coming under attack from different sources, creating some great set pieces as Kem and her allies have to fend off incredibly dangerous foes. These beings are so powerful that it becomes less about outright killing the enemy, and more about how to stall them long enough for time to run out and the loop to reset. I do love clever heroes, so watching the team come up with creative solutions was great.

What didn't quite land for me was the romance subplot between Kem and Rika (and it is a subplot, this is not a romantasy). This story essentially takes place over one night; even with Kem and Rika having a pre-existing history, it's hard to nail that kind of relationship building in that short a window of time. I think my biggest frustration may have come from the fact that there was clearly a misunderstanding in their past that's led to their current animosity, and it takes an incredibly long time before the two finally unpack what really happened. It was one of those times where I was internally shouting "Just tell her already!!" in the hopes that we could unstick whatever was keeping these two apart.

The last little nitpick I have is complicated for me to unpack. On the one hand, I think it is FANTASTIC to have a mother as a female lead. As a new single mom, Kem is wrestling with some big decisions, including whether or not she should keep doing a dangerous job that could get her killed and leave her daughter an orphan. She loves her job, but is it worth the risk to her daughter's future? This is all great content that we don't see a lot of in fantasy, and I loved its inclusion.

But it was also mentioned so often that it began to be a bit much, especially in the first half of the book. Every few pages it felt like there was a new reference to Kem's motherhood, from the changes pregnancy wreaked on her body to the decisions she's grappling with. Maybe this is an accurate reflection of how all-consuming new motherhood is (I'm not a parent myself), but I did feel that the number of references could have been scaled back a bit while still getting the point across.

At the end of the day though, The Last Hour Between Worlds is a great self-contained fantasy adventure. While this is the first of a trilogy, you can read this first book as a standalone and come away completely satisfied with the experience. If you like a blend of action and mystery, strange macabre worlds, and mayhem at a grand party, I definitely recommend checking this one out.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Book review: Bury Your Gays by Chuck TIngle


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CHUCK TINGLE is the USA Today bestselling author of Camp Damascus and Straight. He is a mysterious force of energy behind sunglasses and a pink mask. He is also an anonymous author of romance, horror, and fantasy. Chuck was born in Home of Truth, Utah, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Chuck writes to prove love is real, because love is the most important tool we have when resisting the endless cosmic void. Not everything people say about Chuck is true, but the important parts are.

Publisher: Tor Nightfire (July 9, 2024) Length: 304 pages Formats: audiobook, ebook, hardback

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Graphic Novel review: Medea by Blandine LeCallet & Nancy Peña


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

WriterBlandine Le Callet Artist: Nancy Peña TranslatorMontana Kane

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Blandine Le Callet is a French writer, novelist, short story author, essayist, and comic book scriptwriter. Her novels have earned her several literary awards.

Publisher: Dark Horse Books (May 21, 2024) Length: 320 pages 

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

SPFBO Finalist Review - By Blood, By Salt by J.L. Odom

 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: J. L. Odom hails from Oklahoma. After a five year stint in the Marine Corps as an Arabic linguist, she graduated from George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs with an emphasis on Conflict and Security. She lives with her husband and five children wherever it is that the U.S. Army happens to send them. Her hobbies include running, jiu jitsu, and cooking to feed a crowd.

She can be found on Instagram @jlodom.author.

Find J.L. online: website

By Blood, By Salt links: AmazonGoodreads

SPFBO Finalist Interview: J.L. Odom, the Author of By Blood, By Salt




ABOUT THE AUTHOR: J. L. Odom hails from Oklahoma. After a five year stint in the Marine Corps as an Arabic linguist, she graduated from George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs with an emphasis on Conflict and Security. She lives with her husband and five children wherever it is that the U.S. Army happens to send them. Her hobbies include running, jiu jitsu, and cooking to feed a crowd.

She can be found on Instagram @jlodom.author.

Find J.L. online: website

By Blood, By Salt links: AmazonGoodreads
Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Review: Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi

 


Buy KAVITHRI


OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Aman J. Bedi was born in Mysore, India. He grew up in Vizag, studied in Bangalore, lived in Bangkok, completed a PhD in experimental psychology at the University of Canterbury, and has settled (for now) in Melbourne, Australia. His writing draws from modern Indian history and is influenced by writers and artists like David Gemmell, Brandon Sanderson, Takehiko Inoue, and Kentaro Miura.

FORMAT/INFO: Kavithri was published on May 16th, 2024. It is 448 pages long and told in first person from Kavi's point of view. It is available in hardcover, audiobook and ebook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS:  All of her life, Kavithri has been told that she is nothing. Shunned by society for her Taemu heritage, she lives on the streets, simply trying to survive. The one thing that keeps her going is the annual chance to test for admission into the magic academy known as the Vargola. Every year she is denied entrance to the exam, but every year she tries again. A chance event, however, puts her on a new trajectory, one that offers her a whole new way to join the Vargola. But it also reveals secrets about Kavithri that many wish would stay buried, putting her in the crosshairs of an entirely new enemy.

Kavithri is an enthralling, brutal, bloody book that is absolutely perfect for fans of The Rage of Dragons. I want to be clear up front, this book is as grim as can be. It is graphically violent and bleak; to be frank, I had to skim a few pages. The world constantly punches down on Kavithri. Every time she gets ahead, a new bit of misery comes to club her over the head.

This honestly pushed the boundaries of the kind of grimdark I tolerate. How many times can things go from bad to worse? (Seriously, how many times?) Despite that, the author has an undeniably captivating writing style that hooked me from the beginning.From the first chapter, the author proves his skill at giving you a sense of place, grounding you instantly in his land inspired by turn of the 20th century India and South Asia. That includes a society with a caste system. Any who are Taemu (marked by their red eyes), are considered the lowest of the low, the remnants of a berserker people; many people believe the Taemu should just be erased from the world entirely.

Kavithri (or Kavi) is a Taemu orphan, one who has survived by “knowing her place,” always taking beatings without a fight, always taking the last scraps available. But no matter how many beatings she takes, she still has a stubborn core of tenacity. It’s that tenacity that propels her on her journey to attain her dream of one day entering a prestigious magic academy.It’s Kavithri’s heart that kept me invested in the story. Despite all the bad things that happen, she’s the kind of person who cannot watch an injustice happen in front of her without trying to do something about it - especially if everyone else in the area is refusing to intervene. Her stubborn heart also propels the plot forward. Every time the world slams a door on her, she finds a grate to crawl through.

One of the few hopeful themes of this story is the healing power of community. While Kavithri has spent most of her life as the only Taemu she knows, she does eventually run into others. They accept her and remind her that she is not alone, that she always has a place. Finding a community gives Kavithri the added drive she needs to achieve her goals. She no longer fights for just herself, but for an entire people oppressed by society.

A quick shout out to the magic in Kavithri. Magic in this world comes at cost. Healers have to drain the life of a non-human creature. Warlocks are paralyzed while they use their attack magic. Artificers give up a memory every time they cast. It’s a magic system that’s right at home in this brutal setting, and great for those who like harder magic systems.

The one thing (aside from the unrelenting bleakness) that threw me off a little were the interludes sprinkled throughout the book. Without getting into spoilers, they definitely gave me whiplash in terms of content, and their purpose isn't fully explained by the end of the book. While I'm sure the author has plans for these sequences over the course of the trilogy, I found them a bit jarring and at odds with the rest of the story.

CONCLUSION: Kavithri is not my usual cup of tea. I frankly like my books to have more hope and not to be drowning in the cruelty of a world. (That’s why this isn’t a five-star book for me personally). So it’s a testament to the writing that I still couldn’t put this book down. In fact, I was constantly looking for an excuse to pick it up. Despite this pushing my boundaries, I'm surprised to find I have no hesitation about coming back for the sequel. Those of you who revel in grim tales are absolutely going to love KAVITHRI, and I highly recommend you go pick it up now.

  
Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Book Review: The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick

 


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Over a writing career that spanned three decades, Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) published 36 science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. Toward the end of his life, his work turned toward deeply personal, metaphysical questions concerning the nature of God. Eleven novels and short stories have been adapted to film; notably: Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, Dick was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2007 the Library of America published a selection of his novels in three volumes. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

First published January 1, 1965 Length: 231 pages Formats: audiobook, ebook, hardback, paperback

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