Blog Archive

View My Stats
Friday, July 18, 2025

Book review: Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

 


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ling Ling Huang is a writer and violinist. She plays with several ensembles including the Music Kitchen, Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra, Shattered Glass, and Experiential Orchestra, with whom she won a Grammy award in 2020. Natural Beauty is her first novel.

Published: April 4, 2023 by Dutton Page count: 272 pages  Formats: audiobook, ebook, hardback, paperback

Thursday, July 17, 2025

SPFBO Champions' League: By Blood, By Salt by J.L. Odom

 


Book links: AmazonGoodreads

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

Published: May 14, 2024 by Azimuth Length: 374 pages (Kindle) Formats: audiobook, ebook, paperback Literary awards: SPFBO Award for Best Fantasy Book (2024) Series Land of Exile #1

Monday, July 14, 2025

Review: The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten

 



Buy The Nightshade God

FORMAT/INFO: The Nightshade God was published by Orbit on July 15th, 2025. It is 480 pages and available in ebook, hardcover, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: With Lore and her allies scattered across the world, all hope seems lost. King Bastian reigns under the influence of an evil god, making deals with despots and undoing the reforms made in the last few months. But destiny has its own plans. Even scattered, Lore and her friends have one last chance to thwart the god trying to reshape the world, one last chance to steal his power back. It may just unfortunately take their own lives to pull it off.

The Nightshade God is the kind of finale that lands the plane competently, but without much pizzazz. It isn't a BAD book, but it lacked tension and failed to make me invested in the personal stakes for the characters. As an example, look no further than the central plot of the story. Book two ended with our characters scattered across the world for various reasons, and early in The Nightshade God, they all learn of objects that have been hidden for centuries that are important to defeating the central villain. Rather conveniently, there's one of these hidden objects in each of the locations these scattered characters ended up. While there's some attempt to explain this as destiny, it felt instead like it was giving the characters a thing to do before bringing them all together for the finale.

The characters themselves also really have very little growth to go through. There's still pining and angst between the characters but nothing that we hadn't seen previously. The one new romantic pairing that was introduced honestly left me baffled. Worst of all, the finale felt like it betrayed the themes of the entire series and the very lessons that the characters were supposed to be learning.

CONCLUSION: All that being said, I was never in a place where I was hate-reading The Nightshade God. It was simply that I was never excited to pick the book up, never dying to know what could possibly happen next. Every plot point was simply a hurdle to overcome fairly quickly in the journey to the inevitable conclusion. It's a book that I can honestly say I walked away from simply....whelmed.

 
Friday, July 11, 2025

Superman Movie Review (by Mihir Wanchoo)

 


Read Man Of Steel: A Retrospective Review

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Superman 2025, I don’t think any DC CBM has been released with such a cloud of anxiety over it. You have the DC fans along with the James Gunn fans who genuinely want this movie to succeed wildly and herald the start of a new (and hopefully joyful & colourful) DCU. In another corner you have the DCEU or mainly Snyder diehards who might have a vested interest in this reboot, seeing that it came at the expense of the further expansion of their beloved Snyderverse storyline that Zack Snyder has more than hinted at and gloriously shown in his EPIC 4 hour vision. Then there’s the middle of the road CBM fans like me who would like a new movie that doesn’t fall to the usual pitfalls and entertain us while giving us a good story. We want to watch Supes fly, kick ass and be his good natured self. 

James Gunn had a massive problem on his hands going about this adaptation but say one thing about James Gunn. The man knows his comics and he’s a true geek through and through (just look at who the antagonist was for the Suicide Squad movie). He had revealed that he used All-Star Superman (by Grant Morrison) as his template and created a new story with a younger superman for the true beginning of the DCU.

The movie begins with an intro crawl demarcating how the new DCU isn’t our world but a facsimile wherein superheroes and gods and monsters have been present since the past 3 centuries. And then it runs down all the way to 3 minutes and we get our first view at what is happening with Superman. Beaten down by the Hammer of Boravia due to his intervention in Boravia’ invasion of Jahranpur, Supes calls upon Krypto who rushes him off to the Fortress of Solitude wherein a focused dose of sunlight heals him. He’s also nursed by a battery of Superman Robots who are indifferent to Krypto and his rascally destruction within the Fortress. We are then also introduced to Supes’ alter ego Clark Kent and the coterie of individuals within the Daily Planet office. We also get introduced to Lex Luthor and his team consisting of Ultraman, the Engineer and a bunch of folks who are helping him run with his obsession to defeat Superman. There’s also the “Justice Gang” consisting of Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl & Guy Gardner Green Lantern.

The movie set ups the situation wonderfully and also does a quick introduction to the vast array of characters. The plot is basically focused on Lex’s efforts to bring down Superman by convincing the Government that the Kryptonian has nefarious schemes afoot. This is helped by Lex & his team uncovering Clark’s parents message and unleashing it to the world.

Say one thing about James Gunn, the man truly know how to write characters and dialogue. From David Corenswet’s Superman to Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane to Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific to Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor to Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner to the CGI-Krypto. These were the main highlights for me but there’s so many more like Wendell Pierce’ s Perry White to Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen to Taylor Pruitt Vince’s Pa Kent whom I would have liked to see more of. I honestly think I would have loved to watch a 5-6 hour version of this movie wherein I had gotten to see more of the character cast and their interactions. Such is the richness of these characters, that one can feel bad that there’s not enough time for everyone.



Another interesting aspect of the movie is that it drops the audience into a world that’s formed and doesn’t explain anything about it. A lot of it will feel familiar or be known to DC comics fans but for the general audiences, it might be a bit confusing. The plot is also very pacey and the story moves along quite fast. In fact in certain scenes, I wish it had slowed down for the viewers to really feel the intensity of the moments.

This film has the typical James Gunn humour however the crass jokes thankfully were tamped down. I don’t know if that was something that the Studio enforced upon Gunn or James himself course corrected. Lastly there were three cameos which I was pleasantly surprised with. Two characters were from upcoming projects and man were they hilarious. The third character was from Gunn’s TSS and it was cool to see where they were considering what happened to them in TSS.

Going on the shortcomings of the movie and it’s in this regards, I’ll have talk through some mild spoilers. So if you wish to stop here then I won’t mind it. For those who wish to read ahead in spite of some spoilers, kudos to you brave sports. 
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

One of the movie’s main twists is that the Kal-El often likes to listen to a message from his parents Jor-El & Lara Lor-Van. He only gets to listen to the first part as the latter half is corrupted. The film reveals thanks to Luthor’s machinations that the remaining part of the message is them instructing him to conquer and rule over Earth. Also to repopulate Earth with many children of Kryptonian heritage. However the movie doesn’t again make it clear if that truly is the case or something that Luthor & Engineer tweaked the original. If this is truly the case, then it’s a mighty twist on the whole Kryptonian parents side. Contrasting this with Russell Crowe’s Jor-El, this is definitely going to be jarring to a whole lot of Superman fans.

Because of the movie's pace and several cuts, this movie definitely felt as if there were quite a few connective tissue scenes missing and I really wish that Gunn is able to release the extended version on HBO Max wherein we can get to see more. Because I would have loved to see the dynamic between the Daily Planet crew. Maybe even more of Lex and his henchfolks. 

Another aspect which didn’t work for me, was that the Superman introduced in this movie acted a bit dumb. In the opening sequence, after the Hammer Of Boravia leaves, Superman isn’t concerned to trace him. He also doesn’t try to find out how Lex and his minions gained access to his Fortress given how the condition its left in. Maybe because he's still a younger Superman, given that its only his third year. However it was a tad surprising given how well-written Supes was otherwise. 

One character whose character left me bemused was Eve Tessmacher. Given how strong Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois is. It was a bit perplexing to see why Eve’s character was such a ditzy one. Speaking of characters, another confounding thing was Jimmy Olsen’s being fawned upon by all the gals. It just didn’t make any sense. Now if it was the “Jimmy Olsen” from BVS, it would kinda make sense. Skyler Gisondo is easy on the eyes but not to the levels that seem to be implied here. Lastly Ma Kent's character was caricaturish beyond belief and it just detracted from my enjoyment. Plus Hawk Girl was wasted in this movie and she barely did anything besides say that she hates Justice Gang title. 

I think James Gunn is more than a little lucky that he has such a huge fan base. Because for some of the drawbacks of the movie (Evil Kryptonian parents, floozy female characters), other directors would have been excoriated beyond belief. He somehow is shielded from these criticisms. Which is good for him but a weird thing to notice. 

Is it better than Iron Man or Man Of Steel? That's very hard to say. I think Iron Man was a very compact and straighforward film. Man Of Steel was way more epic, Superman is more Comic Booky than either of them. I enjoyed all three of them for different reasons and I'm really hoping that there will be an extended cut for SUPERMAN which addresses some of my concerns in which case, it will be an interesting comparison to make then. 


CONCLUSION: Overall I liked this movie and it was a good start to the DCU. I’m very much excited for Supergirl & Clayface on the movie side. Even more enthused for Peacemaker S2 & Lanterns on the TV side. I really hope that we get more DCU movies, characters & TV shows as I think there's a genuine newness to this universe but I would like to see other creators also get to work their magic within. 

Thursday, July 10, 2025

COVER REVEAL: SHATTERED: A Sanguine Stars Novella by Nicholas W. Fuller

 



Official Author Info: Nicholas W Fuller has been writing all of his life. He began writing his first novel while still in fifth grade—a science fiction story featuring an alien race inspired by his neighbor’s basset hounds. While that work remains incomplete, Nicholas has worked on various blogs and stories over the years, including publication in JCM Berne's Grimdwarf Magazine and earning an honorable mention from ElegantLiterature.com. Nicholas also started a youtube channel in early 2023 where he posts videos talking about books and other fun nerdy things as well as his interviews with authors and other creatives.

When he is not writing or making videos, he’s probably thinking about writing, maybe playing video games with his brother, possibly tickling one or both of his two children, or perhaps traveling with his wife… but likely also pondering writing. He hopes to continue to make things up and put them on paper for an ever wider audience.

Today we are thrilled to take part in the cover reveal for SHATTERED: A Sanguine Stars Novella. Checkout the gorgeous cover featuring art by Robert Trotea & design-typography by Jeff Brown.


OFFICIAL BLURB: 
Shattered is the story of doing the right thing... And the consequences of those actions.

It's the story of Poey Targe, a Master Sergeant in the Sorento Royal Senate Guardians, and his struggle to keep his planet safe.

Shattered, the first in the Sanguine Stars series, is a short, action-packed read with a bit of political intrigue and a dash of humor that sets the stage for everything to come.

""If Star Wars and Battle of the Planets had a baby, that baby would love this novella! Come for the richly imagined world building, stay for the sci fi action!"

-JCM Berne, author of Wistful Ascending, Hybrid Helix series


"Shattered is a thrilling sci-fi read, opening the door to a sprawling space opera series. I look forward to reading more in this universe down the road."

-Bryan Wilson, Author The Forsaken Planet, The Power of the Stars series

The best part, SHATTERED is currently FREE on the author's Patreon for the next 5 days. So you can grab a copy over here

Thursday, July 3, 2025

SPFBO Champions' League Review: The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids by Michael McClung

 


Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael McClung was born and raised in Texas, lived in Southeast Asia for twenty years, and currently resides in Poland. He has published nine novels, a novella and a short story collection. His first novel was published by Random House in 2003, and in 2016 he won Mark Lawrence's inaugural SPFBO contest with The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids. He goes by @mcclungmike on Twitter, but doesn’t do the Facebook anymore, because reasons. He occasionally talks about stuff on his blog at somethingstickythiswaycomes.blogspot.com if you're interested in, uh, stuff being talked about.

Published: November 28, 2012 by Michael McClung Length: 208 pages (Kindle) Formats: Literary awards: SPFBO Award for Best Fantasy Book (2015) Series Amra Thetys #1

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Review: The Two Lies of Faven Sythe by Megan E. O'Keefe

 


Buy The Two Lies of Faven Sythe

FORMAT/INFO: The Two Lies of Faven Sythe was published on June 3rd, 2025 by Orbit Books. It is 352 pages long and available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Faven Sythe's mentor is missing. Her only clue to her location? A starpath leading to the Clutch, a floating graveyard of ships, full of dangerous debris, supposedly haunted by a mysterious ship known as the Black Celeste. With seemingly no one else concerned about her mentor's absence, Faven has no choice but to investigate the Clutch herself. Fortunately, she knows just the pirate for the job: Bitter Amandine, one of the few people to have ever visited the Clutch and survived. Unfortunately, Bitter has also sworn never to return there. But when Faven makes an offer too good to refuse, Bitter and her crew buckle up for a daring trip across the galaxy. They'll soon discover, however, that some ghosts are best left undisturbed...

The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is a delightful mashup of classic pirate tropes and fresh sci-fi ideas. The pirates running around this story are very much direct descendants of their eighteenth century brethren, from the way they talk (savvy?) to their weaponry (shotguns apparently are much better at getting past shields than modern laser guns). And yes, there is a main port of call that all the pirates like to go to, a futuristic hidden station in the vein of Tortuga, where all pirates can resupply, make deals, and generally hide away from the law.

But all of these familiar elements are nestled together with original sci-fi elements. First and foremost of these are the crystborn. This species is essentially an offshoot of humanity created when some humans centuries in the past volunteered to blend with ancient alien tech so that they could interact with the lightdrives that allow faster than light travel. Crystborn are capable of weaving a starpath into a lightdrive, essentially giving it a safe route to travel from one point to another. But every path woven shortens a crystborn's lifespan, making the starpaths extremely hard to come by, frequently costing a fortune.

Of course, where did that ancient alien tech that created the crystborn come from? What caused them to die off? That's just one of the mysteries to dive into this book, as Faven tries to look for her lost mentor. Being a standalone book, you'll have the answers you're looking for by the end of the tale, making this a nice contained swashbuckling adventure into mysterious ruins at the edges of the galaxy.

I will say, The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is definitely a plot-forward book. Faven Sythe, with her mixture of naivete about how the galaxy works but her daring to keep asking questions and plunge into the unknown, is definitely a standout character; pirate Bitter Amandine is also fun to watch, strutting about with her larger-than-life pirate personality. The rest of the supporting cast, however, is fairly forgettable. I couldn't tell you much about the crew to differentiate them from each other, aside from remembering that one tends to sport a very cool pair of sunglasses. This book may be a fun ride, but it is not particularly packed with memorable characters.

CONCLUSION: The Two Lies of Faven Sythe is definitely an adventure worth checking out. If you're looking for a thrill ride close to a summer blockbuster, this is the book for you. An engaging mystery, seedy pirate dens, high stakes adventures at the fringes of the galaxy, it's all here in one nice neat standalone package.

FBC's Must Reads

FBC's Critically Underrated Reads

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE

NOTEWORTHY RELEASES

 Click Here To Order “Barnaby The Wanderer” by Raymond St. Elmo
Order HERE