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Order the book HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Mr. Shivers
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of City Of Stairs
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Foundryside
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Robert Jackson Bennett began attempting to write books because of an early fascination with Stephen King books shared by him and his brother. Mr. Shivers was Robert's debut and since then he has gone on to write many more books that mixed several genres & have defied classification in as many years. His work has received the Edgar Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Phillip K. Dick Citation of Excellence, and he has been shortlisted for the World Fantasy, British Fantasy, and Locus Awards. He currently lives in Austin with his family.
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: A few years ago, Sancia Grado would’ve happily watched Tevanne burn. Now, she’s hoping to transform her city into something new. Something better. Together with allies Orso, Gregor, and Berenice, she’s about to strike a deadly blow against Tevanne’s cruel robber-baron rulers and wrest power from their hands for the first time in decades.
But then comes a terrifying warning: Crasedes Magnus himself, the first of the legendary hierophants, is about to be reborn. And if he returns, Tevanne will be just the first place to feel his wrath.
Thousands of years ago, Crasedes was an ordinary man who did the impossible: Using the magic of scriving—the art of imbuing objects with sentience—he convinced reality that he was something more than human. Wielding powers beyond comprehension, he strode the world like a god for centuries, meting out justice and razing empires single-handedly, cleansing the world through fire and destruction—and even defeating death itself.
Like it or not, it’s up to Sancia to stop him. But to have a chance in the battle to come, she’ll have to call upon a god of her own—and unlock the door to a scriving technology that could change what it means to be human. And no matter who wins, nothing will ever be the same.
FORMAT/INFO: Shorefall was published in North America by Del Rey books on April 21, 2020 and is available in ebook, audiobook, and print formats. It was published in the UK by Jo Fletcher Books on April 21, 2020 as well in e-book & trade paperback formats. It is 496 pages long split over fourty-four chapters. Narration is third person across multiple viewpoints. It is the second book in The Founders Trilogy.
Order the book HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Mr. Shivers
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of City Of Stairs
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Foundryside
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFORMATION: Robert Jackson Bennett began attempting to write books because of an early fascination with Stephen King books shared by him and his brother. Mr. Shivers was Robert's debut and since then he has gone on to write many more books that mixed several genres & have defied classification in as many years. His work has received the Edgar Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Phillip K. Dick Citation of Excellence, and he has been shortlisted for the World Fantasy, British Fantasy, and Locus Awards. He currently lives in Austin with his family.
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: A few years ago, Sancia Grado would’ve happily watched Tevanne burn. Now, she’s hoping to transform her city into something new. Something better. Together with allies Orso, Gregor, and Berenice, she’s about to strike a deadly blow against Tevanne’s cruel robber-baron rulers and wrest power from their hands for the first time in decades.
But then comes a terrifying warning: Crasedes Magnus himself, the first of the legendary hierophants, is about to be reborn. And if he returns, Tevanne will be just the first place to feel his wrath.
Thousands of years ago, Crasedes was an ordinary man who did the impossible: Using the magic of scriving—the art of imbuing objects with sentience—he convinced reality that he was something more than human. Wielding powers beyond comprehension, he strode the world like a god for centuries, meting out justice and razing empires single-handedly, cleansing the world through fire and destruction—and even defeating death itself.
Like it or not, it’s up to Sancia to stop him. But to have a chance in the battle to come, she’ll have to call upon a god of her own—and unlock the door to a scriving technology that could change what it means to be human. And no matter who wins, nothing will ever be the same.
FORMAT/INFO: Shorefall was published in North America by Del Rey books on April 21, 2020 and is available in ebook, audiobook, and print formats. It was published in the UK by Jo Fletcher Books on April 21, 2020 as well in e-book & trade paperback formats. It is 496 pages long split over fourty-four chapters. Narration is third person across multiple viewpoints. It is the second book in The Founders Trilogy.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: It's been three years since the battle at the Mountain, the night that Sancia, Gregor, Orso and Berenice took down one of the great merchant houses of Tevanne and stopped their leader from becoming a powerful magical being. The group now runs their own scrivening house, working methodically to undermine the other merchant families that control the city. But when an old foe warns them of an ancient power that has awakened and is traveling to Tevanne, everything falls by the wayside as they race to stop him. Because this new threat has a very particular view about how humanity should conduct itself - and if humanity won't comply, then it might be time to just start the whole world over.
Shorefall is the kind of book that throws you into the middle of an escapade, gives you a little time to settle in, then takes off the brakes and never stops. The pacing is utterly relentless, as situations go from bad to worse and our heroes have only a few short days to stop the new villain before they manage to achieve their full power. It never felt rushed or overwhelming, because I was so invested in what was to come that I wanted consume the book as fast as humanly possible. The stakes are real and are balanced between the personal and the "saving the world" variety. And one late act reveal in particular made me curse out loud, not necessarily because of its shock and more because of the realization the clues were there all along.
As good as plotting and pacing are, this book wouldn't have gotten five stars if it didn't have great characters. Those personal stakes I just mentioned are what keep me so utterly transfixed. Gregor in particular gets a chance to shine in this installment, as some discoveries made in Foundryside add a wrinkle to the problems facing our heroes, and watching him grapple with the ramifications provides some intense pathos on top of the tension. I also have to give a shout out to Sancia and Berenice, who are #relationshipgoals. It is SO rare for a couple to just exist in a completely healthy state, and watching them lovingly work together without ego or drama was refreshing. There's enough to deal with in the book without unnecessary angst.
Lastly on the character front, let's take a moment to respect how utterly terrifying this new villain is. My favorite antagonists are the ones who are always calm because they are utterly confident in the knowledge that they are in control of the situation. The new villain is a sociopath, one who doesn't blink twice at human sacrifice, one who is utterly convinced he is in the right and if you aren't smart enough to get out of his way, it's not his fault if you die. The crew of Foundryside is way out of their depth here, and only an unlikely ally provides them any hope of contending with the situation.
The world-building in Shorefall is much the same as Foundryside so if you were a fan of the "magic by way of computer coding with runes," you'll be back in your happy place. I have to admit, I occasionally didn't follow every part about "permissions" and "editing" and the nitty gritty of the magic system, but it was never enough to stop me from understanding the overall gist of what was happening (ie, if the bad guy gets Item A, it will be bad). I outright giggle any time Sancia interfaces with a scrived item and convinces it "You think gravity works how? Oh, no, there's been some changes, let me explain to you how gravity ACTUALLY works now."
CONCLUSION: Shorefall is everything Foundryside was, but even better. The characters you love are back, the stakes are real, the consequences devastating. This is the Empire Strikes Back of the series, and the state of the world when you hit that final page is jaw-dropping. Any book that wants me to grant it the title of Best of 2020 is going to have to fight Shorefall for that coveted honor, and it won't be won easily. I unreservedly recommend this series, so do yourself a favor and get it now!
Shorefall is the kind of book that throws you into the middle of an escapade, gives you a little time to settle in, then takes off the brakes and never stops. The pacing is utterly relentless, as situations go from bad to worse and our heroes have only a few short days to stop the new villain before they manage to achieve their full power. It never felt rushed or overwhelming, because I was so invested in what was to come that I wanted consume the book as fast as humanly possible. The stakes are real and are balanced between the personal and the "saving the world" variety. And one late act reveal in particular made me curse out loud, not necessarily because of its shock and more because of the realization the clues were there all along.
As good as plotting and pacing are, this book wouldn't have gotten five stars if it didn't have great characters. Those personal stakes I just mentioned are what keep me so utterly transfixed. Gregor in particular gets a chance to shine in this installment, as some discoveries made in Foundryside add a wrinkle to the problems facing our heroes, and watching him grapple with the ramifications provides some intense pathos on top of the tension. I also have to give a shout out to Sancia and Berenice, who are #relationshipgoals. It is SO rare for a couple to just exist in a completely healthy state, and watching them lovingly work together without ego or drama was refreshing. There's enough to deal with in the book without unnecessary angst.
Lastly on the character front, let's take a moment to respect how utterly terrifying this new villain is. My favorite antagonists are the ones who are always calm because they are utterly confident in the knowledge that they are in control of the situation. The new villain is a sociopath, one who doesn't blink twice at human sacrifice, one who is utterly convinced he is in the right and if you aren't smart enough to get out of his way, it's not his fault if you die. The crew of Foundryside is way out of their depth here, and only an unlikely ally provides them any hope of contending with the situation.
The world-building in Shorefall is much the same as Foundryside so if you were a fan of the "magic by way of computer coding with runes," you'll be back in your happy place. I have to admit, I occasionally didn't follow every part about "permissions" and "editing" and the nitty gritty of the magic system, but it was never enough to stop me from understanding the overall gist of what was happening (ie, if the bad guy gets Item A, it will be bad). I outright giggle any time Sancia interfaces with a scrived item and convinces it "You think gravity works how? Oh, no, there's been some changes, let me explain to you how gravity ACTUALLY works now."
CONCLUSION: Shorefall is everything Foundryside was, but even better. The characters you love are back, the stakes are real, the consequences devastating. This is the Empire Strikes Back of the series, and the state of the world when you hit that final page is jaw-dropping. Any book that wants me to grant it the title of Best of 2020 is going to have to fight Shorefall for that coveted honor, and it won't be won easily. I unreservedly recommend this series, so do yourself a favor and get it now!
Over ten days ago, the fifth edition of SPFBO came to a close and we got perhaps the most closely fought top three finish ever. It was a fascinating duel between fabulous titles and in the end we got the gold, silver and bronze finishes by Sword Of Kaigen (M. L. Wang), Fortune’s Fool (Angela Boord) and Blood Of Heirs (Alicia Wanstall-Burke).
As this edition ended and as I look back, I’m amazed to see how quickly these five editions have gone by. I often try to recall the heady days back when Mark Lawrence dreamed up this competition along with Sarah Chorn and reached out to us bloggers about it. Since those early days, the competition has flourished and become bigger and bigger.
It has seen many new faces enter both on the author and blogger fronts and we have been richer for it. So as we look forward to the next edition, I would like to share my thoughts as to why this competition is so special.
Firstly as clarified by Mark, it exists to shine a light on self-published works. In this economy and market, old and new authors will always have a hard time gaining a foothold and hence the SPFBO exists to help. Here’s the official mission statement:
"The SPFBO exists to shine a light on self-published fantasy. It exists to find excellent books that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. It exists to help readers select, from the enormous range of options, books that have a better chance of entertaining them than a random choice, thereby increasing reader faith in finding a quality self-published read."
This competition has a bit of randomness to it and that’s to prevent bloggers from selecting their friends or favourites. Mark and all of us work diligently to make sure that this competition stays free of any bias or favouritism.
As with any complex thing, there are aspects of this competition which are tricky to manage. However we try to evolve and keep it sensible. After 2016, there was a small change initiated which was called the Senlin Safety Net (SSN). So far there have been only 6 times wherein titles have been offered as SSN options by the judges and only one singular time - a title was picked up as a SSN. It came 2nd in the competition (Devin Madson’s We Ride The Storm in SPFBO 2018).
(An unsuspecting and lovely Josiah Bancroft)
The SSN is a topic that’s a bit tricky but as a judge who’s been around since the start, I feel it’s a strong necessity. The basic theme of this completion is to choose the ten best books for the finals. So for judges, it can be a tricky thing to manage. Choosing a SSN title means overlooking the 30 titles in your lot. Is it fair to all the 30 authors, probably not?
But here’s where the objectivity comes in to play. If (and only if) one reads and gauges that none of the 30 titles in their lot are worthy of the finals, then it’s imperative to look at all the SSN titles on offer (if available) and choose a worthy title to put forward to the finals instead. Of course this is a tricky situation and the key is in avoiding any selection bias. One of the crucial factors for this is that a judge opting to go for the SSN title over their own lot HAS NO SAY about which titles might/will be offered as SSNs by the other judges.
Utilizing the Push principle rather than the pull as advocated by Mark Lawrence. We hope to avoid favouritism in this SSN scenario, while giving the best book the chance to reach the finals and thereby potentially reap more reviews and reader eyeballs. This way, no blogger judge can just simply choose a title from another group. It has to be offered by that judge on their own volition and as seen by the previous editions, the blogger judges only do it when a book is deemed worthy.
I think the SSN is a necessary and wonderful addition to this competition. We judges might not all agree about its vitality but it remains a crucial addition to this competition and should be nurtured as such.
Another aspect which I cherish is the diversity of the blogger judges. This includes single judges as well as groups. As a single judge for the first three editions, I have only praise and admiration for the judges who do it solely (including all editions). So take a bow Lynn, Sarah, Ria, Kitty, Nicole, Katherine, Jared and Bob 😃
There are a couple of things which aren’t codified in the rules but have invited discussion among the judges:
1) Whether previous winners should be allowed to re-enter the competition with their new titles
2) Whether to set a ratings limit for titles to be entered (for eg. Any title with a 5K+ Goodreads rating SHOULDN’T be allowed to enter)
Both of these conditions seem restrictive and a bit illogical from my perspective. So far in five editions (and 1500 entries), there has been just one winner who re-entered the competition and that title reached the finals (Never Die in SPFBO 2019). While there might have been some chatter about the book’s presence, more importantly and this is crucial all the judges IMHO treated it fairly and gave it their honest reviews (even if some of them might not have agreed with its inclusion in the competition). I believe this speaks to their integrity and I’m sure the author would be glad for it.
But here’s where the objectivity comes in to play. If (and only if) one reads and gauges that none of the 30 titles in their lot are worthy of the finals, then it’s imperative to look at all the SSN titles on offer (if available) and choose a worthy title to put forward to the finals instead. Of course this is a tricky situation and the key is in avoiding any selection bias. One of the crucial factors for this is that a judge opting to go for the SSN title over their own lot HAS NO SAY about which titles might/will be offered as SSNs by the other judges.
Utilizing the Push principle rather than the pull as advocated by Mark Lawrence. We hope to avoid favouritism in this SSN scenario, while giving the best book the chance to reach the finals and thereby potentially reap more reviews and reader eyeballs. This way, no blogger judge can just simply choose a title from another group. It has to be offered by that judge on their own volition and as seen by the previous editions, the blogger judges only do it when a book is deemed worthy.
I think the SSN is a necessary and wonderful addition to this competition. We judges might not all agree about its vitality but it remains a crucial addition to this competition and should be nurtured as such.
Another aspect which I cherish is the diversity of the blogger judges. This includes single judges as well as groups. As a single judge for the first three editions, I have only praise and admiration for the judges who do it solely (including all editions). So take a bow Lynn, Sarah, Ria, Kitty, Nicole, Katherine, Jared and Bob 😃
There are a couple of things which aren’t codified in the rules but have invited discussion among the judges:
1) Whether previous winners should be allowed to re-enter the competition with their new titles
2) Whether to set a ratings limit for titles to be entered (for eg. Any title with a 5K+ Goodreads rating SHOULDN’T be allowed to enter)
Both of these conditions seem restrictive and a bit illogical from my perspective. So far in five editions (and 1500 entries), there has been just one winner who re-entered the competition and that title reached the finals (Never Die in SPFBO 2019). While there might have been some chatter about the book’s presence, more importantly and this is crucial all the judges IMHO treated it fairly and gave it their honest reviews (even if some of them might not have agreed with its inclusion in the competition). I believe this speaks to their integrity and I’m sure the author would be glad for it.
It all comes down to what I think is the advantage of winning SPFBO. There’s no cash prize offered or any special favour. The winner gets a lovely selfie stick and the honour of knowing that their title beat out 299 others according to ten blogger judges with varied interests. As far as ego boosters go, that’s a pretty solid one.
But as we all know fame is fleeting after all and one’s mental health isn’t a constant. Why should previous winners be any different? As the competition prospers, its popularity and reader visibility increases. Ergo the winner of the first edition definitely has not gotten the same reader eyeballs as say the third SPFBO winner who might not have gotten the equivalent Goodreads adds as the fifth (current) winner. Hence to equate an author’s win as their ultimate glory and to prevent them for further participation is not only silly but also self-defeating in terms of the SPFBO's official mission statement.
We want the best to participate in this contest so the finalists know their books have overcome worthy adversaries. All of the writers who enter this competition are professionals as such. Hence coming to the second point about a ratings cutoff for titles, I believe this is irrelevant to the SPFBO. We want the best to participate but that doesn’t mean they (popular authors) will choose to enter (in fact in the past five editions, there have less than ten titles with a 5k-plus GR rating entered among 1500 entries).
With a 97 perfect cutoff rate, this competition is BRUTAL to say the least. I’m perennially in awe of authors who submit their books to be judged by strangers. In this regard, popular titles and authors have more to lose in such a scenario than say someone who’s relatively unknown. Yet both also have the same odds of success.
Some might argue that popular books and their authors have name recognition which might influence judges. By that very reasoning, they also have more to lose as judges might be judging them a bit more harshly than the relatively unknowns.
Lastly I would like to clarify what the point of the contest is... Here's what I think:
- It's NOT about the authors.
- It's NOT about the bloggers
- IT’S ABOUT THE READERS
- It's about shining a spotlight on books that readers might have overlooked or never heard about. It doesn't matter whether a book has a single Goodreads rating or 5K-plus because it can still reach more people by being in the contest.
I vehemently believe that every book should be judged on its own merit and not whether its author has won SPFBO or been a previous finalist or is a famous one (either traditionally published or self-published). Yes we can have rules about how frequently a previous winner or finalist can re-enter their new books (maybe with a cooling period of 2/3 years for a winner and a year for the finalist) but that's a discussion to be had.
These are some of the reasons why I believe we shouldn’t be thinking of limiting folks based on selective reasons of previous success or Goodreads popularity. These thoughts have been percolating in my brain for some time and maybe I'm the only one espousing them but I'm sure there will be much discussion to be had around this.
The self-publishing world is a tough and lonely one. The SPFBO is a lovely community and I for one would like to see it prosper more. So thank you to Mark Lawrence for its creation and management. My thanks to my fellow judges and blogger teams for their hard work and vital commitment in helping run this competition. I can’t wait for SPFBO 6 and the hunt to unearth new gems to begin 😃
NOTE: Josiah Bancroft and SA picture courtesy of Nicole Hill and B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog. Selfie stick picture courtesy of Mark Lawrence.
But as we all know fame is fleeting after all and one’s mental health isn’t a constant. Why should previous winners be any different? As the competition prospers, its popularity and reader visibility increases. Ergo the winner of the first edition definitely has not gotten the same reader eyeballs as say the third SPFBO winner who might not have gotten the equivalent Goodreads adds as the fifth (current) winner. Hence to equate an author’s win as their ultimate glory and to prevent them for further participation is not only silly but also self-defeating in terms of the SPFBO's official mission statement.
We want the best to participate in this contest so the finalists know their books have overcome worthy adversaries. All of the writers who enter this competition are professionals as such. Hence coming to the second point about a ratings cutoff for titles, I believe this is irrelevant to the SPFBO. We want the best to participate but that doesn’t mean they (popular authors) will choose to enter (in fact in the past five editions, there have less than ten titles with a 5k-plus GR rating entered among 1500 entries).
With a 97 perfect cutoff rate, this competition is BRUTAL to say the least. I’m perennially in awe of authors who submit their books to be judged by strangers. In this regard, popular titles and authors have more to lose in such a scenario than say someone who’s relatively unknown. Yet both also have the same odds of success.
Some might argue that popular books and their authors have name recognition which might influence judges. By that very reasoning, they also have more to lose as judges might be judging them a bit more harshly than the relatively unknowns.
Lastly I would like to clarify what the point of the contest is... Here's what I think:
- It's NOT about the authors.
- It's NOT about the bloggers
- IT’S ABOUT THE READERS
- It's about shining a spotlight on books that readers might have overlooked or never heard about. It doesn't matter whether a book has a single Goodreads rating or 5K-plus because it can still reach more people by being in the contest.
I vehemently believe that every book should be judged on its own merit and not whether its author has won SPFBO or been a previous finalist or is a famous one (either traditionally published or self-published). Yes we can have rules about how frequently a previous winner or finalist can re-enter their new books (maybe with a cooling period of 2/3 years for a winner and a year for the finalist) but that's a discussion to be had.
These are some of the reasons why I believe we shouldn’t be thinking of limiting folks based on selective reasons of previous success or Goodreads popularity. These thoughts have been percolating in my brain for some time and maybe I'm the only one espousing them but I'm sure there will be much discussion to be had around this.
The self-publishing world is a tough and lonely one. The SPFBO is a lovely community and I for one would like to see it prosper more. So thank you to Mark Lawrence for its creation and management. My thanks to my fellow judges and blogger teams for their hard work and vital commitment in helping run this competition. I can’t wait for SPFBO 6 and the hunt to unearth new gems to begin 😃
NOTE: Josiah Bancroft and SA picture courtesy of Nicole Hill and B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog. Selfie stick picture courtesy of Mark Lawrence.
Order A Boy in a Park here
There is a theme to Richard Parkin's collection of short stories, and I write not only of the obvious titular link between each tale. These stories all tell of loss in one way or another, and also of persistence. The title A Boy in a Park, is an apt title, but the subtitle, Tales of Wonder and Despair perhaps rings more true to the heart of these yarns. I might argue that the despair outweighs the wonder because these stories are full of the kind of sadness that only living alone can bring. The boy in the park is everyone who has ever had to make their way along in the world without the help of others, longingly wishing they had someone to share the journey with. I struggled, at times, to find the metaphors clearly buried within these tales, but that one at least felt apparent.
Parkin's prose is effective, even beautiful at times, and he presents his various boys in similar ways while making them all feel slightly different. A Boy in a Park is a collection of ten different children, all living in very English-style parks, though location is never overtly mentioned. There are common elements weaving into many of these stories. Girls riding away on bicycles is mentioned in two of the them, and horticulture is a near-ever present canopy (as it should be in a park). As readers, we don't often see the autobiographical nature of stories without knowing the writer in an intimate way, but I would be surprised if you told me that Parkin had not developed a childhood crush on a girl riding a red bike.
But while these stories are pleasant and well written, I did struggle with the why of it all. Why tell these stories? I never found a common enough thread through the tales to link them, despite their similar settings. At times, I even felt like this was a writing exercise, as though I were in a creative fiction class and the assignment was to pen tales of boys in parks. That is not to say that there is not value in what is written, but I tend to prefer to spend my time on fantasy that feels more robust.
I will not deny that there is wonder here. The last tale in particular, "Yellow Frog," tells about two people who find one another through apparent drug use, and the lure of being able to forget about the world in a haze of feel-good stupor. That seems like a heavy subject when the majority of the characters in Parkin's work are children, but it is told in an Alice in Wonderland type of way that dulls the harder edge of its message. I also quite liked "The Heron Man," a tale of showmanship and what happens when a performer disrespects his or her fellow showmen (or in this case, show-herons).
A Boy in a Park, despite potentially lacking any deeper meaning, is well worth reading. Parkin knows his way around the written word, and if nothing else this collection is a primer for what I hope might be a larger work in the future.
The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley Review
Order The Beauty over HERE(USA) or HERE (UK) or directly from the publisher
Official Rachel Aaron Website
Order “Night Shift Dragons ” HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Forever Fantasy Online"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "FFO: Last Bastion"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "FFO: The Once King"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Nice Dragons Finish Last"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "One Good Dragon Deserves Another"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "A Dragon Of A Different Color"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Last Dragon Standing"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Minimum Wage Magic"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Part-Time Gods"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "The Spirit Thief"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit Rebellion”
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit Eater” & “Spirit’s Oath”
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit War”
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Spirit's End"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Fortune's Pawn"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Honor's Knight"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Heaven's Queen"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's joint interview with Rachel Aaron & Travis Bach
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Eli Monpress series completion interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Interview with Rachel Bach
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Heartstrikers interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Second Heartstrikers interview with Rachel Aaron
Read "Why A Nice Dragon" by Rachel Aaron (Guest post)
Order “Night Shift Dragons ” HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Forever Fantasy Online"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "FFO: Last Bastion"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "FFO: The Once King"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Nice Dragons Finish Last"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "One Good Dragon Deserves Another"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "A Dragon Of A Different Color"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Last Dragon Standing"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Minimum Wage Magic"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Part-Time Gods"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "The Spirit Thief"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit Rebellion”
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit Eater” & “Spirit’s Oath”
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of “The Spirit War”
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Spirit's End"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Fortune's Pawn"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Honor's Knight"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of "Heaven's Queen"
Read Fantasy Book Critic's joint interview with Rachel Aaron & Travis Bach
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Eli Monpress series completion interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Interview with Rachel Bach
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Heartstrikers interview with Rachel Aaron
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Second Heartstrikers interview with Rachel Aaron
Read "Why A Nice Dragon" by Rachel Aaron (Guest post)
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Rachel Aaron lives in Colorado with her family. She has graduated from University of Georgia with a B.A. in English Literature. She has been an avid reader since her childhood and now has an ever-growing collection to show for it. She loves gaming, Manga comics & reality TV police shows. She also posts regularly on her blog about publishing, books and several other intriguing things.
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: They say family always sticks together, but when you’re your dad’s only lifeline and the whole world—humans, dragons, and gods—wants you dead, “family bonding” takes on a whole new meaning.
My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m in way over my head. I thought getting rid of my dad’s bad luck curse would put things back to normal. Instead, I’m stuck playing caretaker to the Great Dragon of Korea. That wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t such a jerk, or if every dragon on the planet wasn’t out to kill him, or if he was my only problem.
Turns out, things can always get worse in the DFZ. When a rival spirit attacks my god/boss with the aim of turning the famously safety-optional city into a literal death arena with Nik as his bloody champion, I’m thrust onto the front lines and way out of my comfort zone. When gods fight, mortals don’t usually survive, but I’m not alone this time. Even proud old dragons can learn new tricks, and with everything I love falling to pieces, the father I’ve always run from might just be the only force in the universe stubborn enough to pull us back together.
FORMAT/INFO: Night Shift Dragons is 398 pages long divided over fifteen numbered chapters and a prologue. Narration is in the first person via Opal Yong-ae solely. This is the last volume of the DFZ trilogy.
May 5, 2020 marks the e-book publication of Night Shift Dragons and it is self-published by the author. Cover Art is by Luisa Preißler.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Night Shift Dragons brings to an end the DFZ trilogy and it’s a book that I was highly anticipating after the emotional rollercoaster ending of Part-Time Gods. For the sake of this review, I will talk about certain events from the preceding two titles and it might be considered spoilerific by some so be warned.
Over the past two books, we have come to know Opal Yong-Ae really well. She’s the daughter of the great Dragon of Korea and the opal of his eye. She however doesn’t seem to think of it in those sweet terms. When we first met Opal, she was a cleaner and a mage who’s down on her luck. She however is a fighter and knows that the DFZ is her last option. Opal met Nik and soon discovered why she was plagued by bad luck. Things take some exciting turns and we find out what’s the root cause of Opal’s bad luck.
The start of this book is set a couple of months from the ending of Part-Time Gods and we learn what Opal has been upto and how Yong is recuperating as well. Things aren’t exactly normal and with this being the DFZ, things are beyond the normal. Opal is slowly and surely learning to become a priest while also re-learning how to operate and control her magic. That’s the easy stuff, the tougher part is for her to understand why her father behaved the way he did. The great dragon of Korea hasn’t fared well after the climatic events and he finds himself in a whole new way. Both Opal and Yong will have to learn to reconcile their differences and figure out a way to come back alive as danger circles them and their homeland of Korea.
This trilogy ending was a spectacular read for me as it brought to the fore the emotional crux of this series. The bond between a father and his daughter as they refuse to see eye to eye. This was excellently laid out by the author as we learn about the authoritative dragon father and his equally strong willed and obstinate human daughter who yearns for freedom in the most basic sense. Both Opal and Yong are fascinating & deeply flawed characters, however their charisma is such that we the readers can’t help but look closely at their dysfunctional selves. Clearly Opal is the protagonist of the series and throughout the trilogy she matures massively. Yong is the Korean dragonlord who perhaps has never been challenged by any human as Opal does. He’s also quite different than many dragons as he respects and adores the human race. However his iron will and his intent to control all of his surroundings are suffocative to say the least. I enjoyed how the author peeled back layers about both of them throughout the trilogy and it’s in this book, we get the massively emotional payout. This has been the core conflict of the series and the author gives us a delightfully strong resolution to this issue.
Nik is another character whom we have been left in the dark and in this volume, we learn why he acts the way he does. His relationship with Opal is a cute and funny one but it’s in this book we get to see what love truly means to both of them. After a weird character turn in Part-Time Gods, we see them acting a lot more fluidly and as normal couples would. Lastly rounding up the character cast is Opal’s AI, the DFZ & her mortal shell. All of whom are delightful and writing such characters has been Rachel’s forte. It’s very much evident how good she is at giving us readers so many wonderful characters to root for and chuckle along with.
There’s some wonderful action sequences within the story and none better than the ending climax wherein human, dragon & spirit magic combine to showcase something spectacular. I liked how the action and emotional quotients complimented each other beautifully instead of competing within themselves.
Another funny aspect is that each of the three books offered a look at different aspects of the DFZ world and gave us different villains to root against. In this book, we find out about the main reason why Nik is so secretive about his past as well as meet one of the most terrifying aspects about the DFZ’s negligent attitudes towards those who live within her realm. I enjoyed how the author had a wonderful call back to the Heartstrikers series with regards to creation of spirits/forgotten gods as well a very harsh but effective look against rampant no-holds-barred capitalism. I enjoyed this aspect of the story as we learn how things have been shaped after the events of the Heartstrikers series and this rarely gets addressed.
The worldbuilding in this book takes a bit of a backseat unlike the first book (Minimum Wage Magic) wherein we got to the cool subterranean world below and within the DFZ. In this book however there’s a strong light shone upon the magic system focusing on human mages, preiesthood and more. I enjoyed this aspect of the storyline and the DFZ world is such a rich one that I’m sure we might see more unexplored aspects in the future.
Lastly this is a personal gripe but the author has been very careful to not let this series get overridden by the Heartstriker characters and while I understand her reasoning to the hilt. I’m always on the lookout for callbacks, references and cameos to the previous series. We do get a few well-timed cameos from some of our favourites but the fan in me always wanted more.
This book ended on a strong and emotionally stable note and while we got a terrific trilogy. I’m sure the fans will be wanting more stories set within this world and maybe even a return to the beloved characters. However I trust the author to bide her time and give us a story that’s worthy of her return to this world. Rather than making it a cash-grab.
CONCLUSION: Night Shift Dragons is an action-packed bonanza of a book, it has action, emotional resolutions and a dragontastic climax which is unbelievably cool to read. It offers closure on all the plot threads introduced within the trilogy and yet leaves me wanting more set in the world of the DFZ. Kudos once again to Rachel Aaron for stringing my heart and my mind along superbly and closing out another fantastic series. She’s in a league by herself in this regard and I hope she continues to thrill us for many, many more decades.
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: They say family always sticks together, but when you’re your dad’s only lifeline and the whole world—humans, dragons, and gods—wants you dead, “family bonding” takes on a whole new meaning.
My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m in way over my head. I thought getting rid of my dad’s bad luck curse would put things back to normal. Instead, I’m stuck playing caretaker to the Great Dragon of Korea. That wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t such a jerk, or if every dragon on the planet wasn’t out to kill him, or if he was my only problem.
Turns out, things can always get worse in the DFZ. When a rival spirit attacks my god/boss with the aim of turning the famously safety-optional city into a literal death arena with Nik as his bloody champion, I’m thrust onto the front lines and way out of my comfort zone. When gods fight, mortals don’t usually survive, but I’m not alone this time. Even proud old dragons can learn new tricks, and with everything I love falling to pieces, the father I’ve always run from might just be the only force in the universe stubborn enough to pull us back together.
FORMAT/INFO: Night Shift Dragons is 398 pages long divided over fifteen numbered chapters and a prologue. Narration is in the first person via Opal Yong-ae solely. This is the last volume of the DFZ trilogy.
May 5, 2020 marks the e-book publication of Night Shift Dragons and it is self-published by the author. Cover Art is by Luisa Preißler.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Night Shift Dragons brings to an end the DFZ trilogy and it’s a book that I was highly anticipating after the emotional rollercoaster ending of Part-Time Gods. For the sake of this review, I will talk about certain events from the preceding two titles and it might be considered spoilerific by some so be warned.
Over the past two books, we have come to know Opal Yong-Ae really well. She’s the daughter of the great Dragon of Korea and the opal of his eye. She however doesn’t seem to think of it in those sweet terms. When we first met Opal, she was a cleaner and a mage who’s down on her luck. She however is a fighter and knows that the DFZ is her last option. Opal met Nik and soon discovered why she was plagued by bad luck. Things take some exciting turns and we find out what’s the root cause of Opal’s bad luck.
The start of this book is set a couple of months from the ending of Part-Time Gods and we learn what Opal has been upto and how Yong is recuperating as well. Things aren’t exactly normal and with this being the DFZ, things are beyond the normal. Opal is slowly and surely learning to become a priest while also re-learning how to operate and control her magic. That’s the easy stuff, the tougher part is for her to understand why her father behaved the way he did. The great dragon of Korea hasn’t fared well after the climatic events and he finds himself in a whole new way. Both Opal and Yong will have to learn to reconcile their differences and figure out a way to come back alive as danger circles them and their homeland of Korea.
This trilogy ending was a spectacular read for me as it brought to the fore the emotional crux of this series. The bond between a father and his daughter as they refuse to see eye to eye. This was excellently laid out by the author as we learn about the authoritative dragon father and his equally strong willed and obstinate human daughter who yearns for freedom in the most basic sense. Both Opal and Yong are fascinating & deeply flawed characters, however their charisma is such that we the readers can’t help but look closely at their dysfunctional selves. Clearly Opal is the protagonist of the series and throughout the trilogy she matures massively. Yong is the Korean dragonlord who perhaps has never been challenged by any human as Opal does. He’s also quite different than many dragons as he respects and adores the human race. However his iron will and his intent to control all of his surroundings are suffocative to say the least. I enjoyed how the author peeled back layers about both of them throughout the trilogy and it’s in this book, we get the massively emotional payout. This has been the core conflict of the series and the author gives us a delightfully strong resolution to this issue.
Nik is another character whom we have been left in the dark and in this volume, we learn why he acts the way he does. His relationship with Opal is a cute and funny one but it’s in this book we get to see what love truly means to both of them. After a weird character turn in Part-Time Gods, we see them acting a lot more fluidly and as normal couples would. Lastly rounding up the character cast is Opal’s AI, the DFZ & her mortal shell. All of whom are delightful and writing such characters has been Rachel’s forte. It’s very much evident how good she is at giving us readers so many wonderful characters to root for and chuckle along with.
There’s some wonderful action sequences within the story and none better than the ending climax wherein human, dragon & spirit magic combine to showcase something spectacular. I liked how the action and emotional quotients complimented each other beautifully instead of competing within themselves.
Another funny aspect is that each of the three books offered a look at different aspects of the DFZ world and gave us different villains to root against. In this book, we find out about the main reason why Nik is so secretive about his past as well as meet one of the most terrifying aspects about the DFZ’s negligent attitudes towards those who live within her realm. I enjoyed how the author had a wonderful call back to the Heartstrikers series with regards to creation of spirits/forgotten gods as well a very harsh but effective look against rampant no-holds-barred capitalism. I enjoyed this aspect of the story as we learn how things have been shaped after the events of the Heartstrikers series and this rarely gets addressed.
The worldbuilding in this book takes a bit of a backseat unlike the first book (Minimum Wage Magic) wherein we got to the cool subterranean world below and within the DFZ. In this book however there’s a strong light shone upon the magic system focusing on human mages, preiesthood and more. I enjoyed this aspect of the storyline and the DFZ world is such a rich one that I’m sure we might see more unexplored aspects in the future.
Lastly this is a personal gripe but the author has been very careful to not let this series get overridden by the Heartstriker characters and while I understand her reasoning to the hilt. I’m always on the lookout for callbacks, references and cameos to the previous series. We do get a few well-timed cameos from some of our favourites but the fan in me always wanted more.
This book ended on a strong and emotionally stable note and while we got a terrific trilogy. I’m sure the fans will be wanting more stories set within this world and maybe even a return to the beloved characters. However I trust the author to bide her time and give us a story that’s worthy of her return to this world. Rather than making it a cash-grab.
CONCLUSION: Night Shift Dragons is an action-packed bonanza of a book, it has action, emotional resolutions and a dragontastic climax which is unbelievably cool to read. It offers closure on all the plot threads introduced within the trilogy and yet leaves me wanting more set in the world of the DFZ. Kudos once again to Rachel Aaron for stringing my heart and my mind along superbly and closing out another fantastic series. She’s in a league by herself in this regard and I hope she continues to thrill us for many, many more decades.
Monday, May 4, 2020
The Origin of Birds in The Footprints of Writing by Raymond St. Elmo (reviewed by Lukasz Przywoski)
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Quest of the Five Clans series
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Stations of Angels
One of the things I will miss most, now that the Winternight Trilogy has ended, is that at the beginning of each book, Katherine Arden has one of her characters tell a Russian folk tale, usually to a child, that foreshadows events to come within the narrative. These snippets don't spoil anything, but they set a tone for what's to come, and send a chill up my spine every time. Winter of the Witch, coming right on the heels of The Girl in the Tower, does not seem like it will find a dull moment in which to tell this folk tale, but it manages and that is basically one of the last peaceful moments in the entire book. Arden ends her trilogy in as grandly Russian a way as I can think of, and I am going to pine for her writing in years to come.
Strengths
At the end of The Girl in the Tower, Moscow is burning and Vasya is beat up. Vasya being beat up is the basic premise of Winter of the Witch, and for the entirety of the novel we rarely see her without bruises or cuts, mental and physical. The opening of the book is one of the most traumatic events a human being can go through, and it sets a tone for the rest of Vasya's journey. As hard as it is to read about the violence humans are capable of, it is almost necessary in this instance because it does not take long for Vasya to find her power. When she does, she becomes a force to be reckoned with, and without some kind of weakness or fear, she would run into the problem of near-invincibility. Her early trauma also leaves her vulnerable, and while she seems capable of facing down demons and the things that lurk in the dark, it is the actions of humans that frighten her most.Where The Girl in the Tower dealt with an immortal human sorcerer, Winter of the Witch brings us back into the conflict between Morozko and the Bear, fae brothers who wage an eternal war, with humans used as pawns. Vasya, in The Bear and the Nightingale, was at the center of this conflict, but Arden gives her the agency in Winter of the Witch to become her own faction, and it's a clever method of allowing her to finally break away from the confines of others and be her own power.
Arden's use of fae weirdness is also elevated in exciting ways as Vasya starts to travel down the paths of midnight, a mystical realm where she can pop in and out of anywhere as long as that place is enshrouded in those late hours of the night. Arden's knowledge of Russian folklore gets to have free reign in this novel more than in any other. If Katherine Arden ever published a book about the various weird creatures in Russian mythology, I would be 100% interested in reading it. I actually wish there were more of this in her novels than there is, and there's already a fair amount.
Weaknesses
With Vasya's great power comes a bit of plot armor that is difficult at times to reconcile. While she gets beat up almost consistently throughout the tale, there are times where she feels invincible, which leads to a lack of stakes. Thankfully, there are only a few spots in the novel where this might be an issue.The biggest problem I have with Winter of the Witch is that I wish it would have ended after its third part. There are four parts in total, with the entire fourth act as one battle sequence that, to me, felt out of place and forced. Arden talks in her acknowledgements about how she had always intended to end her trilogy at the Battle of Kulikovo, a historical event with some of the same figures as those in her novel. This is a respectable goal, but never once did I feel that the paths of these books would lead to a large battle against an enemy that is only ever an existential threat to the south. My reading of this series was always centered on Medved and Morozko, on Vasya and Konstantin and the Petrovna family. All of these characters do factor into that battle, but not in the way one might have expected when setting out on this journey. Winter of the Witch feels like a book that is over after its third part, with the fourth part feeling more like an offshoot sequel than part of this book. Perhaps students of Russian history would have a different perception of this, knowing what they know about the characters of these novels. For me, it was off-putting even if well told and exciting.
If You Liked
If you're invested in this series, this is an easy recommendation and it is a satisfying conclusion despite my misgivings about its final section. Vasya's growth over these three novels is remarkable, and Arden even manages to leave the door open to future development of the character. This book is also an easy recommendation for anyone interested in fae fantasy - books like Jeannette Ng's Under the Pendulum Sun, which deals with English fae instead of Russian fae but shares similar themes. There is a fair bit of romance in Arden's trilogy, and readers who find relationships between the supernatural and mundane engaging would find much to love here (though for those who aren't interested in the romance genre, it is never over-stated in any of these books).
Parting Thoughts
This is a series that I have been eager for and interested in since its first debut, and Katherine Arden has become a name to look for on shelves. I will be curious to see where she goes after this. Her heart seems to be in Russia, and there is certainly much more inspiration to be drawn from that frigid landscape. The Winternight Trilogy feels timeless, a thing to come back to every few years when the fire is roaring, logs popping, a cup of something warm to keep the wintry demons at bay (or something cold should one wish them nearer). Vasilisa Petrovna is one of those characters who feels real to me, like she's out there somewhere, roaming the various shadow realms that I'll likely never see. Those are the characters I look for in my fiction - the unforgettable heroes, the ones that defy everything to choose their own path. We need those.
Friday, May 1, 2020
Cover Reveal: Best Foot Forward (Ep# 1 of Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings, Season One by Martin Svolgart)
Official Author Website
Read an excerpt of Best Foot Forward over HERE
Today we are proud to take part in the cover reveal for Best Foot Forward (episode I of Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings, Season One) courtesy of Storytellers On Tour.
Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings, Season One is written by Martin Svolgart, a forty-year old dad, nature lover, amateur photographer, coffee lover, and a geek!
The Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings serial is written like a TV series—four novellas of 25,000 words, each with their own little storyline yet all substantiating a bigger underlying story arc and character development.
Best Foot Forward is expected to release in the summer of 2020. The remaining novellas will follow every month after that.
Read an excerpt of Best Foot Forward over HERE
Today we are proud to take part in the cover reveal for Best Foot Forward (episode I of Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings, Season One) courtesy of Storytellers On Tour.
Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings, Season One is written by Martin Svolgart, a forty-year old dad, nature lover, amateur photographer, coffee lover, and a geek!
The Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings serial is written like a TV series—four novellas of 25,000 words, each with their own little storyline yet all substantiating a bigger underlying story arc and character development.
Best Foot Forward is expected to release in the summer of 2020. The remaining novellas will follow every month after that.
Official Blurb: After a freak accident kills his wife and son, Pritchard slips into alcohol-ism at a blue-collar bar nearby to avoid the dead and empty house.
A teenage girl sometimes comes into the bar to try to get her drunkard dad to come home, but it rarely works. One day, in his intoxicated state, Pritchard accidentally trips over her scooter, and something breaks. He promises the distraught girl to pay for it, but she’s used to being lied to by drunk men. To follow through, he gives her his business card.
A few days later, she calls him out of the blue, afraid, begging for his help. Her dad has run into a card game with bad people, and the debt collectors aren’t stopping with him. The selfless act of responding to the young girl’s plea upends his world, leaving him on-ly one way out: A walk in life he knows well, but one he left for his wife. A life of crime.
Best foot forward, she’d always said. That was how she urged a man with a spotted past to strive to become a good man. The only question now is whether going backward can also bring someone forward.
Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings is an action-packed story that also holds a lot of humor, pokes at emotions, and looks at a new kind of vigilante hero with his heart in the right place.
A teenage girl sometimes comes into the bar to try to get her drunkard dad to come home, but it rarely works. One day, in his intoxicated state, Pritchard accidentally trips over her scooter, and something breaks. He promises the distraught girl to pay for it, but she’s used to being lied to by drunk men. To follow through, he gives her his business card.
A few days later, she calls him out of the blue, afraid, begging for his help. Her dad has run into a card game with bad people, and the debt collectors aren’t stopping with him. The selfless act of responding to the young girl’s plea upends his world, leaving him on-ly one way out: A walk in life he knows well, but one he left for his wife. A life of crime.
Best foot forward, she’d always said. That was how she urged a man with a spotted past to strive to become a good man. The only question now is whether going backward can also bring someone forward.
Brass Knuckles & Tattered Wings is an action-packed story that also holds a lot of humor, pokes at emotions, and looks at a new kind of vigilante hero with his heart in the right place.
Official Series Blurb: After a freak accident killed his wife and son, Pritchard slipped into alcoholism to drown his sorrows at a blue-collar bar nearby to avoid the dead and empty house. But then a teenage girl asked for his help, and it turned his entire existence around.
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