Official Author Website
Order Cthulhu Armageddon HERE
Order Straight Outta Fangton HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Esoterrorism
Read Fantasy Book Critic interview with C. T. Phipps
Read "Giving Back Vampires Their Bite" by C. T. Phipps (guest post)
Read "To Mythos Or Not To Mythos" by C. T. Phipps (guest post)

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Cthulhu Armageddon is a book that grabbed my attention for two reasons. One it’s a dystopian, post-apocalyptic story that mixes Lovecraftian mythos with action & terrific characters. The second reason being C. T. Phipps himself, he has impressed me a lot with his previous work and so I have high hopes for this one.

The book's main character John Henry Booth is an Remnant Recon & Extermination ranger & squadron leader. He's been trained to retrieve objects, humans & other items of interest from the surrounding areas. John in his last mission went with his team in different area of the wastelands and came back a different man. He doesn't quite remember what happened but his entire team got wiped out & he has been branded a traitor. Events are in play which call for his execution but then a fortuitous turn leads Booth to finding out what might have happened & sets up the main plot.

The best way to describe this book is Mad Max meets Cthulhu and with lots of action and horror mixed in. The thing I loved about the book was the world settings, usually it's very tricky to balance a post apocalyptic dystopia but kudos to Charles Phipps for making this world believable and also providing a rich mythological feel to it.

The characterization is another plus point as I enjoyed those characters who are introduced in this series opener. This goes majorly for the side character cast which is introduced. My favorites were Katryn and Richard as they both seemed so much more than their appearances.  Particularly I was plain horrified at one of the minor character’s death as that was just out of the left field. This is to the author's credit that he makes us invested in ech and everyone. The main character Booth is a bit unsavory but he has reasons to be such and there are tiny snippets of his past revised which reveal a further humane side to him. Another particular aspect of the book which I loved was the main character is black and the author doesn't make too much of it. His world is a diverse world reflecting our own and it was very heartening to see the author include the mythos but add his own touches to make it so much more diverse.

This book is mainly about secrets, secrets about Booth, secrets about the world, secrets from the past affecting the future and much more. I like how you get to know some but others remain just that; secrets. I hope that the author reveals Booth's past connection to a side character (from what is revealed, it's too rich to not be further explored) as well as lets us meet his ex-wife. The pace of the story is such that you will constantly be flipping pages to see where it all ends.

Now going to the negatives about the book, there are a few situations within the book that stretch the imagination even more that what is required. It felt more cut & dried rather than  being organic and within the story so that detracted from my enjoyment. Lastly Booth while being a main character isn't all that strong to drive your interest. In fact it's the secondary characters who often prop up the story as much as him. So with that in mind I'm hoping that the author can rectify this in the sequels and make the story stronger.

Overall this is a story that is similar to Steven Montano's Blood Skies series but less grim dark and has more of a human element involved. The authors spoken about where he wishes to take the story next & based on the potential shown in this story, I’m willing to go along for the ride. Cthulhu Armageddon is a good thrill ride mixing Lovecraftian horror along with grimdark dystopia and for the most part gives the readers exactly what its blurb promises.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Straight Outta Fangton while having a funny, catchy title also has a great story. Charles T. Phipps wrote this book because he wanted to do a slightly different spin on one the most overused supernatural creatures to be found in the speculative fiction genre. He wrote about how he believes that Vampires need to be brought back to their scary days.

The main story begins with Peter Stone, a poor vampire who works in a convenience store. He frequently tries to make sense of his recent status and he’s also hassled by his co-worker who wants him to turn him. Things get hairy when Peter discovers a newly-formed vampire in his store bathroom and no idea about who created the vampire. Forced to return to New Detroit to his maker, Peter tries to make sense of the new horror unfolding. But what he finds are the some of the same issues that previously caused him to leave. He however does make contact with his maker and what he learns will shock him to his core.

That’s the central plot which then spirals into many more twists and goes into full blown horror that’s tinged with dark comedy. I loved this urban fantasy because the story was so unpredictable, imagine if Blade was a broke vampire trying to do the right thing and trying to solve a murder-resurrection. Peter Stone is a fascinating narrator and as a vampire trying to retain what’s left of his humanity He’s the main draw of the story as we see the story almost entirely via his POV. His powers haven’t flowered but he still does his best to do what’s necessary.

Another aspect which I enjoyed is the setting of the New Detroit, which is a weird mix of a vampire mecca and Las Vegas. It has the decadence and the debauchery that vampires have been famous for and some more. The author presents New Detroit in fleeting glimpses and factoids that add to its mystique. Lastly the story is very much like a procedural but flipped completely on its head as the mystery being investigated is who created an undead. I liked how the author managed to make it interesting and yet made it original via the merging of vampires and procedural aspects.

There’s a duality that is enhanced within this book, Peter a vampire trying to be more like a human. This plot is a vampire story that reads like a crime procedural, the comedy and horror aspects often take turns twisting the plot further. Lastly the main antagonist is also doing something good (from a human perspective) while not being entirely of the same species. All of the characters struggle with this duality of purpose and yet strive harder to accomplish their goals.

The only thing that would have made this book a five star read, was the world-building  which wasn’t done all the way. What I mean by this is that while the world is constantly peeked at, we are never given a full accounting. I would loved to see what the rest of the world and the country looks like with the vampire reveal. How would it affect the geo-political situations? What would happen to regions and their predictable reactions? All of this and much more was not entirely shown but just hinted at. Now I realize that this is a short first entry so the author might be planning to further uncover the world in the sequels.

Straight Outta Fangton is a wonderful mix of urban fantasy, dark comedy and scary vampires. It reads very much like a thriller and whose pace will have you flipping pages as fast as you can. Charles Phipps is an author who is revealing himself to be a master of many genres as he continues to thrill and amaze.

Official Author Website
Read The Bibliosanctum's review of The Bloodbound
Read The Bibliosanctum's review of The Bloodforged
Read The Bibliosanctum's review of The Bloodsworn
Read "Five Things I've Learned About War" by Erin Lindsey (guest post)
Read "Epic Fantasy: Dinosaur or dynamo? by Erin Lindsey (guest post)

Erin Lindsey is an intriguing persona with her background work in the UN as well as her interests in D&D, geo-politics and history. All of these passions combined came forth in her two series that she has written so far. In this interview she talks about the inception of both of her series, the burden of history & what readers can expect in the near future.

Q] Welcome to Fantasy Book Critic. To begin with, could you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

EL: Well, let’s see… Native Canadian, longtime New Yorker. Passionate about writing, music, and international politics. Also chocolate. So far, I’ve penned five novels from Ace/Roc: the Nicolas Lenoir series (fantasy mystery) as E.L. Tettensor and the Bloodbound trilogy (epic fantasy) as Erin Lindsey. I spent about a decade working for the UN, which has provided some great fodder for my writing. Oh, and you can find me banging on about villains on a monthly basis over at Pornokitsch.com. I think that about covers it.

Q] Can you tell us what inspired you to be a writer in the first place, what experience you went through in finding a publisher, how you ended up with Ace-Roc?

EL: I guess I’ve always been a writer, basically since I could hold a pencil, but I didn’t really start taking it seriously until I went through a period of joblessness some years back. We’d just moved to Switzerland and I was having trouble settling in, so I basically used writing as a way to keep from going stir crazy. I needed to get out of bed in the morning, sit behind a desk, and produce something. I had no idea how to go about getting published, but I was a big Dragonlance fan in middle school, so I started poking around the Wizards of the Coast website and stumbled across an open call for new writers.

I ended up landing a short story in the Realms of the Dragons II anthology in the Forgotten Realms setting, and that’s what really got the ball rolling. I was asked to write a Ravenloft novel, and although that didn’t end up panning out, it got my foot in the door with an agent and gave me the bare bones of the story that would eventually become my debut novel, Darkwalker.

Q] Many writers have a muse, who directs their writing, and others do not seem to be affected the same way. Which group do you fall into? What is your main motivation and source of inspiration?

EL: I wouldn’t say that I have a muse, specifically. I’ve always thought of myself as something of a crow, picking up shiny bits of inspiration wherever I find them and stashing them away until I find just the right place for them. Movies, history, songs, travel – it’s all fair game. Basically, I figure anything that’s evocative enough to hang around in my memory for a while must have struck a chord somewhere, so I try to understand why it struck a chord and use that insight in my writing.

Q] Before writing the BloodBound trilogy, you made your debut with the Nicolas Lenoir series. This was a very intriguing series with an odd mix of fantasy, mystery, Victorian elements & a tad touch of noir. Can you talk to us how the genesis of this series occurred and what does the future hold for this series?

EL: The deepest roots of that series go back to the Ravenloft D&D campaign setting, as I mentioned before, and I think that’s partly what accounts for the eclectic mix of influences in there. Ravenloft is primarily a gothic horror setting, so that was the starting point, but once I struck out on my own and had the freedom to do whatever I liked, I immediately found myself gravitating toward penning a mystery. And as much as a Victorian setting brings Sherlock Holmes to mind, my favourite detectives have always been the hardboiled types – Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe – the antiheroes. So that’s where Nicolas Lenoir came from. He’s basically a hardboiled Frenchman in a gothic fantasy setting.

As for the future – who knows? I’m really attached to the series and I’d love to continue with it, but I’ve got several projects in the pipeline at the moment, so there’s a bit of a queue. Hopefully I’ll return to Lenoir sooner or later – there’s a lot of story left to tell.

Q] Could you tell us about the research which you undertook before attempting to write the Nicolas Lenoir books and what were things which you focused upon and any fascinating things that you found amidst your research?

EL: Honestly, I didn’t do a lot of dedicated research for the Lenoir books, probably because I’ve enjoyed so many books and movies over the years that are set in similar periods. I’d find myself looking up specific things – listening to what a flintlock sounds like, for example, or reading about the Great Fire of London – but in general I focused more on (re)reading all the harboiled classics. I’d forgotten how much fun Dashiell Hammett was.

Q] With the Bloodbound trilogy, your main character lady Alix goes through a veritable upheaval with her personal and professional lives. Was this your plan from the beginning? Has it stayed true throughout the books?

EL: Was it my plan? Yes and no. I knew from the outset that I wanted the series to be character driven first and foremost, which necessarily means you’re going to have a lot of personal conflict. I was especially interested in what makes a hero, what makes a good leader, and the sorts of tough choices that entails – politically, strategically, and above all personally.

What I didn’t necessarily anticipate was how much Alix’s character arc would be bound up with those of the other main characters, and how much those relationships would affect her ability to grow and overcome her own weaknesses. So, for example, the challenges she faces learning to cope with her new station in life are only magnified by her husband’s struggle to accept his place in the world, and by the same token, Alix’s strong personality isn’t exactly helping Liam overcome his self-confidence issues. Liam coming into his own puts pressure on Erik personally and politically – and so on. The result was that character growth is not necessarily linear in the Bloodbound series; the characters all experience setbacks and falling back into old habits in one way or another. That feels more realistic to me, but it’s also more challenging to write.

Q] You also had a strong track of romance throughout the trilogy & it was finely balanced within the plot. How did you achieve this balance? Are there any examples which you focused upon to get an idea about it?

EL: I honestly didn’t strive for balance per se; I was really just trying to make it feel genuine, if that makes sense. So while I started out with an idea I thought was more romance than epic fantasy, it really didn’t turn out that way. Instead it became a blend, sort of an epic fantasy romance. That wasn’t planned; it was just that the characters were too sensible to let themselves get carried away with their personal dramas, what with a war going on and all. The end result is a series where the ‘volume’ on the romance element varies quite a bit between books, with the most in Book 1 and the least in Book 2.

Q] World-building is one of the key ingredients of epic fantasy; What is it about world-building that you love, and what are the keys to successfully crafting such a believable, yet fantastical world like that of the Bloodbound trilogy?

EL: One of the things I like best about writing fantasy is the chance to dabble in what ifs. Starting off with a premise and then going through all the implications of that premise in order to build your cultures, history, etc. For example, what if winter lasted years instead of months, à la A Song of Ice and Fire? It seems like a pretty small twist at first, but when you start to think through the implications – how these different circumstances would affect familiar societies and institutions – the ramifications are actually huge. I really like to play around with questions like these, starting out with a world that’s very like our own, and then giving it a twist. Altered geography, say, or a fork in the road of history. It’s a creative exercise, but also an intellectual one. And it makes for some really rich, believable settings.

Q] With the release of Bloodsworn this year, you bring to a close to the Bloodbound trilogy. What do you hope to write next? Do you see yourself trying out different genres? Can you give us an inkling?

EL: I’m working on a new project that I’m really excited about. It’s a mystery set in Gilded Age New York, and it’s chock full of humour, paranormal shenanigans, and romance. It’s tons of fun. After that I have a completely different idea on deck, very much epic fantasy with an allegorical flavour. In other words, I’m still kind of all over the place style-wise, which I think is a reflection of my personality. (You should see my wardrobe.)

Q] In your guest post “Five Things I’ve learnt about war”, you made an interesting comment: “Where there is war, there will be war crimes…. And not just by the “bad guys”. Some of my greatest historical heroes are, by any modern definition, war criminals. I’ve struggled with that, but I’ve come to accept it, however uncomfortably.”
Can you expound on this statement and tell us which heroes of yours, you were alluding to?

EL: What I was getting at here is a dilemma that I’ve spent a lot of time mulling over, which not coincidentally features heavily in the Bloodbound series: the tension that can arise between being a good person and a good leader. Is a king’s first duty to his country? His family? Humanity as a whole? What happens when these priorities are in direct conflict – which duty ought to take precedence? I’m fascinated by the moral complexity of that. I’m also interested in the tension between justice and peace. One often comes at the expense of the other, so again – how do you choose? And finally, in matters of war and peace, any solution that brings about an end to conflict – at least one of any durability – is likely to involve one party doing something very nasty to the other. Can the ends justify the means? Harry Truman obviously thought so; he dropped an atomic bomb on a civilian population. Twice. That makes him a war criminal according to international humanitarian law. But a lot of people still believe he was a great president.

The historical figure who was most on my mind when I wrote that excerpt, though, was not Truman but a colleague of his: Winston Churchill. Again, by the standards of modern international humanitarian law, Churchill is a war criminal. He did a lot of things I wouldn’t personally condone. I also happen to admire him greatly, for a whole host of reasons. So much so that he served as the inspiration for one of the characters in the Bloodbound trilogy: Chancellor Albern Highmount. It’s Highmount who urges King Erik to the unthinkable near the climax of The Bloodsworn, not because he’s a bad person, but because he truly believes that his (and Erik’s) first duty is to protect the kingdom – by any means necessary. His pragmatism clashes with Erik’s principles again and again, and I couldn’t honestly tell you which of them I’d side with if somebody put a gun to my head.

Q] In that same post, you also mentioned that “History Matters Forever”, as a history student, I can’t heart that point enough. Can you perhaps explain a bit more in detail about that point and feel free to talk about any recent/current geo-political conflict?

EL: I think we don’t always appreciate the extent to which events in the past – even the very distant past – can influence the behaviour of states and peoples and the relationships between them. For example, I’m convinced that France, Russia, and especially the US remain profoundly influenced by their revolutionary pasts, politically and culturally. Relationships in Asia are still recovering from the events of World War II, as are relationships in Europe. Conflicts like those in Palestine and Northern Ireland are the direct descendants of conflicts going back centuries. And just as individuals can be traumatized by events in their past, so can nations, in ways that profoundly affect their decision making processes and responses to stress.

So, for example, by appealing to a collective trauma from the past, a politician might inspire the public to accept something they would never ordinarily stomach. Or an ethnic group can say, “Look, they caught us unawares last time, this time we need to strike first”. That kind of thinking is particularly prevalent in places where the trauma is relatively fresh – i.e. only a few decades old.

It’s something that was very much on my mind while writing the Bloodbound trilogy, so the fictional history of the Kingdom of Alden rears its head in lots of different ways in the series. For example, Chancellor Highmount cites the bitter lessons of a civil war as justification for urging the assassination of a certain political figure. King Erik cleverly evokes a glorious moment in the history of the mountain tribes in an effort to rally them to his cause. The Andithyrian Resistance adopts tactics first employed by the Onnani, learning from the rebellion that was the undoing of their own empire centuries ago. Liam’s efforts at diplomacy in Onnan are frustrated by the imperial legacy of his country. And so on. In that sense, history in the Bloodbound series isn’t just there for decoration; it actually influences the attitudes and actions of the characters.

Q] Lastly, how do you feel about your growth as a writer and what kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

EL: It’s hard to think about legacy when I feel like I’m just starting out. I will say that I’ve learned So. Much. over the past couple of years, and I like to think that shows in the quality of the work. I certainly hope that continues. For now I’m content to keep exploring and stretching myself.

Official Author Website
Order the book HERE

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Kenny Soward grew up in Crescent Park, Kentucky, a small suburb just south of Cincinnati, Ohio, listening to hard rock and playing outdoors. In those quiet 1970's streets, he jumped bikes, played Nerf football, and acquired many a childhood scar. He is the author of the GnomeSaga series and Galefire.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Lonnie is just your average runner for the infamous Eighth Street Gang when he gets an urgent phone call to back up his crew after trouble follows them home from a drug deal gone bad.

During the ensuing firefight, Lonnie sees some things he wishes he hadn’t, including the gang’s leader, Selix, channeling her powers from a place called the Fade by getting high…and dancing. Memories begin unraveling inside Lonnie’s darkened mind. Memories of dragons and fiends and fire-swept otherworlds. Memories Selix controls with a simple touch.

But what is real and what is not? In the strange and violent world of Galefire, Lonnie comes to realize not everything is as it seems, including his own identity. But will Lonnie and Selix reconcile the past before they are caught by those who seek to drag them home in chains?

FORMAT/INFO: Galefire is a 1st person urban fantasy novel and 312 pages long. It is the first volume in the series. The book was released on December 8th, 2015.

ANALYSIS: I admit, I didn't know what to expect when I picked up my copy of Kenny Soward's Galefire. My previous experience with his work in GnomeSaga gave me the impression he was an author of light enjoyable fantasy so I was very surprised by the fact Galefire turned out to be a gritty hard-edged urban fantasy novel about a man trapped in a cycle of addiction.

Lonnie is a drug addict, there's no way around it and he's not a functional one either. His entire life revolves around the taking, acquisition, and acquiring of drugs. He's lost his wife and child due to his addiction and is more or less enslaved to the 8th Street Gang. How drugged up is Lonnie? Well, he hasn't noticed the fact the 8th Street Gang is composed of vampires and Fair Folk.

Or, more precisely, he doesn't care.

Lonnie is the definition of an unreliable narrator, though, as the reader quickly starts to realize what he thinks is going isn't remotely the case. For one, the 8th Street Gang doesn't treat him the way they would any normal junkie in their service and actively close ranks around him whenever he's in trouble.

Indeed, Lonnie is probably the more toxic person in their relationship as he focuses entirely on his lost family while unwittingly getting the gang repeatedly into dangerous situations. What's really going on is a good mystery and one which finally leads to some interesting revelations toward the end.

I like how Kenny Soward didn't really try to make Lonnie sympathetic. A large part of the appeal is the slow realization he's a self-absorbed psychopath who used to be someone great. His user qualities make him a unique protagonist and subtly parody how every hero of urban fantasy tends to be a brooding antihero whose past loves justify whatever his current goal is.

The reader's sympathies start with the narrator but gradually move to the gang and I like that a great deal. I particularly liked the British vampire twins and consider them a sexy/fun addition to a book which threatened to get a little too dark to be enjoyable. Seelix, Lonnie's boss/lieutenant/love interest, is meant to be mysterious and otherworldly but comes across as a bit needy. Much of the book is set up for the planned sequels but I'm very interested in where it ended up.

CONCLUSION: Galefire is an excellent darker-than-normal urban fantasy novel. It's a nice change of pace from Kenny Soward's other works and shows he's capable of much more than just steampunk fantasy. I would have actually preferred the book to focus more on Lonnie's addictions and relationships with his gang versus the overarching plot of the 8th Street Gang versus their enemies but I was still intrigued by events. This is a book I recommend to those who like a little grit with their fantasy.

 The Mirror’s Truth by Michael R. Fletcher

Official Blurb: Where belief defines reality, delusions are both strength and curse: The deeper you sink into madness the more powerful you become. But that power comes with a price. Your darkest nightmares hunt you at night. The face in the mirror hates you and wants to be free. Your fears manifest and plot your destruction.
******
Bedeckt defined himself by the list of crimes he was unwilling to commit. It was such a short list. How could straying from it have gone so wrong?

Now Bedeckt must undo the damage caused by wandering from his precious list. The Geborene god seeks to remake the world with his obsessive need for cleanliness and perfection, but Bedeckt is going to bring him down. Nothing can stop him. Not even death.

The two friends he abandoned in the Afterdeath chase after Bedeckt, bent on revenge. Psychotic assassins hunt him. Something cold and evil follows, lurking in the clouds above, shredding reality with its delusions. Madness and sanity war, stretching and tearing the very fabric of existence.

The dead shall rise.

It Takes A Thief To Start A Fire by Rob . J Hayes

Pre-order It Takes A Thief To Start A Fire HERE (US) & HERE (UK)

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Rob J. Hayes, from his debut trilogy, he has singled hismelf out as a gifted writer with a special talent for writing dark stories & excellent characters. Previously he had released a new book titled It Takes A Thief To Catch A Sunrise and recently he announced a sequel to it along with its release date.

The book was a great mix of French steampunk along with a tremendous heist story so I'm very excited to see where Rob takes the story in the sequel. I'll be reviewing it closer to the release so look out for that.

Official Blurb: Following hot on the heels of the events of It Takes a Thief To Catch a Sunrise, ...To Start a Fire sees Jacques Revou and Isabel de Rosier adapting to life in Great Turlain while competing against murderous fences, shadowy secret police, and a group of thieves who can control the very elements.

“We started our lives together with barely a coin to our name. We have won fortunes and lost them. We have stolen the un-stealable, survived plots and schemes determined to see us fall, and saved a Queen from certain death."

"But sometimes a fresh start is exactly what is needed and here we can have just that. Free from devious machinations and troublesome reputations alike. Here we can go back to our roots."

"A good thief gets out without being caught. A great thief makes it look as though they were never there. But we are neither good, nor great. We are the best.”

Blood Of The Prophet by Kat Ross

Order Blood Of The Prophet HERE

I've recently discovered Kat Ross' Fourth Element series & I'm currently enjoying the heck out of the first book The Midnight Sea. Based in the Achaemenid era of Persia, this YA historical fantasy uses Persian mythology along with Zoroastrianism to give us a story that's unique amidst its field. The cover art also is great and fits in perfectly with its predecessor. I'll be reviewing the first book soon & then I'll be going on to this one next.

Official Blurb: Visionary. Alchemist. Savior. Saint.

The Prophet Zarathustra has been called many things. Now he spends his time drawing pictures of weird-looking goats. That's what happens when you've been stuck in a prison cell for two hundred years. But the man who might be mad, and is definitely supposed to be dead, has suddenly become very valuable again…

It's only been a few weeks since Nazafareen escaped the King's dungeons with her daēva, Darius. She hoped never to set foot in the empire again, but the search for the Prophet has led them to the ancient city of Karnopolis. They have to find him before Alexander of Macydon burns Persepolae, and Darius's mother with it. But they're not the only ones looking.

The necromancer Balthazar has his own plans for the Prophet, and so does the sinister spymaster of the Numerators. As Nazafareen is drawn in to a dangerous game of cat and mouse, her newfound powers take a decidedly dark turn. Only the Prophet understands the secret of her gift, but the price of that knowledge may turn out to be more than Nazafareen is willing to pay…