Review -- McCambrie's Army by Kalifer Deil

Lately I've felt like I've been reading a lot of fantasy novels and novels belonging to fantasy's many subgenres. But lately, I've been yearning for some good sci-fi, preferably space opera. Maybe my craving started when I saw the announcement that the full series of Firefly is going to be shown on the Science Channel starting March 6.


Whatever the reason is, I was thrilled when author Kalifer Deil approached me on Twitter to tell me about his sci-fi/space opera novella McCambrie's Army. Not one to pass up reading sci-fi by an indie author, I downloaded the e-book. Did McCambrie's Army satisfy my space opera craving? Read on to find out.

Review -- City of Dreams & Nightmare by Ian Whates

I just finished the highly recommended City of Dreams & Nightmare by Ian Whates. For the longest time I kept wanting to call it City of Dreams & Nightmares (plural). Sadly, I'm conflicted about this book. Reading it created such a strange mixture of joy and tedium. City of Dreams & Nightmare is one of those weird class of books where the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts. Read on to find out what I mean.

Review -- World's End: Book one of the Age of Misrule Trilogy by Mark Chadbourn

World's End by Mark Chadbourn promised to be a high energy, dark fantasy novel about what would happen if ancient Celtic gods suddenly returned to our world. It only delivered on half of that promise. While there are plenty of references to Celtic mythology and folklore, they weren't enough to carry this novel. It's funny because the mythological references felt as "alien and unknowable to me" as the gods did to the main characters. Read on to hear why this book failed to hold my interest despite the praise surrounding it.

Review -- Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

I almost didn't read Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. I read his First Law Trilogy in the past, and I wasn't terribly enamored with The Blade Itself or Before They Are Hanged. I was wary when I saw that Best Served Cold was a standalone novel set in the same universe as the trilogy. However the blurb and the glowing reviews on the back cover changed my mind. Does Abercrombie's latest dark, gritty fantasy novel about a mercenary leader seeking revenge work? Read on for the rest of the review.