mpStation_4 Non-Review

Let me say right off the bat that this is going to be a non-review. I couldn't finish mpStation_4 by Thadd Evans. Here's my impressions of what I did read and why I had to stop.

Fraterfamilias Review

"Templar knights, shamanism, Russian mobsters, and immortality." Those are the things Fraterfamilias by Judith Doloughan and Paula R. Stiles promises. Sadly, the book only delivers on one and a half of them. Fraterfamilias tells the story of two seemingly immortal brothers--Paul Michel Farrell aka Pavya and Alan Kedward aka Alain aka Alexei Bakunin aka Ayanke--and their story...No really that's about it. The biggest problem I had with Fraterfamilias is that it is almost 100% set up for a sequel. Read on for more.

Queen of Candesce Review

Note: I'm attempting a new way of titling these posts. Just letting you all know.


I know that Queen of Candesce is a couple of years old, but I just finished rereading it, and I wanted to post my review. Who knows? You might discover something new.

Karl Schroeder's Queen of Candesce picks up practically where the first novel in the series, Sun of Suns, left off. Venera Fanning and Hayden Griffin were falling through the air near Candesce, Virga's "sun of suns." Queen of Candesce follows Venera Fanning after she abandons Hayden and finds herself on the strange, ancient, cylindrical nation of Spyre.

Does the change in protagonist and location help or hinder Queen of Candesce? Can Venera make a convincing protagonist, especially considering how off-putting some readers might have found her in Sun of Suns? Read on to find out.

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.