What I disliked: There’s a few references to weird things from Golden/Silver age comics that take away from the ability for this story to stand alone. Did we really need Comet the Superhorse?
Writing Lessons: If you can capture a voice for a character, it does 80% of the heavy lifting for you.
What I liked: The narrator speech & viewpoint was so distinct and gave it a wonderful sense of adventure but kept the story intimate even as the scope was inter-galactic. This felt so different from any other comic/graphic novel I’ve read.
Comic book: Supergirl:Woman of tomorrow
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
By Tom King
Art by: Matheus Lopes
Read this if: You want a fun sci-fi epic featuring a character you probably know about but haven’t read/seen; that is far deeper than you ever expected.
#supergirl #bookreview #comicreview #booksky
Writing Lessons Learned: Make sure the blurb/cover/etc properly communicates what to expect. The Viking secondary protagonist in this is great, but you would never know it would exist by looking at the book.
What I disliked: The POV shifts between chapters or in the middle of chapters were a bit jarring, as there isn’t clear guidance when you’ve shifted character or jumped in time. I could piece it together quickly, but it always pulled me out until I could re-adjust.
What I liked: The action scenes were snappy, evocative, and fun; the fae were scary and otherworldly in exactly the way you hope they would be.
A novel on a map of Britain. The novel shows a child sleeping in a forest while a glowing eyed fae creature looks at the reader. Novel is “Fae the Wild Hunt” by Graham Austin-King
Fae - The Wild Hunt
By Graham Austin-King
Read this book if: You want an early medieval tale about (not) Britain caught between Viking raids and the loss of the old Druidic traditions that held back the horrors of the Fae
#bookreview #indybooks #fantasybooms #fae #booksky
Writing Lessons: Know your limits, and know when to cut subplots or world building that distracts rather than enhances.
What I disliked: There were too many ideas and concepts in this book. It felt like the author had so many neat ideas but tried to force them all in at the cost of clarity.
What I liked: This book is weird in a very fun way. I never was able to predict where the story would go, or just sit back in automatic, it was constantly shifting and changing.
A crow named Torment by Silas Bischott. The book cover shows a crow staring into a mirror, and sees a human face reflected at her
A Crow Named Torment
By Silas A. Bischott
Read this if: You want an unpredictable wonderland style journey into the mind and dreamworld of a sentient crow (plus a vampire and a woman stuck in the crow’s head).
#bookreviews #indybooks #fantasybooks #sffbooks #booksky
Writing lessons learned: Lean into what makes your story weird. If mushrooms make it unique, don’t be afraid to go 100% mushrooms
What I didn’t like: (minor spoilers) The main character struggle with alcoholism and to not fall off the wagon is a major character point; but when she is given alcohol against her will, we don’t really see a fall out & relapse.
What l liked: It would have been easy to just say “police procedural + mushrooms, done!” But the book spends a lot of time exploring post-war occupation and modern colonialism (albeit through a fungal lens)
#bookreview #SFFbooks #booksky
Mushroom Blues by Adrian M Gibson. Book cover shows a human woman and a mushroom man in front of a police car. Mood lighting is very blue and noir
Mushroom Blues
By Adrian M Gibson
Read this if: You want a traditional police procedural in the most non-traditional setting possible. A book that feels like a fun 8 episode Netflix series where they spent unfathomable amounts of money on special effects. Do not read if you hate mushrooms. #SFF
(Apologies for the bulk posting, realized I’d not been updating here; so I’ve got a small backlog to get through)
Writing lessons learned: When telling two separate stories, giving similar thematic beats helps tie the two together, even if they’re distinct narrative plot lines.
What I disliked: I assumed that the two protagonists would join together by the end of the book, so I kept getting impatient as I couldn’t see the two paths converging.
What I liked: The pacing was fantastic. The build-up between the two protagonists’ stories was incredibly well done, and would change at the exact right moment every time so that I never felt bored by one or impatient to get back to the other.
A book with a girl holding two daggers on the cover. Book is “Blood of Heirs” by Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Blood of Heirs
By Alicia Wanstall-Burke
Read this if: You want a fun fantasy novel that has great characters and masterfully integrated world building. Read this if you need a reminder that there are absolute gems in independent publishing.
#fantasybooks #booksky #bookreview #indypress #indybooks
What I didn’t like: The comparison to Southpark earlier was apt; the humor is incredibly low-brow and profane. It feels like a 15 year old wrote the jokes
What I liked: The translator really made an effort to find modern equivalents for a play completely full of niche & timely references. Imagine trying to explain an SNL skit to someone in two millennia, and you get an idea of the task.
The boom “Acharnians” by Aristophanes. It shows a Greek helmet & armor on the cover. Translated by Jeffrey Henderson
Acharnians
By Aristophanes
Translated by Jeffrey Henderson
(A reread after 20 years)
Read this if: You want to see how questions of war and peace were discussed 2500 years ago in the Greek equivalent of Southpark.
#bookreview #booksky #greekplays #greekliterature
Writing Lessons learned: Learn when to play with realism and surrealism, and use their juxtaposition to carry the weight of plot progression vs emotional state
What I disliked: Because this author starts with the end state, then goes back to the beginning, there’s a sense of dread that hangs over the entire novel. It’s incredibly effective, but it sucks some of the joy and suspension.
What I liked: This is my same copy from High School English; and though I hated it then, it still has all my notes and underlined passages; and I had to realize that 1) My English teacher was right about everything. 2) My decision to make notes in, reread, and keep old books was the right one.
The book “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man
By Ralph Ellison
Read this if: You want an unparalleled look into life as a black man in the 1950s, and the way he is pulled in every direction by White and Black society in the North and South. A fascinating insight into the shades/effects of racism from all ends of the spectrum.
What I disliked: Despite what I said praising the slow burn, you could have cut 50-100 pages without losing much. This is a hefty book.
Writing lessons learned: While this may be a masterclass in epic fantasy, it took decades of writing to get here. I should never try to write at this scale.
What I liked: This book is a masterclass in world building, character arcs, how to execute a slow burn that feels worthwhile, and how to unfold a dense setting without overburdening the reader. Sanderson’s reputation is well earned.
The book “Way of Kings” split into two volumes.
The Way of Kings
(Stormlight Archive Book 1)
By Brandon Sanderson
Note: British edition split one book across two volumes
Read this if: You have a lot of time, and want a truly epic fantasy series that is intended to be the magnum opus of one of the greatest living fantasy authors.