Tales of the Forthcoming: An Anthology of Science-Fiction and Supernatural Short Stories by Steven Blows

December 20, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Tales of the Forthcoming: An Anthology of Science-Fiction and Supernatural Short Stories by Steven Blows
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

It is impossible for anyone to know what the future will bring or even what is lurking behind the next corner, but it is possible to wonder, to question, to imagine. Have you ever imagined?

Machines with science beyond compare, intergalactic relics possessing unlimited power, creatures of nightmares, troubling family dinners, and more are included in this enthralling anthology of the awe-inspiring, the wonderous and the bone-chilling. Examining topics of greed, love, and fate, there are stories designed to make your heart race, others designed to melt it.

Possible futures and the horrors of today, Tales of the Forthcoming is a collection of ten short stories like no other.
So make a cuppa, sit back, and forget the world for a short while as you dive into a world of make-believe where imagination rules.

Science can’t explain everything yet.

I was intrigued to discover what speculative fiction twist could be found while reading about someone taking their dog for a walk in “Mezameru.” It was such a routine but wholesome moment in life that I kept a close eye out for hints that would guide me in the right direction. What a fun way to expand the audience’s expectations of what might happen in this genre! This reminded me why I like science fiction so much.

Some of the stories in this collection would have been better if more details had been included in them, especially when it came to character and plot development. “Highway,” which followed a young man who planned to travel down an empty and eerie road in Australia in order to reach his brother who needed a temporary caregiver, was one of them. As much as I enjoyed the cashier’s stern warning to the protagonist to avoid that highway at all costs, I found myself wishing someone had better explained what sometimes happened on that road to people who were travelling alone. There were so many different possibilities and only scant evidence for any one of them being the most accurate one.

As someone who also struggles to enjoy Christmas,“Possibilities” grabbed my attention immediately. The protagonist’s long standing effort to make this holiday special for the people in his life who do look forward to it was an excellent testament to his kind and generous personality. I also enjoyed the twist later on as the family was decorating their home. What a thoughtful way to draw readers in and make them wonder what they’re currently overlooking in their own lives.

Tales of the Forthcoming: An Anthology of Science-Fiction and Supernatural Short Stories was a wild ride.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Dohva – The Land Within: A Tale of Elemental Sorcery and Ancient Mysteries by Sophie Haeder

December 3, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Dohva – The Land Within: A Tale of Elemental Sorcery and Ancient Mysteries by Sophie Haeder
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Embark on a journey to the enigmatic realm of Dohva, where elemental magic reigns supreme and ancient secrets lie buried beneath the mountains.

In the isolated land of Dohva, where souls are trapped in an endless cycle of rebirth by an ancient elemental sphere, a malevolent force wields the forbidden dark magic of the demon prince Agthod. Avala, a rebellious air sorceress haunted by the loss ofher closest friend, is driven to unravel the mysteries that have long plagued her world. She finds unlikely allies with three anti-heroes, a colourful and diverse cast who each struggle with their own demons and desires for redemption.

But as the shadows deepen and the threat grows, Avala and her newfound companions must set aside their differences and forge an uneasy bond. But can they confront this powerful enemy force that threatens to consume their world and change their destiny forever?

It’s never too late to try to live happily ever after.

The romantic subplot was well developed and fit into the storyline nicely. To be honest, I’m the sort of reader who is often a little wary about romances that heat up rapidly, but the characters involved in this one had logical and excellent reasons for both their sudden interest in each other as well as for how quickly they decided they wanted to become a couple. It was nice to see this trope used so smoothly and as such an important aspect of the plot!

This book had a large cast of characters that I struggled to keep track of. Since there were two different narrators that kept taking turns sharing what was happening, it was even more confusing for me as I was often switched over to the other perspective just as I was beginning to understand what was happening for one set of characters. As much as I would have liked to choose a higher rating, my confusion with who everyone was and how they were connected to each other was a hindrance to that.

I was intrigued by how reincarnation affected everyone’s lives in this universe. Individuals who developed close ties with each other in one lifetime often found each other again in the next one, although the precise types of relationships they had might change from being relatives to friends, to give one example. This meant that problems from previous lifetimes could be approached again the next time everyone involved was reborn. While I don’t want to give away too many details about how this worked for spoiler reasons, it led to so many interesting plot developments and chances for characters to address things they weren’t able to fix the last time around. The passages that dove into what this meant for everyone as they remembered their previous lives were some of the most interesting ones in my opinion.

Dohva made me smile.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze by David Scott Richardson

November 29, 2024 By Leave a Comment


An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze by David Scott Richardson
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Review by: Astilbe

An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze, recipient of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award and runner-up winner of the PenCraft Book Award, renders life on the home front through the watchful eyes of 15-year-old Scotty Johannsen as WWII rages across the globe. Against the backdrop of blackouts, bomb shelters, rationing, and victory gardens, Scotty and his friends follow the rhythms of yesteryear, weaving their wartime worries through the “wilds” of Seattle’s Ravenna Park, where their imaginations run free.

Into this fragile balance a neighborhood threat emerges: Someone is lighting fires during the mandatory blackouts. Scotty, whose father is an air raid warden, is soon caught up in the firebug mystery and tries to smoke the arsonist out. When the local bully throws suspicion on Scotty’s draft-age brother, and when even his best friend’s actions don’t seem to add up, Scotty must navigate a moral and ethical thicket while treading a path toward maturity. Even as scarcity slips into every nook and cranny, An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze celebrates a youthful spirit and hearkens to simple pleasures, where free time and family abound.

Even hard times can have some good in them.

I was impressed by the character development. Mr. Richardson had well over 300 pages to explore the personalities and growth of both major and minor characters, and he used them to dig deeply into their lives and showcase both their flaws and their strengths. Sometimes I had to remind myself that this wasn’t actually a memoir because of how well-rounded and realistic nearly everyone was. Even the characters I would not necessarily want to live with due to certain habits they’d developed over time that I find irritating were still interesting to read about because their best moments were also given a chance to shine.

The pacing was a little slow at times, especially in the beginning as the characters were being introduced and the mystery was being set up. This is something that paid off beautifully later on as character development deepened and more clues about who was starting the fire began to emerge, but it does ask the reader for some patience upfront as certain aspects of the plot are being assembled behind the scenes. I tend to prefer a faster pacing in most cases, but that is a subjective topic and I was glad I hung out to see where this tale was going.

The world building couldn’t have been better. I appreciated how much effort the author put into describing what daily life was like during World War II for children and teens in the Pacific Northwest. Everything important was included, from the homemade meals they enjoyed – or in some cases complained about – to homework to the games they improvised when the radio didn’t have anything interesting playing on it. It truly felt as though I’d slipped back 80 years into the past as I read this which is exactly what I was hoping to find.

An Empty House Doesn’t Sneeze was well worth the effort I put into reading it.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Demon’s Queen by Katee Robert

November 13, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Demon’s Queen by Katee Robert
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC (Self-Published)
Genre: Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Dicentra

Eve’s life might not be perfect, but it’s hers. She has money, freedom, and a client list that she’s handpicked over the years. If sometimes she gets a little too attached to those clients? Well, that’s her problem. After a stressful day, she’s looking forward to dinner and a long night with Azazel…until he asks her to sign a contract under the guise of roleplay—and then kidnaps her to another realm.

Azazel has been in love with Eve for years, but he knows his place. The window to offer her a contract has long since closed, so he takes her in the only way he can—as her client. Until one of his enemies realizes exactly how much Eve means to him…forcing him to lie to her to protect her.

Unfortunately for Azazel, Eve isn’t thankful for the protection. She may be stuck in the demon realm with her new captor, but she’s going to make him choke on every moment they spend together.

Too bad her heart is more in the mix than she’d ever admit…

“In my heart of hearts, I simply want someone to choose me, to love me above all others. I’m too old for fairy tales – I have been since I was a child – but some fantasies persist even when you know better.”

Informed consent is a big thing in the world of Katee Robert’s A Deal with a Demon series, and bargainer demon leader Azazel commits one of the biggest no-no’s ever in tricking Eve (an escort who he’s been seeing for months) into a lifelong contract. Determined to make him pay for it, a lot of frustration and angst ensues as each side tries their best to understand the other.

I’ve been waiting for this book ever since the first official one (The Dragon’s Bride) came out, and I have to say it did not disappoint. I’m really impressed with how the author has managed to write essentially 6 books that are happening almost simultaneously. Eve is the final ‘human’ that was put up to auction, but her deal was unique in that it wasn’t for seven years, and she didn’t really get anything out of it like the others. After seeing Azazel so calm and collected in previous installments, it was interesting to see him frazzled and bent out of shape in an effort to keep his territory together and keep Eve safe.

Azazel and Eve have an interesting dynamic. They go from casual lovers, to hating each other, and back to lovers again. Eve (understandably) makes Azazel grovel for forgiveness and it was quite fun to watch. It was also quite satisfying as a fan of the series to get more in depth as to Azazel’s motivation for holding the auctions in the first place.

Overall, a great read and a great ‘end’ to the series (since all of Ms. Robert’s books are interconnected in some way). If you enjoy short paranormal romance books with a monster flair, a guaranteed happily ever after ending, and a bit of drama, this would be a great choice. I highly recommend reading the series in order (starting with The Demon’s Bargain, which is set in the same world), as that will provide the best reading experience in my opinion.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! – Mayor to Manic – My Journey Through Crazy by Gerry Taft

November 4, 2024 By Leave a Comment


The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! – Mayor to Manic – My Journey Through Crazy by Gerry Taft
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Non-Fiction, LGBTQ, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A creepy club. A sketchy fast food restaurant. Ultra wealth and urban poverty. A weird night during a political conference in Vancouver turns author Gerry Taft’s life—and mind—inside out.

Believing he’s about to die, with visions of good and evil conspiring around him, Gerry writes a contract to extend his life. He navigates this sudden psychosis and paranoia by posting about it on social media in real time—and running down the street with his daughter. The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! is the true story of an epic meltdown with real world consequences and important lessons.

Part memoir, part social commentary, Gerry uses his lived experience as a framework to discuss—and offer solutions to—the many failings in our society. The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! is a call to embrace shared values, have honest conversations, increase personal power, and decrease the pull of polarization.

Everyone needs sympathy sometimes.

Translating what it feels like to have a mental illness to people who have not been through the same thing is difficult. The author went into great detail about his symptoms and how they affected his life which was exactly what I was hoping to see in this book. The more information the general public has about how frightening and lonely this experience can be, the better informed they will be about what’s going on with their loved ones under the same circumstances.

There were some aspects of this memoir that I wish had been better explained. For example, the author described certain people in life as suddenly changing their minds about things they had agreed to. I was never entirely sure how many of these things were misunderstandings versus people genuinely changing their minds or both participants in those conversations coming away with slightly different memories of what happened. Nobody’s memory is perfect, of course, but I would have understood these sections better if more time had been spent teasing out what was truly going on there.

One of the things I appreciated the most about this memoir was how honest Mr. Taft strove to be about what really happened during his mental health crisis in 2023. Sometimes his memory was fuzzy for completely understandable reasons that were probably related to his mental state at the time and certain medications he was taking, but he kept circling back to sharing as many facts about this chapter of his life as he could recall. This was something he did even in cases when it didn’t necessarily paint him in a positive light. His self-awareness and willingness to admit that he was sometimes not very sensitive to other people’s feelings were admirable. Admitting one’s faults isn’t easy, and neither is genuinely trying to fix them!

The Safe Word Is PINEAPPLE! was thought provoking.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Broken Voyage by Lindsey Kinsella

October 31, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Broken Voyage by Lindsey Kinsella
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Stranded in the Arctic, the international crew of an illegal whaler find themselves in a race for survival. Can they survive the cold, the sea, and, most of all, each other?

Pushed to desperation in a bleak world ravaged by climate change, Lora M’Bandi flees her homeland to join a group of unlikely outcasts aboard the whaling ship Livyatan. When an explosion rips through the vessel, the crew become shipwrecked deep inside the Arctic Circle—sabotaged by one of their own. Now, they must trek across the treacherous sea ice to reach dry land before the ice retreats—all the while with a traitor in their midst and fearsome predators stalking their every move.

Who will make it out of this harrowing tale of horror and survival?

The threat of death lurks everywhere in the Arctic.

I enjoyed how much effort the author put into describing the characters’ backstories and explaining how they ended up illegally hunting whales on the Livyatan. This isn’t an occupation I’d generally sympathize with at all, but their reasons for breaking the law made sense once I got to know the characters better and understood how the powers that be let them down at critical moments in their lives. It was refreshing to understand their perspectives and why someone would agree to hunt such rare species.

It would have been helpful if more time was spent developing the mystery portion of the plot. The explosion that destroyed the Livyatan was such a crucial moment in the storyline that I was surprised by how little attention was given to figuring out why it happened. Yes, the characters needed to flee from the sinking ship and find a safe place to stay, but once they were out of the life raft they had plenty of time to think about what just happened and who might have been responsible for it. Having more clues to work with would have been beneficial for me as a reader, and I would have happily chosen a higher rating if they had been provided.

The world building was strong and intriguing. I especially liked how certain plot twists were shared with the audience as clips from news shows or when characters shared the latest headlines with one another. It made those revelations feel even more realistic, especially when certain characters had strong opinions in favor of or against what was happening in the world and I had a chance to compare their reactions with those who lived much closer to those wars, pandemics, droughts, and other critical events. Not everything affected everyone’s daily lives equally even if they were genuinely concerned about what was happening thousands of miles away from home, so it was also nice to have multiple perspectives on some of these moments.

Broken Voyage was a wild ride.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Neon Ziggurat by Angie Lofthouse

October 28, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Neon Ziggurat by Angie Lofthouse
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed Astilbe

Under the neon glitz of the big city lies a heart of greed, despair and murder. If Pressley Pierce can’t find a way to expose Span Corp’s CEO for his heinous crimes, it won’t be just her life on the line.

Hacking into a mega-corporation’s computer system for a noble cause is all in a day’s work for Pressley. But when her digging uncovers Ransom McCleary’s deepest secrets, Pressley finds herself on the run.

With her little sister kidnapped by Span Corp’s cyborg enforcers, Pressley is forced to turn to the one place she thought she’d never go for help—her childhood home…

Money shouldn’t influence who lives and who dies.

I liked the messages that were embedded into this story about the danger of associating a person’s worth with how much money and power they have. Span Corp was so powerful that it was difficult for most characters to imagine a world where justice could ever be served to their dangerous CEO. I’ll leave it up to other readers to discover just what Ransom’s terrible crime was, but this was an interesting exploration of what can happen when a wealthy and powerful person believes they are above the law and will never be caught.

There were a few conflicts that I wish had been given more time to develop and resolve, especially as it pertained to Pressley’s health and the strict rules her company had about certain medical conditions were meant to be handled. This was described as a major issue early on in the plot, so I was surprised by how quickly it was swept aside for other matters. There was more that could have been done there, and the plot would have been stronger if the narrator had dug more deeply into her health in my opinion.

This was an action-packed read that never left me any good stopping points when I needed to go do other things for a while. What a great problem to have with a book! I found myself thinking about the storyline when I was away from it and wondering what might happen next to the characters. The author certainly knew how to keep my interest levels high with all of the running, fighting, and hiding going on.

Neon Ziggurat was suspenseful.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

Sally Mitts And The Land Of Imagination by Shain Stodt

October 25, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Sally Mitts And The Land Of Imagination by Shain Stodt
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

It all begins when Sally spies shoes that are walking – without any feet! Led to a mysterious red door, she enters a fantastical world where the imagination holds sway – where what you can imagine, you can do! Paint the sky in bold new colors. Play on the ceiling. Fly an airplane through the stars! Anything is possible if you believe in yourself.

Come with Sally and her new friends, Clair the opera-singing hare and Jack the floating snail, as they explore wonders and challenges: A hungry fog monster who saps dreams away. A rainbow lake where the joyful Gollyphants live, their raucous dancing making the waves shimmer and shake. Meet a snobbish mole, the Big Word Lummox, who rouses Jack’s competitive energy – with hilarious results!

Nothing is too much for Sally to handle!

Without sharing spoilers, the characters faced a villain that was large and seemed hard to defeat. My favorite scene was when they figured out a possible way to defeat him. It was such a sweet way to introduce some conflict into this tale and remind little ones that there are many ways to cope with things that seem a little scary at first.

I would have loved to see more attention paid to explaining why Sally’s previous family never seemed to search for her very hard or what her new family was like. These are such important aspects of any pet’s life that it surprised me to see them glossed over. This is something I’m saying as a reader who loves this series and hopes it will continue to be published for a long time yet. Sally is a wonderful little cat, but there are important pieces of her story that I think should be filled in.

With that being said, I enjoyed the focus on developing a strong imagination. Thinking deeply about things, no matter whether they’re serious or maybe a little silly, is a fantastic way to pass the time. There is definitely something to be said for learning to amuse oneself quietly without relying on any outside distractions to make it fun. That is a skill that everyone should have.

This is the second picture book in a series that is best read in order.

Sally Mitts And The Land Of Imagination was cute.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

The Crossroads Hotel by Karen Avizur

October 22, 2024 By 1 Comment


The Crossroads Hotel by Karen Avizur
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Welcome to the crossroads, where hospitality reigns supreme for the guests who are anything but human.

Marjorie has spent the last two years managing the Crossroads Hotel and Diner, a roadside stop in rural Missouri with a guest list that’s anything but ordinary. The locals are one thing, but it’s the visitors from other dimensions that keep her on her toes. Now, as she trains her new assistant, Josh, he’s quickly learning that dealing with shapeshifters and ageless little girls is just part of the job. But when an unexpected earthquake shakes more than the ground beneath them, Marjorie and Josh discover something far stranger is at play, and it’s no mere anomaly. At a hotel where the bizarre is business as usual, handling the changes might just be the toughest check-in yet.

The customer is always right in supernatural matters.

One of my favorite aspects of this tale involved the backstories of the human characters. It takes a special sort of person to work at The Crossroads Hotel, especially on days when paranormal activity is much higher than usual. Some visitors can do and say alarming things, for example, and not everyone who stays at this hotel is necessarily who or what they appear to be. It made sense, then, that so many of the human employees had good reasons for wanting to work at such an unpredictable place instead of a nice, quiet hotel in another city.

The ending was what convinced me to select a full five-star rating for this piece. Looking back, there were a few clues I hadn’t fully understood at the time that could nudge a reader in this direction, but they could have also been interpreted in wildly different ways, too. I adored the surprise waiting for me in the last few scenes and thought it was executed beautifully. It fit the storyline and character development nicely, and it was also just plain fun to read.

The world building was strong and intriguing. Ms. Avizur created a comfortable but unusual setting where humans coexisted with all sorts of other sentient creatures. The rhythms of hotel life were sometimes interrupted by otherworldly conflicts, but I was honestly just as interested in the ordinary aspects of keeping guests from such a wide variety of backgrounds happy. Customer service remains the same everywhere even if one’s customers happen to be furry or immortal.

The Crossroads Hotel made me yearn for more. The sequel can’t appear quickly enough for my tastes!

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Doctor Chronos by Othello Gooden Jr.

October 21, 2024 By Leave a Comment


Doctor Chronos by Othello Gooden Jr.
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Time is not in our side but is for one… Or is it?

Dr. Sigma Mellis is a young quantum physicist that lives on a Space Station in orbit of the Moon, commonly known as the Lunar Space Station. She believed she had a breakthrough on discovering something revolutionary. Everyone around her believed she could achieve this dream… Making Time Travel a reality-Everyone except her father. Furthermore, his constant negative attitude about her life choices continues to sap her energy.

Sigma is determined to make her old man believe that this dream of hers is attainable. The best revenge is one that proves all haters wrong-but how far is one willing to go in order to reach that goal?

The past doesn’t have to be set in stone.

There aren’t many science fiction stories these days that are written as a series of journal entries from what I’ve found. It’s always a treat to find one that uses this format as it makes me feel like I’m discovering new plot twists right alongside the main character. A single day can be quiet and calm, but it can also be filled with revelations about what is really happening with secondary characters that the protagonist might not know much about yet. May other speculative fiction authors take note of this and bring this sort of storytelling back into vogue.

It would have been helpful to have more details in this tale. I struggled to imagine what was happening in certain scenes because of how little information I had about what the people and setting looked like in them. As much as I would have liked to give this one a higher rating, I needed more from it in order to feel comfortable doing so.

I enjoyed reading about the extrapolations Mr. Gooden made about what could happen if time travel were real. They reached much further into the character’s present lives and backstories than I thought they would, and they made reading later scenes exciting as Sigma realized over and over again that her life had once again changed in ways she never would have predicted it might.

Doctor Chronos was filled with adventure.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,
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