The Stars Blue Yonder by Sandra McDonald is the third in a series of books beginning with The Outback Stars. The series is a space opera featuring military politics, True Obsessive Love, evil reptilian Roon, and Australian aboriginal gods who pick their Chosen when they enter spherical teleportation portals. The book’s dust jacket description says it better than I can: Chief Terry Myell died and became a god, careening around space and time at the behest of a voice that told him to save ...Read More

The Shadowlands series(made up of Silver’s Lure,Silver’s Bane, and Silver’s Edge) is… okay. I’d give this a solid C — interesting use of some tropes, neat inclusion of non-typical Maiden figures (a representation of Brigid as a young female blacksmith was quite nice), some all right sexin’ scenes, but points off for the demonization of queerness, essentialized gender roles, and somewhat predictable characterization. Basically, there’s a Silver Caul that protects Faerie and Mortal-topia from the evilness of the goblin hordes (who don’t… ...Read More

It’s very, very rare that I only have praise for a book. But I just gotta say it: Wicked Gentlemen is a gem. Comprising of two shared-world novellas, this work centers on the adventures of Belimai Sykes, descendant of demons and survivor of the Inquisition’s torture chambers, and Captain William Harper, a deeply conflicted Inquisitor.

Sykes is a Prodigal. The Prodigals’ demonic ancestors were persuaded to give up ruling in Hell for a chance at redemption on Earth. Now, they’re the ...Read More

Robert VS Redick burst onto the scene last year, with the amazing Red Wolf Conspiracy. An equally awesome sequel, The Rats and the Ruling Sea, and an elaborate, world-building website promise that this rising star is more than just a comet. He’s here to stay, promising to shed a new light on a sometimes stagnant genre. I’m a big fan of Redick, and was thrilled to have the chance to email back and forth with him over the last few months. Here’s what we talked about!

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Prospero Lost was really fun. Basically, it takes up a few hundred years after Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Prospero and his children have funded a multinational financial empire. Miranda remains Prospero’s loyal, virginal daughter, devotee of a benevolent goddess. Miranda’s faith, service, and maidenhead stand surety for her family’s immortality. The years pass; Miranda’s grown older (though not old); the family fractures. However, Prospero remains the constant vital center to Miranda’s world… except now he’s disappeared. What follows is a romp ...Read More

This book was a waste of my damn time. I really only finished it so I could have some closure on this stupid series.

In Empress, Miller has a pretty all right start. I really got a kick out of Hekat. Her desire to see all those who wronged her horribly smited spoke to my evil, lonely heart. It wasn’t until Riven Kingdom that I began to suspect that Miller was writing some fucked up Orientalist drivel.

This got extremely explicit in ...Read More