Blog Archives

Dawn of Assassins – Jon Cronshaw Two friends. A master assassin. One deadly choice. Fedor and Lev are thieves…not killers. They lead a desperate life in the tunnels of Nordturm, conning and stealing to buy their next meal. But when an assassin recruits them against their will, they are forced into a life they do […]

One of the quieter trends in independent fantasy has been the repurposing of young adult and light novel tropes to explore not the adventure, but what happens when the adventure is over. When the youthfulness of the hero’s journey fades into the responsibility, scars, losses, and weariness of the adult. Japanese light novels tend to […]

Marines, houndsmen, alchemists, and combat frames. All arrayed against the cunning threats found in this week’s new releases. Alchemist Mastery (The Alchemist #6) – D. K. Holmberg and Dan Michaelson The discovery of a strange new power leads Sam to buried truths. Now that Rasan Tel has escaped, Sam works with others within the Academy […]

Originally posted in April 2018. Ever since the Red Baron’s Flying Circus swept the skies clean of enemy planes, readers across the world have been captivated by the exploits of military aviators, real and fictional. When the newspapers weren’t singing the praises of Chuck Yeager, Eddie Rickenbacker, Robin Olds, and Duke Cunningham, the pulps churned […]

Rangers, mercenaries, mages, and spies. All in this week’s new releases. Attack From the Dark (Dark Angel Merchant Marines #1) – Michael Anderle Daria was not having a good day, even before she found herself locked up. Betrayed by her brothers-in-arms, Daria barely escaped being killed in the fallout. Without a friend in the galaxy, […]

Ice, monsters, wood, iron, and blood. What else will we find in this week’s new releases? Be Of Good Cheer (Valens Heritage #3) – Jan Stryvant Having taken the Auction House in Bartertown, Mihalis must now keep it. Thankfully, five of his sisters who recently unlocked their ‘cubi aspects have come to help. As all […]

Independent science fiction has a distinct tradition of raiding established series’ toyboxes, stealing the toys, and re-envisioning the stories into new works and new stories. These tales are more than just mere reskinnings of the original works, with new names for old faces. Instead, they keep resonances with the original works while rearranging the elements […]

Divine serpents, space paladins, and cursed warrior strive in this week’s new releases. Accidental Thief – Jamie Davis and C. J. Davis Stuck in the Game, Can He Get Home? Hal can’t catch a break. What can he do to turn his luck around? Wandering through a flea market, a strange woman starts to talk […]

Last time, we explored the idea of science fiction as an uncomfortable marriage between speculation and setting. And while the speculative predictions and the mythology of “What if?” have taken precedence within the SFF community, with every flip phone, tablet, defibrillator, and credit card celebrated, the gadgets, knickknacks, and tchotchkes–these elements of setting–are remembered when […]

“If you don’t believe in your own vision, who else is supposed to?” Days after Perry Rhodan invited the world to join him in the new city of Terrania, the Chinese siege intensifies, even scoring a success by shooting down Rhodan’s only spaceship, the Stardust. In an attempt to get around the Arkonide shields, General […]

Dragons, zombies, and starships, oh my! Admiral’s Oath (Dakotan Confederacy #1) – Glynn Stewart Rear Admiral James Tecumseh barely survived his last mission against the Alliance of Free Stars with his reputation and life intact. Under a cloud of suspicion, he has been assigned to a quiet sector far from the front of the Terran […]

January is a season for resolutions. Not just the New Year’s attempts to chart courses, but also in conclusions. And in the indie world, many popular series are concluding, including the popular litRPG series, Viridian Gate Online. Since December 2016, nearly twenty books across a half dozen plotlines have woven a tale of three million […]