Tag: Fantasy

Book Review: ‘Fairy Tale’ by Stephen King

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For book five of 2024, I read Stephen King’s ‘Fairy Tale’.

My wife bought me this for Christmas, and I’ve been making my way through it at an unhurried pace. I’ve been enjoying the ride, soaking in the magic. But, having had nasal surgery last week (it all went fine), I’ve had a lot of time on my hands. Thus, I’ve ploughed through the remaining pages of ‘Fairy Tale’. Alas, my time in Empis has come to an end.

The novel follows Charlie Reade, a high school kid who rescues an injured older man. The old man is grumpy and reclusive, but he has a great dog and a secret that leads to another world.

All I can say is: goddamnit, Steve. Seventy-six years young and still knocking out classics with the ease of a man a third of his age. To call it action-packed is an understatement. In less experienced hands, ‘Fairy Tale’ would have been a trilogy. But for Mr King, it’s another day at the office. The book is under 600 pages, but it could have been triple that with all the events crammed between the covers. There is so much life in this book that it’s bursting from the pages. I wanted more of the characters – both good and evil. I wanted more of the world of Empis. And, of course, I wanted more of Radar.

I adored this book.

If you like King or fantasy, you will have a good time too.

Book Review: ‘Piranesi’ by Susanna Clarke

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Book four of 2024 is a book I read for my book club: ‘Piranesi’ by Susanna Clarke.

I’d heard a lot of hype surrounding this book, and its Goodreads score is awe-inspiring. People from a few different circles have suggested this novel to me. It’s won awards.

First of all, the good. I loved the character of Piranesi. He’s adorable and heartfelt, like a lost puppy. The other characters were also super interesting. The story was great, and learning about the house and its circumstances was fun. The very idea of the house is fascinating. The initial mental images of the place were vibrant and grounded.

So, I must have loved the book. Right?

Well, no. And why not? There are endless hallways and vestibules—on and on and on for 250 pages or so. At some point, I began to get irritated. Immersing yourself in these sorts of books is a delight for many readers. But it’s not for me. I need more direction and urgency.

It’s an excellent book that will appeal to many. But if you’re like me and get annoyed by unhurried prose and somnolent storytelling, it might not be for you.

And that’s okay.

Book Review: ‘A Night in the Lonesome October’ by Roger Zelazny

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Roger Zelazny’s ‘A Night in the Lonesome October’ is my thirty-sixth read of 2023.

People in the horror book communities had recommended Zelazny’s book a few times. Several people read ‘A Night…’ every October. Zelazny has divided the book into day-by-day diary entries leading up to Halloween. The idea is to read a chapter every day in the countdown to Halloween.

‘A Night…’ gives the reader excellent autumn vibes. The book follows Snuff, a dog who belongs to Jack the Ripper. Along the way, we meet all the classic monsters, such as vampires, werewolves, etc. We also meet their familiars—other animals with whom Snuff converses. We keep hearing about “openers” and “closers”, but Zelazny holds his cards to his chest. He drip-feeds us information in a way that is intriguing without being frustrating. All becomes clear by the time that final dawn comes to pass.

I won’t spoil much here, but I loved this story. It’s horror, sure. But it’s also wholesome. It’s not scary, per se. It’s more akin to a cosy murder mystery. Most chapters are short (the book is under 300 pages), so it’s easy to read. If you have less time to read than you’d like, ‘A Night…’ might be the perfect book.

I can see why ‘A Night…’ has such a cult following, and I imagine that I will reread it one Halloween in the future.

Book Review: ‘Equal Rites’ by Terry Pratchett

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For my thirty-fifth book of 2023, I picked up Terry Pratchett’s ‘Equal Rites’.

My wife is a huge Pratchett fan and has encouraged me to read his witch series (a part of the Discworld series) for a while. I’ve always loved what I’ve read of Pratchett and decided that autumn and Halloween would be as good a time as any. You can read the Discworld books in any order, but I decided to start with the start.

‘Equal Rites’ follows Esk. Esk is a girl whom a wizard—in his dying moment—betroths a magical staff. This act means that Esk is to be the wizard’s replacement in the world. One problem with that, though. Women can’t be wizards. Witches, sure. Wizards? Not a chance. Hence, the fabulous title.

As I’ve come to expect from Pratchett’s work, his writing is hilarious and wonderful. The book whizzes past, always staying within its welcome. Pratchett shows other fantasy novelists that you don’t need a series of 600-page tomes to tell a tale. His imagination crackles with the colour of magic. And, of course, he was lightyears ahead of the rest of us. Pratchett tackles complex issues such as institutionalised sexism and gets it bang on. And this was back in the eighties.

Delightful, creative, philosophical—’Equal Rites’ more than stands up today.

Book Review: ‘Odin’s Child’ by Siri Pettersen

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Siri Pettersen’s ‘Odin’s Child’ is book thirty-one of the year (I made a counting error in my last review!).

I recently joined a book club here in Innsbruck. We first met in August to discuss some short stories, and ‘Odin’s Child’ was the first full-length novel we read. We will meet later in September, and I look forward to discussing it with the group.

Seeing as fantasy generally isn’t my cup of tea—with obvious exceptions, such as ‘Lord of the Rings’—I was dubious. But, as it turned out, I enjoyed ‘Odin’s Child’. I didn’t love or hate it (as I sometimes do with fantasy). Pettersen sidesteps some fantasy errors whilst succumbing to others.

The story follows Hirka, a tailless girl in a world where having a tail is the norm. She also can’t “bind”—the codeword for magic in this universe—whereas everyone else can. The usual fare of the “orphaned special one” begins, and worldbuilding clogs up the story. But once Pettersen gets most of that out of her system, the story is fun and fast-paced. I didn’t feel that the novel dragged with extraneous details once we got rolling. Except for a rather unnecessary attempted sexual assault, the tale was entertaining.

So, for someone who dislikes most fantasy, I had a good time with ‘Odin’s Child’. I am still determining whether I will read books two and three in the series. It’s not Pettersen’s fault that this genre isn’t for me, but I must be honest about how much I liked it. I may pick them up to see where Pettersen takes the story from here.

If you dig fantasy, you may love ‘Odin’s Child’; if you dislike the genre, you might like it anyway, like me.

Book Review: “A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers

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Becky Chambers’s A Psalm for the Wild-Built has the honour of being my first read of 2023.

And what it read it was.

It had all the beauty and warmth I’ve come to expect of Chambers, with so many quotable moments. I’m sure I drove my wife nuts with the number of times I interrupted her to read something cute aloud. But she knew what she was letting herself in for when she gifted me this for Christmas.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built differs from the type of book where a lot happens. Instead, it’s the type of book that fills your heart with the warmth of a good cup of tea. It’s also the type of book that makes you ponder deep, philosophical questions.

As with everything I’ve read from Chambers, I cannot recommend it enough.

I look forward to checking out A Prayer for the Crown-Shy soon.

‘Under Blankets, Under Stars’ is out this Valentine’s Day!

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I am pleased to announce that my second collection of short stories will be available this Valentine’s Day! ‘Under Blankets, Under Stars’ is the light to the darkness of ‘A Chance of Rain’.


Over 20 upbeat sci-fi and fantasy stories, ‘Under Blankets, Under Stars’ will be available as an e-book on the 14th. A paperback version will be in print once printers are back up and running following lockdown. 🙂


Available for pre-order soon!

This month’s #BlogBattle: ‘The Capten Sings’!

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Blogbattle_FLUTE

Yes, I’m very far behind! Hence the two posts in a short space of time. But I’m trying to make amends, trying to catch up. That’s gotta be worth something, right? This month’s prompt was ‘flute’. I’m still sticking with the Boddi Craig theme for the time being — I’m just enjoying it! The title of the story is The Capten Sings, and you can read it here.

If any had survived, they would have recounted — with wide-eyed horror — how the Capten was singing when it happened. Not just singing but bellowing at the top of his lungs; so loud they wondered how his voice did not crack with the strain.

Whew! Managed to slip this story in there just before the end of the month! Before I know it, next month’s prompt will be out! Catch up, Joshua, what are you doing with your time?

Oh, and be sure to check out some of the other entries! They’re always great!