Origin Story
I had spent many years building up the 23rd Legion without really knowing what I wanted to do with it. The first thought was to pull together a collective of creatives and see where that went. That went pretty much nowhere.
Since I have a history of helping online communities get their feet, the second incarnation was sort of a “one-stop shop” for everything you might need to get your online presence established. That kinda flopped, too, as social media helped make those tools easy peasy for everyone to use. I applauded that and waited for the next pivot.
Then came Red Rising.
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All Hallows by Christopher Golden
I have a favorite Halloween song, and it’s pretty atypical. Back in 2003, Austin band Li’l Cap’n Travis put out a single called “To All the Trick-Or-Treaters” (you can listen to it here).
Perhaps, unknowingly (though it would be fantastic if he was familiar with the track), Mr. Golden has, basically, fleshed out a lot of details of the song in All Hallows.
It’s Halloween 1984 in Coventry, MA, and things are not well on Parmenter Road. While kids are getting ready for trick-or-treating, a family tradition haunted forest, and a neighborhood party, and two families are, seemingly, falling apart, something supernaturally malicious appears to be creeping into the block.
Four children, in decades old costumes and faded makeup, have intermingled themselves in with the bands of trick-or-treaters going up and down Parmenter Road in search of candy. Once confronted, the strangers beg for protection from the threat of The Cunning Man, who is actively pursuing them.
Needless to say, all sorts of weird shit entails.
I picked up this novel because I absolutely love Mr. Golden’s previous works, and it was near Halloween time. I could not have picked a better read if I tried.
The thing with Mr. Golden’s approach is that he has this arcane ability to fully submerge the reader into the environment he is creating. Little details make all the difference, and really flesh out this tiny suburban vignette.
The cast of characters is the real icing on the cake. There are a lot, and I mean a lot, but all very compelling. The diversity, range of age, emotion, and mental state really cement All Hallows as a irresistible read. Along with the opportunity of eldritch horror, you have normal every day family situations that run the full range of emotions. I especially appreciate that the reader doesn’t always have the full picture.
Just what exactly did Ruth and Zack do? We’ll never know.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
It is the Summer of 1970, and, in St. Augustine, Florida, exists the Wellwood House, a home for wayward girls to be tucked away from public view so they can have their babies and then return to a “normal” life.
Run by the very very stern Miss Wellwood, each girl is stripped of her identity and, instead, given a botanical name to build a personality around.
This, chiefly, is the story of Fern, a fifteen-year-old girl who finds herself having been delivered to the Wellwood House by her irate father.
Fern navigates the massive change that has happened in her life, and makes friends with some very unlikely characters. There is Rose, a headstrong hippie type who is continually plotting a way to escape the home and keep her baby; Zinnia, a pianist waylaid by the pregnancy, but absolutely sure she will return to marry her baby’s father; and Holly, a fourteen-year-old scrap of a wild child.
Life in Wellwood House is very harshly controlled, and there are very few freedoms. One of said freedoms is a bookmobile that comes periodically. It is through this bookmobile that Fern gets her hands on a book of witchcraft, and then things change, drastically, for the girls.
I really really wanted to like this book, but I found it somewhat dreary and mundane. There were definitely sections of it that were riveting and suspenseful, but, by and large, it feel a tad flat for me. I’m sure it was intentional, but the pacing seemed to be very very slow. There was a ton of repetition followed by little sparks of chaos.
The character and story development were very well done, but I feel like there was a lot of other aspects where this novel could have excelled and fell flat. Mr. Hendrix is a fantastic writer, and sets a wonderful stage, but this one just wasn’t for me.
Show Me Where It Hurts by Robert E. Stahl
I’m a big fan of short fiction. Short horror, even better. I remember, as a child, devouring Stephen King’s Skeleton Crew, Night Shift and Nightmares & Dreamscapes. There is just something about an author’s ability to convey a sense of terror in just a handful of pages that is magical.
Mr. Stahl has this magical power. Show Me Where It Hurts is an eclectic collection of both prose and poetry with a definite dark slant. The first story, “The Weeds and the Wildness Yet” hooked me immediately. It had a very classic Creepshow feel that really fostered nostalgia in me.
“Ghosts on Drugs” was a fever dream of chaos that I actually had to read twice. It was such an amazing snippet of pure creativity that conveyed the quick plot perfectly.
I could go on and on, but part of the joy of short fiction is discovering how each piece makes you feel. I will say, however that “The Trouble with Goblins” was my absolute favorite. It’s not often that I laugh out loud at the office lunch table, but that one got me. I also closely aligned with “Death By Kittens,” a lovely tableau that builds an entire scene in a single delightful paragraph.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this collection.
The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
The year is 1942 and June “Hoss” Hudson is the general manager of the luxurious Avallon Hotel & Spa: playground of the most aristocratic of families in West Virginia. June, a very unlikely candidate for the role she holds runs the Avallon like a well oiled machine is suddenly met with the biggest of challenges: the owners of the Avallon have made an agreement with the State Department to use the hotel as an informal prison for captured Axis diplomats.
The thing is, however, the Avallon, and June as well, have a deep secret that seems to keep the gears of the hotel spinning smoothly: the mountain sweetwater that runs under and through the property.
I am a longtime fan of Ms. Stiefvater, so it was no surprise that I fell instantly in love with the world of the Avallon. The pacing and structure of this novel reminded me greatly of the world that Ms. Steifvater built in All the Crooked Saint, and I loved that one, too.
Character development and worldbuilding are Ms. Stiefvater’s forte, so it was such a delight to watch how Hoss and her merry band of department heads navigated the war that was brought to their doorstep. It was particularly interesting to watch the unfolding of the relationship that Hoss has with the Gilfoyle family, owners of the Avallon, and then, additionally with the government agents sent to watch over and spy on the diplomats.
Without giving too much away, what appears to be a very laconic environment has a very dark undercurrent, that, while previously in control, may, now, not be.
I burned through this one very quickly, and greatly appreciated the history of the United State’s early involvement in World War II, as well as some of the tactics of Hoover’s FBI.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
It’s been a very good time for new creative slants on vampire novels, recently, and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a prime example.
The setup is pretty atypical for a horror read. In 2012, a diary written by a Lutheran pastor back in 1912 is discovered in the walls of Montana church. The majority of this delectable bit of historical fiction is, indeed, this diary.
To say that this novel is a slow burn is an understatement. Arthur Beaucarne, a.k.a, “Three-Persons” is the Lutheran pastor and author of the diary. Good Stab is a Blackfeet Indian turned vampire who has sought out Arthur to confess his sins.
What progresses is a wild recitation of Good Stab’s life, the plight of the Blackfeet, and the horrors of the Marias Massacre. At any given point, Arthur is unsure if Good Stab is spinning him a wild yarn, or telling him the truth.
Yes, some of the language is hard to follow. Staying true to tradition, Dr. Jones uses many Blackfoot terms for the various animals and experiences laid out in this story. I did find it absolutely necessary, however, in holding with the historical nature of the diary document.
Per usual, I’m not going to give anything away with this review. I will say that the character development is absolutely masterful, and the last quarter of the book was so wild and unexpected that I devoured it in a single setting.
This is a novel that will take up a good part of my headspace for a very long time.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
I adore Ms. Schwab’s writing, and she has proven to surprise me again and again with her ability to shift gears, and styles, with each release. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is no different.
Queer vampire stories are definitely not new, but Ms. Schwab introduces some new twists that make this novel incredibly enjoyable.
Yes, some folks might get fatigued with all of the time and storyline jumping, but I think it is used masterfully as a story driving device. As we float through time with María, then Sabine, Charlotte, and Alice, we learn the history of how each of their lives was deeply affected before their change.
One thing that I really enjoyed was the way the destinies of these three women unfurled before them, and how their choices and actions molded who they, ultimately, became, and how it really impacted each of the other main characters.
The historical whirlwind was pretty interesting to watch unfold, and Ms. Schwab’s writing style really lends itself to that sort of depth. We’ve seen her masterful world building in her various other novels, so working with a semi-realistic backdrop of modern history was an interesting change.
Overall, I thought it was a very beautifully written book that I devoured quite quickly. Watching the personalities of the characters change was a fascinating exercise in how their sense of humanity drastically changed through each level of adversity. Old fans of Ms. Schwab are going to love it, and I think new fans will be intrigued to dive into more of her back catalog (which I highly recommend).
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
It’s taken me quite a while to sit down and put my thoughts to electrons on this one. Yeah, I liked it a lot, but Big Swiss is a very very heavy book to digest.
Greta, I guess we will call her the protagonist of this novel, is a quintessential fuckup living with her similarly odd friend, Sabine, in an ancient Dutch farmhouse in Hudson, New York.
Because she hasn’t really done anything with her life, Greta lied her way into a job transcribing sessions for Om, another odd character who is a sex coach in Hudson.
Through these transcriptions, Greta becomes infatuated with one of Om’s clients who Greta nicknames “Big Swiss.” For the first part of the book, we learn that Big Swiss is married, a gynecologist, and has never had an orgasm.
Quite on accident, Greta discovers who Big Swiss actually is after recognizing her voice on a chance encounter. Definitely throwing all semblance of ethics aside, Greta then uses the confidential knowledge she has of Big Swiss to formulate a relationship with her that, eventually, turns sexual.
Yeah, like I said, it’s a lot.
Ms. Beagin really nails this one. It’s dark, it’s very mysterious, and there is a lot of tension and conflict that is scandalously entertaining to read. There are not really any likable characters in this novel, and that is what makes it amazing. The dynamic between Greta and just about everyone is absolutely ridiculous. This is a middle-aged woman who probably has never really been herself, and seems to be a wrecking ball through the lives of those around her.
One of the things about Big Swiss that I enjoy very much is how Ms. Beagin approaches language and phrasing. It can be odd, and awkward, but perfectly on point.
Needless to say, I think there are two camps of folks who have read Big Swiss: those, like me, who love the uncomfortableness of it, and those who absolutely hate it.
I say give it a go and see which camp you fall into. Oh, and I’m not even going to go into the insect themes this novel seems to lean on heavily.
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde #3) by Heather Fawcett
If you have been reading my reviews, you know that I absolutely love this series, and book three doesn’t disappoint.
The Emily Wilde series isn’t my normal fare. Yes, it’s about the Fae, and yes, it does have some degree of mayhem and danger, but it falls dangerously close to historical fiction, and even more dangerously close to Romantasy which I have a love/hate relationship with.
Regardless, I find Ms. Fawcett’s writing quaint and comfortable.
The series is the continuing adventures of renowned dryadologist Emily Wilde and her very complicated fiancé, Wendell Bambleby.
If you’ve made it this far in the series, then you know that the dashing Wendell is a ruler of the High Faerie with a long lost kingdom. The events of this book involve Emily and Wendell returning to his kingdom and taking control of it from his very wicked stepmother who has placed a curse upon the land.
One of the things I love about Ms. Fawcett’s writing style with this series is that she presents it as a series of journal entries from Emily’s perspective. This, for my preference, makes it very easy to pick up and put down the book without having to back-track for context (an annoying habit of mine). Plus, I can’t resist a good footnote.
The worldbuilding is absolutely top notch, and very much enhanced by the magical foibles of Wendell. If Wendell doesn’t want to spend all day climbing up a mountain, he magics it away. The mercurial nature of the land of Faerie also plays a very large role in establishing how in flux the landscape really is. There are allusions to various tribes and species of Fae that we never meet, along with a plethora of strange creatures that we do. Don’t even get me started on the apparent war with, and fear of, the trees.
Pick up this series. It’s fun, semi-relaxing (until it isn’t), and a very well written tale that stays very much on a semi-academic path with a wide variety of madcap adventure.
Echoes of the Imperium (Tales of the Iron Rose #1) by Nicholas & Olivia Atwater
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review **
It’s the end of the year, and I’m looking for something amusing and Fantasy to pick up to get me into the first bit of 2025. I was perusing synopses, and one caught my eye: pirate goblin with a ragtag group of swashbuckling/steampunk adventurers.
Yeah, I was hooked.
The engaging thing about Echoes of the Imperium is that it hit the ground running and spalled off lore, history, world-building and character development while we were in the throes of getting this adventure going.
William Blair is a goblin who went from being a lowly young cabin boy to the captain of his own airship: the Iron Rose. Wil, and his very eclectic crew have a very unique history and are attempting their best at trying to eke out a living in a post-Imperium world that isn’t always the most sympathetic to their cause.
Wil’s closest friends, and confidants, however, are his ever-supporting crew, and they will do just about anything for their captain.
The real adventure in Echoes of the Imperium kicks of in a two-fold action that gets the Iron Rose in a bit of a pickle. First, Wil agrees to deliver a “no questions asked” shipment of “something,” while, at the same time, takes on a mysterious passenger who seems to need to be getting out of town rather quickly: Miss Hawkins.
Oh, this is very important to know going into this. This world revolves around subservience and worship of the Seelie Fae. That little twist really carries a lot of weight on the history of this realm, as well as to the impending future of survival and conflict.
I’ll cut right to it: I loved this book. The characters were all beautifully developed, and a lot very likable. There were sufficient flaws that helped drive the story along while not being the typical cliches that often get thrown into High Fantasy. The dialogue is very diverse, and random enough to build a nice, tightly woven, story with an excellent variety.
To me, the characters were very autonomous. I never felt that I was on a predestined path, aside from the few parts that were actually intended to be that way.
Echoes of the Imperium is, already, one of my top reads of 2025. I cannot wait for the continued adventures of the Iron Rose, and I’m really dying to see what kind of pickles Wil and his crew can get into going forward.
The epilogue, alone, set the state for much more sinister things rising up in the future. I’m here for it.
Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros
I’m just going to cut straight to the meat of this. I loved this book, and think it’s the best, so far, of The Empyrean series. I know there are a lot of “hot sports opinions” out there about this book, but that does nothing to diminish the collective impact this story, and this series, have had on readers and booksellers.
Does. Ms. Yarros write “important” literature in the series? Absolutely not. What it is, however, is fun as hell. The tropes and situations are all familiar, but it’s that cozy kind of familiar that leaves the reader fulfilled while not flexing the little grey cells too much. Granted, Onyx Storm, more than the other two, generates quite the flurry of conspiracies and fan theories in its wake. Yes, I have my theories, but I’m not even about to put those in writing on a book that came out two weeks ago, and is still flying off shelves so fast that sellers can’t keep it in stock.
Seeing all three books in the first, second, and third slot on the New York Times Best Sellers list is a force to be reckoned with.
What I do want to talk about a bit is the larger impact of Onyx Storm (or as we call it in my circles: The Dragon Book, Black Dragon Surprise, Dragon-palooza, and many more even more silly).
Ms. Yarros is getting people to read and talk about this. From some circles of readers I’m hearing there is too much war, and not enough sex, and from other circles quite the opposite. What is still happening, though, is that they are reading these books and talking about them. Outside of the weird fandom circles I tend to find myself in, I’ve only really seen that happen about a couple of books/series over the past few years. First of those are the Sarah J. Maas books that seemed to bring all of the Romantasy folks out of the woodwork. If you’ve got a few hours, I’m happy to regale you with how much I dislike those books, and dislike how they still occupy headspace with me, but that’s another discussion. Second have been the Murderbot books by Martha Wells. If you haven’t read them, get on that right now. The third have been Travis Baldree’s Legend & Lattes books. All three of these series (I guess four I am now including the dragons) are so incredibly different, but they are having an impact that I can’t help but enjoy.
Because of this visibility, I now have friends, I had no idea were readers, asking for my recommendations and what I’ve liked over the past couple of years. I’m seeing folks who have been pretty regular in their genre selections branch out and try new things because others around them are talking about it. That kind of behavior is win-win for everyone.
Circling back to Onyx Storm, it’s been very interesting to see how it’s been received, and how it’s being talked about. This book definitely expanded the worldbuilding in a major way, and really pushed emotional limits. Yeah, the Violet/Xaden thing is the main course, but my favorite parts of the series, and especially this book, have been the growth and utilization of the secondary characters. Without Ridoc, for example, this book would probably fall a little flat. Same with the expansion of Aaric’s character.
Yes, there are, allegedly, two more books left in this series, and a million conspiracies floating out around the web as to where we are going next. Hell, Ms. Yarros, herself, said that she hasn’t even started blocking the story yet. Is that frustrating, yes, but just imagine how incredible the community buzz will be when we get our next fix.