Review: The Lurker by Rosemary Victus

I read this book as a judge for SFINCS4. However, these are my own views and do not necessarily reflect those of the judging team as a whole.

The Book:

All your kidnapper wants is fifty-thousand words by the end of the month. It should be easy; you've been planning this book in your mind for years and have always wanted to sit down and write it...but just haven't. Unfortunately, your captor, the Lurker, has several ideas about how to "motivate" you: taking a red pen to your first draft in front of you, bribing you with a cat, and the most horrid torture imaginable...reading your old fanfic out loud while you beg him to stop.

"The Lurker" is a meta-humor novella about the struggles of writing a first draft. One would not call it a thinly-veiled metaphor because there is no veil. Though often comedy "The Lurker" is a meditation on the nature of the artistic process and the hostile voice urging us to create.

My Thoughts:

This is a really clever and original tale which any writer who has ever taken part in (the now defunct) NaNoWriMo will instantly relate to. (For those not in the know NaNoWriMo was an international writing challenge to set down 50K words of a novel in the month of November)

The story is related in the second person, which is a challenge in itself, but in the case the author has managed to pull it off really well, and after a couple of pages becomes invisible as the story takes control. It’s a quick read and I’m sure even a non-writer will feel the need to get those words on paper, as well as the feelings of self-doubt and distractions and procrastination, which are things which afflict us all in our daily lives. And so, in a way this tale is more than just writing a novel in a month, but is more a comment on the human condition and the things that stop us doing what we want to do.

The Lurker is a quick read which I devoured in one sitting which I enjoyed very much. The only issue I have is that the story has been written on past its natural ending. It could have finished with a real punch, but instead the ending is unmemorable. 

But it was fun to read, a serious topic but with a lightness of touch that made for a very enjoyable story.

Review: Tom by Tobias Youngblood

I read this book as a judge for SFINCS4. However, these are my own views and do not necessarily reflect those of the judging team as a whole.

The Book:

Brighton township has a history of people disappearing. Blame falls to a coven of witches called “The Dark Hand.”

The evil goes unseen, and the guilty bear no mark. But the Good Lord always gives the name of one to join the others at the bottom of Lake Black. For the ritualistic drowning of a witch gives the people hope ... a respite from the devilry.

After witnessing this rite for the first time, twelve-year-old Peter Walcott’s mind is filled with disturbing thoughts. The local carnival offers a welcome distraction. In a back alley there, he finds a secret show—an eccentric animal trainer with unusual talents. The experience leaves Peter feeling mesmerized and inspired. A rare bright moment in dark times.

Soon after, a strange visitor arrives at his bedroom window. A creature that looks a little different every time he sees it. Deep down, he knows he shouldn’t trust it, but it makes him think of the animals from the carnival show. So Peter builds it a house and gives it a name ... Tom.

But Tom isn’t a pet.

And Peter may soon find himself serving a new master.

My Thoughts:

‘Tom’ is a chilling horror novella, quietly terrifying. The world we are immersed in is particularly well drawn, and the constant threat kept me on the edge of my seat. 

There is so much darkness in this world, and yet we see it through the eyes of Peter, a 12 year old boy, and the innocence of his world view makes the horrors surrounding him even more intense, as the reader sees more than he does. This aspect is particularly well done. I just wanted to grab Peter and take him away somewhere safe.

The world we are introduced to is a grim place, a community living in constant fear of the religious zealotry which controls their lives. It is a world of witch hunts and persecution, of people daring to defy and paying for it with their lives. A brooding threat that is never far away.

And then there is the witchcraft. Is it really just the persecutions carried out my religious fanatics or is there more to it than that? Something is very wrong with this world, and when Tom appears on the scene things really step up a level.

Peter thinks Tom is just a pet, but he is anything but, and before long Peter is on a trajectory from which there may be no return.

An excellent horror novella. 

Review: The Scribe’s Vault by Emma L Adams

I read this book as a judge for SFINCS4. However, these are my own views and do not necessarily reflect those of the judging team as a whole.

The Book:

Vaster Golt, teenage criminal living on the grimy streets of the city of Nizwel, has spent years committing petty crimes for his owner and master, Svolger, under threat of the revelation of his most dangerous secret.

When he and fellow thief Gedwen are sent to raid the contents of a noble family’s vault, they find a powerful resource hidden inside that might help them free themselves from servitude… and a Scribe, a wielder of powerful runes who is none too happy to find a pair of teenage thieves stealing from their home.

But Vaster and Gedwen aren’t ordinary criminals. They have gifts of their own, ones their master has been cultivating for a purpose that goes far beyond simple robberies. As the pair begin to unravel the schemes that have ensnared their lives, they find out the lengths to which Svolger is willing to go to prevent them from becoming masters of their own fates.

My Thoughts:

This is a solid fantasy novella with lots of adventure and a magic system based around runes. 

As fantasy novellas go this one is fairly typical of the genre – you know what you’re going to get and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a short read but clearly a prequel to a longer series, introducing the characters of Vaster and Gedwen and setting things up for their adventures ahead. There are also many unanswered questions – what exactly is the Forest of Stones everyone is so worried about? I guess all this will be revealed in later books. However, I would have liked to see more of the worldbuilding and character development in this novella. 

All in all an enjoyable read. It was a simple but well told tale, typical of the genre and one which fans of fantasy will enjoy.

Review: The End of Time by Karyne Norton

I read this book as a judge for SFINCS4. However, these are my own views and do not necessarily reflect those of the judging team as a whole.

The Book:

The world is ending in five years, and humanity's solution is a mass exodus to the past. What could go wrong?

Renee's job for Serendipity is simple: she relocates families to the past so they don't die when the asteroid hits Earth in five years. On top of a paycheck, she earns her own time travel slot to escape the end of the world. Everyone wins.

But then Beckham shows up in her office, claiming she sent him from the past to find her. On top of that, he wants her help taking Serendipity down. As much as she likes the idea of sticking it to some of her bosses, she also really likes the idea of being alive after the Earth is destroyed.

But as Beckham spills more secrets about the dangers of time travel, Renee is forced to decide between securing her own happy ending and preserving thousands of others.

My Thoughts:

This is a very decent speculative thriller novella which would appeal to fans of authors such as John Maars.

The concept is really interesting and Renee is an engaging character. The resulting tangle of multiple timestreams and hopping across between them was well thought out and a lot of fun to read. The author has clearly thought about all the problems and paradoxes time travel can cause and has woven these issues into a compelling storyline. Time travel stories can be difficult to do well, but this one really works.

My only gripe is that I would perhaps have liked to feel more chemistry between Renee and Beckham, as this was a major plot point. 

But that aside, this book was great fun to read and I enjoyed it very much.

Review: The Mystery of the Bitten Peach by Cecilia Tan

I read this book as a judge for SFINCS4. However, these are my own views and do not necessarily reflect those of the judging team as a whole.

The Book:

Meet Mei, a young Chinese American who has discovered she has the mystical ability to transport herself anywhere that is spiritually "China"-including Chinatowns around the world and different eras of Chinese history. As an adoptive child of the diaspora, Mei was raised in America with no knowledge of Chinese folklore or fairy tales, but when an antiques dealer friend needs help retrieving a mythic artifact-a jade carving of a peach that represented same-sex love in ancient China-she's game to give it a try.

Her quest sends Mei not only into the past, but on a journey of self-discovery.

My Thoughts:

This is a beautifully written book, compelling and immersive on many different levels. A beautiful blend of history and folklore, and a treatise into the many facets of love. I also found it a fascinating insight into American culture from the perspective of a Chinese diaspora. I loved this book very much. I was thoroughly immersed in this world and swept away.

Mei is an engaging and interesting character, at times flawed which makes her very relatable and very human. Mei’s relationships with family, friends and lovers are particularly well drawn and at times powerful and poignant. One scene in particular between Mei and her mother almost made me cry.

The structure of the novel with parallel timelines as well as time travel is really well executed. We move easily between Mei’s past and present, as well as her various forays across time and place, from Chinatowns in different cities all the way back to Imperial China itself. A real testament to the skill of the author. One small niggle though, a plot hole that was never really closed. A time travel paradox that I really hoped would be explained away. But it wasn’t, and felt unresolved. I can’t really say any more about this though because I don’t want to give away any spoilers

But don’t let that stop you!!! I absolutely loved this book and I’m sure you will too.

SFINCS4 is about to begin.

SFINCS4 - otherwise known as the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship is about to open for entries and I'm delighted to share that I've been selected to head up one of the judging teams.

We are Team KRACKenS.

If you look at the bar above you will see that we have a dedicated page where you will be able to find our team updates as the competition progresses. 

I'm really looking forward to reading loads of amazing novellas. 

Check out the competition HERE.

Review: A Procession of Ashes by AM Blackmere

The Book:

Piacenza, Italy. The Year of Our Lord, 1349.

Father Matteo has shepherded a dying flock through plague and lime, but nothing in his missals prepared him for the Brotherhood of Broken Flesh—a ragged procession of flagellants who turn suffering into scripture.

When their leader, Fra Aureliano, raises a living Psalm and the faithful begin to speak its geometry in flesh, devotion itself takes on a fevered life.

Beside him stands Tommaso Bellini, an empiric physician tracing the hidden pattern between faith and decay. Together they seek to silence a Psalm that should never have been sung—and learn that belief, once awakened, does not easily sleep again.

My Thoughts:

This is a wonderful, if somewhat disturbing novella, set against the backdrop of plague riddled medieval Europe. It makes for a chilling read, the horror aspect visceral, both the earthly and the supernatural aspects being equally grim for the unfortunate inhabitants of this world.

The writing is exquisite and the research that has gone into this work is extensive and fascinating. AM Blackemere also talks about some of this history over on his Substack, which is well worth checking out if you want to know more about the historical background to this story. There is also an Authors note at the front which I found fascinating and worked well to set the context which forms the backdrop of this tale.

I can’t help but be drawn to the people of that time, who lived through the plague as it tore apart their communities and changed their world for ever. This tale does not shy away from the horrors and trauma they faced, and the added horror which this tale envisages only serves to make it all feel so much more real.

This is an excellent and compelling novella. Not one for the fainthearted. But I’m definitely going to read more of this author’s work.