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.

Review: Hostile Contact by Nick Snape

The Book:

Finn is a troubled war-hero, overseen by an unyielding Commanding Officer while dragging his group of rookies through basic training. When an alien incursion lands in the middle of a patrol exercise, wielding powerful weapons and alien armour far beyond their own, he is forced to lead the remnants of Delta Squad in a desperate struggle for survival.

Utilising light-reflecting camouflage, the aliens go on the rampage, killing indiscriminately and capturing Finn’s CO before going on the hunt. Outgunned, and with the world’s armed forces helpless to act after a second incursion drops, Delta set out on a desperate rescue mission, only for the aliens to reveal a weapon that could change modern-day warfare forever.

Finding themselves in a battle for Earth's future, Delta Squad discover the aliens are more than they seem, and that alien technology can be just as deadly in the hands of humanity when they unearth a deadly secret ‒ the Weapons of Choice.

My Throughts:

As you’ve probably noticed I’m a big fan of Nick Snape’s books. They vary quite a lot, from fantasy to hard SF, and this one is the first in a series of military SF.

This book was a great read. A full on military romp. The actions barely stops for a breath as Finn finds himself and his squadron in an unprecedented situation, being caught up in the midst of an alien invasion.

This is the first in a series of military SF books and I enjoyed it immensely. It will be fun to see how the rest of the series pans out.

So if you like your SciFi hard and military, and action that leaves you breathless, then this could be the book for you.

Review: Icebreaker by Stephen William Hannah

The Book:

Inside their walls, the people are safe from exposure to the unnamed horror that broke the world long ago; but now Bear, the last scientist in Forgehead, takes a case that threatens to throw that safety into question. Someone has been terminally exposed to the phenomenon, despite never having ventured outside the walls. This has only happened once before - to Bear's father.

With the safety of Forgehead in question, and an opportunity to finally discover what happened to his father, Bear must leave the safety of the walls to unravel the mysteries left behind by the pre-cataclysm world; a task that will require him to join the Interloper Initiative, the team who crew the gigantic Crawler landships, the only vehicles that can roam the world outside the walls in relative safety. "Icebreaker" is the first entry in the Interloper Trilogy, a tale of horror and science charting the last days of a dying world, and humanity's endeavour to survive.

My Thoughts:

This is quality post apocalyptic science fiction, set in a future frozen Scotland - which gives it extra points from me!

We first meet Bear as he tries to investigate the case of a boy who has been terminally exposed to the mysterious Phenomenon. I was immediately drawn into the plight of these people, their future society on the verge of collapse, the unspeakable closing in on them.

Bear joins the team of Icebreaker, a giant crawling landship, and this is where things really get interesting. I loved the characters that we meet here, as well as the whole idea of the landships. There’s a lot of action, but also a lot of humanity, and Bear is a fascinating character who I really want to win!

Icebreaker is an excellent story. The concept is original, the characters memorable and the perilous world they live in is strangely compelling. Icebreaker is the first in a trilogy and I’m sufficiently hooked to want to read on, to see how everything evolves, and perhaps learn the truth behind what has happened to the world. At yet Icebreaker is a fully rounded story in itself, leaving just enough unanswered questions. The perfect balance.

A very good and enjoyable book which deserves to be noticed.

Eww - There's some Geology in my Fiction - preorder

 
Eww - there's some Geology in my Fiction. 

Coming soon - an anthology of Earth Science short fiction containing my short story Permafrost, which originally appeared in Issues in Earth Science.

The anthology will be released on May 13th but is available for pre-order now.

Find it HERE.

Review: Sisters of Mercy by Yuval Kordov

The Book:

Hannah-9 is a symbiote: a child of Heaven and Hell, bred in the bowels of the Last City. Implanted into an ancient, nuclear-powered war machine—a God-engine—she stalks the wastes with Rachel-3, her sister-in-arms.

Their mandate is absolute: to wage war against the Adversary, to purify the Earth, and to endure—until the radiation consumes them.

This is her story.

My Thoughts:

I came across this novella through the Self Published Indie Novella Competition (SFINCs) which is a sister contest to SPFBO (fantasy novels) and SPSFC (SciFi novels). Several reviewers were marking it down because they didn’t like that it included religious themes and some of the contestants were calling them out on their bias. So, always curious to see what the cause of all the drama was, I decided to read the novella and judge for myself.

Well I’m so glad I did for I would never have discovered this amazing author otherwise. This book is superb. Powerful and evocative prose mixes in with amazing worldbuilding and the two tragic characters at its core. My heart bled for Hannah and her sister Rachel, the world they had been born into and the tortures they had to endure. The spiritual aspect was their way of coping with their unfortunate lives, and certainly wasn’t overegged. It was in fact a powerful part of the worldbuilding and highlighted Hannah and Rachel’s inner vulnerability.

This a powerful novella that touches on some dark and disturbing themes. It challenges as well as entertains. It’s an excellent and beautiful bit of writing and I think a book that with time will recognise its own significance. The shorter length only adds to this impact.

You really need to read this book. It’s something quite special and I haven’t read anything this good or thought provoking in a long time.

I’d give it 6 stars if I could.

Review: A Dragon of the Veil (Warriors of Spirit and Bone Book 1) by Nick Snape

The Book:

Some lies are best left buried…

Science and magic are forbidden in Brandshold, where the Seven Gods' scripture dictates daily life. When spirit-magic erupts, disrupting an alchemical experiment, fear rolls across the realm and awakens the veil dragons buried deep beneath a forest, their existence struck from memory by the Gods.

Laoch, a veteran of the crusades, and Sura, an elf disowned by her tribe, stand as warriors of spirit and bone against the oncoming tide, while a queen shackled by the demands of the Gods’ Overseer, seeks to cut through his web of deceit and find the truth about her people’s past and the threat of the awakened dragons.

Drawn into a brutal world of soul-magic, forbidden alchemy, and divine weapons, together they uncover a terrible truth: the realm is held together by lies ‒ and they hide a far greater threat to their future. For the dragons are creatures that were built for the hunt, and their creators are hungry.

My Thoughts:

What a ride! And what an opening to what looks like an amazing new fantasy series.

I’ve already reviewed a few of Nick’s books on this blog – in fact I’ve become something of a fan - but this is the first of his fantasy that I’ve read. Suffice to say it lived up to my expectations.

The worldbuilding is superb, the characters compelling and as the action picks up pace I found myself being swept along in a thrilling chase. This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. But not without its moments of passion and sorrow. I became so involved with these characters that I felt their love, their tears, their terror as if I was right there with them. 

I particularly loved the mechanical dragons. What an excellent extra dimension. 

I thoroughly recommend this book and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

A solid 5 stars from me!

Review: Transition by Ian Patterson

The Book: 

Are you so sure you’re the painter, and not the painting?

Micah has a hangover, a looming deadline, and a very opinionated rat following him around the orbital station. No one else can see it—which is definitely not ideal.

Outside, the wealthy are fleeing Earth on seed ships. Inside, Micah’s team has days to perfect their gene-editing tech, or be left behind. On top of that, Micah’s unsure if reality is taking an extended vacation, or if his brain has finally short-circuited.

Equal parts absurdly funny, sharp-edged, and human, Transition explores the events that started The Narrator Cycle. Long before Nicholas, Dorothy, and Charon, there was Micah, a dying earth, a talkative rat, and a question—is reality such a fixed thing?

My Thoughts

Don’t worry if you haven’t yet read the Narrator Cycle. This book, which works as a prequel to those events works perfectly well on its own but I can guarantee after reading this one you will want to read the rest of them! You won’t be disappointed. They are all equally as good.

This is a relatively short read in itself but packs in so much. There are some interesting ideas at play here but for me it’s Micah who really makes it. He’s a compelling character and I loved spending time inside his head. It’s not often a character stays with you long after finishing the last page, but Micah is one of those people.

There’s a wonderfully surreal feeling to this book, not just the mutant talking rat, but I’ll leave it to you to find out what I’m talking about. 

All in all an excellent book which I thoroughly recommend.

Review: The Ocean Hugs Hard by Eric Avedissian

 The Book:

Surfside City, New Jersey. 1966. Cub reporter Harman Bass is cutting his teeth in the fast world of local journalism and getting out-scooped by the competition. Facetious, cocky, and always quoting Nietzsche, Harman isn't making any friends both in and out of the newsroom.

All that changes when the daughter of a prominent family is found dead on the beach, handing Harman the juiciest news story of the year. But she isn't any old beauty pageant queen; she's his high school girlfriend. Harman's dogged reporting into the young woman's death reveals pushback from the authorities and pulls the newshound into the resort's darkest corners.

After one of his sources is murdered, the routine story becomes dangerous and personal. Something watches Harman from the shadows, something ancient and hungry, worshipped by powerful men who kill to keep their secrets. Harman's job and life are soon threatened, and the once brash reporter must battle his boss, rival journalists, and his own sanity before filing what could be his last story.

My Thoughts:

The Ocean Hugs Hard is a wonderful genre mashup combining crime with horror in a 1960s American seaside resort setting. The claustrophobic small town atmosphere is really well described and the setting is immersive. The historic aspect added another great dimension although at times I felt Harman was viewing the world around him through a very 21st Century lens and as a result I wasn’t totally invested in the timeframe. 

Harman himself is a character with considerable depth and there was great poignancy to his recollections of his failed relationship with his teenage sweetheart who turns out to be the first murder victim. 

And then on to the horror aspects of the story. There was a distinct vibe very similar to British folk horror, which is a genre I love. I was pleasantly surprised to find this in an American setting. But I don’t want to say any more about this aspect of the story. You’ll just have to read it yourself to find out.

All in all a very enjoyable and compelling read. 

Review: Copper Skin Oaken Lungs by Adam Bassett

 
The Book:

For a thousand years, The Old Town has stood as humanity's last bastion against the maalkonis, malignant black mists that reduced the rest of the world to ash. They are kept at bay by rusty machines on the town's walls. In order to survive, the dwindling population depends on one another.

Since a young age, Justīne has embraced the harsh responsibilities that accompanied her apprenticeship on the last farm in existence. Her younger sister, Anna, is beginning her own apprenticeship as well. Learning engineering was not Anna's first choice, but the town's last mage fell to the maalkonis years prior, leaving nothing behind but confusing books and strange runes.

When food runs low during a particularly harsh winter, distrust spreads like a plague, and Justīne is blamed for it. As hunger leads to violence, she and her siblings are forced to flee The Old Town, embarking on a perilous journey into the very mists that had formed their cage. Their fight to survive in the dark develops into a hopeful mystery as they follow the breadcrumbs of a mage's efforts to save the world. Meanwhile something pursues them through the maalkonis...

My Thoughts:

This was a short yet thoroughly enjoyable novel, the first in what appears to be a forthcoming series, as its subtitled Copper and Ash Book 1. I do hope this is the case because this is certainly a world that I am curious to know more about.

The worldbuilding is probably the best bit about this novel. The concept of the maalkonis is quite unique and the atmosphere and sense of place is skilfully woven and immersive, both the old town where the story starts and then when Justine and her companions venture into the black mists that surround them.

There’s an interesting backstory to this world and I’d love to know more about the origins of the maalkonis and how it came to devastate the lands we find ourselves in. The technology which keeps the maalkonis at bay is also a fascinating element to this tale, especially with the danger of this ancient knowledge becoming lost. We are constantly reminded of the precarious nature of the old town’s survival which adds to the sense of peril. These are all aspects which could perhaps have been developed further had the novel been longer, and yet, as there is more to come in this series the unanswered questions compel me to read on.

Having said that this story is in itself well rounded with a satisfying conclusion and I certainly didn’t feel as if I was left hanging, which can sometimes happen at the start of a series.

So if you fancy a short but immersive read then this is one I can recommend.

My Fiction on Substack

Earlier this year I looked around at potential platforms to use for a newsletter. Several authors that I’m acquainted with send these out sporadically and it seems like a good way to build and keep in contact with their readership. So after a bit of deliberation and looking at what other people were using I decided on Substack.

It’s been interesting. There’s a vibrant community on Substack but also a cohort of people who are vehemently against it, although I’ve yet to see any evidence to back up their claims. Personally I’m finding it very friendly and useful. There’s all sorts of publishing insights and interesting people there.

I started my newsletter back in February and slowly started to build traction. Substack has an interesting setup where you can write articles which will be sent out to your subscribers – the newsletter part – and also has notes which are pretty much like all the other social media platforms where you can follow people and they can follow you, separate from actually subscribing to receive your articles by email.

I started with a monthly newsletter but then I noticed that several of the people I was subscribing to were sharing their fiction, some short stories and some serialised novels which they then went on to self publish. In fact the more I looked the more I found.

And so I’ve decided to join in the fun. Let me introduce you to Flashes of Strangeness where I will be sharing a piece of flash fiction or a drabble every few weeks for the foreseeable future. I’ve built up quite a collection of short stories over the years so I can’t wait to share them with you all. 

Here’s the link if you’d like to subscribe. Flashes of Strangeness

And then along came Ficstack. This is a brand new venture – a website that logs and lists Substack fiction. It’s searchable by genre and vibes so you should be able to find exactly what you like to read. Defiantly work taking a look. Here’s the link: Ficstack.

So far this is proving to be a good decision. Subscribers are increasing, which suggests to me that people are actively looking for fiction to read on there. I will keep going and see how it develops. Who knows, I might even serialise one of my own novels at some point in the future.

 

Self Publishing Update (October 2025)

It’s been a while since I did one of these updates but that doesn’t mean I’ve been slacking. Instead I’ve been trying out different ways of finding my readership. And the main one I’m going to talk about here is collaborative book sales.

Setting a book either free or on sale on my own doesn’t tend to gain many sales or downloads, largely because my reach doesn’t extend sufficiently widely to get the attention of people who haven’t yet come across the book. So in order to mitigate this I’ve been taking part in a variety of collaborative events.

The first of these was a Stuff Your Kindle event. In this case the Dark Mode SYK. This had a really good reach and I put in Dragons of Dunmoray and was delighted to get over 4000 downloads from nearly 20 different countries.

However there was a downside. Firstly the books have to be set to be free downloads, so people are inclined to download many more books than they are ever likely to read. There’s no direct financial gain and it’s hard to determine how many of the people who download the book ever actually read it and whether any of these actually translate into reviews.

On the upside I did see an uptick in sales of my other books as well as an increased number of kindle unlimited page reads which coincided with the sale. So it certainly helped gain visibility.

I then had a go at participating in collaborative sales. These can be quite tricky to find – I often learn about them after the event, but I have managed to take part in five so far with varying results. In some sales I shifted zero books while in others I’ve done really well. In the latest sale I took part in, Permafrost ranked in the top 20 out of over 300 books, which was really pleasing.

I think the trick here is to match the right book with the right sale. For example in some sales different genres will outperform others. If your book isn’t a popular genre for that readership then you won’t get much traction. 

It’s all a bit of a learning experience and there are a couple more sales that I have my eye on and will be participating in over the coming months.

So keep an eye out. I’ll post here when they’re live. And grab yourself a bargain!

The Self Published Science Fiction Competition 2025

The Self Published Science Fiction Competition - or SPSFC5 - is now taking entries. So if you have a self published SF novel why not give it a go.

I've just entered Permafrost and this will be my third year taking part. I'm really looking forward to discovering some great new books to read and rave about on this blog.

Here's the link if you fancy joining me in the contest. SPSFC5

The Reviews Are Coming In

 My latest self published SF novel, Permafrost, has been out in the world for a couple of months and I'm delighted to see how well it it being received. It is gathering some great reviews, both on Goodreads and Amazon, and then there's this one at the Popular Science Books Blog to add to those giving it 5 stars!

And now for a reprint

I'm delighted to share with you that my short story, The Last Library, which appeared in New Myths Magazine back in 2020, will be reprinted in the forthcoming anthology from New Myths, Janus Gates, due sometime in 2026.

Let's Get Villainous!

The Bournemouth Festival of Writing has released a whole load of photographs, courtesy of Solid Imagery, and so I have included a selection from my workshop, Let's Get Villainous, which was a huge success. But don't worry if you missed out. I hope to run this one again so watch this space.

Back into the fray

The publishing industry is tough, and since the pandemic it has only got tougher. There was a time when agent submissions were almost guaranteed a reply, if only a form letter, but these day’s you’re lucky to get a reply at all, and that in itself can be so disheartening – it’s like sending your work into a black hole to be swallowed up and never heard from again.

Then if you are lucky enough to get published it’s no guarantee of future success. I’ve now been published twice. Firstly Red Rock with Curious Fox in 2013 and then in 2022 The Sleepers was published by Bloodhound Books.

Yet between these books, and before and after, I’ve never stopped writing. I’ve never stopped sending stuff out. I’ve never stopped receiving rejection after rejection.

So, here I am again. A new novel is complete and winging its way out into the world. I’m back researching agents, looking for publishers with open submission windows, eyeing up competitions that might help me achieve my goal. And maybe, just maybe, this one will be my third time lucky!

Wistman's Wood, Dartmoor

Self Publishing Update (May 2025)

For the past few years, in fact, ever since I received my rights back for Red Rock and dipped my toe into this alternative world, this alternative route for my books, I’ve been working my way through the Science Fiction backlist and self publishing those novels through Amazon under my SF author identity Kate Kelly. 

It’s been an interesting project and the latest, and probably the last of these for a while is Permafrost which comes out officially today. Permafrost is a post apocalyptic SF thriller exploring themes of climate change and geoengineering. It’s a story I’ve very much enjoyed writing, and I’m glad to be sending it out into the world.

So what of self publishing in general? Well I’ve learned a lot. Firstly the actual production of the book is the easy part. Holding the book in your hands, flicking through the pages, looking at the cover you designed – it feels so satisfying.

But creating the book is only part of it. The really tough part, the bit I’m particularly useless at, is marketing. I’ve been experimenting with different things and for me, finding a community has been the most rewarding part. I’ve done this by participating in indie competitions such as SPSFC (Self Published Science Fiction Competition) which introduced me to the indie SF scene and I’ve met some great authors through this. I’ve taken part in group sales and Stuff Your Kindle events, and all these have helped shift a few copies of my books, but I have yet to truly find my readership.

And this is the key thing. Who are my readers? Where do they hang out? How do I make myself known to them?

If I ever manage to find the answers I’ll let you know. But in the meantime do check out Permafrost, and if you enjoy it please leave a review.

Amazon UK

Amazon US

The Bournemouth Festival of Writing

The Bournemouth Festival of Writing took place last weekend with a wide range of events, talks, workshops, an author’s marketplace, book launches, writing on the beach – not to mention the now infamous naked writing workshop hosted by the wonderfully named Jonny Fluffypunk. (I didn’t take part – too much of a coward). 

I was delighted to be part of this event, running a workshop called ‘Let’s Get Villainous’ which was a character workshop with a difference – the aim being for all the participants to take away with them a particularly nasty alter ego, to use in their writing however they liked. I ran the workshop with a series of character prompts followed by various role play activities so that everyone could really get into their character’s heads.

This was my first time at the Bournemouth Writing Festival and I’ve not run a workshop for several years, so naturally my biggest fear was the dreaded empty room. All week I had been seeing events selling out, but really I needn’t have worried – mine wasn’t far off capacity.

And the participants themselves were fantastic. They responded really well to the prompts and as soon as the interactive part began, everyone working together in small groups, the room filled with laughter and energy. There were some wonderful characters and scenarios being explored – I really hope that I will one day see some of them in print.

As for the festival overall, it was a huge success. Dominic (the organiser) is really putting Bournemouth on the map with this, and I look forward to being involved again next year, either as a speaker or a delegate.

Review: Phallic Obsession by Andrew May

The Book

The title story deals with the bizarre case of a disgraced professor of anthropology, Merrigan Blake, and her museum of sacred phallic iconography collected from all over the world. But there’s another, more sinister side to Dr Blake’s obsession – one that involves a vast conspiracy by an evil race of reptilian humanoids. It’s all in her mind, of course, but that makes it no less dangerous – as naïve student David Gracewell discovers when he’s drawn into her world of crazy paranoia. The collection also contains two other stories on related themes, “The Cult of Zagoth” and “The Masculine Cross”. All three stories deal, at least in part, with the academic study of phallic symbolism, particularly in an occult or pseudo-religious context. But THIS IS NOT EROTIC FICTION. There are no explicit sex scenes, and very little use of “non-academic” sexual terms.

My Thoughts

Andrew is a master of the weird fiction genre and these three tales are no exception. Deliciously wicked and Gothically sinister these three tales will make you shiver. It’s a short book and a quick read, a thoroughly enjoyable foray into the macabre.

Review: Transcendence by Ian Patterson

The Book:

Nicholas, Charon, and Dorothy are separated, and stranded in a cosmos they don’t understand. Behind is a City that would kill them, and the cooling gulf of rage that split them. Their only landmarks now are the distant stars, galaxies, and antique wooden doors that litter the plane. Through each door, the promise of a new world brims with possibility, but all they find are dead ends. A translucent tunnel extends before them and shows their direction. Or does it determine it? Are they in control of their decisions, or is something else guiding them? And who, or what, is the Narrator?

Cosmic in scale and scope, Transcendence follows on from the events of Transference. As Nick and Dorothy search the cosmos for each other, and answers, they find the signs of manipulation by an outside hand. Will they reconnect? And how far are they willing to go to be in charge of their own story?

My Thoughts:

Transcendence is the second book in the Narrator Cycle by Ian. I’ve previously reviewed his first book, Transference on this blog and I’ve been fortunate enough to get my hands on an Advanced Reader Copy of this, the sequel prior to its release in May 2025.

Transference is a hard act to follow and often a second book can fall short but I’m happy to say that in this case that doesn’t apply. Transcendence is sufficiently different to feel fresh. The reader is presented with a whole new galaxy of ideas, and yet the significance of what has already happened isn’t played down. This is a book ambitious in scope and deftly executed. The story is gripping, the characters compelling. Really good quality science fiction like this is quite hard to come by and I genuinely couldn’t put it down. 

I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give away any spoilers but the ending was really strong.

I absolutely love these books and I know you will too!