Full disclosure: I have a short story in this anthology. As such, this will be a reflection on the other stories, not a review. Ye Olde Dragon is at it again with another fairy tale. This time it’s Jack and the Beanstalk. The editors challenged the author community to contribute […]
In Transcendence, Alexis Ferelli is a widower with a normal life with a young girl, Luna, and a supportive boyfriend, Jack. She’s a masseuse in the Pacific Northwest. Her life is humming along until her sister, Linda, asks her to attend a seance. Against her better judgment, she agrees to […]
Amelia Clark is a homeschooled twelve-year-old girl who travels with her developer father when he goes on site to build a new housing project. In this case, she’s temporarily housed in a small town of Blacktree while her father builds a luxury resort on the edge of town next to […]
For me, Stu Turton’s The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was a revolution in detective stories. It combined science fiction with mystery in a fascinating way and earned its six stars out of five. His followup, The Devil and the Dark Water, was a disappointment. With a […]
Murder at Spindle Manor is a dark fantasy and gaslamp mystery. While mysterious elements aren’t new in gaslamp novels, this novel takes the step into true detective fiction. The setup is a classic whodunnit. A group of people have come to a “hotel” outside of a large city while taking […]
My flash fiction story “Purpose” in Havok (gohavok.com) depicts a grim reunion of four prep schoolers. I write mostly about heroes, but in 2024, I wrote a revenge tale where a male villain receives his comeuppance from a unique woman. This is “A Type of Woman” in Ye Olde Dragon’s […]
Olivia Gratehouse’s Rat King takes a familiar fantasy plot and puts the most unusual hero in the center of it—a goblin. Rat King (or RK) is a lowly guard for an elven vampiric lady. She is visited by an adventurer named Teagan who often interacts with the lady of the […]
Havok’s Remember When takes on a journey through the calendar, presenting stories set in specific times of the year. This anthology of flash fiction (1000 words or less) gives us bite-sized tales of time periods (in this case, months) and seasons. I always consider the theme when I rate a […]
The Goose Girl and the Artificial is a novella retelling of “The Goose Girl,” a fairy tale many haven’t read. The original Goose Girl tale is gruesome, but in this steampunk setting, author K. M. Robinson plays with the original elements in a more light-hearted manner. Goselyn is supplanted by […]
Swish by Tom Carter is a paranormal romance (PNR) for young adult readers. Adopted by her uncle, Abigail Lewis is bullied at high school. With only one friend, Abby suffers mean-spirited pranks at school and physical abuse at home. Her life seems bleak until she meets a new neighborhood boy, […]