Quick Review – The Broken God – Gareth Hanrahan

The Broken God continues to build on the excellence of the other books in The Black Iron Legacy series and - unsurprisingly - leaves me desperate to see what Hanrahan will do with the overarching narrative. It’s flipping fantastic.

Review: Space Opera (Space Opera #1) – Catherynne M. Valente

352 pages | Corsair | Read by Heath Miller for HighBridge Company| Science Fiction, Space Opera, Humour, SFF I read this as part of 2019's Space Opera September Readathon (TBR here). The digest: Space Opera is a rather perplexing novel which sometimes reads more like an encyclopaedia than a fiction story. This is sometimes good, sometimes bad, but overall…

Review: All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) – Martha Wells

The digest: a solid space opera novella, well-deserving of its hype and awards. If you're looking to get into science fiction then this is an excellent introduction with a fun story and interesting characters.

Review: Shades of Magic Vol. 1: The Steel Prince – V.E. Schwab and Andrea Olimpieri

112 pages | Titan Comics | Fantasy, Graphic Novel   This is an honest review. It's also a negative review.   The digest: My most disappointing read of 2019 (so far). This graphic novel had every chance of being one of my favourites, but shoddy writing and a woefully underexplored story make it entirely forgettable.  …

Review: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld – Patricia A. McKillip

208 pages | Gollancz | Fantasy, SFF

The digest: a true modern classic. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld should be every fantasy fan's next novel. It's emotive, enthralling, and massively enjoyable. This book is what I would call 'pure' fantasy - it tells a story quite unlike anything else I have read and reminds me of how I used to romanticise the genre - but this time I think the hype is justified. In the same breath, it is both innovative and familiar and I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this novel.

Review: Blackwood Marauders – K.S. Villoso

The digest: an accessible low-fantasy novel which many will enjoy. Blackwood Marauders doesn't hesitate to throw the reader right into the thick of it, and an entertaining story matched with precise prose means that you will probably speed through this.

Review: Tiger – Polly Clark

The digest: Tiger is a compelling study of what people and animals will do in order to survive. It's poetic in its language and clear in its storytelling. If you are after a novel which forces you to confront your own limits and ideologies, look no further.

Review: To Be Taught, If Fortunate – Becky Chambers

The digest: Chambers has once again knocked it out of the park. To Be Taught, If Fortunate is a highly political exploration of the human condition, following a four-person crew on their mission to visit distant planets around the turn of the 22nd Century. In just over 130 pages the author forces us to address our own views on grief, sexuality, justice, and the pursuit of knowledge. The writing is of Chambers' usual excellent quality, and her story is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Highly recommended!

Review: The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna – Juliet Grames, narrated by Lisa Flanagan

464 pages | Hodder & Stoughton | Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Fiction I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I purchased an audiobook copy with my own money following this.   CW: gore, brutal violence, domestic abuse (physical and mental), sexual assault, drug abuse.     The digest: a solid…

Review: Fallen Empire – Keith McArdle

The digest: a  heavily simplified fantasy novel with interesting ideas that just about misses the mark. If you don't mind extraordinarily fast character progression and a simplified plot, then you might enjoy this one.