Behind Blue Eyes

The Hallows by H.L.Tinsley My rating: 4 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this title from the author... In today's fantasy market, doesn't it seem that every single book is part of a series? Some of these things sprawl out over many years and volumes, and readers crave that of their favorite authors and books. But it's awfully refreshing to grab hold of a standalone every once in awhile. There's no prior knowledge required going in, and you don't have to comb over websites to get book summaries to refresh your mind to what's happened so far in the time since you put down the last volume. Grab and go. And that's what we have here. If you like grimdark settings and shady characters, this is for you. A noir inspired mystery with a sharp investigator, check. Entertaining side characters and monstrous surprises, check. And of course, what action story would be complete without fighting nuns? View all my reviews ...

An End to Sorrow by Michael R. Fletcher My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine An End to Sorrow is the concluding novel in the Obsidian Path series by Michael R. Fletcher. The first novel, reviewed here for Grimdark Magazine , was a finalist in the 2021 Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO), and with good reason as it’s an excellent book. The follow up novel, She Dreams in Blood, reviewed here , continued Khraen’s quest to piece together his fractured obsidian heart. So finally, we come to the resolution of the tale of Khraen, the Demon Emperor, who has been resurrected as a shell of his former self, missing the shards of his heart and with these pieces, his scattered memories. He’s accompanied by his faithful friend and follower, Bren as they attempt to recover the necromancer queen Henska, who might or might not have Kraen’s best interest at heart. “Once we had a nest egg, we could open a cosy little tavern somewhere, sel...

Death's Beating Heart by Rob J. Hayes My rating: 5 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine Picking up just moments after the ending of Sins of the Mother , Death’s Beating Heart brings us at last to the conclusion to The Eternal War .. Eskara Helsene has come out of retirement to help fix the mess that her daughter has caused. Sirileth has brought down one of the moons in order to prevent The Maker from entering their world. While this event saved Ovaeris from that terrible fate, slamming a moon down onto the planet tends to bring catastrophic results to most of it. Saving everyone from one disaster has only opened it all up for another. Sirileth’s actions have opened a portal to the parallel world of Sevorai, where Eskara’s ancient horror originates. That’s the good news. What’s very horribly bad is that that world is being consumed by Norvet Meruun, also known as Death’s Beating Heart. Now that the portal is open, Eska’s world is n...

Sins of the Mother by Rob J. Hayes My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine Two years ago, when I’d finished reading From Cold Ashes Risen , I thought I had finished a brilliant trilogy that would rank among the greats in the Grimdark pantheon. I still hold to that belief, but I was pleasantly surprised early this year when Rob J. Hayes released a continuation of Eska’s story in Sins of the Mother. It seems she wasn’t finished with the world just yet. Ten years retired from ruling her kingdom, Eskara Helsene is enjoying her life away from it all. She lives in a village called Wrysom where everyone believes her to be an eccentric old wise woman. Only one little girl calls her “The Corpse Queen” these days, and she’s doing so in jest. The poor thing doesn’t realize how close to the mark she hit with her casual insult. ”Still, I was old now, and all my life I was reliably informed that age brings wisdom and patience and a bunch of...

A Blade Through Time: A Grimdark Progression Fantasy by Louis Kalman My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received an audio copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley. DNF @ 34% An intriguing beginning that soon got mired in a slog without seeming end. Not bad, just not interested enough to continue. View all my reviews

The Hand That Casts the Bone by H.L.Tinsley My rating: 4 of 5 stars In this superb follow up to We Men of Ash and Shadow , the focus pans out from the city of D'Orsee, showing us how the events of that first book have sent a ripple to other cities. Argent Cooke has escaped the chaos of D'Orsee and is spreading the word, hoping to gather a following to resist Captain Sanquain as the other man makes a bid for martial control of the entire region. John Vanguard narrowly survived the events of the last book, and as he hides and heals he observes how the Black Zone of the city is mired in uncertainty. The crime lords of the city are restless and making power moves against one another. "Sometimes people didn't need to do anything particular to make you want to kill them, they just had that sort of face." This book brought all of the great imagery that was present in book one, adding layers of scope as we see things from different ...

Skallagrim – In The Vales Of Pagarna by Stephen R. Babb My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine Two years ago I was given the chance to hear a new album by the band Glass Hammer entitled Dreaming City . I was intrigued and within moments was able to become totally absorbed in the music. I reviewed this album for Grimdark Magazine, and in that review , I stated a hope that there would someday be an actual book detailing the adventures of Skallagrim. Imagine my pleasant surprise at being presented with a copy of this paperback in my mailbox courtesy of the author, Stephen R. Babb. Skallagrim – In the Vales of Pagarna begins much as the first song on the album (The Dreaming City) with Skallagrim himself coming to, after a blow to the head and with some severe memory loss, forced to do battle with a gang of ruffians as an evil wizard steals off with the woman of his…dreams. “Two things happened nearly at once, both of them bad. Fir...

Scorch by Jesse Teller My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine A fresh new series by Jesse Teller, Scorch tells a story from two distinct perspectives. While we see shadows of his great epic The Madness Wars , this story is much smaller in scale and scope, but no less entertaining. Our story takes place after The Madness Wars , but one doesn’t need to have read that series to fully enjoy this tale. It occurs in a separate part of the continent, and the references back to the larger series are subtle enough to serve as Easter eggs for the returning reader. Tack is a young man that hasn’t found his place in the world, though he seems to be moving constantly in its pursuit. He’s an expert with the bow, or so he thinks until he starts training with the Ramblers, a small group of mercenaries that have taken on the duty of protecting the Queen of Syphere from all dangers, including the King. The training program he’s put through by th...

Spirits of Vengeance by Rob J. Hayes My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine Spirits of Vengeance is the third standalone novel in the Mortal Techniques series by Rob Hayes, following the excellent Never Die and Pawn’s Gambit . Though independent of the first two, this one does build on the intriguing Japanese based mythology and worldbuilding that Hayes set up in those. ”’Sorry then, about stabbing you. But why can’t you die?’ She thought everyone could die given enough prodding with sharp things.” Haruto is on a quest, a lifelong quest. No, make that a many-lifetime quest. He is an onmyoji, trained in the spiritual arts of tracking down yokai, which are spirits trapped in the world. He confronts them, and upon defeating them, sends them on to the other side, freeing their souls. He’s actually a character of legend, though he tries to keep a fairly low profile. He’s assisted by Guang, a poet of (his own) renown who also has a...

Dark Night of the Soul by Kristi Belcamino My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was given a copy of this audiobook by the author.. This was great, fast paced and engaging. The Gia Santella series is one that builds on itself as it goes, becoming more interesting as it moves along and Gia herself settles into who she is... View all my reviews

We Men of Ash and Shadow by H.L.Tinsley My rating: 5 of 5 stars I reviewed this last year when it first came out: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... But after winning a copy of the audiobook, I had to give that a shot as well. It didn't disappoint. A great audiobook is a nice way to revisit a series book before the next volume comes out, acting as a refresher and a different perspective as we can immerse ourselves in the world again from a different angle. R.J. Bayley was excellent and carries the story nicely. We Men of Ash and Shadow is also a finalist for this year's SPFBO contest, so the release of such a good audio version sure didn't hurt its chances... View all my reviews

Fate of Madness by Jesse Teller My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine Here we go, the final doorstop of a volume in the massive tetralogy by Jesse Teller, Fate of Madness. After the first three tomes, Onslaught of Madness, Wrath of Madness, and Plight of Madness , the reader is definitely invested and past the point of backing down. We’re in it to win it, or to be crushed into pulp by the Drine war machine. Rextur is still leading the Drine forces in their conquest of Tienne, but it’s taking too long. And while he’s winning the overall conflict, the boy king Peter Redfist is still a thorn in his side, constantly turning up and sparking little victories here and there, even when he should have been killed long ago. The Madness, as Rextur is also known, is starting to feel that it’s time to push through before the tide turns. “’Those are Lunatics out there,’ Gralton said. ‘Those are the elite of the elite. The worst, most devas...

Norylska Groans by Michael R. Fletcher My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review live at Grimdark Magazine Grimdark steampunk Russian influenced fantasy set within an industrial city in a Russian flavored fantasy world with mob families competing over magical memory stones? I’m in! Norylska Groans is a fine fantasy collaboration between Snyder and Fletcher, mixing these great story elements together and creating a story that’s unique. “The city moaned, the creak of shrinking wood. Off to the north the furnaces rumbled like sleeping dragons. Never silent. Noryslka groans.” Norylska Groans is told through the perspectives of two characters, with the chapters alternating between their views. Genndy Antonov is an ex-soldier, struggling to acclimate to life after his military service, becoming disgruntled with the feeling that he’s been discarded by the system he served. He’s currently making ends meet with his heavily taxed pension and his current job as a cutt...

She Dreams in Blood by Michael R. Fletcher My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine She Dreams in Blood is the sequel to the excellent Black Stone Heart , book one of The Obsidian Path . The first novel is a finalist in the 2021 Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO), and with good reason as it’s an excellent book. The sequel continues the first-person narrative of Khraen, once and (future?) Demonist Emperor. He has a few more shards of his obsidian heart and the memories that come with each piece, but still searches for the remaining pieces. He’s becoming more powerful with each shard, but also increasingly frustrated as his memories are just shy of completion. “If my soul-devouring empire was all that stood between humanity and utter destruction, I wasn’t the villain. Maybe I wasn’t the hero, but stories of dashing heroes doing noble deeds are horseshit.” At the heart of Kraen’s partially restored memories are two wom...

The Part About the Dragon was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine A bard’s job is to tell a story. Beyond that, whether the story is true or not is relative. While most good bards will want some element of truth in the tales to give them legitimacy and garner respect, a learned tale spinner also understands that a little bit of spice will sometimes make the difference between a story and a tale to be remembered. The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True is such a tale, and we can tell immediately from the title that our narrator will be using a bit of embellishment. “(Mostly) True” gives that away and is a subtle admission that there will be some flavoring to make the story more enjoyable. With that in mind, our narrator wants her story to be believed as well as enjoyed. Or at least, mostly believed. “I’m all in favor of using the people’s vernacular, but sometimes the people should get a bi...

Pawn's Gambit by Rob J. Hayes My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received an eARC of this book from the author. This book is (not) a sequel to Never Die , but was set in the same world and continues with the awesomeness that started in the (not) first book in the (not) series. See my review of the (not) first book. Whether its a sequel or not, this book had just as many stars for me as the (maybe) first. We do see some of the names pop up from the earlier book, including the main character of this one, the Art of War. Yuu is, or was, the Art of War, but avoids wearing her trademark mask in order to conceal her identity. She's wanted for the murder of the Steel Prince. She didn't murder him but feels responsible for his death, but at any rate she is trying to exist outside of the shadow of her fame by low stakes gambling. Low stakes in comparison to the level she'd played at before, as the chief war advisor to the Steel Prince. Seems that th...

The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids by Michael McClung My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a fun read. It was quick and full of twists. With the first person narration, this read much like a noir detective type book, only set in a fantasy world. Lots of fun and great potential to set up the series... View all my reviews

Widdershins by Alex Alexander My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine Widdershins begins in the slums, where we meet our protagonist Niclas. It’s difficult to call him hero, as he’s a pretty simple lad and if we’re being honest, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He means well and tries to do the right thing, but he’s just not cut out for great heroics. What’s unfortunate for Niclas is that he’s thrust into a series of situations where if he can’t be heroic, at least he is around others that can. The first thing he does is bungle a pickpocket assignment he’s given as a rite of passage into the top slum gang, the Crimson Men. But after he lands in prison, he’s rescued by a talking cat named Balthazar. “It was the first time Niclas had seen a cat smile. The majority of it is in their eyes – their narrow, mischievous eyes.” The city of Laburnum is ruled by a monarchy, but the real power is the Academy, whose laws are ...

Plight of Madness by Jesse Teller My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine Plight of Madness is Book Three of The Madness Wars , the penultimate volume of this epic sprawl covering a massive military conquest of the warrior nation Drine over its refined and cultured neighbor, Tienne. Continuing on the previous reviews of Onslaught of Madness , and Wrath of Madness , I found myself immersed in the struggle not only between these two nations, but a resulting series of conflict within each. War is Hell, and takes its toll on everyone involved, whether they’re winning or not. As with the previous volumes, Plight of Madness is split up into chapters with shifting point-of-view from a variety of characters. Continuing from Wrath of Madness are the chapters told from the perspective of Rextur and Aaron the Marked, who have been with us since the first book. Also continuing from the previous entry are Tarana and Saykobar, and we’re giv...

Forgotten Island by Kristi Belcamino My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second entry in the Gia Santella series, and was as enjoyable as the first. By the end of the first book, Gia had inherited a company and put in charge of a lot of money, and was witness to how the homeless of San Francisco are often buried under the political machines that drive the city's economy. Now that she has some wealth and influence, she has decided to build a new apartment complex to assist the homeless of the area in housing and job placement. Problem is, someone is killing off the homeless under the radar. And a journalist that Gia is friends with is kidnapped when she investigates the happenings in the neighborhood. So here's Gia to see what she can do to fix these problems.... View all my reviews