Behind Blue Eyes

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

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...

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

We Men of Ash and Shadow by HL Tinsley My rating: 4 of 5 stars #SelfPubFantasyMonth Review now live, at Grimdark Magazine We’ve all heard the phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and I’d have to say this is good advice. The best artwork in the world won’t make a story engage the reader. What a great cover can do is catch the eye and stand out in an unending sea of books. We Men of Ash and Shadow did this for me, as one evening I was scrolling through social media and my attention was caught by the wonderful book cover. This got my attention enough to read the blurb, and I was immediately hooked. “It was the most highly recommended venue the city had to offer. It was called the Ring O’ Bastards and it had the lowest patron to murder victim ratio in a five mile radius.” That’s the opening paragraph to this fine novel. Within moments, I knew I had stumbled on something special. HL Tinsley didn’t disappoint me as I read further. Right away we are ...

Black Stone Heart by Michael R. Fletcher My rating: 4 of 5 stars Review now live at Grimdark Magazine Black Stone Heart is the latest grimdark novel by Michael R. Fletcher. This is a brand-new series, The Obsidian Path , which is set in a bizarre new world unlike those of Fletcher’s other work. There were a couple of stories in A Collection of Obsessions , his short story collection, but this is the first full length novel. As with all of Fletcher’s work, Black Stone Heart does not shy away from a steady diet of comfort food for the grimdark appetite. His recipe is equal parts violence, gritty happenings, grisly humor, and a dash of bad luck for flavoring. Khraen just woke up, and he’s starving. He’s confused and disoriented and doesn’t remember much at all of his life before he’d been killed. All he knows now is that he is being drawn to the fragments of his obsidian heart that have been scattered about the world by whoever it was that murdered hi...