Quick Reviews - October 2022

The King & Kishar

Timothy S Currey
Fantasy
3 Stars

Blurb : Every word King Adzi Akkatha writes on sacred stones is binding, and lasts for all eternity.

But how can he rule when he has been cursed to forget everything?

His city is in chaos. Hinatsi rebels clash with his soldiers, and their mysterious leaders try to capture the King.

With the help of High Priestess Idza and General Qanatha, he must relearn their laws and customs, and who he was as a King. His former self seemed cruel and cold, and he is plagued with doubts. He is an imposter in King’s clothing—do they even have the right man?

They must flee to the great Temple of Mesopos where the King’s memory might be restored. The rebels are never far behind, and day by day the curse progresses.

There is little hope they will reach the temple in time.

Even if they do, will the King want to continue ruling as a cold tyrant?

Review: I found this to be quite slow and repetitious. The premise is sound but it just took too long to get anywhere

Excalibur Rises
T.J. Green
Fantasy
5 Stars

Blurb: A legend begins.

When Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, is asked by Merlin to help him obtain a powerful sword, she leaves Avalon to find the Forger of Light in Dragon’s Hollow. But he has a reputation and she fears the cost for such a sword will be high. How much is she prepared to do for Merlin and the future King Arthur?

Review: A great short story with a different take on the origin of King Arthur's sword Excalibur

The Last Of A Thing
Douglas Smith
Fantasy
5 Stars

Blurb: What happens when the world loses the last of a thing?

Four mighty warriors set out to slay the last dragon, opposed by only a fool. But even a fool knows: the last of a thing is something to cherish.

Review: An interesting short story with an important message about losing a species that is as relevant to our world as it is to the fantasy realm in the tale

Glimpse
Daniel P. Douglas
Sci-Fi
2 Stars

Blurb: In 1950 New Mexico, a small group of agents who will become known as the "Men in Black" deploy in response to an event that will provide a harrowing glimpse into humanity's apocalyptic future...

Scientists have cracked open secret alien technology from the wreckage of four crashed flying saucers. They've pieced together a device that creates a "glimpse" into future space-time awareness.

Review: An interesting concept for a short story, however the writing style was a bit stilted and confusing.

Sweet Revenge
Liese Sherwood-Fabre
Crime
5 Stars

Blurb: George Henley wants revenge on his ex-wife and ex-business partner. But is the hit man’s price more than he bargained for?

Review: Excellent short story. Well written and includes a twist or two

Mister Sandman
E.H. Vick
Crime
3 Stars

Blurb: HE'S SILENT AND ELUSIVE. SHE'S FRUSTRATED AND DETERMINED.

Hot on the heels of the Savannah Savior case, Special Agent Meredeth Connelly flies to Daytona Beach, Florida on the news that Mister Sandman has reactivated. She's been on the case for a long time, and usually her presence in the city spurs the killer to go back into hibernation, but not this time.

Review: A short story / novella from the Meredeth Connelly Thriller series. Our FBI Special Agent is in Florida, hot on the trail of the serial killer know as the Sandman due to his fondness for leaving his victims in shallow graves on public beaches.

This is probably not the best place to start with the series as it doesn't have room to allow the characters to develop and it would be better to read this after one of the full length novels.

The story is enjoyable, has a satisfactory ending and fills a gap in the main series, but as a stand alone tale would benefit from being a bit longer to allow the case to mature

My Friend Kiara

Kameel Vohra
Childrens
4 Stars

Blurb: Adventure with Anika as she discovers that there’s lots to learn about disabilities.

Anika’s aunt Kiara is smart, funny, intelligent, and the coolest girl she knows. When the power goes out, she discovers something different and exciting about Kiara. She’s not sure how to react at first but quickly realizes that different isn’t sad or strange—it’s just different!

Review: There is always room for a children's book teaching about disabilities both visual & hidden. This raises important talking points to start discussions between kids and adults. The rhyming text could do with a bit of a polish but I'm sure younger children will neither notice or mind. The illustrations are brilliant and full of colour plus the author has added tasks for the reader to locate items in the pictures that feature in the story.

Halloween Yoga
Teresa Anne Power
Childrens
4 Stars

Blurb: Tammy McDoodle and her friends are dressed in their favorite costumes and so are Little Mouse and his best friend, Mr. Opus the cat, in this fun book which combines Halloween with straightforward yoga postures. "Before you go out to trick or treat," says Tammy's mom, "Let's do some Halloween yoga poses to keep calm." Your little ghosts and goblins will delight in simple, not-so-spooky Halloween yoga moves, such as witch, ghost, black cat, and jack-o-lantern poses. Children will get excited for Halloween while learning an easy way to stay calm and get healthy activity in this beautifully illustrated board book set to rhyme.

Review: Just like hiding vegetables in your kids food, this book cleverly introduces exercise and yoga in a fun way by encouraging the little ones to copy Little Mouse and his friend Mr. Opus the cat as they try out some fun yoga poses before going out trick or treating.

Excellent illustrations and nice rhyming couplets make this a great book for kids

Grimoire
Various
Horror
4 Stars

Blurb: Like the tanning of a leathered corpse, the inaugural release of Grimoire seeks to stretch the fleshy bounds of dark fiction and horror. Included within these unhallowed pages are tales of medieval horror and cacophony, Lovecraftian delights and wretched Kaiju, accursed djinn and pestilential priests, all brought together for the very first time in one horrific collection.

Engaging and provocative, these tales of the damned stalk the graveyards at night, crawl up from the empty and wet places of this world, and haunt the dreams of all who read them. Combining both ancient and modern horrors, this anthology takes the reader beyond the comfort of the hearth, and into the gaping mouth of hell.

Grimoire features tales by C. L. Werner, Madison Kilian, Erica Schaef, Mitchell Lűthi and H. P. Lovecraft.

Review: Entertaining collection of dark tales guaranteed to chill your soul

The Dragon That Never Was
Timothy S Currey
Fantasy
5 Stars

Blurb: Every young woman in the village receives a dragon egg when she comes of age.

Young Kleia watched every single egg hatch with a heart full of longing. Raising a dragon of her own was her destiny. Her reason to live. Nothing else could give her life meaning the way a dragon could.

When she eventually got a dragon egg of her own, she learned that destiny is not always what it seems.

This is no ordinary tale of dragons—the kind with daring adventure, great battles, intrepid heroes, or comforting victories.

This is the tale of The Dragon That Never Was.

Review: A charming tale of dealing with loss and making the most of what you have. Great storytelling and memorable characters where for once the Dragons are just part of the supporting cast and the human elements are allowed to take centre stage