Author: HCNewton Page 9 of 537

Heart of Fire by Raina Nightingale: A Mixed Bag with Cool Dragons, Some Good Characters, and a Lot of Promise

DETAILS:
Series: Dragon-Mage, Book One
Publication Date: April 16, 2023
Format: eBook
Length: 278 pg.
Read Date: August 12-14, 2024

What’s Heart of Fire About?

I can’t quite talk about the story of the book without saying something I shouldn’t, so, I’ll let Nightingale describe it:

Camilla has always been told that humans are inferior. They cannot use magic. If they bond to dragons, they will doom the creatures to extinction. She has never believed a word of it. She has always known that she can use magic, and she suspects it is the elves who harm the dragons by keeping them to themselves. Now, she is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime: a dragon’s clutch is hatching and while she will earn the wrath of her captors if she is caught, she has the chance to see a dragon hatch and perhaps even to Recognize.

Kario’s people have feared dragons since time immemorial. When an unrealistically huge black dragon flies in while she is hunting, she is certain she will die. Instead, her life is changed when Nelexi, Obsidian Guardian of Areaer, chooses her as her final rider. Kario takes the name Flameheart, but she is soon homesick and afraid that she is insufficient to be the partner of a god.

The Good

First off, the dragons are cool. You give me cool dragons and I’m going to let you get away with a lot.

I think this world is fantastic. I love the relationships between dragons and riders—the bonds between them, and how they communicate with one another. I like a lot of the suggested ways that dragons and riders change and evolve over time.

I think the geo-political and racial relationships are intriguing—and how people on different continents relate to dragons (and many other creatures, likely). The elven-human dynamic is something I really want to see developed.

I think Kario is a fasctinating character and I relished the bits of time we got with her and Nelexi—I wanted more.

The Bad

I don’t think that Nightingale brought everything in her mind onto the page. She clearly has a lot of this world worked out in details that there’s no way to communicate. Every author has those—that’s not what I’m talking about. But in the Preface, she talks about having two of the characters in her mind since childhood—she knows them well, she understands their story in a way that many authors would likely envy. But—this is just a guess—I think she knows the story so well that I don’t think she realized she didn’t give her readers all the details we needed to follow.

I stopped writing things like “so, I missed something?” or “how did we get here?” after a bit. I just couldn’t follow good chunks of both storylines—but Camillla’s more than Kario’s.

Although—and this gets us on to the other “Bad” topic—I’m okay with not following Camilla’s because I just couldn’t like her. She was petulant, self-centered, egotistical, and short-sighted. All these are things that can be grown out of, and I’m not suggesting protagonists have to be likable. But I didn’t want to spend time in her head—it’s just a nasty place. Her dragon, Radiance, was fine. Her brother seemed okay—as did the other dragon rider with them (I’m going to leave names out because it feels like something you need to learn as you read)—although there’s room for some personal growth there, although I think that character has made the right kind of strides on that front so you can root for them.

But Camilla? I really hope in the next book in the series, she’s grown up a lot.

So, what did I think about Heart of Fire?

Nightingale swung for the fences with this one, you can practically see the effort on the page as you read. But I think she missed too many of the pitches she took, and foul-tipped pretty frequently when she made contact. But she got on-base enough to stay in the game, and even to chalk up a win. That’s the end of the baseball metaphors, I promise.

There’s so much promise in this book—and enough delivery on them to come back for the second volume. But not enough to be enthusiastic about it. I do want to know what happens, and I think most who read this will share in that.

Also, cool dragons. Can’t overlook that.

The parts of the book that worked—worked pretty well, and made me want to keep going. Still, I can only give this the most lukewarm of recommendations—I know I’m in the minority when it comes to this book—go read what others had to say about it.

3 Stars

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Highlights from August: Lines Worth Repeating

By HCNewton

On September 30, 2024

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations

Highlights from the Month
I was certain that I’d get this posted in the first week of the month, and here we are on the last day of the month. Organization has not been my friend in September.

Mortal Coil by Derek Landy

“They say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit,” Valkyrie said.

China glanced at her. “They’ve obviously never met me.”

“Stairs,” Valkyrie said, disappointed.

“Not just ordinary stairs,” Skulduggery told her as he led the way down. “Magic stairs.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes.”

She followed him into the darkness. “How are they magic?”

“They just are.”

“In what way?”

“In a magicky way.”

She glared at the back of his head. “They aren’t magic at all, are they?”

“Not really.”

“So he has no head.”

“Thats usually what headless means.”

“No head at all?”

“You’re really not getting the whole headless thing are you?”

“What about you?” he asked, his words not much more than a mumble. “Regrets?”

“Many,” Skulduggery said.

Tesseract’s breath rattled in his chest. “That’s the good thing about living. You get to make up for past mistakes.”

“Or make brand-new ones.”

“Zombies were an accident–much like champagne and penicillin, but much less welcome.”

“What a burden it must have been. You’re very brave for facing it alone.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

“Amazingly, astonishingly stupid, but brave.”

She cracked a smile. “Yeah.”

“Very foolish, is what I’m getting at.”

“I can see that.”

“This, basically. Just thick. Dumb as a bag of hammers. Not too bright there, Valkyrie.”

“You can really stop complimenting me now.”

“It might be a trap,” she said, speaking softly.

“Unlikely,” he whispered, traps are usually enticing.

“It might be a very rubbish trap.”

“Always a possibility.”

“I am neither a grinch nor a grouch. I like Christmas as much as the next person. So long as the next person is as unsentimental as I am.”

“I don’t want to threaten you in your own home,” Skulduggery said, “so if you’d like to step outside, I can threaten you there.”

Blood Reunion by JCM Berne

“I’m—I have no idea how to respond to that. I’m sure I’ll think of something in the shower, three days from now.”

“I will wait for that eagerly.”

Ben reached over and patted the younger man’s knee. “You’re usually the one putting your life at risk for the sake of others, aren’t you? Not used to the turnaround.”

“It’s not the same, though. I don’t usually face certain-death to help other people. At most, it’s certain-pain. Maybe even certain-discomfort.”

“A certainly-torn-shirt.”

“Can you explain to me why it’s so difficult?”

“I doubt it.”

“Can you try? Use words you might use to explain to a monkey? A well-intentioned but slightly brain-damaged monkey that is hanging around your lab, asking annoying questions?”

“So… space penicillin?”

“You do realize that just putting the word ‘space’ in front of another word doesn’t magically create a new, fancier version of the thing you’re thinking of, don’t you?”

“I don’t know. I thought it did. Space ship. Space prostitute.”

“Wei Li, you sound more skeptical than usual. And your skepticism is usually sharp enough to cut through atoms or the fabric of spacetime.”

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

I was sitting there, sipping ale and thinking dark thoughts when the door opened again. I didn’t look up, occupied as I was with brooding, a famous pasttime of wizards everywhere.

Okay, Harry, I told myself. Keep calm. Do not panic. All you have to do is to hold them here until the cops get here, and then you can bleed to death in peace. Or get to a doctor. Whichever hurts less.

There’s more magic in a baby’s first giggle than in any firestorm a wizard can conjure up, and don’t let anyone tell you any different.

Alone. It’s one of those small words that means entirely too much. Like fear. Or trust.

Bard Tidings by Paul Regnie

Stumpy Jake manned the bar, eternally filling and cleaning glasses of ale and mead. Contrary to rumors, Jake did not have a wooden leg. But for some reason he enjoyed the nickname and did nothing to dispel the myth. In fact, he attached a wooden block to his heel so he’d make a clomping sound when he walked across the floor. He thought it added character to his establishment.

Panacea by Alex Robins

War is not a game. It is a penance. A price to pay for failure. The last possible solution when there are no other options. Do not wish for it. Do not strive for it. Victory is ephemeral. Death is eternal.”

Most people believed that war was the worst of humanity’s sins, for it could never create, only destroy. But Elena knew that wasn’t quite true. War excelled in creating many things: poverty and famine. Sickness and disease. Orphans and widows.

“…as luck would have it, hair-brained plans are my forte.”

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

Murder investigations start with the victim because usually in the first instance that’s all you’ve got. The study of the victim 1s called victimology because everything sounds better with an ology tacked on the end. To make sure that you make a proper fist of this, the police have developed the world’s most useless mnemonic: 5 x WH & H. Otherwise known as Who? What? Where? When? Why? & How? Next time you watch a real murder investigation on the TV and you see a group of serious-looking detectives standing around talking, remember that what they’re actually dome is trying to work out what sodding order the mnemonic is supposed to go in. Once they’ve sorted that out, the exhausted officers will retire to the nearest watering hole for a drink and a bit of a breather.

Every male in the world thinks he’s an excellent driver. Every copper who’s ever had to pick an eyeball out of a puddle knows that most of them are kidding themselves.

Just about every council estate I know has a set of communal rooms. There’s something about stacking people up in egg boxes that makes architects and town planners believe that having a set of communal rooms will compensate for not having a garden or, in some designs, enough room to swing a cat. Perhaps they fondly imagine that the denizens of the estate will spontaneously gather for colorful proletarian festivals and cat-swinging contests.

For a terrifying moment I thought he was going to hug me, but fortunately we both remembered we were English just time. Still, it was a close call.

Ways and Truths and Lives by Matt Edwards

“That’s an interesting way to look at it, I guess.”

“Well, that’s the secret, James.”

“What?”

“Looking at things,” Cynthia said with her eyes momentarily fixed on James. “Looking at things differently. Looking at things under a different light Looking at things from the light.” Her eyes bounced around the room at various objects.

“But what’s it the secret to?”

Cynthia paused to take a sip of coffee before answering. “Everything.”

Zero Stars Do Not Recommend by M.J. Wassmer

He had a softness about him, like a favorite armchair come to life.

His eyes protruded from their sockets like someone was squeezing the sides of his head, and goodness, his breath was less than fresh. That was one thing they didn’t touh on in post-apocalyptic movies. Human beings turn rank in a matter of days. We don’t keep well.

They sound like wasps. That was the best way Dan could think of to describe the bullets, like wasps shooting past his ear. Pissed off wasps. Wasps on a mission to finish some wasp-related business.

Mara gasped again. She was a great gasper. If Fitzgerald wrote a book about her, it’d be titled, The Great Gaspy, because there was something very haunting about a Mara gasp, something bone-chilling.

Never underestimate the fragility of a man’s ego, especially one wearing camouflage pants.

The car ride immediately following an argument is always awkward. And it turns out that’s especially true if the argument is concluded by someone being pummeled over the head with a snow globe.

(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God edited by Matthew Barrett

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2024

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Ideally last week, or at least today, I’d have posted about this book. But I bit off a bit more than I can chew requesting it when I did from Netgalley. I’m hoping it’ll be up next week–but that won’t be easy. Still, with the publication date coming up on Tuesday, I wanted to get something up about it. So here’s a Spotlight post. (largely taken from the Publisher’s Webpage about the book, I really hope they don’t mind–or that they’ll forgive me if they do mind).

Book Details:

Title: On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God
Genre: Theology
Format: Hardcover/e-Book/Audiobook
Length: 832 pages
Publisher: IVP Academic
Publication Date: October 1, 2024

About the Book:

Modern theology claimed that it ignited a renaissance in trinitarian theology. Really, it has been a renaissance in social trinitarianism. Classical commitments like divine simplicity have been jettisoned, the three persons have been redefined as three centers of consciousness and will, and modern agendas in politics, gender, and ecclesiology determine the terms of the discussion. Contemporary trinitarian theology has followed the spirit of this trajectory, rejecting doctrines like eternal generation which were once a hallmark of Nicene orthodoxy and reintroducing subordinationism into the Trinity.

Motivated by the longstanding need to retrieve the classical doctrine of the Trinity, theologian Matthew Barrett brings together Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox scholars to intervene in the conversation. With over forty contributions, this ecumenical volume resurrects the enduring legacy of Nicene orthodoxy, providing a theological introduction that listens with humility to the Great Tradition.

In On Classical Trinitarianism, you find contributions from a wide range of scholars, including:

Katherin Rogers
Andrew Louth
Gilles Emery
Steven Duby
Gavin Ortlund
Adonis Vidu
Carl Trueman
Matthew Levering
Fred Sanders
Scott Swain
Karen Kilby
Amy Peeler
Thomas Joseph White

The distinct yet united voices of On Classical Trinitarianism summon the next generation to move past modern revisionism for the sake of renewing classical trinitarian theology today. Together, they demonstrate that Nicene orthodoxy can endure in the modern world and unite the church catholic.

About the Editor:

Matthew Barrett is professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the editor-in-chief of Credo Magazine, and Director of the Center for Classical Theology. He is the author of the award winning book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit, as well as the author of The Reformation as Renewal: Retrieving the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. He is currently writing a Systematic Theology. He is the host of the Credo podcast, where he talks with fellow theologians about the retrieval of classical Christianity today for the sake of renewing the church.

Editor Links:

Twitter ~ Center for Classical Theology ~ Credo Podcast ~ MBTS Page

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Saturday Miscellany—9/28/24

By HCNewton

On September 28, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Kevin Hearne: A Niche that Needed Filling—Hearne talks about launching his own imprint
bullet When Did SFF Get Too Big?—Good question. (fun intro, especially if you look at the foonotes)
bullet Morning Brew gives a fun reaction to the NaNoWriMo AI kerfuffle
bullet In Praise of Things Being Just Plain Good—Yes. Just yes.
bullet Philosophical Picture Books- Stories for Younger Readers with Hidden Depths!—Oraguntan Librarian has given Grandpappy’s Corner a shopping list
bullet Beowulf and Science Fiction: Shannon Knight Talks About Her Book and the Old English Poetic Tradition—a nice little guest post on Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet The Thriller Zone Episode 198 Lee Goldberg and the Power of Humor in the Thriller Genre—I can see where Goldberg is coming from, but I think his self-publication rant is wrong. The rest of this episode? Golden. It could’ve gone on for another 2 hours and I’d have enjoyed it all.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week? (this was a good week)
bullet Premonitions by Jamie Schultz—a criminally underselling Urban Fantasy Crime Novel that I’d recommend to anyone
bullet The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey—that rare Zombie Novel that I loved (and re-read)
bullet Indigo Slam by Robert Crais

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet A Sky Full of Dragons by Tiffany McDaniel, Ayesha L. Rubio (Illustrator)—I talked about this a couple of weeks ago when I first read about it. I’m still weirded out about by the idea of McDaniel writing this, “ight-hearted and whimsical middle grade fantasy about a young girl who must save her witch aunt from an uncommonly voracious hat.” But I can’t wait to read it.
bullet The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner—”Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies–and solving murders. But she’s concerned by just how many killers she’s had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count…but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural.” This description had me at this paragraph.
bullet Monster Movie! by Chuck Wendig—”Ethan Pitowski is afraid of everything. Luckily, his best friends don’t mind, and when their entire class gets invited to watch a long-buried horror movie at the most popular boy in school’s house, Ethan’s friends encourage him to join in the fun. But when the “scariest movie ever made” reveals itself to be not just a movie about a monster, but a movie that is a monster, only a terrified Ethan escapes its clutches. Now he must find a way to stop the monster and save his friends (and also, um, get their heads back).”
bullet The Most Boring Book Ever by Brandon Sanderson, Kazu Kibuishi (Illustrator)—”In this humorous epic adventure, a boy is, on the one hand, having a very ordinary day. He does his math homework, his chores, and takes a nap….all while a surprising adventure unfolds around him involving pirates, dragons, and other unexpected perils.” A Sanderson picture book? Hmm.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession by Jake Kendall (US Publication)

By HCNewton

On September 28, 2024

In Book Tour, Fiction

Yes, this is late, but I’m still very pleased today to welcome The Write Reads Blog Tour for Jake Kendall’s The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession! The Tour has been going for a couple of days now–go check out https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours from now until the 29th to see a what those who’ve read it have had to say. But in the meantime, let me tell you about the book.

Book Details:

Title: The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and ObsessionClytemnestra’s Bind
Genre: Art History Fiction, Short Stories
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Format: Paperback/Ebook
Length: 272 pages
US Publication Date: September 24, 2024

About the Book:

Spanning three hundred years of art history, The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession tells the stories of those with an insatiable hunger for creation – those who may sacrifice friendships, careers, romance, and even their own happiness in pursuit of a vision.

Weaving art styles such as Cubism, Surrealism, and the Baroque into his prose, Jake Kendall has crafted a vivid and inventive collection. Each story is complemented by a black and white illustration, drawing out the visually evocative nature of the writing and offering readers a unique artistic delight.

Book Links:

Amazon UK ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

About the Author:

Jake Kendall was born in Oxford and studied an MSc in Creative Writing with the University of Edinburgh. He takes inspiration from the visual arts, a theme that formed his debut collection. The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession (Neem Tree Press) refracts contemporary issues and anxieties through timeless imagery and artistic movements. Jake lives and works in Edinburgh and spends his free time visiting bookshops, exhibitions, theatre, and independent cinemas.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Reposting Just Cuz: This is Going to Hurt (Audiobook) by Adam Kay: It’s Funny Because It’s True. Also, Dispiriting Because It’s True

By HCNewton

On September 27, 2024

In (Auto)Biography, Audiobook, Humor, Non-Fiction

This is Going to Hurt:
Secret Diaries of
a Junior Doctor

by Adam Kay

DETAILS:
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: March 7, 2022
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 5 hr., 47 min.
Read Date: May 17-18, 2022

Doctors must be psychologically fit for the job — able to make decisions under a terrifying amount of pressure, able to break bad news to us anguished relatives, able to deal with death on a daily basis. They must have something that cannot be memorized and graded; a great doctor must have a huge heart and a distended aorta which pumps a vast lake of compassion and human kindness.

What’s This is Going to Hurt About?

This book covers the years that doctor-turned-comedy writer Adam Kay spent as a junior obstetrics doctor in the NHS. I’m going to gloss over the various titles he had because it’s a different system than I’m used to, and I’d botch it—but basically, it’s the first few years post-medical school.

Essentially these are excerpts (details tweaked to everyone’s privacy) from his diaries from that time showing the day-to-day realities he faced. Told with a comedic bent, sure, but it’s just real life—a version of real-life that’s more exhausted, more stressed, and covered in more and various bodily fluids than most of us have, sure. It’s told very anecdotally, he’s not trying to construct a narrative here, just “here’s Day X, here’s Day X +2,” and so on.

He talks about preposterous situations he’s put in because of his low-ranking status and/or NHS regulations, he talks about funny situations with patients, ridiculous colleagues, unsympathetic friends, harrowing experiences, and just strange ones. Given his specialty, he deals with expectant mothers, newborns, clueless fathers-to-be, and heartbreak. We get the gamut here.

Bonus Material

The audiobook I listened to was released with the paperback release and contained some bonus material—a few more diary entries and an afterword. The afterword was essentially a rallying cry for people to support the NHS’s existence.

I don’t have a dog in this fight—but I found his arguments compelling, and I thought his support of the NHS throughout the book (while freely critiquing aspects of it) added some good and necessary grounding to the humor. The life and death aspect of the book did, too—obviously—but that’s common with medical memoirs, this is distinctive (at least in my limited experience)

So, what did I think about This is Going to Hurt?

Called to the Early Pregnancy Unit by one of the SHOs to confirm a miscarriage at eight weeks—he’s new to scanning and wants a second pair of eyes. I remember that feeling only too well and scamper over. He’s managed the couple’s expectations very well, and clearly made them aware it doesn’t look good—they’re sad and silent as I walk in. What he hasn’t done very well is the ultrasound. He may as well have been scanning the back of his hand or a packet of Quavers. Not only is the baby fine, but so is the other baby that he hadn’t spotted.

I audibly laughed—twice—during the Introduction, so I was instantly on board with this book. The laughs really didn’t let up. At times, I wondered if it was a little too jokey, and wished we got more of the narrative about his experience—but then he’d say something else funny and then I decided I didn’t care because he’s a good comedy writer. Bring on the jokes!

Like the best medical comedies (e.g., MAS*H (in all its forms), Scrubs), Kay intersperses the laughs with drama and tragedy—stories of hard-fought success and heartbreaking—even devastating—loss. That augments both ends of the spectrum—while you’re chuckling, you’re more open to feeling the empathy to appreciate the dramatic. When you’re reeling from a hard experience, you need the laughter. If Kay’s TV scripts are anything like this, I wish I could see some of his episodes.

Kay handles his own narration here and is great at it, wry detachment mixed with a no-nonsense delivery. He knows it’s funny, so he’s not trying to push the humor, he just trusts the material and lets it do the heavy lifting.

When the library told me that my hold for this was ready, I didn’t remember requesting it—wasn’t sure at all why I did. But I gave it a chance, and am so glad I did—it made for a very entertaining 5+ hours. I think you’ll find the same if you give it a try.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

GUEST POST: Death Mythology IN SPACE! by Shannon Knight

By HCNewton

On September 26, 2024

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc.

I love it when I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with things and someone stops by without prompting to say “hey, you want a Guest Post?” The answer, by the way, is almost always yes. That’s exactly what happened last week when Shannon Knight asked if I was interested in this. It helps when the person is someone like Shannon so I know the post will be a good one.

Death Mythology IN SPACE!

Insiders is a big space opera adventure with plants, but I couldn’t resist pulling death mythology into it. I’ve got excuses! I’d completed all this research for Grave Cold, which I wrote prior to Insiders, including developing some completely unrelated story lines and then discarding them. I’d especially dug deep into the oracles, or sybils, of Greece, so I had this story thread I wanted to build on. Meanwhile, my agent was pitching Wish Givers to editors, and the editors kept asking for more, particularly more religion and more politics. Repeatedly, I rewrote Wish Givers to align with different editors’ visions (adding another POV character, redoing everything as YA, etc.). As I started Insiders, I was full of confidence. I had two books in my agent’s hands, so I could try some new things, and if editors wanted more, more, more, I could write that!

Insiders begins on Kerberos Station, where a highly contagious, world-killing virus is actively spreading. (Another note, I wrote this prior to SARS-CoV-2. I considered not publishing Insiders at all simply because the plot contained a virus, even though the symptoms do not align with COVID-19.) Kerberos is the Greek three-headed dog who guards the Underworld, keeping the dead inside and the living out. I liked the idea of referencing Kerberos for many reasons. On one level, Insiders deals thematically with the notion of being inside, and on Kerberos Station, we start with an insular group of pipe crawlers, who live within the pipes of the station. Leaving these pipes is difficult on many levels for young Sachi, and linking her life-and-death choice with evading Hades’ Underworld guardian appealed to me.

Imperatrix Persephone, an antagonist in the story, leads the intergalactic, powerful Elysium Empire. I chose Greek Persephone, in part, due to an entire back story that I may yet write into a novel related to the ancient Greek oracles. More simply and directly, Persephone is a death goddess who I thought most readers would recognize. The Elysium Empire links with the Eleusinian Mysteries, secret rites connected with the cult of Persephone and her mother, Demeter. The mysteries are fascinating in part because of the strict secrecy held regarding what they involved. To this day, we do not know what the mysteries shared. Nevertheless, scholars believe that the mysteries revealed what happens after death. I realize references to the Eleusinian Mysteries would likely only be noticed by readers with an interest in history, myth, or both. Personally, I quite enjoy making connections between the distant past and the far future. Again, Insiders is a space opera with, for example, a carefully crafted scene allowing for the realistic fiery explosion of a spaceship in space. (Yes! Fire in the void!) Readers do not need to understand and sift through various mythological references to enjoy the story. Pew, pew, pew!

In Insiders, Imperatrix Persephone enjoys special powers due to the Eleusinian Mysteries, which involve a certain “beetle” entering her body and living symbiotically with her. The imperatrix conducts others into the mysteries by bestowing beetles upon them. These beetles crawl in through the nasal cavity. Then their hosts’ human bodies become capable of surviving extreme environments that cause death in other creatures. In other words, the Mysteries and the beetles offer a sort of immortality to those who obtain them. I thought it was fun to suggest an alien connection between the Eleusinian Mysteries of the ancient past that would allow them to continue into the far distant future.

On account of humans inducted into the Eleusinian Mysteries being able to survive deadly environments, the Elysium Empire presides over a series of death worlds. I casually termed them as death worlds due to their environments being antithetical to life. Each world is named after an Underworld from Earth culture with a designated ruler entitled with the name of the coordinating death god. Therefore, we meet Sammael ruling over the planet Sheol and Izanami reigning in Yomi. Izanami’s ship is the Jeweled Spear, in reference to the Japanese creation myth in which Izanami uses the spear to create land. In Insiders, the Elysium Empire is full of mythological I-spy moments for readers who enjoy myth. Links connecting the past with the future ground stories in a world we recognize. These connections also help reveal how our cultural understanding of the world partially shapes how we see the universe and beyond.

At its heart, Insiders is a book about coming together. Humanity faces obstacles of all kinds. Many are of our own creation. Some we could have never predicted. As individuals, it’s easy to focus on our very personal difficulties. The human mind isn’t capable of stepping back and encompassing all the injuries or injustices of the entire planet. However, we don’t need to do that. We do, however, need to step away from an us-and-them dichotomy that divides everyone into insiders and outsiders. With grit and creativity, we can acknowledge that we’re all in this together and aim our hearts and minds towards solutions.

Find a copy of Insiders.

Shannon Knight is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror author living in the Pacific Northwest. Mythology ties into most of her stories. Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.shannonknight.net/. Her page about Insiders is here.

That good-lookin’ cover image is the work of Isabeau Backhaus, incidentally. Go check out her portfolio, you’ll be glad you did.

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WWW Wednesday—September 25, 2024

By HCNewton

On September 25, 2024

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

No intro today…I really don’t have much to say. Let’s just get on with it.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson	On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God edited by Matthew Barrett	An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka, read by Will Watt

I’ve barely scratched the surface of The Space Between Worlds but I can tell that this is one that’s going to mess with my head, but the writing is so nice that I don’t care. I’m reading this for a SF Book Club that meets next week. I’ve never tried a book club before, I’m looking forward to doing that (he says days in advance, we’ll see if my introversion will let me leave the house).

I’m still plugging away at On Classical Trinitarianism, it’s rewarding…but I spend a lot of time feeling that I’m not quite smart enough to read it. But I’m getting enough out of it to put up with feeling like I’m wearing a dunce cap.

I’m not far in An Inheritance of Magic, but I’m digging Watt’s narration and am enjoying revisiting this world before An Instruction in Shadow releases next month.

What did you recently finish reading?


The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo	Sleepless City by Reed Farrel Coleman, read by Peter Giles

Russo’s latest novel is one of those where you end up reading a lot further in each session than 1. you intended to and 2. you realize until you stop. I don’t know if it’s the story, the character, or his prose—but something just moved so smoothly about this. I’ll try to say more soon—and I should have a Q&A with Russo about it, too.

I’d like to say I adjusted to Giles’ narration, but his raspy narration and a couple of interesting (to try to be charitable) pronunciation choices never really settled with me. I did like some of the supporting character voices and accents he used, I have to say. Coleman’s story was just as gripping as I remembered.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Black Maria by Christine Boyer	Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune by Keith Thomson, ready by Feodor Chin

I have no idea what Black Maria is about—a few weeks ago, Vern Smith from Run Amok Crime sent me a copy of the ARC. He’s yet to lead me astray, so I’m going for it.

I remember reading the back cover/jacket flap for Born to Be Hanged a year or so ago, and thinking it looked pretty fun (and maybe educational). Who doesn’t like a good pirate story, right? When I saw it browsing the library’s audiobooks, I had to jump.

What’s the end of September hold for you?

HC Chats with Adrian M. Gibson about Jeff VanderMeer

By HCNewton

On September 25, 2024

In HC Chats, JCM Berne, Miscellany, News/Misc., The Hybrid Helix

If you’ve been on Bookish Social Medial at all in the 6+ months, I’m willing to bet you’ve seen the name Adrian Gibson or at least the cover of Mushroom Blues. You may also know him from the podcast he hosts with M.J. Kuhn, SFF Addicts. Last week, Adrian was gracious enough to struggle with StreamYard (and it was in a mood) in order that we could sit down and talk about Jeff VanderMeer–an author that I’ve been intimidated to pick up and try, but who has been instrumental in Gibson’s career. I walked away excited to try VanderMeer, and I had a good time in general. I hope you watch this and walk away thinking the same.

As I said, StreamYard wasn’t happy, so the video freezes a couple of times on both of us, but the audio is fine.

Adrian M. Gibson Links:

Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Website ~ Newsletter ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

Are you a Reader of Things and want to chat with me about an author/series/something other than promoting your own work (which we will do, just not primarily)? I’d love to keep trying this, but I’m not ready to start pestering people about it. So please let me know.

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Nugget’s Tenth Life by Adam Holcombe: The Backstory I Didn’t Need, But Am So Glad I Got

By HCNewton

On September 24, 2024

In Fantasy, Fiction

Nugget’s Tenth Life

by Adam Holcombe,

DETAILS:
Series: Chronicles of Gam Gam
Publisher: Bounty Ink Press 
Format: eBook
Length: 32 pgs.
Read Date: September 23, 2024

There is a saying among humans that a cat has nine lives, but this is not entirely accurate. See, it is simply that cats are notoriously skilled at almost dying. It is only by the ninth time that the dying tends to stick.

What’s Nugget’s Tenth Life About?

For those who are familiar with Gam Gam the Necromancer, you are familiar with her familiar*, Nugget. If you haven’t read anything about Nugget before—let me introduce him to you.

Gam Gam is a newly graduated necromancer, despite being…well, a Gam Gam. Her familiar is a cat she revivified—I guess it’s better to call Nugget the animated skeleton of a cat—with all the memories, habits, and attitudes of the stray cat he was before he needed revivification to prowl around.

This would be his tenth life—this short story is the recounting of the previous nine lives he enjoyed (or at least lived through). It’s about his Brother, Sister, Mother, and his Sister’s two kits as well—but primarily about Nugget doing his best to help his family survive and keep their shelter.

* A phrase that I wrote without forethought.

So, what did I think about Nugget’s Tenth Life?

Maybe (very likely) I’m in the minority here. But I was not curious at all about Nugget’s life (or, lives) before Gam Gam. I was curious about Gam Gam’s backstory. I was curious about the Knight Revenant. I can see reading more about Mina. But an elderly necromancer (or any necromancer, really) with a skeleton familiar? That seems fitting and generally unsurprising—I didn’t need to know any more about him.

But now??? I’m so glad we got this. I loved that opening I quoted above and was quickly invested in Nugget’s story.

Getting that little bit of time with Gam Gam at the end reminded me how much I liked the character—and I’m now more than ready for The Wishing Stone‘s release next month so I can spend some extended time in this world.

This would make a decent jumping-on point for those who haven’t tried this series before. If you have, I probably don’t need to encourage you to give it a shot (but I will anyway).

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