The Irresponsible Reader - I Read (a lot) and then Rant, Rave and maybe Review

Captivating Character of July: Ella Pickering

On July 31, 2026

My Most Captivating Character of the Month for July comes from Cameron Johnston’s First Mage on the Moon. I liked the all the protagonists of the book, but the one that kept my focus throughout was Ella Pickering. I posted about the book a couple of days ago.

Ella is a skymage with a decent amount of power, and even more skill. Earlier in the war, she was a pilot flying supplies until her aircraft had a mechanical failure. She actually managed to land with minimal damage, and would likely have been hailed as a wonder but for one small detail. She crash-landed on top of the personal (and fancy) conveyance of a powerful Duke (or some other titled and privileged type). Sadly, she was paralyzed in the accident. She’s had to take on massive debt to a passably (but not technically) legal lender to pay for her medical care and her third-hand wheelchair. To pay back her debts, she’s working double-shifts in a munitions factory, where she imbues small weapons with a little bit of her magic to increase their potency. That is, of course, until the accident I described in my post about the book, and she ends up encouraging the engineer to carry on with his project–and offers some advice with the design from her personal experience. And you’ll have to read the book for more about that.

So why did I pick her?

She could’ve given up. She could’ve wallowed in pity and maybe gone off to some quiet town away from the war and just existed doing some menial work. But no, she buckles down–gets herself some work and does what she can to payback her debts. She’s clearly a hard worker, surviving on scraps, just to do something useful. She’d obviously love to be flying again, but that’s not happening–if only because of the location of her crash landing. But she doesn’t let that or her injuries determine the direction of her life. When she finds a chance for something else, she moves on it–and all but forces herself into a position to have an active role (and turns that to her advantage, too).

She’s a kind person who is nice to be around–they aren’t close, but she’s befriended someone who lives in the same lousy flophouse as her. She’s been hoping to meet one of her eventual team because of her reputation for brilliance and singing voice–and leaps at the chance when circumstances bring her to consult. The two become friends, and that friendship is one of the bright points in some pretty dark times. Also, there’s her drive, her conviction that their team needs to make something positive in the midst of all the destruction they’re surrounded by, and that many have aided by working in the production of weapons.

And, this isn’t really about her per se, but about the way her being in a wheelchair is depicted in the book. So this isn’t really about her–it’s about the world around her. But we really wouldn’t have gotten to see it without Ella. Here’s the deal with her in her wheelchair–no one cares. Maybe (probably) because there are so many war wounded around, but no one really makes a big deal out of it. In fact, it’s so taken for granted that it’s chapters after they get to know each other before the engineer actually gives the wheel chair any attention–and in minutes finds a handful of ways to improve it. And then adds to that list when he actually does the work. Which helps her life tremendously. Obviously, when it comes to walking up ladders or going on an expedition somewhere to retrieve parts from the original accident–she’s out. But everyone just accepts it, doesn’t make a big deal out of it and moves on. Yes, she receives a little sympathy from friends for it–but this

So whether it’s the way she keeps going despite the challenges in her life/career, her fun personality, or the way the world is reflected around her in the novel…she’s captivating.

What character would you name for last month?

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Opening Lines: Deadly Does It by Abbi Waxman

By HCNewton

On July 30, 2026

In Blog Series, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

Head & Shoulders used to tell us that, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s true for wearing dark shirts, and it’s especially true for books. Sometimes the characters will hook the reader, sometimes the premise, sometimes it’s just knowing the author—but nothing beats a great opening for getting a reader to commit.

It wasn’t that Mason was vain. It was just that if anyone was going to mess up her face, she wanted it to be her. She already had two piercings in one eyebrow, two in her nose and multiple holes in her ears, but the guy approaching her with a slender but very pointy ice pick seemed to think something more central was going to really pull her look together.

Not that aesthetics were his primary concern.

“I’m going to hurt you,” he said, his breath a little ragged. Mason had just punched him in the gut, and he’d taken it badly.

from Deadly Does It by Abbi Waxman

Opening Lines Logo

WWW Wednesday—July 29, 2026

By HCNewton

On July 29, 2026

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

Sure I drown you in posts last week, and just a trickle this week… yeah, well. I meant to do one or two others today, but my mind was mostly willing and my flesh was bone tired. So, hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime, I did manage to put this together.

There’s a story to go with that bone-tiredness. I should probably tell it to you soon. But, as the man said, “no time for love, Dr. Jones,” I’ll tell you later.

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?


Detained: A boy’s journal of survival and resilience by D. Esperanza and Gerardo Iván Morales	Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull, read by E.B. Stevens

I’ve barely scratched the surface of Detained. But it’s a promising surface. I mean, as much as a first-person account of a teen’s time in Immigration Detention can be “promising.”

Book Two of Fablehaven is off to an uneven start, but it feels like it’s getting the momentum going around the 20% mark. I’ve forgotten so much of this in the 16 years since I read it 🙂

What did you recently finish reading?


A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett	Monster in the Moonlight by Annelise Ryan, read by Susan Bennett

A Trade of Blood is my favorite of this series by Bennett. And I’ve counted the first two among the best of the last couple of years. I’ll try to get my rave about it up in a day or two. Fantastic worldbuilding (still), great fantasy novel, compelling mystery, some of the best characters I’ve read this year…

Monster in the Moonlight was a pretty satisfying read in this series–it moved a couple of lingering arcs forward nicely (a book too late, IMHO) and the mystery was well executed.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

Here’s what I know going in about Eaters of the Dead: 1. It’s Crichton’s first novel, 2. Our Fantasy Book Club is discussing it next, 3. It couldn’t have won any cover design awards.

I just realized that I hadn’t thought about my next audiobook. Will have to find something.

How are you wrapping up the month?

First Mage on the Moon by Cameron Johnston: Magic and Mundane Engineering

By HCNewton

On July 28, 2026

In Fantasy, Fiction

h2><img src=”http://www.hcnewton.com/irrreader/2026images/FirstMage.jpg” alt=”Cover of First Mage on the Moon by Cameron Johnston” border=” />First Mage on the Moon

by Cameron Johnston

DETAILS:
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date: April 14, 2026
Format: Paperback 
Length: 320
Read Date: July 9-15, 2026

He slid the paper across her workbench and stood there, waiting expectantly.

She sighed and glanced down, paused, then looked harder at the scrawl of handwriting. On the page was a circle representing their world, and another, smaller circle with a crude palace of the gods crowning it, depicting the moon. A straight dotted line ran from one circle to the other, surrounded by numbers and calculations, many scored out.

“What is this unholy mess?” she asked.

Jackan nodded at his workings. “You tell me, lass.”

She studied it, determining distance and speed and… “What is this number?”

“Weight,” he said.

She frowned, trying to fit it all together. “It looks like you are trying to figure out the speed you would need to achieve to get something the weight of a stone golem to the surface of the moon.”

He rocked backwards and forwards on his heels. “Mmmhmm. Thoughts?”

She looked up at him, eyes widening as she took in his sincerity and remembered an off-hand comment made the day before. “Why the moon? Is it just a thought experiment?’

He nodded. “Sure is.” Then, under his breath: “For now.”

What’s First Mage on the Moon About?

An accident triggered by lightning and experimental weaponry leads Ella Pickering to have a conversation or two with the engineer Jackan Grissom. Ella was a skymage, flying ships in the war—after a crash that landed her in a wheelchair, she’s been working in a weapons factory doing grunt work. She knows enough to see that Grissom’s weapon wasn’t really that much of a weapon.

It turns out that he’s actually trying to build something to reach the home of the Gods—the Moon. Ella is intrigued and gets herself assigned to his team. They recruit a couple of other people—actually, no. one person blackmails her way onto their team, and they get saddled with another. Their boss believes they are working on a revolutionary weapon—but that’s the last thing they want to do.

Essentially, they’re stealing money and resources from the government’s war effort to undertake a mission that is (or at least approaches) blasphemy. And anyone figuring out what they’re doing is going to lead to their demise.

The Little Touches

For recovering Space Race junkies like me, there are so many things to find joy in.

Johnston has worked in several—more than several—little Easter Egg-type things throughout the book. Allusions to Star Trek and Firefly, several names that make you think of Gemini and Mercury astronauts, there’s a very USSR-snooping-on-the-Mercury-Program feel to things, the alternative to Laika or Ham the Astrochimp is inspired—and only possible in a Fantasy novel.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

“Aye,” the old engineer said. “Most guild-taught mages think that every little problem can be solved by using the right magic, but there’s only so many arcane runes and enchantments you can add to something before they snarl each other up explode in your face. I was a stonemason and an engineer before I was an accredited mage, so I thought to myself ‘alchemy, now, that’s a different matter entirely’. If we use our brains as well as our aether, we are bound to improve the efficiency of both.”

I picked this up because The Last Shield convinced me that I want to read a lot more of Johnston (and I still do). Also—the idea of a magic user headed to the moon in a rocket-looking thing is just too great to pass up.

Why did I keep reading it? As much as I dislike an in medias res beginning and typically don’t find them that effective in getting me to answer something, this one had me invested. How do we get from the beginning (see my Opening Lines post) to this point?

Even without that, I’d have been in—watching a bunch of magic users function as engineers and scientists with their magic, rather than just muttering something and waving their hands to get a wonderful result—is such a great idea, and was fun to read. It’s possibly the best idea in the book, and the execution really makes you want to see other Fantasy writers take a stab at things along those lines.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

It’s very much in the spirit of one of Sam Seaborn’s better lines:

Mallory O’Brian: Do we really have to go to Mars?

Sam Seaborn: Yes.

Mallory O’Brian: Why?

Sam Seaborn: ‘Cause it’s next. ‘Cause we came out of the cave, and we looked over the hill and we saw fire; and we crossed the ocean and we pioneered the west, and we took to the sky. The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration and this is what’s next.

At the core, this book is about a bunch of decent and smart people who are tired of a war that doesn’t seem to have an end, or much of a point. They’re tired of pumping out weapons and have found a way to use their magic and smarts for something positive. That human spirit that Sam puts into words permeates the novel, in the middle of everything else—these people want to take to the sky.

Not just among the team—but across borders.There’s a real international appeal to their efforts, but I’ll leave that for you to see.

So, what did I think about First Mage on the Moon?

“Up there, beyond this ball of rock, sea, and soil, is something humanity knows nothing about. We have so many questions without answers, and so many questions we don’t even know to ask.”

This wasn’t the book that I thought it was going to be—but I’m not complaining.

One thing that I’d have liked to see more of is the developing friendships among the team. There’s enough science and engineering, political maneuvering going on, espionage, and warfare that there really wasn’t room for it. But those little moments of conversation between them, collaboration, and growing bonds were the best parts of the book. The character work was very well done, but not the priority of the novel (and I wish it was).

This was, instead, a book about war, the costs of it (in many senses), hope, those who benefit from destruction, and the systems that encourage this behavior. What our astronauts learn about their gods is more than unexpected, but fits in with the overarching themes of the book.

I’m not entirely sure that I can say that I enjoyed this book—but I’m very glad that I read it. The ideas, the characters, and the execution were more than worth the investment of time. And the last page or so really just sealed the deal on this being a good read.

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, the opinions expressed are my own.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

MUSIC MONDAY: “Title Screen” by Pat & Sean

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2026

In News/Misc.

The Irresponsible Reader's Music Monday logo

Music Monday's originated at The Tattooed Book Geek's fantastic blog and has shown up hither, thither, and yon since then.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Looking Back at a Week of OTHER-Promotion (and other SPAAW ’26 thoughts)

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2026

In Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

Well, this is a wrap on Self-Published Author Appreciation Week 2026 here at the Irresponsible Reader. Not that I’ll cease appreciating self-published authors–far from it. But I can now, with good conscience, also appreciate unpublished authors, “Big 5” or “Traditionally Published” authors, as well as Authors Published by Small/Indie Presses. I suppose it’d be easier to just say “Authors” (but I do have a special place in my heart for the self-published among you)

As a whole, I think this is a bigger year than we’ve had in the past–but I’ll wait for Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub to weigh in on the official counts. (it’s done great for me in terms of number of posts and number of views). I hope you all have at least peaked at at the Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week 2026 Hub to see what other blogs and sites have put out.

Unlike the last couple of years where I asked authors for one Self-Published recommendation, this year I asked for 1-3, and boy howdy–what that the right call. There were so many great books recommended I don’t know when I’ll get to them. But I assure you, I do have a shopping list! (and am very happy that I own/have read a handful already).

We heard from:

JCM Berne
A.J. Calvin
E.N. Crane
M.K. Felix (Madelyn Smith)
Glen Gabel
Irene Hill
Adam Holcombe

Shannon Knight
Troy Lambert
Nikki McCormack
M.D. Presley
Paul Regnier
D.B. Rook
Z.B. Steele

I also got to chat about being a Publisher (of yourself) with:

JCM Berne
Michael R. Fletcher

Adam Holcombe
D.B. Rook

I think I’ve gotten some pretty good answers on this topic over the last couple of years or so–I’m going to have to move on to another topic for the videos in ’27. I have some ideas, let’s see if I can hang onto them for a year.

I want to thank all of these authors for their time and contributions at least one more time. I loved reading/collaborating/talking with each of you this year, and hope I get you back here in some form or the other soon. You’ve added to my TBR list–and I know you’ve added to other people’s, too. I hope you can live with yourselves.

So, what was mentioned by these august writers (in July)? It’s a diverse batch of 39 titles–something will likely appeal to everyone who reads these posts. Likely multiple somethings.

Thanks again to all who participated. Thanks to all who read any of this series. And thank you to all of those Self-Published Authors out there. I hope you felt appreciated this week.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

Eyes of Empire by JCM Berne: Failing the Heck Out of His Whole Noninterference Plan (and others, too)

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2026

In Fiction, JCM Berne, Science Fiction, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, The Hybrid Helix

Eyes of Empire

by JCM Berne

DETAILS:
Series: Hybrid Helix, Turn 5
Publisher: The Gnost House
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Format: Hardcover
Length: 399 pg.
Read Date: July 1-4, 2026

The native’s body was humanoid, but its head was catlike. Something like a tiger. Or a lion. Whiskers; eyes with black pupils and sclera of gold; white fur around the muzzle; long, sharp teeth. Definitely a carnivore.

Tiger? Lion? Liger? I’m fighting a liger-headed alien. My mother warned me I’d have days like this. Don’t leave Earth, she said. You’ll end up fighting liger-headed aliens on distant planets where they don’t even have breathable air or working toilets.

What’s Eyes of Empire About?

I feel very much like our friend Inigo: “Let me explain… No, there is too much. Let me sum up.” How Berne fit all this in to 399 pages without it feeling rushed or anything, I don’t know.
bullet The station Repentant is acting stranger than usual…and that’s not good.
bullet The il’Drach Empire has wiped out most of the population of a planet—the refugees are on their way to Wistful, who doesn’t have enough room for them all—and some are in a very medically fragile state.
bullet While Ben and Marion try to deal with the immediate problems (keeping them alive), Rohan needs to find a place for them to live in the long-term
bullet Hyperion is mixed up in the wiping out of the planet, and Rohan just might have to do something about that.
bullet The il’Drach are checking to see if they need to do any more clean-up work in the area related to Hyperion.
bullet The Hybrid that decided to stick around on Wistful is having a hard time acclimating.
bullet Another wormhole opened up to another system with a couple of very funky planets. One of which supports life, and Rohan goes off to make first contact.
bullet That first contact is with a feline-human race, and first contact could’ve gone better. Which leads to Rohan having someone else to help acclimate to life on Wistful (and among more species than she believed existed in the universe)

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

“The bad news, however, is about as bad as you could possibly imagine.”

“What? That’s impossible, I have a powerful imagination. It’s not as if you contaminated their culture and doomed the planet, right?”

Rohan shrugged.

Wei Li’s eyes widened. “Oh my.”

Ben frowned. “Really?”

Ang’s jaw dropped. “My Katya-le’s people?”

Rohan sighed. “I’m going to fix things. I will.

“I’m just not sure how.”

I picked it up because it’s a Hybrid Helix novel. I love these things. Yes, it took me too long to get back to it, because I was enforcing my “no moving on until you write about the previous book” rule—and I kept putting that one off. Now that I’ve read this, I’ve got the next book slotted for September (unless my August isn’t as crazy as I think it’ll be).

I kept reading for two reasons: 1. It’s a Hybrid Helix novel. I love these things. 2. What Berne is doing with Rohan in these pages—and setting him up to do for the next arc of the series—is fascinating. Also, the new characters/species/planets are so cool that I wanted to learn more about them. Lastly, I really enjoyed what Berne’s doing with our established secondary characters in general and how he’s mixing the new characters in with them.

Vaguely Spoiler-y Section Ahead, Feel Free to Skip to Next Section

Rohan Realizes That He’s Not John Rambo

(I’m referring the movie version, not the book version. Although, he’s clearly not that, either)

I just wanted a quiet life. Tow ships, drink tequila. Maybe find a girlfriend. Now people are trusting in me. Counting on me.

In every First Blood movie sequel, the beginning is the same—John Rambo has found somewhere quiet, away from society, where he can meditate, do some simple tasks as work, and live at peace. Something interrupts that (frequently, but not always, related to Col. Trautman) and he has to go shoot, stab, and manhandle whoever this particular movie’s enemy are.

This is really Rohan’s goal when we meet him, and it looks like it’s working (well, except for that in medias res opening to Wistful Ascending). And it’s continually his goal throughout the series. But things keep happening to interrupt that: a wormhole opens up and drops a new race on his doorstep and he has to work to keep them safe; giant monsters are coming out of the ocean to wreak havoc and destruction and he has to go help out; a nasty space vampire is running amok on Wistful and he needs to stop it; etc. It’s not quite as explodey as (and quite a bit more articulate than) Rambo’s adventures, but the outline is similar.

Each time Rohan intervenes, he takes on more and more responsibility for those around him. Unlike Rambo, who just leaves everyone else behind to get away from the world. Okay, I’m done talking about Rambo, let’s focus on Rohan.

At the same time, Rohan’s doing things to improve his power, to gain a better handle on it, so that he doesn’t have to tap into his anger (that will then be hard to control), to use it in combat-like situations.

He’s presented in this book with an opportunity—if not a responsibility—to choose another way. A way that means he won’t only be a tow-chief anymore. That he’ll embrace greater responsibility in the systems around Wistful (and connected to them by wormhole).

This really marks a step forward for the series and will set our Hybrid in a new direction for a while.

So, what did I think about Eyes of Empire?

Dr. Simivar poked at one of his still-open wounds. “Ouch.”

“Another hour in the tank and you’ll be ready to get dressed and walk around. If you can, try to avoid any significant exertion for another eight hours. Let someone else do the fighting for a while.”

“I’ll try. How will I know if I moved around too much, or too soon?”

She shrugged. “Check your feet.”

“My feet?”

“Yes. If there are puddles of blood gathering around them, you’ve done too much. Come back and we’ll get you stitched back together.”

While reading this, I remembered that I was close to the end of the first arc of the Hybrid Helix—but I wasn’t sure if that was this book or the next (and why bother looking that up when I could just keep reading?). In the last few chapters (maybe 50-100 pages) it sure felt like a conclusion of sorts was on the horizon, and even better—it felt earned, deserved, and organic. This isn’t a case of Berne deciding to change things up and forcing it on the series. Berne says this has been his plan all along, but Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have rendered me incapable of trusting writers when they say things like that.

Anyway, it was a very satisfying way to take this book and series—I’m looking forward to seeing what the next arc looks like.

This is filled with all the trademark Berne flourishes—great action, great banter, interesting musical recommendations, crazy new alien creatures. Sure, the “cat people” are not that revolutionary—but their culture is (and Rohan’s misunderstanding of it was pretty amusing). And the fauna on their planet…ugh. I want to talk about it, but I don’t want to ruin anyone’s exposure to it. But they could be my favorite thing introduced in this series since we met the Ursans. I’ve been talking about the bigger arcs, and deeper things going on in the series for most of this post, but I shouldn’t neglect to say that this is just a fun read. Whatever else Berne does, that is preeminent in his books.

We also meet a disturbing new representative of the il’Drach Empire. Each time I think the Empire is as distasteful and horrible as it can be, Berne finds a new and interesting way to prove that I’m wrong. Okay, okay, they have their whole “for the greater good” justification—or really, “the lesser of two evils” justification. But, I’m not entirely certain that I buy it. I’m thinking there has to be a better way. Another way. I expect that within the next 17 books, we’re going to find out what that way is.

Really, there’s no reason (unless you’re following stupid self-imposed rules) to not grab this book if you’re into super-hero fiction, space opera, witty dialogue (internal or otherwise), and/or good fun.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

True Romance: A Noir Anthology edited by Troy Lambert & Vincent Zandri: Love is What Makes Life Worth Living. Or is it?

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2026

In Fiction, Literary Locals, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Reed Farrel Coleman, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

True Romance

edited by Troy Lambert & Vincent Zandri

DETAILS:
Publication Date: May 15, 2026
Format: e-Book
Length: 286 pg.
Read Date: July 1-17, 2026

You’ll also meet deep characters in dark places and maybe learn that love isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Or maybe it is…

What’s True Romance About?

Part of the blurb reads:

From quiet suburban rot to organized crime empires, from calculated seduction to explosive violence, these stories explore the dangerous intersection where love and darkness meet.

Because in noir, love isn’t salvation. It’s motive.

I wish I’d written that, because it’s such a great way to summarize this collection of noir short stories from some of the best I’ve read—like Reed Farrel Coleman and Paul D. Brazill; authors I’ve meant to read, like Frank Zafiro; to a bunch of people I’ve never heard of, but want to hear of again.

Each of these stories approaches the themes of darkness, love, lust, and romance in a different way. But all of them tell us something about the human condition—what we want it to be like, and what it really is.

So, what did I think about True Romance?

Part of me wants to take issue with the title for this—there’s very little Romance to be found here, not much love either. And sure, you can say, “well, that’s because it’s noir, HC.” And there’s a lot to be said for that. But it can be done. Know Me from Smoke by Matt Phillips is the only example I can come up with off the top of my head (which is embarrassing). Sure, it’s tricky—but it can be done.

Sadly, not by most of these authors. Paul D. Brazill’s “Red Esperanto” (which is just a cool title) probably has the best depiction of love (along with a hefty dose of lust, crime, and lying). Samantha Ripley probably comes closest to romance in “Killing in the Name Of” (but there’s a lot of violence, mayhem, and quips before that).

Most of the stories are about lust, love twisted into something else, love that’s very lost, or something else. This doesn’t mean they’re bad, they’re just not romantic. (eh, one exception—but every anthology has to have one. And each reader will pick a different one to qualify). Scott Kikkawa’s “The Buyout” is a fantastic story, but the love there…eh, I’m not sure it qualifies as romantic.

I’ve spent more words on that than I figured I would—whoops. And I still feel like I could go on—but I won’t. The writing is crisp and snappy. The stories are just twisted and noir enough to stick in your minds longer than they might otherwise. Some of these are real gems. Charles Salzberg’s “All for the Love” is written in the Second Person—which is normally a deal-breaker for me, but I didn’t really notice it until the penultimate paragraph—that’s an achievement. Zafiro’s “Ask Me Tomorrow” was just delicious.

I think I could do an entire post about Lawrence Kelter’s “Midnight Confession.” It caught me by surprise more than once.

Before I dig into each story—and I’m close to doing that, but I don’t think it’d serve the collection for me to do so—just know that this is a great anthology with some very strong stories, some decent ones, and a couple that got a “meh” out of me. Which, really, is all I’m looking for in a collection—even those that don’t really have a theme. So it really doesn’t bother me too much that this one doesn’t stick to the theme in the way I’d like it to (your results may vary, and probably will).

I’m so glad I read this and I encourage those who like a good crime fiction short story—particularly with a noir flavor—to check this out. You’ll be happy you did.

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, the opinions expressed are my own.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book
Literary Locals logo

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

Fantasy with Friends: Discussing Witches and Sorceresses in Fantasy

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2026

In Books, Fantasy with Friends, News/Misc.

Fantasy with Friends is a weekly meme hosted by the good people over at Pages Unbound. Fantasy with Friends poses questions each Monday about fantasy, either as a genre as a whole or individual works.

This week’s prompt is:

What are some interesting witches in fantasy? Is there a certain portrayal of a character that makes them a “witch” vs. a “sorceress” or other magic worker, in your opinion?

Funnily enough, when I sat down to write this post, I could think of four depictions of witches that stuck with me to try to talk about. And then more and more popped into my mind. I’m not going to pretend that I have an exhaustive list to talk about in a minute, but it’s bigger than I thought.

But let’s start with the second half of the prompt first–what makes a witch different than another kind of magic user? Am I very, very sure that there are technical definitions and better ways to define it than I’m about to use? Sure thing. But I’m not the guy to go to for that (at least not with witches). Their magic is rooted to and tied into nature in some way. There’ll be some connection with ley lines frequently. Not only will there be a tie to nature, some witch depictions will be tied to a type of nature–earth magic, water magic, air magic, etc. There’s a degree of ritual to their magic, ingredients to assemble, key words–if not entire incantations–frequently crop up (and precise words, not just a random pseudo-Latin word that is tied to spell work, like Dresden and his apprentices use). Frequently, to get all the power out of a spell or working, you need to have a full coven, or circle–and that fullness changes from author to author.

Because of the ties to nature and ingredients–frequently involving blood of some sort–other magic users or whatever in a fantasy novel will be distrustful of witches, at the very least, leery of them. They might not be seen as inherently evil, but they’re inherently creepy and you might not want to get to involved with them. In other series/novels, that’s not as prominent, but it’s more common with witches than with wizards or sorcerers, etc.

There’s something I enjoy about the way others react to them that I find appealing. Atticus O’Sullivan starts the Iron Druid Chronicles not trusting any witch, period. And early on, his prejudice seems well-founded and rational–but by the end of the series, and in some of the spin-off stories/series, it seems like Atticus shouldn’t be quite to quick to distrust. But he’s wise to be leery. Adam Hauptman and most of the other North American Werewolves have similar distrust of witches, and there are few reasons to question that. What’s fun about this kind of approach is watching the protagonists have to deal with the witch that seems to be the exception to the rule, and to question their prejudice. Even better is watching them deal with a witch who seems to support the prejudice in the way they act, and then to have our protagonists try to work with them nonetheless.

So, some interesting witches in Fantasy. Here’s the list I came up with:

bullet Amber Benson’s The Witches of Echo Park series, shows a coven of well-established witches bring a new member into their number. Then there’s warfare with people trying to manipulate the group. This is the series that jumped to mind when I saw the prompt.
bullet The Christmas Witch books by Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza. They’re written for kids, but these tales of Santa’s sister show someone who fits the above description in a way that will satisfy adult readers.
bullet Patrica Briggs’ Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series (which are really one sprawling series) feature witches that should be kept at a distance. There are three types: a weak type of practitioner who doesn’t use blood in their workings; a stronger type that will use donated/given blood; and the strongest/nastiest who will take whatever blood they want. It’s easy to distrust most of these.
bullet I’ve already talked about the depiction in The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. What’s nice about Hearne is that you pretty much like every witch in the series, even the ones you shouldn’t (at least at the beginning).
bullet The Brightest Sword (and Arthurian legends/retellings in general) have some great witchy characters.
bullet The Chronicles of Narnia has a fairly narrow depiction of witches. Don’t trust them–they’re either aligned with Jadis consciously, or support her without realizing it (see Prince Caspian).
bullet Alix E. Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches has to be one of the better books about witches–Harrow ties witchcraft into womanhood (not everything on this list is focused on gender), and the alternate history of this book makes the whole thing just a wonder.
bullet The Morris and Chastain Supernatural Investigation series by Justin Gustainis pairs a PI with a white witch to look into supernatural crimes. As I recall (it’s been over a decade), there’s a little conflict with other witches who don’t think she should be helping out the PI, the FBI, etc. The witch was my favorite part of the series, I have to say.
bullet Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series–and the (as of last week) two spin-off series feature witches pretty prominently. Some of the witches are good about interatcting with the broader supernatural community–and even entities like the FBI. Others, aren’t that interested and try to avoid dealing with them at all. This group of series has probably my personal favorite witches and depictions of them on this list.
bullet I can’t believe that the last one to make this list was Kim Harrison’s Hollows Series. What as I thinking? The protagonist, Rachel Morgan, is a first-person narrator and witch. As far as fictional depictions of witches, especially all the work that goes into their spellwork (and the preparation for that work) really shines in Rachel’s life, these 19 books have to make up a part of a discussion of modern witchery (at least one more in-depth than this one).
bullet I haven’t read any of them yet, but I’ve only heard good things about the Witches series within Pratchett’s Discworld.

At the end of the day, they’re not my favorite type of magic user to read about. But since the Grimm boys popularized them so much (not that story tellers going back at least to the Greeks), and even Shakespeare used them so prominently, it’s hard to deny the place of witches in Western fiction. If only for variety’s sake.

Go read some of the other responses to this prompt, they’re likely better thought-out.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Saturday Miscellany—7/25/26

By HCNewton

On July 25, 2026

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 The rise of the ‘hot literati’: how reading became sexy—believe it or not, The Guardian doesn’t have me in mind
bullet How owning books became everybody’s business: The number of books you have, and the way you shelve them, invites judgment
bullet The Other Asimov: Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics have influenced AI’s development, but to what end?
bullet Inside the Selection Process—how does the Folio Society decide which books to put out for us to drool over (and, I assume, possibly buy)
bullet A Brutally Honest Field Guide to Horror Author Headshots—from The Ginger Nuts of Horror
bullet Fantasy-Faction brings a fresh Scott Lynch Interview – The Thorn of Emberlain —take the Emberlain material with a grain of salt, if you insist. But the rest of this is more than worth your time.
bullet Making Things and Having Fun: The Mad Scientists’ Club by Bertrand R. Brinley—I had to have read this book at least 30 times in my (far) younger days. I’m so glad someone reminded me of its existence.
bullet Finding the Right Covers—Matthew Hanover describes the journey his covers have taken
bullet Which leads us nicely into this: As you’ve probably noticed here, it’s Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week here are some of my favorite posts:
bullet Awesome Author Alert: Jonathan Nevair at Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet Awesome Author Alert: Rebecca Crunden at Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet Awesome Author Alert: Tessa Hastjarjanto at Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet Complex PTSD and the Creative Life by Sarah Chorn and Ken Scholes at Read Indie Fantasy
bullet Guest Post: We Live Here by Zig Zag Claybourne at Read Indie Fantasy
bullet Interview with Christiane Knight by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet Interview with Richard Moon by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet Interview with Scott A. Clark by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet Interview with Shelby Hailstone Law by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet Interview with Simon Brading by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
Guest Post: How Reading More Helped Cure My Indie-Author Burnout by Angela Boord at Read Indie Fantasy
bullet Tough Questions with Namita Kumari by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet Some Favorite Indie Reads by Fantasy Book Nerd
bullet 2026’s Big, Long List of Super Self-Published Books a monumental list compiled by Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
bullet 5 simple steps to reduce you TBR pile—there is something deeply wrong with this post

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet The Four Beardsmen of the BookpocalypseBeth Tabler and the beards! —I haven’t found time for this (been busy this week), but it’s sure to be a great episode

My favorite sentence/passage/phrase (or two) that I read this week:
“In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it.”—from the Author’s Note in The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago This Week?
bullet Second Son (Audiobook) by Lee Child, Dick Hill
bullet Small Wars (Audiobook) by Lee Child, Dick Hill
bullet The Summer that Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel—one of the best books ever discussed on this here blog.
bullet Bravo and Elphie by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron
bullet Trumped! by Peter Davidson—and to even things out, possibly the absolute worst books ever discussed on this here blog
bullet Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter
bullet And I mentioned the releases of: Nightshades by Melissa F. Olson; The Dragon Lords: Fool’s Gold by Jon Hollins; and Flying by Carrie Jones

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Deadly Does It by Abbi Waxman—”Mason, a Gen Z adrenaline junkie, and Mann, an ex-con, ex-actress, and lawyer turned sleuth, have already solved one murder together. United by their commitment to sarcasm and general disappointment with the human race, they now face a second crime that’s way too close to home.” This had me at “Waxman,” and sealed the deal by bringing back Mason and Mann.

image source: Jonathan Edward Durham on Facebook