Fantasy - The Irresponsible Reader

I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA 2026 Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for Emma Bradley’s An Absence of Artificers! This book made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (18 in 2026) and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.
Pilcrow

Book Details:

Title: An Absence of Artificers by Emma Bradley
Series: The Citadel Of Souls
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Young Adult
Format: Paperback, eBook
Length: 310 pg.
Publication Date: December 6, 2024

About the Book:

Workshop owner by day and spy for the Menagerie by night, Molly dreams of swapping the Faerie citadel for the wider realms of Faerie.

The citadel isn’t safe and escaping it is rare, so when one of the recently missing Fae from the Artificers’ Guild turns up dead, Molly is determined to dig right to the core of the rot infesting her home.

But in a self-contained city where the enemy knows all the same routes she does, it won’t be long before they’re hunting her in return.

What is the opening line? The middle-aged woman slumped crying over her desk definitely didn’t abduct her husband.
What’s a fun fact about the book? Talie was originally meant to be an outright villain but she grew on me so much throughout edits that I had to change the arc to keep her.
What food or drink pairs best with the book? The closest thing to a meat pocket (nicer than it sounds I promise) is probably a Cornish pasty, so one of those with some berry juice
What music pairs best with the book? I was going through an Einaudi phase while writing it so I always associate his music with certain scenes. That or Linkin Park.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Bookshop.org ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

Emma lives on the UK south coast with her plant collection and a very lazy black Labrador who occasionally condescends to take her out for a walk. Aside from creative writing studies, an addiction to cereal and spending far too much time procrastinating on social media, Emma is still waiting for the arrival of her unicorn. Or a tank, she’s not fussy.

Website ~ Bluesky ~ Instagram ~ Twitter

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2026 Semi-Finalist badge

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett Left a Small Impression on Me

By HCNewton

On October 21, 2026

In Fantasy, Fiction

Small Gods

by Terry Pratchett

DETAILS:
Series: Discworld, #13
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
Format: Paperback
Length: 354 pg.
Read Date: October 3, 2026

What’s Small Gods About?

Like many Fantasy worlds, Discworld, has a plethora of deities, each with their own rites, ethos, and whatnot. One of these deities, Om, takes on physical form and finds himself in the form of a tortoise and with few abilities. It turns out that in a nation with a powerful church there’s only one actual believer in Om left—an acolyte serving in the garden. Brutha becomes the Chosen One, the next prophet.

Om has a mission for Brutha to fulfill (getting him back to a place of power so he can shed the tortoise)—all Brutha has to do is stop a religious war, avoid an inquisition, stop the head of the church from corrupting him, and a few insignificant tasks like that.

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

This was the October pick for our Fantasy Book Club, so I took a detour from my Discworld reading plan.

I kept at it because it was what you want in Pratchett—some hilarious bits, some good satire, some fun characters, and had some very thought-provoking passages.

Diminutive Deities

Om and Brutha reminded me of Tchaikovsky’s Nihilostes and Yasnic and Marmell’s Olgun and Widdershins, and at least one other series that I can’t quite remember. A deity clinging to existence and their last believer. Now, centuries of Western philosophy and Christian Theology have plenty of objections to this kind of notion (although there are centuries of Western philosophy that are find with it, too). But hey, in Discworld, it works.

Whatever the problems of theology, it’s enough for Pratchett to explore the nature of faith, the nature of religion, Ecclesiology, and the overlap between the three in the Venn diagram. The satire of it all works for me—anything where humans have come in with their humanness is ripe for satire. I’m not sure I can swallow much of the positive arguments he makes (or suggests), but they’re fun to think about.

So, what did I think about Small Gods?

This was fine. I’m less than content with the story as a whole—it seemed a little underbaked, and was primarily a vehicle for Pratchett to sound off on philosophy and religion. It served its purpose well

I enjoyed Om, I enjoyed Brutha (who reminded me a bit too much of Carrot frequently). Just about everything having to do with the Library they visit was fantastic. The last couple of pages were great, I should add.

I laughed a lot, and chuckled a little bit more. I enjoyed thinking about the ideas—even the ones I think are full of nonsense. I didn’t walk away with strong opinions about the book either way, though. And I kind of regret that, I’d rather something I could really tear into or rave about—this was just there.

Maybe when/if I read it again, I’ll have a stronger take.

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

BBNYA 2026 SEMI-FINALIST SPOTLIGHT: A Second Life Worth Living by Karen Lucia

By HCNewton

On October 21, 2026

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction

I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA 2026 Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for Karen Lucia’s A Second Life Worth Living! This book made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (18 in 2026) and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.
Pilcrow

Book Details:

Title: A Second Life Worth Living by Karen Lucia
Genre: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Dystopian
Age Category: Adult
Format: Paperback, eBook
Length: 186 pg.
Publication Date: June 12, 2025

About the Book:

Bennet Smith has already died once. He has no interest in a repeat act.

Caught in the crossfire of an increasingly violent revolution, Ben’s first death doesn’t stick. His bones ache. His body still feels phantom pains. Wrongfully killed, he should return ready to fight alongside the revolutionaries striving for change. Instead, he wants no part of it.

Bennet Smith is no hero. He has never been a hero. He has never wanted to be a hero. All Ben has ever wanted is to keep his head down, fly under the radar, and pass completely unnoticed. Death didn’t change that.

What is the opening line? My body ached. Every inch. Every fiber. Every bone.
What food or drink pairs best with the book? Red wine and scrambled eggs
What music pairs best with the book? Radiohead

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Bookshop.org ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

Karen is a science fiction and fantasy author from Minneapolis, Minnesota. A lifelong writer, reader, gamer, and all-around nerd-core enthusiast, she has published four full-length novels and four novellas, with more stories always on the way. Her reading tastes span genres, though indie science fiction and fantasy hold a special place in her heart. Her stories draw on a life of wide-ranging adventures, including time abroad, motherhood, service as an Army officer on a mass casualty response force, and work in cybersecurity. When she is not creating worlds or reading, she can usually be found chasing her children around the zoo, the playground, or a state park (and probably taking pictures of every mushroom they find).

Website ~ Bluesky ~ Instagram ~ TikTok

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2026 Semi-Finalist badge

Cover Reveal: Mortality Gauntlet by JCM Berne

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2026

In A-B, Fantasy, Fiction, JCM Berne, Science Fiction

I’m very pleased today to welcome the Cover Reveals for the Ninth Turn in JCM Berne’s The Hybrid Helix series, Mortality Gauntlet! For a lot of us, a new Rohan adventure is an autobuy anyway. But I can’t imagine that people can take just one look at this beut and move on–it needs at least two, which will hopefully spur them on to read about the book. I mean…it is a Chris McGrath cover, so calling it a beaut is a tautology. Anyhow, before we get to that, let’s learn a just a little bit about the book and author, shall we? It’ll just take a moment, and then we can all take a peak at the cover.

About the Book:

The real Hyperion was Rohan’s hero. His idol. His mentor.

Even his friend.

The shadow of that man has been Rohan’s friend, his confidante, then his rival, and ultimately his enemy.

That shadow has caused the death of innocents. Has attempted to destroy the entire human race. Cares for nothing but his own revenge.

He’s stronger than Rohan, tougher. And he’s enhanced his abilities with esoteric chemicals that shouldn’t exist. The one time they fought, he beat Rohan handily.

Savagely.

Rohan thinks he can stop his nemesis. He thinks he has what it takes to win. Enough strength. Enough Power. Enough love.

Is he crazy? Or is he smarter than anybody realizes?

When it all ends, when the dust settles and the blood dries, who will be left to grieve?

Book Link:

Amazon Preorder

About the Author

JCM Berne has reached middle age without outgrowing the notion that superheroes are cool. Code monkey by day, by night he slaves over a hot keyboard to prove that superhero stories can be engaging and funny without being dark or silly.

Author Links:

Website ~ Bluesky ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ YouTube

and now…

The Cover

cover for Mortality Gauntlet by JCM Berne

Kudos to this fine artist for their work on this eye-grabber:
Cover Art by Chris McGrath

Go and do the right thing–place your orders now. This comes out on October 20, and you’re going to want to get to it ASAP.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Hobbit Day Repost: The Hobbit (Audiobook) by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator): Serkis (Naturally) Knocks It Out of the Park with this Audiobook

By HCNewton

On September 22, 2026

In Audiobook, Fantasy, Fiction

It’s Hobbit Day–and I fell asleep a three or so hours early last night–so why not revisit this post about the Serkis version of the audiobook?

The Hobbit, or
There and Back Again

by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: September 20, 2020
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:10 hrs., 25 min.
Read Date: January 18-22, 2022

What’s The Hobbit About?

I suppose it’s theoretically possible that in 2022 someone will be reading a book blog and not know the basics of this, right?

So a Hobbit (Bilbo Baggins) is recruited (quite presumptuously) by the wizard Gandalf to join a band of thirteen dwarves on their odyssey to sneak back into their territory which had been taken over by the dragon, Smaug. Their goal is to steal back the treasure (particularly an heirloom of the king’s family, the Arkenstone). There’s really no reason to think that Bilbo, who hates the idea of adventure and just wants to stay in his comfortable home all day (like 99.9997% of Hobbits) will make a capable burglar. But Gandalf insists on it, overrules the objections of the dwarves, and tricks Bilbo into accepting the role.

Along the way, they have various adventures—in addition to some nasty geographical features, they meet goblins, giants, trolls, freakishly huge talking spiders, a ware-bear, elves, and several others. Some of those are allies, many are not. Eventually, they reach the Lonely Mountain, face off against the dragon, find themselves in the middle of The Battle of Five Armies, and then (as the title implies) Bilbo goes back home.

The Narration

I saw that Serkis recorded this and almost jumped immediately—but I made myself hold off until he did the follow-up trilogy. Well, that happened last fall, so after I wrapped up my Alex Verus re-listen, I moved on to this series. What a delicious listen!

Serkis does a great job bringing individual characters to life—and keeping them individual. A couple of times I wondered if he was doing a McKellen impression with Gandalf, but I talked myself out of it—ditto for the other characters. I thought his Smaug was excellent, too.

The moment that [name redacted out of habit, can’t imagine I’m spoiling anything] turns on Bilbo was so well done that I felt something like surprise while I was waiting for it.

But the big question for me going in was how was he going to approach Gollum. Would he be prevented from duplicating the voice/characterization from the films in this format, because it wasn’t owned by some film company or something? Or was Serkis just sick and tired of doing it and wanted to try another approach? Nope and nope. His audiobook Gollum sounded just like the movie Gollum and I could’ve listened to that section of the book on a loop for few times through. I just loved it. It almost didn’t matter what he did the rest of the time.

I typically listen to audiobooks at more than 1.0x speed—it varies from book to book, narrator to narrator, genre to genre—what speed I use. Frequently, too, I’ll start at something like 1.2 and then work my way up as I get used to a narrator/book. Not with this one—I wanted to soak in the performance. I don’t think I made it more than a paragraph or two before I slowed to 1.0 and kept it there the whole time, I just really got into his performance (I’m not sure that I’ll do that for LoTR, those are some long reads).

Oof, I really should’ve thought of this before starting the book…

If you’re reading, it’s easy to skip and/or skim through the songs. If you’re listening to an audiobook—unless you want to stop everything you’re doing to focus on fast-forwarding just enough, you’re stuck listening to them all.

Call me a Philistine if you will, but I just can’t do the songs. And I consistently forget how many of them there are in this book. I tried, I really tried to pay attention, but I couldn’t. I do think Serkis did a decent job carrying a tune with them. I’d love a Behind the Scenes look at how they decided on a tune for him to use.

So, what did I think about The Hobbit Audiobook?

I’m not the Tolkein-fanboy that I (and many acquaintances) would’ve assumed I am. This is only my third (complete) time through the book—I tried a handful of times in grade school, but couldn’t make it through. I got some encouragement from a big fan in college to push through it so I could get to The Lord of the Rings, but didn’t get around to it until the year before Jackson’s LotR was released. I really enjoyed it then, and my appreciation grows in the re-reads. Serkis’ work here moved that up a lot, too.

It’s just a fantastic audiobook—any problems stem from the original text, not Serkis’s performance—if anything he helped the text (not that it needed much). I can’t wait to see what he does with LoTR, those books demand a bit more, and I’m confident he’ll live up to expectations, now I just want to hear it for myself.

If you’re at all curious about this, you should give it a shot—you’ll be glad you did. If you have no curiosity about this—are you sure? Should you reconsider your position? This’d be a great way on family vacations or something to introduce younger readers to the series, I’d think.

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.

The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore: A Saint’s Heart Looks Much the Same as a Sinner’s

By HCNewton

On September 21, 2026

In Fantasy, Fiction

The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing

by Marshall J. Moore

DETAILS:
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: September 22, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 384 pg.
Read Date: September 10-11, 2026

What’s The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing About?

Okay, this is going to sound familiar—using body parts and organs from several corpses and some galvanic energy generated by a lightning bolt, a Doctor and his assistant, Igor, are trying to create life. Until, of course, they’re interrupted by the locals carrying torches and pitchforks (and likely some other improvised weaponry), driving them away from their laboratory.

Igor helps the Doctor* to escape, and they head to a new town to start their work anew. This isn’t the first (or fourth) time, and Igor expects that it won’t be the last.

This time, they settle into a seemingly abandoned castle. The Doctor claims to have some family connection to it, so they’re not quite squatting as they usually do. Igor hopes that’ll keep the torches and pitchforks away a little longer than usual. The Doctor gets to his work, and Igor to his—there’s a cemetery that needs plundering.

It turns out that the castle isn’t abandoned. A relative of the Doctor’s (if you go climbing the family tree far enough) has moved back into his home. Sure, as he technically died years ago, he’d have a hard time proving ownership. He and his wife are vampires. A witch and her feline familiar also want to use the castle for their work. The Count, the Doctor, and the Witch are on the verge of tearing each other to shreds when Igor talks them into cohabiting. The castle’s big enough for all of them, after all. Maybe they could even help each other. The Count’s wife, Cordelia, the familiar, Grimalkin, and Igor are treated rather shabbily by the others in their pairings. It doesn’t take them long to recognize that in each other, to befriend one another, and to try to help each other.

It’s a short trip from people seeing your worth and appreciating you to you yourself starting to see it—and demanding it be recognized. And well…things move on from there.

* No last name given. Count it a mystery.

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

Sadly, I don’t remember what made it click for me when I got the invitation to “Read Now” from NetGalley—but it struck the right chord in me a couple of months back, and here we are.

The first third (+/- a couple of percentage points) really didn’t do much for me. Everything was entertaining and amusing—I was ready to keep going, but I wasn’t that invested. Then something around that point clicked, and I was laughing and caring about the characters. I won’t say it swept me off my feet—but it did something close to it. I was utterly into the rest of the book—even bits I could guess or seemed paint-by-numbers, Moore’s execution was good enough that I just couldn’t care.

It’s likely that the first third would’ve landed better on another day, too. I could’ve been having an off day. I’m just saying, if you’re not sold immediately—stick around. Grim, Cordelia, and/or Igor will get to you.

What are some of the big themes of the novel?

I could toss out three as primary—which seems difficult to pull off—and at least one other as a good secondary.

The three friends don’t have a lot of practice in having friends—the one with experience has fallen out of practice for a few centuries. But they take to it easily and without noticing (at first). It’s charming, it’s sweet, and it’s entirely relatable—Igor doesn’t know how to be a friend, how to think like a friend—but he just does things that you do for friends (and then realizes it later). As the friendships grow, so do the characters—in confidence, in caring, in bravery, in willingness for self-sacrifice.

The other very prevalent theme is the idea of self-respect—and in these pages, it grows out of friendship. Igor essentially thinks, “Cordelia and Grim seem to see that I have some worth, maybe I make the Doctor show me some respect.” (and the others take similar stands). I’m not going to say how that goes for any of them, but it’s heartwarming to see. Igors and familiars are not usually treated with a whole lot of decency or respect—they’re around to do their master’s bidding, and that’s about all that anyone thinks of them. But Moore helps us to see them as people (or, in Grim’s case, a person worth paying attention to).

The possibility and tendency of anyone—regardless of appearance, profession, or background—to do good or evil (or a mix) comes from the individual, not appearance, profession, or background. This isn’t necessarily the most prominent theme—but when it crops up it sort of takes over and the rest kind of fall by the wayside. If I had to take a stand, I’d say that this is the heart of the book, though.

Despite what the title suggests, anything about the power of collective bargaining, the value of work, solidarity of the employees comes in far behind the rest—and honestly, for very few pages. It’s there—but you have to be patient. It’s a good title, though.

So, what did I think about The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing?

Like I said above, this novel came close to sweeping me off of my feet. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride (at least most of it). It has the feel of a cozy—but there’s some actual action and some grave robbing and corpse robbing that probably puts it out of the genre (plus other things that come up later). When trying to get this post done (it took me two more writing sessions than I expected to come up with something I liked), it occurred to me that this is a very Ted Lasso-esque novel.

It’s about a small team (of three—up to 7, depending on how you want to count it) sticking by each other, trusting each other, and using that trust to achieve something bigger than themselves. It’s about being curious (ya’ll know the rest). It’s about wearing your heart on your sleeve and going for what you want to go for.

It’s incredibly earnest and heartfelt. It’s also funny—it has a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, and some just chuckle- or grin-inducing moments. The threats of violence are real—either person-to-person, otherworldly-to-Earth, or crowd of visitors to small-group. And I’m not going to say how many of those threats get carried out, but there’s real danger and no promises of anyone making it.

There’s also another character that comes along partway through the book that is just cute. I’d love to go on about that character, but I’m afraid of what undead creature Moore would send after me for ruining things for you.

I really enjoyed this novel and think you will, t0o—it’s just the thing to set the stage for a spooky October (if that’s your kind of thing). Give it a shot.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Ballantine via NetGalley—my thanks to both for this. This post contains my honest opinion about a book I chose to 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

Quick-Take Catchups: The Leftovers from May

By HCNewton

On September 16, 2026

In Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction

I’m even behind on my catch-ups…this summer really did a number on my organization. Let’s see if I can get some of it back. Again, I want to remind the reader that the point of these quick-takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

The Frame-Up

by Gwenda Bond, read by Shannon McManus (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication Date: February 13, 2024
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 11 hrs., 3 min.
Read Date: May 4-6, 2026

This was a solid heist novel with just a dash of magic thrown in. Honestly, I’m not sure the magic was necessary—Bond has enough going on with the dash of romance, the family drama (increased by a “can’t go home again” story arc), and the art heist.

But throwing in the magic just kicked everything up a half a notch, if not a full notch. So I’m not complaining–I’m just trying to say that the criminal found family of it all was enough.

This is my second novel by Bond—and it’s enough to make sure that I’ll take a second look at other books by her.

The Terminal List

by Jack Carr, read by Ray Porter

DETAILS:
Series: The Terminal List, #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 12 hrs., 24 min.
Read Date: May 7-11, 2026

Ugh. How did this get so popular? I’m not really that willing to spend time on talking about it. I can’t think of a single moment that I enjoyed–even Ray Porter couldn’t save it. I kept listening to see if it climbed up out of the horrible pit to make it to “extraordinarily mediocre.” Also, because I wanted to be able to tell someone that I gave it a full try.

Both are choices I regret. Cookie-cutter action from a Gary Sue super-soldier. Completely uninspired and derivative. And there are how many sequels???

The Arkadians

by Lloyd Alexander, read by Words Take Wing Repertory Co

DETAILS:
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication Date: November 9, 2010
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 5 hrs., 49 min. 
Read Date: May 18-19, 2026

I feel disloyal to my grade-school self in giving a Lloyd Alexander book a “meh.” But this one pretty much deserved it. Alexander’s playing around with Greek myths fell pretty flat for me, I didn’t connect with the characters, the story (especially the results for each character) was predictable, and the whole thing felt written by a formula. I did find some scenes amusing and/or effective, but I doubt I’ll return to this one again and again. (I probably will give it one more chance down the road, just to be sure it wasn’t my mood)

Booked

by Alison Gaylin

DETAILS:
Series: Sunny Randall, #13
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: May 12, 2026
Format: Hardcover
Length: 320 pg.
Read Date: May 25, 2026

This was entirely too quick to read–but I find that’s a thing with Gaylin’s Sunny book–she just gets in the groove and you’re rocketing through the thing. I really liked what she did with the recurring characters here, especially Blake. I’ve given up hope of a decent Richie storyline, but I didn’t mind this one. As far as the latest Malanie Joan drama–this might be my favorite use of her. The mysteries involved were pretty well executed, and I bought the way that Sunny finally uncovered the link that tied it all together. I’d seen the link (or something very much like it) coming for several chapters, but wasn’t sure Gaylin would pull off Sunny’s discovery. I think I’ve learned now to trust her. No Sunny Randall book has ever blown me away–but Gaylin makes me happy to see the series continuing and delivers a satisfying read every time.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

by Amanda Montel, read by Ann Marie Gideon

DETAILS:
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: June 15, 2021
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 21 min.
Read Date: May 21-26, 2026

This was truly disappointing—the subtitle made me think it would be one thing, and while the text would occasionally tip that way, it didn’t stick with it. Honestly, you should go read what Kathy @ 746 Books had to say about it. She captured my ideas better than I could.

Unread:
A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read on TikTok

by Oliver James

DETAILS:
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication Date: February 24, 2026
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 7 hrs., 10 min. 
Read Date: May 26-27, 2026

James’ achievement—as well as his openness about the life experiences that got him to this point—should be celebrated. Seriously, I’m impressed and would love to sit and chat with him about it.
Everyone should be upset at the education system that failed him—and almost certainly fails many others like him every year.
There’s a lot to commend about this book.
This is not good book. There’s too much redundancy that feels like it was included to make an arbitrary word count. The timeline is a bit muddy, and would’ve been better to follow had it been presented linearly. If it were a series of blog posts, or a book half the length, I wouldn’t have complained.
To reiterate: this is a criticism of the book, not of the author, what he’s doing or how he’s doing it.

Starship Troopers

by Robert A. Heinlein

DETAILS:
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: June 27, 2006
Format: Paperback
Length: 288 May 25-27, 2026

There’s a lot to like in this—there’s a lot to be disappointed in, too. I was pretty much in until the big battle scene. But after that? It all fell short after that. Heinlein clearly had things he wanted to say about the role of a citizen, the role of the military, war, and so on—and he used this book to say them through various mouthpieces. Sadly, most of what we got was talk, theory, just ideas, unlike similar books that put the talk into action (albeit fictional, it’s more than just haverings).

I walked away dissatisfied. I know I open myself up to ridicule, mockery, and disdain for that—but that’s how it is. Others who’ve clearly been influenced by this novel have done a better job with it (e.g., Scalzi, Hurley, Card).

After the Fall

by Edward Ashton, read by John Pirhalla

DETAILS:
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: February 24, 2026
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs., 56 min.
Read Date: May 28-29, 2026

Maybe because of Ashton’s reputation, I went into this with expectations that were too high. Because I felt like I should enjoy what I was hearing more than I did throughout the whole book–and there’s no reason for me to think like that. It was a solid premise, and Ashton (and Pirhalla) did a good job in executing it. But the whole time I kept thinking, “he’s about to knock my socks off in the next development/chapter/scene,” and that never happened. There’s a lot to praise here, but it never made the jump from “pretty good.” And since I came in expecting more and didn’t get it, the book felt like a letdown. I don’t think I’m being fair to the book, but…

Remington Platypus

by Steve Nash

DETAILS:
Publisher: Northodox Press
Publication Date: July 31, 2025
Format: eBook
Length: 362 pg.
Read Date: May 28-30, 2026

I really thought I’d written a full post about this, and I’m rather annoyed to find out that it doesn’t exist.

This is a fairly-standard, but well-executed, Police novel about a grizzled detective who does what it takes to get the job done—sort of a Harry Bosch figure. Although he’s on better terms with his superior and some of his colleagues. He’s taking on a drug supplier and goes too far, resulting in him being transferred to a small town, his hometown, where he struggles to fit in—except for the few who remember him. There he encounters some crimes that lead him right back into investigating the same supplier. And things get ugly from there.

But here’s the thing—all the creatures are animals. Animals who have formed a parallel society to humans, complete with schools, police services, and drug gangs. There are some animals who haven’t taken this civilization thing to heart—and remain wild and without speech, higher thoughts. We’ve seen a lot like this before, but not like this.

Combining these two tried-and-true story types is just brilliant. You make these people instead of animals and most of the novel works just fine. You take out the crime element and just leave the inter-animal conflicts in and it’d be a pretty cool story. The mashup of the two elevates this to something else. The only comparison that jumps to mind is the comic Fables combining crime fiction and fairy tales.

Raven was raving about this last year, and it’s easy to see why. You need to check out their post.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

PUB DAY REPOST: Fool by K.R. Lockhaven: A Tale of Family, Love, and the Exercise of Power

By HCNewton

On September 14, 2026

In Fantasy

Fool

by K.R. Lockhaven

DETAILS:
Publisher: Ashkad Publishing
Publication Date: September 14, 2026  
Format: ARC
Length: 421 pg.
Read Date: September 1-3, 2026

What’s Fool About?

The God-King Vaerain is a generally benevolent ruler—under the broadest definitions of both of those terms, and for those who aren’t on his bad side, things in the kingdom’s capital seem okay. This is definitely the case for his “Fool and Trusted Advisor”—almost his most trusted Advisor—and friend, Kyrien Meras. Not terribly long ago, Kyrien was a prisoner of war with a very short life expectancy, but now he finds himself in a very different position. He’s successful, has no real material concerns, his wife and child enjoy comfortable living—basically, everything’s coming up Millhouse for him.

But there are forces who are not content with Vaerian’s rule. Those who see him as a tyrant and want to see him replaced with something better—there are differences, naturally, in what might be considered the better alternative. But that’s not important for now. What is important is that some of them have decided it’s time to act.

They do so by kidnapping Kyrien’s son, Pavi. They promise to treat him well and not harm him while Kyrien accomplishes a task for them—they want to know the source of the God-King’s magic. If Kyrien can use his position and wits to uncover that source, Pavi is returned. It’s just that simple.

Of course, everyone “knows” that Vaerain was given his powers by the gods Wrath and Mercy—like all his predecessors. All Kyrien has to do is disprove a core tenet of a centuries-old religion, call into question the bedrock of the government, expose his friend/benefactor, and do so without tipping off the most powerful figure in the world in just a few days.

That should be a piece of cake for a comedian/comic actor—any fool would know that.

Acali, Kyrien’s wife, is not content to sit and wait for Kyrien to do the nigh-impossible. She grew up in the lower-class areas of the capitol and thinks she still can find her way around sketchier areas—so she sets out to discover who took Pavi to get him back the more direct way.

The Religion

The first time I read through this, I didn’t pay as much attention to the religion as I should have. It seemed a little better designed than your typical Fantasy religion. This time, I paid it more attention.

It’s essentially a take on the dualism so popular in philosophy and in some religions (including heretical versions of Christianity), a combination of eutheism and dystheism. The Father God is Wrath, the Mother God is Mercy, and the followers of this religion (which don’t, incidentally, include Acali) will cry out to either, depending on the circumstance—while it does appear that many individuals tend to invoke one over the other.

Lockhaven does a fantastic job of laying out this religion in a phrase or two early on, and then seeds references throughout the rest of the text in a subtle way so that it permeates the book—it feels real; people invoking the name of one of the deities doesn’t feel tacked on, but genuine—routine.

We don’t get a lot of detail about the faith—we have no need to, it’s not that kind of book. Just enough to let us know it exists and that it means something.

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

I picked this up because I beta read this months ago and wanted to see what it was like in its final form—also, honestly, because it’s a new Lockhaven novel and I’m a sucker for those.

I stuck with it because of the combination of family drama and palace intrigue—plus, I wanted to know how the King got his powers. Okay, sure, I knew already—but that’s why I stuck with the book the first time. This time it was more about seeing the pieces come together for Kyrien. That was super-satisfying.

The Fool

[this feels spoilery, even as I try to make it vague]

It’s an apt title for Kyrien*. Kyrien dedicated his life to his family—first his parents, and then his childhood friends. He sacrifices a lot for those friends, and later gains a wife and son. His relationships with his mentor and cast are familial, too. Theoretically, all he does is for his wife and son, but at some point that starts to slip (as we see in the opening pages).

How this happens, why this happens—is partially understandable. Maybe it’s completely understandable. But it is foolish. He’s gotten complacent, he’s grown comfortable, he’s started (maybe) to buy into his own hype—and his priorities shifted without his notice. And when he does catch a glimpse of that, he doesn’t seize the opportunity to correct it.

The nice thing is that foolishness can be cured. But there’s no guarantee that Kyrien will realize his need for a cure—or that he will in time.

* And maybe a couple of other characters, but let’s stick with the clear example.

So, what did I think about Fool?

There’s just so much that I want to say here. Let’s see if I can keep myself concise.

I’ve read everything that Lockhaven has published. Well, I thought I did, until he mentioned a novel published under a different variation when I interviewed him this week, so I guess I should say every Fantasy novel he’s written. We’re going to have to wait a month or two for me to polish off his works. Regardless—I’ve enjoyed all of them. But this is the best thing he’s written, and it ain’t even close.

There’s a lot going on here beyond just the story of the kidnapping and the search for Vaerain’s power source, and I’d like to blather on about them, but you’d enjoy them more when you encounter them yourself.

There’s not a tremendous amount of action—but when it shows up, Lockhaven nails it. There’s a large-scale battle, there’s some hand-to-hand combat, there’s some magic battles, and some great chase scenes.

But this book lives in the quiet moments, times of introspection and conversations between two or three people. Where people can be honest and vulnerable, or vague, misleading, and maybe manipulative. Lockhaven uses both well to show what’s going on with our characters. While the action scenes show what they’re capable of—these scenes are about why they’re capable of them.

I really like the children’s songs, incidentally. When I picked up The Name of the Wind the next day, I couldn’t help but think of them as I read the children’s songs that Kvothe recounted. In fact, while reading this both times, I drew comparisons to works by Scott Lynch, M. A. Carrick, Christopher Buehlman, M.L. Wuang, and Patrick Rothfuss. With all due respect for Lockhaven—I’m not suggesting he’s quite at the level of all of them yet, but there are elements of this novel that drew on similar themes, characteristics, and ideas. And people who appreciate what those authors were about should find plenty in Fool to appreciate, too.

This is a novel about parenthood and family, of caring for those who don’t have the same kind of power and privilege you do (which can be considered a kind of parenthood and family writ broadly). That’s tucked away in a story about palace politics, intrigue, and danger—with a side order of satire and appreciation for the comic arts.

I strongly urge you to make the choice to pick up Lockhaven’s Fool, to do otherwise would be (forgive me) foolish.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Fool by K.R. Lockhaven: A Tale of Family, Love, and the Exercise of Power

By HCNewton

On September 11, 2026

In Fantasy

Fool

by K.R. Lockhaven

DETAILS:
Publisher: Ashkad Publishing
Publication Date: September 14, 2026  
Format: ARC
Length: 421 pg.
Read Date: September 1-3, 2026