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ericderoulet's reviews
62 reviews
Never Wake: An Anthology of Dream Horror by Kenneth W. Cain
dark
4.5
First of all, thank you to the team at Crystal Lake Publishing for graciously sending me an ARC of this anthology for review. I have no affiliation with Crystal Lake whatsoever, nor any incentive to review this book positively.
This was certainly a better-than-average experience as far as horror anthologies go. Admittedly, a few stories didn't quite work for me on the basis of premises, plotting, or consistency. But there are many impressive pieces here, both from already familiar names (Angelia Liu, Eric La Rocca) and names that were new to me (most notably Michelle Tang). Generally, the stronger stories here impressed me with their imagination, prose, and proper endings, whether I was able to predict those endings or not.
This was certainly a better-than-average experience as far as horror anthologies go. Admittedly, a few stories didn't quite work for me on the basis of premises, plotting, or consistency. But there are many impressive pieces here, both from already familiar names (Angelia Liu, Eric La Rocca) and names that were new to me (most notably Michelle Tang). Generally, the stronger stories here impressed me with their imagination, prose, and proper endings, whether I was able to predict those endings or not.
Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #389 by Scott H. Andrews
5.0
The two stories both feel like parts of larger narratives, but I really don't mind in this case. What's important is less whether every single loose end is tied up (an unlikely outcome for short fiction) than what sort of payoff readers are left with. Both Moté's "Interlude: Shelter From the Storm" and Olson's "Steady and the Mountain" get us invested in the characters and conflicts, then leave us with wistful endings that tell us enough while acknowledging that sometimes the forces and circumstances surrounding the characters are too large to be overcome in a single episode.
"Steady and the Mountain" in particular nails the setting and interiority (something I've come to expect from BCS titles), giving me a deeply felt sense of the MC's grief for his world as he once knew it. It was also refreshing to see classic-style prose written so well in a present-day piece.
"Steady and the Mountain" in particular nails the setting and interiority (something I've come to expect from BCS titles), giving me a deeply felt sense of the MC's grief for his world as he once knew it. It was also refreshing to see classic-style prose written so well in a present-day piece.
Blood of My Heart by K.P. Burchfield
4.0
I received a free ARC of this book, and this is my candid review.
Romantic fantasy—or perhaps Blood of My Heart is better characterized as epic fantasy with a hefty dose of romance—isn't my usual cup of tea, frankly, but I wanted to give this a fair chance. I'm glad I did. While a few lines of prose felt somewhat canned and a few elements were a tad tropey, this book has a lot going for it, and I can see things improving as the series goes on. A few merits in particular:
While an opening with a fight scene can often be done poorly, this book's opener gives us a good helping of characterization and sets up genre and subgenre expectations really well. By the end of the first chapter, there's a promise that we'll be following a flawed antihero(ine) and that there will be steamy scenes.
I almost thought the pacing starts out a bit slow, but it worked for me. Characterization (both of the MC and those close to her) is arguably the first priority in a story like this, and there's a lot of worldbuilding that Burchfield weaves in gradually and naturally. Even the parts providing backstory on specific characters and their relationships didn't feel like info-dumping to me. Crucially, Burchfield doesn't leave us waiting too long before making the stakes of this story clear.
Overall, I'd certainly recommend this to friends looking for a dark and steamy read. For readers with tastes like mine, leaning more towards epic fantasy and grittier fiction, it's about as palatable as romantasy can get.
Romantic fantasy—or perhaps Blood of My Heart is better characterized as epic fantasy with a hefty dose of romance—isn't my usual cup of tea, frankly, but I wanted to give this a fair chance. I'm glad I did. While a few lines of prose felt somewhat canned and a few elements were a tad tropey, this book has a lot going for it, and I can see things improving as the series goes on. A few merits in particular:
While an opening with a fight scene can often be done poorly, this book's opener gives us a good helping of characterization and sets up genre and subgenre expectations really well. By the end of the first chapter, there's a promise that we'll be following a flawed antihero(ine) and that there will be steamy scenes.
I almost thought the pacing starts out a bit slow, but it worked for me. Characterization (both of the MC and those close to her) is arguably the first priority in a story like this, and there's a lot of worldbuilding that Burchfield weaves in gradually and naturally. Even the parts providing backstory on specific characters and their relationships didn't feel like info-dumping to me. Crucially, Burchfield doesn't leave us waiting too long before making the stakes of this story clear.
Overall, I'd certainly recommend this to friends looking for a dark and steamy read. For readers with tastes like mine, leaning more towards epic fantasy and grittier fiction, it's about as palatable as romantasy can get.
Magic Witchcraft and Religion: A Reader in the Anthropology Magic Witchcraft and Religion: A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion of Religion by Pamela A. Moro, James E. Myers
5.0
Magic, Witchraft, and Religion is an eye-opening dive into the motivators and possible origins of magical and religious practices from a worldwide perspective. Though I read this many years ago for a summer community college course, I recall the authors taking a clear-eyed yet respectful approach to analyzing these cultural practices. This is a splendid resource for those who want to understand or write about magical practices (and religious traditions) and the thought process behind those who believe in them.