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Flipside by Leumas Llewtnac Book Review

  Title: Flipside Author: Leumas Llewtnac Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror genre blend Published: June 10, 2022 I received a copy for review through BooksGoSocial on Netgalley. The world has been overrun by aliens called the squid. Everyone fought when they came and humans lost the war. Now there are very few survivors that are hunted down at night. Burke is an aging man whose body is failing him. Arvin is an aging mage whose mind is starting to slip. Charlie is a teenager who has lost everything, but is a survivor.  This book is a true genre blend. I suppose the main genre would be science fiction since it is a post-apocalyptic story. There are fantasy elements weaved in and it is set in another world that is similar to our own. The deadliness of the alien creatures borders on horror feeding my body-snatching nightmares. However, despite the dark nature of the story, there is quite a bit of light in this story exploring relationships and found family. The characters...
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The Long Fall Up by William Ledbetter Book Review

  Title: The Long Fall Up and Other Stories Author: William Ledbetter Genre: Science Fiction  Published: November 6, 2023 by Interstellar Flight Press I received a copy for review through NetGalley.   The Long Fall Up is a fantastic collection of mostly hard science fiction short stories that really deliver on ideas and character development. There are space travel stories, possible future tech stories, as well as possible dystopian futures. These stories vary from pulpy and funny to hard hitting and emotional. It is great when a story can explore a really interesting idea while also making you really care about the characters in so few pages. I would highly recommend this collection as a showcase of this authors work to check out if he is an author you want to read more from. I know I will be checking out more in the future. My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Butterfly Disjunct by Stewart C. Baker Book Review

 Title: The Butterfly Disjunct Author: Stewart C. Baker Genre: Science Fiction/ Speculative Fiction Published: 11/4/24 by Interstellar Flight Press Thank you to NetGalley and Interstellar Flight Press for the copy for review. The Butterfly Disjunct is a collection of short stories covering a range of science fiction ideas from AI, body modification, to time travel. Some stories hit hard emotionally hitting on the topics of grief and the hopelessness of post-apocalyptic worlds. Other stories are really funny serving a reprieve from the darker ones. These are great thought experiments that brings in just the right amount of human emotion to make them relatable.  Some of the stories left me confused or wanting more, but overall this was a great collection. I would recommend it to those who like short, punchy, varied science fiction stories. My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

My Unbeating Heart by Eli Wilde Book Review

  Title: My Unbeating Heart Author: Eli Wilde Genre: Historical Horror Published: 7/23/23  Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the copy for review.   Rufus Hobster is a vampire who hires a man to record his life story which takes us on a journey to 1800's London. This is the story of a new vampire on a path of discovery of himself and human kind.  This is an atmospheric vampire story. There is a modern day timeline following Rufus as he works to record his life story, and there is a past timeline that weaves in chilling true events from 1800s London. The 1800s timeline is especially atmospheric. A dark grand tale of all the confusion, love, and mistakes in an immortals life. It is a dark tale to capture the imagination. I recommend My Unbeating Heart to fans of vampire stories and like a historical timeline. My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories Book Review

  Title: The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories Editor: Lindy Ryan Authors: Gwendolyn Kiste, Tim Waggoner, Josh Malerman, Hailey Piper, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Clay McLeod Chapman, Lindy Ryan, Christopher Brooks, Eric LaRocca, M. Rickert, Lee Murray, Cynthia Pelayo, Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, Kelsea Lu, Jessica McHugh, Nat Cassidy, Rachel Harrison, Thomas Hutson, Kristi deMeester, Sara Tantlinger, Darcy Coates, Jeff Strand, Mercedes M. Yardley, Jamie Flanagan Genre: Horror Published: 9/24/24 by Crooked Lane Books I received a copy for review through NetGalley.   This anthology is the perfect read for the holiday season. The 22 stories are all winter themed with chilly snowy settings. A handful are specifically holiday themed and so much fun.  The Mouthless Body in the Lake by Gwendolyn Kiste: A spooky and haunting start, but I wish it was not in 2nd person. (3 stars) Cold as Ice by Tim Waggoner: Another 2nd person story with a creepy creature. (3 stars) Chil...

Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky Book Review

  Title: Alien Clay Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky Genre: Science Fiction Published: 9/17/24 by Orbit Books I received a copy for review through NetGalley.   Discover the planet Kiln with Professor Arton Daghdev.  Imprisoned at an alien work camp by the tyrannical group The Mandate, he uses is skills as a xeno-ecologist to uncover the secrets that make the hostile planet tick. Can Daghdev and the rest of the prisoners survive Kiln and the Mandate? This novel is a politically charged survival tale with a good bit of fascinating biology to discover about a very dangerous planet.  It is a wonderful underdog story about fighting against tyranny and unfamiliar nature. If you love political stories, survival stories, and science fiction stories this one will definitely appeal to you. I highly recommend it for fans of science fiction.   My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Bloodless Princes by Charlotte Bond Book Review

Title: The Bloodless Princes Series: The Dragonborne Blade #2 Author: Charlotte Bond Genre: Fantasy Published: Oct. 29, 2024 by Tor/Macmillan I received a copy for review through NetGalley.    Sir Madilleh and High Mage Saralene take on a very dangerous quest to go into the afterlife world to get a favor from the leaders of land of the dead. This is a fantasy series full of adventure with a page count under 200 pages. The main characters are amazing strong women with a bit of a romance between them. There is an amazing adventure full quest at the center of each book. I would recommend this to fantasy fans with sapphic elements and looking for a shorter read. My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars