The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones is a sword and sorcery novel set in eighth century Baghdad. The second book in The Swords and Sands Chronicle, The Bones of the Old Ones, was released toward the end of last year, and it is supposed to work as a self-contained story like The Desert of Souls. Even though the novels are fairly recent, there have been short stories featuring the same characters written by Jones and published during the […]

Gunmetal Magic, written by the wife and husband team known as Ilona Andrews, is an urban fantasy novel set in the same world as the Kate Daniels series. It’s about Andrea Nash, Kate’s best friend, and a novella about Kate titled “Magic Gifts” is also included with the novel. “Magic Gifts” overlaps with the timeline in Gunmetal Magic, and there is a part in the novel that comes after Kate’s adventure and ties in with it. While it’s not necessary […]

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor is the second book in the trilogy begun with Daughter of Smoke & Bone. This series is difficult to categorize more specifically than falling within the fantasy genre. The first book seems mostly like a contemporary fantasy/paranormal romance blend, and the next book is mainly set both in Morocco here on Earth and in Eretz but does not have a large romantic component, focusing on war instead. These two books can be […]

The Siren Depths is the third volume in The Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells, whose work has been nominated for the Nebula Award. This science fiction/fantasy series has become one of my favorite recent book discoveries, both for its original setting of the Three Worlds and its endearing characters. For this reason, I was glad to hear that Martha Wells will be writing four novellas set in the same world that will be published as ebooks. At least the […]

The Hydrogen Sonata is the tenth Culture book by Iain M.Banks, joining the ranks of eight other novels and one short story collection. This latest Culture novel was just released this year, which marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first Culture novel. This is one of those series that often leaves new readers confused about where to start, but each book is supposed to stand alone very well. The entire list of Culture books in publication order can be found […]

I Am Not a Serial Killer is the first of three John Cleaver books by Dan Wells. It is followed by Mr. Monster and I Don’t Want to Kill You, in that order. Fifteen-year-old John Wayne Cleaver is convinced that fate wants him to become a serial killer. Two serial killers have names that apply to him, his last name is a murder weapon, and he exhibits the classic traits shared by 95% of serial killers: bed-wetting, pyromania, and a […]