International Fiction

Review: In B’tween: The Wisp by Nandita Banerjee

In B’tween: The Wisp by Nandita Banerjee

Otherworldly, thought-provoking, and innovative, In B’tween: The Wisp by Nandita Banerjee is a novel that poetically plunges into the mysterious potential of the afterlife. Picking up after No. 7: They’re Calling leaves off, this sequel finds a dark legacy of magic and morbidity affecting a new generation of the family.

Ravi and Priya have tragically passed on after a fatal fire, leaving their children Sonya and Sunny behind, but death is not the end of life so many of us expect. As young Sonya embarks on a weekend trip with new friends, hoping for some space from her brother and […]

The Lost Souls of Guayaquil by Brian Gibb

The Lost Souls of Guayaquil by Brian GibbSpectacularly creative and emotionally gripping, The Lost Souls of Guayaquil by Brian Gibb is an original and thought-provoking novel about life, death, and what defines us in between.

In a clash of beliefs, destinies, and capitalist ambitions, a young woman is torn between fighting beside her oppressed people and staying loyal to her supernatural calling as a healer. An intrepid journalist pushes back against the Ecuadorian government’s sinister manipulation of the press, even if that means landing a target on his back. The reluctant souls of the dead, frustrated at the fate of their still-living loved ones, and unwilling to […]

2023-10-30T13:14:12+02:00October 30th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Journey to the Heartland by Xiaolong Huang

Journey to the Heartland by Xiaolong Huang A sprawling but delicate story of personal evolution, Journey to the Heartland by Xiaolong Huang expertly navigates the fine line between heartbreaking and inspiring.

Unpacking an abusive childhood as he strives for acceptance and perfection, Hanwei’s long journey away from innocence is remarkable in its stark detail. Juxtaposing the aspirational Chinese mindset of his youth with the free-thinking exploration of ideas in the west, this story is woven together on multiple levels, with themes of sexuality, cultural pressure, academia, and personal exodus, for a poignant meditation on freedom.

Examining whether we can ever truly be free of our past, Huang […]

2022-07-22T03:15:15+02:00July 21st, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , |

Review: On the Precipice of the Labyrinth by Brian Snowden

On the Precipice of The Labyrinth by Brian Snowden

1930s Charlottesville graduate William Benning embarks on an inspired mission to reach Spain in On the Precipice of the Labyrinth by Brian Snowden, an ambitious road story exploring romanticism versus reality.

Like many Americans, Benning is connected to Spain by ancestry, and is taken with the language. He secures passage to Spain by taking menial work on the ship across the Atlantic. A series of fortuitous encounters with friendly locals sees him landed in various lodgings and gigs, leading Benning to find himself in Civil War-era Spain, across the Pyrenees into beleaguered Basque country, hitching rides and trying out various […]

2022-04-11T04:13:11+02:00March 15th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Bird of Passage by Dr. Nooshie Motaref

Bird of Passage by Dr. Nooshie Motaref

Bird of Passage by author Dr. Nooshie Motaref is a fascinating account of a woman born in Iran who moves through the world looking for love, spiritual healing, and an understanding of what has happened to her homeland.

Wherever Mitra goes, she finds adventure, insecurity, romance, danger and, at times, disappointment. Yet her inner strength remains honed to the tasks that face her. Her namesake, from Indo-Persian mythology, is a wise woman who speaks truth, “with a thousand ears…ten thousand eyes.” This fortitude will be especially needed, as when following the ascension to power of the Khomeini regime in Iran, […]

2022-01-24T05:41:58+02:00January 23rd, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: , |

Review: Baturi by Matthew Stephen

Baturi by Matthew Stephen

In Baturi, author Matthew Stephen has created a remarkable work of fiction that draws directly on his own experiences in certain dark corners of the world in the 1980s. The level of authenticity and brutal honesty achieved by this author makes this book stand out, despite its potentially niche appeal.

Matthew Ferguson is stationed in northern Nigeria with the Volunteer Services as a teacher, having chosen to leave his life behind and disconnect from everything he has known. However, becoming entranced and then embroiled with another foreigner, and a strikingly beautiful one at that, sends him spiraling into an […]

2023-02-08T10:43:11+02:00September 5th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: Tiernan’s Wake by Richard T. Rook

 Tiernan's Wake by Richard T. Rook

Michael, an Irish-American lawyer, is stymied and bored. He keeps a candle lit for the spirits of his ancestors, and he’s considering retirement, or at least a change…and then an envelope with a crooked red shamrock changes his world.

Instead of dealing with wills and real estate, Michael finds himself chasing down the history of an Irish pirate queen, trading mysteries and riddles with an enigmatic old professor, and discovering the truth of his own convoluted family tree. It’s quite a change from a regular day at the office, and it involves a lot of fine whiskey to boot.

Beginning […]

2018-06-28T05:47:00+02:00April 16th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Path of the Ancients: Space Time Illusion by Ancient Philosophy

Path of the Ancients: Space Time IllusionA daughter’s scientific and metaphysical inquiry after the loss of her father forms the scaffolding of this intriguing novel about the ultimate question: Who am I? A complex but rewarding story guided by Hindu scripture, the novel tells the story of Kalki as she tries to understand the apparent death of her inventor father, Anadi, while posing a number of questions around religion, science, and philosophy.

Path of the Ancients: Space Time Illusion, credited only to the author “Ancient Philosophy,” imagines a near-future India dominated by technology. There, Kalki and friend Shiva combine science and the Upanishads in the […]

2018-03-27T13:24:45+02:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: , , |
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