Editorial Reviews

An exhilarating sci-fi thriller exploring good and evil on a galactic scale, Awakened Horror by Quill Holland is a twisted and expansive sci-fi novel with a cast of compelling and conflicted heroes. Haunted by a lingering fear that the Empire has somehow survived and is regaining strength, Raith struggles with the revelations of his past life as a brutal oppressor, despite his recent heroics and the victory of the Republic. En route to a diplomatic mission, Raith’s freedom and family are once again ripped away by his reincarnated enemy, but as a nameless existential terror descends on the scattered colonies […]

A gruesome, creative, and easy-to-devour novella by JC Bratton, Who’s Back at the Door? is a chilling tale and a well-crafted sequel to Who’s at the Door? Years after young Jamie Patterson mysteriously disappears from her dorm room, an ominous mirror split by a crack reappears in the life of a parapsychologist who had been investigating the girl’s unsolved case. The dark force within the mirror is roaming free once again, and the good doctor must team up with an unlikely crew to stop Bloody Mary’s reign of terror once and for all. Feeling like a supernatural horror movie on […]

Taking place in Cheeston, a town inhabited by a mice society, Not Yo Cheeze by Amy Winfield is an exhilaratingly fun piece of middle grade fiction. Tone Provolone and Cheddar Chessman’s cheese shop, inherited from their fathers, is almost always empty, but a new catering contract with the powerful Donna Parmesan could finally be their chance to succeed. As the names and clever set-up might suggest, Winfield loves to play with language, and with some added life lessons about standing up for yourself, this is a lighthearted but meaningful read that is perfectly crafted for young readers, which rivals other […]

An extraordinary, tough-as-nails adventure novel, Desperation Island by Keith A. Hamilton is a gritty take on the pirate genre with a contemporary twist – a 21st Century Pirates of the Caribbean, as the subtitle accurately describes. After Ronald Johnson discovers he is a descendant of Francis Drake, he decides to become a pirate and take to the open sea. Renaming himself Ronald Drake, he gathers together a band of comrades, fulfilling his fantasies and his hard-edged ambitions in a series of dangerous adventures, taking cargo from smaller boats before getting on the radar of both law enforcement and the […]

A wartime noir thriller exploring the edges of New York City, O’Shaughnessy Investigations, Inc. by A.G. Russo is a sharply penned and wildly immersive murder mystery. When the dauntless Maeve O’Shaughnessy takes over the family detective agency while her brothers are away at war, the threat of failure forces her to choose strange bedfellows, such as a grouchy ex-cop who really knows how to take a punch, but she’s not afraid to take a risk or two. Following a spiraling series of clues from one end of New York to another, from blackmail plots to boxing rings, this unlikely pair […]

A beautiful reflection on humanity’s responsibility and relationship to the diverse ecosystems of our natural world, Loose on the Landscape: An Ecologist Looks for Meaning in the Wildest Places by Joel Everett Harding is an ecological manifesto and a travelogue that would make both Darwin and Steinbeck proud. From the Susquehanna River Valley and Chesapeake Bay to Florida swamplands and the Andes Mountains, readers bear witness through the eyes of a true guardian of the earth. Transcending mere observation of ecosystems, the prose unearths an astonishing story of geologic history and the nuanced inner workings of our dynamic natural world. […]

Exploring human adversity in its many forms, Just Keep Climbing: Inspirational Stories for Overcoming Challenges and Living Life by Barry Finlay is a collection of tales that will thrill and inspire via a unique lens. From the bitter and beautiful peak of Kilimanjaro to the struggles of creatives in a demanding world, ultramarathon insecurities, and the battles we perennially wage within ourselves, the author weaves together a varied list of powerful and relatable themes with grace and ease, allowing each keynote contributor to build on previous ideas and introduce new concepts. Each piece was written in the past year, so […]

A heart-expanding novel of tragic revelations, young love, and the eye-opening journeys we must take alone, Rhapsody in a Minor Mode by Elaine Kozak is a haunting reflection on modern masculinity and the mercurial nature of our formative stories. After discovering a shocking truth about the birth father he never met, Niels leaves his Toronto apartment, childhood sweetheart, and final university semester to reassess his life on an epically unplanned journey. From Halifax diners and merchant marine mess halls to Sevillian taverns and the sweaty thrill of dance halls, the lyrical prose is eloquent and moving, while Kozak’s thematic explorations […]