Fantasy | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Blood Feud: A Legends of Ansu Novel by J.W. Webb

Steeped in shadowy secrets, buried powers, and richly drawn villains, Blood Feud is the fantastic first book in a new trilogy of the Legends of Ansu saga by J.W. Webb. The lives of three unlikely heroes are thrown together to face a dark evil rising up from the past in this fast-paced and well-penned adventure.

Jaran Saerk is not a Northman to be trifled with – one of the most fearsome warriors under Imperial Shen’s command with a short temper and a mastery of death-dealing. However, the whispered words of a dying man rip Jaran more than 25 years into […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-08-10T02:24:22+02:00July 10th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy, J.W. Webb|

Review: The Young by Nicholas John Powter

In The Young, author Nicholas John Powter transports readers to The Deluge, a fantasy land where dark forces from the past are rising once more, threatening the peaceful rest of a war hero who thought his fighting days were done. Written in a classic fantasy style, this quest-driven story touches on the power of family, personal resilience, and the painful path towards growth, all packed within a fast-paced narrative that will keep you guessing.

Sven and Fren, father and son, embark on a mission to find another family member and flee from the gathering forces of evil, but the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-07-01T09:12:58+02:00June 11th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy|

Review: The Race to the Blackened Nevers by Douglas Bain

A new pantheon of fantastic gods is unveiled by author Douglas Bain in The Woeful Wager, the first installment of the The Race to the Blackened Nevers series. Boasting more world-building than some authors attempt in a lifetime, this thrilling new realm is bursting with potential, supported by a passionate writer who demonstrates his deep appreciation and mastery of language.

In a world of mischievous, vengeful and deeply competitive gods, their followers are conniving in their own ways, though most are committed to staying on the good side of the divine. However, when a new race to the edge […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T08:25:19+02:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Douglas Bain, Fantasy|

Review: Architect (Calamity’s Window Book 1) by RT Mulder

Gripping from the very first page, author RT Mulder delivers a savage opening salvo with Architect, Book 1 of the Calamity’s Window series. A colossal and complex fantasy world unravels before readers’ hungry eyes in this tour de force warrior fantasy from an exciting new author in the genre.

The world of Halja is a hard place, populated by those who have been steeled for survival. The kingdoms have a long history of conflict, but when an even greater evil from the past rises that threatens them all, an unsteady peace must be struck. From the swarthy and morally […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-12T07:50:24+02:00May 20th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy|

Review: Stormheilm by Richard J. Blanco

Royal intrigue, long-buried magic, and a time-traveling scheme to save the human kingdoms collide in Stormheilm, the new fantasy novel by author Richard J. Blanco.

After 13 years of peace between the ancient Concord and Fehr families, rumors of war in the East prompt the king to send his son on a quest of honor, but the king’s long-buried past threatens to explode a fragile balance. Tainted by lies and deception, Prince Nathaniel sides against his father and falls in league with a dangerous clan of witches who promise to help him secure the throne – provided he kills […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-13T10:09:51+02:00May 11th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy, Richard J. Blanco|

The Court of Capricorn by Christopher Range

Sparkling with wit and a Shakespearean tongue-in-cheek style, The Court of Capricorn by Christopher Range is an inspired work of theatre with a backstory as grand as the cosmos.

When Capricorn summons the other twelve constellation-oriented individuals to his court, it is proposed as a time of celebration, but the reality of this cosmic convention may be something quite different. Half fairy-tale and half-allegory, there is a brilliant simplicity to the eccentric story, but the mind of the playwright perpetually shines. With clever allusions and elbow-nudging references throughout, as well as memorable personifications and precise character development, this reads like […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-11T09:29:01+02:00May 10th, 2020|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy, Theatre|

Review: Empire Paladin: Realm of the Dead by M.S. Valdez

Author M.S. Valdez delivers a staggering read with Empire Paladin: Realm of the Dead, the first book in a longer series that promises to be a dark delight. Set nearly eight centuries in the past, during the sinister and sacred times of the Holy Roman Empire, this is an epic tale of nobility and magic, salvation, justice, the end of the world, and everything in between.

Seated firmly at the center of this sweeping novel, with reins and warhammer in hand, is Lady Camila Chastaine, a paladin in service to the Empire, who takes her God-given task very seriously. […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-06-05T04:29:37+02:00April 28th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy|

Review: The Jealousy of Jalice by Jesse Nolan Bailey

Childhood friendship, tribal loyalty, and the bonds of magic are tested in The Jealousy of Jalice, a riveting and brilliantly penned novel from author Jesse Nolan Bailey. This female-led fantasy adventure features visceral descriptive language, an endlessly creative new world, uniquely relatable characters, and a fine balance of emotional intrigue and enrapturing action.

Annilasia, Delilee, and Jalice were once childhood friends, but the years have taken them in very different directions. Annilasia has become a tillishu, a skilled assassin with a shadowy past, Jalice is the revered wife of the Sachem, the chief of all tribes, and Delilee is […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-02-28T05:43:25+02:00April 2nd, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy, Jesse Nolan Bailey|