Fantasy Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Mr. Average and the 12th Stone by Ben Run

A microcosmic drama with existential implications, Mr. Average and the 12th Stone: Watch Your Mandibles by Ben Run is a mind-bending work of experimental fantasy, told from a thoroughly unique perspective.

Ave may be the best optimizer in the Ant Nest ant colony, but even his eternal loyalty and devotion to Hari isn’t enough to make him forget about the woman who has been visiting him on New Year’s Eve every year for the past eleven years. She is the reason he has been saving up all of his reflection time – all those carefully guarded seconds and emo-seconds – […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-11-13T13:46:25+02:00October 31st, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Fate of Our Union by Hildebrand Hermannson

The balance of harmony in the world is under threat, and a mythological age of unexpected heroes has arrived in The Fate of Our Union by Hildebrand Hermannson.

In this entrancing historical fantasy, the shadow of Rome’s boot is creeping across Europe, but the Germanic tribes and their mystical secrets have kept the invaders at bay. However, in a higher realm, gods play dice with existence, and the future of these diverse Sons of Men rests on the backs of a few unlikely companions.

Sunu the Saxon has recently proven himself and been renamed Red Stallion, Slayer of the Almighty […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-10-11T11:03:22+02:00October 2nd, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Blood and Tradition by Marc Keyner

An unlikely crew of allies must transcend all that attempts to divide them in Blood and Tradition by Marc Keyner, a thoughtful and entertaining fantasy escape into the fascinating land of Ylliora.

Desperate to give his unborn Half-Orc child a chance at survival, Mos plans to smuggle his still-pregnant partner, Ella, to a safe harbor and a new life with the help of an old seafaring friend. However, Captain Phara Everbloom has problems of her own, thanks to a power-hungry rival in town intent on squeezing her profits, sinking her reputation, and even assaulting her crew. Before Phara can sneak […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-10-11T08:22:56+02:00September 6th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: Children of Sorrow by Marc Keyner

An unexpected showing of family unity amidst palace intrigue and shadowy secrets, Children of Sorrow by Marc Keyner is a thrillingly dark and suspenseful continuation of the Tales of Ylliora series.

Dawson has spent a year trying to make a new life as a hauler down at the docks, scraping together coppers for honest work and keeping a watchful eye on his chosen community. However, given that his father is the Master of Spies in a city like Moncragh, Dawson can never fully escape the past, nor the wide array of deadly skills in which he was secretly schooled.

When […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-10-09T11:50:01+02:00September 6th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Tales of the Bacchae: Queen of the Dead by Brian Andrew

A fresh reinvention of classic mythology, Tales of the Bacchae: Queen of the Dead by Brian Andrew is a thrillingly creative work of mythic fantasy.

Persephone, the mischievous daughter of Demeter, is a minor goddess with a wealth of ambition, and takes the ultimate hellish risk by accompanying Hades to the Underworld as his queen. Koalemos, a humble farm boy whose heart was captured by Persephone’s silver tongue, is taken under the pitying wing of the revelry-loving Bacchus, who promises to help the boy on his romantic quest. Tangled in the machinations and manipulations of the gods, Koalemos embarks on […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-08-22T11:32:51+02:00August 22nd, 2024|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

The Dark Mountain by Yona Katz

Raising the stakes on the first installment of The Rise of Penumbra series, The Dark Mountain by Yona Katz is a fantasy novel full of dark mystery, magic, and romance, rewarding readers with its wonderfully creative premise and precise attention to detailed world-building.

Kadmiel is only 21, but he holds the highest position at the Dark Mountain under the leadership of powerful and secretive Hosheh, a Star exiled from his reign in the sky. Kadmiel acts as a right-hand man as they work incessantly to build an army able to challenge the Valley of Stars and wage a war against […]

Marina Dora Martino2024-07-01T16:54:15+02:00June 29th, 2024|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Review: The Incompetent Hero by Douglas L. Thomas

A parallel worlds fantasy that skillfully blends genres, The Incompetent Hero: Volume 1 by Douglas L. Thomas is a bold opening salvo for a high-octane series.

Summoned along with six other honored heroes to the Kingdom of Aschheim, Echo 1 – a living weapon of war – wakes to find himself with a jewel-encrusted shield stubbornly attached to his arm, and an epic destiny to fulfill. In the face of obliteration by a legion of demons, the First Princess of Aschheim has called on heroes of legend to lead their desperate cause, with the promise of fame and fortune should […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-06-18T12:38:17+02:00June 18th, 2024|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

Baumed by Chris Kassel

Whimsical, wildly creative, and laced with contemporary wisdom, Baumed by Chris Kassel is an innovative addition to Oz-inspired lore.

Dorothy awakes from her legendary time away, which her guardians suspiciously deny, saying she had been in a brief comatose state. Auntie Em and Uncle Henry insist that she never left the house, let alone Kansas, but Dorothy’s unforgettable adventure was surely more than a dream…right? Undaunted by skepticism, Dorothy employs her Emerald City lessons to expose the manipulative men and women behind the curtain in her very real world, where the consequences for her community are as dire as anything […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2024-06-10T15:12:53+02:00June 10th, 2024|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|