Book Reviews
Explore thoughtfully curated book reviews that help you discover your next favorite read.
Duped in America, by R. E. Hayes | Book Review
Let me be clear from the start: if you’re looking for escapism, this is not the book for you. Duped in America is a deeply political novel, rooted firmly in 2017 America, and it wears its convictions on its sleeve. I’m not…
Read More
Virtuality, by Derek Cressman | Book Review
If Black Mirror, Blade Runner, and Amazon Prime’s Upload had a literary lovechild, it would be Derek Cressman’s Virtuality (released this very day!). This is satirical dystopian sci-fi that feels less like fiction and more like a documentary from ten years in…
Read More
Editor's Pick
The Cerberus File, by Martin Fraser | Book Review
Having previously reviewed The Shadow of the Albatross, the first Greg Travers adventure, I was eager to dive back into the world of MI5 intelligence operations and high-stakes espionage. I enjoyed the first book and found it to be a fun, classic-style…
Read More
The Third Estate: Secrets of the Manor, by D. R. Berlin | Book Review
The Third Estate: Secrets of the Manor is an espionage thriller that opens on two seemingly unconnected protagonists: Sophie Allard, a military cadet, and Kai Lovac, a deadly assassin. Debut author D.R. Berlin brings an unusual pedigree to the genre: a U.S.…
Read More
Frik’s Needle: Book I of The Freehilt Chronicles, by GL Charlebois | Book Review
Frik’s Needle (Book one of the Freehilt Chronicles) by GL Charlebois immediately announces itself as a fantasy novel with ambitions. Opening with a world map, a foreword and an epigraph from Plotinus declaring that, “Mankind is poised midway between the gods and…
Read More
Thessari: The Burden of Continuation, by Radu Caplea | Book Review
Before diving into Radu Caplea’s ambitious debut, it’s worth noting that this is a thinking reader’s science fiction novel. It’s the kind that feels heavily inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin, asking difficult moral questions without offering easy answers. Rather than presenting…
Read More
Retribution: Chronicles of Reaper (Book 2), by J.R. Lightfoot | Book Review
Going into Retribution: Chronicles of Reaper Book II by J.R. Lightfoot, I felt slightly at a disadvantage not having read the first book, simply titled Reaper. Nonetheless, this second installment can technically work as a standalone, and I quickly found myself getting…
Read More
Easter at The Three Coins Inn, by Kimberly Sullivan | Book Review
If The White Lotus and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel had a literary cousin, it would be Kimberly Sullivan’s Easter at The Three Coins Inn. This is the kind of book that belongs to that popular hotel-set genre. Think Four Seasons on…
Read More
Editor's Pick
The Next Goldlighter, by Rob Cozander | Book Review
Despite being about as clueless about MMA as one can possibly get, there was something undeniably interesting to me about the idea of a book that promises to blend MMA fighting with epic fantasy. Wizards shooting spells are well and good, but…
Read More
The Elysian Hegemony, by Michael Byrne | Book Review
“Don’t judge a book by its cover”—wise words, universally ignored. The cover of The Elysian Hegemony features a gun-wielding Chris Pratt-looking figure standing before an ominous pyramid, with a character like Samus from the Halo franchise hovering beside him. The Amazon blurb…
Read More