The Penguins of Doom by Greg R. Fishbone

Septina Nash’s sister, Sexta, is missing, and Septina is willing to face mad scientists, ninjas, the need to learn skateboarding, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, penguins, and much more in order to find her–if only her teachers would understand! Subtitled ‘from the Desk of Septina Nash,’ this epistolary book is a long series of letters that either describe a real, weird, zany adventure, or show just how far one grade-school girl will go to explain why her homework isn’t done and she had to skip certain classes.

That this works at all is a tribute to Greg Fishbone’s ability to write a central character at once relentlessly likeable and so committed to her way of seeing the world that nothing will stand in her way. It’s appeal isn’t quite so broad as that of his Galaxy Games–it’s bright, high-speed whimsy is more suited to tweens than teens or adults. (Though there were some bits that cracked this 42-year-old up, nonetheless.) That said, it’s a great fantasy book for that age group–I’m planning on getting a copy for my niece when she’s a bit older.

The Blood Reapers by Darren Frey

Julian Frost, whose life is already dark due to the murder of his parents and the loss of his sister, believes he has found his salvation in his new love, a vampire named Violet. But fate has more troubles in store for him, and he must decide if he is to let her make him into a vampire, so that he might face the vampire hunter that menaces her, and perhaps finally take revenge on his parents’ killer.

There is a lot going on in this book, and it’s to the author’s credit that it never becomes confusing and that none of the scenes are gratuitous. Julian is a compelling character, and his struggles were well presented. The one knock I have against this book is that it feels like it zips along too quickly–there are enough story developments along the way for a novel twice this length–and secondary characters and overall atmosphere take a few hits along the way. But what’s there is entertaining, and should be enjoyed by fans of non-sparkly vampires.

***Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and several previously published and forthcoming short stories. He can be found via his website, his blog A Taste of Strange, as @gwox on Twitter, and in many other far-flung places on the Internet.

Empty Cradle: The Untimely Death of Corey Sanderson by Emmy Jackson

Civilization has fallen, ravaged by apocalyptic wars and an infertility epidemic caused by the Empty Cradle virus. Ivy Aniram, a trader who is also one of the few women untouched by Empty Cradle, makes a deal with Corey Sanderson, a farmboy who longs to escape the isolated rural town of his birth, in order to escape a trap set by that town’s elders. So begins a long and dangerous journey across what used to be America, aided by some and threatened by many. Along the way, Ivy and Corey learn to rely on one another and their new companions… but as the title implies, sometimes even that is not enough.

Emmy Jackson’s story is set against a world of considerable depth and detail, which somehow comes across without any obvious ‘infodumps’ (other than the quotes from the notes of one of the characters, a historian). Unlike many ‘post-apocalyptic’ novels, this is one that is largely persuasive in how it presents life going on and even thriving. It also helps that the pacing of the story is solid, the action when it comes is riveting, and the characters have depth and chemistry. I’m eagerly anticipating the next book in this series.

Wild by Lincoln Crisler

In 1886 El Paso, Matthias Jacoby–a mystery man with a reputation for solving impossible cases–is called upon to find a missing colonel and his son. The trail leads into the New Mexico desert, and Jacoby is accompanied on it by the deputy sheriff who recruited him, a doctor, and an outlaw with essential knowledge and ideas of his own. What they find is much more than they bargained for–black magic and the risen dead.

Lincoln Crisler’s novella is a smooth hybrid of western detective and zombie horror fiction, moving at a fast clip without sacrificing detail or atmosphere. Matthias Jacoby is an engaging character, though we learn very little of his backstory, and the supporting characters hold their own. Short enough to complete in a single sitting, with an accelerating plot that all but demanded I do so, I found Wild to be a lot of fun.

***Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and several previously published and forthcoming short stories. He can be found via his website, his blog A Taste of Strange, as @gwox on Twitter, and in many other far-flung places on the Internet.

Torment by Greg Chapman

Jessica Newman returns to the derelict Scottish mansion where she spent her early years to sort out her late father’s estate. She is forced to confront the legacy of her mother’s death during an exorcism ritual, and what role her father might have played in it. But what she finds in the house, in its basement, is more horrifying than she could ever expect, and may claim her as well.

Greg Chapman tells a gripping story that starts out slow and creepy while introducing and fleshing out the characters. It then grows violent and intense, with several bloody, visceral passages that are all the more gripping due to the care taken early on with the character development. (There are a number of movies and books that I wish would take such care!) It’s a short novella that can easily be devoured in a single sitting, one I think fans of supernatural horror will enjoy.

***Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and several previously published and forthcoming short stories. He can be found via his website, his blog A Taste of Strange, as @gwox on Twitter, and in many other far-flung places on the Internet.

Dawn of War by Tim Marquitz

The Grol, a monstrous race that has long sought to overrun and destroy the fortified city-state of Lathah, now appears to have the mystical weapons they need to do it. Unfortunately, no one in Lathah is willing to believe that the Grol can now succeed where they failed before, and it is up to an exiled, disgraced former royal guard named Arrin to somehow convince them of the threat–or, failing to do that, to find allies to stand with Lathah in its hour of need.

This is the first book in Tim Marquitz’s epic Blood War Trilogy, more grim and brutal in tone than you’d find in his Demon Squad series. It’s set on a complex world with a lot of layers and twists that held my interest, and more than enough bloody and gruesome battle scenes to give it a very visceral kick. I’m looking forward to seeing how things get worse for the protagonists in the next volume.

***Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and several previously published and forthcoming short stories. He can be found via his website, his blog A Taste of Strange, as @gwox on Twitter, and in many other far-flung places on the Internet.

The Green Man by Lee Mather

Peter Jones reflects on a life-changing incident from his past, in which he survived a horrifying plane crash. He had been warned the night before by his mother that the Green Man–a mysterious being she claimed would appear to her whenever someone close to her was about to die–had appeared to her, and that he ought not to get on his flight. But he did, and survived… causing him to realize it may not have been him that the Green Man had warned his mother about.

Lee Mather, in this short story, tells about one man’s revelation of truth and love against the backdrop of a horrifying accident. The crash and its aftermath is vividly related, and the emotional impact of Peter’s re-examination of his mother’s claims is real and effective. It’s a well-told, creepy, and thought-provoking tale.

***Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and several previously published and forthcoming short stories. He can be found via his website, his blog A Taste of Strange, as @gwox on Twitter, and in many other far-flung places on the Internet.

The Worker Prince by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Davi Rhii is a prince of the Boralian people and a newly-minted military officer, but he’s about to find he’s much more than that. After discovering his roots as the son of Workers (people on another world enslaved by the Boralians), he is forced to decide to which side to support–and is drawn into a solar-system-spanning battle for freedom. Along the way, he has to face down his own entrenched cultural assumptions, and finds a new faith by embracing the one God of the Workers.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt’s debut novel is a fast-paced and deftly-told space opera adventure set in a well-envisoned political and social environment. It is classic space adventure in all the right ways, with plenty of action, twists, and characters with emotional depth. (It also has one reversal of a ‘classic’ trope that I liked–instead of the main character starting as a worker and discovering he’s really a prince, it’s the other way around.) Schmidt also pulls off the tricky task of incorporating religion into his story without alienating non-religious readers; it is plainly expressed but never ‘preachy.’ I very much enjoyed the tale, and look forward to further volumes in the series.

***Gary W. Olson is the author of the dark fantasy novel Brutal Light and several previously published and forthcoming short stories. He can be found via his website, his blog A Taste of Strange, as @gwox on Twitter, and in many other far-flung places on the Internet.