In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the flooded city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow south must figure out how to save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-nominated short story “The City Born Great,” a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis’s soul. It has been quite a while since I’ve read an anthology, so when How Long ‘til Black Future Month arrived I was keen to give it a go. I’ve been trying to expand my reading horizons of late. I’ve never read anything by N K Jemisin, so a short story collection seemed like the ideal way to discover an author’s work for the first time. A little about some of my favourite stories then, don’t worry I’ll not going into too much detail. No spoilers here, my friend. The Ones Who Stay and Fight – Imagine a…

Please note, Something Wicked is the third novel in The Chronicles of Breed. If I was prone to giving advice, I would strongly suggest you read books one and two before proceeding any further withthis review. Not only will it ensure you are informed of Breed’s prior misadventures you’d also avoid any potential minor spoilery type elements which may follow. I’d imagine the author of said novels would also be entirely appreciative of your additional custom. We all know how it goes. You’re getting old, slow… All of your friends are dead… You have to fight for your life in an arena, save the Goblin Queen, and defeat an evil sorcerer before she destroys a world of Wild magic. And that’s before you even think about facing Shallunsard the demon, the Eldest of the Annurashi, and Halda the Red Witch who’s had a bone to pick with you for seven hundred years. Live or die, this is Breed’s last ride. So, are you ready? Good. Strap in and hold on. I always get a little misty eyed when I get to the final book in a trilogy. If I’ve come this far then you can rest assured that I’ve become…

A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand is Tasha Suri’s captivating, Mughal India-inspired debut fantasy. The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited. When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist their cruel agenda. Should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance… The Amrithi can trace their lineage back to the desert spirits and the gods that came before that. There is magic in Mehr’s blood, and the only time she finds any real happiness is when she performs the rites of her ancestors. These rituals, driven by movement and intense contemplation, make Mehr feel alive, they make her feel connected to something far bigger than herself. The culture that surrounds Mehr is often stifling and controlling. To be able to remove herself from that,…

Please note, The Three Secret Cities is the fifth book in an ongoing series. If you haven’t read books one to four then it is highly likely that the following review is going to contain some minor spoilery type elements. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! A shadow world behind the real world When Jack West, Jr. won the Great Games, he threw the four legendary kingdoms into turmoil. A world with its own history, rules and prisons Now these dark forces are coming after Jack…in ruthless fashion. That is reaching into our world…explosively With the end of all things rapidly approaching, Jack must find the Three Secret Cities, three incredible lost cities of legend. It’s an impossible task by any reckoning, but Jack must do it while he is being hunted…by the greatest hunters in history. I suspect each time Matthew Reilly sits down to write a new book he asks himself the same question. “How can I push the action quotient further than I did last time?” The good news, from our perspective at least, is that he keeps managing it. I can sum up each new Matthew Reilly novel in four simple words – Bigger, Better, Faster,…

When people shed their skin every seven years, it’s just a fact of life that we will cast off all the attachments of our old life. And when our loves are part of us, those memories of love can be bought, if you know the right people. Introducing the new drug, Suscutin, that will prevent the moult. Now you can keep your skin forever. Now you never need to change who you are. But it’s not so simple for celebrity bodyguard Rose Allington, who suffers from a rare disease. Her moults come quickly, changing everything about her life, who she is, who she loves. Meanwhile, her former client, superstar actor Max Black, is hooked on Suscutin, because he knows moulting could lose him everything. When one of his skins is stolen, and the theft is an inside job, he needs the best who ever worked for him on the job – even if she’s not the same person. Very occasionally, I’ll read a piece of writing that takes my breath away. It’s rare, but it does happen from time to time; The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough immediately springs to mind. The Loosening Skin by Aliya Whiteley has found a…