Chess Match Scandal! Sasquatch Schools Student Player! "Well, there I was, playing for the fate of our world. Little did I know that my opponent, MartChess Match Scandal! Sasquatch Schools Student Player! "Well, there I was, playing for the fate of our world. Little did I know that my opponent, Martin, was getting a helping hand from a fellow mythical being!" - Tlingel - The Unicorn Chess Chanticleer
A bunch of short fiction with the best highlighted in bold as follows.
#2. The Last of the Wild Ones: The key question, is Murdock the villian of this piece? In an echo of the hunting of wild bison on the American plains to extinction an obsessed hunter tracks the last 'wild car,' to a final battle in a desolate canyon. Took me a while to invest in the characters - hence -1 star. 4 'Elegiac,' stars.
#3. Recital: Experimental writing. Didn't work for me. DNF'ed
#4. The Naked Matador: A man on the run meets a helpful and sexy Greek myth. 4 'Smirking Behind Sunglasses,' stars.
#5. The Parts That are Only Glimpsed: Three Reflexes: An essay on writing, I found relevant. 5 'Craft Relevant,' stars.
#6. Dismal Light: A man reconciles with his father on a manufactured planet. 4 'Daddy Issues,' stars.
#7. Go Starless in the Night: Being frozen after death is not all it's cracked up to be. Just OK. 3, 'Better Death than This,' stars.
#8. But Not the Herald: Pandora is inevitable. 4. 'Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts,' stars.
#9. A Hand Across the Galaxy: Bleak, so bleak. 3, ' People are Crap,' stars.
#10. The Force That Through the Circuit Drives the Current: Just OK. 3 'Recusive Physics Rules,' stars.
#11: Home is the Hangman: I got 'Eye of Cat,' vibes with the pursuit of the unstoppable hunter trope. Big twist at the end with a possible 'I'm a robot too,' option. Excellent. 5 'Robot Revenge?' stars.
#12-14. Fire and/or Ice, EXEUNT OMNES, and A VERY GOOD YEAR: All just so-so. 3, 'End it All Now,' stars.
#15. My Lady of the Diodes: Like 'The Last of the Wild Ones,' an AI plays the villian (but in both cases, not w/o cause). 4 'Beware Scorned A.I.s,' stars.
#16. And I Only Am Escaped to Tell Thee: Clever. 4 'Flying Dutchman,' stars.
#17. The Horses of Lir: A young fellow finds his life purpose within the family business. 5 'Poignant Duty Upon a Moonlit Sea,' stars.
#18. The Night Has 999 Eyes: Experimental stream of consciousness writing, hence boring. DNF'ed.
#19. Angel, Dark Angel: A riff on the AI world controller trope. 4, 'Beware the Weapon you Create,' stars.
#20. Walpurgisnacht: Didn't work for me at all. DNF'ed.
#21. The George Business: Classic semi-cynical Zelazny fare. Loved it. 5 'Mutual Back Scratching,' stars.
#22. Some Science Fiction Parameters: A Biased View: Craft Essay on Science Fiction. Interesting and personal. 4, 'Craft Technique,' stars.
Overall, giving this 4 stars. On reading, I discovered that I must have read this book sometime in the distant past. It provided a mostly awesome trip down memory lane.
Mostly, entertaining. Some real hits here, and the occasional dud.
Fear County Conundrum! Witch Child Goes AWOL! "Well, all I wanted to do was raise a family in peace. I just don't get why everyone got so upset. I onlFear County Conundrum! Witch Child Goes AWOL! "Well, all I wanted to do was raise a family in peace. I just don't get why everyone got so upset. I only took hardly a handful of young uns and a few stragglers from the herd. I was just making Mangrum county a better place. Jeez - talk about harsh!" - Snake-Critter - The Fear County Chronicle.
Interesting how the story has a show-bag of monsters. In lesser hands it could've been a disaster with a loss of focus, but Ron pulls it off well. Kinda reminds me of the early years of the 'Supernatural,' tv show but with more run & evade tactics.... I'm also getting a Stephen King 'Maine,' vibe with Tennessee flavour.
In many ways this is a coming of age story for Jeb, a 10 year old who finds himself having to rise to the occasion against terrible foes. An entertaining tale throughout.
Recommended. 5 'Boy With the Right Stuff,' stars...more
Character Shocker! MC Accidentally Blown Through Time Portal! "Well, I was just looking for a flower when next thing I know, I'm in another century!" Character Shocker! MC Accidentally Blown Through Time Portal! "Well, I was just looking for a flower when next thing I know, I'm in another century!" - Claire Randall - The Hapless Character Chronical.
DNF at 9%. (page 79 of 877)
I'm just not captured by the main character Claire Randall. I suspect it's due to the absence of a 'mighty purpose.' She's just floating through her post-war life with a husband she's barely seen in the last 6 years, and then she shunts off through time in a narrative process that comes across as being struck by lightning from a bright blue sky...
I really like to read about characters with agency, and Claire just doesn't seem to have any. Things just happen to her, and she responds to them - more or less. She doesn't seem to have much initiative of her own, which follows from her general aimlessness.
Kitchen Capers! Menu Magician Magics Mystery Meals! "What?! There was no mystery about it. Mandor stole all my best dishes just before I was about to Kitchen Capers! Menu Magician Magics Mystery Meals! "What?! There was no mystery about it. Mandor stole all my best dishes just before I was about to serve them to the King! Now the King wants my head on a platter - literally!" - The Chef's Complaint.
Merlin, his (older & wiser) brother Mandor, and a former foe come somewhat ally share an exquisite meal for two chapters while managing to 'info dump,' without boring the reader ... (takes notes on the special secret sauce used here...)
Merlin is beset from all directions by the great powers as he has a foot in both camps and can shift the balance of power. But he refuses to play ... and attempts to be a metaphorical 'Switzerland,' and assert his independence with mixed results.
The story drew me in and I had to start reading the next and last book straight away.
Recommended, 5 'I'm not a pawn,' stars. (pun slightly intended...)...more
Judicial Imbroglio! De Facto or De Jure! "Well, I'm sure the Master spotted what was going on right from the start before turning a 'blind eye,' to soJudicial Imbroglio! De Facto or De Jure! "Well, I'm sure the Master spotted what was going on right from the start before turning a 'blind eye,' to some very shadowy shenanigans. Of course, being a vampire, he doesn't really have a blind eye to turn, but you get my drift ... now, that pie does look delicious, so I'll duck out now while I've got the chance." - Jonathan - The Vampire's Valedictory
Charming, clever, short, and written with a clear sparse style - which I love.
Recommended 5 'All is not what it seems,' stars....more
Necromantic Imbroglio! Doom Or Dupe! Dark Wizard Dares All! "I had the four of them all in my hand, and all I had to do was squeeze!" - Colchester - TNecromantic Imbroglio! Doom Or Dupe! Dark Wizard Dares All! "I had the four of them all in my hand, and all I had to do was squeeze!" - Colchester - The Necromancer's Gazette.
Loved the story.
A couple of nit picks. I'm not a fan of Third Person Present (TPP) narrative style. It never reads right to me, but I get it. It's a valid stylistic choice. Also, I'm not a fan of interweaving two stories (the present and the past) into one narrative, even if strongly interlinked.
I love to immerse into a story, its why I read in the first place, to immerse myself into a fantasy world and forget the present as I'm transported into a place of pure imagination and held there by the power of the story.
Having a split narrative can impact my immersion, although in this case, Farnsworth get's away with it as the 'past story,' was also interesting and for the most part absorbing.
All that said, and out of the way. The emotional punch of the story was on point and very moving - especially at the end - and that always rings my bells.
Well done!
Strongly recommended. 5 'Cosmic Horror in Middle America,' stars....more
Great Conflict Conniptions! Hexecutioner or Hexorcist: Who Wins?! "Well, there really is a demon on each side. So, who's fighting who? Did the good guGreat Conflict Conniptions! Hexecutioner or Hexorcist: Who Wins?! "Well, there really is a demon on each side. So, who's fighting who? Did the good guys pull one over on we 'Legions of Evil?' I know, I know, ... but it has to be said. Are we being played here?" - Lucifer's Podcast
Simply put, an ex-FBI Profiler finds a new career after being possessed by a powerful demon that he then comes to control with the help of an order of holy monks.
The series covers a broad swathe of territory with a new villain in each episode - except for the Nun who is present in #6 and #10, and who is the most terrifying opponent that the Hexecutioner faces.
Each story is written in simple easy to read prose in a neat novella package. While each story doesn't run long enough to flesh out the secondary characters, the pace is excellent, the plot is flawless, with twists, turns, surprises and plenty of action.
A satisfyingly easy read that is easy to dip into and out of, and which beats a lot of other forms of entertainment.
My personal favourites would be #3, #4, #6 and #10.
One thing: I would love to see this concept treated in a longer format, enabling greater depth of character development, 'cause I feel that a lot more remains to be mined in the fateful circumstance Jaxson Weylock finds himself in.
Recommended. 5 'Vigilante with the Right Stuff,' stars....more
Nun of a Bitch! Hexorcist Laments Mystic Monastery of Mayhem Shocker! "My plan was brilliant. Possess an exorcist nun, infiltrate the mountain top monNun of a Bitch! Hexorcist Laments Mystic Monastery of Mayhem Shocker! "My plan was brilliant. Possess an exorcist nun, infiltrate the mountain top monastery of the holy knight, lay a diabolical trap for the Hexecutioner, and deliver an apocalyptic smackdown on all the goody two shoes out there. But, but, but ... I wasn't expecting a fair fight!" - Torments Own Tattler
And the Hexecutioner series comes to an end in a way that surprised me.
Simple easy to read prose in a neat novella package. While the story doesn't run long enough to flesh out the secondary characters, the pace is excellent, the plot flawless, with twists, turns, surprises and plenty of action.
A satisfyingly easy read that beats a lot of other forms of entertainment.
Recommended. 5 'Teamwork Wins in the End,' stars....more
Academy Scandal! Red Lister Invents Chocolate Flavoured Mana! (Puts down scrapped clean tub) "Well, Scowio is a wascally webel, always flouting our wuAcademy Scandal! Red Lister Invents Chocolate Flavoured Mana! (Puts down scrapped clean tub) "Well, Scowio is a wascally webel, always flouting our wules and wegulations. When I finally catch up with him, I'm going to tweat him vewy woughly! Vewy woughly, indeed!" - Praximar - The Academy Autocrat Autodiktat
A brilliant story with lots and lots of pages between the covers. My goodness this was long and took ages to read through, although ... it was truly awesome.
The world building was amazing, except for the buttered bread, it's little details like this given the total absence of dairy cows, and dairys, that can trip up the reader and throw them out of immersion. That said, the world building was so incredible good that I'm going to entirely overlook this little nit.
The characterisation is fantastic. I loved all the important characters and totally invested in their lives. While the very nature of the story, an academy progressing students through a series of trials, tribulations, and progressive stages lends itself to character development - it still has to be done in a believable way - and it was.
Not just believable, but also evocative of wise personal development. Bravo. Well done.
In addition. I loved the secondary character of Nox, who provided a number of laugh-out loud moments of humor. Very clever.
All in all, a wonderful story and I'm sure I'll read more by Phil Tucker.
A big h/t to Michael Palin and his Pontius Pilate scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian. For some reason, Praximar, Bastion's Autocrat of the Academy ended up reminding me of someone who couldn't pronounce the letter 'R.'
Secondary Character Conundrum! Dark Horse Hero or Discarded Ghostly Toy! "Well, there I was. Hell was literally breaking out and I just had to make a Secondary Character Conundrum! Dark Horse Hero or Discarded Ghostly Toy! "Well, there I was. Hell was literally breaking out and I just had to make a choice: to stab or not to stab. Well, you can guess which one I did, but now I'm out of a job and looking for my next contract, and I can tell you - the market for a seven-foot-tall blood-soaked pink unicorn is tough!" - Taffy - The Titanic Toy Tattler.
OMG! This was good. Ralston's imagination is off the charts and the narrative is seamlessly put together. I'm just blown away by the many and varied visions laid before me.
For me, this series really evolved over the course of the three books. At times, I struggled with pace and emotional investment with the main characters in the first book (4 stars). Then the 2nd book came along and gripped my throat with a 'Living Dark,' pincer (5 stars). ... And then there is this book which is even better than the 2nd book (5+ stars).
Awesome, impressive, intimidating story telling with a wonderfully satisfying closure to the ending that left me both sad and exhilarated (and that's not easy to do).
Read this series - it's well worth your money and your time.
I have a final question for the author - will the titanic ghostly toys form a union for better pay and working conditions? This reader would like to know!
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