Tim

Behind the Veil initially presents as a gothic novel, with the protagonist a genuine medium who tries to offer comfort and support to people who have lost loved ones. As the book progresses, the reader's understanding of this process is challenged. Motivations and history are called into question, as a complex web of interactions unfolds. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Dawson's biggest strength as an author (beyond writing books I enjoy reading) is in creating multidimensional characters who, for want of a better term, are real people. Their motivations are not always clear, they don't always act rationally, they can be incredibly frustrating, but above all they are real.

Overall a good read, with real (dys)functional people trying to cope with extraordinary situations.

I really enjoyed this book, to the point that when I finished I couldn't help but see if there was a sequel (there is!).

So what's it all about? The best way to describe it is as crime procedural set in a Lovecraftian universe. There is a small team of people chasing down a pretty nasty crime, then... it gets weird.

Solid writing, believable characters, romance that makes sense. The horror builds slowly but surely. There were a few moments that might have led to more, but overall a thouroughly enjoyable book that I don't hesitate to recommend.

A rather interesting premise, with dark and light magic intertwined with seemingly unconnected criminal acts. Set in Scotland some time ago (before cell phones were a thing, but after the war), the cast of characters is minimal but detailed. Worth a try, seems to be setting up a world for a series of books.

I went into this book knowing very little about it beyond the author, who I know from the Kismet comics. I finished the book today with an immediate desire to read the next in the series!   Rogue Myths tells the story of a fairly ordinary person, living in a fairly ordinary share house, who happens upon a very extraordinary situation. This situation just keeps rolling onwards, with an inevitable conclusion... which is not what it seems at first.   The characters are real people, with foibles and strengths like everyone else. There are no 2D characters in this book. The descriptions are sufficient without being over long, the reader can clearly see what is happening without getting clogged down. Action scenes are also well written and carry you along with the events.   Overall a very worthwhile read, and a very promising start to a series.

This book isn't written about our world, but it is a complete world. It has history, it has politics, it has airships! A lot of thought has gone into the story of this world and the people in it, and it shows. There is plenty of well-written action, scenes that keep you engaged and keep you worried about the characters (this isn't a book where nobody can die). But what really makes this book are the characters. Everyone has their own voice, has their own story, and they all have reasons for doing what they're doing. You don't have to like them to understand why they're behaving the way they are.

Captain Katarina Salisbury is in charge of her airship, and is on a fairly routine mission (if blowing up avalanches before they're a real problem can be counted as routine). Turns out that her mission isn't so routine after all... As one of the main characters, Katarina is easy to relate to (after all, haven't we all been put in charge of an airship at a young age?) She isn't a superwoman, but an ordinary person stuck in rather extraordinary circumstances.

Overall, an enjoyable and fun read. There is a hint (or more) of mystery, a splash of adventure, and an ending that leaves the reader hanging for the next in the series!

I received and reviewed an ARC, but my review has not been influenced in any way by the author or publisher.

 History is not always sung by heroes. It is sometimes written by the villains who told their story first. 

Echo of the Evercry

There are a faction of knights, called to destroy the magic users who have been corrupted by power. The knights are well trained, respected (or feared), and powerful. But they also rely on their own magic users to know their enemy. But who is the enemy, really?

Hex is a light-hearted and pleasurable journey into the life of Robin, a teenage girl living in a small town. Living with her Gram, Robin navigates high school, hockey, and a new life as an apprentice Hexenmeister, gifted with the talent and responsibility to create protective charms to help all those living around. While learning her new craft, Robin must also balance friendships, new teachers, and her romantic life (such as it is). 

I have been waiting for this, the first full length novel in the Last Prophecy series, for what feels like an eternity. And sadly, I am already waiting for the next one! Not that there isn't intrigue, adventure, steam, and sail in this novel... not because there are not deep characters with histories, relationships, and wildly varying motivations... but because I want to know more. More about the world, more about the stories, and more about the mysteries. (The prophecy is clear for everyone to read, but to understand? I think I'll have to resign myself to waiting.)

But instead of waiting, I could always read The Well of Youth again, and it would be a worthwhile re-read. There is plenty of action and adventure in the novel, with gripping scenes that create action behind your eyes. The characters talk, in their own languages and with their own stories (even the background characters are more than two dimensional). The novel is well paced, with psychological as well as physical movement throughout.

It was with a heavy heart that I finished this book and put it down, because I knew that I wouldn't be seeing some of these people again. There will be more adventures to go on in this world, but no one lives forever.

Or do they...

Echo City follows on from Rogue Myths, another excellent read. It tells the story of our world, but our world where all myths are kinda true, if you know where to look. This book follows our protagonist Kay, who is a fine art student who has stumbled upon a completely different world. In the shadow world beside or between or alongside ours, art becomes much more important...

A very worthwhile read, this book is going on my reread list (along with the as yet unreleased next in the series). 

Icicle starts with a familiar premise - super rich technology tycoon Braxton Thorpe arranges to have his head frozen after death, waiting for sufficient advances to bring him back to life (or in this case, virtual life as a machine intelligence). Where Williscroft maps new territory is the way he explores feasible and reasonable scientific and cultural advances across the world, with an emphasis on global (and intrastellar) connectivity. 

The book is well written, with mostly believable characters and motivations throughout (although if you can understand the mind of a cat, then you are better than I). There are some signs of American-centric patriotism, but this doesn't detract from the story (a few other cultures would have been nice to explore). 

There is a very solid scientific and mathematical background to the novel, but you don't need to understand any of it in depth to enjoy reading. There are sufficient explanations throughout to keep any interested readers in touch with the methods employed - otherwise just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Hollow Souls is the third book in a trilogy, so we enter an existing world. In short it is our world, but with the additional problem that all those mythical stories are true, more or less.

Kay is a young, talented art student, who has inherited (through no fault of her own) a magic sword and the ability to use her second sight. Along with her grandmother, her house-mate, and her dead house-mate's ghost she lives in a small town, doing the usual small town university student things. Trying to keep down a part-time job, get through her studies, work out her love life, and fight monsters.

The art of storytelling is all about believable characters. If you can believe in the characters, understand their motivations and why they're acting the way they are (however stupid that might be), then the rest of the world just makes sense. In Lawlor's writing the characters are real. They are people, with real people problems, flaws, gifts, and beauty. (Even if some of the people aren't really people.) In this fast-paced book the story keeps rolling, the people make decisions based on what they know (just like everyone does), and no one is really who they seem to be. 

A thoroughly enjoyable read, and one that left me wanting to know what happens next... 

It's clear to see why this book was a Nebula award winner - it's fantastic! Set in the near future after a series of attacks and a terrible disease, physical distancing is mandated by law, with restrictions on gatherings and most people interacting in virtual space (sound familiar at all?). But that's not all this book is about. It's about life, and living, and growing, and changes. It's about music. And a song that takes decades to grow, but makes a world of difference in the end.

What an excellent book! It's a topic that seems to fit quite well with 2020 as a whole... the possible ways in which the universe will end (and there's no doubt that it will end, eventually). The science is presented in a way that is easily understood regardless of your background knowledge, with very clear explanations of some very funky concepts! Katie also has a great sense of humour that shines through and makes this book a pleasure to read.

This is a strange, strange book, set in a strange, strange version of our world. But strange as it is, it is completely compelling. It tells the story of a government organisation trying to protect the world, but doomed to ultimate failure. It can be described as Lovecraft-inspired dark horror. Well worth the read.

The Apocalypse Seven is an interesting book, and not what I had first expected. Yes, there are classic tropes of post-apocalyptic fiction, but there's also a lot more. The main seven characters are all from different backgrounds, with different skills, abilities, and foibles. This makes for many interesting interactions when they have to work together to try and work out what has happened to the rest of the world. Being one of seven people left alive (probably, maybe?) would be a challenge for anyone, and the challenges are well displayed.
The third arc of the book has some unexpected twists and turns, which challenge everything you think you know about what's happened. 
An exciting read throughout, with a wide range of characters. 

The Wise One is an interesting book. I did enjoy it, although it took a little while for me to understand when it was set (recent history, during the Irish Troubles). The book follows the path of a young lady who, on her 17th birthday, begins to discover she has magic. Along with a new friend she travels to Ireland in search of her mother, meeting a cast of strange and wonderful people along the way.

I had a few issues reading this. Around two thirds of the way in I fought a bit of a slog, but from there to the end was a race that left me wanting to know what happens next. Characters in The Wise One are well developed - it makes sense that they react the way they do to the situations they're placed in. As always, motivations are not entirely clear, people are not always honest (with themselves or others), and it can be hard at times to work out who is the ‘good' side.

Well worth a read if you are into lighter fantasy with a solid real world base. The descriptions of countryside are beautiful, if you don't want to visit Ireland after this then there is no hope.