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TCO Reviews: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Man oh man do I feel lucky about my January ARC lineup. It’s been a minute since I’ve really indulged in fantasy stories, but by fair my favorite sub-genre is hard fantasy. If the book has complex political intrigue and (ideally) a good dose of economic speculation, I will munch it right up. And perhaps…
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The “bookish” bar: Mislabeling The Library of the Unwritten
The Library of Hell. A mysterious and powerful book. At least three librarians characters. A book combining mystery, action, and fantasy – sounds like a recipe for literary fun, right? That’s what I was hoping for when I picked up A. J. Hackwith’s The Library of the Unwritten. Specifically, I wanted a new series that…
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TCO Reviews: The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft
I love stories about magic. I love stories abut mystery. And I love stories of adventure. So when I came upon The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft, I knew I had to give it a try. (Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the gift copy!) The Hexologists follows a wife-and-husband duo of adventurers, the Wilbys, who…
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Mixing Murder and Mythology in Threads that Bind
I’ve loved mythology stories since elementary school, and 2023 has been an unexpectedly fun year for them. From VenCo to Thief Liar Lady to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, this year has served up a number of remixes on tales from the past. The best of these stories, in my opinion, do more than simply…
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The Magic Touch: Four Black fantasy authors who spin up diverse and engaging worlds
February is Black History Month in the US, and I’m celebrating by sharing my favorite fantasy novels by Black authors. Growing up, fantasy was too often dominated by the same stories and tropes and plot beats. These novels break new ground in terms of creativity and storytelling. Innovative magic systems, exciting wordlbuilding, and compelling characters…