SpecMusicMuse Review—Dark Shala by Cathy Benedetto
Exotic settings? Check. Heroic characters? Check. Big war? Check.
Everything you’d expect from an epic fantasy can be found in Dark Shala by Cathy Benedetto, the second book of the Shala Trilogy. The Shala are a tall race of powerful dark skinned warriors who possess a telepathic bond with large cats they call fels. As a vast army invades their lands, just as had been prophesied, the Shala come to the aid of the native humans.
In this second installment, their leader, Tahjeen, and his Shala escort human refugees through an ancient network of underground tunnels. But they soon find themselves being hunted by Shala exiles that practice dark magic, or “Dark Shala,” who have sided with the invaders for a chance at revenge.
Benedetto has created an interesting mix of lovable characters as well as a world and story worthy of the genre. She knows how to keep a reader turning those pages long after they should be going to bed.
I found the prologue to be unnecessary since it was merely a recap of the previous book, and the information it provided was nothing that didn’t later pop up in the story itself, whether through dialogue or exposition. Those types of prologues are neither required and can be quite irksome. But aside from that, the story was an enjoyable read.
Best to read while listening to: the soundtrack to Avatar.
SpecMusicMuse Review—The Man in the Box by Andrew Toy
The Man in the Box by Andrew Toy is reminiscent of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe only darker. The protagonist, Robbie Lake, finds himself dealing with family problems combined with getting fired from his job as an editor for Cipher Mill Publishing House, when he discovers a magical box after breaking into his old workplace. The box transports him to another world, one he had visited before when he was a child. And, of course, an adventure ensues, but one that threatens to ruin his life in the real world as the box proves to be a two-way portal. Unfortunately, the residents of the magical world don’t want him to leave, and are willing to do anything to make him stay.
For reasons that I won’t go into, so as to avoid spoilers, I had trouble liking Robbie. He makes the right choices in the end, but only after he’s faced with losing everything. The whole entire time, I couldn’t help but think, “Well, you got yourself into this mess, dummy.” His almost childish irresponsibility made it difficult to sympathize with him.
Once in a while I ran into some clunky sentence structures, but fortunately those were rare occasions. While the casual reader probably won’t notice half of them, people like me, editor-brained, will flinch once or twice.
On the plus side, Toy shows a remarkable skill with dialogue and character interaction, and maintains the story’s narrative flow, providing all the information the reader needs without having to sacrifice pacing.
In the end, it’s a good book to have around when you’ve already read your first picks and need to pass some time. But I expect, over time, Andrew Toy will become a recognizable name among the small press community.
Best to read while listening to: nothing specific comes to mind; maybe something Narnia-ish but darker. Or “Man in the Box” by Alice In Chains?
The Damn Disclaimer is over to the right –>
SpecMusicMuse Review – Burning the Middle Ground by L. Andrew Cooper
With Burning the Middle Ground, the debut novel by L. Andrew Cooper, you will see (okay, read) the author’s strengths and weaknesses all in one. Set in a small town called Kenning, Georgia (and I believe, the word, Kenning, is purposeful, considering what the novel is about), it opens up with a small girl murdering her parents and then committing suicide just as her brother, Brian McCullough, finds her. Flash forward five years later, a journalist named Ronald Glassner arrives in town to write a biography about the tragedy that made the town, and Brian, so famous. Little does Ronald know what he’s getting into….
Cooper nails characterization and dialogue in a way few authors can manage. Ronald is by far the most interesting and roguishly lovable character I’ve read about in a while, and every other character in the story is memorable, even minor characters. You can also tell that Cooper did his research on alchemy and Hermetic magic as well as some Christian mysticism (and, where needed, just made it up).
The story falls short when it comes to overall plot, however. The middle section, which focuses on the chief antagonists, going as far back as before the start of the novel even, dragged the story out. While there were interesting bits and pieces, the interesting (and relevant) parts could’ve easily been handled through the regular plot narrative via segments of dialogue (which does appear later in the last third of the book, ironically, making the middle section almost obsolete) or even a few brief flashbacks by characters being interacted with (which, again ironically, pops up here or there in the final third—especially the scenes involving Jeanne). It was like the tension and suspense was building up and up, and then, instead of the necessary small drop, it instead suddenly dropped all the way through the floor, never rebuilding for the next hundred or so pages. That in itself would’ve been a story-killer if his characters weren’t so gosh-darn fun to read about (especially Ronald, who pretty much stole the entire show).
As Horror goes, I didn’t find Burning the Middle Ground as scary as I had hoped, and even as Dark Fantasy it didn’t seem to come to fruition for me (probably because I’m an old-school Dark Fantasy fan and thus expect the antagonist(s) to be more supernatural and antihero-ish). But there were elements that made the novel worth reading, and the ending appears to segue into either a trilogy or series. If so, then one can certainly view this novel as the “setting up” portion of a larger, more epic, tale. If so, I look forward to seeing Cooper come closer to his full potential with each new addition.
Best to read while listening to: Old fashioned church music—no, seriously. With perhaps a bit of Christian Rock tossed in with some King Diamond and Slayer. And a touch of AC/DC (“Highway to Hell” comes to mind).
*Ahem!* Dislaimer over thar —>
Yeah, to the side of your screem.
The End Was Not the End available now on Kindle and Nook!
Copypasta. Yum. 
We wanted everyone to know that The End Was Not the End: Post Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales, the new anthology from editor Joshua H. Leet, is now available on the Kindle and Nook for just $3.99! Features 11 fanastical tales in a post-apocalyptic setting!
Spread the word and pick up your copy today!
Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/The-End-Was-Post-Apocalyptic-ebook/dp/B00C3ZWA58
Amazon Kindle UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-End-Was-Post-Apocalyptic-ebook/dp/B00C3ZWA58
Barnes and Noble Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-end-was-not-the-end-joshua-h-leet/1046366357?ean=2940016716923
And why should you get it, you ask?
Because I’m in it. Why else?
Sigh. Fine. Here’s what the antho’s about:
For Immediate ReleaseMarch 28, 2013
SSP Proudly Announces Cover Reveal of The End Was Not the End Anthology
Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the brand new cover art by the award-winning Bonnie Wasson for The End Was Not the End: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales, a fantasy-themed anthology from editor Joshua H. Leet.
In regards to the theme of The End Was Not the End: Post Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales:
Heroes prevail… usually.
You sit close to a campfire, depending on its faint, flickering light to ward off the darkness. Yet the fire cannot hold back dark memories, thoughts of your fallen kingdom, of monsters across the land, of magic gone awry. Around fires like yours are seated other travelers, refugees from catastrophes none dare mention. Kings and queens huddle shoulder to shoulder with peasants, wizards share scraps with slaves, and each wishes only to be saved. Some will be lucky, for heroes yet remain in their lands. For others, hope was not among the provisions stuffed into a pack when fleeing home.
Eventually the silence of the night grows too heavy, and someone speaks. They tell a tale of loss, of foolish pride and tragic mistake. With bravery stoked by company, others speak up, each sharing their own sorrows. Before long, there are enough tales to fill a volume. The conversations continue through the night, and by the time dawn has filtered through the gnarled tree limbs, journeys must continue, and one by one, the strangers trudge away. Their worlds may have ended, but they have survived another night. They will continue on, seeking to rebuild upon the ruins of great dreams. Their stories linger upon the air, drifting into time like the smoke from their extinguished fires, fed only by faint embers.
This book contains eleven stories set in worlds where an apocalypse has already come, but the characters you’ll read about aren’t quite ready for the end.
The authors and stories featured in The End Was Not the End: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales include:
Deedee Davies – “The Halls of War”
Desmond Reddick – “Blood and Fire”
Scott Sandridge – “Make Way for Utopia”
Jay Wilburn – “Twenty Year Plan”
Mandi M. Lynch – “Nightmares and Dragonscapes”
Magda Knight – ”The Stone-Sword”
William Ransom – “In the Hills Beyond Twilight”
Steven S. Long – “Blade of Fire”
Bill Blume – “Waist Deep”
Darra L. Hofman – “Ben”
Nathen Gallagher – “Story’s End”
The End Was Not the End: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales will be released in the first week of April in Trade Paperback and eBook formats. For further information and updates on The End Was Not the End: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales, please visit the Seventh Star Press site at http://www.seventhstarpress.com
Contact: C.C. James Public Relations, Seventh Star Press ccjames (at) seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky
So go get it!
Especially if you like a post-apocalyptic twist to the Arthurian legends… (*Cough!* my story *Cough!*)
Announcing Call for Submissions on New Faerie-themed Anthology from Editor Scott Sandridge
For Immediate Release March 15, 2013
Announcing Call for Submissions on New Faerie-themed Anthology from Editor Scott Sandridge
Seventh Star Press announces a call for entries on A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court/Tales of the Unseelie Court. Edited by Scott Sandridge, the anthology is planned for a special flipbook format which will feature tales fitting the Seelie Court on one half, and tales fitting the Unseelie Court on the other.
Bring out the Fey! Stories about the Sidhe? Sprites? Pixies? Boggans and Goblins? How about Gnomes?
Looking for fictional stories involving the Fey Folk, both Seelie and Unseelie. From the campy to the deep and esoterical, from traditional faeries to the not-so-traditional (changeling kangaroos, anyone?), Western to Eastern, and perhaps even Martian!
Stories should be between 2,000 and 10,000 words, and the final flipbook will feature approximately 11 stories per side.
Residing in Ohio, editor and author Scott M. Sandridge’s first short story, “Treecutter,” was published in The Sword Review in July 2005. Since then, he’s gone on to publish over 26 more short stories, and over 60 reviews. He has also been a columnist for the Double-Edged Publishing webzines, a Submissions Editor for Ray Gun Revival, and the Managing Editor of Fear and Trembling. Scott is also an active blogger whose site can be found at: http://smsand.wordpress.com
A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court/Tales of the Unseelie Court will be released in trade paperback and eBook formats in late 2013. The deadline for submissions is July 15, 2013, and full information on the anthology and submission guidelines can be found at http://www.seventhstarpress.com/submissions/
Contact: C.C. James Public Relations, Seventh Star Press ccjames (at) seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky
SpecMusicMuse Review—The Brotherhood of Dwarves, Book 4: Between Darkness and Light
The fourth book of D.A. Adams’s epic fantasy series, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, takes place immediately after the Fall of Dorkhun. Roskin’s father, King Kraganere, is badly wounded, and Kraganere’s advisor, Sondious, has gone insane and usurped the throne. Meanwhile, outside the broken gates of Dorkhun, the Great Empire camps in the valley, preparing for invasion.
To save his father and the KiredurkKingdom, Roskin must unite the other Dwarven kingdoms in an alliance against the empire. Meanwhile, the half-elf, Kwark, sends Vishghu to convince her fellow ogres to aid the Kiredurks despite having just fought a devastating war with them. And Crushaw has a limited amount of time to turn a ragtag mass of elves into an army formidable enough to fight the empire.
And far to the east, a vicious and insane outcast has his own plans for the hero, Roskin.
In many ways, this book is what the three previous books were setting the stage for, 
and if the fifth book turns out the way the fourth book seems to be hinting expect to see some major epic battles to come, battles far greater than the one in here.
Adams has taken classic tropes in the genre that has existed since The Hobbit and has breathed fresh new life into them. While familiar enough to be identifiable, none of the races follow common stereotypes. It is a world more realistic, where not every elf or dwarf is good and not every orc is evil. And not all dwarves live underground: some, like Molgheon, are most at home in the wilderness. It is a world familiar to readers of Epic Fantasy but also possesses the grim and grit of Sword & Sorcery.
Adams makes you care about the characters, about the relationships, and about the world. And instead of characterizing the human-ruled Great Empire in a two-dimensional light, he shows, through an imperial captain, the moral complexities of the choices between loyalty and duty in an empire that is becoming decadent and complacent. You actually feel for what the captain has to go through despite him being one of the enemies.
The series as a whole is one of the best you’re ever going to find, whether from small press or large, and the fourth installment will keep you reading well past your bedtime.
Best to read while listening to: any epic music (Two Steps From Hell perhaps?) or epic fantasy soundtrack (you know which ones).
Announcing Call for Entries on Hero’s Best Friend Anthology
For Immediate Release February 19, 2013
Seventh Star Press announces a call for entries on Hero’s Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions. Edited by Scott Sandridge, the speculative fiction anthology brings the spotlight to the noble animal companions of heroic characters.
Hero’s Best Friend welcomes stories of between 2,000 and 10,000 words from all genres of speculative fiction. All kinds of cultural settings, types of animals, and genres are encouraged for these tales. The stories should center on the perspective of the animal, in the way that a story would focus on Shadowfax rather than Gandalf, to use one well-known example of a heroic character and animal companion.
Residing in Ohio, editor and author Scott M. Sandridge’s first short story, “Treecutter,” was published in The Sword Review in July 2005. Since then, he’s gone on to publish over 26 more short stories, and over 60 reviews. He has also been a columnist for the Double-Edged Publishing webzines, a Submissions Editor for Ray Gun Revival, and the Managing Editor of Fear and Trembling. Scott is also an active blogger whose site can be found at: http://smsand.wordpress.com
Hero’s Best Friend will be released in trade paperback and eBook formats in late 2013. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2013, and full information on the anthology can be found at http://www.seventhstarpress.com/submissions/
Contact: C.C. James Public Relations, Seventh Star Press ccjames (at) seventhstarpress.com
Seventh Star Press is a small press publisher of speculative fiction located in Lexington Kentucky
Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy Cover Revealed
Cool cover, bro!
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Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy Cover Revealed
Seventh Star Press is proud to reveal the new cover created by award-winning artist Matthew Perry for the upcoming release of the Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Developed by Bram Stoker Award-winning editor Michael Knost, the Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy is a treasure trove for writers of all levels looking to develop their craft in the speculative fiction genres. Featuring contributions from several of the best speculative fiction authors in the world such as Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, Harry Turtledove, James Gunn, Alan Dean Foster, Ursula K. Le Guin, Joe Haldeman, Kevin J. Anderson, Tim Powers, Mike Resnick, and many, many more, the book features a wealth of essays and interviews focusing on the writing craft as it pertains to the genres of fantasy and science fiction.
Slated for a late February release in eBook and a trade paperback release following soon after, the Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy will be an important contribution to the speculative fiction literary community. Whether just beginning a writing journey or extensively published, writers of all degrees of experience are certain to find this book to be an invaluable reference source.
For further information on the Seventh Star Press and its titles such as the Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy, please visit http://www.seventhstarpress.com
SpecMusicMuse Review: The Jealousy Glass by Gwen Perkins
Cercia’s new leader, Quentin, sends Asahel and Felix to Anjdur as ambassadors to broker a peace treaty, but also as secret agents. While trying to avoid one war, they find themselves embroiled in another while having to prevent the assassination of Anjdur’s Empress.
Being the second part of a trilogy, I expected The Jealousy Glass to feel like the second act of a three part play, but instead it felt like the first act only with a little back story. Nothing wrong with that, but trilogies normally have a bit more glue holding them together, and the second book is supposed to contain the “good stuff” (ala The Empire Strikes Back).
But as far as character depth and world building goes, Perkins knows her stuff. Even the dialogue felt real for that world and Perkins paints a vivid imagery of the setting without bogging the reader down in details. The plot smoothly transitions from one point to the next; however, there were some points where it felt like the two main characters, Asahel and Felix, were just along for the ride. For example, a certain plot-related item gets broken…and Asahel has no idea why he broke it.
As far as being the mid-point of a larger story, it felt lacking, yet it’s still adequate as a stand-alone story so long as you don’t mind the plot feeling a bit forced in a certain pivotal scene. All in all, it’s a good read to have around when you don’t have anything else to read.
Best to read while listening to: the soundtrack to The Tudors? Do they have a soundtrack out for that?
And now for…
Ya’know wat? Screw putting that damn dislaimer into every single review post! I’m rebelling, dammit!
The End Was Not the End: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales
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