I am pleased to announce the release of the anthology Vampyr Verse edited by Lester Smith. Three of my poems appear in this book: “Amor de Toreros,” “The Poacher’s Wife,” and “How the Aztecs Conquered Cortez.”

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David Kopaska-Merkel has a story, “Declaration,” up in Daily Cabal.  A permanent link to David’s archive page is here.

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Bitter Night: A Horngate Witches Book by Diana Pharaoh Francis. Pocket Books, 2009. Paperback, 387 pages. ISBN: 978-1-4165-9814-5. Three stars.

This book is contemporary fantasy, with an urban fantasy flavor although much of the action happens in rural territory. More precisely, it belongs to the surge of novels about badass women who use weapons and magic to make their way through the world; I haven’t seen the subgenre given a name of its own, but it sure is distinctive. In this version of the world, there are powerful witches who protect their covens by creating magical warriors, the Shadowblades (drawing power from darkness) and the Sunspears (drawing power from light).

Max is a Shadowblade, bound to the Horngate coven run by a witch named Giselle. Despite the justified hostility between them, Max does her best to protect the people of Horngate. But now the world is changing – the old powers, the Guardians, are rousing to protest humanity’s mistreatment of the Earth. Their attention is frequently fatal. Horngate is being swept into a magical and spiritual conflict between terrible forces. Can Max still protect her people?

Bitter Night holds the most appeal for fans of urban fantasy. There is enough violence that fans of horror, thriller, or other edgy supernatural stuff may also want to take a look. Recommended.

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The Sun Falls from the Sky … and That’s a GOOD Thing

Eclipse Court by Shirley Meier

This novel interweaves with The Philosopher in Arms and asa kraiya by Karen Wehrstein, like harmony to melody. It tells the story of Minis Aan, the heir to the Arkan throne. Currently on the throne is Minis’ father, Kurkas Aan, who is both insane and dangerous. Minis is trapped in a privileged but poisonous life.

Then he meets Chevenga, the ruler of Yeola-e, held captive as a gladiator and nicknamed Karas Raikas. Minis begins to learn how decent people behave . . . and the more he learns, the more disturbing his home becomes and the more danger he is in.

Eclipse Court is a breathtaking drama of personal growth and politics, filled with vivid and compelling characters. I have loved the Fifth Millennium series for years, and I’m delighted by this new book. Most highly recommended.

Also, the author has a donation button on the site, as this is cyberfunded creativity. If you buy a paper book, only a few cents will go to the author; but when you make a donation to a cyberfunded project, ALL of that goes to the author! Please support what you love.

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I’m pleased to announce that I have three poems in the Vampyre Verse anthology: “Amor de Toreros,” “The Poacher’s Wife,” and “How the Aztecs Conquered Cortez.”  This book can be ordered now, and it’s at a 15% discount (from $7.99) until Friday the 13th.

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I am pleased to announce that my short story “Goldenthread” is now available in the anthology Dead Souls edited by Mark S. Deniz from Morrigan Books.  (Other contributing authors include Ramsey Campbell, Robert Hood, and Kaaron Warren.)  My story blends romance, tragedy, and magic; it comes from my dark fantasy setting, Penumbra.

According to Amazon.com, there are no customer reviews yet.  If you’ve read the book, I encourage you to post a review!  Feedback here is also welcome.

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Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow by M.J. Claire.  March Books, 2009.  Trade paperback, 144 pages.  ISBN: 978-1935367000.  Three stars.

Kelly is a college student, working her way towards veterinary school.  Her parents have divorced, making her family situation difficult.  Her father offers to pay her tuition, but wants her to side with him against her mother.  And then Kelly’s life really gets complicated.

A talking cat, Fagan, leads her into a magical cave.  Fagan turns out to be an Animelf – a sort of fey shapeshifter.  He reveals that Kelly is actually the daughter of their Queen.  Now he wants Kelly’s help.  The Animelfs expect her to free her mother’s true love (who is not Kelly’s father) and restore the Queen to her rightful place.

Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow holds the most appeal for fantasy fans.  People who enjoy shapeshifters or animal stories may also want to take a look.  Recommended.

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Today I’m pleased to present a guest reviewer, Z.S.Adani, and her review of the novel The Priestess and the Slave.  I also encourage you to visit Jenny Blackford’s site and Hadley Rille Books.

The Priestess and the Slave by Jenny Blackford, published by Hadley Rille Books.

Set in fifth century BC, Greece, Jenny Blackford’s The Priestess and the Slave is a historical novella. It is told in alternating chapters describing the life of Thrasulla, one of Apollo’s Pythias at Delphi, and of Harmonia, a slave living in Athens sixty years later during the devastating plague.

Thrasulla is dismayed when the Spartan King Kleomenes succeeds in bribing Perialla, the senior Priestess at Delphi. For a Pythia avarice is disgrace, and Thrasulla the wise and strong, often reflects upon her past in an effort to save her fallen sister. While Thrasulla loses respect for Perialla, her faith in Apollo remains steadfast. Despite their stations as the Delphi Oracles, the Priestesses are all too human; they gossip like other people, they scheme, and some of them even triumph as they journey through life.

In Athens during the plague, we meet Harmonia, a young slave, who is regarded as a family member and whose love is reciprocated by those she cares for. The reader is immediately plunged into a scene in which Harmonia nurses young Aristogeiton. As the plague claims its victims from this one family, Harmonia’s kindness is revealed through superb characterization. She is an ordinary young woman, yet her capacity to cope with grief and tragedy makes her extraordinary. I found Harmonia’s tale moving and her plight easy to identify with.

While the two women’s lives are very different, their stories resonate and echo in their display of courage and wisdom. The nuances of political play, the power of prophesy, tragedy, and the daily lives of people are intricately woven together into a fascinating, historical piece. Readers that don’t care for textbook history would find this novella informative in a vivid fictional setting, and those that like history would cherish it for its accurate details. Highly recommended.

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Howard Dean’s Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform: How We Can Achieve Affordable Medical Care for Every American and Make Our Jobs Safer by Howard Dean, M.D.  Chelsea Green, 2009.  U.S. $12.95 trade paperback, 137 pages.  ISBN: 978-1-60358-228-5.  Three stars.

This book leads the reader through the issue of health care reform.  Its strongest foundation is simply that the author is a medical doctor with wide experience in health care, with patients, with insurance companies, and other aspects of the industry.

Howard Dean’s Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform explores the issue methodically.  It begins by laying out the problems of private insurance and the difficulties businesses face.  Then it jumps into “A Prescription for Healthcare Reform” with a very cogent list of fundamental elements, some attention to politics, thoughts on controlling costs and paying for the benefits.  The author explores who stands in the way of reform (drug companies, insurance companies, etc.) and tries to dispel some false beliefs about health care reform.  Finally, Dean calls for readers to become activists for this cause.

This book does a good job of presenting the background and some concerns, but suffers from considerable bias as the author argues so strongly for his own preferred solutions that he ignores many important aspects and arguments.  Most regrettably, it dismisses without serious consideration all single-payer systems, which are effective in many civilized nations (all of whom except for America, by the way, provide health care for all their citizens) but have been shut out of discussion here at the insurance industry’s behest.  So it’s not a complete or balanced view of the health care reform issue, but it’s a pretty good place to start.

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Other games from Atomic Sock Monkey and Evil Hat Productions may be found on the publishers’ websites.  You can download a streamlined version of the core rules, PDQ#, to see if you like the swashbuckling game-engine.  Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies also has its own game support site online with extra resources.

Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies RPG: Core Rulebook by Chad Underkoffler. Evil Hat Productions, 2009. Hardback, 323 pages. ISBN: 978-0-9771534-5-9. Five stars.

Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies is a delightfully original roleplaying game. All you need to play the game is this single handbook, plus dice and other incidental materials. (Due to game mechanics, it helps to have a substantial number of six-sided dice in different colors and/or sizes.) Read the rest of this entry »

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The Crowdsource Tarot by Bard Bloom and Victoria Borah Bloom. Make Incense, 2009. Cyberfunded by donation. Four stars.

Recently Bard Bloom and Victoria Borah Bloom posted a call for … words. They asked friends to submit a single word, to be used in the creation of a Tarot deck. The result is The Crowdsource Tarot, now available online with various ways to support and expand the project.

First, The Crowdsource Tarot is not exactly a Tarot deck. It has a different structure and no numbering; plus it currently exists only in cyberspace. However, it is an excellent divinatory tool deserving of its own consideration. This deck has 86 cards, divided into 7 suits plus a single Trump. These are the suits and their areas of influence:

• Beasts: Instinct
• Foods: Physiological
• Devices: Safety
• Manifestations: Belonging
• Callings: Esteem
• States: Aesthetics
• Forms: Transcendence

Each suit has an “Alpha” card, similar to the Ace in traditional Tarot, which represents the archetypal energy of that suit. The other cards offer different refinements of the overall message carried by the suit. Read the rest of this entry »

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Check out my recent review of a new book over on Gaiatribe:

The End of Money and the Future of Civilization by Thomas H. Greco, Jr. Chelsea Green, 2009.  Trade paperback, 268 pages.  ISBN: 978-1-60358-078-6.  Three stars.

This book takes a look at how “the economy” evolved, what causes its instability, and what could be done to create a healthier exchange system.  The early chapters describe the author’s personal background in economics, crisis and metamorphosis, and opposing philosophies of control. 

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Visit the author’s website, Stardancer, or her LiveJournal, Haikujaguar.  Also, check out my interview with M.C.A. Hogarth!

The Admonishments of Kherishdar by M.C.A. Hogarth.  M.C.A. Hogarth, 2008.  Trade paperback, 60 pages.  ISBN: 978-1442145085.  Five stars.

             Return to the star empire of Kherishdar in this sequel to M.C.A. Hogarth’s previous collection, The Aphorisms of Kherishdar.  In the first book, we saw the lighter side of Ai-Naidari culture and the wise sayings that support it.  In this book, we see the darker side – the sins and crimes – and how they are Corrected so that those who have erred may rejoin Civilization.

            Each of these twenty-five stories begins with a vocabulary word from the Ai-Naidari language, related to the story’s theme.  Some very apt concepts of social and emotional dynamics appear here, including many that have no close parallel in English; some readers may find them useful for that alone.  The stories themselves concern moments of loss, failure, foolishness, guile, violence – many different ways in which people let their base nature out – told in the voices of those who have passed through them and come out the other side.  It is a difficult journey, but they have a capable guide:

I am the altar upon which society sacrifices its murderers, its thieves, its wayward spirits.  I am their Correction … or their destruction.  I serve Shame.  Without me, there is no Civilization. 

            Like the previous collection in this set, The Admonishments of Kherishdar is an outstanding work of sociological science fiction.  The Ai-Naidar, who are bipedal and somewhat felinoid people, take center stage.  No humans appear explicitly in these stories, though there are occasional references to aunerai – aliens to the Ai-Naidari – who could be interpreted as human (or not).  The culture and customs of Kherishdar are presented in great detail.  While their ways of dealing with wrongdoers are largely different from our own, and Ai-Naidari have some significant mental and physical differences from humans, still there is much food for thought here in comparing these ideas to human justice systems.

            The book itself is a beautiful volume with crisp white pages.  It features a full-color cover picturing Shame himself in bold red and black.  Several interior illustrations use predominantly a yellow/violet palette or a darker one of red, black, and brown.  This book and its illustrations were commissioned by the audience, who had already read and enjoyed the stories in their original online appearance.  The publication of this hardcopy volume marks another success for the cyberfunded creativity business model.

            The Admonishments of Kherishdar holds the most appeal for science fiction fans, particularly those favoring sociological SF and/or books about aliens in which no humans appear.  It’s also worth a look for people interested in criminal psychology, BDSM, or altered states of consciousness.  (People with survivor issues may prefer to skip this book, as it deals with many difficult and controversial topics including rape, mutilation child abuse, addiction, and suicide.)  If you have not already read The Aphorisms of Kherishdar, however, it’s best to start there because this book builds on that previous awareness of Ai-Naidari culture.  Most highly recommended.

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Tiffany Ross is an artist and writer who does a variety of webcomics.  Her hub website Shivae Studios has a list of her webcomics so you can explore them all, along with information about commissions and donations, links, and other resources.

Alien Dice by Tiffany Ross.  Shivae Studios, March 2001-May 2009 (ongoing).   Start at page 1.  Buy the new hardcopy of Alien Dice Day 1 in the Shivae Studios store.  Four stars.

            Alien Dice is a science fiction webcomic about two young people caught up in a strange game.  Shira Lexx comes to Earth to catch a number of “dice” – which are actually animals bonded to nanomachines that alter their forms and abilities according to the game’s parameters.  But when one of his peskier dice (“That die never liked me anyway.”) bonds to a kitten belonging to the Earth girl Chel, things get a little more complicated …

            Unlike most stories, this one is a strong blend of art and literature.  The comic strip portion appears at the top of the page, with text below.  Sometimes the text just echoes the strip, but often it expands a great deal on the action.  In the webcomic version, the art usually goes up first with the text following later.  The body language in the art is particularly eloquent.  The technical skill of the writing isn’t perfect, but the storytelling makes up for it. 

            If you don’t like spoilers, stop reading this review and go read the webcomic.  I’ll just add … Lexx acts like a jerk about 2/3 of the time, but A) there’s a reason why he’s that way, and B) it’s amazing that he’s even as functional as he is.  He warms up some later, so give him a chance.

          For those of you who like more detail, click and keep reading below. Read the rest of this entry »

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This is the third in a series of posts about Claire Roche and John Willmott of Celtic Ways, who will be performing in Champaign, Urbana later this week.  For details of that event, go here.  To read the earlier interview with John, go here.

Last spring, when I attended a previous performance, I was enchanted by Claire’s harping.  By turns mellow and sprightly, it lingers in the ear.  So I gladly took the opportunity to interview her, now that she’s headed back in this direction. Read the rest of this entry »

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Last spring, happy chance brought me and some of my family to the Heartland Gallery in Urbana, Illinois on an evening when John Willmott and Claire Roche were performing.  John is a storyteller and Claire is a harpist, and together they keep alive some of Ireland’s greatest traditions.  Later this week, they will be performing again at the Heartland Gallery.  So I thought this would be a fine time to interview them, and they graciously agreed.  John got back to me first… Read the rest of this entry »

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Bard Bloom has started another Sythyry story, this one accessible to new readers.  It’s great high-fantasy (and high drama) fun.  This is based on his World Tree setting, home of the roleplaying game system by the same name.  Read about the adventures of Sythyry and zir friends as they ride a flying candelabra to distant places and try to keep monsters from eating everyone.  5 stars; most highly recommended.

This is a cyberfunded creativity project, with a donation button available; support in the form of links, reviews, feedback, and other methods is also welcome.

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Today I received the following notice from the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards:

Gaylactic Spectrum Awards

PO Box 73602

Washington, DC 20056-3602

info@spectrumawards.org

http://www.spectrumawards.org/

For Immediate Release

January 29, 2009

Contact: Rob Gates

Washington DC: — The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards. The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards were created in 1999 by The Gaylactic Network, the premiere organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror (SF/F/H), to honor works in SF/F/H that deal positively with gay characters, themes and issues. The independent Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation was created in 2002 to manage and further the mission of the awards, which is to educate and raise awareness of GLBT content in SF/F/H. Nominations for the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are open to everyone. Winners and a short list of recommended works in each category are selected by a jury. The 2008 Awards were presented in three categories – Best Novel, Best Short Fiction, and Best Other Work – for works originally appearing in calendar year 2007.

The novel selected by the judges as the best science fiction, fantasy or horror novel with significant positive GLBT content from 2007 was Wicked Gentlemen, by Ginn Hale, published by new independent publisher Blind Eye Books. This atmospheric novel combined unique fantasy elements with theology and mystery and incorporated complex emotional and relationship content between its two main characters. This was author Ginn Hale’s first novel, and the first title published by Blind Eye.

The work chosen as the winner in the short fiction category was Ever So Much More Than Twenty by Joshua Lewis from the anthology So Fey, available from Prime Books. This story of a man’s realization that middle age does not preclude the magic of love from one’s life was rich and sweet. Much like the Best Novel winner, this was the author’s first published story.

Other novels recommended on the judges’ short list were Daughters of the North, by Sarah Hall (Harper Perennial); Ha’penny, by Jo Walton (Tor); Hero, by Perry Moore (Hyperion); Hex: A Novel of Love Spells, by Darieck Scott (Carroll & Graf); Ink: The Book of All Hours, by Hal Duncan (Del Rey); Lady Knight, by LJ Baker (Bold Strokes Books); Spaceman Blues: A Love Song, by Brian Francis Slattery (Tor); Vintage: A Ghost Story, by Steve Berman (Lethe Press); and three novels by Elizabeth Bear – a first for the awards – Dust (Ace), New Amsterdam (Subterranean Press/Far Territories), and Whiskey and Water: A Novel of the Promethean Age (Roc). Short Fiction short list titles include three additional titles from the So Fey anthology – A Bird of Ice by Craig Gidney, Charming: A Tale of True Love by Cassandra Clare and Ruby deBrazier, and The Coat of Stars by Holly Black; four titles from the anthology Alleys and Doorways from Torquere Press – The Reflection of Love by Julia Talbot, Side Effects by M. Decker, The Steel Anniversary by Valerie Lewis, and Were by JoSelle Vanderhooft; Bittersweet, by Steve Berman (Endicott Studios); Dancing on the Head of a Pin by Kiernan Kelly (Torquere); Dividing the Sustain by James Patrick Kelly from the anthology The New Space Opera(Eos); The Healing by Leigh Ellwood (Phaze); Medusa’s Touch by Catherine Lundoff from the anthology Crave: Tales of Lust, Love, and Longing (Lethe Press); and Prime Suspect by K S Augustin (Total-E-Bound). These recommended works show remarkable variety in content, tone, publishing house size, author experience, and genre.

In the Best Other Work category – for works that do not fit in either of the two other categories – the judges identified the following recommended works: the comic book series 52 by Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison and others (DC Comics), the comic book series Buffy Season 8 by Joss Whedon and others (Dark Horse) and the comic book series Y: The Last Man by Brian Vaughn, Pia Guerra and others (Vertigo/DC); the television show Torchwood (BBC) and the special episode of the television series Battlestar Galactica – Razor (Universal/Sci-Fi Channel); the films Socket (Dark Blue Films) and Stardust (Paramount); and the anthologies So Fey: Queer Faery Fiction edited by Steve Berman (Prime Books) and Alleys and Doorways edited by Meredith Schwartz (Torquere Press).

The 2008 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards were presented at Gaylaxicon 2008 in Washington DC on October 11, 2008 at a banquet celebrating ten years of award winners. Winners in the Best Novel and Best Short Fiction category receive physical awards and a cash prize. The 2009 Awards will be presented at Gaylaxicon 2009 in Minneapolis MN in October 2009.

For more information about the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards, including a complete listing of all nominated works from 2008, a handout listing winners and short list recommendations with brief descriptions, or to nominate works for the 2009 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards, you can visit the website at:

http://www.spectrumawards.org/

or send email to:

info@spectrumawards.org

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JoSelle Vanderhooft hosts an author site and a LiveJournal.  You may have read her previous book The Tale of the Miller’s Daughter or her individual poems published in many different magazines.

The Memory Palace by JoSelle Vanderhooft.  Norilana Books, 2009.  Hardcover, 164 pages.  ISBN-10: 1934648876.  Four stars.

            This collection tells a single story, shattered into dozens of sharp-edged, silvery poems.  Each one captures a shard of the narrator’s life.  Together they reflect her image like the pieces of a broken mirror, smooth and glittering.

            JoSelle Vanderhooft handles free verse deftly, with a twist of alliteration and an undercurrent of assonance.  These poems are thick with allusion and allegory, using ordinary things to represent a tale of violence and abuse.  (People with survivor issues should probably avoid this book; it has more triggers than a gun shop.)  Yet there are warm family times in here too.  That is the fundamental idea of a “memory palace” – a part of the mind where recollections manifest as places and objects.  Here is an example from the beginning of “Thick as Thieves” (page 43):

Some people, I am told, adorn their mental palaces

with mnemonic curios both fantastical and strange.

A betrayal may bubble up through a marble fountain,

a father’s death ricochet through supporting walls

while smoke curls from the Winchester on the fireplace.

As for me, I’ve lined my palace walls with photographs

some small as flies, others vast panoramas,

but each one blazing like a fire in perfect Technicolor.

           This book holds the most appeal for people who like dark poetry.  If you liked Sylvia Plath’s Collected Poems then you’ll like this too.  The Memory Palace would also make a good book for discussion in a class about domestic violence, survivor issues, or women’s studies.  Fans of women’s fiction – not the current chicklit stuff but the older, edgier sisters of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – may want to give this a look.  Recommended.

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          This isn’t precisely a review, although I’m crosslisting it as such for reader convenience; it’s more of an alert to some of my writing that you might enjoy.

         Now is a good time to mention the Llewellyn 2009 annuals.  These calendars and almanacs are in the stores now (usually appearing in early autumn) and they make excellent holiday gifts.  I usually write for Llewellyn’s 2009 Magical Almanac: Practical Magic for Everyday Living (Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac), Llewellyn’s 2009 Herbal Almanac (Llewellyn’s Herbal Almanac), Llewellyn’s 2009 Witches’ Spell-A-Day Almanac, Llewellyn’s 2009 Witches’ Datebook, and Llewellyn’s 2009 Witches’ Calendar.  They include an assortment of articles, spells, poetry, and other witchy goodness.

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