Tag Archives: Fantasy

A Review of Song for September

Book cover for Song for September by Holly Schindler. Image on cover shows a guitar lying on the rocky bed of a stream of water. Title: Song for September

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022. Originally published in 2016.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal

Length: 40 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #10: Dreams often linger like a haunting melody.

Michael is a failed musician at heart and a coffee shop barista by day. Will the century-old legend of his hometown provide the magic he needs to finally succeed—and in so doing, will Michael have the power to assist in the long-awaited reunion of Finley’s first sweethearts?

Song for September is part of Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include: Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, April’s Promise, Mayday Mayday Mayday, Chasing June, A Hundred Julys, and Under the August Moon. Stories following Song for September include October Omen and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Content Warning:

Review:

Music is the heartbeat of life itself.

One of the things this series has done well so far is capturing the sorts of personalities of people who love living in small towns. I enjoyed getting to know Michael better and learning about why his attempt to move to Nashville and become a professional musician ended so quickly. While I can’t give away spoilers about that portion of the plot, it made a great deal of sense to me and helped to explain parts of his personality that weren’t so prevalent in Under the August Moon, the first book I read about these characters. Some people are best suited to small town life for all sorts of reasons, and I thought this provided a well-rounded look at several of them.

It would have been helpful to have a more thorough explanation of why Michael’s musical abilities had developed the way they had. Let’s just say that he isn’t exactly an ordinary musician in certain ways, although I can’t go into detail about that without giving away spoilers. It was confusing for me as a reader to never quite be sure what he was and wasn’t capable of. This is something I’m saying as someone who liked this tale and really wanted to give it a higher rating. The concept of it was intriguing, but I simply needed more information about how everything worked.

Relationships in rural places can be complex, so it has taken me a while to begin to understand how all of the characters are connected and what they genuinely think of one another. Some personality types get along better than others do which is a perfectly normal part of being human, but what made this tale so interesting was seeing how everyone made accommodations for each other – or sometimes maybe struggled to do that under certain circumstances – in order to keep their community as harmonious as possible. This sort of invisible emotional work can so easily be overlooked by a storyteller, but it brings layers of meaning to characters when an author is willing to dive deeply into the multitude of tiny ways a community is stitched together over time.

Song for September reminded me of the years I’ve spent living in small towns and what it’s like to live in that environment.

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A Review of Under the August Moon

Book cover for Under the August Moon by Holly Schindler. Image on cover shows a large, full moon glowing brightly in the sky just after dusk. The land below is so dark you can’t tell if there are trees or rocks down there. There is still a faint yellow and orange streak of light at the horizon, but even it is quickly disappearing. Title: Under the August Moon

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022. Originally published in 2016.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Length: 34 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #9: It has been said that seeds of love planted beneath an August moon will bind two meant to be together—forever.

Two different couples—one currently hoping to find common ground in their relationship, the other a legendary pair wandering the town in their relentless attempt to reunite—find their paths have suddenly intertwined like wild Midwestern vines under the red August Heart Moon. Will Mark and Jo decide their late-in-life romance can find new direction? And how will the fabled Finley’s search for her beloved Amos be impacted by the planting of her enchanted moon seeds?

Under the August Moon is part of Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, April’s Promise, Mayday Mayday Mayday, Chasing June, and A Hundred Julys. Stories following Under the August Moon include Song for September, October Omen, and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Review:

The hot, humid days of summer won’t last forever, but maybe romance will.

This was my first introduction to the Forever Finley series, and I was impressed by how I understood everything I needed to in order to get into this story.  It’s not easy to write a series that can be read as standalone works and in any order, so I must tip my cap to Ms. Schindler for pulling this off.  While there were definitely some scenes that I think will be more meaningful to fans who have met these characters before, I never felt out of my depth as I was reading. The mystery of the jar filled with invisible magic seeds was more than enough to keep my interest levels high.

I found myself wishing for more conflict as I was reading this. It was such a cozy little community that I certainly wouldn’t expect anything high stakes, but there were times when the plot felt a little slow due to how long it took the characters to figure out problems like finding a missing pair of overalls or encouraging neighbourhood children who snuck onto one character’s property and ate the blueberries that she had been planning to sell in order to afford Christmas presents and some festive food for that occasion to stop stealing fruit. Even a little more effort in this area would have been enough for me to choose a higher rating as I loved this world in general.

The romance was handled nicely, and I’m saying that as someone who only visits this genre occasionally. I understood why one of the characters involved in this relationship was having second thoughts, but I also thought they made a good match and hoped they’d be able to work this problem out. It was also interesting to take note of the paranormal elements of the storyline that were related to romance as that isn’t something I typically read about. They were handled nicely and have encouraged me to visit this world again soon.

Under the August Moon made me smile.

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Gardening Woes: A Review of Tomato Dreams

Book cover for Tomato Dreams by P.B. Cannon. Image on cover is a rustic painting of tomatoes growing on a row of tomato plants in a garden. Oddly enough, there are several colourful fish swimming between the plants. Maybe they’re underwater? Title: Tomato Dreams

Author: P.B.Cannon

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: March 10, 2019

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Humour

Length: 34 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Red has planted her very first vegetable garden. She is tending it when she makes a surprising discovery: fish are growing on her tomatoes. With the help of friends that are… let’s just say they are as unusual as Red, she sets out to learn why this has happened – and why flocks of birds are trying to steal the fish.

(Set in the universe of Cady and Sam, a short story series about werewolves and other paranormals.)

Content Warning: Pregnancy

Review:

Even paranormal creatures need downtime.

Imagine finding fish swimming around your tomato plants! I chuckled at that image in the first scene and couldn’t wait to learn more about why this happened and how the characters were going to react to it. Gardening can be unpredictable for sure, but generally one doesn’t find such bizarre changes to their crops from one day to the next.  I don’t want to give away spoilers by going into too much detail about what was actually going on here, but I thought it was a great way to draw new readers in and help us care about these characters and the silly things they sometimes experience.

As much as I enjoyed the leisurely pace of Red’s life, I did find myself wishing for more conflict to keep my interest levels high. It could have been something as simple as a thunderstorm or a brief argument with a grumpy neighbour. High stakes are not necessary here, but I would have happily gone with a much higher rating if Red had faced a few more challenges as she tried to figure out where all of those fish came from.

Some of my favourite scenes were the ones that explore what magic is and isn’t capable of doing in this universe. This is something that can shift dramatically from one story to the next one in the fantasy genre, so I always approach these explanations with an open mind and with as few assumptions about what should be happening as possible. It was interesting to see how this author described the benefits and limitations of magic in her world, and I wouldn’t mind learning more about it in the future.

This was a standalone tale in a series.

Tomato Dreams made me smile.

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A Review of The Kingdom in the Middle

Book cover for Kingdom in the Middle (Stories of Lives in Crisis) by Nadi Abdi. Image on cover shows a computer-generated drawing of five mansions that are of equal distances to each other. Each mansion has a road that leads to a smaller house in the centre of this image. Title: The Kingdom in the Middle (Stories of Live in Crisis)

Author: Nadi Abdi

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: May 13, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Historical

Length: 20 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

The wish that killed five kingdoms. From wishes gone wrong to dreams turned to nightmares, these short stories reflect the desperation that comes with being a human in almost inhumane situations. A drained and exploited kingdom wishing to be free. A loved one who no longer loves you but won’t admit it. A child looking for one moment’s peace in a cruel and chaotic home. A spouse and an immigrant who only wish that promises be kept. They find reprieve in the unlikeliest of places, including in the arms of death itself.

Content Warning: Death. I will not discuss it in my review.

Review:

Be careful what you wish.

Fans of W.W. Jacob’s The Monkey’s Paw might have already guessed what this tale is about as the two share certain similarities. Knowing the plot twists wasn’t as important as following the king as he attempted to make the lives of his subjects easier. It was a noble goal that I wholeheartedly supported and hoped he’d accomplish.

The ending was a bit of a letdown given how abrupt it was. I was okay with the fact that it wasn’t as happy as I hoped it would be, but I also wished the author had spent more time explaining why the king had developed his special power that kicked the storyline into motion and what would happen to his kingdom after the final scene. There was so much more that could have been done with this premise, and I would have happily gone with a higher rating if it had been given additional time to develop and explain why this world worked the way that it did.

I liked the way this story nudged readers to consider every possible outcome of the decisions we make in life, from the ordinary to the unlikely. These scenes when this truly felt like a fairy tale because of how indirectly it made its point and how much it trusted the reader to connect what I thought were fairly obvious causes and effects. Yes, I know that might sound like a little of a contradiction, but it makes sense within the context of something that wants readers to think a little but also doesn’t make it too difficult to understand what’s going on.

The Kingdom in the Middle was thought provoking.

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A Review of The Occurrence at Boyd Boone’s House

Book cover for The Occurrence at Boyd Boone’s House by Nadi Abdi. Image on cover shows several illuminated skyscrapers glowing at night. These buildings are casting beautiful reflections in the calm lake water next to the downtown of this city. Title:  The Occurrence at Boyd Boone’s House (The Demon Cleanser, #0.5)

Author: Nadi Abdi

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: June 11, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary

Length: 38 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

The magician may go to prison, but beefing with a superpower is forever!!! Set months before the events in Power of the People and a couple years after the arrest and conviction of Demon Commander Boyd Boone, Lillas and her demon-hunting Triumvirate are called to Boone’s house to investigate tales of strange noises and sightings of people inside. Police have also called in help from the local magician family, the Drays. Whatever Boone was into may have been unbelievable, but it wasn’t impossible.

Demon hunters, demon knights, vampires, and vampire-hunting magicians have gathered here today to make sure nothing goes wrong. But with a mix like that, how could anything go right? This is the tale of how Lillas was banned from Boyd’s house after going off on her own, then turning on her own with a power no one knew she had. In her defense, she didn’t know what she was doing. Also in her defense, Boyd was doing a lot of things he had no business doing. Note, the conviction. They may have found where (some of) the bodies were buried, but murder wasn’t the only thing going on in here.

Lillas is a powerful human, made to hunt demons and those to consort with them. Boyd was one of her most powerful opps, and one of those who consorts with demons. He wasn’t home, but the monster still was. Like his ghost was hanging around. Note: he was still very much alive. (Not her idea.) They did tell her not to snoop. But she was the daughter of a detective. What were her other options? All of that to say, what happened that day may not have been foreseen, but could have been avoided had they listened when she said, “I don’t wanna go to that man’s house!” but slightly more explicitly. Peer pressure. Not even once!

Review:

Normal is a relative term.

Some of the most memorable scenes were the ones that focused on how interpersonal politics affected everything from how magic was used to how information was collected. That is to say, who one knew in this world and how strong their relationships were with each other was often just as or even more important than what anyone’s special powers were. This is something that can range from helpful to frustrating in real life, but no matter how it affected the characters it added a layer of reality to their struggles that I don’t see enough of in the fantasy genre. It struck me as much closer to the truth of what our world would be like if we really did have magical beings running around.

I had trouble keeping track of all of the characters because of how quickly they were introduced. As interested as I was in the storyline itself, this did make reading it more challenging it than I wished it could have been. If the plot had focused on fewer people and saved the rest of them to be introduced in book one of the series, I would have happily given it a higher rating as there were so many other things I enjoyed about these adventures.

The world building was complex and fascinating. Sometimes only a sentence or two was used to describe something, but those brief moments gave me the impression that they were barely skimming the surface of what this series had to offer. I had enough information to understand what was going on while still knowing there was plenty of ground to cover if I were to dive deeper in this universe. It’s hard to strike that balance in a short story, so kudos to the author for pulling it off!

The Occurrence at Boyd Boone’s House was action-packed. 

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A Review of Child of the Sea

Book cover for Child of the Sea by Elvira Dahl. Image on cover shows a young child with wet hair swimming in the ocean on an overcast day. The scene is grey and looks cold. Title: Child of the Sea

Author: Elvira Dahl

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: August 15, 2022

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary

Length: 53 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

I’d had the dream for as long as I could remember: I’m standing on the edge of the jetty, under a steel gray sky, looking out over the inlet. Watching the waves crash against the shallow reef out in the bay. There’s a large, submerged rock in that spot, and in my dream, someone is standing out there, waist-deep in the water. A dark silhouette perfectly still among the waves. I know it’s watching me. It’s been watching me since I was a kid.” When Vendela arrives at her seaside childhood home to look after it while her mother’s away, she realizes that something’s not right – with the place, with her mom, even with herself. She makes a series of chilling discoveries that make her question everything. What do the recurring nightmares mean? Where has her mother gone? And who is the creature from the bay that’s haunted Vendela all her life? Child of the Sea is a dark fantasy/mystery story inspired by tales from nordic folklore.

Content Warning: Excema, drowning, and a brief reference to a possible rape. I will not go into detail about these topics in my review.

Review:

The ocean is full of mysteries.

I try to prioritize reviewing books that match the seasons, but that’s a little more difficult in the middle of summer given how much less common it is for the speculative fiction I typically read to be set on a warm, sunny day when the world often feels cheerful. There are exceptions, of course, and I was pleased to discover that this was one of them. While it isn’t set during summer, the beach is one of the most summer-friendly settings and the sound of crashing waves is something that makes just about any scene better in my opinion. The setting continued to surprise me as I kept reading, eager to find out exactly what it was about Vendela’s visit to her childhood home that was so unnerving for her.

It would have been helpful to have more context clues about which Nordic myth was being referenced in this tale. While I have a theory about which one it might have been, not knowing for sure was distracting and a little disappointing given how important this information was for understanding the cliffhanger ending that otherwise didn’t quite make sense for me as a reader. As much as i wanted to select a higher rating, this issue prevented me from doing so.

While there were definitely horror elements in the storyline, this was not at all gory or gross. Instead, it built up suspense and dread as Vendela discovered layer upon layer of things that weren’t quite right about her mother’s habits, life, and normally messy seaside cottage. This is the sort of horror I am drawn to because of how many parallels I can make between it and real life, say, when one visits a place they once knew intimately that has changed so much it feels slightly wrong even if you can’t necessarily put your finger on why you’re feeling that emotion at first. Maybe it’s too quiet, for example, or there are other details about it that are slightly but also jarringly different from previous memories of it.

Child of the Sea was intriguing.

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A Review of The Merlin

Book cover for The Merlin by Benjamin Parsons. Image on cover shows a drawing of a shirtless white man sitting on a rock. There is a hawk just about to land on his outstretched hand, and he is looking thoughtfully at the bird. The bird’s wings are still outstretched as it flies the last few inches to the human. Title: The Merlin

Author: Benjamin Parsons

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: January 9, 2023

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Historical

Length: 58 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Down-to-earth falconer Rowland is determined to marry his childhood sweetheart Rowena, just when her life is turned upside down by bereavement, illness and debt. A strange old jeweller forges the perfect engagement ring for the proposal, but Rowland refuses to pay the unusual price the jeweller demands. From that moment on, Rowland is drawn further and further into the realm of the supernatural, as everything he loves slips away from him. Part of the collection The Green Man and Other Stories.

Content Warning: Life-threatening illness and death. I will not discuss these themes in my review.

Review:

Everything has a price.

The most memorable scenes for me were the ones that took place when the jeweller was creating the special ring and then negotiating the price of it with Rowland. This happened early on in the storyline, so I feel comfortable talking about it in more depth here. There were so many magical  moments in those scenes that made me perk up and wonder where the plot might evolve from there. It was also interesting to see some of the protagonist’s personality quirks emerge during the course of that day as this was an excellent opportunity to show what he was like when he felt negative emotions like boredom or frustration. Wondering what the jeweller was up to also piqued my interest as the effort he put into creating the ring didn’t quite match what the protagonist or I knew about how jewelry is made.

I would have liked to see more character development for Rowland. Normally, I’d expect the protagonist in a tale like this one to have some glaring personality flaw that overshadowed his or her common sense at least on occasion, but this wasn’t what happened. Yes, Rowland could be a little too stubborn at times, but he had a good heart and was genuinely trying to do the right thing not only for himself but also for everyone around him even if his choices didn’t always create the desired effects. The ending didn’t quite sit right with me because of how much I liked Rowland. If there was a lesson to be learned here, I struggled to know what it might be as those scenes felt more like something that would occur in real life than in the fantasy genre.

One of the things I appreciate the most about Mr. Parson’s stories is how willing he is to take risks and bend the rules of the genres he chooses. This means that I’m never quite sure what to expect when I return to his work, whether that’s related to plot twists or which characters might get to live happily ever after among many other subjects. It makes the reading process exciting and is why I keep reviewing him here. He really knows how to keep his audience guessing.

This tale is part of a collection that does not need to be read in any particular order.

The Merlin was thought provoking.

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A Review of A Fool’s Revenge

Book cover for A Fool’s Revenge by Jonathan Antony Strickland. Image on cover shows a tyrannosaurs Rex opening its mouth and looking at the audience. The dinosaur is light purple and, I assume, is meant to represent a toy or a museum exhibit that has coloured lights pointed at it. Title: A Fool’s Revenge 

Author: Jonathan Antony Strickland

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: February 22, 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Historical

Length: 12 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

A bitter hate filled wizard seeks revenge against one who has cheated him of his rightful place to rule the city of Lardenmuk. But the question is how was he cheated? His only clue lies within one unknown word. Maferentuss!

Content Warning: Jealousy and death.

Review:

Revenge is a dish best served when others least expect it.

I liked the descriptions of how wizards are assigned to towns, villages and cities and why so many of them have a strong preference for the latter. This isn’t something that I’ve seen covered in the fantasy genre before, but I have sometimes wondered about how people with magical abilities decide who is going to look after which community.  Obviously, it would do little good to have ten wizards in one city while the outlying villages remain unprotected from anything that might try to attack them.

This short story would have benefitted from more world building. I struggled to understand the gaps in Zarkon’s knowledge when it came to what wizards were and weren’t capable of doing, especially since he was described as someone who was well-read and who had studied his craft in detail. While I wouldn’t expect him to know everything about his profession, especially anything esoteric,  it struck me as odd that he didn’t seem to be aware of what appeared to be knowledge that was fairly easy to obtain.

The twist ending made me chuckle. It fit the themes and mood of this tale nicely, and it also provided a little comic relief in what had otherwise been a pretty tense scene. There’s something to be said for being surprised by a humorous moment just when one least expects it! As much as I wish I could go into greater detail here, this really is something that other readers should get to experience for themselves without any additional hints about what is to come.

A Fool’s Revenge was creative. 

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A Review of Their Other Selves

Book cover for Their Other Selves by Benjamin Parsons. Image on cover is a black and white drawing of a river running through a city. The city is so dense that you can’t see any trees in it, just skyscraper after skyscraper right next to each other. Oddly enough, the water in the river is bright yellow. Title: Their Other Selves

Author: Benjamin Parsons

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: September 28, 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Historical

Length: 24 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 stars

Blurb:

Caletha isn’t ready to settle down until she meets someone who loves her as much as she loves herself. It’s a joke, but she half-believes it. Then one evening she and her father take a walk along the riverbank and meet themselves— their exact doubles coming towards them. Sudden tragedies follow this ominous encounter, which drive Caletha to doubt everything she used to believe. Are the misfortunes merely coincidental, or caused by the supernatural? And who was the mysterious figure lurking in the shadows behind the uncanny doppelgängers? Evenking, or Their Other Selves is a short folktale-inspired story, part of the collection Blaquoby: Country Town Tales.

Content Warning: Grief and death.

Review:

The mind is a powerful weapon.

Some of my favourite scenes were the ones that explored Caletha’s guilt and grief. She was an ordinarily bubbly and cheerful young woman who didn’t always put deep thought into how other people saw the world. While it was never done out of malice, she did have a blind spot when it came to how her actions affected others, and I believe she would have happily tried to change those interactions if given a second chance. I appreciate it when authors create characters who are likeable but whose flaws are issues that genuinely make life more difficult for them sometimes. In this particular case, that was precisely what the plot needed to move forward.

I found the doppelgänger storyline confusing, especially given the folklore surrounding why someone might have this experience and what they may have done to bring it on. Caletha was not a perfect person by any means, and she had made a hurtful decision early on in the storyline that I agree should not have happened. Still, the explanation of why she saw her double didn’t quite match up with what I learned about her as a person. If the decisions she made earlier were enough to trigger it, I’d argue that everyone deserves that same fate because none of us get through life without occasionally doing things, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that we later come to regret.

With that being said, I did enjoy the fairy tale qualities of this piece. It felt like the sort of story people might have told to their children generations ago in order to explain why it’s important to keep promises and what sad fates might await those who break them too easily. There was nothing at all gory or gross here, but there were themes that included stricter rules for etiquette and interpersonal relationships than many modern people are held to today. This gave the plot a timeless feeling in the sense that it could have occurred 80 years ago or 800 years ago with few if any changes to the fates of the characters.

This is the fifth book in a series that does not need to be read in any particular order.

Their Other Selves was thought provoking.

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A Review of Mob Lodge

Book cover for Mob Lodge by Krrish Anand. Image on cover is a black and white drawing of various characters from Minecraft like the protagonist, a skeleton, an enderman, and an iron golem. They are all standing together but walking in different directions. Title: Mob Lodge

Author: Krrish Anand

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: April 15, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Contemporary

Length: 160 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb: 

The world has ended, but people still have to survive. Enter Grim – an unapologetically nihilist, asexual, transmasc z-ennial with the mouth of a sailor and the visual acuity of a naked mole rat – and his adolescent naturalist grandson, Bug. When survival is just too damn boring, Grim recalls life from before the nukes dropped; which, he asserts, was much, much harder back then.

Content Warning:  Murder and death.

Review: 

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

I adored the character development in this piece, but I can’t go into much detail about it without giving away some fantastic plot twists. Honestly, this was one of the biggest reasons why I chose a five star rating. There was plenty of space left for nuance, and characters who behaved one way in the game were often presented quite differently in this novel which gave this reader the chance to see that boxy, flat world from perspectives I hadn’t spent much time pondering in the past as well as helped to explain why they behaved the way they did once the heavier action elements of the storyline kicked in. The various layers of meaning in their behaviour kept my attention levels high from beginning to end and made me want to go start a new world and build a house in it again. If only I could bring some of these characters with me into my world!

Death in the Minecraft universe isn’t handled the same way as it would be in our world. This was a nice Easter egg for fans of the game who have already had their character die in it, but I don’t want to provide too many spoilers for anyone who isn’t already familiar with this feature. What I can say is that this feature provided plenty of opportunities for the characters to grow and change as individuals on their quest. I smiled and nodded along as they faced insurmountable odds and did everything they could to help each other along the way.

The plot twists were exciting and numerous. Just like while playing the game, I would think I knew what would happen next only to be surprised by something I didn’t see coming.  This is the kind of writing style that makes me want to come back for more, especially for a genre like fantasy that I’ve read so extensively. It’s not always easy to find fresh spins to put on common tropes, but the author did a good job here of both meeting this reader’s expectations of how the storyline would go and delighting me with creative applications of the sorts of conflicts, characters, and settings I knew I was almost certainly going to read about.

I’d strongly recommend playing Minecraft before reading this book as the narrator assumes their audience already knows all about the lore of this world.

Mob Lodge was wildly imaginative and made me want to play Minecraft again!

 

 

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