Category Archives: Bookshelf

The Glory of the Stars

On the vast generation ship, the Kingdom of Heaven, President Jeremiah Black’s word is law. It is doctrine. It is the voice of God. 400 years ago, the First Families boarded the Kingdom of Heaven to leave behind a wicked Earth and find a … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: Cold Slither

David J. West is Mormonism’s foremost disciple of Robert E. Howard. His HEROES OF THE FALLEN, for instance, is a Conanesque retelling of the late sections of the Book of Mormon, with nefarious sorcerers, dark conspiracies, and muscular heroes who win … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: Out of Ordure

Fey World Maintenance Services (FWMS) employs fairy specialists to keep our world running. Some of these fairies have sweet tasks — Bloomara is the fairy of blooming flowers, and Sugressa is the sugar fairy. Some fairies are not so lucky, … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: The Wrong Side of Magic

Not many magical adventures begin with a sick cat. Hudson’s sister Bonnie adopts a stray kitten that turns out to be poorly. Hudson dutifully offers ten dollars to help pay for a trip to the vet. When that turns out … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: The Never Prayer

Lena’s parents are dead, gunned down in the act of trying to help a stranded motorist. She lives for her younger brother Jozey, and most of the time things go all right. At school, Lena manages to walk the line … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: Dispocalypse

Five hundred years after a nuclear war, the American northeast is an area called the Forbidding. Ruled by the evil Lord Tan, the Forbidding regularly sends stalkers (eyeless, toxin-spitting former humans), werebits (perhaps a Monty Python nod — like rabbits, … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: Taliesin

Country music songwriters know this important fact about writing: you lead your readers to access the universal by bringing to vivid life the particular. The details matter, the small stories resonate, even — maybe especially — in this era of … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: Terrifying Lies

Craig Nybo remains the Norman Rockwell of American monster fiction, and this collection of his short stories proves it. A Nybo story is usually about a small-town here. Often, the hero is from a blue-collar background: a trucker, a bus … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: Death Has Come up into Our Windows

Stant Litore’s Zombie Bible is ancient Israelite history, with zombies. Stant’s academic background give these stories deep and sometimes mischievous resonance; his storytelling skills give them vivid human depth. Death Has Come up into Our Windows is the first in … Continue reading

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Bookshelf: Helen & Troy’s Epic Road Quest

Helen & Troy’s Epic Road Quest is Percy Jackson written for adults with ironic senses of humor. Helen is a minotauress, with the usual challenges: she’s big, she’s awkward, she breaks things, she sheds. Troy is her annoyingly perfect (although, … Continue reading

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