Book Review (Audio Book): The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

Title: The Sword of Kaigen (A Theonite War Story)

Author/Publisher: M.L. Wang

Narrator: Andrew Tell

Length: 24 Hours, 24 Minutes

Publication Date/Year: 2020

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Over the past dozen years or so, the term self-published has transformed from a negative connotation to the term “independently published,” which is almost a badge of honr. With that shift in nomenclature, books that writers set out to publish outside of traditional paths have gained wider recognition, acclaim, and respect. Which brings me to The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story by M.L. Wang.

I’d seen this book generate a lot of good response over the last couple of years and finally decided to use one of my audible credits to read/consume this novel. I tried not to read too much about the plot details when skimming over reviews from folks whose opinion I trust aside from the generalities…a Japanese-influenced military fantasy/family saga which takes place on the Kusanagi peninsula. And full transparency, I recently watched the incredible FX mini-series Shōgun and I was blown away. I was looking for something with a similar flavor/influence. 

First, a little bit about the world-building while the novel is Eastern Asian influenced, it most definitely is not traditional. This world has telecommunications, airplanes, high-rise building, and modern technology. The language is Japanese, but the world is not Earth, it is called Duna. The people of the Kaigenese Empire very much live near the water and as such, the magic is water/ice based and is depicted as extremely powerful. Case in point, an ice sword conjured by a powerful manipulator of the magic can rival the sharpest metal sword. The rival empire, the Ranganese, utilizes a fire-based magic.

Very high marks for the world building because Want makes her world feel like a character. But a character we only know a little bit about. The world in this novel is fascinating on so many levels, I haven’t read too many fantasy novels where spells sit alongside airplanes and telecommunication infrastructure. Well, sure, quite a few Urban Fantasy novels, but not very many Epic Fantasy novels. Want wraps all these seemingly disparate elements together masterfully.

From a character perspective Wang focuses her story on the Matsuda family, eldest son 14-year old Mamoru and his mother Misaki. Told from their points of view, Wang evokes a world of strict rules with regard to class, gender, and age. In Mamoru, we see a young man coming of age, on the cusp of manhood, trying to be as good a fighter like his legendary father and uncle. Mamoru still has a lot to learn about combat and the world at large. But he, like many teenagers transitioning to adulthood, begins to question the history he’s been fed over the years. As a citizen of the Kaigenese Empire, he is told to believe everything the Emperor disseminates to the populace. But Mamoru has questions about the Ranganese enemies, he is more open to what they might be and how powerful they truly are.  Mamoru is desperate to prove himself to his father and his uncle and himself, as well. Mamoru has been training to be a Sword of Kaigen, a great defender of the Kusanagi peninsula. Mamoru is a well-drawn, believable character.

Misaki was betrothed to Mamoru’s father Takeru when she was 19 in an arranged marriage, uniting two prominent families. As such, Misaki was forced to leave her life behind and it turns out, she had quite a robust life before becoming wife to Takeru. She had an identity, she had friends, she felt she had a purpose with those friends as a crime-fighter. Misaki also has the power to control blood, which she can use to heal herself or others and increase her strength. But that life, once she’s married to Takeru, is all gone and her only purpose was to essentially be a baby-making machine for the Matsuda line. As much as I liked Mamoru and felt him to initially be the protagonist, I felt much more drawn to Misaki the more I got to know her. Wang played a deft hand with both of these characters.

Wang gives readers chapters from her POV from her early life before being married all the way to being married and a mother. This provides a fascinating and ultimately enthralling view into one character’s major lifespan. A great deal is given over to being a mother, not something you’d typically see in an epic fantasy novel.

When war arrives on the doorstep of the Matsuda family, the novel takes a turn as the tension gets even higher. A good portion of the novel is dedicated to the major conflict and the fallout. This major conflict takes place with a great deal of narrative in the rearview mirror, but there's a lot ahead as well. That's my fancy way of saying I can't recall exactly how closely to the middle it takes place, maybe the arrival of war takes up the middle third of the novel?

I’m a fan of books told with parallel narratives, whether those narratives take place in different time lines of from different points of view. My favorite instance of this, at least with parallel character narratives might in Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies but I think M.L. Want topped that here in The Sword of Kaigen. There comes an instant (and this isn’t too much of a spoiler, I think) when Mimoru’s storyline intersects with that of his mother, Misaki and it was a genuine “a-ha” moment for me.

I have to give kudos to narrator Andrew Tell. At first, I wasn’t exactly connecting with his performance, if I’m being honest. I felt some of the pauses were a little off. Soon enough, I was hooked and realized what a masterful job he did. He portrayed each character distinctly, and helped to build tension through his pacing and voice.

The Sword of Kaigen is a very powerful Epic Fantasy novel, a familial saga, a novel of war. Epic in its magic, epic in its scope even though it focuses primarily on one nation of a world, and most definitely epic in scope of the family. Not just one of the best “self/independently” published novels I’ve ever read, but a top single-volume fantasy novel I’ve ever read.

Countdown to Halloween 2024 at SFFWorld is a Wrap!

Well…Countdown to Halloween 2024 is a wrap at SFFWorld. We had a lot of reviews go up this year and as ever, our friend Randy M (noted Horror expert) contributed quite a few. Take a look at what we (Randy, my long-standing SFFWorld colleague Mark Yon, and I) did this year at Countdown to Halloween 2024. For my part, I’ll provide just a little bit more with the links below. 

I started off October / Countdown to Halloween 2024 with reviews of Jonathan Janz’s two Children of the Dark novels: Children of the Dark and Children of the Dark 2: The Night Flyers. I’d have to say, my favorite “new to me” horror writer I started reading the past five years is Janz and these two books just might be his best. They play on the great trope of Kids on Bikes/Kids vs. Monsters to a very satisfying degree.

Next was Murder Road by Simone St. James. I’ve read a few novels from her prior to this one and they’ve all been a very enjoyable mix of mystery and supernatural. This one continues that trend.

The following week, I posted a book that is going to be a favorite read of 2024 for me, Todd Keisling’s Devil’s Creek. A story of a cult/dark church that has some Lovecraftian overtones. A truly dark and harrowing novel.

It is always great to read new voices in the horror genre, especially when those voices bring something you haven’t seen before or a perspective that is different than your own experiences. That’s Del Sandeen’s This Cursed House, which was an extremely impressive debut novel. 

Next up is another new-to-me writer, but a writer who has received (arguably) the highest honor a horror writer can receive, the Bram Stoker award for Life Achievement. I refer to Nuzo Onoh’s fable-like horror novel, Where the Dead Brides Gather.

Closing it out is a book by a writer with an interesting personal connection. Nicole M. Wolverton and I both own dogs…these dogs happen to be sisters. We adopted our dogs (Dusty for my, Myrtle for her) from the wonderful Angel’s Retreat dog rescue. Little did I know that one of the side benefits to bringing the perfection that is Dusty into our lives is that I’d “discover” such an engaging horror writer with A Misfortune of Lake Monsters. There you have it, a half-dozen +1 batch of horror novels for your reading pleasure.

The Completist: CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD by Adam Cesare

Coulrophobia: the fear of clowns. The setting of a cornfield (Lost in a Maize over at TVTropes). Two prominent and familiar horror elements, so if you combine a creepy clown figure with the tried-and-true setting of cornfields, you’ve got two great tastes that taste great together in the horror genre. Thus, we have Adam Cesare’s Clown in a Cornfield trilogy. 

The first novel in the series, Clown in a Cornfield (published in 2020) introduces readers to Quinn Maybrook, who moved from Philadelphia to Kettle Springs, MO with her father (a Doctor) after the death of her mother. Kettle Springs fits the trope of many such stories: that of a town seemingly passed by the future. A once booming industry/company was at the center or Kettle Springs – The Baypen Corn Syrup Factory, which recently closed and was burned down.

Before we meet Quinn; however, Cesare introduces some of the local Kettle Spring teens hanging out at a flooded rock quarry. As teenagers are won’t to do, they dare each other to do something dangerous and potentially stupid: dive into the water. When one of the kids doesn’t resurface, the tone of the novel (and series) is largely set: there will be deaths.

Quinn is barely settled into her new home and school when Frendo the Clown makes its appearance known. Quinn is invited by her newfound friend Cole Hill (whose father happens to own Baypen) and his friends Janet, Ronnie, Matt, and Tucker to join the Founder’s Day party (the typical small-town celebration) as well as the after-party in the neighboring cornfield. Frendo shows up at the after-party, uninvited, and starts killing people. Frendo was the mascot of the Baypen Corn Syrup company, but its face and appearance have been appropriated – much like the Ghostface from the Scream film franchise – so people could begin murdering the teenagers. Especially the “troublesome” kids. Classic slasher, kill the kids. But who? We don't exactly have a Billy Loomis figure here, but Cesare doesn't try to give a red herring in that way.

Horror has often been laced with social commentary and Cesare picks up that baton from his predecessors. The parents of this community are somewhat locked in their ways, they don’t have much trust in their kids and the kids who live in Kettle Springs. The death at the rock quarry only hones those thoughts even more. One might even say these parents want to make Kettle Springs great again. There’s very much an undercurrent of that “things were better when we were younger, these kids are ruining everything” mentality that can easily lead down a path of toxicity.

Some of those adults include Cole’s father Athur Hill, Sheriff Dunn, a waitress named Trudy, among others, but Arthur and Sheriff Dunn serve as the primary antagonists of the novel who drive the adults to take care of their kids’s mistakes. 

The first novel, then, has elements of the expected (but very much heightened) friction between two generations; slashers; and small town with dark secrets. Think one part Stand by Me, one part Footloose, and one part Scream.

Clown in a Cornfield is an impressive, compulsively addictive novel. Cesare manages to craft a story that has appeal to hardcore horror fans (like myself) as well as a story that is welcoming to readers not as into the genre. The book is published by Harper Teen and has that YA appeal with the youthful protagonists at odds with adult antagonists. For his efforts and the quality that is the outcome of those wonderful efforts, Adam Cesare received the Bram Stoker Award for Best Young Adult Novel for Clown in a Cornfield. I haven’t read the other books on the finalist list from that year, but I can say I am not surprised in the least that Cesare won the award.

The second book, Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives, picks up about a year after the events of the first novel. Few have survived the onslaught of Frendo (or rather, Frendos), although Quinn is one of the survivors as are Cole and Rusty, who are now officially a couple. Quinn is at college in Philadelphia and thanks to a “documentary” called The Baypen Hoax nobody believes that what happened to Quinn and her friends is real. Even when she is attacked by another Frendo during a college party at the same time her father is attached by a Frendo back in Kettle Springs. Quinn is still at the center of the story in the second installment, the heart of everything.

Of course, Cole, Rusty, and Quinn return to Kettle Springs where they learn of conspiracies and an internet movement around Frendo, #FrendoLives, which gives us the subtitle of the second novel. There’s a good bit of social commentary in this book again, such as that internet movement and how many people think the events in Kettle Spring are a hoax. Not quite social commentary, but a statement, I suppose is making the primary romantic couple in the book a gay couple. More than anything, it is a normalization of the relationship and it is quite welcome.

In general, I think Cesare did a great job of weaving these kinds of messages into the story, making them essential elements to the story, but not browbeating the reader with any heavy-handedness. Frendo definitely lives, there’s an army of Frendos at one point in a harrowing, pulse-pounding scene. Nobody really escapes this second installment unscathed and by the end, Quinn is a mentally and emotionally scarred young woman with a list and a purpose. 

The finale, Clown in a Cornfield 3: The Church of Frendo, is a departure in some ways from the two novels that preceded it which is not a bad thing at all. Again, though, Quinn is a heart of the novel. She is on a mission to find the various people who donned Frendo masks and tried to storm Kettle Springs in Frendo Lives. Joining Quinn is a young man named Johnny as well as the ghost of the original Frendo masked killer, Arthur Hill although only Quinn can see Arthur. The two regularly converse which makes clear that Quinn is Dealing With Some Shit, understandably.

While Quinn is tackling her hitlist, the “dream” of Frendo is still alive back in Kettle Springs. By dream, I mean church (as the title implies), but what I really mean is a cult. Cesare gives us a great sightline into this church/religious movement through a couple of the young girls whose parents are swept up (in more than one way) in the Church. Another thing Quinn isn’t quite aware of is that somebody is pursuing her. Rather, she knows she’s a recognizable individual and just might be a fugitive, but she isn't fully aware a sinister organization is hunting her just as she’s hunting the members of the Frendo mob.

The Church of Frendo, much like its two predecessors is an addictive read; the pacing is frantic (in a good way) and Cesare continues to give his characters depth, they engender empathy, they are relatable, and they are interesting. A very satisfying conclusion to Quinn Maybrook’s story. Cesare has intimated he may have more stories set in this world, if so, sign me up for them!

Cesare has managed to give horror fans a fascinating and complex take on the “Final Girl” in Quinn Maybrook. You can see elements of Sidney Prescott (Scream) and Nancy Thompson (A Nightmare on Elm Street). Quinn is not going to be kept down, she’s going to take charge of her destiny. Quinn felt very real to me, I couldn't help but root for her throughout the saga. As I said earlier, Clown in a Cornfield is one of those great stories that has appeal to long time horror readers (of which I count myself) and people curious about the genre or somewhat unfamiliar.

As I was writing up this review, I realize how little I mentioned the fact that this is a YA set of books. I think part of that is because my experience reading these books is that Cesare just told a great story, labels be damned. The imprint is Harper Teen and Cesare explicitly aimed these books at young adults. Be that as it may, do NOT let that dissuade you or let you think these books are "soft" or "tame." That’s part of what I was getting at in that these books will and should have wide appeal horror readers of all ages. There's blood, there's murder, there's adult themes. The social commentary is woven naturally and elegantly into the story and it isn’t tacked on.  

The bottom line: Clown in a Cornfield is a modern horror masterpiece and I am looking forward to more stories from Adam Cesare. 

I am also looking forward to see the film, which is written and directed by Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Little Evil) which is in post-production as of this writing. It is listed on imdb, but I haven't seen too much official about it outside of this post at the venerable and indispensable Bloody Disgusting web site.

Dark Ink: A Day of Horror 2024 at the Doylestown Bookshop

Time to inject a little dark life into this blog… 

This past weekend (08/03/24), The Doylestown Bookshop held their first (of what many attendees and authors hope) was the first Dark Ink: A Day of Horror event, celebrating horror in its printed form. You can see from the promo image above, the event featured some of the leading voices in the horror genre. I’ve visited the Doylestown Bookshop a few times over the years, usually when Chuck Wendig is involved in the event (the release of Wayward in 2022 and before that, in the before-times when Chuck Wendig, Fran Wilde, and Kevin Hearne had an event celebrating the release of Kevin Hearne's Scourged. 

Back to the Dark Ink...

Although I have to cross the State Line dividing New Jersey and Pennsylvania, I’d consider the Doylestown bookshop is the closest, good independent bookshop that supports Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction. As for Dark Ink, when I saw the line up of writers who would be featured, it was a no-brainer for me to make the 30-minute drive to attend. The first panel featured Adam Cesare (whose Clown in a Cornfield teen slasher trilogy is fantastic), Rachel Harrison (whose horror novels are modern classics, like Black Sheep and Such Sharp Teeth), and new-to-me writer Caitlin Marceau. Panel moderator Violet James McMaster did a great job leading the discussion. I hadn’t encountered Marceau’s fiction prior to that day, but hearing her on the panel pushed me to buy a copy of (what I think may have been the last copy) This is Where We Talk Things Out. It was great to briefly chat with these three writers as they were signing my books and I was able to confirm with Rachel Harrison that the amusement park mentioned in Black Sheep was indeed a certain Land up in North Jersey I visited many, many years ago as a child. 

The next panel was about Cover and Book Design and featured Andie Reid, the Creative Director at Quirk Books and Todd Keisling graphic designer and author in his own right, moderated by Marguerite/Peg Turley. This was a fascinating “look” into who at Quirk makes their books look so appealing. They have some of the smartest, and most eye-catching designs in the genre. I told Andie and Todd, when I had Todd sign my copy of Devil’s Creek that when my wife and I attend NY Comic Con every year, the Quirk Books booth is a must-visit because we each always find something we want to buy. I’d heard / seen really good things about Devil’s Creek including the fact that Sadie Hartmann features it in 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered, which is enough of an endorsement for me! 

Following that panel was a “Story Doctor” workshop with Clay McLeod Chapman and Chuck Wending, that I unfortunately wasn’t able to join. There was a sign-up online I missed and seating/participation was limited. I took a little break and strolled around lovely downtown Doylestown for a while and grabbed a beer. Soon enough, I returned for the panel featuring Clay McLeod Chapman, Paul Tremblay, and Chuck Wendig. Although I own the majority of Chuck Wending’s novels, most of Paul Tremblay’s horror novels, and most of Clay McLeod Chapman’s horror novels, hearing them talk about horror in person was a great opportunity. Collectively, these three writers have a very high “batting average” when it comes to delivering books that connect with me strongly. Chapman’s Ghost Eaters remains one of the most creepy novels I’ve read in maybe the last decade. Huge kudos again to Peg Turley for doing a fantastic job moderating this panel as well as the Quirk Books panel.

There was one more panel, which featured Nat Cassidy, Sarah Langan, Brian McAuley, again moderated by Vi James. I’d heard both Nat and Brian on a few podcasts over the years (including the required listens of Talking Scared and Books in the Freezer) so I felt compelled to purchase at least one of their books. I already have a couple of Langan’s books, too. As it turns out, Stephanie, the host of Books in the Freezer was in attendance so it was cool to meet her and Neil’s Talking Scared was a point of discussion by the writers and many of my fellow readers while we waited on line to get our books signed. Because I had something already on the schedule for the evening when I learned about the event, I didn't sit in on the last panel since I had something scheduled before I knew about this event, but because I had books by Cassidy and McAuley on my amazon wishlist, I figured I pick them up during the event.

There's a pretty decent chance one (or more) of the books I purchased (and pictured above) will be featured over at SFFWorld during our annual Hallowe'en Reads during the month of October this year (2024).

The folks at the Doylestown Bookshop (and Lahaska Bookshop) should be proud and happy with how this event turned out. There were a lot of readers, some fantastic conversations throughout the day, and many books bought!  The sentiment from the staff was that this could be just the first event of its kind. I for one, hope more of these book celebrations, especially featuring horror (or fantasy) will happen in the future. One of the big themes of the day is that Horror makes us Happy and that sentiment could be felt throughout the day, from the writers, staff, and fans/readers. 

Thanks to the staff of the store and the writers for making it such a wonderful day. 

The Completist: Richard Swan's EMPIRE OF THE WOLF

Just over a year later and here’s the second installment of my resurrected Completist series.* As a reminder, previous posts of: The Completist from the sadly closed SFSignal are still available via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

When a writer is able to publish a trilogy, on a book per year basis, readers, publishers, and the writer themselves is happy. Richard Swan did just that, in 2022 (The Justice of Kings), 2023 (The Tyranny of Faith), and 2024 (The Trials of Empire), through Orbit Books, he released the three-volume fantasy saga, Empire of the Wolf. An impressive accomplishment made even more impressive by the extremely high quality of the books themselves. 

Richard S. Swan has had some success self-publishing about a half-dozen science fiction novels. With The Justice of Kings, his fantasy debut from Orbit, Swan bursts onto the traditionally published scene and kicks off the Empire of the Wolf trilogy. The series is told from the first-person perspective of Helena Sedanka, the law clerk of Sir Konrad Vonvalt. Vonvalt is a King’s Justice of the Imperial Magistratum of the Sovan Empire, very much a knight in shining armor. Not unlike Watson relaying the events of Sherlock Holmes’s investigations, except that Vonvalt is not an independent investigator. He is the Emperor’s Voice, he is judge, jury, and executioner, when necessary. 

The novel, in the form of Helena’s notes, starts when Vonvalt is investigating a small town not practicing the religion of the empire, which might just be home of a witch. Konrad Vonvalt is Accompanying Vonvalt on this investigation is the aforementioned Helena (19 years old the time) and his “protector” Dubine Bressinger. At Vonvalt’s disposal are two powerful, magical/supernatural weapons. The first is the Emperor’s Voice, which compels those he interrogates to speak the truth to him. The other power is the necromantic ability to animate the dead, depending on how recently they’ve been killed and the state of their remains. Similar to the Emperor’s Voice, the dead are compelled to reveal the truth to Sir Konrad. After a short investigation in the hinterlands where a town is suspected of not conforming to the Empire’s religion, Vonvalt resolves the issue, though he gets some pushback from a rather zealous priest for compassionate towards the offenders leading to a conflict of wills. 

From there, the main mystery takes hold – the suspicious murder of a noblewoman. When Vonvalt, Helena, and Bressinger arrive and begin their investigations, they realize there is a deeper conspiracy afoot. It wasn’t a simple, random murder. Also under concern and somewhat connected to the murder is the daughter of the woman murdered was sent to a kloster prior to the events of the novel, but nothing has been heard from the girl since she entered the kloster. 

That’s the gut of the story – a murder mystery/conspiracy story. The world of the novel is at the precipice of a shift in power, and much of the conflict is between secular law and religious law. Those kinds of conflicting ideologies make for great story and Swan does a very good job of presenting this conflict through his characters. Vonvalt is looked upon as one of the highest of his order of Justices, he’s got a very strict definition of the law, he views the law as above everything else. But what makes Swan’s novel so enthralling is largely his voice as a writer, or at least how that voice comes through Helena’s reflective narration years after the events of the novel. I like that it was told from her “notes” rather than from any reflective remove of time through Vonvalt’s diaries. Utilizing this narrative structure allows for some foreshadowing and some very sharp hooks that will dig in at the end of some chapters that will keep you reading.

The magic and supernatural are present, but somewhat subtle. The power of the Emperor’s Voice is not employed very often, but the way in which other characters speak about this compulsion gives it even more weight in the story. The necromantic powers of speaking to the dead are conveyed with even greater awe, instilling even more fear into many of the characters.

Picking up shortly after the events of the previous novel, Helena and Konrad Vonvalt head to the capital of the Empire to investigate how deep the corruption they discovered in The Justice of Kings runs. Vonvalt has been away from the capital for years and so focused on his job as an investigator/inquisitor that he is a bit out of touch with the changes that have been happening, changes that don’t exactly sit well with him. The Magistratum (the body of power) is not as respected as they once were, their influence is not quite as strong and the enigmatic Patria Claver (the root of the Konrad’s problems) has spread his power widely and subtly.

But Vonvalt can’t focus on that, he is charged with retrieving the emperor’s kidnapped grandson, who is in a direct line for the throne. It doesn’t matter that Vonvalt (and most other characters) realize this kidnapping is a diversion. Even Vonvalt’s long-standing relationship with the Emperor can’t deter the Emperor from sending his most trusted knight to retrieve the heir.

Swan’s execution is very precise and measured. The building of the world, the fleshing out of the characters, the narrative drive, and the plotting all flow together from the pen and keyboard of a master. He constructed an extremely impressive foundation in The Justice of Kings and built on it admirably here in The Tyranny of Faith. What he accomplished is even more impressive considering how high the bar was. Helena was already a fantastically drawn character, but here she became more fleshed out. Konrad is still at a bit of a remove from Helena, but their relationship grows through some emotional turns.

Richard Swan’s mastery of the first-person narrative becomes even more evident in this novel. It doesn’t matter that we know at least Helena survives the events of this story, there is still a high amount of tension in the narrative, especially with the stingers like “but the good times wouldn’t last for long” at the end many chapters. It is a delicious sort of tension along the lines of the great Willy Wonka quote, “The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last.”

The somewhat subtle supernatural elements introduced in the first novel grew in prominence in this second novel in the trilogy. From the very beginning of the novel, and especially as Konrad and Helena arrive in the capital, a tingling sense of unease pervades the novel. Konrad’s health begins to deteriorate, the supernatural elements become more prominent and have an infectious affect on Helena. Part of that unease increases because of the necromantic powers Vonvalt – and all Emperor’s Justices can wield – enable him to cross the line of death, a dangerous enterprise.

The third and final volume in the trilogy, The Trials of Empire continues the story seamlessly from The Tyranny of Faith, with Konrad Vonvalt drastically powered down. He’s still got the Emperor’s Voice at his disposal, but from a stature standpoint, he is not what one would call “in good standing” with the empire. Despite this, he, Helena, the knight von Osterlen, and Sir Radomir are determined to put an end to Claver’s uprising. The problem is Claver’s influence has become very far ranging, to the point that Vonvalt is doubting his former allies, especially with Vonvalt being a wanted man.

The companions travel north towards the city of Seagurd, in the hope of finding the Emperor’s grandson. Unfortunately, the rumors of the city being destroyed are rather accurate. Claver’s power and influence are even wider than Vonvalt feared leading up to this point, he and what’s left of the Empire will not be able to defeat the arcane “priest” in its current state. He must find some allies who want to bring down Claver as much as Vonvalt does. This is no easy task because the Empire, and Vonvalt, has made enemies across the land.

The term “by any means necessary” is at the forefront of Vonvalt’s approach and this is quite distressing to Helena. She worries that Vonvalt will descend into the same kind of darkness that engulfed Claver. Vonvalt has already crossed some uncomfortable lines leading up to this point, lines that helped to define him. Vonvalt sees that the ends justifies the means, that any dark deeds he performs will pale in comparison to the world of darkness Claver seeks to unleash.

The demonic and otherworldly forces come more to the stage as the trilogy leads to its conclusion. The demons pulling Claver’s strings are more prominent and Helena’s ties to the god(?) Demon(?) Aegraxes (the character depicted on the cover of The Trials of Empire) become more defined. Aegraxes haunts Helena’s dreams, he may be pushing her towards something, but it may not be as bad as she fears.

While Vonvalt and Helena have their inner struggles, and struggles with each other, the fate of the Empire is hanging in the balance. Whether the Empire survives, is destroyed, or evolves into something else is not certain. This is one of the things Volvalt struggles with the most, for as he’s had to shift his morality – do evil deeds so a greater more imposing evil doesn’t succeed – he has had to examine the Empire that formed him. It is a very interesting concept to tackle, is the Empire we are trying to save worth saving? Has the world changed to the point that something different is better for the world and the people? Swan does not shy from any of these kinds of heavy topics throughout the series and especially here as the saga draws to a conclusion.

The Empire of the Wolf is a magnificent fantasy trilogy. Swan shows great skill in his characterization and how those characters deal with morally complex and philosophical challenges presented throughout the series. Epic Fantasy often flirts with horrific elements, after all, many of these tales demons or demonic entities are major threats or the actual Big Bad/Final Boss. As a reader who thoroughly enjoys horror, I really like when horror elements start to seep into Epic Fantasy and Swan deftly weaves those horrific and terrifying elements into his story. There are some eldritch powers at play in the magical powers in the world of this novel and Swan’s pace at easing those elements into the novel were superb.

Given that Helena was our narrator for the breadth of the series, it is no surprise she survived to the end of it. Swan brought the series to a fantastic conclusion, tying up the majority of the plot threads in a satisfactory and expert fashion. There’s definite potential for more stories to be told in this world and specifically featuring Helena, however changed it became from the first page. Helena is a marvelous narrator and character, I’d say her voice is as consistent and engaging as Fitzchivalry Farseer from Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings saga. Helena is utterly believable, she exudes empathy, and is magnetic in a way that made me as the reader drawn to her very powerfully. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t draw major attention to the wonderful design and art, by Lauren Panepinto and Martina Fačková respectively. Striking images that provide these three books with a gorgeous visual identity that perfectly match and complement Swan’s powerful and engaging storytelling between the covers.

Each book in the 500-page range and would make for a wonderful reading experience back-to-back-to-back.

Empire of the Wolf is a must-read of 21st Century Speculative Fiction. It is a series that upon completion I can look back and level no real faults at what Swan accomplished. I am eager to see where his words take us next. The series has been very successful: it has sold quite well and it is held in high regard by fans, reviewers, and published authors alike. In short, Empire of the Wolf is an instant classic.

Parts of this column appeared previously at SFFWorld in the form of my reviews of the first two books in the series: 

The Justice of Kings: https://www.sffworld.com/2023/07/the-justice-of-kings-by-richard-swan-empire-of-the-wolf-1/ 

The Tyranny of Empire: https://www.sffworld.com/2023/08/the-tyranny-of-faith-by-richard-swan-the-empire-of-the-wolf-2/

*having more job responsibilities (A GOOD THING, BTW) does get in the way of regular blogging

All images copyright Orbit Books and used with courtesy. The last tryptich was borrowed in good faith from Martina Fačková's website. Head over there to bask in the glory of her powerful, beautiful images. 

2023 Reading Year in Review

Two years in a row with a Reading Year in Review, crazy right? Well, since I resurrected the blog earlier in the year, I’ve been much more consistent with posting my reading wrap-ups so of course that calls for a year in review, right? As I’ve done every year I've posted a Reading Year in Review, here are the previous years I’ve put up a reading year in review, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006.

As I've done every year for the past decade and a half, I've contributed to SFFWorld's Favorite of the Year lists: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, and Film/TV. For those yearly recaps, Mark Yon and I focused only on 2023 releases. Here I will not limit the list to just 2023/current year releases because there are a lot of good books out there from previous years I haven’t read although most are from 2024. I'm still very actively reviewing for both SFFWorld.

Two years in a row, Horror was the dominant genre for me, with Fantasy a fairly close second. Horror continues to be in a fantastic place within the genre, both in printed form and filmed. The breakdown/full statistics of the 93 books I read in 2023:

• 41 2023/current year releases
• 53 can be considered Horror
• 44 can be considered Fantasy
• 9 can be considered Science Fiction
• 47 reviews posted to SFFWorld
• 28 books by authors new to me 
• 47 Books by women
• 13 total debut
• 18 audiobooks
• 7 Book reviews posted here at the Blog o' Stuff
• 4 books I DNF'd

How did I come up with this list? For years, I've been keeping track of the books I read in an Excel workbook and assign each book a rating between 1 and 10. All the books I’ve called out are books I’ve rated 9 (out of 10) or higher. For the purposes of this post, I've listed the books alphabetically by author last name, outside of the first book in this post which was the book I enjoyed the ost.  If I've reviewed the book, the title will link to the review either here at the blog or over at SFFWorld with an excerpt of that review below the cover image. If I haven't given the book a full review, then I've provided a brief summary/reaction to the book.

So, without further adieu, below are the books I enjoyed reading the most over the past year.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
(My Favorite Overall Novel Published in 2023 even though I read it in late 2022)

Balancing out the creeps is another thing that Hendrix has excelled at portraying in his previous novels: relationships, family or close friends (who might as well be family). Family is an important part of this novel, not just the siblings, but the extended family who reside in and near Charleston, SC. Louise and Mark’s aunts and cousins who are wonderfully drawn supporting characters help to provide some humor and idiosyncrasies that help to make the family unique. Family is who helps us through grief and a lot of this novel is about grief, too. Frankly, many haunted house stories have grief as a major theme and component, and Hendrix’s very human and empathetic characters navigate this complicated human emotion with plausibility…if you factor in creepy haunted puppets into the mix

Grady Hendrix has become must read for me, he’s grown into a modern master of the genre and each new book he publishes shows his growth as a storyteller in everything that word encompasses. He’s a smart, savvy writer who spins emotional stories featuring very human people and themes with the best of them.

 

The Vagrant Gods by David Dalglish

I was incredibly impressed with my first experience reading a novel by David Dalglish, which happened to be the first book in this series so I was very excited to dive into book 2. That excitement was warranted. 

The Sapphire Altar picks up shortly after the conclusion of The Bladed Faith with The Vagrant (a.k.a. Prince Cyrus) questioning the rebellion, his place in it, and the man pulling the strings of the rebellion. But Cyrus knows the Empire must be taken down, regardless of his misgivings because the fist of the Everlorn Empire is clenching harder on Thanet. Violent executions of disbelievers are the norm while they try to capture the Vagrant.

What impresses me the most about the characters is that none of them seem short-changed. They all feel incredibly well-wrought to the point that I wouldn’t be surprised if Dalglish has a notebook on each of them with details that we as the readers will never see and that the characters most definitely have lived.

In The Sapphire Altar, Dalglish has managed to craft a second book of a series that improves upon the original in layers of world-depth, character building, and stakes. It doesn’t merely tread water waiting for the next volume of the trilogy. I’d call this more of the Second Chapter of the Vagrant Gods series than anything else.

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

When Robbie's white neighbor Lyle McCormack, the son of a fairly influential man in Gracetown, makes advances on Robert’s sister, Robert steps into the situation. There’s a minor physical altercation between Robert and Lyle. As a result, Robert is beaten by Lyle’s father, handcuffed, and shipped off to the Gracetown School for Boys. As it turns out, Gracetown is a recurring town in Due's fiction and if anything screamed the opposite of what its name implied, it is this “home for boys.”

Due has a very personal connection to the history that informs the backdrop of the novel. Without knowing that, the novel feels intimate and personal. Knowing the connection only hammers home that part even more. Her prose and storytelling is gut-wrenching, addictive, and powerful. None of this would work nearly as well if Tananarive Due wasn't a marvelous writer and storyteller. She pulled me into the story immediately, I felt empathy for young Robert and Gloria and felt their anger, pain, and frustration. Her skill at portraying youthful protagonists dealing with adult horrors is powerful, engaging, and enthralling. This is the kind of book that entertains and enlightens. It is simply transcendent.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
 

The novel is told from Vera’s perspective, but in a unique and fascinating way. We get the “current” timeline of the novel with Vera returning home in the past tense, but when we focus on a pre-teen / teenaged Vera, it is told in the present tense. We only get her perspective, either way. Her wariness in the present about her mother, or Daphne as she’s been calling her mother since she was thirteen becomes understandable the more the past chapters reveal about their lives together. Vera’s whiplash of emotions from being protected and adored by her father to only be verbally and psychologically abused by her mother is raw, it felt real, and I felt a great deal of sympathy for Vera.

In the present, Vera is continually left unbalanced by her mother’s mood swings which can contradict the spiteful woman she knew growing up. The verbal confrontations with James only amplifies Vera’s sense of unease. To the point that she hears noises, thinks she sees shadows moving, and is convinced *something* is under her bed to the point she goes out and buys a new bed. The icing on the cake of these creepy and potentially supernatural moments are the folded pages she randomly finds that are written in her father’s handwriting. There are more creepy/supernatural elements, I’ll just leave it at that. The timing of the instances of these creepy scenes is expertly doled out by Gailey. She’s got a wonderful sense of pace in the novel. That incredible pacing is also on full display in how Gailey reveals Vera’s past and how she grew closer to her father.

 

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

Harrison has proven to be very incisive with her ability to marry horror tropes with societal challenges like werewolves and sisterly love/competition in Such Sharp Teeth, friendship (ranging from true friendship bonds and toxic friendship) and supernatural/demonic possession. Here, Harrison takes her writerly scalpel to cultish religions and familial relationships. There’s a point, about 1/3 into the novel that is one of those “kick wham” moments that is best enjoyed without knowing it, and even that is too much of a spoiler. I’ll just say that I had to re-read it a couple of times.

Within the novel’s pages is a powerful examination of family, truth, what it feels like to be an outsider everywhere, and betrayal. Rachel Harrison sets these important themes against the backdrop of dark, engaging, and delightfully sinister cult novel. Another great Rachel Harrison novel that continues to establish her as one of the preeminent voices in modern horror..

 

101 Horror Books to Read You're Murdered by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

What Sadie has done with 101 Books... and its focus on books published (mostly) between 2000 and 2023 is serve up a perfect modern companion to Hendrix’s Bram Stoker Award winning book. Just like Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell, Sadie Hartmann’s love letter to modern horror should be honored with the Bram Stoker Award for Non-Fiction. … 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered is a definitive look at horror fiction in the early 21st Century by a smart and engaging voice who has her finger on the pulse of the genre. … If I haven’t made it clear by this point, this is a MUST-OWN book for any horror fan and a great book for anybody with a passing interest in the genre.

Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin

(My Top 2023 Debut)

Damn, is this a potent novel. Kerin painfully depicts the co-dependent bordering on parasitic relationship dynamic in Night’s Edge. I’ve had family members who found themselves in a familial caregiver type of relationship and damage and negativity can grow over the years… even when the caregiver and caretaker love each other like family. I was at a remove from that relationship, but other members of my family with whom I was close heard a lot of that negativity. The relationship between Mia and Izzy is ratcheted up a couple of levels, after all, Izzy is literally taking her daughter’s blood as sustenance. 

I can’t recall if Kerin actually used the word “vampire” in the novel and in that regard, I found a parallel to Mike Flanagan’s masterpiece, Midnight Mass. While Night’s Edge is a bit more intimate and personal, the effect is similar. I was also reminded of another vampire (and zombie) masterpiece, Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend in the way the vamprisim is more of a plague/disease and how it halts civilization.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Plot was one of the rare non-genre books I read in 2023. My wife read it and recommended it to me and I loved it. The story concerns a promising young writer, Jacob Finch Bonner, who manages to publish a bestselling novel, but struggles to find his next book. He is teaching an MFA program when Bonner encounters a very strange student whose story is so unique and different, it sticks in the professor’s mind. The student dies under mysterious circumstances, but the story he told Bonner won’t leave him…so he decides to publish it. The novel is a fascinating and taut thriller, a mediation on authorial voice, authenticity, truth in fiction, and the inner fears many writers experience. I still question things about it months later after breezing through the 320 pages in just two days.

Be Sure (Wayward Children Omnibus #1) by Seanan McGuire

BE SURE collects the first three, Every Heart a Doorway, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, and Beneath the Sugar Sky. … Seanan McGuire has done it again. She’s hooked me on yet another of her long running series. I’m about a dozen books into her October Daye series, just started her Incryptid series, and loved the Newslfesh saga under her Mira Grant pseudonym. As fun as those series and books are and were, Wayward Children feels like it may be her may be her defining work. It is enthralling, tackles some really important themes (not that she doesn’t in all of her work), and has some of the most endearing characters in her many works. This is a series that will stand the test of time and BE SURE has more than earned a spot on the shelf of my personal Omnibus Hall of Fame.

The September House by Carissa Orlando

...this story isn’t about somebody trying to escape their haunted house, our protagonist Margaret has embraced her haunted house. It was the dream house she and her husband Hal purchased and she is not giving it up. … Of course, haunted house stories are always about more than just a dwelling being haunted. Margaret is the narrator of the story and Orlando all but begs the reader to question how reliable of a narrator she is. We know from her conversations with her daughter, Margaret is not sharing very much information. Margaret is haunted and the pacing at which Orlando reveals Margaret’s past is handled with measured precision. Details about her marriage to Hal come to light, which helps to give reason for Margaret’s actions.

 

The Justice of Kings and The Tyranny of Faith (The first two books of The Empire of the Wolf) by Richard Swan

Two books for one slot, largely because I read them sort of back-to-back and they are part of the same story. With The Justice of Kings, his fantasy debut from Orbit, Swan bursts onto the traditionally published scene and kicks off the Empire of Wolf trilogy. The novel is told from the first person perspective of Helena Sedanka, the law clerk of Sir Konrad Vonvalt, a King’s Justice of the Imperial Magistratum of the Sovan Empire. Not unlike Watson relaying the events of Sherlock Holmes’s investigations, except that Vonvalt is not an independent investigator. He is the Emperor’s voice, he is judge, jury, and executioner, when necessary. … the gut of the story is a murder mystery/conspiracy story. The world of the novel is at the precipice of a shift in power, and much of the conflict is between secular law and religious law. Those kinds of conflicting ideologies make for great story and Swan does a very good job of presenting this conflict through his characters. … Swan’s novel is one of the best series starters and fantasy debuts I’ve read the past decade. He has absolutely captured a “voice” in this tale. … Swan picks up the tale of Konrad and Helena in The Tyranny of Faith. Picking up shortly after the events of the previous novel, Helena and Konrad Vonvalt head to the capital of the Empire to investigate how deep the corruption they discovered in The Justice of Kings runs. … The somewhat subtle supernatural elements introduced in the first novel grew in prominence in this second novel in the trilogy. I am immensely impressed with Richard Swan’s Empire of Wolf trilogy thus far. He has set the story up for a thrilling, heart-rending, dark, and tension-filled finale and I cannot wait to read it.

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Yes, there are quite a few Messages in Camp Damascus, neurodivergent people matter and can strive; let people be who they are and love how and who they love; trying to squeeze everybody into a myopic worldview and narrow vision of love is evil. But this book wouldn’t work if it didn’t tell a damned good story. I’ve pointed out the incredible character of Rose, there are true moments of horror and terror, some great horror images evoked in the pages. It works as a gripping horror novel as much as it has a message. It is a thrilling story and it is the kind of story that just may help people suffering in some of the same ways as Rose is suffering.

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig

It has become predictable at this point for me to include a Chuck Wending novel in my favorite/best-of-the-year post. Blame him, not me. Evil apples, that’s the core (pun intended) of the MacGuffin in this novel. A strange, delicious apple variety that is addictive and drives people to some of their darker instincts. In this character-driven novel, the town of Harrow, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania town becomes obsessed with a new strand of apple. (I'm a short drive over the river from Bucks County so it was kind of fun to hear some locales I'm familiar with being referenced in the book.)

A down-on-his luck famer named Dan Paxson comes across this strain of apples after a chance encounter with a mysterious individual. When he brings the fruits to the local farmer's market, he realizes he's got something special. These apples, named "Ruby Slipper" by Dan's daughter Calla, makes people feel good, allows them to give into some of their more base desires. As it turns out, Calla does not like apples, much to her father's chagrin.

Chuck also focuses on a couple named Emily and Meg, who move back to the countryside of Pennsylvania to Meg's hometown after life in the big city didn't quite work out for them. As Meg eats more of the apples, the dark side of their relationship becomes more evident to Emily, who also does not like apples. 

There's also an "apple hunter" named John who seeks out lost strands of apples and he knows a little bit about the apple known as "Ruby Slipper" though under a different name. 

Small town drama and pettiness play out on a grand scale, all because that most American of fruits, the apple. Granted, all those unsavory elements were lurking beneath the surface (and right on the surface for some), but the Ruby Slippers enhance, exaggerate, and highlight those unsavory aspects to an even more uncomfortable degree. Wending naturally weaves in themes of gaslighting, bullying, the growing facist sect in America (and how it is impacting Bucks County, PA in real life), queer representation, sexual freedom, parenthood, just to name a handful. 

With every book he publishes, Chuck Wending grows his resume as a modern master of horror and dark fiction and is a must buy and read for me.

The Foxglove King (The Nightshade Crown#1) by Hannah Whitten

The Foxglove King covers a lot of bases, there are political elements; faith & belief; trust; Whitten touches on parental abandonment issues on a couple of potent levels; there’s a romance triangle between Lore, Gabriel, and Bastian; the plot follows something of a mystery thread, it has the feel of a city fantasy and almost urban fantasy even though set in a secondary world. She pulls these elements together masterfully for a unique story. 

The milieu in which the story takes place has enough details as well, there’s a mythology/religion that provides a strong foundation, but also seems to have more details yet to be revealed. I found a pleasant resonance between the world Whitten has created in The Foxglove King with the world Tad Williams revealed in The War of the Flowers as well the world of League of Legends as revealed in the Netflix show Arcana and the novel Ruination by Anthony Reynolds.… 

I was enthralled with this novel from beginning to end, Whitten’s characters came alive as real people with emotions, snark, and annoyances that real people posses.

Honorable mentions: Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives by  Adam Cesare, Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson,  Engines of Chaos (The Age of Uprising #2) by R.S. Ford, Nightborn: Coldfire Rising by C.S. Friedman, All Hallows by Christopher Golden, Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry, The Gwendy Trilogy by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, Son of the Poison Rose by Jonathan Maberry, The Bloody Chorus by John Marco, The Mary Shelly Club by Goldy Moldavsky,  The Endless Vessel by Charles Soule, and White Horse by Erika T. Wurth.

                                                                                                               

That brings my 2023 read wrap-up/review to a close. Hopefully, 2024 will bring just as much quality fiction into our lives.