J.L. Gribble book review, guest post

Review: While the Black Stars Burn by Lucy A. Snyder

In the spirit of Halloween month, I was asked by a fellow blogger to participate in her round-up of monster discussions. In looking for a way to talk about Cthulu, when I have very limited experience in the horror genre in general and H.P. Lovecraft in particular, I remembered a book that's been sitting on … Continue reading Review: While the Black Stars Burn by Lucy A. Snyder

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: Patterns of Interference (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #5) by Christopher L. Bennett

Obvious benefits of a media tie-in novel are the lack of production value constraints. This means authors are free to make use of a vast array of characters and create new planets beyond the typical constrictions of special effects. Bennett has capitalized on these abilities to great extent, especially writing a familiar cast of characters … Continue reading Review: Patterns of Interference (Star Trek Enterprise: Rise of the Federation #5) by Christopher L. Bennett

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: The Resurrection Pact (Winston Casey Chronicles #1) by Jay Smith

Disclaimer: I purchased an ebook version of this novel at release, then acquired a hardcopy version in a book trade with the author, whom I consider a friend. Once upon a time, I was one of THOSE World of Warcraft (WoW) players. Had a full-time job, but still spent 30 to 40 hours a week … Continue reading Review: The Resurrection Pact (Winston Casey Chronicles #1) by Jay Smith

J.L. Gribble author interview

Author Interview with Brenda Cooper

To celebrate the re-release of her first novel, The Silver Ship and the Sea, and promote the Kickstarter project for her connected short story collection, Stories of Fremont's Children, author Brenda Cooper was kind enough to answer some questions I had about the world of these stories. ABOUT THE BOOK Prisoners of a war they barely remember, … Continue reading Author Interview with Brenda Cooper

J.L. Gribble author interview, guest post

Love Across the Universe Blog Tour: What’s next?

I'm pleased to host the authors of the new science fiction/romance anthology, Love Across the Universe, which came out on August 1. Now that their stories have been released into the wild, it's time to find out what all of them are working on next! Elsa M. Carruthers: “All B+ut You” I have a few essays … Continue reading Love Across the Universe Blog Tour: What’s next?

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: DYSTOPIA BOY: THE UNAUTHORIZED FILES by Trevor D. Richardson

Disclaimer: I consider myself friends with the author, and I received a harcopy version of this novel through a book trade with him. There's so much talent packed into this novel that I'm honestly not sure where to begin. It's a beast of a book that almost drags on too long, but at the end, … Continue reading Review: DYSTOPIA BOY: THE UNAUTHORIZED FILES by Trevor D. Richardson

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: GENRENAUTS: SEASON ONE by Michael R. Underwood

Sometimes, you find a published story that incorporates major elements of an idea you had once upon a time and you're disappointed, because now it's already "taken." But other times, you stumble across a story that's very similar to a vague idea you had back in high school and you're thrilled, because someone has already … Continue reading Review: GENRENAUTS: SEASON ONE by Michael R. Underwood

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: “My Name is Markham” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story” by Jodi Taylor

This short story is very different from anything else in the Chronicles of St. Mary's series specifically for what is says on the tin: The narrator of this story is security officer Markham rather than historian Max. Now, this isn't the first time this has happened (see "The Very First Damned Thing", narrated by none … Continue reading Review: “My Name is Markham” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story” by Jodi Taylor

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: “The Great St. Mary’s Day Out” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor

While I have to wonder at the logic of involving time travel in a holiday for this lot of miscreants, considering all the things that go wrong normally, I have to admit that the story wouldn't really work, otherwise. (Though I do have faith that they'd get up to the same sort of trouble during … Continue reading Review: “The Great St. Mary’s Day Out” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: “The Very First Damned Thing” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor

It was very, very cool to not only get a glimpse of the origins St. Mary's but also a peek into Dr. Bairstow's head. At this point in the series, seeing his relationships with the people that he intentionally sought to staff St. Mary's was more interesting than the jump to Waterloo (despite the delightful … Continue reading Review: “The Very First Damned Thing” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: “Christmas Present” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor

How do you balance the heavy subject matter of lovers lost in time, potential suicide, and imminent attack by Boudicca's army? Add a giant pig, of course.  This Chronicles of St. Mary's short story plugs a hole in the narrative that is touched upon in the main books, featuring our heroes (Max, Peterson, and Markham, … Continue reading Review: “Christmas Present” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: “Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor

Taylor hooked me immediately with the problem that needed to be solved in this adventure. The rising sense of horror at what happened felt very visceral, and what's even better is that the threads that came about to create this situation were beautifully laid in previous installments of this series.  The time travel adventure itself … Continue reading Review: “Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings” (A Chronicles of St. Mary’s Short Story) by Jodi Taylor

J.L. Gribble book review

Review: “Roman Holiday” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s short story) by Jodi Taylor

One of the best things about these extra short stories that fit into the overall Chronicles of St. Mary's world is that you can enjoy them without worrying about where they fit into the larger context of the story. They're a short peek into the many, many other time travel trips that the historians have … Continue reading Review: “Roman Holiday” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s short story) by Jodi Taylor