Category Archives: Reviews

Short and Sweet – September 2023

Hello and welcome to this Short and Sweet review roundup for September 2023, in which I’m taking a quick look at another three books that I’ve read (or listened to) recently. This time I’ve gone for quite the mixture of genres and styles, including a female-driven historical fantasy novel, a Star Wars audiobook that delves deep into the Dark Side, and a science fiction novel which sets a locked-room murder mystery on an isolated space ship. So read on to find out more, and if you’ve read any of these books yourself then do let me know what you thought of them too!

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Dark Horizon – James Swallow

His second standalone thriller (after the also-excellent Airside), Dark Horizon sees James Swallow tap into his love of aviation and tell a gripping, pacy tale from the perspective of a civilian pilot caught between shady government officials and deadly criminals. I’m going to break all my own rules with this review and include the publisher’s description here rather than writing my own summary, because I really don’t think I can write anything better than this to give you the gist of what Dark Horizon is about. So good work, Welbeck publicity team – over to you!

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Shark Heart – Emily Habeck

Now and then a book comes along with a concept and a style that genuinely stands out, and Emily Habeck’s Shark Heart (subtitled ‘A Love Story’) is one such book. It’s the story of a newlywed couple – Lewis and Wren – whose happiness is rocked when Lewis is diagnosed with a rare mutation, which will see him slowly transform into a great white shark over the course of the following year. As Lewis changes and Wren cares for him, the couple try to adapt to the realities of their new lives, holding on to one another as best they can while preparing for the inevitable, all the while learning more about themselves and each other.

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System Collapse – Martha Wells

Book seven in Martha Wells’ phenomenal The Murderbot Diaries series, System Collapse follows on closely after the events of Network Effect, with Murderbot having to deal with ever-increasing numbers of awkward humans and some especially uncomfortable emotions. With the alien remnant infection largely dealt with, the combined group of ART’s university crew and the Preservation team have turned their attention to safeguarding the remaining colonists, attempting to persuade them not to agree to any shady ‘contracts’ offered by the ruthless Barish-Estranza corporates. The problem is, Murderbot’s traumatic alien remnant experiences have resulted in a noticeable drop in performance, which isn’t ideal…especially considering Barish-Estranza have their own SecUnits and aren’t afraid to play dirty.

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Longshot – Rob Young

The fourth volume in Black Library’s multi-author Astra Militarum novel series, Longshot marks the long-form debut of Rob Young with an absolute bullseye. Set after the events of short stories Transplants and Memories of Broken Glass, it follows Sergeant Darya Nevic of the Cadian 217th as she leads her squad of snipers into battle against the t’au on the wintry manufactorum world of Attruso. When the Cadian advance is stymied by the stubborn, technologically-superior t’au, Darya finds herself in high demand for both her combat skills and the morale-boosting impact of her heroic reputation. With deadly enemy snipers on the prowl though, and facing the mistrust of some of her own for not being a ‘pureblood’ Cadian, Darya’s fight becomes more complex, not to mention dangerous, by the day.

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Short and Sweet – August 2023

Hello and welcome to my August 2023 Short and Sweet review roundup, and another trio of recent(ish) reads to talk about. After missing June’s roundup entirely and opting for an Aconyte-only approach in July, it’s back to business as usual this time – I’ve picked out an Age of Sigmar novel from Black Library, the first book in a recent fantasy series that I’d been meaning to read for ages, and then something a little different involving an octopus. These are all books that for one reason or another I haven’t wanted or been able to write a full review for, but I still want to talk about!

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A Few Thoughts On: Ahsoka – E.K. Johnston

E.K. Johnston’s 2016 novel Ahsoka takes a much-loved Star Wars character from the small screen and brings her story into a different medium, picking up where she left off in her animated form and filling in some of the gaps in what happened next. A year after the establishment of the Empire and the horrors of Order 66, ex-Padawan Ahsoka Tano finds herself on a small moon in the Outer Rim, in the company of a close-knit farming community. All she wants is to rest and centre herself, but when the Empire arrives on Raada she’s forced to choose between continuing to hide herself and her powers, and taking a stand to protect the people who have taken her in and shown her kindness.

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QUICK REVIEW: Compulsory – Martha Wells

Previously published by Wired Magazine and now available as a standalone e-short from Subterranean Press, Martha Wells’ Compulsory is a very short but satisfying story that acts as a prequel of sorts to the main body of her Murderbot Diaries series. Set before the events of All Systems Red, but after Murderbot hacked its governor module, this sees everyone’s favourite SecUnit paying its usual scant attention to a contract guarding mining machinery, preferring to watch The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. When one of the humans on the contract finds themself in danger, Murderbot has to choose how to respond – a choice that might just set it on a particular path.

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The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch – Melinda Taub

Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell, with added witches, in Melinda Taub’s The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, coming in October 2023 from Jo Fletcher Books. In this re-envisioning of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, we see the events of Pride and Prejudice – and more – through the eyes of the youngest Bennet sister, whose magical abilities offer intriguing new explanations for familiar events. But as Lydia’s story unfolds, the truth of her high spirits, troublesome behaviour and relationship with the devilish Wickham proves to be unexpectedly dark, and her story filled with wild magic and terrible dangers (not all of which are her own fault).

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QUICK REVIEW: The Cure – Guy Haley

Published in Grimdark Magazine issue 34, Guy Haley’s short story The Cure is a short, sharp blast of mud-splattered action and black humour that blends fantasy and science fiction into an intriguing whole. When Velth and his companions set out on their latest contract – escorting a priest and an unwell priestess to a remote temple in search of a cure to her ailment – their mercenary company numbers ten, under the leadership of their captain, Arnolli. The further they travel though, through rotten forest and stinking marsh, the harder their journey becomes, and as they begin to fall through accident, illness and battle, Velth has his work cut out to protect their charges and keep faith with the contract.

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