Wicked Treasure by Jordan Elizabeth

Elizabeth blends elements of political thriller and frontier action with the mystical end of steampunk to create a tale that has both style and substance. This is the third volume of The Treasure Chronicles series. Spoilers for previous books might leap out, rise up, or otherwise manifest after this point. With the army no longer …

The Scars of Her Past by Stephanie Flint

Flint blends the prejudices and drives common to all humans with the specifics of her world to create a tale of magical terrorism that will appeal to fans of both fantasy and thrillers. Alia left soldiering behind to become a merchant. She’s only a junior partner at the moment, but the forthcoming festival in Sastae …

The Good Will Tour by Samantha Bryant

Bryant blends social roles of women, the responsibilities of power, flash powers, and fast-paced action to produce an exciting superhero tale with depth. The events in this novella occur between Books Two and Three of the Menopausal Superheroes series. There might be spoilers ahead. As part of the Unusual Cases Unit’s Good Will Tour, Flygirl …

Born of Treasure by Jordan Elizabeth

Fusing necromancy and steampunk devices with a classic Western tale of honest ranchers facing corrupt officials, Elizabeth provides a fantasy Western that has much to attract fans of either genre. Fleeing from the military after mistakenly consuming a chemical that grants the power to raise the dead, Clark Griffin is pretending to be the son …

Write Like Hell: Kaiju, ed. Sentinel Creatives

Ranging across genres, locations, and time-periods, this anthology provides a variety of perspectives on the question “How might humans act if giant monsters were real?” This anthology contains twelve kaiju tales, united by the presence of some immense creature or creatures but spanning genres from horror to romance. ‘Big Bloody Ben’ by Adam Gray. When …

The Cursed Halls of Kalecen by Stephanie Flint

Flint presents magic, cunning, and duelling as different but equal matters, creating a tale that captures how non-mages might hold their own in a world of powerful mages and active gods. As duelling instructor at the Academy in Memnar, Hahven’s duty is arming his students against the threats they may face. So, when one of …

Taking Off Faith

I've read a great many fantasy stories that feature characters wrestling with religion, faith, and their place in the universe. But, despite really enjoying that quest for meaning, I've played in few roleplaying games that feature a similar arc. Which might reveal two key ways in which roleplaying isn't just telling stories. Yesterday, a fellow …

A Cloak of Red by Brenna Gawain

Gawain merges magical battles with paranoia to create gritty small-unit fantasy. While this novel is the first in Gawain’s The Tenth Kingdom series, it refers to events other series set in Underrealm. There might therefore be spoilers ahead. In exchange for the funds to attend the Academy for Wizards, Theren contracted to serve her patron …

Wavebreaker: Trickle by A.J. Norfield

Norfield balances gritty fantasy with the complexities of cultural and species contact, creating fast-paced action with social depth. This novel is the second in the Stone Wars series. Possible spoilers ahead. Raylan, Galirras, and the other survivors of the mission into the Dark Continent have managed to escape ahead of the Stone King’s army. However, …

The Restless Sands of Neel by Stephanie Flint

Flint crafts a desert fantasy novella that isn’t just the thinly veiled Middle East or Dune. Ro’nor is a scryer, a gift that lets him make a tolerable living predicting weather for farmers and other mundane tasks. However, when a young beastman fleeing desert raiders leaps into Ro’nor’s cart and scares the horses, the scryer …