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 …

Emma and the Weeping Spirit by Matthew S. Cox

Cox reframes the classic haunted house trope for middle grade readers without sacrificing the complexities and uncertainties of spectral visitations. This is the fifth book in Cox’s Tales of Widowswood series. Potential spoilers for previous volumes lurk past this point. When a harpy attack drives ten-year-old Emma deep into unknown forest, her experiences help her …

Janna of Castle Ambrose by Jordan Elizabeth

Elizabeth riffs on the classic image of the monster in the lake to create an accessible fantasy tale about the difference between the clarity of stories and the reality of life. As the daughter of the Earl’s butler, Janna had a happy life at Castle Ambrose playing with the Earl’s children—until a conquering army sacked …

The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear by Stephanie Flint

Flint redresses a classic confidence trick in fantastical raiments to create a short story that is likely to appeal to fans of both cunning ploys and mystical worlds. After a card player cheats Nuaka, she uses her shapeshifting magic to steal a treasure map from his room and heads straight for the ruins. Her expedition …