Nov 11 2026
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Book Review: Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly

Title: Those Who Hunt the Night

Author: Barbara Hambly

Series: James Asher #1

Genre: Horror

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: At the turn of the twentieth century, a former spy is called into service to hunt down a vampire killer… Once a spy for Queen Victoria, James Asher has fought for Britain on every continent, using his quick wits to protect the Empire at all costs. After years of grueling service, he marries and retires to a simple academic’s life at Oxford. But his peace is shattered one night with the arrival of a Spanish vampire named Don Simon. Don Simon can disappear into fog, move faster than the eye can see, and immobilize Asher—and his young bride—with a wave of his hand. Asher is at his mercy, and has no choice but to give his help. Because someone is killing the vampires of London, and James Asher must find out who—before he becomes a victim himself. –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

Barbara Hambly’s Those Who Hunt the Night is an enjoyable blend of gothic horror and mystery that brings to mind Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It is also notable as the first winner of the Locus Award for Best Horror Novel. Set in Victorian England, it captures much of the atmosphere and tone of Stoker’s classic, with its dark secrets, unsettling encounters, and genuinely frightening vampires. However, Hambly takes the concept in a somewhat different direction, giving readers a closer look at vampire society and a more human-like perspective on these creatures.

Unlike the increasingly glamorized and romanticized vampires that have become popular in more recent fiction, Hambly does not lose sight of what makes vampires frightening. They may have understandable motivations, personalities, and even recognizable human qualities, but they remain dangerous and unsettling. This balance between their more relatable characteristics and their fundamentally monstrous nature is one of the novel’s strengths.

Another feature that distinguishes the novel is its structure. Rather than relying primarily on the traditional conventions of gothic horror, Hambly approaches the story as a mystery investigation. The plot unfolds through the gathering of clues, questioning of suspects, and gradual uncovering of secrets. This gives the novel a different feel from Stoker’s book, even while retaining much of its atmosphere and sensibility.

I found Those Who Hunt the Night to be an entertaining and refreshing take on vampire fiction. It may not be particularly groundbreaking, and some aspects of the story are more engaging than others, but the combination of Victorian mystery and traditional gothic horror works quite well. For readers who enjoy vampires portrayed as genuinely dangerous creatures rather than romantic figures, this is certainly worth a look.

Nov 8 2026
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Book Review: Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: Not Till We Are Lost

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Series: Bobiverse #5

Genre: Science Fiction

The Overview: The Bobiverse is a different place in the aftermath of the Starfleet War, and the days of the Bobs gathering in one big happy moot are far behind. There’s anti-Bob sentiment on multiple planets, the Skippies playing with an AI time bomb, and multiple Bobs just wanting to get away from it all. –Goodreads

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Dave’s Review [2.5/5 stars]:

At this point in the Bobiverse series, I find myself increasingly wondering how much longer the premise can carry the story. Not Till We Are Lost continues the familiar formula of the series, following multiple plotlines involving different Bob clones as they explore the galaxy and encounter various problems. There are still some interesting ideas here, but too often these storylines feel shallow and fail to develop into anything particularly noteworthy. With so many Bobs doing so many different things, I found it increasingly difficult to become invested in any particular thread.

The humor is also starting to wear particularly thin. What was initially one of the more entertaining aspects of the series now feels repetitive and increasingly predictable. There are still moments that made me smile, but the jokes have largely passed the point where they feel clever, and the constant stream of Bob references and running gags has become more tiresome than amusing.

There are certainly some fun ideas along the way. Wormholes and dragons should, in theory, be enough to make for an entertaining science fiction adventure. Unfortunately, even the wormholes and dragons could not rescue this one for me.

I still enjoy Taylor’s easygoing writing style and the basic appeal of the Bobiverse concept, but after several books, the formula is beginning to feel too familiar. I am unsure whether I will continue reading the series. Perhaps we are not yet lost, but after this book, the series may have finally lost me.

Niki’s Review [3/5 stars]:

If book four was a series anomaly, then Not Till We Are Lost was much more true to what I’ve come to expect from these Bob books. They tend to bounce around between different plot points with the occasional deep dive into an interesting thread. As much as I enjoyed the fourth book (a massive, book-long deep dive), it was nice to come back to a familiar story structure. That said, I had a bit of a difficult time getting back into the Bobiverse. And I can’t tell if it was because the story lacked some engaging qualities or if the way I read it had an impact. You see, I started the book, set it down for something more urgent, then came back to it a few weeks later. It took me ages to figure out what the story threads were and to care enough to put in effort to keep them straight. It wasn’t until he started talking about dragons that my brain decided to engage… but even then it was a struggle.

I actually like the more grounded storylines best -> the ones where we get to spend a lot of time planetside with a new species. The ones we found in this book (dragons!) were especially exciting. But unfortunately all the other plot threads were forgettable. I really didn’t have anything to latch onto until close to the end of the book, which presented a series-ending plot arc we can expect to explore more in the final two books. It was a good enough teaser that I’m still interested in picking up Infinite Extent (book six, which came out recently), even if my enthusiasm for the series has waned a bit. As it stands, I think this is the least memorable installment so far, and I’ll be hard-pressed to remember much from it a few months from now.

Overall, the series is an enjoyable, light-hearted scifi. One I’d recommend to Scalzi fans who don’t mind a few more dad jokes. These books generally put me in a good mood, and have just enough smidges of depth to make them feel like more than space fluff. I prefer to read them between heavier reads as palate cleansers. But is the entire thing worth reading? The jury is still out (as I’ve two more books to read to complete the series, one of which isn’t even out yet), but I’d say the majority of readers would probably get the best experience stopping after the first trilogy, with the remaining books reserved for us completionists.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leah, and Laura! <3

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Nov 7 2026
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Book Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Title: Dungeon Crawler Carl

Author: Matt Dinniman

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3 stars

The Overview: The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition. You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what. Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show. Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not. –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

Dungeon Crawler Carl is an entertaining and fairly original take on the fantasy genre, although I am not entirely convinced it has the depth or staying power to sustain a lengthy series. Matt Dinniman’s writing is very accessible, if also pretty basic. The premise requires a considerable suspension of disbelief, but once you accept the absurdity of the setup, there is plenty of fun to be had.

The novel follows Carl as he navigates a bizarre, deadly dungeon that has essentially turned the apocalypse into a televised game show. Much of the story revolves around video game mechanics, including levels, equipment, achievements, skills, and increasingly difficult challenges. In fact, at times it reads less like a traditional novel and more like someone describing an RPG, right down to the details of how the game works. This will probably appeal to readers who enjoy that sort of thing, but I occasionally found it a little too literal and repetitive. I enjoy video games myself, but I generally prefer to play them rather than read about them.

One of the more entertaining aspects of the story is Donut, Carl’s talking cat companion. I have a fondness for cats, so perhaps I am a little biased, but Donut adds some welcome personality and humor to the proceedings. The novelty of having a talking cat along for the adventure may eventually wear thin, just like some of the other gimmicks in the book, but for now I found her a lot of fun.

There is actually plenty of humor throughout, much of it deliberately juvenile and occasionally quite funny. The irreverent tone helps make an otherwise ridiculous premise work, and the characters and situations provide some genuinely entertaining moments. However, the jokes can become tiresome when the same sort of humor is repeated too often. The overall formula also starts to feel familiar fairly quickly, with Carl repeatedly encountering new challenges, acquiring upgrades, and finding increasingly creative ways to survive.

I can see the appeal of the series, particularly for readers who enjoy RPGs and video game culture. The writing is straightforward, the pacing is brisk, and the book never takes itself too seriously. Overall, Dungeon Crawler Carl is fun, undemanding entertainment. I plan to continue the series, but I will remain somewhat cautious about how long its central concept can hold my attention before the novelty wears off.

Oct 31 2026
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Book Review: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Title: American Psycho

Author: Bret Easton Ellis

Series: N/A

Genre: Horror

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Patrick Bateman is twenty-six and works on Wall Street. He is handsome, sophisticated, charming and intelligent. He is also a psychopath. Taking us to head-on collision with America’s greatest dream—and its worst nightmare—American Psycho is a bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to confront. –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

American Psycho is a well-written novel with plenty of merits, but it is also an exceptionally difficult book to actually like. Bret Easton Ellis takes us inside the mind of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, successful, and thoroughly disturbed psychopath, and keeps us there for the entire book. The result is an often fascinating, frequently disturbing, and sometimes surprisingly tedious reading experience.

Much of the novel is an exercise in excess. Ellis devotes enormous amounts of attention to designer clothing, expensive accessories, restaurants, reservations, and the seemingly endless negotiations over who is going where for dinner and who gets invited. There is a lengthy chapter devoted to Whitney Houston’s music, followed by an even longer one later about Huey Lewis and the News. At one point, we get a painstaking account of virtually every repetition in every set of Bateman’s workout. And then there are the Donald Trump references. I suspect there are more mentions of Trump in this book than in an entire week of today’s mainstream media coverage.

All of this is presumably part of the satire, and there is a point to the relentless focus on status, consumption, celebrity, and superficial appearances. Bateman and his social circle inhabit a world in which designer labels and restaurant reservations
matter more than anything resembling genuine human connection. The repetition helps convey the emptiness and absurdity of that world, but understanding the intention does not necessarily make it enjoyable to read. I found myself wondering how much of this detail was necessary to make the point.

In some respects, the experience reminded me of George R.R. Martin’s seemingly endless descriptions of food or the relentless catalog of 1980s pop culture references in Ready Player One. Perhaps Ellis deserves some credit for inspiring a literary tradition of excessively detailed lists, although I doubt either Martin or Ernest Cline would necessarily appreciate the comparison.

Of course, the mundane excesses are only part of what makes the book challenging. The novel also contains extraordinarily graphic and disturbing violence, often described in excruciating detail. It is difficult to say which is more off-putting: the seemingly endless descriptions of trivialities or the horrifying accounts of Bateman’s brutality. Neither makes for particularly comfortable reading.

I saw the film adaptation of American Psycho decades ago, and while my memories are now pretty hazy, I do remember two things distinctly: the extreme violence and the scene in which Bateman and his colleagues try to outdo one another with their business cards. That scene is also in the novel, and it perfectly captures the absurdly dark humor that runs throughout the book. The fact that these supposedly successful, sophisticated men can become so consumed by something as trivial as the quality of their business cards is both hilarious and disturbing.

I appreciate what Ellis is attempting to accomplish, and there is no denying the novel’s skill, ambition, or satirical bite. However, it frequently tested my patience, and at times I found it something of a chore to get through. Its disturbing perspective and relentless excess make it memorable, but also exhausting. A worthwhile and thought-provoking novel, perhaps, but not one I can say I particularly liked.

Oct 28 2026
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Book Review: The Tomb of the Corpse King and Other Stories by Anthony Ryan

Title: The Tomb of the Corpse King and Other Stories

Author: Anthony Ryan

Series: Seven Swords #7.5

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: None listed yet on Goodreads, but this contains a few prequel and aftermath stories for the Seven Swords series. I’ll provide a link in case one gets generate in the future: Goodreads

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Niki’s Review:

What a fantastic way to round-out a series!

I will admit I went into this collection hoping he’d chosen to write a certain story (I wanted a series aftermath tale following a specific character). Unfortunately my hopes were dashed. But in it’s place I found a few other stories that actually enhanced my overall experience with the series.

But the start was rough. Halfway into the first story I was wondering what I’d gotten myself into. I was confused about timeline through the entire thing, as it read like a prequel, but it kept referring to a place we’d visited within the main series and I thought the main character was someone we’d met. After I finished it, I picked up Blackfyre Keep to flip through to see if I could figure out where this story lined up, only to discover that the main character I’d thought we were following was an entirely different person, also with an “L” name that was within a few letters of being identical. I’m willing to take accountability on being dense in this case and losing some enjoyment because of that, but Ryan’s insistence on using “L” names throughout the entire series has been a constant source of annoyance and I don’t feel like it helped at all with clarity or character distinction. At one point I had to make myself a character chart to keep them all straight. That said, even if I’d been clear that this was a new character, I don’t think the story was overall particularly compelling, nor did it add much to my experience with the series as a whole.

… but the other three stories are a different, uh, story.

The two back stories added a ton of context to the series to the point where I’d recommend reading them before beginning the series if you plan to eventually consume the whole thing. Especially the Scarlet Ziggurat, which did a much better job acclimating the reader to the main character than the first book (which kind of throws you right into the fire). And the Seeker prequel was just a cool tale from start to finish and I think I’d have appreciated it even as a stand-alone.

Okay, let’s talk about the title aftermath story. Even though it didn’t cover the character I was hoping it would, it still provided just as much of an impact as any of the books from the main series. It’s crazy to me how he can pack so much into such a small word count. I could tell early on that the author had a sort of darling of his series – a character that got featured and highlighted more than the others. So having my capstone experience with the series riding with that character seems very fitting. And I think it gave a broad sense of world resolution that the main series-ender lacked a bit. There were so many cool world-building things here, and really my overall takeaway from Seven Swords is that I wish we’d get more because it’s such a creative project with seemingly endless possibilities.

Overall, even though the collection starts slow, it’s quickly amps up into one of the most value-adding extras I’ve ever read for a series. I’m hoping it’s not the last we’ll see from this world, but if it as, at least it went out with a bang!

I’d like to thank Subterranean Press, Anthony Ryan, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of this short story collection!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leah, and Laura! <3

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by Niki Hawkes

Oct 27 2026
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Book Review: Tales From the Territory by Travis Baldree

Title: Tales From the Territory

Author: Travis Baldree

Series: Legends and Lattes #3.5

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: There are many tales yet untold . . .
‘GOBLINS & GREATCOATS’: Chaos goblin Zyll is involved in a case of mistaken identity, where she solves a murder at an inn whilst simultaneously stealing all the cutlery.
‘JUST A THIMBLEFUL’: The sweet rattkin baker Thimble finds a new home for his soon-to-be famous cinnamon rolls.
‘PAGES TO FILL’: An act of mercy leads to a life-changing discovery for warrior orc Viv.
In ‘MIROGRAPH’, young succubus Tandri assists a university professor on a mysterious project where art and science collide.
In ‘CAVALIERS & COFFEES’, Viv, now the owner of Legends & Lattes coffee shop, discovers that imitation is not the highest form of flattery. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

This collection was an absolute delight! I keep saying I don’t care for short stories, but I may need to re-evaluate, as I was hooked on this right from the first page. It helped that the first story (Goblins and Greatcoats) was about my single most favorite character I’ve met over the last few years: Zyll. This being is hysterical (and slightly unnerving), and her story was every bit as entertaining as the scenes we got with her from Brigands and Breadknives. It also provided a great backstory to how she came to possess a certain item…

And then the Thimble story!! Which was very reminiscent of Ratatouille, but I loved the twist Baldree put on the tale. This was the one for which I felt the largest emotional connection. It also best captured the cozy, day in the life aspect I loved so much about Legends and Lattes. Thimble spoke to my artist’s soul. He had an insatiable drive to refine his culinary confections to perfection without any external appreciation for his efforts. His story arc there was especially satisfying, and I think this is the one I’ll remember most from the collection (which is fitting because it’s the cover image feature on my Broken Binding copy).

Then we get into my least favorite of the collection, Pages to Fill. I found it oddly difficult to follow compared to the other stories and even had to go back and reread a good chunk of it at one point because I was so disengaged. It was almost as if it were missing something, but I can’t put my finger on what it was. The end half of the story was a bit more successful, and I finally found a story element I liked enough to keep my attention. While doing research after finishing the book, I discovered this particular story was written many years before the others in the collection. Interesting, then, that it’s the only one I had a struggle with. I think it signifies just how far the author has grown as a writer since his early publishing days, so I was still able to appreciate it as a good stepping stone.

And finally, a maddening but also heartwarming tale taking us to a time period after L&L with Viv and her coffee house crew. It’s fun to get a “where are they now” update, and I’m certainly hoping this isn’t the last we’ll see of them. Injustices in books, even in cozy books, stress me out, so this was probably the most evoking tale of the bunch. Even so, it ultimately left me with all the right emotions and was a good capstone for the collection.

Overall I’m not sure which story was my favorite, but I can say I think it is worth reading for fans of the series. It added a good bit of roundness to the world for me and I truly cannot wait to see what the author has in store next! I experienced the story both on audio (narrated by the author himself – a narrator by profession, so you know it’s good!) and via the Broken Binding hardback edition. The physical book I read had striking full color illustrations to go along with each story, which definitely enhanced the experience for me. Overall I’m thrilled to add this one to my library!

I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio, Travis Baldree, and Netgalley for the chance to listen to and review an early copy of Tales From the Territory!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leah, and Laura! <3

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by Niki Hawkes