R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War starts as a typical coming-of-age fantasy about a girl from humble beginnings who discovers she has special powers. Despite a cliched beginning, the first chapter had me hooked, as it's probably the best bit of writing in the novel --- not surprising given the knock-them-dead-from-page-one nature of publishing today. The... Continue Reading →
The Rings of Power Was . . . Fine
While it may not be the popular opinion to hold, like most things on social media, and especially for every frothing-at-the-mouth critic on YouTube, hatred for Amazon's "The Rings of Power" has reached a fever pitch and is entirely overblown. Is it a great show? Not really, no. Is it worthy of Tolkien's masterpiece? Certainly... Continue Reading →
Noora’s Song
Noora's song features prominently in The Princess of Aenya. When Radia goes on the run, disguised as a serving girl named Noora, she sings her song in the Cosmos Theater, only to have the wilting flowers on the tables bloom. She sings it once more near the end of the story, before her gruesome confrontation... Continue Reading →
The Giver for the Holidays!
Christmastime is here again, and what better story to celebrate the holidays than Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol? No, wait. Actually, we're doing Lois Lowry's The Giver, a classic tale of the original giver of gifts, Santa himself . . . Actually, no, this dystopian novel has little to do with Old Saint Nick. But,... Continue Reading →
The Wind Through King’s Mouth Hole
Finally!!! My pal Heather returns from her long hiatus in the Phantom Zone to talk to me about Stephen King's final (let's hope) book in his The Dark Tower series, The Wind Through the Keyhole. We then veer into a bunch of crazy tangents (as is par for the course) with subjects ranging from AI... Continue Reading →
The Feral Girl: Gamer Edition is NOW!
Hey, Aenya fans! The long wait is over . . . The Feral Girl: Gamer Edition for your Kindle-enabled device is finally HERE. What you get: Included in The Feral Girl: Gamer Edition for Kindle, you get Thelana's heart-wrenching origin story and prequel to Ages of Aenya, over 30 beautiful illustrations with many new, full-color art... Continue Reading →
What is Ages of Aenya?
OK, I've dissected enough of other people's books on my podcast. Now it's my turn. That's right, folks, it's time I get to toot my own horn. So here is your introduction to Aenya, a world blending the best of fantasy and science fiction. The books in the Aenya Series have possessed me for over... Continue Reading →
Stephen King Tells a Fairy Tale
Fairy Tale is Stephen King’s okayest novel to date. Maybe he's gotten tired after 75 years on this planet, having written a whopping sixty-five books (wow, sixty-five!!!), but his most recent release just feels bland and uninspired. While Charlie Reade, his one and only protagonist (a bit sparse for a 600-page novel), is likable enough, there’s nothing particularly... Continue Reading →
The Dark Tower VII: WTF?
It's hard for me to wrap my head around Stephen King's Dark Tower finale and seventh book in the series, The Dark Tower, but I will try. I will admit I haven't been this eager to talk about a book in a long time. Imagine, if you will, William Shakespeare writing the novelization of the... Continue Reading →
The Art of Storytelling 
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