The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan Book 1) by Robert Jackson Bennett. Del Rey, 2024. 978-1984820716. 432pp. The book opens with a gruesome death. It turns out to be a murder, which leads to the discovery of what is […]
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Category: book review
Novella Review: The Dragonfly Gambit by A.D. Sui
The Dragonfly Gambit by A.D. Sui. Neon Hemlock, 2024. 9781952086793. 134pp. Inez should have been the greatest pilot of the Rule. But she was severely injured and discharged from service; her co-pilot (and now former lover) Kaya became the empire’s […]
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Novella Review: Outside The Gates by Molly Gloss
Outside The Gates by Molly Gloss. Saga Press, 2019. 9781534414976. 128pp. “The best first novel I’ve seen in years.” — Ursula K. Le Guin I came across a copy of this novella in a bookstore and had to it when […]
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Graphic Novel Review: Smoking Kills by Thijis Desmet
Smoking Kills by Thijis Desmet. Translated by Trace Demon and Gryla Skullking. F.U. Press / Fantagraphics, 2023. 9781683969150. 166pp. Two dead dudes hang out. The ghost smokes. The skeleton guy can’t quite face the fact that he’s dead. They wander […]
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Graphic Novel Review: Endsickness by Sofia Alarcon
Endsickness by Sofia Alarcon. Conundrum, 2025. 9781772621075. 148pp. This book features eight short comics by Alarcon about “climate change and eco-anxiety” (says the back cover). “Positive Thinking” opens with just that, but then becomes a fantasy about leaving everything behind. […]
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Graphic Novel Review: Family Force V Book One by Matt Braly and Ainsworth Lin
Family Force V Book One by Matt Braly and Ainsworth Lin. Skybound / Image, 2025. 9781534340336. 232pp. Publisher’s Rating: Ages 12+ This is a cross between Power Rangers and the Fantastic Four. A family of superheroes in colorful costumes — […]
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Graphic Novel Review: Simplicity: A Novel by Matty Lubchansky
Simplicity: A Novel by Matty Lubchansky. Pantheon, 2025. 9780593701126. 272pp. Here’s the book’s full title on the title page: In the Land of…Simplicity: A Novel. An Account Of The Unusual Peoples Of The Former United States & A Sojourn Through […]
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Graphic Novel Review: Lucas Wars by Laurent Hopman and Renaud Roche
Lucas Wars by Laurent Hopman and Renaud Roche. Translated by Jeremy Melloul. 23rd St., 2025. 9781250367402. 186pp. Includes a detailed bibliography plus a portfolio, commentary, and a few pages of notes on Roche’s creative process from roughs to finished pages. […]
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Graphic Novel Review: Goes Like This by Jordan Crane
Goes Like This by Jordan Crane. Fantagraphics, 2025. 9781683967729. 192pp. This is a perfect companion to Crane’s adult graphic novel Keeping Two. The stories are short, but they share the mastery of sequential art on display in that book; the […]
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Book Review: World’s Edge: A Mosaic Novel by James Sallis
World’s Edge: A Mosaic Novel by James Sallis. Soho, 2026. 9781641298261. 225pp. Sallis is one of my favorite novelists because he’s a poet who doesn’t waste words. His books circle ideas and moments and people that are often full of […]
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