Books

Find author interviews, excerpts, reviews, and other coverage of new and older books, with genres mainly focusing on fantasy, sci-fi, and horror here!

Take a look through the Recommended Reading tag for some great stories to add to your TBR!


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My Top 23 Favorite Novels Read in 2023

Hello, fellow bookworms. It’s hard to believe that 2023 is over already. There’ve been highs and lows but overall it was a really great year for books. I’ve read well over one hundred books this year, many of them reviewed right here on Cosmic Circus for your perusal. So whittling it down to my top 23 was hard, almost like picking

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Book Review: ‘The Last Firefox’ by Lee Newbery

Charlie is just a normal kid growing up in Wales. And like all kids, he has a few problems. There are a couple of bullies that won’t leave him alone, there’s a killer goose that keeps chasing him, and his parents want to adopt a new little brother or sister. It’s a lot for one kid to deal with. Then something

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Books: ‘Strangers’ by Taichi Yamada is a Simple Yet Haunting Ghost Story

The infamous words of cursed pirate Captain Barbossa, “You best start believing in ghost stories Ms. Turner… Cause you’re in one!” echoed through my head as I read Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Written back in 1987 and translated by Wayne P. Lammers in 2003, Strangers explores grief and the impact it has on someone decades after their initial loss. However, this

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Book Review: ‘The Bitter Crown’ by Justin Lee Anderson

An entire kingdom has been stolen without anyone even knowing. How? Because the one who stole it has memory magic. “King” Janaeus used a powerful magical relic to amplify his power and change the memories of the entire kingdom all at once. Now they all think he is the king and that the rightful king, Mynygogg is trying to steal the

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Audiobook Review: ‘Star Wars: Survivor’s Quest’ by Timothy Zahn

The Essential Legends Collection has been bringing together some of the best and most famous novels from the old Expanded Universe of Star Wars since 2021. The novels get republished under this new line, and are given amazing new cover artwork, for a whole new generation of fans to enjoy and read. Disney sparked some controversy when they decided to scrap

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Review: ‘Star Wars: Outbound Flight’ Joins the Essential Legends Collection

Star Wars: Outbound Flight has been released with a new cover and audiobook as part of the new Essential Legends collection. This novel, written by Timothy Zahn, is somewhat of an origin story for Thrawn during his final days as a commander in the Chiss Ascendancy.    Taking place five years after the events of The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Outbound Flight

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Book Review: ‘The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker

Come meet Celie. She shares her life with us in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. Through letters from her to first God, and later her sister Nettie, we learn all about the lows and highs Celie experiences. Through love and loss, hope and devastation, The Color Purple gives us a look into life in the early 1900s in rural Georgia. It’s

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‘Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia’ Book Review

The High Republic has exploded its way into all corners of Star Wars since its inception back in 2021. Mainly keeping to books and comics, it has since ventured into animation, video games, and soon-to-be television with the release of The Acolyte in 2024. If you know me and my reviews by now, you know how much I love this new

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Book Review: ‘Doctor Who: The Ruby’s Curse’ by Alex Kingston

Get ready for a very meta experience. Doctor Who: The Ruby’s Curse by Alex Kingston is a book written by River Song, a character in Doctor Who played by the author of this very book, about Melody Malone. In the book, Melody and River influence each other to the point that River isn’t sure where Melody stops, and she begins, or

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