Bill and the Doctor have a debate to settle in The Eaters of Light by Rona Munro. What happened to the “lost” Ninth Legion of the Roman Army? Stationed in Britain in the second century A.D., the Ninth Legion suddenly disappeared without a trace. To this day, no one knows what happened to them. But of course, the Doctor knows, or
Read MoreBrian Herbert continues the story his father started almost 60 years ago with Princess of Dune (a Dune prequel), a collaboration between Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Princess of Dune reveals the backstory of Chani and Irulan, the two women who shape Paul Atreides and the galaxy’s destiny in the Dune series. [Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly,
Read MoreIn Rachel Gillig’s One Dark Window, we are introduced to the kingdom of Blunder. Here magic is real and so is the cost. We also met Elspeth, a girl with a terrible secret. And Ravyn, the man who is both her best hope and biggest danger. Together they embark on a mission to end magic in Blunder. In Two Twisted Crowns,
Read MoreKatherine Locke’s new book Loki: Journey into Mystery is based on the popular graphic novel of the same name by Kieron Gillen. Locke’s book follows Kid Loki as he struggles to define himself as separate from his former incarnation. This story places Loki in many difficult situations. He tries to solve his problems differently from the old Loki, but everyone judges him
Read MoreNearly thirty years ago, Gregory Maguire published his first book for adults. A reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West started a phenomenon. Wicked spawned a multibook series about the citizens of Oz, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, and now a two-part movie series set to
Read MoreAnother Twisted Tale that has so far only been released on the other side of the pond, Suddenly Super asks “What if Violet from The Incredibles became an Agent of Syndrome?”. Now before anyone starts freaking out too much, no, Violet doesn’t suddenly become evil. Instead, she’s a confused teen who gets manipulated by an evil man. What happens when an
Read MoreTo the rest of the world, Angela Benson is dead. She died fighting a vampire infestation in New York City (or in a building collapse if you’re not in the know). But in reality, she’s joined Daxxe the gargoyle in his eternal quest to rid the Earth of vampires. She’s growing in her skills by leaps and bounds, and her grasp
Read MoreEveryone knows the story of King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone and becoming king of all England. But what if Arthur was never meant to pull that sword from the stone? In Set in Stone, Mari Mancusi posits that Merlin’s rival, Madam Mim, set Arthur up. She thought he’d be easy to manipulate, leaving her to rule England through
Read MoreThe Everly family has lived under a curse for centuries. For each generation, one member must be sacrificed to the mysterious Penelope. The reason for the curse has been lost to the Everly family, they simply live with the debt they can never fully pay. Ten years ago, Violet’s mom walked out the door to find a way to break the
Read MoreThere is a war being waged that humanity is blissfully unaware of. But now that war is reaching a tipping point, some people are starting to notice. It’s all going down in New York (because doesn’t everything go down there) and the NYPD is chasing its own tail trying to understand why so many bodies are dropping. But then Joshua Stone
Read MoreLee Newbery’s first book was about the last firefox so it only makes sense that his second book would be about the first shadowdragon. Once again, the citizens of Fargone need help, and they’re turning to Charlie the Great. However, Charlie isn’t feeling so great. Even though he managed to defeat the terrifying Grendilock, he’s still being bullied at school and
Read MoreHello, 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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