As a fan and player of Dungeons & Dragons for many years, I can admit that the game isn’t always the easiest to play. Like juggling, there are constantly moving parts that as a player you need to pay attention to. The game you play is vastly different depending on the class of character you decide to play. Factor in subclasses,
Read MoreThe Heart of Iuchiban by Evan Dicken is set in the mystical world of Rokugan. From the popular Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying and card games, Rokugan is a fantasy world based roughly on feudal Japan. There are seven clans (Crane, Lion, Crab, Scorpion, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Dragons) that divide the land of Rokugan and there is little love or
Read MoreMagic and mystery, trust and betrayal, Empire of Exiles has it all. Set in the walled city of Semilla, Erin M. Evans spins an intriguing tale of murder and secrets that are forced into the light in the devastating aftermath of a seemingly unexplainable attack. Quill, an apprentice scribe, must decide who he can trust as he investigates further into the
Read MoreMost fantasy books tend to be set in a medieval or, at best, Renaissance, time period. Or they take place in some alternate world that mimics our notions of these times. With The Last Raven by Steve McHugh, we’re offered a rare fantasy novel that is set in both modern times and the real world. I mean, the FBI is a huge
Read MoreThere’s no denying that Okoye (played by Danai Gurira in the MCU) is a fan favorite. Leader of the Dora Milaje, her fierce loyalty to and unwavering protection of Wakanda and its king are her defining traits. She is so intense that it is hard to picture her as ever being anything other than the intimidating Captain of the Dora Milaje.
Read MoreRemember being a kid and thinking how cool it would be if there were no grown-ups telling you what to do? Well for four lucky kids their wish came true In The Last Kids on Earth and the Forbidden Fortress. Max Brallier writes about Jack, June, Quint, and Dirk as they live through a monster/zombie apocalypse. All the grown-ups have vanished…
Read MoreDavid Annandale takes us back to Arkham, the center of horror, in his mystery-thriller In the Coils of the Labyrinth. This time Professor Miranda Ventham is caught at the center of an occult conspiracy. Luckily her best friend is Agatha Crane, a parapsychologist who has devoted her life to uncovering and fighting the evil at the center of Arkham. Together they
Read MoreIn The Prisoner of Tartarus, Richard Lee Byers gives us an origin story we didn’t know we needed. But we did! Byers shares with us not just the story of Heimdall coming into his own, but also the story of how the Bifrost, one of the most important means of transportation in the Marvel universe, came to be. [Note: While I
Read MoreWhat difference can one little squirrel (girl) make in the universe? Turns out it’s quite a big one in Squirrel Girl Universe by Tristan Palmgren. The titular heroine is joined by a whole pack of friends in a quirky adventure on the far side of the galaxy. Squirrel Girl faces gigantic problems down with a wholesomeness not often seen in heroes.
Read MoreMarsheila Rockwell pulls together some far-flung sorceresses and forges them into a potent team in Sisters of Sorcery: A Marvel Untold Novel. Clea, Sorceress Supreme of the Dark Dimension, Margali of the Winding Way, a former Sorceress Supreme, Holly, a young apprentice of Agatha’s, and Elizabeth Twoyoungmen, aka the Talisman, enter an uneasy alliance to fight a threat that’s too big
Read MoreFor those of us who can remember our childhood and adolescence, I think we can all agree that growing up isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. We learn through experience, with the goal to become functional adults, though not every experience is enjoyable. Sometimes the best lessons come from the hardest falls, where we get back up with a scraped knee and
Read MoreWe all love to ask these questions when thinking about our favorite stories. What if Cinderella didn’t lose her shoe? What if Belle hadn’t shown the villagers the beast? And what if Tiana had accepted the Shadow Man’s deal? How would these choices have changed their stories? Well, Disney’s Twisted Tale series allows us to indulge in these fantasies and see
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