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A wonderful collection of three novels of a “China that never was”, featuring the narrator, Number Ten Ox, and Li Kao, an ancient sage and scholar with “a slight flaw in his character”.

Full review at [ https://sohkamyung.github.io/reviews/fiction/2025/20250228-ChroniclesMasterLiNumberTenOx.html ]

What a fantastic 'Weird West', magic, action, adventure tale!

This carefully constructed alternative Western story is populated with interesting, but not always likeable, characters. The magic is strange and unpredictable, and is very much part of the world, not added on top.

While a YA fantasy, the book never shies away from addressing the very real violence and horror of genocide.

Really sweet story, and the only time ever a scene has been hot while described in clinical detail.

A not very interesting issue of Interzone, mainly because the stories appear to be on the theme of conflicts (mainly military related) and not of much interest to me. Natalia Theodoridou's story about unusual genetically engineered soldiers is probably the most interesting.

I mean, I gotta recommend my own book, right?

This is a free special Gardner Dozois Memorial Issue.

Gardner Dozois was a well known editor and writer and loved by many in the Western Science Fiction and Fantasy writing scene.

This issue gathers memorials and articles by various people in the SF and F businesses who knew him and wanted to celebrate his life.

Well that took a long time! It is wordy book, and I do not normally enjoy wordy books, but I did enjoy this one. I tried recently to re-read King's "It" but god is it wordy. This is wordy in a different way, you're in the head of the strong female lead, who has her flaws and anxieties and her inner monologue reflects this. It's about vampires and I'm sad that it's a standalone effort.

Filled with flawed characters, a corrupt police force, bought and manipulated by a wealthy local family; it's a rich background to the main tale of redemption, coming to terms and moving on.

Slow in parts, it is however, a worthwhile read in itself, serving as an insight into the mining communities of the region and their demise as a local industry and employer.

This weird, wild, violent, dangerous, almost-fantasy, New York setting is pure Chuck Wendig.

Mookie Pearl is to the gangland thug what Miriam Black is to the care home nurse. If this is what happens when Chuck Wendig is given free rein to create his own universe and populate it with strange gods, demons and magic, then I want more of it!

Read it and the sequel. Well done Chuck!

Gaie Sebold has created such a rich universe of worlds and characters in her Babylon Steel novels, that you can't help finding something to enjoy.

For me the two books have been a complete blast and I can't wait for the third... when it arrives.

They are FUN! That's not to say there's no emotion, pathos, danger and risk in them. Not at all.

An absolute riot of multi-world fantasy fiction.

The Yamada Monogatari series, by Richard Parks, is a rich, detailed insight into both the Japanese period I enjoy so much and the mythology of ghosts, demons and spirits that filled the storytelling and superstition of the time.

A thrilling read in the style of Raymond Chandler's Sam Spade stories.

An average issue, with interesting stories by Geoff Ryman and David Jeffrey, Amal Singh, Samantha E. Chung and Meighan Hogate.

Full review at [ https://sohkamyung.github.io/reviews/magazines/FantasyAndScienceFiction/20231107-FSF202311.html ].