History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Review of Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology

| November 1, 2023

Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology, edited by Wole Talabi (Android Press, forthcoming), is a collection of science-fantasy, shared-world/universe stories set in a universe created by African and African diaspora writers reflecting a combination of worldviews from throughout the African continent. The setting is also described as “Black Panther meets Wild Cards with all the rich spacefaring worldbuilding of Dune.” This […]

Review of Mermaids Never Drown

| October 25, 2023

Mermaids Never Drown, edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker (Feiwel and Friends, 2023), is a wonderful collection of stories of a variety of creatures in the seas, including but not limited to mermaids. The stories range from humorous to dark, but frequently include fraught relationships between mothers and daughters, often as a part […]

Review of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

| October 18, 2023

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey, 2022) is a reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau, set in Mexico during a period of civil strife in the nineteenth century, and focusing on Doctor Moreau’s daughter and an overseer of his hybrid creations. Carlotta Moreau has grown up with a strange sickness, but […]

Review of Tea Leaves by Jacob Budenz

| September 27, 2023

Tea Leaves by Jacob Budenz (Amble Press, 2023) is a collection of short stories with mostly queer protagonists and filled with a delightful surrealness across the various worlds and characters of the stories. I first became familiar with Jacob’s writing when he submitted the story “Seen” for DefCon One’s I Didn’t Break the Lamp anthology, which […]

Review of The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

| September 6, 2023

Unlike most of the books I review, The Devil in the White City (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2004) is a work of non-fiction. However, Erik Larson certainly weaves a narrative worthy of a fictional book. Intertwining the stories of the Chicago World’s Fair with that of serial killer H. H. Holmes, the story makes stops in […]

Kickstarter Recommendation: Rook and Rose Pattern Deck

| August 30, 2023

I love gorgeous decks of cards for writing and also of a tarot-like nature, so of course I’m backing the Rook and Rose Pattern Deck! Based on the Rook & Rose epic fantasy series by M.A. Carrick, this deck can be used for divination, to play games, or even as a writing inspiration deck. The […]

Review of The Crane Moon Cycle by J.C. Snow

| August 16, 2023

The Crane Moon Cycle by J.C. Snow (2023) is a wonderful epic fantasy novel duology filled with queer characters, slow-burn romance, and a deep historical world. Aili and Nora are preparing to ship out as military nurses, but before they do, they take opportunities to meet other queer women. In doing so, Aili meets an […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To: August 2023 Edition

| August 2, 2023

Reading: I’ve spent most of the last month reading a lot of flash fiction for critiques, but also a few novels for reviews. Watching: It’s mostly been Queendom Puzzle, but we also finally watched Quantumania and have started on season 3 of The Witcher. Listening To: Mostly Queendom Puzzle, though there have been a few new songs […]

Review of Sea of Souls by N. C. Scrimgeour

| July 26, 2023

Sea of Souls by N. C. Scrimgeour (Alcruix Press, 2023) is a gorgeous fantasy novel inspired by Scottish mythology and filled with family secrets and loads of heart-stopping action and danger. Isla Blackwood left her family’s home to become a sailor. But on learning that her mother has taken ill, accompanied by a cryptic letter […]

Comic Recommendation: Sandman Presents The Dreaming

| July 19, 2023

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you probably know I’m a HUGE Sandman fan. It’s the first comic I read in the order it was published (though most of it was out before I got started). I’ve kept up on some but not all of the various spin-offs and reboots and things. But […]