dawn.vogel | May 31, 2023
The Killing Grounds by Joan Tierney (Neon Hemlock, 2023) is a dark near-contemporary novella, set in a dystopia that doesn’t look too different from our own world. It’s an often grim look at the haves and have-nots, while dealing with issues of memories, family, and small communities. Bina works for a passenger transportation company, but […]
dawn.vogel | May 17, 2023
As a K-pop fan, I was excited to sink into Hybrid Heart by Iori Kusano (Neon Hemlock, 2023) and dive right into the world of J-pop. But this isn’t entirely your standard J-pop setting, as it’s also a near future light sci-fi novella that looks at identity and freedom, or the lack of both of these […]
dawn.vogel | May 3, 2023
Years ago, when I was a kid, my grandma took me to see The Black Cauldron in the theater. This stands out to me mainly because we were the ONLY people in the theater for a weekday matinee. But I recalled enjoying the movie, which I’ve probably seen once or twice since them. Meanwhile, my husband […]
dawn.vogel | April 12, 2023
The Map and the Territory by A.M. Tuomala (Candlemark & Gleam, 2022) is a gorgeous secondary world fantasy novel, the first in a series, with lush worldbuilding and spectacular characters. When a strange event destroys the city where Rukha, who also calls herself Fern after a custom of people not using their given names in […]
dawn.vogel | March 29, 2023
I recently got a big stack of writing craft and books through a Microcosm Publishing Kickstarter, so I’ve decided to work through several of them for reviewing on my blog. A People’s Guide to Publishing by Joe Biel is a fantastic book for anyone serious about creating and sustaining a publishing business. The focus is […]
dawn.vogel | March 22, 2023
Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance and Other Stories is the latest collection from author Tobias S. Buckell (Apex Book Company, 2023), and it’s filled with a wonderful collection of previously published sci-fi stories. Several of the stories in this collection share the same setting, one in which oxygen use is monitored and paid […]
dawn.vogel | March 15, 2023
I recently got a big stack of writing craft and creativity books through a Microcosm Publishing Kickstarter, so I’ve decided to work through several of them for reviewing on my blog. Quit Your Day Job by Eleanor C. Whitney is full of useful advice about starting your own business that will allow you to quit […]
dawn.vogel | March 8, 2023
City of the Saints by D. J. Butler (WordFire Press, 2015) is a alternate history steampunk tale of a technologically advanced United States on the eve of the Civil War. With characters including Samuel Clemens, Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Burton, and Brigham Young (and many of his Mormon associates), it’s a wild, multi-point of view […]
dawn.vogel | March 1, 2023
The Goddess of Nothing at All by Cat Rector (Tychis Media, 2021) is an amazing retelling of Norse mythology, focused on Loki’s wife, Sigyn, and the events leading up to Ragnarok (and beyond). Even though it is based on existing tales, this novel covers new ground by making the point of view character a lesser-known […]
dawn.vogel | February 22, 2023
Solid-State Shuffle by Jeffrey A. Ballard (New Rochester Publishing, 2006) is a action-packed, high-stakes heist novel set in a post-ocean rise Seattle. With a fun cast of main characters and hints at an intriguing backstory, the prose will carry you along through the book. Isa and her team, consisting of her brother-from-another-mother Puo and her […]
