History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

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 […]

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

| July 12, 2023

Reading: Back to reading things mostly for book reviews, still trying to whittle down the stack of comics on the shelf. Recent reads there were Thessaly: Witch for Hire (from 2004) and Sandman Presents: The Dreaming series (2018-2022), which led me to finding Hoopla through our local library, and now I can read graphic novels on my […]

Review of Dragon Whisperer by Vanessa Ricci-Thode

| July 5, 2023

Dragon Whisperer by Vanessa Ricci-Thode (2nd edition, 2023) is the first book in the author’s Fireborn series. This first book introduces the reader to a fantastical world of magic, dragons, and the people who communicate with them. Dionelle is immune to fire, which makes her uniquely suited to communicate with dragons. Though her new husband, […]

Review of Parallel Worlds by Addison Smith

| June 28, 2023

Addison Smith’s Parallel Worlds: Science Fiction and Fantasy (2023) is a collection of science fiction and fantasy short stories, flash fiction, and drabbles. Though some common themes emerge amongst the stories, there’s also a great amount of variety, ensuring that most readers will find stories they thoroughly enjoy within this collection. Of the stories included […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To, June 2023

| June 21, 2023

Reading: Books for review, mostly, and books for the essays for Unfixed Timelines 3. But I’ve also just gotten The Anti-Planner, which is mostly not for reading, but I occasionally read through a few of the exercises to see what might be useful to me at that time or in the future. And I’m trying […]

Review of Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon

| June 14, 2023

Danged Black Thing by Eugen Bacon (Apex Book Company, 2023) is a collection of short stories, the majority of which have been previously published. A handful of the stories are co-written with other authors, but all of them display Bacon’s distinctive storytelling voice. Favorites in this collection for me were “When the Water Stops,” a […]