History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Review of Hollow Skulls and Other Stories by Samuel Marzioli

| January 6, 2021

Hollow Skulls and Other Stories by Samuel Marzioli (JournalStone, 2021) is a collection of thirteen horror and otherwise dark short stories. The majority of the stories are previously published stories, while a few are new to this collection. One of Marzioli’s greatest strengths, showcased in this collection, is a sense of creeping dread that pervades […]

Reading, Watching, and Listening To, Late December Edition

| December 30, 2020

Reading: More books for review, and a few comics here and there. Watching: We were reminded recently that we’d stopped watching Runaways, so we’re working through season 2 of that, along with our other watching. I finished up Reign and have (re-)started Medici (according to Netflix, I watched two seasons of it already, but I remember VERY […]

Awesome Finds: It Gets Even Better: Stories of Queer Possibility

| December 23, 2020

I’m looking forward to It Gets Even Better: Stories of Queer Possibility, which is currently funding on Kickstarter. It will be an anthology of “speculative short fiction about positive queer possibility”. The idea of an anthology full of positive stories with queer characters is absolutely delightful to me, and I can’t wait to read it. The […]

Review of Glitter + Ashes: Queer Tales of a World That Wouldn’t Die

| December 16, 2020

Glitter + Ashes: Queer Tales of a World That Wouldn’t Die, edited by dave ring (Neon Hemlock Press, 2020), is a collection of stories and a couple of poems about queer characters in a post-apocalyptic world. The stories range from funny to heartbreaking, while making stops at nearly every point in the range of human […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To, Early December 2020 Edition

| December 9, 2020

Reading: Books for reviews have started coming back in, so I’m returning to those. Watching: We’ve recently finished the second season of Hanna (waiting a year for the third season) and the first season of Avatar. I’m also working my way through the third season of Reign as time permits. We watched The New Mutants recently, and while […]

Review of Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz

| November 25, 2020

Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz (Harper Teen, 2017) is a historical fiction novel featuring the Night Witches, the Russian women pilots who flew daring nighttime missions. While the details of the plot are slightly fictionalized, the novel adheres closely to the reality of the history of the Night Witches. The story revolves […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To, Mid-November 2020

| November 18, 2020

Reading: I’ve picked up more books for reviews, so I’m alternating between books for reviews and books that have long been in my to read pile (which I’ll also review, most likely). Watching: Because Jeremy needed to watch a little bit of The Legend of Korra for a game he was running, we decided to get […]

Show Recommendation: Over the Garden Wall

| November 11, 2020

Our friend Kai mentioned watching Over the Garden Wall every year before Halloween, so Jeremy and I decided to add it to our Halloween watching list. Unsurprisingly, we loved it. It’s dark fantasy with an adorable comic relief character, and it hits just enough of those Ghibli-esque vibes to be poignant and wonderful. It’s technically […]

Review of Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard

| November 4, 2020

Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard (Viking, 2014) is a fast-paced fantasy novel with intrigue, romance, and dragons. It’s packed with wonderful characters and a story that will make you not want to put the book down. The novel features two point of view characters, with alternating chapters. Corin, the male protagonist, is a prince […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To: Late November 2020 Edition

| October 28, 2020

Reading: I’ve finished all of the books I’ve offered to review, which means I’m finally putting a dent in the pile of books I’ve bought over the years for fun. Currently on a historical fantasy/ fantastic history kick, unsurprisingly. Watching: Still working our way through Hanna, V, and Kindred: the Embraced. I had to explain to Jeremy why […]