History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Review of Kalyna the Soothsayer by Elijah Kinch Spector

| July 17, 2024

Elijah Kinch Spector’s Kalyna the Soothsayer (Erewhon Books, 2022), is a sweeping secondary world fantasy novel featuring high stakes, political intrigue, and loads of deception. Kalyna’s father and grandmother both had the Gift, the ability to see the future of people with whom they are not close. However, Kalyna was born without it, a fact her […]

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 […]

Review of The Map and the Territory by A.M. Tuomala

| 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 […]

Recent Fantasy Publications

| February 21, 2023

If you’re looking for a fantasy story or poem to read, here are a few of my recent fantasy publications, along with some of my collections! My flash fiction piece, “Patience,” appeared in Wyldblood Magazine in October of last year. It’s a brief piece about working to get what you want, but not being impatient about […]

My Fantasy Collections

| July 26, 2022

If you’re looking for books for a lover of fantasy, I’ve got a few books you could check out! If you’d prefer short stories, Denizens of Distant Realms is half a dozen fantasy short stories with dragons, witches, fairies, cats, and more. If instead, you’d like a book that’s primarily poetry with a few stories, What […]

Looking for Some Fantasy Reads?

| June 24, 2021

If your idea of a great summer read is something from a world of fantasy, I’ve got a couple of books that might fit the bill! What If I’m a Merfolk? spans traditional fantasy and more modern fantasy, but presents a load of interesting merfolk poetry and a handful of short stories, all dealing with […]

Review of The Hand of the Sun King by J. T. Greathouse

| March 10, 2021

J.T. Greathouse’s debut, The Hand of the Sun King (Gollancz, 2021), is an epic fantasy novel, the first in a planned trilogy. Set in a fantastical world of magic with a rich history, this novel fits beautifully into its genre while also addressing some failings of the genre by turning them on their head. The […]

Review of Power and Majesty by Tansy Rayner Roberts

| February 26, 2020

I’ve got another book review up at Mad Scientist Journal today, for Tansy Rayner Roberts’ Power and Majesty, which is the first book her her Creature Court series. I’m anxiously awaiting the chance to read the other books in this series (which unfortunately have to wait until I have some free time between review book reading), because […]