History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Review of Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdez

| March 18, 2020

I’ve just published my final review for Mad Scientist Journal, for Valerie Valdez’s Chilling Effect, which was basically everything I’ve ever wanted in a novel. It’s hilarious, a lot like Firefly, and mashes up little bits of sci-fi pop culture into a wonderfully twisty story. Though this is my final review for Mad Scientist Journal, never fear! 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 […]

Review of Key of Astrea by Nicholas Marson

| February 5, 2020

My latest review is up at Mad Scientist Journal for The Key of Astrea by Nicholas Marson. It’s a young adult book that mashes up fantasy and sci-fi. I will note that I had some contents notes about this book, but those can be found in my review. If they don’t push you away, though, you can […]

Review of Carpe Glitter by Cat Rambo

| January 1, 2020

My latest review for Mad Scientist Journal is up now, this week for Carpe Glitter by Cat Rambo. This is a novelette, so it was a really quick read that I read in about an hour. But the title was awesome, and the plot sucked me right in, with a very realistic tale of dealing with the […]

Review of Why Didn’t Someone Warn You About Prince Charming by Jameson Currier

| December 4, 2019

My latest book review is up at Mad Scientist Journal, for Why Didn’t Someone Warn You About Prince Charming? by Jameson Currier. It’s a collection of short stories with gay male protagonists, and it’s a really neat look at how one author has written variations on a common theme! You can check out my review here, or […]

My GeekGirlCon 2019 Haul

| November 20, 2019

GeekGirlCon was this past weekend, and while I didn’t bring home TOO much stuff, I did have a couple of awesome things I picked up! The fabric from Fireside Textiles is destined to become a young gamer’s first dice bag, picked out especially for them. They had so much other AMAZING fabric that I wanted, […]

Review of Into Bones Like Oil by Kaaron Warren

| November 13, 2019

My latest book review is up at Mad Scientist Journal, for a surreal Gothic-styled novella called Into Bones Like Oil. This book reminded me about the best parts of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, but geared toward adult readers rather than younger readers. The book just came out yesterday, so you can grab it right away! […]

Review of A Family Matter by Ox Aaronson

| October 23, 2019

My latest book review is up at Mad Scientist Journal, for Ox Aaronson’s A Family Matter! It’s a sci-fi heist that reminds me a lot of the Scum and Villainy game we’re currently playing. It’s also got some similarities to the Oceans Eleven series and Firefly. You can check out my review or check out the book, which is out […]

Review of Triangulation: Dark Skies

| October 2, 2019

My latest review is up at Mad Scientist Journal for Triangulation: Dark Skies, which came out earlier this year. It’s an anthology of stories about light pollution and the beauty of a dark sky, filled with stars. There are sci-fi, fantasy, and horror stories within the collection, just right for about any possible taste! If you’d like […]

My First K-Pop Concert!

| September 18, 2019

Last week was the culmination of my frantic watching everything by Pentagon I could get my eyeballs on in preparation for seeing them live. And it was definitely an experience. Jeremy and I both work downtown–my office is very near the theater they were playing–so we met up after work for dinner and drinks, then […]