Cirsova “Flight From Reckoning” by Michael Tierney (serial, not reviewed)
“They Always Come Back” by Frank Sawielijew
“Reborn From the Blackened Bayou” by Jacob Calta
“Master of the Hounds” by Misha Burnett
“The Gallowsport Resurrections” by Daniel J. Minucci
“Pact of the Ruin Witch” by J. E. Tabor
“Dream of an Eden” by Jed Jaleco Del Rosario
“The Fang of Yog-Bora” by Blake Carpenter
“Cool Beans” by Teel James Glenn
“An Elegant Adventure” by Jim Breyfogle
“A Serial Killer’s Diary” by Rodica Bretin
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
“They Always Come Back” by Frank Sawielijew takes place in a fantasy realm similar to ancient Rome. Slaves are allowed to live one month in freedom, then return voluntarily or be hunted down and captured. The protagonist openly tells his owner that he intends to flee the empire. He endures multiple adventures and mishaps with a fellow slave, a sorceress who has had her tongue cut out to prevent her from speaking her magic spells.
The latter detail makes the story sound grim, but in fact the mood is one of action-packed adventure. The plot is episodic, with the two slaves running into multiple characters who help or hinder them. Readers may appreciate the ironic ending, even if it is predictable.
In “Reborn From the Blackened Bayou” by Jacob Calta, hundreds of zombies emerge from a Louisiana swamp. The protagonist fights them with her pickup truck, rifle, and unexpected help from two unusual characters who appear out of nowhere.
The story moves very quickly, with hordes of the undead appearing at the very beginning. The most original concept is the fact that the swamp itself is an evil entity. Otherwise, this is a familiar tale of a zombie rampage with a touch of the Deep South.
The main character in “Master of the Hounds” by Misha Burnett deserts the invading army into which he was drafted and saves the life of a pregnant dog left starving in the devastating aftermath of war. Her puppies become his loyal companions years later, when he works recovering treasures from ancient ruins. He seeks a fortune in sapphires in a cursed land where a huge number of ghouls threaten those who enter.
The protagonist’s back story, which I have described above, serves only as a prologue, and is not strictly necessary to the plot. The hero and his dogs are so powerful that there is little suspense.
In “The Gallowsport Resurrections” by Daniel J. Minucci, a young man who can call upon the spirits of the dead confronts a fellow who can apparently bring the deceased back to life. The protagonist must determine if the man is genuine, a charlatan, or something more sinister.
Readers will not be surprised to discover which of these three possibilities is the correct one. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story is the relationship between the main character and his father, an authority figure who has to give him this dangerous assignment.
In “Pact of the Ruin Witch” by J. E. Tabor, the protagonist’s life is saved by the title character, who lives alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. He returns to rescue her when she is abducted by an evil warlock.
The futuristic setting, with the witch living in a wrecked airplane and the warlock riding a motorcycle, is the most original aspect of the story. In other ways, the plot is pure fantasy, with the witch and the warlock using magic in their battle. Readers might wish that the post-apocalyptic background had been developed to a greater degree.
All the characters in “Dreams of an Eden” by Jed Jaleco Del Rosario are aliens. The story takes place in the extreme far future, long after humanity brought life to multiple planets then vanished. A reptilian alien deceives space pirates in order to obtain ancient human technology from one of the many worlds seeded with life by humans. Besides the wrath of the pirates, the protagonist faces the gigantic creatures inhabiting the planet.
This is a very imaginative science fiction adventure. The author manages to create aliens that are fully developed characters without being too human. The advanced biotechnology left behind by humanity is intriguing, as is the way the main character thinks of them as fickle gods.
In “The Fang of Yog-Bora” by Blake Carpenter, a wanderer arrives in a town under the control of an evil sorcerer. He enters the magician’s stronghold in search of a magic item.
This story reads like a combination of sword-and-sorcery and a Western. The lone hero must first defeat a trio of antagonists in a tavern, as might be seen in a Clint Eastwood horse opera. (The protagonist’s horse plays a major part in the plot.) The main character is not only a skilled warrior but also has magic items of his own. The combination makes him such a formidable opponent that there is not much suspense.
“Cool Beans” by Teel James Glenn takes place in a version of the modern world in which many supernatural beings exist. The protagonist is something like a private investigator. He finds a goblin who owns a grocery store murdered in his own freezer. The case involves the robbery of magic beans and a sasquatch crime lord.
With characters like a gnome who is a gourmet chef and a zombie who is only a disembodied head, this is a lighthearted tale despite the fact that it is also a murder mystery. At times it gets a bit too silly, but it offers some relief in an issue full of very serious stories.
“An Elegant Adventure” by Jim Breyfogle features a dancer, a singer, and a musician who are also adventurers for hire. During a previous venture that went wrong, the singer suffered an injured leg and the musician lost a hand. Despite tensions within the trio because of this disaster, they accept an assignment to make an aristocrat’s son come home. In addition to the reluctance of the son to leave the woman he loves, a miner’s strike threatens to become violent. The quest involves an old enemy of the group.
Although it takes place in an imaginary land, this story has no fantasy elements. It could easily be an historical adventure, particularly since the setting resembles Spain rather than a completely fictional nation. The characters are appealing, but one has to accept the fact that they can easily defeat multiple opponents despite their injuries.
The narrator of “A Serial Killer’s Diary” by Rodica Bretin is abducted by a sadistic killer under the supernatural control of a sinister overlord. After suffering multiple rapes and torture, she uses her own arcane powers to get retribution.
This is an extremely violent and disturbing story, even more so than the above synopsis may suggest. Readers need to have strong nerves to endure the gruesome details of the narrator’s suffering. The speculative content of this story is confusing and seems inconsistent. Perhaps one needs to be familiar with previous works in the series for full understanding.
Victoria Silverwolf wrote this review one day before a holiday.