Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson

 

When I was younger, I read a lot of tie-in fiction. I became a huge Star Trek fan in the late 80s, and once I was all caught up on TOS and TNG, I turned to the novels. I read all the ones that had existed at that point and then bought them when they got released. That is how I found authors like Diane Duane and Peter David. I also loved the Dragonlance books. When they started coming out with D&D novels in other campaign settings, I bought the spelljammer and Ravenloft books too. So I was very excited when I saw that there was a new D&D tie in novel available on NetGalley. I got an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was so much fun! It really had the feel of a modern adventuring party that did not optimize themselves for anything besides fun. There was a cleric, a Paladin, a wizard, an artificer, and a barbarian. They all got captured by the mists and ended up in Barovia where they get invited to Castle Ravenloft to meet Count Strahd. 

Reading through this book and seeing some of the classic Dungeons & Dragons monsters and spells really gave me a warm feeling inside.  The characters in this book are quite interesting; although some of them seem flat at first, they all have hidden secrets. Sometimes I thought the manner in which the secrets were revealed was a little heavy-handed, but that is a minor complaint. I really enjoyed this book, including a late shift in location that was unexpected but delightful.  The final twist was something I bounced off of initially, but after sitting and thinking about it for a few days, I think I’m OK with it.  This was a fun read!

Observer by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress

 

Very interesting book, but I would have preferred a new solo Nancy Kress novel. 

I first (re)discovered Nancy Kress a few years ago when I was in an reading dry spell. I was listlessly perusing the library shelves feeling like I had nothing to read when I came across a copy of her then-just published novella After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall. I recognized her name from having read Beggars in Spain years before so I picked it up. 

It blew me away. The book was a masterpiece. The author created a fully realized world, She didn’t need a thousand pages to do it. Up until that point I had been disdainful of shorter works; Nancy Kress made me realize just how much hard work and talent was needed to excecise economy when world building. 

However, this book isn’t just by Nancy Kress Here she has coauthor Robert Lanza, a scientist who seemingly wanted to get his ideas into the form of a novel. 

There is alot of awkwardness in the book. I almost stopped reading halfway through the prologue- it was boring and dull and every character’s name started with a W and I couldn’t tell them apart and I didn’t care about any of them. 

Am I glad I pushed through that! Even though some parts of the book read like a dry, poorly written physics textbook (during which I kept muttering to myself that Lanza should’ve let Kress write this alone) those dull clunky sections were massively overpowered by the well drawn characters and the very real emotions that jumped off the page down my throat and lodged in my sternum. 

I wish the book had had content warnings for child disability and child death. 

I understand from some cursory internetting that Lanza may believe in the observer-created reality that the characters believe in in the novel. I can’t say that I’m convinced myself. It sounds a lot like wish fulfillment to me. But it sure has given me a lot to think about . . . 

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

Annalee Newitz is a favorite author of mine - I have enjoyed both her fiction and nonfiction in the past, and I also enjoy her podcast with Charlie Jane Anders. 

After the masterful job she did creating the robot protagonist Paladin in her debut novel Autonomous, I was very excited to see what she would do in her newest book, Automatic Noodle, and I was pleased when I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not disappointed! 

This is a near future story about a group of robots that just want to open up a restaurant together.  I wished the book had been longer because the ending felt a tad too abrupt, but I often feel that way with novellas. Although the plot isn’t particularly wild or groundbreaking, this story is rich and full of heart and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi

I met Tochi Onyebuchi at New York Comic Con a few years ago and got him to sign a copy of Goliath for me. I really enjoyed that book, and, although I hadn’t loved his earlier book Riot Baby, I was always on the lookout for more stuff by him. I was excited to find out that he had a new book coming out, and even more excited when I learned it was like a noir detective story that was also a fantasy. I got an audiobook eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I really enjoyed it! It was cool and atmospheric like the best noir stories. It reminded me of the Maltese Falcon and also Even Though I Knew the End in the best ways. I also really enjoyed the narrator of this audiobook. I appreciated it that, when the first person protagonist was winded our out of breath, the narration reflected that as well. 

The Folded Sky by Elizabeth Bear

I had heard good things about Elizabeth Bear’s White Space novels but hadn’t ever read them before, but I had a hankering for good space opera. I wanted space ships and aliens and galactic civilizations! So I was excited when I got an eARC of her latest novel in the series, The Folded Sky, from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. But first I had to read Ancestral Night and Machine, the first two books in the universe, which I enjoyed (Machine much more than Ancestral Night). 

When I dove into The Folded Sky, it was everything I had hoped for! Although the motivation behind the pirates felt a little underdeveloped, everything else about this book was a delight. Our protagonist is a data historian/achivist, and she is on her way to a rickety space station to research an old alien artifact before its star goes supernova. Her wife (who is a wonderful nonhuman character) and her kids end up on that station, along with her chief rival (and exgirlfriend). There is a mystery, parenting drama, and fun first contact stuff. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to diving into the author’s back catalog. 

Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher

 

In the past 4 years, or so, I have become a HUGE fan of T. Kingfisher aka Ursula Vernon. 

Ms. Vernon is the author of the Hamster Princess books, which both of my daughters have enjoyed (as have I!). Those books were my introduction to her, along with her social media presence, which I found through Seanan McGuire. 

Ordinarily, I don’t like horror. I never wanted to watch scary movies as a kid. I got nightmares from E.T.  But based on recommendations I read the Twisted Ones and The Holllow Places and I realized that I loved Ms. Vernon’s writing and I could make it through the scary parts unscathed with her as my guide. 

I started devouring her back catalog and putting all new releases on hold at the library.  I have subscribed to her Patreon and I convinced my wife to read Nettle and Bone, which she loved (as did I). I even backed the kickstarter for the rerelease of Digger, which was wonderful. 

I was very excited when I heard she had a new book out in 2025 called Hemlock and Silver and I was even more excited when I got an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

This new book is loosely based on the Snow White fairy tale, with some Rose Red in there too. Our main character is reminiscent of other Kingfisher protagonists - a somewhat awkward older (but not old) woman who is brilliant and skilled and in a bit over her head.  She is an expert on poison and is recruited to try to figure out what is making the princess sick. Without spoiling things too much, I can tell you that you may never look at a mirror the same way again after this novel. 

This book was wonderful and was a story I could have lived in forever. 

This was the one of the best new releases I have read in 2025 so far and it will probably be on my Hugo ballot next year! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

 

I unabashedly love the Golden Girls. I grew up in the 80s and watched it in its original run with my mom. We also used to watch the reruns all the time on Lifetime. I own the entire series on DVD. And I always get compliments when I wear my “Stay Golden” t shirt with the girls on it. (FYI, Dorothy is my favorite, hands down). 

But I still couldn’t believe it when I found out that they were publishing a Golden Girls tie in series of cozy mystery novels! What a ridiculous,0 wonderful concept! I was very excited when I got an eARC from the publisher and NetGalley right before a family vacation to Miami and the Florida Keys. 

This book was so much fun! Some parts of it were a tad clunky, but the author really knows the characters and was able to find their voices. The murder mystery wasn’t bad, but I was mostly just along for the ride. I got a paper copy of the book and gave it to my mother to read - I think she’ll enjoy it too. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!