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Book Reviews

Review: “Transcendent” – Boogieman In Lavender

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Transcendent

“Transcendent,” edited by K.M. Szpara, is the latest “Best Of” collection from Lethe Press. The question arises, would there be enough Transgender-related speculative fiction for a full anthology, let alone an annual series? The answer, judging from the fifteen stories assembled here, is “yes.” The stories display a surprising variety, never straying from Trans characters, (some not obvious) or themes. Transformation is an obvious recurring motif in the stories but when it occurs, it is often in subtle and startlingly different, and entertaining ways. “The Librarian’s Dilemma,” by E. Saxey, features a group “seeding” an archive, The Hairad Collection, which … Read more

Review: “The Human and the Hunted” by R. A. Burg

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Title: The Human and the Hunted Series: Rise of the Great Assembly # 1 Author: R. A. Burg Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: CreateSpace (Amazon) Pages: 322 Blurb Earth. 11,000 BCE. A galaxy wide war between sentient machines rages and Earth is in the crossfire. Oblivious to the deadly peril above, Far Runner and his tribe face their own struggles. An unstable climate forces the group to migrate south and into the sights of a ruthless human foe. A merciless attack tears Runner away from his family and friends. A wounded alien cyborg soldier is stranded on Earth. Her views and … Read more

Review: “Fragments” by Zen DiPietro

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Title: Fragments Series: Dragonfire Station #2 Author: Zen DiPietro Genre: LGBTQ Science Fiction Publisher: Parallel Worlds Press (Sold by Amazon) Pages: 227 Blurb Fallon and her team need answers. But before they can storm the PAC base on Earth, they need to find supplies and deal with Fallon’s memory loss. Her strange dreams sure aren’t helping matters. If they’re memories that her brain is trying to reconstruct, her brain is just going to have to work harder at making some sense. Either way, once they arrive at Earth, all bets are off. As soon as they steal the information they … Read more

Review: “Quarry” by Elizabeth Noble

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Title: Quarry Series: The Vampire Guard #2 Author: Elizabeth Noble Genre: Gay Paranormal Mystery Publisher: DSP Publications Pages: 200 Blurb The members of the Vampire Guard—Jonas Forge, spy and soldier turned cop; computer hacker extraordinaire Blair Turner; Declan, thief, con man, and ex-pirate; and medical examiner and werewolf Dr. Lucas Coate—face a dangerous and elusive enemy. And this time, it’s personal. Over the course of three hundred years, a man has touched each of their lives in ways they are only just realizing. When a hunt for a psychotic killer in the present resurrects memories and clues from the past, … Read more

Review: “Translucid” by Zen DiPietro

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Title: Translucid Series: Dragonfire Station #1 Author: Zen DiPietro Genre: Science Fiction Mystery/Thriller Publisher: Parallel Worlds Press (buy link on Amazon) Pages: 228 Blurb What if you woke up knowing how to do your job, but not your own name? What if you had to rely on other people to tell you who you were? What if you thought they were wrong? Emé Fallon is the security chief of Dragonfire Station, and does a damn good job of it. That’s where her competence ends. Outside of work, she has a wife she doesn’t know, a captain who seems to hate … Read more

Review: “The Goat: Building a Perfect Victim” by Bill Kieffer

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The Goat

Title: The Goat: Building a Perfect Victim Author: Bill Kieffer Genre: Dark Paranormal Publisher: Red Ferret Press (buy link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-goat-building-a-perfect-victim) Pages: 162 Blurb Frank was a high school bully but he always paid special attention to Glenn. Now, with his wife gone on yet another separation, Frank is trying to deal with a mid-life crisis that has been brewing for quite awhile. Glenn becomes Frank’s new hobby… and eventually Frank is going to have to ask himself… which one of them is actually the victim in his new violent lifestyle. Review Let me just say this first: Frank, our protagonist, … Read more

Review: “Knight of Flames” by Amelia Faulkner

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Knight of Flames

Title: Knight of Flames Series: Inheritance #2 Author: Amelia Faulkner Genre: MM Paranormal Publisher: LoveLight Press Pages: 460 Blurb Headstrong. Telekinetic. Pariah. On the run from his family, Quentin d’Arcy has settled in San Diego with dwindling funds and the growing suspicion that his gifts might not be limited to telekinesis. When he meets a psychic who can control people’s actions with a few words, his comfortable life starts to unravel. Demigod. Oracle. Hunter. Laurence Riley almost died killing one god only to discover that he’s descended from another. Before he can come to terms with that revelation, Quentin’s twin … Read more

Review: “Insurrection” by Arshad Ahsanuddin

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Insurrection

Title: Insurrection Series: The Interscission Project Book #3 Author: Arshad Ahsanuddin Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC Pages: 304 Blurb One man will destroy the past to save the present. The price is too high. But it may already be too late to stop him. Life settles into a routine for the inhabitants of Chiron Colony, humanity’s first interstellar settlement, after the threat of the time traveler Gifford has apparently been eliminated. But the Hourglass and its leader, Admiral O’Dare, are not content to rest on their laurels, convinced that time travel remains a palpable threat to human … Read more

Jeff Baker—Boogieman In Lavender

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                                         Wilde Stories 2016                                                 By Jeff Baker               Science fiction, magical realism, fantasy and plain old horror. All are on display in the 2016 edition of Wilde Stories, editor Steve Berman’s annual “best of the year” collection devoted to gay speculative fiction.             “Imaginary Boys” by Paul Magrs is one of several stories in Wilde Stories with a young adult protagonist. In this case David, raised by a single working mother, dealing with homophobia and with a visitor from Somewhere Else thrown into the mix. The story is both touching and funny with laughs coming from the least-likely … Read more

Review: “Lime Gelatin & Other Monsters” by Angel Martinez

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Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters

Title: Lime Gelatin & Other Monsters Series: Offbeat Crimes #1 Author: Angel Martinez Genre: Gay Paranormal Mystery Publisher: Pride Publishing Pages: 147 Blurb Kyle Monroe’s encounter with a strange gelatinous creature in an alley leaves him scarred and forever changed, revealing odd abilities he wishes he didn’t have and earning him reassignment to a precinct where all the cops have defective paranormal abilities. Just as he’s starting to adjust to his fellow misfit squad mates, Kyle’s new partner arrives. Tall, physically perfect, reserved, and claiming he has no broken psychic talents, Vikash Soren irritates Kyle in every way. But as … Read more