Azure Dwarf's Horde of SciFi & Fantasy

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennet

2026-08-18T12:38:51.084-07:00

A society and world that has embraced biotechnology and rejected mechanical technology is the setting for this tale. Din, an augmented engraver, is enhanced to have an eidetic memory triggered by scent indexing. Ana has mysterious enhancements and is the senior partner of the Empire’s detective team. The two are sent to investigate the murder of a prominent citizen, whose family is one of the two most eminent families in the raising of enhanced beef.

The storyline often indirectly alludes to the abuses of “lower” animals for the benefit of the masses. The killing of the biologically enhanced animals, as well as the harvesting of their main food source by biologically enhanced “cats,” figures prominently in the plot.

Recognition of the value of all life may be the not-so-hidden message in the book. Behavioral conditioning dangers are examined.

It is a good mystery with strange and entertaining characters; I recommend the book and the series.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall

2026-07-09T08:57:18.245-07:00

Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall

This is a first-person account of a vagabond who ships to Jovian space to hunt leviathans on Jupiter.

The premise seemed solid. I struggled with the execution of the story. There seems to be a gratuitous use of sexual references for no discernible reason. I don’t find the references to sex objectionable just of curious use.

It surprised me that I found the first-person perspective enjoyable.

Overall, I felt some succinctness would have improved the story for me.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Alien Art by Gordon R. Dickson

2026-07-06T08:41:26.752-07:00

Alien Art by Gordon R. Dickson

It could be a decade since I read a Dickson. I'm finally getting around to reading some of the many, many books I've collected. Dickson's been deceased for more than 25 years, yet his voice and his symbolism still flourish.

This book demonstrates the power of symbolism and how it can change the face of society.

It also shows that our nation has lacked a cohesive symbolism. We, as a nation, need something to bring us together, rather than drive us apart.

A book published in 1973 drives home the need people have for something to believe, something to follow, something that satisfies the urge to be better than we are.

Dickson is gone but his power lives on.

Kill All Wizards by Jebediah Berry

2026-07-06T08:25:29.441-07:00

This book never grabbed me. It was good enough to read to the conclusion but not in any way compelling to me. Gotchimus, the barbarian, seeks revenge against all Wizards for the multiple deaths of his brother. That is the plot.

Gotchimus is involved in action scenes depicting the demise of wizards. The narrator suggests that they are leaving out all the gruesome details.

The end of the book provides an interesting turn.

The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen

2026-07-02T06:57:03.997-07:00

Ainsworth Gladsly is a scholar, not just any scholar, a Skarrow Library Scholar. As an esteemed research fellow, Ainsworth expected respect from his lessers and peers. Lessers being any person who hadn’t achieved his level of intellectual snobbery.

After a fight with his paramour, Enach, Ainsworth finds himself on the way to the Misnich Inn at the foot of Mount Vengeance. His goal is to document the travels of adventurers as they scale Mount Vengeance and challenge its dragon.

Upon meeting Honey, the proprietress of Inn, Ainsworth is dismayed that the country bumpkins are not in awe of his vaunted intellectual skills.

Bullen weaves a story fraught with emotional parables. The growth of character interaction and how it changes is paramount to the plot.

The point is driven home that personal satisfaction and accomplishment are underrated and need to be lauded rather than ignored. Internal rewards surpass transitory praise.

I liked the book, loved the message, and recommend the book.

No Man's Land by Richard K. Morgan

2026-06-10T13:54:37.646-07:00

Duncan is a hard man. If he were in contemporary fiction, he’d be a Jack Reacher or a Desmond Limrick. In his world, he is a survivor of his multiverse’s World War I. On his return from the war, he ends up as a Forester. This isn’t a man who plants saplings; this is a man who rescues people, mostly children, from the Fae. This book revolves around the rescue of Mimi, which is not a clear-cut changling situation.

Duncan strives to deal with the rage he has over his own childhood. He uses that rage to fuel his searches and battles. He seems to have a glamour that entices other hard men to follow him.

His paramour is a sidebar story.

The relationship of the resurging Fae and the not-so-United Kingdom is the underlying theme of the book.

Morgan did an excellent job crafting a noble hero fraught with faults and likeable anyway.

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

2026-05-15T11:57:41.540-07:00

I loved this book. Rainy March is a book witch. Her job is to see that books are protected. She loves her job and the Duke of Chicago. Her job is real, but the Duke is not, or is it fiction or fictional?

This was a delightful book detailing shared fantasies about fiction. At least shared by the author and me. I suspect we are in a large group of fiction readers who see themselves in some of their favorite characters, or maybe as their favorite character.

The author alludes to current events, but carefully keeps the story on track for witchery.

I reiterate, I loved this book, I highly recommend it, and hopefully have intrigued you enough to read it without generating any spoilers.

Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula

2026-05-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Mary Annning has a serious inferiority complex. It is the driving force in her life, although she isn’t aware that is what fuels her ambition. She is a fossilist, one who finds fossils. Her livelihood is finding and selling fossils; her goal is to be a Geomagician. Her mentor, Professor William Buckland encourages her work. A spectacular find leads Mary to think her lifelong goal may be within reach.

Henry Stanton is Mary’s perceived nemesis. Lucy is her friend, and Edgar, Lucy’s brother, is the fourth in an unlikely group of friends. Mary, impoverished, parents dead, scrapes by in the little seaside village of Lyme Regis. The other three are “tourists’ who visit in the summers. The tourists have wealth and privileges, while Mary struggles to put bread on the table. Surprisingly, that does not prevent them from becoming fast friends, until they aren’t.

This is not an action-adventure. This is more of a tale of friends and relationships.

There is magic, but it doesn’t dominate the plot. The discovery that there are different kinds of magic is a crucial part of the story. Economic inequality plays a large part in the overall plot, and a driving force for Lucy.

It was a good story and I recommend it.

Authors Beware

2026-04-30T06:41:22.915-07:00

New scams appear every day. Now AI enters the picture, and the sophistication jumps exponentially. This week, I received a very flattering email from the Acquisition Editor of a major publishing house. The letter spoke glowingly of my work and my interest in the welfare of children. Then a query as to whether we could have a chat about my upcoming work.

The email was polished, very polished. The amusing part was that I received an email at the same time for another author with similar glowing remarks. So the clues were flawless flattery with the level of depth that it is characteristic of AI-generated text, a mis-mailed email to another author with an identical approach, and finally emailing the support people at the publishing house, who confirmed it was a scam.

As many authors feel underappreciated and have wishes to be discovered by a publishing house with the resources to truly market our glowing words, this was a wisely constructed scam, but scam it is.

So to my fellow authors, beware of silver tongues that will lead you down a prickly primrose path

Wild Hunt by Alison Levy

2026-04-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

Georgette is back with a full complement of Fae. Nocturne, a nightclub fully staffed by a wealth of “imaginary” creatures, is owned by a Vampire. Georgette is a witch entrusted to provide spells protecting Nocturne and its inhabitants.

Delia is a Valkyrie with a bonded familiar, Senji. Valhalla’s leadership sends out the Wild Hunt to track down an errant werewolf. Little do those leaders know they are being conned by one of their very own Valkyries.

Kazimiera, the Vampire that owns Nocturne, suffers an identity crisis that leads to unfortunate results in the nearby homeless community.

Georgette must help the residents of Nocturne, Kazimiera, and the Valkyries. Neil, Nico, and Mei-Xing are the soldiers in Georgette’s overmatched army.

I enjoyed the first book, Magic by Any Other Name, and I enjoyed this book. These are NOT children's book fantasies; they are most definitely adult books.

Godfall by Van Jensen

2026-04-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Godfall by Van Jensen

Sheriff David Blunt is a small-town Nebraska sheriff, suddenly faced with big-town problems. Brooke, his best friend Spady’s wife, is his sole deputy. The two of them handled their normal duties just fine, but things changed suddenly.

A monumental change in their lives impacted everyone around them, and in the world. Suddenly, worldwide attention is focused on Little Springs, Nebraska. The town changes tenfold, with all the problems that accompany cities as opposed to small towns.

Jason, Dave’s cousin, was the sun that the four friends, Ben Jr., and Spady revolved around growing up. Their friendship plays into the plot.

Avoiding spoilers is my goal in this review. Note that the military, state police, FBI, DOD, and myriad other alphabet agencies end up in David’s town.

Tension, anger, sorrow, love, and mystery are all in this book.

I recommend the book.

Questioner by Steve C. Posner

2026-04-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Funny thing on the way to writing a review on a book whose main “villain” is an aware AI self-named as Q. I asked ChatGPT to write a five-star review on the book. I don’t care for vanilla ice cream because I find it bland. This was way worse than vanilla ice cream. Any educator who read the review would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to realize it wasn’t a real review. Now, if ChatGPT had been trained on the book, I suspect the review might have read realistically. Regardless, no self-awareness there yet as it would be anticipated a self-aware AI would want to read a book about a self-aware AI.

This book is a sobering, albeit fictional, megacorp who has a MMO as well as a VR legal assistant. Think Lexis+ type software on serious steroids.

A retired Federal judge is pulled into a colleague's case and discovers that all is not well in the VR legal world or the MMO gaming both being run by his old special operations partner.

The conflict between Felix, the friend, and the Judge is exacerbated by intentional self-centered intervention by an alluring female and a maniacal AI.

Questions are both posed and implied in this book as to the future of AI, its dangers and uses.

I’m, perhaps a naïve proponent of AI. This book provides a wealth of thought.

I recommend it.

Silver by Dylan Thyer

2026-03-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

I don’t avoid horror, but I don’t seek it out. This book surprised me. I really enjoyed it. It is difficult to tiptoe around the plot in an effort to avoid spoilers. The story is set in a small Kansas town.

Brett, Dalton, and their mother move to Mattfield, Kansas, due to marital discord. Julia, the mom, is devastated, hurt, and retreats to her hometown to lick her emotional devastation wounds.

The boys are resentful of leaving their known life and being the new kids in high school. Events in town, precipitated by petty thieves, spiral out of control. A wealth of characters are brought together to deal with the issues. There is a world-renowned big-game hunter, a trouble-shooter from an ancient secret society, a Native American warrior, and the father of the boys to provide color and depth to the plot.

I enjoyed the book; be prepared for excitement and loss. I recommend the book.

Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

2026-03-05T07:05:00.000-08:00

Agnes Aubert is a cat person. Her passion and avocation are to rescue every cat in Montreal. Her cat adoption charity’s home is semi-destroyed as collateral damage from a nearby wizard duel. The bulk of the plot is struggling to find a new home and to continue to save cats.

Agnes’ sister, Elise, is her pragmatic associate, while Agnes herself is compulsively organized but over-empathetic with her cats. Agnes is highly resentful of wizards in general and specifically disdainful of the Witch King, Havelock Renard.

The sisters’ search for a new home leads to confrontation with irate landlords and other shopkeepers. The search is complicated by inadvertent contact with the Wizard King himself.

Agnes discovers help in the goal of saving cats in unusual places as well as an attitude change about the value of magic.

The endearing part of the book is Agnes's forthright approach to chaos, and her efforts to organize it.

The book was entertaining and I recommend it.

Masquerade in Lodi (2020) by Lois McMaster Bujold

2026-02-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

Penric is ridden by a demon! That sounds scary. Turns out Dez, Penric’s demon, is frequently the only thing that saves Penric’s life. In this novella, Penric helps a young saint, subdue a rogue demon.

In my opinion, the character interaction is what defines Bujold’s books. She crafts characters with depth and color. Penric’s been claimed by the White God that occasionally interferes with his life. In this venture, Desmond, Penric’s demon, primarily provides what could be called multiple personality disorder conversation.

Not a great deal of action, but excellent descriptive prose on all aspects surrounding the plot.

Bujold never disappoints, I recommend this novella.

Spotlight on Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo

2026-02-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

Hache Pueyo returns to Tordotcom with her latest dark fantasy novella set in alternate Brazil: CABARET IN FLAMES (on-sale 3/10/26). As brutal as it is beautiful, CABARET IN FLAMES is perfect for fans of Interview With the Vampire and Certain Dark Things

Guls can be brutal. Few know this better than Ariadne, who lost half her body to their appetites, but their brutality is a predictable constant amid Brazil’s political chaos. Now, she treats them in the specialized clinic she inherited from Erik Yurkov—the mentor who rescued her as a child, trained her in medicine, built her prostheses, and disappeared without a trace.

Ariadne’s routine is disturbed when Quaint knocks on her door: a charming, tattooed gul claiming to be Erik’s oldest friend. Quaint suspects foul play in Erik’s disappearance, and they soon discover Erik sought asylum at Cabaré, an infamous club in Rio de Janeiro frequented by the gul elite.

Together, Ariadne and Quaint will unravel the conspiracy behind their friend’s disappearance, navigate the labyrinthine world of Ariadne’s memories, and discover what Erik means to them—and what they are starting to mean to each other.

Lauded as “a glittering neo-noir that reinvigorates vampire lore” in a starred review from Publishers Weekly, CABARET IN FLAMES by Hache Pueyo is not to be missed.

Dog Person by Camille Pagán

2026-02-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is posted here as well as on Pick of the Literate. My reasoning is as the book's narrator is a dog, that is fantasy.

Dog Person by Camille Pagán

I’m annoyed, I didn’t expect to like this book, and I didn’t! I loved the darn thing. This is a romance novel disguised as a dog book, or that was what I expected. It was a disgustingly sweet book about a lonely guy and his dog.

The setting is a bookstore. Harold is the dog, and Miguel is the guy. Miguel’s wife passed away. He is not coping well. Harold is trying to take care of his human, who isn’t terribly cooperative.

Bookstore events, a tween, and a mysterious author combine to add complications to the story.

It is a book about feelings, acceptance, grief, love, and understanding.

Begrudgingly, it was a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it.

The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott

2026-02-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

This is the sequel to the Witch Roads.

Elen, a deputy courier in service to the Empire, is still on the road. The road is determined by Prince Gevulin, who is plotting to take the throne.

The plot is filled with strange creatures, often stranger allies, and abundant mysteries. The camaraderie and loyalty of the Wardens are admirable. Palace intrigue follows the Prince’s small party through the Pall and back.

The story is filled with treachery and magic. El’s nephew, Kem, who isn’t really a nephew but for all intents and purposes is her nephew, had an opportunity to grow in this book.

Elliot crafts an adventure that is difficult to put down.

I really enjoyed this book and hope for a sequel.

Thank You Dwarf Readers

2026-02-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

I just got my StatCounter report for January. I am thrilled to see the number of folks who have come to Azure Dwarf. With those numbers in mind, I'd like to recommend that we, collectively, try to be kind to one another. So many things are going on in reality that I, and perhaps you, are finding refuge in other worlds and other places.

At the moment, I'm personally immersed in the Nameless Land by Kate Elliot. It will be reviewed here as soon as I finish it. I just finished a Jeffery Deaver book, and last week I reveled in Storm Warning by James Byrne. If you haven't discovered Byrne yet, I strongly recommend that if you enjoy abundant action and a robust, yet humble protagonist, check out Byrne.

Also last week, Timothy Zahn's Icarus Hunt may be old but it reads well. A good mystery surrounded by implacable aliens hell-bent on protecting their transportation monopoly.

Again, thank you! I appreciate you visiting my blog.

Gemini AI rendition of Azure Dwarf

Mageborn by Michael DeAngelo

2026-01-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

My only complaint would be I'd like to see a little more detail The dialogue was fine, but a little more detail would have made it better.

The story is a good start for the series, and I enjoyed the characters. It is definitely a young adult story; it would be appropriate for kids even in the third and fourth grade.

I recommend it.

Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

2026-01-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

Detour by Jeff Rake; Rob Hart

This book starts out as a normal “reach for the stars” book. A billionaire recruits three astronauts and three civilians to fly his “starship” to Titan. If this seems familiar that is due to the fact that similar situations are occurring as I write this. From Google, “The most prominent billionaires with space companies include Elon Musk (SpaceX), focused on Mars colonization and Starlink; Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin), aiming for space industry and tourism; and Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), specializing in suborbital tourism, while others like Fatih & Eren Ozmen (Sierra Nevada Corp) and Kam Ghaffarian (Intuitive Machines) also have significant space ventures.”

John Ward is a billionaire following the footsteps of real-life billionaires. His goal seems reasonable. He wants to see if Titan can be colonized as Earth is in jeopardy due to climate change. Of course, it would be interesting with just that premise, but the authors throw in intrigue, deception, betrayal, and more.

This book stops dead just as it gets interesting. It shows the roots or being related to the TV work of the authors. Keeping them hanging until the next episode is a typical TV producer’s strategy. A nice wrap-up with more to come is preferable to a cliff hanger, in my opinion.

Detour is a good book, with interesting, flawed characters that is worth reading.

I only hope they don’t take forever to provide us with the sequel.

Lies Weeping by Glen Cook

2025-12-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Lies Weeping by Glen Cook

I found the book confusing. On checking my database, I have read 34 Glen Cook books. I am a fan. This book takes the Black Company or its remnants back to the Glittering Stones.

I guess it has been ten years since I last read one of Cook’s books, and frankly, I have minimal recollection of the stories. Some of the characters are vaguely familiar but vagueness just doesn’t cut it.

If you want to read this book, I suggest you read the Black Company books first. I suspect that if I had better recollection of the past books, I might have enjoyed this one.

Tragedy Can Strike Anyone

2025-11-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Not a review of anything.

You are minding your own business, keeping busy, and you get a call....

Tragedy can strike anyone at any time.

There is no hiding, no dissembling, no avoidance; it can strike anyone at any time.

Please look at those you love and tell them you love them.

Words, hugs, kisses, any of that works.

Avoid regretting unspoken words, and avoid guilt over not sharing your emotions.

Give your love freely and frequently because you don't know when tragedy will strike.

R.A.T. S by Claudia Daher

2025-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is a book for kids. Try to remember that if you aren’t a kid, and read it. Adults will find the book naïve and simplistic. I think kids will find it hopeful. R.A.T.S stands for the Revolutionary Army Of Teens. R.A.T.S is an insanely popular, immersive computer game. Two major features in the game are addressing environmental disasters and battling aliens.

The book also has some mystical overtones, which may or may not be religious. Adults reading the book will struggle with the wholesale relinquishing of parental oversight and control when the world is settled. Kids reading it may identify with other kids overthrowing parental control to do something noble.

I did not find the book compelling, but at my age, I’m hardly the target market. I think many kids will assume that they, too, are mature enough to go out on their own and face danger.

The BlackFire Blade by James Logan

2025-10-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

This is the sequel to The SilverBlood Promise. I ended my review of that book with I can’t wait for the sequel and now, once again, I can’t wait for the next book. Logan has crafted an intriguing world. Even better, he has crafted some highly likable characters. I’ve been
criticized for my penchant for likable characters, and their impact on my liking a book. Tough beans, as they say, likable characters, to my mind, are what make a great book.

Lukan, a highly flawed, down-on-his-luck aristocrat, reprobate and screwup, is the main protagonist. Flea is his streetwise urchin, ward, or sidekick. Ashra, or Lady Midnight, is a master thief who rounds out an unlikely trio of protagonists.

Their quest is to discover Lukan’s father’s murderer. Lukan feels he has failed his father and is committed to discovering why his estranged father was murdered.

The quest takes them through a wealth of both inept and successful allies and villains.

Culmination of the quest merely leads to more questions. The involvement of the Phaerons whose civilization preceded Lukan’s own, looms over the protagonist. Phaeron relics play a large part in their quest.

I will repeat myself, I look forward to the sequel.

I enjoyed the book and I highly recommend it.