WILD, ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURE set in a “Steamfunk” universe where Harriet Tubman is a superhero. Fun SF/F! SOLID B

MOSES: THE CHRONICLES OF HARRIET TUBMAN: FREEDONIA
Roaring Lions Productions
2015

A SPOOKY MODERN FAIRY TALE features a brave, precocious heroine, a talking dog, and a sinister rose garden. B PLUS

ACTION-PACKED URBAN FANTASY set in an enchanted New York City, where supernatural beings prowl Central Park. B PLUS

WICKEDLY CLEVER SATIRE takes on Ireland’s “Celtic Tiger” boom and bust, along with love, death, metaphysics. B PLUS

A SNARKY COUNTERCULTURE SATIRE is packed with fun classical and pop-media references, a bit too much plot. SOLID B

A CLEVER FAIRY-TALE REBOOT features a young woman fighting an ancient curse, half-brothers vying to save her. B PLUS

DIVIDE
self-published
2014

FANTASY, THRILLER, ROMANCE combine in this story of a high-stakes magic battle and the teens who fight it.

What would you do if you woke up on a 19th century whaling ship? Cormac McIlhenny decides to roll with it and see if he’s any good at harpooning whales. Turns out he is, which makes quite a change from his 21st century life of skipping classes, getting drunk, and playing guitar in a terrible band.

Gone Whalin’ is a wonderfully absurd time-travel fantasy, a hilarious campus satire, and a picaresque caper novel. When Cormac’s stoner roommate and the corrupt campus dean join forces to exploit his century-hopping abilities, all hell breaks loose on the home front. Meanwhile, Cormac’s got problems in his 19th century existence as well, aboard the world’s least efficient whaling vessel and at the mercy of its delusional captain. If only he had bothered to read Moby Dick instead of getting high…

This novel does an awful lot of things very well. It’s a farce full of fast-paced action, but there are some pretty sharp barbs aimed at academic politics, social media rubberneckers, sensational journalism, and a broad range of human foibles. The tempo stays quick, the plotting is always smart, and there are plenty of laughs aboard. Don’t miss it!

HILARIOUS, ABSURD FANTASY! A slacker college student travels through time to a 19th century whaling ship.

A well-crafted urban fantasy is like a gorgeous souffle of magic and romance and mystery and suspense. All the elements have to be mixed with a deft hand, or the concoction collapses into a sticky, indigestible puddle. Leah Cutter’s Siren’s Call is a complete delight from star to finish, and her evocation of the fierce love and pride New Orleanians have for their city is a welcome added touch.

Kai DuPrie is always on the threshold of two worlds. Half African American, half Chinese, she’s also half human and half magic. And like all the best insider/outsider characters, she’s become a private detective, using her special gifts to solve problems and find lost things.

And lost people. Or beings. Kai’s search begins when a Siren in human form comes seeking help to find her missing sister. This clever twist on a noir trope blossoms into a taut, complex plot that reveals a hidden world of magic below the surface of New Orleans. Cutter masterfully weaves her creations into the city’s legends and mystique. It’s an elegantly wrought book as well as a great page turner, and I’m hoping for more Kai DuPrie adventures.