The Jewish Museum’s current show, New York: 1962–1964, is nostalgic not so much for the early Sixties as for a time when, with the art market booming and experimentation in full flower, it seemed that the New York of the Sixties was a sequel to the Paris of the Twenties. Although not as revelatory as […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2022/10/10/fuzz-junk-rumble-nyc/
Dead Man’s Hand is the first novel in the Unorthodox Chronicles urban fantasy series set in Boston. Written by James J. Butcher and narrated by James Patrick Cronin, I quickly found myself pulled into the world of Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby, a down on his luck witch who finds himself at the center of a high-profile murder investigation. Suspense, a little snark and characters I cannot wait to spend more time with …
Dead Man’s Hand
by James J. Butcher
Series: The Unorthodox Chronicles #1
Narrator: James Patrick Cronin
Length: 11 hours and 10 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher, Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.2x
In the tradition of his renowned father, James J. Butcher’s debut novel is a brilliant urban fantasy about a young man who must throw out the magical rule book to solve the murder of his former mentor.
On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.
After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.
Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive.
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Indeed, fans of the Dresden Files and Alex Verus will find themselves cozying up to the Unorthodox Chronicles. It stands on its own and was a fantastic debut. This first in series has me excited about the stories to come.
I love urban fantasy particularly in audio format as was delighted to listen. James Patrick Cronin did a splendid job giving voice to our protagonist Grimsby, as well as Mayflower, known as the Huntsman. This narrator was new to me, but I am looking forward to hearing more from him.
We are introduced to the world filled with ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox, who live among humans and the governing body that polices them. The Department of Unorthodox Affairs whose Auditors; magically elite, government-sanctioned witches who have spells at their command, power, and prestige. There were some unique elements, such as the glasses Grimsby wore, I found fascinating.
When a powerful witch is murdered, Mayflower, the Huntsman who retired from the business, is called in. He does so because the witch was his friend. A note at the scene leads them to Grimsby. He’s a disabled usual who works at a human pizza joint that hosts birthday parties for children, complete with a castle, knights and a mote. Grimsby soon finds himself in danger and joins up with Mayflower. The tale that unfolds held me captive and entertained as auditors, familiars and danger come to call.
The pacing was well done as the world-building was woven throughout the tale. Magic lairs, strange creatures, deadly battles and character growth formed our hero. I have to say; I loved seeing the growth in Grimsby. He started out as this down on your luck dude with a solid moral code. He was flawed, noble, vulnerable and transformed out of necessity. The creature he unwittingly befriends was a favorite.
The story ended on a high note, but also dangled some knowledge that has me eager for the next audio in the series. While I received an advanced copy, I also grabbed a copy with a credit so I can listen again.
Amazon | Audible
Dead Man's Hand by James J. Butcher, narrated by James Patrick Cronin, delivered an exciting start to the Unorthodox Chronicles. #urbanfantasy #NewRelease #audiobookreview
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JAMES J. BUTCHER spends most of his time in places that don’t exist, some of which he even made himself. What little time he has left is usually spent writing or exercising. He is the son of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher, who introduced him to books, movies, and games. James lives in Denver and is working on his next novel.
James Patrick Cronin began his audiobook career at twelve years of age opposite Christopher Lloyd in the book-on-tape of The Pagemaster. A classically trained stage actor with an MFA from the University of Louisville and a degree in philosophy, James has spent his years since college performing as an actor and a comedian on stages all over the world. He has performed everything from the classics to original material in Ireland, Scotland, Serbia, and Israel, as well as throughout the US. He has recorded over 100 audiobooks across an extensive range of genres.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/10/dead-mans-hand-by-james-j-butcher.html
Antunites Unite by Terry Birdgenaw is the third book in the Antunite Chronicles. This series is a great starting point for budding lovers of high science fiction. Warrior Cats meet Ender’s Game, and the characters are regular AND cyborg insects.
In Antunites Unite, we follow several different ant characters as they fight to keep and restore order among their colonies. Not only does the reader have to keep track of different characters and their plot threads, but those are also not necessarily chronological. The chapters jump in time often whenever current events need explaining, which is when we jump back in time to the events that caused the current situation. Luckily, the book starts with a helpful list of characters in chronological order and a quick recap of the story so far, and each chapter starts with the name of the ANT or BEE ruler at the time.
The story is great for younger readers, as it is fairly easy to follow despite the time jumps and different characters. I can see it inspire many new lifelong readers and lovers of complex science fiction to the likes of Dune. It is a pretty light-hearted read, and those that are mature readers should remember the target audience is young adults and teens. The series is filled to the brim with writing conveniences like paragraphs of exposition starting with a variation on the line: “As you know…”, always spoken by a wise character to a young character who is new to the job and has a new perspective on the world around them.
Antunites Unite (The Antunite Chronicles Book 3) is a young adult science fiction novel with a dystopian theme. The story is rich and complex while still keeping the story accessible to readers not as well-versed in the depth of sci-fi.
Pages: 373 | ASIN : B0BCT1SFJY
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/10/antunites-unite/
The Parables of Chance by John Nicholson tells the story of people living in a small town in the Midwest called Parables. The characters are seemingly separate from each other but tied together in ways they don’t see. Using the technique of an omnipresent narrator, Nicholson utilizes a play on words to examine a town growing and changing in ways the locals’ regret. The treatment of animals is the yardstick by which this society is measured. Abused and abandoned animals used to be unusual but are now becoming more common. As an old-timer, Sam laments, “The more this town grows, the farther it drifts from the values that made it such a great place.”
The main character around which most of the story revolves is a cat called Tabby. He is a pawn in a bitter split, beloved by Tony but given to Ruth in their divorce settlement. In a fit of misguided vengeance, Ruth abandons him. Tabby is then cruelly abused by a drunk called Rick and attacked by a wily street cat and then a fox; he is finally rescued by a kind-hearted student nurse, Lizzie, and she renames him Chance.
All the kind and terrible things the characters do or experience are tied somehow to Tabby/Chance and each other. A fistfight between Tony and Rick over the cat results in Olivia almost losing her baby. Unknown to Olivia, the nurse who treats her and gives her hope is the same woman who rescued Tabby.
The Parables of Chance is satisfying in that, unlike real life, in these “parables,” the bad guys get what’s coming to them, and the good guys get their “chance,” learn their lessons and find their happy endings. This novel is filled with suspense and drama that readers will be hooked into as they follow a mistreated tabby cat named Cance.
Pages: 247
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/10/the-parables-of-chance/
Mercy Aymes grew up in an environment fostered with care and love until five years ago, she found herself alone in the wake of her parent’s disappearance. The instance brought her to life inside Lincoln Boarding School, and from there, she encountered even more trials, particularly at the hands of the institution’s most notorious bully. Eager to escape the halls of her own hell, Mercy finds herself in a new one, even scarier and literal than the previous, as what were supposed to be fictional monsters revealed themselves in front of her. Along with it came an even more shocking revelation about her heritage and her significance in a world full of lightness and darkness. Mercy must choose what path to take, and she must thread it carefully, for her life and the entire world’s repair and ruin will depend on it.
Lord Have Mercy, by H.M. Mills, is an intricately made novel that brings old religious references into the modern world. This specification in the fantasy genre has always been intriguing for me, and to see religion get a much more paranormal and gothic approach is refreshing. Furthermore, the main character’s complexity due to her experiences helps readers understand that belief is not all black and white, making this novel a page-turner as one anticipates which side will triumph. The world-building was also well-written, and though the idea of heaven and hell is not new, its integration into the world created was clever, putting fantasy in mundanity.
The book immediately starts with an ever-familiar character hinting the main conflict and setting up the next events accordingly. This serves as a helpful guide to the readers as they navigate the sequence and relevance of all occurrences throughout the novel. Moreover, the explanation of every single detail in the action scenes was excellent, vividly portraying the violence and gore it entails. Though it added more pages to the book, the significance is justified, as it propels its readers to stick to the heated action and anticipate more. Lastly, despite all of the happenings, the author was able to add romance into the mix, which has also proven its importance not just in grabbing audiences but also adding another puzzle piece to the main picture.
With its jampacked story, interesting characters, and an overall message about good and evil, Lord Have Mercy will leave its readers thinking about what happens next. Mercy’s entire story is a great reminder that our lives are made up of choices and their consequences, and we must always try to choose for the betterment not just of ourselves but of others as well. I recommend this to anyone interested in merging fantasy and religion, as this book is definitely at the top of the list.
Pages: 403 | ASIN : B08Y5ZJ38F
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/10/lord-have-mercy/
Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion is the long-awaited third installment in the Milijun series by science fiction writer Clayton Graham. It is a century after the events that shook Laura and her son Jason´s world, when aliens appearing out of the blue and abducted them with mysterious intentions.
Laura returns to planet Earth to figure out what happened to her long-lost husband. Backed by her son Jason, now the leader of a longstanding alien organization, she soon realizes that things are not as they once were.
Earth has been taken over by a tyrannical regime—the oppressive Tellurians—with a power-hungry leader seeking world dominion. Humans and their alien allies find themselves oppressed by the current regime with no access to weapons, and their communications closely monitored. In addition, something strange is stirring on the moon where another alien group is actively preparing to take advantage of Earth’s precarious situation. Laura finds herself facing not only the Tellurian Empire but also the aliens preying on humankind from the shadows. Will she overcome these dangerous enemies, or will she succumb to whatever fate they have prepared for Earth and the universe?
Author Clayton Graham’s worldbuilding is absolutely incredible. Set 250 years in the future, the author had to imagine a world with futuristic problems and what it took to get to that point. Surprisingly enough, while intergalactic and alien elements are integrated into our future, many of our present-day issues are still on these characters´ minds. In terms of the writing, this is a steady, fast-paced novel: one event is followed after the other without dwelling on a single situation. This by no means signifies that it’s sloppily written; on the contrary, the author leaves no stone unturned and is incredibly detailed in his descriptions.
The plot is thoroughly engaging, and while it is the third installment in the series, it is a standalone novel, which means that you can read it easily enough without having read the previous books. I would, however, recommend looking through the rest of the series to get a better view of the characters´ growth and history. I highly recommend this book for its great world and storyboarding.
Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion (Milijun Book 3) is perfect for anyone looking for a thrilling read, but especially for die-hard sci-fi fans who will undoubtedly thoroughly enjoy this hidden gem.
Pages: 466 | ASIN : B0BBLGWS1S
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/10/alien-whispers/
Sam Richmond is brilliant. It’s no wonder, with a famous scientist for a mother. In a time when the Doomsday Clock predicts the downfall of humanity, Sam finds himself in a position working for a renowned scientist, working on the Capsule program, building habitable domes for human life. But everything is not as it seems. Sam’s mother becomes one of the Disappeared; despite months spent searching, Sam cannot locate her. Later, disaster strikes, nearly killing Sam’s two closest friends. He learns then that the higher authorities are keeping secrets from him, which could spell disaster for humanity should they ever be released to the public. Sam knows he can trust no one and renews his efforts to find his mother.
Midgard by Jeanne Hull Godfroy is the first book of a science fiction series about the potential downfall of humanity and the efforts to keep themselves alive. Humans are racing against time when the Earth will no longer sustain them. Using technology and his immense brain power, Sam tries to stay ahead, using models to understand the past and predict the future.
As Godfroy’s debut novel, Midgard is a look at the future of humanity if we continue to disregard Earth’s ability to sustain human life. In Sam Richmond’s world, humans can’t even walk outside without special suits to protect them from the elements. Godfroy does an excellent job showing the reader this future, which is unsettling and scary.
I felt that in some places of the story, it tends to move fast, to the point where the reader doesn’t quite have a handle on what is happening in the story. Part of this is the author’s decision to withhold much information from the reader, which we discover after Sam has already figured it out. However, I was impressed by Godfroy’s style and execution for a first novel. It is evident through Sam’s scientific predictions and the worldbuilding that Godfroy spent time researching and crafting a believable story.
Midgard is a captivating, exciting science fiction dystopia novel with suspense and mystery. Readers will be drawn into this frightening reality of the future and will be on edge, waiting to see if humanity can survive.
Pages: 218 | ASIN : B0BCPJFWJ4
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/10/10/midgard/
Ann Cleeves on ‘The Rising Tide,’ the latest in the Vera Stanhope series
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11 amazing reads under 200 pages
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Our picks for the best books of October
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