Can you believe it’s June already, my lovely people?
June is an important month, as it encompasses the anniversary of my birth. So it’s a momentous occasion that I expect you all to heed as you honour it with the reverence it deserves. Which is pretty negligible, really.
For those of you in the USA, June is also Pride Month. No matter your sexuality or gender identity, or even if you’re in the USA or some backwater island like yours truly, the month is a wonderful time to not only celebrate diversity, but give some thought to the adversity that LGBTQI+ people still struggle with today. As much as we celebrate living in free societies, these societies unfortunately remain less free for some—who are still discriminated against by countless people—than others.
Taking a step back from the month that is to look at the month that was, May was the month I finally succumbed to Covid-19. My son got it for his birthday, then the generous child shared the gift with his dear old dad. As much as I don’t want to complain—my birthday wasn’t interrupted—he bounced back after a day and tested negative after five. It took me close to two weeks to test negative, and a week and a half later, I still feel like I was hit by a truck. So feel for me, damn it.
As much as I was beginning to think I’m immune to the virus and my DNA could be humanity’s saviour, it sadly wasn’t to be. Though my daughter still hasn’t caught it after being exposed plenty of times, so humanity still has hope.
Since I’ll never pass up the opportunity for a little self promotion, the whole sorry ordeal reminds me of a little story I wrote, set in the world of Till Death Do Us Party, about that Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Pestilence, ushering in the coronavirus. Why not click here and read Pestilence’s Party with Rona?
And with that, read on for more shameless self promotion!
Writings
One on level, I want to laugh at how little I wrote in May. After finishing Till Death Do Us Party’s draft in April, I was so sure I was going to start writing Luminary’s next draft. I didn’t. And I likely won’t in June, either.
On another level, it was a productive month, with me writing the most words I have all year; 34,538 of them. Without a draft to edit, I only spent 14:30 editing, but that’s okay. My writing time was taken up with book reviews, and when you reach that part of the newsletter, you’ll see I published thirteen of them. Between reading them, writing them, editing them and writing summarised reviews for Amazon and Goodreads, the work adds up. And it will again in June, which is looking to be almost as big. I may need to make a point of reviewing less books for the next few months.
Not content to have all my writing relate to book reviews, I ended the month by writing a blog post (even if I published it in June)…
Loving the art while loathing the artist
…which I’ll talk about now.
I keep meaning to make a point of posting more ramblings on the website (I also aim to post more short stories, but when digging out the link to Pestilence’s Party with Rona, I see I haven’t posted one since December). I’m pretty terrible about it, but maybe I should try to get some semi-regular smaller pieces out.
Loving the Art While Loathing the Artist is my attempt to reconcile fandom with the realisation that some creators are shitty human beings. You can read it here. I even made a header image with the word “cancelled” in bright red letters to inspire some righteous fury. I imagine some of you will aim that fury towards those people, and the rest of you will aim that fury towards me.
War crimes don’t pay
If you’d prefer not to read about murder and war crimes, feel free to skip past this, and onto something a little more pleasant.
If you’re in Australia, you’re no doubt familiar with Ben Roberts-Smith. If, like the majority of my readers, you live outside of Australia, you’re no doubt unfamiliar with him.
Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated and famous living soldier, launched litigation against three of the few Australian newspapers not owned by Rupert Murdoch—The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times—alleging stories they published defamed him. He was suing for defamation of character, trying to reclaim his reputation, after these articles portrayed him as a murderer and war criminal.
The thing is, if you’re launching legal action after being branded a war criminal, you’d better make sure you’re not a war criminal. His case was dismissed, as the court found it proven that he marched a handcuffed prisoner to a cliff, before kicking him from it, and when the prisoner survived, ordered his subordinate to kill him; that upon finding an elderly man and a disabled man hiding, he ordered the elderly man shot, while he opened fire against the disabled man with a machine gun; and breaking the rules of engagement resulted in the execution of a prisoner. Two other murder accusations remain unproven, as is an allegation of domestic assault (though this is considered “contextually true,” causing no further harm to his reputation, given what he is guilty of).
I’m no lawyer, but I sincerely hope this opens a legal case for him to answer to.
Something a little more pleasant: cute monkeys!
I don’t know about you, but I love monkeys. And this video of a baby monkey escaping from his overprotective mother to munch on a grape is far more pleasant than the Ben Roberts-Smith story.
Snippets
Since this gets sent on a Sunday, I’ve taken the plunge and removed the Saturday from the title here. I couldn’t bring myself to remove it from the post on my website, so click here for some more Saturday Snippets.
The third volume’s the charm
I caught Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 with the kids, and I must say I dug it. It’s not as hollow as most of Marvel’s recent output *cough*Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania*cough*, didn’t try to tie into a larger narrative *cough*Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania*cough*, didn’t sacrifice the charm of the first two movies *cough*Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania*cough*, and had strange visual effects that don’t look as though they were rushed by chronically underpaid artists *cough*Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania*cough*.
Book reviews
As I mentioned earlier in this newsletter, I published thirteen book reviews last month, making it my biggest ever month for reviews. June won’t be as big, but it’ll still be packed. But with so many books to discuss, let’s bring this preamble to an end.
Dragon Slayers’ Guild by J.D. Brink is the first book in the Hand of Fate series. This is a highly entertaining read that doesn’t take itself too seriously, full of memorable characters and humorous situations. Its billing as “high fantasy goes slumming” sums it up perfectly.
Magic of Lies by Joyce Gee may feature many of the tropes you can expect from an epic fantasy, but these are remixed into something wholly original. While it opens with praise, comparing it to Tolkien and Martin, it bears little resemblance to them, and is stronger for it.
Wind Ruler is the fourth book in TC Marti’s Elementals of Nordica science fantasy series, and the tenth book in his Renegades Epic. While new readers don’t have to read the entire epic, I’d suggest starting at the beginning of this series, at least—and once you reach this book, you’ll have the saga’s most entertaining (up until now, at least).
City of Whispers is the first book in her Imperial Assassin series. The setting of Tizrak Yirda, inspired by the Middle East, is a great setting for a story that infuses urban and epic fantasy, while also working as a mystery, thriller and an action adventure.
Tales of Monstrosity is an anthology edited by Marx Pyle, J.C. Mastro, Victoria L. Scott and Anne C. Lynch, and written by so many authors I’d need another newsletter to name them. It’s packed with stories about monsters, ranging from horror to humour. It’s an eclectic mix of wonderful stories.
Bound in Blood is Mark Jonathan Runte’s latest urban fantasy set in his Mythos world. With its slow build, elements of Greek mythology and characters who bring humanity to the story, there’s so much to enjoy. I reviewed a couple of his books in April too, and I’m looking forward to reviewing another couple in June.
Jigglyspot and the Zero Intellect is easily the most twisted book of the month. PD Alleva’s transgressive horror delights in the perverse. For all its depravity, this book is a piece of literary fiction that transcends horror while constantly surprising the reader.
My Lord by L.B. Shimaira strikes a wonderful balance between erotica and horror. The dissonance between the prose’s tone and the subject matter helps the reader see the world through the protagonist’s eyes, as she works to move past her trauma while being drawn into BDSM, polyamory and gothic horrors.
Pirates of Arvodia by David Doci is an escapist story about pirates, royalty and sorcery, suitable for readers of all ages. It’s good vs evil and younger readers will enjoy the threat without feeling threatened themselves.
Her Latent Charm is a fantasy that captures the beauty of its setting, even through the story’s darkness. Through its beautifully formed prose, it tells a story tightly focused on its protagonist that feels both earned and rewarding.
The Archimedean Heart and The Vitruvian Mask are a pair of stories by BJ Sikes that focus on opposing sides of a conflict: the Naturalists and the Scientists, each wanting control of a steampunk France. Through their characters and settings, these books move past their genre. Individually, these books tell great stories; combined, they play off each other’s themes wonderfully.
Finally, On the Edge of Salt is the sixth and final entry in Dixon Reuel’s Blood Brute series, and it is the perfect ending to what has been a wonderful series. As much as this is a dystopian horror fantasy about vampires and werewolves, it is a beautiful, literary tale about humanity.
Did I get through a newsletter without mentioning Batman?
I did. Again. Maybe I need to devote the next edition to Batman, to make sure everything’s right in the world (I’m only half joking).
And with that, it’s time to say goodbye. Until we meet again on whichever screen you use to read these things.
TTFN,
Was