Chaotic Ninja

Boston Metaphysical Society: PRELUDE is a collection of short stories that have very important links to the Boston Metaphysical Society web comics. Written by Madeleine Holly-Rosing , Prelude is a cross between an origin story and a supplementary reading that makes the Boston Metaphysical Society universe far more intriguing. The alternate history of Boston Metaphysical Society is every bit entertaining. Ghosts, demons, supernatural beings and prominent Families that vie for ultimate economic and political control – what’s not to like? It's a rarity to like every story in a collection, but  I love them all - all seven of them. While  it’s not really a requirement to read the web comics series, I would have to say that the impact of the short stories would be more pronounced if the reader has read the Boston Metaphysical Society comics. The secrets and revelations in the stories have a greater impact if one is familiar with the alternate world so cleverly creat...

  Welcome to TWO REVIEWERS, ONE BOOK.  Once in a while, I invite a reviewer, a blogger, an author, or a random character to sit with me in this very comfortable couch and share our views (opposing or otherwise) on a chosen book that caught our fancy. My review partner for today is   Leisl Kaberry .  She’s the author of the Titanian Chronicles Series . The book that intrigued us is   ' The Winged Turban '  by  J oshua Grasso . Synopsis Beatrice is the victim of an arranged match to the Duke of Saffredento, who hastily abandons her to an estate full of forgotten traditions and curses. When the portrait of a strange woman begins turning up in the house, she summons the great sorcerer, Hildigrim Blackbeard, to investigate. The portrait, it seems, has traveled through time to find her—and bring her back by any means necessary. For she can no longer be Beatrice of Saffredento, but a young woman who died two-hundred yea...

Because memory fails.  Situation rectified. SAFE by Kate Hanney This is a “please-sit-down-let’s-talk-about-this” kind of book. It’s something that you’d want to discuss with people who’ve read it. Or perhaps beg people to read it just so you can talk about it. Danny Watson is a fascinating character. Tough. Hardened by life. A kid forced to become an adult because of circumstances.  What could possibly go wrong, yeah? Just. About. Everything. This a gritty portrayal of a life on the fringe. It’s a very dangerous place (and situation) to be in and author Kate Hanney takes the reader to that dark place. It deals with hard issues that no young adult should ever deal with. This is a brilliant book with a “controversial” ending.   ★★★ ★ ★  5/5   GARDEN by Jane Yates It takes an utterly imaginative mind to come up with a story that puts together elements of steampunk, sci-fi and fantasy and not overwhelm the reader (‘til...

Welcome to Episode 28 of  Conversations over Milk & Cookies  hosted by Kindle Ninja.  Hi, Kindle Ninja here. You know, the ninja who occasionally stalks authors and invites them to Conversations over Milk & Cookies.  What is this madness, you ask? It's my way of supporting  authors & publishers! We interact with them everyday, directly through tweets, or indirectly through re-tweets, but we don't really know much about them. Their personalities really don't shine through in 140 characters.  Here, we'll see the funny side, silly side, dark side, and all other sides that these wonderful authors don't let show.  Today, I'm having a conversation with Madeleine Holly-Rosing , writer and creator of the Boston Metaphysical Society   Web Comic. Madeleine  is  running a  Kickstarter  campaign to print the 6th and final chapter of  Boston Metaphysical Society through November 6th. It's a great chance to g...

Reviewing a collection of short stories is always tricky; more so if they are written by different authors. The chance of liking all the stories is slim, though not impossible. There’s probably 2 to 3 remarkable stories and a few mediocre ones, and the rest, forgettable. I believe this one was done right. Nonlocal Science Fiction Issue #1 is a 10-story strong collection that’s perhaps the closest you’ll get to having that “dream” sci-fi short story anthology. It’s evident that it had gone through a stringent selection process. The stories are a wonderful mix of hardcore sci-fi, old-school, offbeat, edgy, and weirdly good speculative fiction. Though my personal favorite is Shoot The Devil by Nicholas Rossis, I enjoyed reading the other stories. It’s one of those collections where the good stories outnumber the not-so-good ones. It’s a fantastic start with a lot of  sci-fi promise.  ★★★ ★  4/5   # In January 2015, I had a conversation ov...

Welcome to Episode 27 of  Conversations over Milk & Cookies  hosted by Kindle Ninja.  Hi, Kindle Ninja here. You know, the ninja who occasionally stalks indie authors and invites them to Conversations over Milk & Cookies.  What is this madness, you ask? It's my way of supporting indie authors, and now, publishers! We interact with them everyday, directly through tweets, or indirectly through re-tweets, but we don't really know much about them. Their personalities really don't shine through in 140 characters.  Of course, that changed considerably when the Milk & Cookies segment was born. Since its inception, we've seen the funny side, silly side, dark side, and all other sides that these wonderful authors don't let show.  Today, I'm having a conversation with author and publisher Daniel J. Dombrowski of 33rd Street Press . D an (we can call you Dan, right?) is running a Kickstarter for Nonlocal Science Fiction #...