'Mercurial, Beautiful' is possibly the most original book I've ever read. Written in second person, it is reminiscent of the choose your own adventure horror books of my childhood that I loved - or of a DM telling you a story around an RPG table. I found it drew me into the story. I loved the eldritch horror of it and the way that horror slowly but steadily grows. Mostly, I think what I loved was that it was a surprisingly clever book - the kind that gets better with a second read. Those are my favourite kinds of books. I read an e-copy first, but then bought the paperback for the rereads. Definitely the kind of thing you go back to in order to get the most out of it.
The graceful airship CAS Ostwind sets out on a voyage of exploration and discovery. On board are a crew of expert sailors, enthusiastic scientists, zealous religious scholars, enigmatic dog-sled handlers, and you.Three days in, the first body is found.Trapped on an airship over Antarctic waters, days from land, with a possible killer on the loose. The bodies are piling up - what do you do?. Mercurial, Beautiful is a non-binary fantasy horror novella. It contains no gendered pronouns, gendered characters or, where possible, words with a gendered root.
I mean this with the absolute highest praise - this was a delightfully silly book. I know it's not commonplace to use 'silly' as a compliment, but it absolutely is. Sometimes you just want something delightfully silly that can make you laugh. The start of the book didn't grab me initially, but I'm glad I persevered because it got better and ended up being absolutely hilarious. I did a lot of chuckling reading this book and some of the banter between the characters is absolutely gold-tier. Although, I will concede that bisexual disasters is my favourite genre, so I was probably predisposed to enjoy this book.
"It’s you and it’s you and it’s always been you…". Catholic priest and exorcist Joe Bruno has been nursing a secret crush for months. All he can think about is too-sexy-for-words, demon-killing art historian Percy Ashdown.. One cataclysmic night, when Joe realises Percy’s about to slip from his grasp forever, he’s forced to lay his cards on Percy’s table. What Joe doesn’t know is that Percy’s dreamed of this moment since the day they met, and quicker than he can say Hail Mary, Percy whisks Joe away to Europe on the holiday of a lifetime.. The only problem is, Percy’s…
'The Demon of Elderstay' is a classic D&D adventure in book form, without technically being LitRPG fiction. That is the kind of thing I enjoy and I liked the way this one adapted that. The main character is a very tragic figure that my heart absolutely bled for, although I will admit he's a complete disaster (so's the entire adventuring party - as they should be in a D&D-esque story). I was hoping for it to be funnier than I found it. The story is a dark fantasy, which I'm always down for - loved the horror elements of it. However, I definitely felt too sorry for Gerome the Gnome and his awful predicament to ever laugh at him, even though sometimes it felt like I was supposed to.
Magical makeovers are a messy business.. But how was junior arcane lecturer Gerome to know his attempt to improve a part of his anatomy would open a portal to the Shade Planes? Or, worse, unleash the all-powerful “Harbinger of the New Dark” – fondly or not nicknamed Al?. Utterly broke and burdened with demon (literally), Gerome begrudgingly joins a shady nobleman’s quest to free the stronghold of Elderstay from a powerful curse. His dysfunctional crew – the insufferable siblings Bijan and Najib, the perpetually moody Polly, and the enigmatic green-skinned Sha-sha – have more problems than they can wave a…
Slaying monsters. It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.
In the age of jazz and bootleg liquor, black magic is making a big comeback. Luckily, the scourge of demons and cultists are keeping Doctor Vincent Temple in business. Even the Mafia are having trouble with monsters, and they’ve hired Temple to sort it out. Cash is cash, and the old Doctor has never been one to turn his nose up at a job, no matter who’s paying. This time luck is smiling on him. The gangsters are tangling with a cult Doctor Temple has been stalking over a personal matter, but when reconnaissance turns into rescue can he save the world before things become too personal?
The Witcher meets Cthulhu in this gruesome, high-octane adventure. Snatch up your copy now and get ready to slay some demons!
