Winter. Cold snow blowing through, that dark hours of nature that mimic death. These are the days of isolation, and long hours of darkness. The sun barely exists in the winter. Add in the raging pandemic, and going outdoors becomes… Read More ›
Book Reviews
Paul Jessup’s November Short Story Roundup!
I hope you all stayed safe through Thanksgiving. I know I stayed home, by myself with my kids and no one else. I did a zoom with my family in Ohio, and it was great seeing everyone. But somehow, there… Read More ›
A. C. Wise Presents Her Year’s Best Books!
Year-end, favorite reads lists always make me a bit itchy. I adore shouting about the books I love, but there’s always a voice in the back of my mind telling me I haven’t read everything, I’m still so behind, and… Read More ›
Review of Queen of None by Natania Barron
By Paul Jessup Before we go any further, I have a few things to get out of the way that might temper your response to this review. Yes, this website is affiliated with Vernacular Books, the very same who published… Read More ›
Paul Jessup Reviews PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke
Some people want to go to Neverland, or Hogwarts, or Middlearth, or Narnia. That was never for me, as much as I appreciated those books, I never felt the pull to their lands. For me it was always Earthsea, and… Read More ›
Paul Jessup’s September Short Story Roundup!
It is kissing close to the autumn months now. The leaves turn, the hours of the day quicken down to numb the light. Pretty soon we’ll turn off our AC and get under piles of blankets, the naked trees scratching… Read More ›
Publisher’s Weekly Praises QUEEN OF NONE
Publisher’s Weekly heaped praise on Queen of None by Natania Barron, calling it “a layered, engaging retelling sure to please fans of the Arthurian tales.” Be sure to read the full review and then pre-order your copy today!
Aliens, Drywall, and a Unicycle by Kevin St. Jarre
In this debut from Kevin St. Jarre (Encircle Publications, November 2020) when Tom Tibbets finds himself in a small town in New Hampshire writing refrigerator news for the local rag, he realizes the people in his apartment complex are far… Read More ›
Paul Jessup’s August Short Story Roundup
How long have we been in lockdown now? It feels like an eternity, it feels like this has become a new normal and the world before, the world that existed when we could walk freely outside, hug each other, laugh… Read More ›
Is there such a thing as complete enlightenment? Last Days meets “The Court Magician” by Sarah Pinsker.
(spoilers ahead) This week my journey to read all the award-nominated and award winning short fiction from the last decade led me to Sarah Pinsker’s “The Court Magician”, which originally appeared in Lightspeed and was nominated for a Nebula. Narrated… Read More ›