Review: Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy by Yuval Kordov
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This 4.5-star review is a fair representation of my experience.

The premise is that there is a mysterious quasi religious order who is raising girls to be embedded in a sort of android/mech. The mechanical body protects them from harm (mostly) while their consciousness and vital organs ride along. They roam in a dystopian wasteland hunting the remnants of a conflict fought ages ago.

It was a thrilling ride as the new "Sister" was being trained by an older "Sister". Discovering the things that haunt fallen cities and military bases. How to hunt them. How to kill them. Learning about the secure waystations used by the Sisters to rearm and recover from prior battles. Ultimately finding and defeating a relic of the old war.

My only complaint is that this is a novelette. That means that there are plenty of world building details that have been omitted.

I'm inclined to read the mainline Dark Legacies series by the same author.


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Review: Waffle Irons vs. the Horde

Waffle Irons vs. the Horde by Dr. Insensitive Jerk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This 3.5-star review is a fair representation of my experience.

The premise is that Earth is about to be invaded by malicious aliens. Another group of aliens precedes the destructive ones. The second group has come to save humanity by taking captives and forcing them to train to fight the malicious aliens.

Our "hero", such as he is, employs malicious compliance to obtain the best living conditions possible. Think about the 60s era sitcom "Hogan's Heroes" as a reference point. I'm old. Sorry.

There were plenty of jokes along the way. Cultural misunderstandings twisted for our hero's benefit and our amusement. Consider this funny version of "Ender's Game".

This was a light and entertaining book. I laughed more than a few times. The subtext is mildly small-L libertarian which is odd given the conclusion of the book.

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Review: The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant: Fred the Vampire Accountant #1

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant: Fred the Vampire Accountant #1 by Drew Hayes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This 3-star review is a fair representation of my experience with the book. Perhaps this is closer to 3.5-stars

The premise is that Fred has been turned into an vampire. He was an accounting before becoming a vampire. So he just changes his working hours to suit. There are other paranormal creatures running around. And an agency focused on containing bad actors. Light hearted. Easy read. Amusing at times.

I was not convinced that I should read any further installments.

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Review: Auntie Heroes

Auntie Heroes by Rita Beeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This 5-star review is representative of my experience with the book.

This is a collection of short (and short-ish) stories that are predicated on an older woman (or women) who are surprisingly capable in unusual situations. Some situations are outright physical based on a thriller, spy, or military component. One story involves an older lady marking her last few years of government service in an overseas embassy that is attacked. The story nicely balances certain capabilities (such as shooting and weapons knowledge) with the reality that a woman (an older woman no less) probably lacks the physical stature to manhandle a group of terrorists. Tossing in a series of stun grenades until they surrender is a nice combination of those two facets.

Other stories lean more heavily into fantasy/sci-fi mode. One story leans into a Lovecraftian mythos where a group of old ladies is prepared to defend the local town from someone attempting to summon an unspeakable horror. A second story involves an older woman who thinks she is about to fight werewolves. The flamethrower comes in handy in any event. A third story involves a local group of women who find their overseas experience combatting a species of electrically active plant useful when the neighbor decides to plant some new botanicals.

All of the stories are inventive and a touch humorous.

Raconteur Press is an exciting entry into the genre publishing space. Well worth everyone's attention.



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Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This 3-star review is representative of my experience with the book.

I read the first book in the series and loved it, 5-stars. This one...not so much.

Where the first book involved a lot of character growth and world exploration, this one relied more on withholding facts from the reader and deceiving the reader at every turn. It then ends in a cliffhanger with important plot points left unresolved.

Consider this a reader's test for this series. If you liked book 1 and like this book, then continue on with the series. Otherwise, move on to something fresh.


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