Death’s Master
(Tales from the Flat Earth #2)
by Tanith Lee (1979)

Uhlume, Lord of Death, second of the Lords of Darkness, King of Shadow and Pallor, makes an unusual bargain which sets in motion an intricate sequence of events that entangle men and gods, queens and kings, sorcerers and witches, and lowly wanderers. When the secret to immortality falls into human hands, dark magic and wickedness are unleashed, testing the bounds of mortal love and sanity, and questioning the nature and purpose of life itself.

Following from the first in the series, read in 2018. Lee’s style stays with you. It’s rich, vivid and original. From one page to another is the equivalent of another author’s chapter,

However everything is happening, there are multiple characters and jumps in narrative. So ultimately you loose the sense of the story being told and can only appreciate it for the moment. Other stories by Lee (mainly short ones) have proved to  be better. But for this series, it’s the end.

Baehrly Bitten
(Goldie Locke and the Were Bears #2)
by Elizabeth A. Reeves (2013)

Goldie is hired to find heiress Paige Turner, whose kidnapping involves vampires, ancient legends, and a series of brutal murders.

While the strong, witty character remains, the story is drenched in love and romance. She now has two men romantically involved. And the story suffers for it.

The conclusion is much weaker than the previous story. So unfortunately a fun character is undermined by the need for approval by men.

The Princess Diarist
by Carrie Fisher (2016)

With these excerpts from her handwritten notebooks, Fisher reveals what happened on one of the most famous film set of all time–and what developed behind the scenes.

The book is interesting in charting her biography up until her role on Star Wars. There are interesting insights into the industry and her relationship with the directors, notably Warren Beatty and George Lucas.

But the main part is her relationship with Harrison Ford. Once the details of that are revealed, it descends into pseudo-philosophy, poems and snippets of her life. The more that went on the less interesting the book becomes. In the end I was skipping the text to find a short and not very interesting story.

Baehrly Breathing
(Goldie Locke and the Were Bears #1)
by Elizabeth A. Reeves (2013)

It’s difficult to be taken seriously when you are a member of the Magical community and saddled with the unfortunate name ‘Goldie Locke’. It certainly doesn’t help if you are also about five feet tall, blond, and most commonly described as ‘cute.’

This is more like it. Urban fantasy with a witty and sharp tongued female protagonist. Goldie Locke is a witch and can heal things. So then animals start dying it’s up to her (with a suitable male side-kick) to solve the mystery.

Written in first person and not stopping for any emotional baggage, the story is novella length and romps along to a confrontation with the perpetrator. The only disappointment is that the author is not selling on Kobo or Smashwords.

Magic and Misrule
by K.M. Merritt (2021)

Vola might be new to this whole adventuring thing, but she’s pretty sure it shouldn’t be going this way. No one at her academy wanted an orc graduating as a paladin, so they’ve sent her to the back end of nowhere, hoping she’ll never find a quest good enough to earn her shield.

Part of the humorous fantasy bundle. This is better than the previous one I tried. The comedy comes from the characters, which does work. However there is not much to the plot. And there is too much introspection by the characters.

This type of story needs to move much faster, and break more things.

Ace Tucker Space Trucker

Ace Tucker Space Trucker by James R. Tramontana

It’s a book and a podcast. One man James R. Tramontana does all the voices He is also is a writer and a rocker (playing bass for several bands).

A fun romp across the galaxy with Elvis, a dog and various outcasts and villains.

Hatched: Dragon Farmer
(Hatched #1)
by Caren Hahn (2022)

Charl comes from a long line of farmers and has the scars to prove it. Abandoned by her brother and distracted by her handsome neighbor, it’s up to Charl to keep the farm together without getting herself killed by the livestock. After all, not just anyone can raise dragons.

This was part of the ‘Humourous Fantasy Bundle’. It’s not at all humourous, comedic, silly or fun. It’s more like a YA fantasy.

However it is well written, with interesting characters, a well imagined world and an interesting plot. It did keep me reading to the end, but not enough to anticipate the next book.

The Return of Captain Future
(Captain Future #20)
by Edmond Hamilton (1950)

In one of the shortest of the stories, Captain Future meets one of the oldest life-forms in the universe and sends him on his way.

Sadly shorter than previous stories and not as good. The remaining three are even shorter, being padded out with character profiles.

So we leave Captain Future in the past.

Outlaw World
(Captain Future #19)
by Edmond Hamilton (1946)

Peril from beyond deep space. Where are they from and what is their ultimate evil purpose? A band of invaders, led by a ruthless genius, is overcoming the system, sapping it of radium, killing all who stand in the way. Captain Future must find their base – their Outlaw World – and crush their deadly plot. He is the last hope in a crumbling solar system.

This one features the unlikely occurrence of a planet close to the sun, but hollow. And within is an atmosphere, plant life and civilization. It could only be…..

The place for final showdown between Captain Future and his nemesis.