Actually, I would LOVE to decimate the TBR wall. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I DID read more than just the top 10, though. So here are more pellet reviews, in no particular order:
More Tales of Zorro
Edited by Richard Dean Starr
Justice rides on a black horse named Tornado, and the Fox strikes! Zorro’s been part of our culture since Johnston McCulley wrote the first Zorro stories in the 1920’s, and continued on through movies, television, comics, and prose. Here are eighteen short stories of the Fox!
As with all anthologies, the stories in this collection vary in quality. Most bring the adventure and charm, though! I was amused that by descriptions of secondary characters like Bernardo or Garcia or the placement of buildings around the Pueblo, which continuity many writers were imagining. Some were clearly from the Disney television series, while others were set in the Family Channel series of the 1990’s. I was not disappointed by the gathering of stories, though. If you’re a Zorro fan, this collection is worth your time.
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
by L. Frank Baum
Every child must learn the history of Santa Claus, from how he was adopted by a nymph and came to love children and give them toys, and eventually was rewarded with immortality! Oh, you don’t know that story? Well, come, and listen!
The writer of The Wizard of Oz pens another tale for children. While Oz often borders on saccharine, this drowns in it. It’s overly sentimental, cleaves to the innocence of children and how they are never, ever, evil and never, ever do wrong, and pretty much put me in a sugar coma. Listen, I love the Oz books. If you’re a Baum completist, grab this book, but otherwise, go find one of his properly better known stories.
The Crescent Moon
by R. L. Lutz
An angel has come to Teargarden, a wild town on the border of two warring nations. His holy presence could set the town to war, so the owner of a tavern sets out to kill the angel for the good of everyone.
The book sells itself as fantasy adventure with a western twist. I was looking forward to that… but the western element didn’t really surface. It was indeed a lawless town, but it didn’t feel western to me at all. That mismatch between blurb and content probably soured my appreciation of the story. I wanted to like it far more than I did. It’s also very clearly a book one, with a lot of set up for future storylines. By itself, though, it just didn’t connect for me.
Hundred-Dollar Baby
by Richard B. Parker
Years ago private eye Spenser helped a runaway get off the streets. The runaway has returned for help again, though, and this time she’s moved up in the world. She’s playing a dangerous game, and Spenser will need to figure out how much she’s keeping secret before he’s able to rescue her again.
I’ve started enjoying the odd Spenser book, and this is another one. Spenser is a great private eye character, hard boiled with a heart of gold, and all the secondary characters are just as good. This novel is also the direct sequel to one of the few others I’ve read, Ceremony. I love that the books are fast reads with short chapters. It’s not a life-changing book, but worth it for the entertainment factor.
The Time Machine
by H. G. Wells
The host is late for dinner. When he finally arrives, he’s quite disheveled. He explains to his guests that he’s been gone for months, years perhaps, and tells of his time machine and how far into the future he flung himself.
Of course this short story is a classic. I’m most familiar with the 1960 movie, but had never read the original. Now I have! And there’s a reason it’s a classic. Wells writes arresting prose and exhibits an amazing imagination. Like Gulliver’s Travels or The Wizard of Oz, the adaptation I’m most familiar with cut off most of the ending. I guess it was a stylistic thing back then to have a lot of falling action? Either way, I enjoyed it. It’s a classic.
Phenomenons: Season of Darkness
Edited by Michael Jan Friedman
The Phenomenons, superpowered individuals, have kept watch over American cities for a long time. Someone has begun messing with their powers, though, starting with the most powerful of them. It’s up to those least experienced to save the day… hopefully.
This is the second Pheonomenons anthology. The first one was… alright. I enjoyed some of the stories immensely, but most were only decent. It took me a while to come around and read this one. I wish I’d read it sooner. Apparently the first anthology was all setup. This one grabbed me from the beginning, and there wasn’t a dud in the bunch. I’m eagerly looking forward to book three!
Monsters around the Campfire
by Donovan Scherer
We all love a good ghost story. Children at camp gather around a campfire to try to outscare each other, while something truly frightening might be happening all around them…
These are fun little scary stories with a competent framing device. I kind of wish more attention had been given to the kids around the fire, as that’s the only part of the collection that doesn’t really work. The stories themselves are delightful little tales. While some are predictable, they have that perfect feel of a scary summer story.
The Wrath of Cons
by Robert Kroese
Terraforming planets and selling them to the highest bidder makes for a great job. It also makes you a lot of enemies, as Rex Nihilo learns. The galactic con man has to use all his wits (all two of them) to get out of this mess!
You’ll know whether or not you’ll like this book based on the tagline: “The galaxy needed a hero. It got Rex Nihilo.” It’s one of the very few book series that consistently leads me to laugh out loud. Check out book on, Starship Grifters, and have a great time. And then get the rest of the series, too.
Shapeshifters, A History
by John B. Kachuba
Nearly every culture on earth has stories of people who transform into animals. There’s a magic to it. This history of our stories gives an overview of tales from around the world, from the beginning of time until today.
My biggest complaint about this book: It’s a survey. It touches on so many different shapeshifters, but doesn’t go in depth. I wanted to know more! That said, for what it is, it’s a great resource and tickles the imagination.
The Seven-Figure Marketing Mindset for Novelists
by Jody J. Sperling
You want to write and sell books? Good! But check your mindset. For so many actions you take as an author, what you do doesn’t matter as much as your mindset. You can defeat yourself!
I received this book from an author acquaintance. It’s solid advice, but unfortunately for me, it was mostly stuff I already knew! If you’re just getting started in the author game, though, this little volume is worth your time to read.
Jonathon Mast: Author 