My dark speculative fiction short, At Union, appears in volume 5 of Postscripts to Darkness this month. cover art byCherry Valance The story is about a train a father meets at Toronto’s Union Station, hoping to find his daughter who died of leukemia. The gang at PstDarkness are hosting a launch on July 31, which happens to be the day after my birthday, in Ottawa, at the Raw Sugar Cafe. Some of the authors appearing…
Dreaming the Serpent Spear by Manda ScottMy rating: 2 of 5 stars In this the final novel in Manda Scott’s Boudica series, the entire historical credibility of the novels falls apart for this reader. Scott seemingly abandons research in favour of complete immersion into lucid-dreaming and its alleged effects upon the physical world. Her portrayal of pre-pubescent Grainne, who was raped by half a century of Roman troops, goes beyond any hope of credibility. If…
Dreaming the Hound by Manda ScottMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Certainly Manda Scott must be applauded for her research into the era and subject matter, as her surrounding details are vibrant and for the most part credible. Characters are larger than life. Were this marketed as historical fantasy, certainly many of my criticisms would disappear. However, the entire Boudica series is, alas, not marketed as historical fantasy, rather as historical fiction, and it is…