Rise Reviews

The setup for Shauna Robert’s Like Mayflies in a Stream, is a compelling one: an archaeologically-accurate retelling of The Epic of Gilgamesh. Hearing that alone was enough to make me order a copy immediately. But while the book is excellently written in many regards, I didn’t connect very well with the characters.

Focusing on the city-state of Uruk during the early reign of King Gilgamesh, it opens with a land oppressed by a juvenile tyrant. The king is restless, which results in men left broken after Gilgamesh wrestles them and brides brutally raped on their wedding days. Shamhat, a priestess of Inanna, is sent out by Gilgamesh to find the wild man Enkidu. The king’s prophetic dream implied that Enkidu will be the peer that will soothe the king’s restless heart. But Nanna-Ur-Sag, high priest of Inanna, has also had a prophetic dream. In the high priest’s dream, Enkidu will be the man that humbles the king and brings justice back to Uruk.

Amber Redgrave is a private bodyguard for Ms. Hawkins, an elderly woman who believes her late husband had enemies. Amber doesn’t really believe that Ms. Hawkins is in danger; the woman was described to her as a nutter. But one day while shopping together at the mall, Amber’s cushy guard job is sorely tested.

Angry after the horrific turn of events, she questions her boss and ex-lover, John Richmond about what went wrong. He can’t or won’t give any details, and turns the discussion to a new mission he’s about to embark upon. When he leaves the room for a moment, his phone rings and Amber answers it. One of the men on John’s team was pulled off the mission. Without hesitating, Amber volunteers herself.

Ray Gun Revival (http://www.raygunrevival.com/) is a publication that pays homage to the Golden Age of science fiction and of the Space Opera that was so popular back then. They were stories that had an extraordinary flare for the hardy and romantic life of a shoot first, and ask questions later future. Think Buck Rogers and [...]

In her debut novel, Nearly Departed in Deadwood, Ann Charles weaves a fun romp of romance, mystery and the occult. The pages are brimming with eccentric small town characters that brought the setting to life. Though not quite as paranormal a romance/mystery as I had hoped it would be, I would gladly read more tales in her Deadwood Mystery series.

Violet Parker, the book’s protagonist, is a single mother and struggling real estate agent trying to land her first sale before getting fired. But eccentric customers, haunted houses and workplace harassment all threaten to defeat her at every turn. On top of all this, girls have been disappearing from the town of Deadwood. And the girls all bear a striking resemblance to Violet’s daughter. Afraid that her child could be next, Violet starts to play amateur sleuth to find the abductor.

Nothing has made a big of a splash in speculative fiction these days as flash fiction. Be it the influence of the internet, short attention span, or limited funds for editors; most of the publications in the market are not only open to flash fiction but some publish it exclusively. K C Ball is the [...]

Amanda Givens is a white witch who lives a quiet life in the woods of Canaan, Connecticut with her familiar, a cat named Amadeus. Amanda is still grieving the loss of her husband, Jake, who recently died in a car accident. Although Jake was aware of her powers and didn’t mind them, Amanda keeps her secret from her friends and the people in town.

But when an evil cult, lead by Rachel, a black witch from the past, begins tormenting the town and its citizens, Amanda knows she must do everything in her power to help. Especially when the cult kidnaps and harms her best friend Jane’s little boy. But the townspeople only see her powers and think she’s evil.

For those of us tiring of steampunk and utterly burnt-out on cyberpunk, there is a new punk in the science-fantasy section: Biopunk. Growing Dread (C. Dombrowski, editor) is a dark anthology of tales in which our hubris invariably gets the better of humanity. We come to our complicated – and often messy – end knowing that we brought this catastrophe upon ourselves. But all is not lost; in our pride, we always weave a little of ourselves into whatever future remains of life on Earth. Our genetically engineered creations may surprise and conquer us, but in a way that reflects our nature more than anything else. Humanity proves indelible, particularly in the consequences for our failures.

Hail Caesar: Creative Commons and the Small Press “It is not these well-fed long-haired men that I fear, but the pale and the hungry-looking.” – Julius Caesar 1. Write story 2. Get said story published 3. Profit! Karma! I believe short fiction is important. The small press magazine I edit (Fantastique Unfettered, aka FU) uses [...]

You will not find many publications that puts out as much material as Golden Vision Magazine. The magazine publishes two issues at a time. One is a print version and the other a free online publication. Each is distinctively different. This review is dedicated to the online version.
The online version boast part one of a serial, two previously published short stories, a new short story, and 21 works of flash fiction. The previously published and serial have not been read but that still left plenty of material to look over.

There are many ways Danika Dinsmore’s debut novel, Brigitta of the White Forest, could go wrong. As a concept, a young adult novel about a world almost entirely populated with fairies by a debut author is something I would hesitate to pick up. Yet I found myself quickly charmed by her characters and setting for what proved to be a wonderful read. Dinsmore weaves a coming of age story through a world that is both fantastic and believable.

Brigitta and her younger sister, Himalette, live in the enchanted and protected realm of the White Forest. Each season cycle the Elders must perform the ritual that restores the Hourglass of Protection that keeps intruders out of their peaceful land. Before the ritual can be performed, a magical attack incapacitates everyone except for the two sisters. Desperate to save the White Forest before the sands in the Hourglass run out, Brigitta and Himalette must leave the forest and seek help from the only fairy that may have a way to fix things: Hrathgar, the dark fairy that lives in exile after trying to take over the White Forest.