Tag: Reading

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Would you like to try my writing? Here’s a glimpse at Shades of Hades

Hello Readers,

Here is another sample of my work in the 10% Club series of posts. In this sample you get a glimpse at Shades of Hades, a short comical fantasy about a the gods. I hope you have as much fun reading this one as I did writing it.

Shades of Hades by Allan Walsh

Hades slouched upon his grey throne picking his teeth with the pointy end of an icicle. Spirits of the dead moaned at his feet, their sorrowful melody reverberating around the stalagmites and stalactites. Decaying bodies dragged heavy chains along the frozen ground—chains that rattled and clanked, grated and scraped, over and over, making his ears ring and his head throb.

“Can’t you drag those chains quietly?” he yelled, “I’ve a splitting head ache and my chilblains are killing me.”

The dead paused for a moment staring at him blankly, then carried on being dead, moaning and doing what the dead do. They didn’t care, why would they… death has that effect on a person.

“Is there no respect for the Lord of the Underworld anymore?” he huffed, “I am a god you know.” They continued to ignore him. A cold blast blew his dark hair across his face. He pushed it out of his eyes and it flapped in the wind. Hades pulled his ragged cloak tighter, trying to stop the chill gnawing at his bones. “Damn you Poseidon, and you too Zeus. Damn you both! Why did I get the underworld? If I had known it was this grey… this dark… this bloody cold all the time I would never have agreed to it.” He scrunched his hand into a fist, knuckles glowing in the dim light, and stamped his good foot hard on the ground. “Why can’t I live on the surface?” he whined, ignoring the ghostly wisps drifting around him. His eyes grew wide, and a grin crept up on his face. “I could swap! Make the underworld home for those wretched humans, then I could live up there.” Hades rubbed at the back of his head and his nose wrinkled, a sour odour scratching at his nostrils. He sniffed at his underarm and recoiled, his nose wrinkling even more. “I’m sure I’ve bathed this decade,” he said, dropping his arm.

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Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in some libraries. 

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Book Review – Become a Successful Indie Author by Craig Martelle.

Become a Successful Indie Author by Craig Martelle is a non-fiction motivational guide for Indie Authors.

The Cover: There are two covers I’ve seen for this book. The first cover is bright and stands out. It typically represents a business focused non-fiction title, but the image is a fairly good representation of the content inside. Personally, I don’t love the colour choices, but the cover seems to work for this book. The second (and the cover on my copy) is more tailored to authors, the colours are more neutral, the font clean and clear, and the title wraps up what to expect within. I much prefer this cover, I just find it easier on my eyes.

The Good Stuff: I actually really enjoyed this book. I found the content to be very informative for new authors, it is also very motivational and inspiring. Not only that, it is a very down to earth, no-bullshit, kind of book, written in plain language. That is always a bonus in my mind.  

The Bad Stuff: I don’t believe there was any bad stuff really. The large majority of the content applies to anyone who embarks on the course of Indie Authorship, however, this book is aimed at an American audience. It has content specific to that region, but that is the target audience, so I guess I can’t knock it for that. I would just say to those outside the U.S. who read it, be aware of this and research what is required for you in your country. A specific example of this is the section on setting yourself up with an EIN and/or an LLC. These refer to an Employer Identification Number and a Limited Liability Company. The Australian equivalent would probably be a Tax File Number and a Trust.

Overall, I found this an easy and enjoyable read. It was informative and inspiring. I’m going to give this title a positively influenced 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Legends by Various Authors

Legends 1 (Legends 1, Volume 1of2)

Legends by Various Authors is an anthology containing 5 novellas by well-known authors, set in the worlds they are famous for creating.

The Cover: I like this cover, it represents one of the stories in the book written by Terry Pratchett and captures the humour perfectly. The cover does tell me I’m going to get fantasy inside, but it also says this book is for a younger audience and I don’t think it hits the mark here. Terry Pratchett’s story certainly is, but not all of them are in my opinion. The font works for the genre and there are big hitting names on the cover that are known for their fantasy.

The Good Stuff: For fans of the authors whose work is contained within the pages, this title will take you back into the worlds you love with a story you may not have read. There should be at least one story in here for every fantasy buff to enjoy. Personally, I really enjoyed the story by George R.R. Martin. Overall it is well edited and has some interesting characters. As I said before the authors are all well-known and are as follows:

Terry Pratchett

Anne McCaffrey

George R.R. Martin

Tad Williams

Robert Jordan

The Bad Stuff: I don’t know if it is just the author’s style or if the story by Robert Jordan was not edited that well. It’s as if words were missing here and there, but again, it could just be the style of writing. I was disappointed with two of the stories and ended up skipping to the next author. Out of the other three stories, I only really enjoyed one. I really wanted to enjoy Robert Jordan’s story, the world building was great, holding my interest until the end. I liked the characters too, but the story and the writing style didn’t grip me and have me excited to keep turning the pages.

Overall, this book was a bit of a let-down for me. I wanted so much to enjoy every story, but it just wasn’t to be, the writing wasn’t bad, the stories just didn’t draw me in. I’m only giving this one an average 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review – Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)
Gardens of the Moon
by Steven Erikson

Gardens of the moon by Steven Erikson is the first novel in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The Malazan Empire seeks to dominate the Free Cities of Genabakis. Pale has fallen and the Empress has moved her attentions to Darujhistan, the last of the Free Cities. But there are forces working against her lust for power, and even the gods have joined in to complicate matters further.

The Cover: The image on the cover I have is of a dark edifice, a single light glowing out from a room at the top of its tower, the moon rising behind. A motif of a steel, Celtic adornment with a helm at its centre, sits at the top of the page, a brand that is carried over across the series.

I love this cover, it is the reason I picked up this book. The cover speaks to me, it says – This book is set in a Grim-dark world and is filled with fantasy. The font is strong and clean, with good colour choices that contrast well against the image, and it is branded nicely to mark the series. My only issue with it is that I don’t like the placement of the text. I feel like they have tried to fit too much on the page and couldn’t quite make it work cohesively.

The Good Stuff: WOW – This book is outstanding! I absolutely loved it. It has a so many characters; original characters with their own personalities and goals, all introduced seamlessly and entwined into the plot. A plot full of twists and turns where enemies are allies and allies are enemies. It has magic, magical weapons, and an array of creatures that belong in a world of fantasy, but these creatures are not all born of the more commonly known orcs, goblins, and elves.

The Bad Stuff: Many a good novel has its problems, and this one is no different. There are some sentences that I would have constructed differently, sentences like “Trotts removed from his sleeve a torn piece of cloth” and “Trotts asked “Watch what?” Some of the descriptions are dumped on the page, which is quite common in this genre, but I prefer them to be fed in a little more softly. There are flash back/time overlaps where Mr Erikson changes character Point of View (POV). The novel is also broken into 7 books across 24 chapters, each of which starts with a poem. I didn’t like this structure, it didn’t need the breaks defining the books for me. Overall, this book was more than I expected it would be. I’ve seen it so many times and thought, I’ll have to read that book one day. And I’m so glad I did. I just wish I hadn’t waited so long. Being the first book of Steven Erikson’s I’ve read, he is a new author to me, and when you find a diamond that shines like this, it justifies the reason to try new authors you are not familiar with. Despite its bad points, this book is a fantastic epic novel, and I absolutely loved it. It will suck the time out of your day like Dragnipur sucks the souls of its adversaries. I’m giving this one an unquestionable, sword wielding, magic flaring, 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Rogue Ragtime by K.Alexis

Rogue Ragtime

Rogue Ragtime by K.Alexis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the interests of being transparent, I’d like to note that I know the author personally. To the best of my intention, my review of his work has not been influenced by this and is based on my honest opinion.

Rogue Ragtime by K. Alexis follows a small band of thieves, cursed to steal unimportant items, while trying to complete a collection of a set of novels in a world where books are banned.

The Cover: I really like this cover, it is colourful and has a kind of comic book/Manga feel to it. The image fits well with the story for me and it has a good title font with colours that stand out well against the background.

The Good Stuff: I love the fight scenes within this story, they are done well, there are some formidable foes, and they move smoothly through the action. In fact, as a whole, the story moves smoothly and is well written. The author shows a strong voice throughout this novel and has created a diverse and multi-cultured world with some great characters – Characters with their own distinctive personalities and abilities.

The Bad Stuff: There are some info dumps on the character descriptions which I feel could have been fed into the story more subtly. There is also an ‘instant message conversation’ snippet at the beginning of each chapter. While it is a nice quirky idea, I found it distracting and it didn’t really add anything to the story for me. I also got a little confused with everything that was going on in the story at times. There is also a lot of opinion within the text, which while I do not disagree with it, it is not subtle and I found it quite imposing at times.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters and the fight scenes, but the story is a bit “out there” and not something I would normally read. Having said that, I would love to watch this as a movie, I think I would thoroughly enjoy it. I’m giving this a mind boggling 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks with the added comment that I do not feel I am the target audience for this book.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Path of a Novice by R.K. Lander.

Path of a Novice (The Silvan, #1)Path of a Novice by R.K. Lander

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Path of a Novice by R.K. Lander is a debut novel and the first book in ‘The Silvan Trilogy’ series. The story follows an elf named Fel’annár trying to prove his worth by chasing his dream to become a captain in the kings army. But things are complicated by the struggle he has with his mixed heritage and a secret that has been kept from him all his life.

The Cover: There are a couple of versions of this cover, the one I have depicts a cloaked elf standing in the forest. He wears a leather jerkin, bow knocked in hand, with sword and quiver slung across his back. I like this cover and feel it is a good match with the genre and certainly fits the story. The font is also a good match and the colour choices contrast well. The other cover I have seen shows the upper torso of a bare chested elf and looks more like a fantasy-romance novel to me. I doubt I would have picked the book up if I had come across this cover first, and that would have been a real shame.

The Good Stuff: R.K. has built a clearly defined world with cultural and political issues that bring it to life. The enemy are many, with a variety of deviants and Sand Lords that I want to learn more about. It has all the elements of a great fantasy with its magic, swordplay, bowmanship, and creatures. I like the characters and their interactions, the prose runs smoothly enough and provokes emotion well in places. There are also passages from elven chronicles at the beginning of each chapter that added that little bit of extra flavour to the book for me. A job well done by the author in my opinion.

The Bad Stuff: This novel is not without its problems for me. I felt that there were some unnecessary words that slowed the prose and made the sentences longer than needed. These could have been stripped back, especially in the action scenes. There are some strange names too, which some readers won’t mind and may even expect, but I find that they pull me out of the story at times as I try to wrap my head around the pronunciation. The author also uses some uncommon words, which is fine when only used once or twice, but used more often, they stand out like a lit beacon.

Overall, despite the points listed in the bad stuff above, I found this to be a great epic fantasy and I really enjoyed it. When a tale is as good as this one, any minor issues roll over you like fire on a dragon’s scales. This is a solid debut novel and I can only see R.K.’s work getting better from here. I’m giving this one a tree loving, sword dancing 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review: Blood of Heirs by Alicia Wanstall-Burke

Blood of Heirs (The Coraidic Sagas #1)Blood of Heirs by Alicia Wanstall-Burke is a debut fantasy novel that follows the separate paths of two protagonists in a dark and perilous world. For the purpose of full disclosure, Alicia is a part of my writers group. Due to circumstance however, I have only met her twice and this is the first time I have had the pleasure of reading her work.

The Cover: This is a good cover for the genre. The image shouts fantasy, the colour hints at the underlying tone of the book, and the font is well contrasted and clear.

The Good Stuff: This is a solid debut fantasy novel. The world is clearly defined and well-built with some nice touches that distinguish between the different cultures within the world. There are some formidable enemies, and as with any good fantasy there is a sound magic system. The characters are individual, well developed, and have their own distinct stories. The prose runs smoothly and I found there are some great quote-worthy passages within the pages. One I particularly liked was “His plan had to work. If it didn’t, he’d have the blood of thousands on his hands; such a stain would never wash clean.”

The Bad Stuff: This is nit-picking, but there are a couple of minor inconsistencies that drew me out of the story. In chapter five they’ve been waiting for the snow, but it hasn’t come. Then we move to chapter seven and Ran’s mother queries if the snows have come early? There is also a mention in one sentence that Lidan has been studying her parents, but then a little further on we hear that she has been avoiding them. This had me thinking how she could study them if she was avoiding them? I also question a couple of the words choices, such as sofa – this seems too modern for the setting to me.

Overall, having not read any of Alicia’s work prior to this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this story or not, but after chapter four I was hooked. The minor issues noted above did little to detract from my enjoyment of this book. It is a great fantasy novel, and while Lidan has a solid storyline, I really found myself drawn into Ran’s story. I’m giving this one a magic pulsing, steel slashing 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks with a deep guttural growl for good measure.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Ramblings of An Author in Times of Lockdown.

Hello Readers,

Many people are doing it tough around the world in the current environment and yours truly is no exception. Like many others, I’ve been looking at ways I can generate a bit more income while I’m out of work in these times of Covid-19. I read a statistic just yesterday that said you have a 0.5% chance of getting a new job in Brisbane right now. If you’re looking for work too – I know, it doesn’t fill me with confidence either, but hey, we’ve got to keep trying or that chance reduces to 0%.

It has been good to see communities helping each other out in these times. I’ve seen people volunteering to get groceries for other who are in isolation, businesses offering free courses, writers offering discounted books (myself included), friends playing games via Zoom, etc. I’ve even started learning the guitar again through a free online course from Fender. It has been a welcome distraction from everything else that’s been going on over the last couple of months.

I’ve also been finding it a struggle to write at present. You’d think this would be the ideal time to knuckle down and get some writing done, but it’s hard for me to get into the mindset with everything else going on around me. I will need to get more work out if I want to break even with my writing though. I do have some new short stories I have finished, but I need to get them edited and that costs money, so I need to hold off on those until I find a new job. I could put ads on my website, but I’ve always hated going to websites only to be inundated with them, so I’m very reluctant to use ads on my own website. I had arranged with a couple of local businesses to get some of my art up for sale on their walls. Then lockdown measures were put in place… that’s going to have to wait until the restrictions are lifted now (which thankfully isn’t looking too far away here in Queensland).

In the mean time I’ve been toying with the idea of adding one of those ‘buy me a coffee’ donation type plug-ins to my website. But then I got to thinking. My short stories cost less than a cup of coffee anyway – and my readers get something to read during isolation. It’s a win-win right?

So, if you want to help out this author in these uncertain times, don’t buy me a coffee, buy one of my books! You’d make this guy really happy, and who knows, you may even enjoy my stories.

How are you coping in the current environment? Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

Happy Reading.

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Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Are you searching for authors like Joe Abercrombie? Why not check out this list.

pexels-photo-208674
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hello Readers,

I know I harp on about Joe Abercrombie (JA) being my favourite author, and that’s because he is, but I have been trying to find some new favourite authors to add to the list. So I put a call out through some of my groups on social media to find similar authors to JA, and this is what my contacts came back with:-

  1. Anthony Ryan
  2. Luke Scull
  3. Daniel Polansky
  4. Mark Lawrence
  5. Scott Lynch
  6. Brian McClellan
  7. Richard Kadrey
  8. Charlie Huston
  9. Peter Newman
  10. Ed McDonald
  11. Steven Erikson
  12. Jonathon French
  13. Brian Staveley
  14. Michael R Fletcher
  15. Richard Morgan
  16. Anna Smith Spark
  17. Stephen Donaldson
  18. A Z Anthony
  19. Glen Cook
  20. Jay Kristoff

I haven’t read all these authors yet, but I have added them to my list of authors to try. Of those I have checked out, I offer my opinions below:

Anthony Ryan – I love this author and have added him to my favourites. I read his novel Blood Song, and while I don’t get a JA vibe from his work, I really enjoyed the book. Anthony has his own style and tells a great story. I highly recommend checking him out.

Luke Scull – This is another great author that I have added to my list of favourites. I read his Grim Company novel and I found his world and characters to be very similar to JA. In fact I constantly found myself thinking this guy is so like 9 fingers, or I love these Northmen. Luke does have a style of his own and tells a unique story that is interesting and pulled me through the book. I highly recommend giving him a go.

Daniel Polansky – I read the novel She Who Waits by this author. I can’t say that I see any resemblance to JA other than the world is really gritty. I didn’t love this author, I enjoyed the book enough to finish it, but I doubt I will read anymore of his work. The world was not quite what I expected or wanted and it threw me off a little right from the start. If you like Grimdark that isn’t your typical medieval world, don’t discount this author. His style is sound, his characters are well rounded, and his writing is solid, his world just wasn’t what I was looking for and I don’t particularly like 1st person POV. If however you are chasing an author similar to JA, I’d give this one a miss.

Brian McClellan – I read Wrath of Empire from this author, and I loved it so much that I have also added Brian to my list of favourite authors. I didn’t draw any similarities between his work and JA’s. Brian has his own style, a great world, great characters, and a good storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed his work and would definitely recommend him, just don’t expect his work to remind you of JA.

Richard Kadrey – I didn’t actually read this authors work, I picked up one of his books and read the first few pages. It didn’t grab me because it seemed to be more of a western world and I was after good old medieval fantasy. So, I can’t really make any comparisons to JA for this author, nor recommend/criticise his work.

Peter Newman – I tried to read The Vagrant by this author and it’s the one book on my DNF list. I didn’t like the authors style or the world the story was set in. I certainly wouldn’t compare this author to JA. I do not recommend reading this authors work if you’re looking for something similar to JA. I’m not saying don’t give him a try, I’m just saying this author isn’t for me and I can’t see any similarity to JA’s work. I do know people who have read and enjoyed this author, so make your own mind up on this one.

Well, I’m still working through the list myself and this is as far as I’ve gotten. I’m keen to give Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch, Steve Erikson, Brian Staveley and Ed McDonald a go. So I’ll probably prioritise these above the others, but hopefully I will find a few more gems on this list that will be added to my favourite authors list.

Happy Reading!

This post was updated Sept 29, 2024. Check out the updated version here. 

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Book Review – The Grim Company by Luke Scull.

The Grim Company (The Grim Company, #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Grim Company by Luke Scull is a grimdark fantasy set in a world where the gods have been slain by wizards. We follow the stories of several characters who’s fates seem intertwined. Characters such as Davarus Cole, an orphan who wants to be a hero; Brodar Kayne and his companion Jerek, a pair Northmen on the run; Eremul, a paraplegic mage seeking revenge; Sasha a rebel with troubles of her own; and Yllandris a sorceress with ambitions.

The Cover: This is a simple cover showing a helm sitting on a white background that fades to a golden brown. The image itself represents the fantasy genre well, the fonts are clear and I like the title. All up a suitable cover for the genre.

The Good Stuff: This is a solid fantasy world that is dark, dangerous, and full of magic. The characters are well developed with their own goals and desires. The plot is sound and brings everything together at the end, yet still leaves enough story questions to make you want to read the next book in the series. Some of the characters reminded me of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy, but hey, who doesn’t love Joe and his characters.

The Bad Stuff: There are some over-packed sentences at the beginning of the book as the author tries to build the world. I found some characters focused on in the beginning of the book disappeared quite quickly, leaving me to wonder why they were highlighted in the first place. The character descriptions are also dropped in through small info dumps, which I think could have been written in more seamlessly. There was a point where soldiers in chainmail climb down a rope ladder while each holds a longsword in one hand leaving me wondering how that is even possible.

Overall, initially I had my doubts about this story, but the more I read, the more I got into it, and by the end I found I thoroughly enjoyed the book, even with the few points I mentioned in the bad stuff. I think this is because I am a little cautious when reading a new author and I tend to notice things in their writing, at least until I get drawn into the story. I would recommend this book to fans of dark fantasy/grimdark. It is getting a blood staining, bone breaking 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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