Wombling along

reviews

Nov 8

Helloooo!

Welcome to Wombling Along which is where I use the weekend to share the online reviews and other book adjacent things I think people may enjoy as they out their feet up with a cuppa. I hardly ever booktempt but other people do!

I’ve had a very busy week. Fantasycon was busy and I should have a summary of my thoughts tomorrow but as often happens I came back with my geeky engines recharged. However it was a very long day four days so I found myself a little wiped out and unfortunately came back to a further four days of day job work that needed a lot of attention and even more travelling. This led to what we call a reading slump as the pages stared at me.

The good news is I’ve woken up today feeling much better and I can see a huge pile of books to get to! But sometimes as today’s gif shows we need to know when to take a breather

Reviews

Expendable Mudge is very impressed with A Ruin Great And Free by Cadwell Turnbull

https://expendablemudge.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-ruin-great-and-free-concludes.html?m=1

Jamreads definitely falls for the excellent A Sword of Gold And Ruin by Anna Smith Spark

https://jamreads.com/reviews/a-sword-of-gold-and-ruin-the-making-of-this-world-ruined-2-by-anna-smith-spark

Stewart Hotston adds to the list of people telling me to read Blood Over Brighthaven I love the way this review describes the impact of reading it!

https://stewarthotston.com/2025/11/07/blood-over-brighthaven-will-punch-you-in-the-face/

Harare Review of Books really enjoyed the great Uncertain Sons And Other Storied by Thomas Ha

https://hararereview.wordpress.com/2025/11/01/uncertain-sons-and-other-stories-x-thomas-ha/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

The Fantasy Hive really got into The Blackfire Blade by James Logan - a series I need to catch up on

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/11/the-blackfire-blade-by-james-logan-book-review/

Nerds of A Feather was enticed by God’s Junk Drawer by Peter Clines

http://www.nerds-feather.com/2025/11/book-review-gods-junk-drawer-by-peter.html?m=1

Locus really was won over by The Other Shore by Rebecca Campbell

https://locusmag.com/review/the-other-shore-by-rebecca-campbell-review-by-niall-harrison/

And also the excellently titled Madame Sosostris And The Festival For The Brokenhearted by Ben Okri

https://locusmag.com/review/madame-sosostris-and-the-festival-for-the-brokenhearted-by-ben-okri-review-by-maya-c-james/

Strange horizons really interested me in The Demon by Victory Witherkeigh

http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/the-demon-by-victory-witherkeigh/

Gingernuts of Horror looked at the last in the series of Great British Horror edited by Steve Shaw fortunately another series will now start!

https://gnofhorror.com/great-british-horror-10-something-peculiar-review/

Critical Popcorn really enjoyed the excellent haunted house anthology Unquiet Guests edited by Dan Coxon

https://criticalpopcorn.com/2025/10/31/unquiet-guests-review-edited-by-dan-coxon-dead-ink-books/

Ancillary is impressed by Syr Hayati Beker’s What A Fish Looks Like

https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2025/11/06/spd-the-thing-you-do-when-crying-isnt-enough/

Lord Samper’s Library was very won over by the excellent The Salt Growd Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

https://lordsamperlibrary.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-salt-grows-heavy-cassandra-khaw.html?m=1

Locus in short fiction looks at a recent issue of Khoreo

https://locusmag.com/review/khoreo-review-by-a-c-wise/

and finally Fan Fi Addict tempts you we The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson which you need in your life

https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-salt-oracle-book-2-of-we-are-all-ghosts-in-the-forest-by-lorraine-wilson/

In other News

As if I planned that segue at Fantasy Hive Lorraine Wilson discusses dark academia

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/11/the-lure-and-flaws-of-dark-academia-guest-post-by-dr-lorraine-wilson-the-salt-oracle/

Gwendolyn Kriste assembled some authors to discuss werewolves

https://www.gwendolynkiste.com/Blog/hear-us-roar-part-one-of-the-howl-roundtable/

Renay has been sorting out her bookshelves (none of which I am responsible for) but that’s led to the interesting idea of which books would you like to read afresh for the first time?

https://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/2025/11/05/lets-get-literate-books-i-wish-i-could-read-for-the-first-time.html

Reactor talks about the way stories and one particular folk ballad have been interlinked

https://reactormag.com/folklore-meets-murder-ballad-six-retellings-of-the-cruel-sister/

Margot Kinberg has an interesting look at Iago like charcters in crime books and what they mean?

https://margot-kin-berg.com/2025/11/01/and-she-can-push-any-button-i-was-programmed-to/

The Fantasy Hive also looks with Natasha Siegel at the female gothic

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/11/fantasy-and-the-legacy-of-the-female-gothic-guest-post-by-natasha-siegel-as-many-souls-as-stars/

This weekend I saw the British Fantasy Awards get announced

https://britishfantasysociety.org/british-fantasy-awards-2025-and-the-winners-are/

And also World Fantasy Awards got announced (while I was travelling home!)

https://reactormag.com/here-are-the-2025-world-fantasy-awards-winners/

Catch Ups