Wombling Along

Hellooo!

Welcome to the weekend! Been a busy week on all fronts! I pleasingly actually got out on a school night to a book event in Liverpool. Dead Ink books had the launch of Writing The Magic edited by Dan Coxon and Richard V Hirst. The latest in a great series of books where writers delve into why and how they write in a genre. Expect a review soon!

As you read this I should be enjoying a day out to a great UK con called Edge-lit in Derby!

As always Wombling Along is not just me telling you what my week was like but the reviews and articles that I really wanted to share. Kick off your shoes, grab a warm beverage and commence browsing!

Reviews

Jamedi of Jam Reads has as always a great mix and this week two very different books - The Bone Raiders by Jackson Form and Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta (a book I LOVE)

https://jamreads.com/reviews/the-bone-raiders-the-rakada-1-by-jackson-ford

https://jamreads.com/reviews/mad-sisters-of-esi-by-tashan-mehta

Moving to Blue Book Balloon and a look at the Victorian romp that is The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox

https://bluebookballoon.blogspot.com/2025/09/blogtour-review-crooked-mediums-guide.html?m=1

The Fantasy Hive enticed with The Iron Road by David Wragg

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/09/the-iron-road-by-david-wragg-book-review/

Then they also managed to booktempt Slow Gods by Claire North and The Scour by Richard Swan

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/09/slow-gods-by-claire-north-book-review/

https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/09/the-scour-by-richard-swan-book-review/

Seize The Press has a fascinating review of Red Skies In The Morning by Nadia Bulkin

https://www.seizethepress.com/2025/03/29/red-skies-in-the-morning-review-stp12/

Locus had reviewed to grab me with Amplitudes - Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity edited by Lee Mandelo and Hemlock and Silver by T KingfisheR

https://locusmag.com/review/amplitudes-stories-of-queer-and-trans-futurity-edited-by-lee-mandelo-review-by-alex-brown/

https://locusmag.com/review/hemlock-silver-by-t-kingfisher-review-by-gary-k-wolfe/

The Unofficial Hugo BookClub won the internet for this review’s title that looks at The Incandescent by Emily Tesh and how fantasy and schools have crossed paths before

https://hugoclub.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-hogwarts.html?m=1

FantasyBookNerd has reminded me I really need to watch The Descent but also this new book by Katie Proberyvin the movie sounds very interesting

https://www.fantasybooknerd.com/2025/09/book-review-descent-katie-probert.html?m=1

Books Bones Buffy delved into Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

https://booksbonesbuffy.com/2025/09/15/play-nice-by-rachel-harrison-review/

The Ancillary Review of Books has a great look at Speculative Relations by Joseph M Pierces

https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2025/09/15/realizing-better-futures-now-review-of-joseph-m-pierces-speculative-relations/

Fan Fi Addict has a really interesting experience with The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes

https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-works-of-vermin-by-hiron-ennes/

Science Fiction Ruminations takes us to 1972 and the very interesting experience of The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad which looks at the darker side of ‘pulp’ adventures

https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2013/05/18/book-review-the-iron-dream-norman-spinrad-1972/

Skiffy and Fanty has a book that combines sword and sorcery with….wrestling and appears to work well!

https://skiffyandfanty.com/blog/review-suplex-sorcery-june-orchid-parker/

Strange Horizons has a great review of one of the most interesting books of the year Uncertain Sons and Other Stories by Thomas Ha

http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/non-fiction/uncertain-sons-and-other-stories-by-thomas-ha/

At Reader of Else we have a fascinating look at the next few chapters of Lord of The Rings

https://readerofelse.wordpress.com/2025/09/18/a-close-reading-of-lotr-episode-2-a-very-efficient-conspiracy/

Gingernuts of Horror has a suitable strange novella to look at in the form of The Retreat by Gemma Fairclough

https://gnofhorror.com/gemma-faircloughs-the-retreat-cumbria-cult-horror/

And last lets head to the movies but reviews with a difference with Vajra Chandrasekera talking about several movies that link some themes

https://vajra.me/2025/09/15/solatopink/

And Gingernuts of horror have this gorgeous bit of writing looking at two recent movies on depth uses that to explore a type of subgenre that may be forming

https://gnofhorror.com/beauty-horror-the-gore-geous-fairy-tale-micro-genre/

And in other news

Ever fancied Sword fighting this article via The SFWA has some tips!

https://www.sfwa.org/2025/09/09/writing-sword-fights-three-tips-from-a-professional-swordsman/

The British Fantasy Society has opened up applications for its Writing Retreat

https://britishfantasysociety.org/bfs-writing-retreat-2026/

There was a reminder that I still need to actually read a book by CJ Cherryh

https://reactormag.com/exploring-gender-and-trans-identity-in-the-worlds-of-c-j-cherryh/

Big Bearded Bookseller has a interview with the translator Susan Pickford well worth a read

https://bigbeardedbookseller.uk/susan-pickford-translator-qa/

Via Patricia Matson online I found this blog by Dave Hook that talks about the joy of anthologies in an interesting way

https://adeeplookbydavehook.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/why-anthologies/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAM1EvNjbGNrAzUS6GV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeTGRucaLXd1pdQ5L1lrh9p25y4l4NuPvt9xXt-qgrMfBqtom-3w5cE2bDqKY_aem_a0j5jtdLbFWD0MZlvBsQwQ