Wombling Along
Helloooo!
I hope you’ve had a good week and not gone for a haircut and been asked Stonehenge was real or been told how giants are real or the aliens are in the dark side of the moon. I’m sure that happens to everyone.
The UK is having a stormy weekend so it’s a perfect time to unwind with the latest Experiment and look at a selection of reviews and more I spotted on my browsing. Curl up in a comfy chair with a cuppa and let the relaxing begin.
Reviews
Locus starts off with a thoughtful review of the pros and cons of a mosaic novel in These Memories Do Not Belong To Us by Yiming Ma
I love it when a review gives you a feel for a book that gives the reviewer an unexpected experience and that comes across it Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub’s look at The Lords of The Summer Season by Peter W Blaisdell Which sounds a ride!
Meanwhile The Fantasy Hive really enjoyed The Tower of The Tyrant by JT Greathouse for epic fantasy
https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/09/the-tower-of-the-tyrant-by-j-t-greathouse-book-review/
Fantasy Book Nerd takes look back at the highs and lows of Winder Woman in 1968
https://www.fantasybooknerd.com/2025/09/book-post-wonder-woman-1968.html?m=1
Nerds of A Feather definitely intrigued me to get to Fate’s Bane by CL Clark
http://www.nerds-feather.com/2025/09/book-review-fates-bane-by-c-l-clark.html
Jam Reads also entices me with An Unbreakable World by Ren Hutchings
https://jamreads.com/reviews/an-unbreakable-world-by-ren-hutchings
Fantasy Book Critic gives a well balanced but negative review of Savage Books by ST Gibson
https://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2025/09/review-savage-blooms-by-st-gibson.html?m=1
Reader of Else is having another deep dive into Lord of The Rings and much fun is had in the analysis
Reactor was very impressed by A Rebel’s History of Matrs by Nadia Afifi
https://reactormag.com/book-review-a-rebels-history-of-mars-by-nadia-afifi/
Apex Magazine has a little short fiction roundup to entice and remind me to get back to my own Short Shelves this week
https://www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-magazine/post/words-for-thought-short-fiction-review-3
Strange Horizons celebrates 25 (yes 25) years by their own look at great short stories
Stewart Hotston takes us to the movies and the experience has watching One Battle After Another
https://stewarthotston.com/2025/09/28/is-one-battle-after-another-movie-of-the-year/
Strange Horizons meanwhile explores the intriguing short story collection Black Hole Heart And Other Stories by KA Teryna translated by Alex Shvartsman
Skiffy and Fanty have a very well thought through negative review oh how the arguments in Masculinity In Contempt by Sara Martin
https://skiffyandfanty.com/blog/review-masculinity-in-contemp-sf-by-men/
Entering into horror reading Fantasy Book Nerd really enjoyed Secret Lives of The Dead by Time Lebbon which mixes revenge thriller and folk horror
https://www.fantasybooknerd.com/2025/10/book-review-secret-lives-of-dead-tim.html?m=1
Two reviewers have both enjoyed Angela Slatter’s The Cold House and this definitely calls to me.Blue Book Ballon and Grimdark Magazine have thoughts!
https://bluebookballoon.blogspot.com/2025/10/review-cold-house-by-ag-slatter.html?m=1
Lord Samper Library discovered their first collection of Robert Bloch short fiction in Midnight Pleasures
https://lordsamperlibrary.blogspot.com/2025/10/midnight-pleasures-robert-bloch.html?m=1
Jamreads enjoyed They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil
https://jamreads.com/reviews/they-fear-not-men-in-the-woods-by-gretchen-mcneil
And finally let’s entice with a book I’m too loving as The Fantasy Hive talks about When There Are Wolves Again by EJ Swift
https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2025/10/when-there-are-wolves-again-by-e-j-swift-book-review/
In other news
Stick at home with bad weather fear not as shortly today the British Fantasy Society has an online event for you!
https://britishfantasysociety.org/events-calendar/bfs-online-something-monstrous/
Cheryl Morgan has started a kickstarter for an anthology based around Welsh mythology so what are you waiting for?
https://www.cheryl-morgan.com/a-kickstarter-campaign/
An interesting interview with the author Bryn Hammond on their new sword and sorcery novella
https://www.blackgate.com/2025/08/23/what-rough-beast-campaign-bryn-hammond-interview/
Dan Coxon talks about the excellent essay collection Writing The Magic
https://go.bsky.app/redirect?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Ffc4vv63m
There is an informative and powerful look at being in the publisher doldrums waiting game by Lorraine Wilson - who you should be reading!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/this-is-new-low-139416944?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
The Unofficial Hugo Bookclub looks at at a theme in recent TV series and what it may telll us about 2020s mindsets
https://hugoclub.blogspot.com/2025/09/bunker-mentality.html?m=1
Jason Sanford has a timely warning about the latest scam targeting authors
https://www.patreon.com/posts/139940838
There is an excellent discussion in Gingernuts of Horror about when the genre deals with mental health
https://gnofhorror.com/when-horror-meets-mental-health/
Espressococo talks about blogging and the relationship with social media
https://espressococo.com/2025/10/03/weeknotes-too-social/
for more excellent links and reviews sign up to Renay’s excellent Intergalactic Mixtape
https://buttondown.com/intergalacticmixtape/archive/intergalactic-mixtape-22/
and finally what happens when you actually lose the internet for a long period?
and what is happening about languages that may be about to fade away for good?
have a lovely weekend and stay safe!
