Advent Ghosts 2025: The Covenant

 

Hallelujah!”

              Bert jolted awake at the cacophony. Long-buried memories of gunfire and explosions assaulted him before he oriented himself. Bert crept to the window and hesitantly peered outside. Carolers adorned in a rainbow explosion of brightly coloured clothing were belting out the song, pouring their souls into it.

‘Bah humbug.’ Bert muttered.

Once the performance concluded, the carolers milled about before realising nobody was coming out to meet them and trudged away.

The spirit raged against the protective circle around the town. It was about to concede when it spotted a small gap. It smirked, knowing the covenant was broken.

Advent Ghosts 2024: A Christmas Star

 The TV weatherman had predicted a snowstorm, but Cecil and his grandson savored a clear night outside. A Christmas miracle? Perhaps, but only if you set the bar low, or appreciated the little things.

“What’s that?’ Timmy enquired indicating a pulsing purple orb.

Cecil chuckled “Haven’t you been listening to my stories? Must be the star of Bethlehem.”

“Umm, is it getting bigger?”

Cecil frowned, the orb now had a streaky tail and was hurtling downwards at top speed.

“Timmy, inside now.” Grandpa ordered trying his darndest to forget another story which had just come to mind. One about dinosaurs.

Advent Ghosts 2022: Silent Night

 The Tailor smiled at your snowy beard as she sowed buttons onto your crimson coat. You smiled back, a half-conscious response. You knew exactly what she was thinking. ‘He looks just like Santa Claus’.

The store-clerk nodded approvingly as you handed him an oversized sack. The same thoughts were flashing through his brain and it was second nature to encourage them.

The man at the gun shop was different. Didn’t even bother to glance up from his copy of ammunition weekly as he handed you the silencer. You smirked, ‘Silent night’ indeed. At Christmas red was better camouflage than black.

Advent Ghosts 2022: I told you so

 A bill outlawing Christmas presents? You were ecstatic. No more hard-earned money siphoned to corporations.

I wanted to get our son something small anyway. You waved away my concerns, pronounced it was like pulling off a band-aid.

There was that Academic on TV warning about an ancient manuscript and gift-giving keeping evil spirits pacified. As Christmas approached his message never changed but he grew disheveled, desperate to be heeded. You scoffed.

Christmas morning. The bedroom door burst open, revealing the silhouette of our son, blood-stained knife in hand, eyes rolled back in his skull.

‘I told you so’ isn’t enough.

Advent Ghosts 2021:The Cracker

 Multihued lights spiraled their way around the Christmas tree mesmerizing the families clustered around the restaurant’s sea of tables. Jeff ignored them, mechanically chomping down on a mouthful of ham. Christmas had been his life for the decades he’d worked at Hallmark crackers. ‘Budget cuts,’ explained his boss, an upstart who couldn’t tell a cracker snap from tissue.

Jeff chuckled. Safety checks were another victim of those cuts. Scattered explosions would bury Hallmark under an avalanche of lawsuits.

“Buck up mate.” A jovial fellow exclaimed, offering a cracker.

The blood drained from Jeff’s face when he discerned a familiar logo.  

Advent Ghosts 2020: Christmas Lights

 “Oh, look how pretty the lights are John!” Sarah exclaimed, practically bouncing in her boots.

Seemingly endless rows of fairy lights lit up the house like the constellations on a clear night.

“Can we take a closer look?”

“I don’t see why not?” John shrugged, “That’s what Christmas lights are for right?”

The creature hunched in the shadows as still as the mountains it had outlived, cold eyes intently staring as it’s prey ambled closer. It was a trick almost as old as the creature itself and had served it well in the depths. Food always came to the light.

Advent ghosts 2019: The Deal

Martin flopped into bed. The sheets engulfing him and dispelling whirling thoughts of litigations.

"Did you put the milk and cookies out?" Sarah asked "Timmy will be devastated if you haven't.

"All sorted" Martin lied.

An empty glass and a few sprinkled crumbs and Timmy wouldn't know the difference.

Santa was furious. Somehow these short-lived mortals kept the memory of their deal alive, binding him with libations through guest rights that no Fae could break. Although perhaps not here. Santa smirked as he spotted the bare kitchen counter. He stalked towards the child's bedroom, licking his lips all the way.

Review: The Core by Peter V. Brett

Having captured the lead mind demon Alagai Ka and discovered that queen demon is set to lay a new set of queens leading to a civil war of sorts between that demons that will result in humanity's destruction, Arlen, his wife Rena and Ahmann hatch a desperate plan to have Alagai Ka lead them to the core and stop it. While they are gone the leaders of the rest of humanity need to try and keep their people alive through sustained attacks by the demons.

Pacing has been an issue in the middle books in this series but is well handled in the finale. I found a good balance between the main and secondary plots. I also found Brett cleverly introduced material for outrigger series without compromising on what was happening in this one.

It was particularly interesting to see the issue of faith addressed particularly between the interactions between Arlen and Ahmann. For me this was the strongest development in Ahmann's character throughout the entire series.

Overall a well balanced finale. 8.5/10.

Review: The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams

Thirty years have passed since the events of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, King Simon and Queen Mirimele have seen their kingdom of Asten Ard move from strength to strength but not everything has gone their way. Thier son and heir John Josua died from illness in his early tenties, leaving behind two children. The Eldest, prince Morgan , is a wastrel who doesn't have any interest in learning how to rule a Kingdom, much to the despair of his grandparents.

Meanwhile Utuk’ku, the Norn queen, has apparently awoken and preparations are made to invade the lands of men once more. A small squad is dispatched on a seemily impossible mission to catch a living dragon. Among them is Nezuru,the half blood daughter of the Hikeda’ya Lord Viyeki and his mortal slave concubine Tzoj, who begins to question her place in Norn society. This is excabated when she meets Jarnulf, a human seeminly working for the Norns who has his own agenda.

One of the things Williams did extremely well in the briding novel The Heart of What was Lost was humanize the Norn characters, making the reader root for both sides of the conflict. However none of that is present in this novel sadly, with all of the Norns even Viyeki coming across as arogant. 

Pacing is generally quite slow with lots of streches without the plot seeming to advance much.

Through Simon (and a lesser extent Mirimele) Williams is able to delve into the struggle of aging and brings a real depth to these charcaters.

One of the most intriguing things for me was the vast discrepancies between Simon and Mirimele's meomories of John Josua and that of Morgan's. 

Overall I found this novel a mixed bag, with some issues with pacing and characterization. 7/10.

Review: The End of The Day by Claire North

Charlie was looking for a job where he could travel. Landing the role of the Harbinger of Death comes as something of s surprise to him. He has no special qualifications, just a love of people and music but the previous harbinger sees something in him. Death is well meaning and sends a harbinger sometimes as a curtsy and sometimes a warning. Initially all goes well and Charlie meets interesting people and experiences things he never could have imagined but that all changes due to unforeseen events. Charlie falls in love and the travel becomes burdensome with something to miss and he also becomes exposed to the darker side of humanity.

The three previous books under the author's North pseudonym all had a similar concept; a protagonist effected by an unexplained condition that the majority of the population was unaware of.  I was concerned that she would be unable to breakaway from this theme and am very glad to see that she has. I love character-driven novels and Charlie is wonderfully drawn human being flavored with a touch of awkwardness. His development and growth is really the crux of this novel.

In a world where the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are real entities (Death even has his own firm to look after Charlie's travel needs) I found the support characters reaction to them highly inconsistent. I was also disappointed in the finale which just sort of fizzled out.

Overall Claire has delivered a wonderfully character driven novel that proves she is not just a one trick pony, although with all new things you can't expect to reach perfection the first time around. 8/10.

Review: The Heart of what was Lost by Tad Williams

Following the defeat of the Storm King the remaining Norms flee through the land's of men back to their ancient city of Nakkiga. Lord Isgrimnur leads an army that intends to take thefight to Nakkiga itself and wipe out the Norms and their sleeping queen. Porto a man from the South has found himself part of the army, though all he really wants is to get himself a young man from a nearby village safely home. Viyeki a mid-ranking engineer of the Norns finds himself embroiled in the politics of the high ranking members of his society, who even in the face of destruction jockey for position.

Williams does a brilliant job delving into characters from both sides of the conflict, humanizing them so effectively you can't help but root for both of them. The shorter length of this novel means Williams pacing is markedly improved. Just how much action and political intrigue Williams is able to cram into this one is impressive, he quite cleverly has lots happen 'offscreen' that Viyeki has to piece together as best he can.

Overall Williams make a welcome return to his signature world of Osten Ard with the great character development I always expect from him, combined with welcome improved pacing. 8.5/10.  

Review: The Lost Prince by Edward Lazellari

Thirteen years ago a young Prince from another world was spirited to earth when his medieval style kingdom was invaded. Due to a magical mishap Daniel and his guardians were separated and had their memories stripped away. Daniel ended up in an abusive household that eventually lead to a fatal confrontation with his stepfather that led to Daniel hiding in a trailer park from the police. His guardians have unwittingly found themselves as targets of agents of the invading force that have found their way to earth (although no time has passed in the magical world). After a centaur sorceress restores their memories the guardians find themselves in a race to find the prince. The guardians also have to reconcile their new memories with the lives and families they have built on earth.

The characterization was mixed, particularly among the villains whose leader is very 80's cartoon villain dimensional. Magical explanations aside they also should have had more trouble adjusting and fitting into modern society. Some of the minor villains had more interesting motivations thankfully and I enjoyed the adjustments the guardians had to make to their new memories.

Pacing was uneven due to too many points of view, especially early on, that hurt any momentum that could have developed.

This novel is a mixed bag, a solid concept but not delivered as well as it could have been. 6/10.

Review: The Ruling Mask by Neil McGarry and Daniel Ravipinto

Duchess' reputation among the Gray is in jeopardy. Rumors abound that she is a bloody murderer for hire hurting her standing in the Gray and threatening to put her at odds with the Red, who have a monopoly on assassination. Duchess must find the source of these rumors and put a stop to them or risk losing everything. Meanwhile Castor turns to Duchess for help as his son is being hunted due to his connection to the aristocracy. The success of Jana and Duchess's weaving business has attracted attention and leaves them with a difficult choice. Rodass is also on the cusp of a religious war and Duchess is bound to be dragged into it as well.

The most notable element to this third installment in the series is the way the authors keep track of the web of plot lines and are able to successfully incorporate them into the larger story. The foreshadowing was very impressive. With so many plot threads (my brief synopsis doesn't do them justice) there is a risk of the narrative being bogged down. Thankfully the authors don't fall into this trap and use them to add a degree of tension throughout the story, reminiscent of the way Jim Butcher does it.

As always Duchess is the heart of this story and I really feel like she matures as a character (she even gains some insight into her father;s choices and why he made them.) and has come a long way since the first book.

Well managed story-telling and a character driven narrative  make this a must read. 9/10.    

Review: The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky

In the cold, crown of the world the wolf tribes are in ascendancy. They broke the Tiger's power over a decade ago and drove them to the peripheries. Maniye is the daughter of Akrit Stone River, chieftain of one of the wolf tribes. However her mother was a queen among the Tiger.a result she as always been an outsider in her own tribe. She holds a secret that could destroy her, she has two souls and can shift her form to both that of a wolf and a tiger.  Things begin to look up when she passes a coming of age trial and thinks she may at least win her father's approval even if she never wins his love. However she learns that Akrit his plans for her to subjugate the remaining Tiger tribes and to marry her to Broken Axe, the loner he tasked with killing her mother. Horried Maniye flees taking with her an aging snake priest who was going to be sacrificed to the Wolf. Akrit tasks Borken Axe with retrieving them. Meanwhile Asmander, a stranger from the South, journeys North seeking the famed iron wolves to prevent a civil war from spilling over.

I have been thoroughly impressed with Tchaikovsky's works since he concluded his Shadow of Apt series and he has ensured that, as good as it is, it will not define him as an author. The characterization is top notch with Maniye being a credible protagonist on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. What's more impressive is the way Tchaikovsky gives every character introduced such depth of their own without being bogged down. It truly feels like an intersection of different stories.

The world-building is an exceptional with the stone-age tribal society of the wolf described in depth and pieces of other cultures wetting the appetite without slowing the story. Pacing was also even throughout.

Overall Tchaikovsky delivers a great story defined by it's vivid characters. 9/10.

Review: The Copper Promise by Jen Williams

Frith, the crippled, last surviving son of a noble house arrives in a foreign city intent on exploring the caverns beneath a vast and ancient Citadel. Rumours say it belonged to the lost mages and that great power is there for the taking, power Frith intends to use to take back his home and get revenge on those who killed his family. To aid him he hires two mercenaries, Sir Sebastain a knight who was forced to leave his order due to his sexual orientation and Wydrin, better known as the copper cat, a sassy thief and daughter of a pirate. The two adventurers have a reason of their own for entering the citadel, one of their companions ventured in weeks before and never returned. Together the three manage to find what Frith seeks but unwittingly unleash an angry god, bent on nothing but destruction on the world.

While the three protagonists have a certain charm to them, I found all three unoriginal and  based on tired sword and sorcery tropes. Pacing was  uneven being slow and steady throughout most of the novel before rushing through a finale. World-building was adhoc and unconvincing and I couldn't help but feel that names and places were thrown together without the author having any idea of their relation in her own mind. The villains were one-dimensional and lacked any depth. While the writing was tidy enough it often felt clumsy.

Overall this novel had multiple problems and was a chore to slog through. 4.5/10.  

Review: The King's Justice by Stephen R. Donaldson

This was a collection of two novellas by Donaldson.

The Kings Justice: A stranger named Black arrives at the isolated village of Settler's Crossing tasked with investigating the brutal murder of a child. While Black is much more than he seems so is the murder. 8.25/10

The Augur's Gambit: Mayhew Gordian is a self-effacing Hieronomer who is attempting to aid the queen of an isolated island nation to avoid two fates of enslavement from an unknown power from across the ocean or a descent into barbarism after protracted civil war. What's more Mayhew is in love with the queen's daughter. 8.5/10.

My experience with previous shorter fiction by Donaldson is that he is able to effortlessly create intriguing world's in minimal words that leave the reader wanting to see more. These two pieces are no exception. Both stories were well-paced with well developed protagonists and support casts. I enjoyed the The Augur's Gambit slightly more as I found Mayhew quirky and more human that Black and for that reason I'm glad of the order the stories were printed in.

Review: The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North

Hope Arden is afflicted with a rather peculiar condition. When she was a teenager those around her gradually came to forget she existed until even her own family forgot they had a daughter. Now everyone she comes into contact with will forget her within a few minutes of being out of her company. Hope uses her peculiar condition to become a master thief. After a woman Hope has grown found of kills herself due to a mobile phone application called perfection, Hope decides to publicly embarrass it's creators, not knowing that there may be far more sinister forces in play.

The concept is similar to North's two previous novels, a protagonist who is afflicted with an unexplained condition that the majority of the population are not effected by. Hope is an interesting character and North captures the emotion of her plight beautifully. The little nuances she adopts to help herself cope are cleverly incorporated into the prose and make this a very human story. I found the support characters slightly inconsistent especially towards the end of the novel where their actions did not gel with what had gone before. Once the plot moves away from Hope's personal struggle I found the perfection angle less engaging.

Overall North once again has built a very human and engaging protagonist, less care with the support characters and plot detract slightly from what could have been a masterpiece. 8/10.

Advent Ghosts 2016: Under the Mistletoe and Tree

Matt lurched, almost falling, as he mounted a table.

His boss frowned but screw it Matt was salesperson of the year. Noticing his empty glass Matt made a beeline for the bar.

Pamela from accounts glanced at mistletoe above them.

“Not on your life Pimply Pam.” Matt scoffed.

“Mistletoe wards away evil spirits.” The bartender huffed and poured a shot of whisky.

“This is the only spirit I’m interested in.” Matt countered snatching the bottle.

“A woman scorned is nothing to scoff at either.”

Just as he found a quiet corner to enjoy his whiskey icy fingers encircled his neck.  

Carya eyed the river of stone distrustfully. All was quiet but recent experience had made her wary. Without warning one of those mechanical monstrosities could appear in a blaze of flashing lights and howling noise.

Taking a deep breath she dashed across. After all she had nothing left to lose. Her daughter was dead and she would know why.                    
Then…….she didn’t know.

The increasingly faint pulse of her daughter’s heart tree had led her to this strange dwelling. Steeling herself she peered inside and keened in agony. 
Why had they desecrated her daughter’s body in garish colours and twinkling lights?   

Review:Treachery's Tools by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Alastar has settled well into role as Maitre of Colleguim. However the promise of a poor grain harvest exacerbates already existing problems between the Upper Class High Holders and the increasingly powerful merchant class. Alastar attempts to assist Solidar's barley competent rex to navigate through these problems but when someone begins assassinating students of the Colleguim he realizes a bigger game is afoot.

I found Alastar to be an engaging protagonist and thought his own struggles with a mid-life crisis added a very human element to him. The supporting cast are well-developed and the plot interesting and well-paced. World-building was subtly and effectively incorporated and I felt up to speed throughout despite never having read a Modesitt Jr book before and coming in mid-series.

Overall engaging characters and unobtrusive yet effective world-building make for a solid read. 8.25/10.  

Review: The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings

Athalus is a talented bronze-age who has gone through an extended spell of bad luck. In desperation he accepts  a job from Ghend, a shady-figure who wants Athalus to steal a book from a house at the edge of the world. Athalus finds himself trapped in the house and is befriended by a talking cat who is more than she seems. Soon Athalus realizes he is caught up in clash between the gods themselves with the fate of the world at stake.

The main characters all have that certain charm (aside from the villains who are one-dimensional) that all Eddings' characters share, though as usual I find the shared sense of humour is a bit hard to accept. Pacing is a real struggle with lots of repetition of events whenever a new character is introduced. This leads into another issue of too much telling rather than showing the reader. The biggest issue was a lack of tension throughout the novel as the villains are so incompetent it is impossible to believe they could actually succeed.

Overall this novel suffers from some major pacing and character issues which made it a slog to get through it. 5/10.