I’ve got to give thanks and a shout-out to Casey for stepping in for me last week while I dealt with some fothermucking health issues last week, oy. The good news is none of it was ‘rona-related; the bad news is it was still quite awful and severe; and the good news AGAIN is that I’m over it thanks to some good medicine. You know what else is good medicine? Your favorite internet recap, a balm for that burning you feel for the latest and greatest in sci fi, fantasy, and horror. Let’s get started with the Weekly Roundup!
Monday
To shake things up and keep you on your toes, we’ve swapped out the Monday MFT for another one of our fabulous guest columns, You’re My Inspiration! Our special guest is Matt Betts, and we’re excited to have him talk Edgar Rice Burroughs and all the other goodies that went into his upcoming release, Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds. We’re talking space operas filled with the power of dark and light; one ring to rule them all; a cult classic that’s an acquired taste; the natural world; and the magic of blenders… wait, what? What does that mean? Only one way to be sure — read on!
Tuesday
Calie continues mapping the uncharted worlds of fantasy and science fiction, this time adding a fiery lady who sets the genre as we know it ablaze: Margaret Cavendish, aka “Mad Madge.” Join us as we explore The Blazing World, one of the earliest “true” SF novels that predates Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by 150 years, in another exciting edition of Changing the Map!
Wednesday
Kendra covers a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist: Jacque Stevens‘s YA fantasy Cry Wolf, which takes the beloved fairy tale and adds in werewolves, the French Revolution, and a dash of paranormal thrills that makes this reimagining unique…or does it? Read Kendra’s verdict here!
Thursday
Michelle reviews Grady Hendrix‘s The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, which released April 7 from Quirk Books! Focused around a group of Charleston women who share a book club and a love for true crime, our heroine Patricia seeks solace with this group, all the while harboring a sneaking suspicion that the neighbor’s handsome nephew is more than what he seems. Does this fresh release sound worth sinking your teeth into? Michelle has the details here.
Friday
We’ve got another awesome group of guests for you this week, with our new column, Fiction Friday. This week’s excerpt comes to you from Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed, authors of the steampunk fairy tale fantasy Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn, which released earlier this month! “Come, Best Beloved, and sit you by my feet. I shall tell you a tale such as sister Scheherazade could have scarce imagined…” Get a glimpse of this wondrous story here!
Also for Friday, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: our April Book Club Discussion of Paul Krueger‘s Steel Crow Saga, led by Nancy! Join us in our conversation about a world where magical animals fight in arena battles alongside their masters in a book Fonda Lee describes as “Pokémon combined with Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Intrigued by that memorable blurb? We sure are! Stop on by and tell us how you feel about this unique fantasy!
Book Club
Again, there’s still time to join the April Book Club Discussion here…and you can also get started on the forthcoming reads in our Book Club. Here’s what’s on the horizon:
- May — The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso, hosted by Lane Robins
- June — Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber, hosted by Kelly McCarty
If you want to know more about the book choices above, read here and here, and we’ll look forward to seeing you at our next discussions!
If I had to choose an animal to fight on my behalf in an arena, I think I’d go for a bear for the sheer power and fear factor of it…and if I wanted to go for something sleek, sly, and cute, I’d choose a fox. Who would be your fighting partner in the ring, and why? Have fun answering in the comments, and we’ll see you next week for another recap of Speculative Chic!
Photoblend by Kristina Elyse Butke from original photographs by Zdeněk Macháček via Unsplash.
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