This week Steve reviews a series that he spoke about ten years ago; the author recently died, and Steve has taken another look at the series. He thinks you might find it interesting. (You may thank him or curse him depending on how the books hit you.)
Author: Terry Pratchett Series: Discworld #30 Narrator: Stephen Briggs Duration: 7 hr 10 min Format: Audio Disks Publisher: Clarion Books Published: 12/14/2004 Print Published: 2003 The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett is a […]
A heart attack, life and all its craziness, and the loss of a close friend certainly threw a wrench (or multiple wrenches) into author Ryk E. Spoor’s life, but it didn’t stop him from writing […]
OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion. Lost Lives – by Noah Chinn Publisher: Noah Chinn Books, 2025. Cover Art – by ©Wicked Good Book Covers. Premise: This is the 3rd book […]
The word “sonder” refers to the realization that every other person is living their own, whole life outside of what you see. For author Ren Hutchings, she has experienced this with side characters in media, […]
We have to talk about Robert Bloch in the column. The list of Science Fiction writers who have enough short story output that they could call Philip K. Dick lazy. Robert Bloch was one of […]
A Royal Pain, by Rhys Bowen a review by Rich Horton I came across this book in an antique store near Rolla, MO, a few weeks ago. It looked like a book my daughter might […]
Sometimes, great ideas can stem from just a single word. Author Kalla Harris talks about her single-word-inspiration in the Big Idea for her debut YA novel, The Ground That Devours Us. Follow along as she […]
Another Resurrected Review, this one of Michael Swanwick’s 2002 novel Bones of the Earth, which, it seems to me, isn’t remembered as well as it ought to be. Resurrected Review: Bones of the Earth, by Michael […]
The word “sonder” refers to the realization that every other person is living their own, whole life outside of what you see. For author Ren Hutchings, she has experienced this with side characters in media, […]
Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Publication date : November 18, 2025 Language : English Print length : 592 pages ISBN-10 : […]
That’s the only Big Idea that comes to mind as I watch my grandma gasping in her sleep. What’s the point of writing an essay to promote a book full of stories barely anyone will […]
Greek mythology is a mythos that is full of despair, anguish, and characters that can’t seem to a catch a break. Author Seamus Sullivan brings us some of these familiar ancient characters in his debut […]
Resurrected Review: The Blood of a Dragon, by Lawrence Watt-Evans by Rich Horton Lawrence Watt-Evans’s Ethshar novels are uniformly enjoyable commonsensical light fantasy, somewhat in the mode of L. Sprague De Camp, set in a […]
You don’t have to fully understand something to enjoy or get value out of it. New York Times bestselling author William Alexander expands this idea to life itself in the Big Idea for his newest […]
Here’s something I wrote back in 2006 about the concluding novel in John Barnes’ Thousand Cultures series. Barnes’ work has never, it seems to me, got quite the attention it deserves — he’s a fascinating […]
Review: Victims of the Nova, by John Brunner (1962, 1963, 1965, revised 1969, 1974, 1981, omnibus edition 1989) by Rich Horton Early John Brunner novels, I have learned, are a wonderful source of thoroughly compentent […]
OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion. ON SPEC MAGAZINE issue #133, Vol. 35 No. 3. Publisher: The Copper Pig Writer’s Society. Managing Editor and Art Director: Diane L. Walton. Issue Designer: […]
All is fair in love and war. But what if instead of a bloody battle, wars were games to be played? Author T. A. Chan brings us a near future world in which violent wars […]
Review: The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas (with Auguste Maquet) by Rich Horton The Three Musketeers is Alexandre Dumas’s most famous novel, and for many readers it is their favorite. I read it over 50 […]
Publisher: Storytide Publication date: September 16, 2025 Language: English Print length: 400 pages ISBN-10: […]
Thoughts on Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations by Rich Horton What to say about Great Expectations, one of the most famous English novels of all time? I don’t really have an awful lot to add to […]
I wrote the review below back in 2004. I should add some detail — Matthew Hughes (born in England but in Canada from age 5) has continued to write a variety of stories in roughly […]
Review: The Blighted Stars, by Megan O’Keefe by Rich Horton My latest read for the book club I’m a member of was Megan O’Keefe’s 2023 novel The Blighted Stars, the first in a trilogy (collectively […]
OBIR: Occasional Biased and Ignorant Reviews reflecting this reader’s opinion. I had intended to review the penultimate edition of On Spec Magazine, but I now know which poetry submissions were accepted by Rhea and I, […]
It’s never too late to tell a good story. Author Sharon Shinn has returned years later to her Twelve Houses series to bring you a fresh novel in a familiar world. Follow along in her […]
Review: Aiding and Abetting, by Muriel Spark by Rich Horton The recent publication of a biography of the great British novelist Muriel Spark, Electric Spark, by Frances Wilson, has led to some welcome attention to […]
Publisher: Roundfire Books Publication date: September 2, 2025 Language: English Print length: 320 pages ISBN-10: […]
Print length : 130 pages ISBN-13 : 979-8267772990 Item Weight : 14.1 ounces Dimensions : 8.5 x 0.31 x 11 inches 6 Out of 5 Stars I LOVE Science Fiction Art […]
Here are some links to recent posts on my Substack: A look at a 1956 issue of Fantastic. Not a great issue, but it does have four stories by a very young Robert Silverberg. https://open.substack.com/pub/richhorton314252/p/the-bad-old-stuff?r=arrxg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true […]
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