Wordsmith's Anvil

Image credit: Disney Making my way through The High Republic books has been an amazing side quest in recent months. Not only is it really cool to be reading Star Wars novels again, but the fact that they're canon makes it all the more satisfying. The stories are well-crafted, thought provoking, and provide substance that is truly lacking in anything Star Wars has released in film format since Rogue One . My main query as I began this venture was whether or not the Young Adult novels would be able to hold a candle to the nitty-gritty displayed in the likes of Convergence or Cataclysm .     The two books in question today are the novels Path of Deceit and Path of Vengeance. While these books are written by different authors, Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland for Deceit and Cavan Scott for Vengeance , most of the characters are the same.     Path of Deceit has us following Jedi Knight Zallah Macri and her Padawan Kevmo Zink. This pair has been tasked with pathfinder-t...

Image credit: Penguin Publishing Group Celts, Pagan magick, warriors defending their homeland. What's not to like?     At first glance, Ravens of Avalon sounds like something that would be right up my alley. I have always had a fascination with the history behind Boudica. Hell, I've even thought of writing my own historical novel surrounding the warrior queen. Ancient Britons defending their land from the Roman Empire is always going to be something that sparks my fire. Call me an underdog kind of guy. I just love when people punch above their weight.     Ravens of Avalon tells the tale of Boudica from the very beginning of her life as a young adolescent through her death. For those who don't know their history too well, I will preface here by saying that there is not very much known about Boudica in general. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until some cultural renaissances hundreds upon hundreds of years after her death that she suddenly became a topic of interest. Bo...

  Image Credit: Ocean Drive Studio, Inc. Action. Check. Horror. Check. Scifi. Check. Fantasy. Well... sort of. Hell, might as well check that too.     Section 13 is a different breed of game from Ocean Drive Studio. They have definitely left a mark on me with Lost Eidolons and Veil of the Witch , and due to that I was more than willing to give this twinstick shooter a try.     This roguelite is a lot different from anything else Ocean Drive has done because of its setting and combat style, but that doesn't mean that Section 13 is anything to skip over. The company has shown their chops with medieval swordplay and tactical strategy, but you can tell that they had a lot of fun with this revamp of the Blackout Protocol title. By incorporating roguelite elements into the story,  Section 13 forces its employees to discover just how far they can push themselves when having to delve deeper and farther into the bowels of a science facility to find out exactly what...

  Image Credit: Night Shade Books As strength goes.     That's something that we hear a lot in Cook's Darkwar trilogy. From Doomstalker to Warlock, and Warlock to Ceremony, Marika's lesson from the Ponath sticks through. And it shows.     Marika is the main character and centerpiece of Cook's science-fantasy series. She is from a feline race called the Meth, and grows up in a sector of the planet that has been restricted technologically. If it sounds a bit like The Hunger Games , it is. In that respect only. The comparison stops there.     Being raised by a band of hunters who are averse to anything they don't understand, like mental powers in the form of a spirit-guided telepathy, Marika finds herself in a bit of a conundrum. Exploring these talents has the potential to save those she loves from her village, but also could result in further examination by those who are already concerned that she could be the "Doomstalker." This Doomstalker, or Jiana...