A doleful, entropic, and engrossing vision of a near-future America.
A young militiaman undergoes a life-changing ordeal after a run-in with the aging populace of a dilapidated town in this dystopian novel.
The year is somewhere beyond 2031. Warrentown is a run-down, almost deserted ex-logging town in Southwest Washington state. The only business that survives is the tavern kept by Rachel and Jimmy, ageless personifications respectively of the raven and the coyote. Rachel and Jimmy look after the remaining townsfolk. They steal medical supplies from Rainier, the larger, more prosperous neighboring town. Regular patrons of the tavern include Valerie, the kindhearted older woman who tends bar and takes in stray animals; Charlie the Poet, a meditative widower in his twilight years; Crazy Mary, a cackling schizophrenic; and Old Man and his equally old dog, Angie. Life is tough, but Warrentown clings to its sense of community—a fragile existence that is threatened when four off-duty militia soldiers from Rainier come looking for trouble. Of these, only Baylor is uncomfortable with throwing his weight around. Baylor is an unhappy young man but not without empathy. While the other militia members draw Rachel and Jimmy’s ire, Baylor is offered a chance at redemption. Stranded in a supernatural wilderness between towns, he quarrels with his fellow soldiers and sets out alone. Will he find his way back to the precious sanctuary of Warrentown? Koerber writes in the third person, past tense from multiple character viewpoints. The chapters are short, lending a sense of movement to what is essentially a mood piece. The residents of Warrentown are well drawn and sadly evocative of a future in which the most vulnerable members of society have been left to fend for themselves. Baylor is an unlikely three-dimensional protagonist. He is flawed and in many ways unlikable, yet in becoming the focus of the story, he takes readers on an unexpected journey. The author’s writing is concise and rendered with pathos, the dialogue and narrative shifting believably with each character. Though the novel overall verges on being depressing, it has personality, and the dismal future it depicts is offset by inherent human kindness. The deep magic of nature, though broken, lies waiting to be revitalized—or so readers may dream.
A doleful, entropic, and engrossing vision of a near-future America.Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1946044969
Page Count: 170
Publisher: Who Chains You Books
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling and skillfully written end to a thrilling fantasy series.
In the final book of Corland’s dark fantasy trilogy, a ragtag band works together to liberate a colony and dethrone tyrants.
A group of spies, thieves, and murderers, united by a common goal of ending the treacherous rule of King Joon of Yusan, regroup after a bloody battle claims the life of one of their own—the banished Yusanian prince, Euyn. However, there’s little time for Mikail, Aeri, Sora, and Royo to mourn. Bounty hunters and assassins are after them, in part because they now possess three of five legendary Relics of the Dragon Lord. Mikail, who’s just found out that he’s the last surviving member of a royal family, wields the Water Scepter of Wei, while Aeri, King Joon’s daughter, holds the Sands of Tim and the Golden Ring of Khitan. The remaining relics—the Flaming Sword of Gaya and the Immortal Crown—remain with King Joon, who’s desperate to have all five to wield a great deal more power. Meanwhile, the cruel Count Seok, who once indentured Sora, has usurped the throne of Yusan. The group has two goals: overthrow the king and liberate the Yusanian colony of Gaya—Mikail’s homeland—so that it can again be a thriving, independent realm. The relics are powerful tools in combat, but using them is adversely affecting Aeri and Mikail’s health. They need allies, but trusting strangers is a dangerous gamble. Corland’s final book in her Broken Blades trilogy is a relentlessly thrilling and action-packed dark fantasy featuring memorable characters, intense battle scenes, romance, and a satisfying conclusion. Alternately narrated by Aeri, Mikail, Sora, Royo, and their long-lost friend, Tiyung, readers benefit from watching the story unfold through the perspectives of each compelling, well-drawn character. The author’s passion for the fantasy genre shines through in the novel’s richly detailed worldbuilding, including vivid descriptions of landscapes and palace layouts, as well as its exploration of magic. Readers will also delight in the sardonic humor sprinkled throughout, as when Mikahil narrates, “Rune thinks he fathered Seok’s son. Truly, the nobility of Yusan has too much time on their hands.”
A compelling and skillfully written end to a thrilling fantasy series.Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781649379153
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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