This week I’ve been rekindling my love for Science Fiction and Fantasy and queing up my books for Halloween Bingo. I fininshed six books and bought five more (no wonder my TBR pile never get’s smaller). I’ ve already read my first Halloween Bingo book (reading started on Friday but the first Call is on Monday).

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This week, I read three novellas and three novels. I had two five-star reads and one four star read. Two of the novellas disappiointed me. One disappointed me so much that I set it aside..

Kobolds are supposed to run away—it’s what they’re best at. But Jack? Born with a club foot, he’s had to adapt. Resilient and clever, he clawed his way to respectability as majordomo of a premiere subterranean estate. He even found a father figure in the famed necromancer who owns the place.
Life was perfect… until a superband of overpowered do-gooders arrived bent on burglary and murder. These mercilessly righteous warriors of light cannot be beaten, or at least that’s how it looks on paper.
Jack must choose between survival and the people he loves… unless he can somehow defy the stats and find an unconventional solution.

Tim Carter’s fantasy novella, ‘Majordomo’ (2024) made me smile. Not because it was cosy or even comic but because I’d always suspected the heroes and paladins of the light were violent narcissists rather than righteous warriors, and it was nice to see someone take them on. 

My review is HERE

Moscow has resurrected the mammoth, but someone must teach them how to be mammoths, or they are doomed to die out, again.
The late Dr. Damira Khismatullina, the world’s foremost expert in elephant behavior, is called in to help. While she was murdered a year ago, her digitized consciousness is uploaded into the brain of a mammoth.
Can she help the magnificent creatures fend off poachers long enough for their species to take hold?
And will she ever discover the real reason they were brought back?

I had high hopes for ‘The Tusks Of Extinction’ (2024) because It won the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novella.

It didn’t work for me. I didn’t find the storytelling engaging. It felt flat to me, despite the emotionally-charged content of the story.  The messaging was too heavy-handed, and the prose was too dull. I set it aside at 25%.

My review is HERE

Benedict Sorellin-Lancaster hasn’t even broken in his lieutenant’s insignia when he’s summoned to meet with the Spirearch of Spire Albion himself for a very special—and very secret—purpose. The Spirearch needs Benedict to retrieve a bag he’s “misplaced” on the Colony Spire known as Dependence, which has strangely cut off all contact with the outside world. It’s a delicate mission at best, a potential bloodbath at worst.

To this end, the Spirearch has supplied Benedict with backup in the form of three Warriorborn. But unlike the courageous lieutenant, this trio has formerly used its special gifts for crime, carnage, and outright bloody murder. And all of them were caught and imprisoned because of Benedict. Now, if they behave—and make it back alive—they’ll go free.

But when the odd squad reaches Dependence, they soon discover something waiting for them: a horrific weapon that could shatter the balance of power among the Spires. And Benedict will have to bring his own Warriorborn skills to bear if he, his team, and Spire Albion are to have any hope of survival . . .

‘Warriorborn’ was my first 2025 Halloween Bingo read. It was a perfect fit for the Marauding Corsairs square:

Sadly, it disappiinted me. As I’d hoped, it was an against the odds adventure with, flying ships, talking cats and treasure to retrieve. As a bonus, there were scary man-eating worms and a dragon to contend with.

It was almost fun but not quite. I thought the narrator was flat and a little out of step with the rhythm of the language. The language itself was so clunky it distracted me from the story, Butcher seemed to be reaching for a sort Restoration Comedy style of speech, which might have worked except he let it spill over into descriptions of the action scenes. The novella wasn’t exactly a cliff-hanger but it ended without me finding out what any of it was for. I found that frustractng.

Still, the talking cats were fun.

In an opulent mansion at the borders of the Empire, an Imperial officer lies dead – killed when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even here, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.
Called in to solve the crime is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricity. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory.
Soon, the mystery leads to a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself. For Ana, all this makes for a deliciously thorny puzzle – at last, something to truly hold her attention. And Din? He’ll just have to hold on for the ride.

‘The Tainted Cup‘ was wonderful in so many ways. It absolutely deserved to win the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novel. It has a thoroughly conceived fantasy world, a complex, engaging murder mystery that mutates into intrigue and conspiracy, and fascinating central characters who develop as the book unfolds. I’ve already bought the second book, ‘A Drop of Corruption’ (2025)

My review is HERE

Far off the edge of human existence, beside a dying star lies a nameless ship abandoned and hidden, lost for a millennium. But there are secrets there, terrible secrets that would change the fate of humanity, and eventually someone will come looking.
Refugee, criminal and linguist Sean Wren is made an offer he knows he can’t refuse: life in prison, “voluntary” military service – or salvaging data in a long-dead language from an abandoned ship filled with traps and monsters, just days before it’s destroyed in a supernova. Data connected to the Philosopher’s Stone experiments, into unlocking the secrets of immortality.
And he’s not the only one looking for the derelict ship. The Ministers, mysterious undying aliens that have ruled over humanity for centuries, want the data – as does The Republic, humanity’s last free government. And time is running out.
In the bowels of the derelict ship, surrounded by horrors and dead men, Sean slowly uncovers the truth of what happened on the ship, in its final days… and the terrible secret it’s hiding.

‘The Immortality Thief‘ was an impressive debut novel that had me signing up for the rest of this space opera series. The visuals were strong. The scope of the imagination was impressive. There were interesting ideas about language and about trust. The pages were packed with action, spiced by the main character’s reflections on his memories. The pacing was off a little in the middle as the main characters fought their way across the huge, decaying spaceship. There were so many violent encounters, and they were so similar that I began to feel like I was trapped in a video game where I couldn’t level up. The final quarter of the book more than made up for any frustration. The ending was unexpected but pleasing. 

Hampstead County Police Department is embroiled in scandal after corruption at the top of the force was exposed. Cleared of involvement and returned to active duty, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray nonetheless finds herself at a crossroads when it becomes clear not everyone believes she’s innocent.
Corruption
Partnered with rookie Billy Drocker, Casey works a shocking daytime double-homicide in downtown Rockport with the two victims seemingly unknown to one another. And when a third victim is gunned down on her doorstep shortly after, it appears an abusive ex-boyfriend holds the key to the killings.
Murder
With powerful figures demanding answers, Casey and Billy search for the suspect, fearing he’s on a murderous rampage. But when a key witness goes missing, and new evidence just won’t fit, the case begins to unravel.
Danger
With her career in jeopardy, Casey makes a shattering discovery that threatens to expose the true darkness at the heart of the murders… with a killer still on the loose…

I’m really enjoying the Detective Casey Wray crime series. ‘Shattered Creak‘(2025) carried straight on from the events in ‘Black Reed Bay‘ (2021).

Like the first book, it has a propulsive plot, full of secrets, betrayals and threats for Casey Wray navigate to find out what is going on. I found the prose engaging without ever drawing attention to iteslf. The pacing kept me wanting to read one more chapter and the ending made me hope I won’t have to wait three years for the next book.

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I’ve bought five books this week. Three are books that continue with series or authors I’m already following. One caught my attention because it looks fun. One was a book I’d been thinking about and finally decided to buy because it’s a fit for a Halloween Bingo square.

An impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air – abducted from his quarters in a building whose entrances and exits are all sealed.
The brilliant and mercurial investigator, Ana Dolabra, and her assistant Dinios Kol have been called in to crack the case.
Before long, Ana discovers that they’re actually investigating a murder. Worse, the adversary seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.
Ana’s solved impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and the investigators seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, has Ana finally met an enemy she can’t defeat?

I was so impressed by ‘The Tainted Cup‘ this week that, when I learned the second bookin the series was published in April 2025, I HAD to buy a copy. Now, all I have to do is find the time to read it.

18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness. Rachel is gone, presumed dead.
The case is dragged up from the past when the Price family agree to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. But then Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again

‘True Crime’ is one of my Halloween Bingo Card squares this year. I really dislike true crime, even as an idea, so I’ve been looking for a book that fits the square but takes a different angle. I think ‘The Reappearance of Rachel Price’ should work well. I came across after reading Holly Jackson’s latest novel ‘Not Quite Dead Yet’.

Bridget isn’t the adventurous type. But somehow she finds herself attending a memorial for her oldest friend, dressed in the bright woolly jumper he once knitted her – at his request. To her dismay, she’s not the only one. There’s glamorous Gloria and quiet Derek too, each wearing their own knitwear gifts.
The three former colleagues haven’t been in the same room for years, something Bridget has been perfectly happy with. But when they’re asked to grant their friend’s final wish – to scatter his ashes in the Shetland Islands – Bridget finds herself swept into an adventure she never planned.
Crammed into a battered minivan, armed with far too much yarn and not nearly enough patience, the unlikely trio head north. As the ferry pulls away and storm clouds gather, Bridget begins to wonder if this whole idea was a mistake. But sometimes, the most unexpected journeys can lead to the best discoveries – about friendship, forgiveness, and how it’s never too late to start a new chapter…

What can I tell you? I’m old. I’m interestetef in books about people who are also old but who aren’t being to gloomy about it. I’m hoping this one will make me laugh.

Having escaped the dangers of the Nameless with the Philosopher Stone data, Sean thought his troubles were over. Until he gets a call for help from his sister Brigid—his long-dead sister.

Brigid is sparse on the details, but she needs Sean to go to the Republican city of Illin to retrieve something called a “Purifier” for her. Reeling from the desperate hope that his sister is alive, Sean aims for Illin, dragging his new companions, Tamara, formerly a Republican soldier, and Indigo, the Minister responsible for the destruction of Sean’s home, into the fray.

But as usual, Sean hasn’t quite thought this through. The three of them are all wanted by Republican authorities, and Illin happens to be on the same planet as Sean’s old friend Senator Ketel. Y’know, the one who blackmailed and nearly murdered Sean. With every move Sean makes he discovers more intrigue, more people on his tail, and more ways that his little adventure could be the spark for war between the Republic and the Ministers. And to what end? Is it really his sister, a chance for family, and safety, on the other side?

I bought this as soon as I finished ‘The Immortality Thief’. I’m curious about what Taran Hunt wil do with her unconventional band of three now that they’re not being chased across a decayin ship that’s about to consumed by a Supernova.

In a realm ruled by idiots, their only hope is the Fool.

You’d think an army of zombie trolls and undead ogres would catch the nobility’s attention. You’d be wrong. The rulers of Halfsock are deeply in denial. Besides, they have taxes to avoid, neighbors to plunder, and relatives to backstab.

With war looming, a goblin latrine slave named Shelly resolves to save Castle Halfsock from itself. He must take on many roles… jester, detective, spy, and political fixer. But his most challenging role—especially after a lifetime spent cleaning other people’s toilets—is as a confident secret agent worthy of trust, friendship, and maybe even love.

Can the least powerful person in the realm overcome his insecurities to depose rulers, forge alliances, and fend off an undead horde?

I bought this because I enjoyed the mixture of humour and truth in Tim Carter’s novella, ‘Majordomo’ this week. Also, it seems to me that right now we need stories about how to save a realm ruled by idiots.

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Next week is the first of eight weeks when my reading will be driven by the squares on myBingo card. No squests have yet been called so it doesn’t matter where I start. Previously, I’ve started with the corner squares, as if I was doing a jigsaw. This year, I’m making a change and reading the middle horizontal row first. That means that I’ll be reading two Canadian Crime Novels and a slightly unusual werewolf novel.

Andy Boychuk is a successful Saskatchewan politician – until one sweltering August afternoon when the party faithful gather at a picnic. All of the key people in Boychuk’s life – family, friends, enemies – are there. Boychuk steps up to the podium to make a speech, takes a sip of water, and drops dead. 

Joanne Kilbourn, in her début as Canada’s leading amateur sleuth, is soon on the case, delving into Boychuk’s history. What she finds are a Bible college that’s too good to be true, a woman with a horrifying and secret past, and a murderer who’s about to strike again.

‘Deadly Appearances‘ (1990) is the first book in a twenty-one book series featuring Joanne Kilbourne. a widowed mother, political analyst and university professor who finds herself occasionally involved in criminal investigations in various parts of Saskatchewan. I’ve never been to Saskatchewan. I had to look it up to know where it was on a map. I’m looking forward to what may now feel like a period piece in a bygone Canada.

Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef is making her way towards retirement after keeping the peace in the sleepy town of Port Dundas for many years. But when a local woman is found murdered – her mouth gruesomely shaped into a silent cry – Hazel and her department are faced with their biggest case yet. 

They soon discover that this is not the first time a body has been found in this way, and it is unlikely to be the last.

I didn’t actually choose this book for Halloween Bingo. It’s a library book that I haven’t had a chance to read yet. As it fits the Halloween Bingo genres, I’m using it for the Raven free choice square.

‘The Calling’ is another Canadian crime novel It’s also the first book in a series. This time the series features Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef and is four books long. I’m intrigued by the fact that Micallef is coasting towards retirement at the start of the first book.

One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a violent, bloody encounter with the boy’s father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives.

As they attempt to evade the boy’s increasingly desperate father, horrifying incidents of butchery follow them. At first Jess thinks she understands what they’re up against, but she’s about to learn there’s more to these surreal and grisly events than she could’ve ever imagined.

And that when the wolf finally comes home, none will be spared.

I’ve read a lot of good things about Nat Cassidy from horror fans but this will be the first of his books that I’ve read. I’m hoping for something that twists the werewolf tropes into an interesting shape.

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For the next eight weeks, I’ll be tracking my progress in reading a book for each square on this Halloween Bingo Card,

I’m excited to be starting with one square read but not called, It’s a shame the that book was a little disappointing.