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If you're a fan of speculative fiction and you haven't been living under the proverbial rock for the past twenty years or so, you've probably at least heard of John Langan, especially since his novel "The Fisherman" earned him a Bram Stoker Award back in 2017. Personally, he got onto my radar as a result of his shorter works, which have appeared in anthologies and magazines I've been somewhat familiar with over the years but to be honest, I couldn't have told you with certainty whether or not I'd read one of his stories prior to reading this collection because, while I'd recalled seeing his name go by over the years, I'd never made a firm connection between it and any particular tale. That sort of thing tends to happen when I consume a slew of anthologies or magazine issues featuring a lot of different authors in rapid succession, such that I develop a vague awareness of them that only comes into focus if I circle back and more thoroughly explore one and their bibliography at a later date.

This was the case for me with Langan, where I felt fairly confident that I'd read "something" by him at some point and been impressed enough for his name to stick but had yet to pursue the lead further. Fast-forward to 2023 when I briefly met him at StokerCon and thought, "He seems like a nice fellow. I should probably bump him up on the old TBR pile." So, after a bit of research, and the obligatory amount of time that often passes between the intent to read something manifesting and actually doing it, I settled on this anthology.

By the way, if you're finding this review too long and expansive, this may not be the right book for you. You see, I've decided to borrow a mechanism or two from Mr. Langan's bag of tricks to give you an inkling of what you're in for if you decide to experience "The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies" for yourself. Apologies to all concerned for any inadequacies in that attempt but in fairness, it must not have been completely ineffective because, well, you're still reading it.

In any case, I believe this book would be a great place to start for anyone interested in exploring Langan's works. It has a nice mix of short and long tales that often employ some genuinely novel and clever techniques, not only for the purpose of turning popular speculative-fiction tropes on their heads but for the sake of presenting narratives in unorthodox, charming, or thought-provoking ways one might hope to experience when signing up for a course in English literature. Moreover, the collection is book-ended by an excellent introduction, which perfectly sets the mood as well as reader expectations, and some thorough but not excessive author's notes that provide welcome and insightful context to the experience while winding things down.

I found all the included stories to be at the very least interesting and compelling, with several standouts such as "How the Day Runs Down," "Technicolor," and "The Wide, Carnivorous Sky," as well as "The Shallows," which it turns out was the story I'd read previously and enjoyed even more the second time.

Admittedly, I didn't completely love every word I read, and indeed found myself scratching my head a few times, not because I didn't "get it" but because certain elements didn't completely work for me for a variety of reasons. Still, those quibbles aside, my ultimate takeaway is that John Langan is indeed a hell of a storyteller, and one whose efforts would likely successfully resonate in the vast majority of cases with any lover of the written word, and speculative-horror fans in particular.

My feelings on this book are a little complex. There are lots of things I like about it, and a few that I don't. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to talk about those things in any detail without delving into some fairly significant spoilers. In an amusing (to me) touch of irony, the potential peril of revealing future events is a recurring theme throughout the story, so I feel well prepared to handle the task. Hence, I'm going to stick to a somewhat basic assessment of"Kenai" but don't take that to mean that the book is shallow or unworthy of a more thorough analysis. I just believe potential readers would be better served by me keeping things simple here.

What worked for me: Jess is a fun and interesting character. The initial setup of what she's doing on Kenai and the mystery of it that she becomes more aware of as the story progresses is a good hook that kept me engaged and eager to continue the read. The action and science elements of the book are generally well done and feel at least plausible for the most part, though a few are a bit of a stretch or rough around the edges. Most importantly, I found the overall experience and its conclusion satisfying, and feel reasonably confident that most speculative-fiction readers will enjoy it as well.

What didn't: For me, the book is a tad long given the scope of the story. It's not excessive and I don't believe anything should have been cut from it outright, but I think the flow suffers a little from some instances of repetition and various elements not being as refined and streamlined as I would have preferred. The writing is generally very proficient and confident but there were times when I felt it to be a little awkward, cumbersome, or vague in ways that occasionally took me out of the experience. Fortunately, these were brief and infrequent but I did find them noteworthy. Finally, a bit of a spoiler: The time travel and manipulation elements, while ultimately interesting and essential to the narrative, just aren't the sorts of things I tend to enjoy as "fiddling with time" is easily one of the most overdone "tropes" of science fiction in my estimation. Still, all of that is done relatively well in "Kenai," so I give the author full credit for doing something worthwhile with the concepts.

Overall, I had a good time with "Kenai" and can absolutely see how it managed to take the top spot in the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition in 2024. There's plenty to praise and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any fan of speculative fiction despite it not being a slam dunk in my case.

Long horror novels are always a risky proposition for me as I feel they often struggle to justify their length, taking a relatively simple premise or setup and dragging it out in ways that I tend to find excessive. I do, however, enjoy sinking my teeth into such tales when the time and effort put into experiencing them pays off in a meaningful or satisfying way.

"A Bleak Remedy" hit the spot for me with its unique combination of thoroughly fleshed-out elements. More than just a simple or traditional vampire tale, it explores the concept of such creatures being studied in a scientific setting, ostensibly for the purposes of medical research, and many of the facets that would be involved in such an endeavor.

There are a lot of characters, a lot of interweaving plot lines, and a lot of tantalizing questions that are asked and answered to varying degrees throughout the book's duration, which go a long way toward keeping things compelling and engaging, and staving off the fatigue that its length might have otherwise elicited. That said, there were a few things I didn't love, or even outright disliked, about the read but they were more a matter of conflicts with my personal tastes and preferences than with any objective deficiencies in the story or its execution. At the end of the day, even when things occasionally happened that I wasn't particularly fond of, they always felt at the very least interesting, well-earned, or contextually relevant.

It is worth noting that, despite its length and a reasonably satisfying conclusion, "A Bleak Remedy" does leave a lot of loose ends and unresolved plot threads that are apparently addressed in its equally-substantial sequel, "A Multitude of Menaces," so those looking for a "one and done" sort of experience with a strong sense of closure may want to look elsewhere. Personally, I feel the book could stand on its own for readers who enjoy open-ended conclusions but I think this is a case where a heads-up might be helpful in terms of setting expectations. Along those lines, it probably goes without saying but, as a tale primarily focused on vampires of various sorts, there is a lot of blood and gore, so those not into, or at least okay with, that sort of thing need not apply.

Bottom line: If you're looking for a dense, thorough, and unique speculative-fiction novel that confidently carries its extensive intricacies and narrative ambitions, "A Bleak Remedy" is one I'd highly recommend.

I'm generally not a fan of time-travel stories. In my view, it's one of the more overused and poorly-executed speculative-fiction concepts out there and even when done very well, there are only so many possible outcomes once it's employed in a narrative, so such stories ultimately end up feeling at least a bit samey to me. That said, I do appreciate the classics of the sub-genre, and sincere attempts to do something new and interesting with it. Thus, "One Day All This Will Be Yours" is one of the better stabs at such a thing I've experienced in a while, so I give it full marks for effort. It absolutely helps that it's a fairly short tale, which doesn't waste a lot of time, pun intended, getting to the details of its own unique premise and plot elements. It's also a "fun" story, with a fair amount of effective humor of various sorts that goes a long way toward making everything feel more cozy and engaging than the outright existential nightmare-fuel the experience would otherwise be. Unsurprisingly, the story ends up going in exactly one of the handful of ways it had to based on the setup but I still found the ride enjoyable and worthwhile, which is perhaps the best compliment I can pay it given my aforementioned bias against such tales. Yes, there are, I believe, valid "issues" a reader could certainly have with various aspects but at the end of the day, I'd say the positives significantly outweigh any negatives I could cite, so I'm inclined to just let them slide. In short, "One Day All This Will Be Yours" convincingly succeeds in my estimation because it's just as likely to work for fans of time-travel stories as for those who aren't, which is a rather impressive feat that I feel should be acknowledged and appreciated. Nicely done!

It's also worth noting that I did this one as an audiobook, read by the author, which I'd say meaningfully added to the experience as his delivery was quite good.

I'm going to keep things nice and short as this is the second book in a series and I'm keen to avoid any spoilers. For me, "Fleet of Knives" is a strong continuation of the story that began in "Embers of War," with some nice additional world building and an expansion of scope in terms of the effect the events of the story have on the universe at large. If you like your space operas big and epic in scale and stakes but still focused on a relatively small cast of characters, this one should do the trick and fans of the previous book will almost certainly find it satisfying and enjoyable. Personally, there were a few nit-picky things that mildly annoyed or took me out of the story a few times but there were plenty of highlights as well and the overall read was very solid. Bottom line: If you enjoyed "Embers of War," don't hesitate to continue the series with "Fleet of Knives." It's definitely a worthwhile read. Also, baby Druff are awesome and adorable.

A brief yet satisfying paranormal crime thriller, "Wagon Buddy" tells the story of Scott and his "one true friend," who happens to be a powerful and vengeful supernatural entity. Scott has a rough go of it through much of his life, abandoned by his father as a child, relentlessly bullied, and worse but through all of it, his "wagon buddy" comes to his aid when things are at their worst. I don't want to say much more because the overall story is fairly short and straightforward; however, there are some rules and caveats to the relationship and the nature of said entity that make things interesting. Some are stated outright while others are only alluded to or vaguely hinted at, which means that certain aspects of the narrative never quite come completely into focus. Personally, I wasn't too bothered by those, I imagine, intentional gaps as I think the questions and thoughts they provoke are some of the most unique and compelling aspects of the experience. Still, I could see how readers who crave extensive details and definitive explanations might not be as satisfied. All things considered, I enjoyed my time with "Wagon Buddy" and I think most horror fans would enjoy it, too. This was my first read by Steve Stred and I can definitely see myself checking out more of his works in the future.

Heavily researched and well crafted, this tale of a tragic and brutal event from the first world war that had fallen into relative obscurity proved to be a compelling and satisfying read. The book's synopsis does a fine job of explaining the overall premise and what's to be found within its pages, so I won't waste words restating that here. Instead, I'll note a few aspects that I found pleasantly surprising, such as the way other historical events of the period were presented to provide additional context, and the extra effort that was put into detailing the ways the lives of several of the victims of the tragedy and their families were affected beyond simply focusing on the nuts and bolts of the event and its repercussions. That said, I did occasionally find a few sections of the text somewhat wordy and redundant, restating information about certain elements in ways that felt a bit excessive and unnecessary. For me, these almost seemed more like attempts to pad out the length of the book than substantive efforts to increase its impact or thoroughness. Still, the overall effect of the writing was informative, interesting, and proficient to the point where I'd say that just about any history buff with an interest in the subject would likely find "Atrocity on the Atlantic" ultimately worthy of their time and attention.

A quick, creepy dose of paranormal fiction.

As I'm sure others will note, one of the biggest hooks of this tale lies in the author's clever use of sleep paralysis as a foundational element, blurring the line between its clinical or mundane, and inexplicable or supernatural aspects such that readers may wonder how much of what they're experiencing is "real," or simply being imagined by the characters. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on one's personal tastes and preferences but in any case, I'd say that the general quality of the writing and storytelling present in "See You Later" will likely be more than enough to satisfy most who find the premise compelling. There were a few little things here and there that I didn't love about this one but there were certainly some standout moments and overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anybody seeking a unique and compelling speculative-fiction read that can easily be finished in a day, but that might well "follow" them for much longer.

A dense and satisfying "ghost story" with a few unique and interesting wrinkles.

For me, "Apartment 239" was a very engaging and engrossing read. I especially appreciated the extra bits of character development, plot intricacy, and social commentary that the author deftly weaved throughout the tale to give it a lot of depth and heft without any of it feeling forced or heavy-handed.

There were a few very minor things I encountered throughout the read that didn't quite land for me, or required me to suspend a bit more disbelief than I would have preferred, but they were admittedly rather nit-picky and may well never be noted or pondered by other readers, so they ultimately didn't have much of an impact and left me feeling very positive about everything as a whole.

This was my first Elford Alley book and I'd say it would be a great place to start for those looking to explore his works, or anyone simply seeking a highly-effective, often humorous, and pleasantly-sophisticated horror novel.

For those of you who are already fans of Bowyer's work, this book is a slam-dunk. Stop reading this and go read it instead.

For those unfamiliar or unsure if "Metro Kinetic" might be a good fit for you, a bit of context:

When I think of Brian Bowyer's writing style, the phrase "controlled chaos" springs to mind. Brian is one of only a handful of authors I've come across who's essentially mastered the art of being able to shift tone, pace, and narrative flow on a dime in ways that would be so risky and potentially catastrophic to the reading experience if mishandled that I can't help but think of them as brave.

In my mind, the best speculative fiction asks a tantalizing question, then delivers one or more interesting, entertaining, thought-provoking, or ideally all of the above, answers to it. That's exactly what "Metro Kinetic" does, bluntly asking the reader with its harrowing opening chapter, "What if the world were so chock-full of deranged substance-abusing sociopaths that their existence and behaviors were effectively normalized? What would that look like?"

I'm admittedly being a bit hyperbolic as there are a handful of examples of "normal" characters present throughout the read but one of many things Bowyer does quite effectively and cleverly throughout it is to blur the line such that even the most seemingly-predictable of them can rarely be easily rooted for or written off completely, often making them complex and compelling regardless of which side of the societal or moral fence they end up landing on in the end.

There are so many additional things I could say about this book and so many worthwhile discussions that could be had regarding various aspects of it but I'm going to refrain from doing that as I feel most of them are better experienced and conjured by a reader, rather than described and pitched in a review. That said, I will give the standard "warning" and "heads up" I always feel compelled to provide when recommending transgressive fiction such as this to others: If you're easily offended, if you're easily triggered, upset, or disturbed by the sorts of things that typically warrant such warnings, this probably isn't the book for you. I'd also add that if you're new to Bowyer's work in particular, you may want to start with one of his short-fiction collections such as "Sinister Mix" and work your way up to "Metro Kinetic," both to get a sense of his style and his typical subject matter, and because there are at least a few references to his other works in this book that were fun to catch being familiar with them before reading it. Notably, there's a chapter in "Metro Kinetic" that's basically a retelling of one of the stories from "Sinister Mix," with a very different outcome in its new iteration. I therefore suspect there are even more references I didn't catch, not being familiar with all of his books, but I feel reasonably confident saying there's a lot on offer here in that regard based on the few I did spot.

I enjoyed this Murderbot outing, which is a direct follow-up to the events of "Network Effect" and could almost be seen as a "part two" of that book in the same way "Exit Strategy" could be seen as an extension of "Rogue Protocol." There's a lot to like here for fans of the saga and I had fun with it but for me, the story never really got going or had much punch to it. I think a big part of that is because the stakes and threats this time around sort of pale by comparison to the full-tilt madness that was basically front and center throughout the duration of "Network Effect." That's not really a problem as it makes for a more intimate, introspective, and "personal" story for Murderbot and the reader to experience together but I find myself at a point where some of the tropes of the series have started to wear a bit thin and lose their luster in a way that leaves me hoping it'll nicely wrap up and Murderbot will get to gracefully fade off into the sunset in another book or two. Bottom line: Still having a good time. Still here for whatever comes next. Just not as enthralled as I was by some of the other entries, which is absolutely fine, and admittedly a great place to be as a reader after seven books.

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. If you're a Dark Tower fan and you (like me) put off reading this one because you were worried about how it would slot in with and stack up to the original seven books, fear not. It is quite good, and in my view sits comfortably among the best entries in the series. It could almost be read as a standalone but I'd strongly advise against doing so as I believe it will have much more resonance and impact for most readers if consumed within the context of the other books that now surround it.

This was a fun addition to the Murderbot saga. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this book was written before the fifth title, "Network Effect," despite being published after it. That's not just because the events it depicts take place before the events of "Network Effect" but because the writing style to me feels more akin to that found in the first four books of the series. The main "twist" on the Murderbot formula in "Fugitive Telemetry" is that its proceedings are framed as a murder mystery, with MB effortlessly sliding into the role of a freelance sleuth in an effort to "crack the case." When viewed through that lens, it's a fairly straightforward gumshoe tale but the sci-fi and trademark Murderbot trappings help to give everything a unique and entertaining flair. For me, "Network Effect" is the standout highlight of the series to date, so it would have been tough for anything to follow that effort but "Fugitive Telemetry" definitely has its charms, one of which being that its a super quick read, which adds a lot in the way of interesting little details, further fleshing out what was already a compelling setting and cast of characters. I give it two arm-embedded energy weapons up.

As I'd hoped it would be, "Network Effect" proved a refreshing and welcome change-up to the Murderbot "formula" established in the first four books of the series. The additional pages in this novel-length effort were used to great effect, providing extra doses of world building, character development, and plot sophistication that gave me exactly what I was looking for as a fan of the saga.

Admittedly, there were a few very brief instances where things felt a little drawn out or redundant to me as characters occasionally dwelt on or rehashed recent plot points but those instances weren't plentiful or too distracting, and to me simply felt like the natural growing pains of a tale that had perhaps been stretched out and reworked a bit to make proper use of the novel format.

All things considered, I'd say "Network Effect" is an easy slam dunk "must read" for any Murderbot fan, and should serve as a nice carrot on a stick to encourage anyone struggling with any aspect of the previous books to press on if only to get the opportunity to experience the concept in its full, fleshed-out glory.

Finally, I'd highly encourage anyone considering this book to read the first four books in the series before tackling it. While I don't necessarily disagree with "Network Effect" being marketed as a standalone novel, I'd argue that it highly benefits from the context and background provided by those other reads, which will almost certainly cause certain aspects of the story to hit and resonate harder than they otherwise might.

An enjoyable follow-up, and what I'd almost label a "part two" for "Rogue Protocol," the third book in the Murderbot series.

Overall, I'd call "Exit Strategy" a fun, quick read that ties up and entertainingly refers back to a lot of elements from the first three books in the saga. It's definitely not a standalone and would likely be at least somewhat nonsensical to any reader not already familiar with the previous books, so be sure to start with those.

My only real complaint about this one is that things often get a little too "hand wavy" and almost magical in terms of Murderbot's capabilities and ability to solve problems or eliminate threats on the fly for the sake of keeping the story relentlessly and briskly moving forward. It largely works here because of the established whimsical and carefree tone of the series but this book in particular had a pretty obvious "okay, let's wrap all this up as quickly and conveniently as possible" vibe to it that made the stakes feel very low and inconsequential for the most part. Book three had a similar issue but managed to play off that in an interesting way, which wouldn't have worked a second time, so I was glad it wasn't attempted here but the effect, at least for me, was that "Exit Strategy" felt more like being on a theme park thrill ride, albeit a very fun and well-executed one, than being told a story where the outcome was at all uncertain or unexpected.

I'm looking forward to checking out the next book, "Network Effect," as it appears to be a bit meatier and take things in a somewhat different direction, which I'd definitely welcome, feeling as though the "formula" established in the first four books has served its purpose and run its course.

All that said, I'm continuing to enjoy the series and would still highly recommend it to any science fiction fan, and I'll take a satisfying if largely predictable conclusion to a story arc over a narrative being different and unpredictable just for the sake of being different and unpredictable any day.

Ultimately, I'd give "Exit Strategy" a big thumbs up and would absolutely encourage fans of the first three Murderbot books looking for some closure to give it a read.