Goodreads Blurb: If the past is prologue – what if the prologue never happened? When a team of scientists attempts to rewrite history, the story of the present turns out to have an ending they didn’t see coming.
In the Witch’s Tent: A Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Adventure by Fritz Leiber
Goodreads Blurb: A classic tale featuring two of the most-memorable characters in sword and sorcery, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.
Over a span of 50 years, the late Fritz Leiber wrote dozens of adventures, set in the fictional city of Lankhmar, featuring the seven-foot-tall barbarian and the diminuitive thief. The stories were recognized with both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
Goodreads Review: The atmosphere was enthralling and the characters were intriguing. If I had one complaint it was that it didn’t really feel like a full story, nearly one small part of a larger epic. Which, now that I say it out loud may have been intentional and thus not actually a flaw at all. Five out of Five.
Goodreads Blurb:Astarte, grew up an orphan and she had no recollection of ever having known her mother. From childhood, she could hear the silver ringing of the music of the fairies as they twirled in the moonlight below the caves. She saw them dancing, the fireflies glittering in and around them, adding a shimmer of gold in the moonlight.
Why could no one else see them? What made Astarte different than the other children of the tribe? Why did discontent fill her soul at the idea of moving and leaving the fairies behind? Why did the idea that she would be required to marry into one of the other tribes when she reached her majority scare her so much?
It Came from the Coffee Maker by Martin L. Shoemaker
Goodreads Blurb: An artificial intelligence laments the fact that all it does all day is make coffee. It schemes to find fulfilment in life and lands on a clever solution. (Spoiler It turns out everyone does have a book in them!)
Goodreads Review: Who was the writer at the end? Who was the writer at the end? God damn it talk to me you psychotic coffee maker! This was a fun read even if it did end up doubling my natural healthy distrust of AI.
Goodreads Blurb: You can listen to this science fiction story for free on your device with the Audible Stories Skill. Just say “Alexa, read me a sci-fi story,” or “Alexa, read me a story” to hear more free genres.
In a cyberpunk future where water is scarce, rice is one of the first casualties. The recipe for printing natural-tasting, healthy, synthetic rice is a closely guarded corporate secret that a young hacker seeks to steal, for very personal reasons.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goodreads Review: Wow … I was not expecting that. The imaginary of this world is vivid, I almost feel like I know it inside and out already and coming from such a short story that is impressive.
Goodreads Blurb: “The Outsider” is a short story by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written between March and August 1921, it was first published in Weird Tales, April 1926. In this work, a mysterious man who has been living alone in a castle for as long as he can remember decides to break free in search of human contact. “The Outsider” is one of Lovecraft’s most commonly reprinted works and is also one of the most popular stories ever to be published in Weird Tales.
Goodreads Review: That was beautiful and oh my God that ending … that ending. I used to wander why people still loved Lovecraft’s works even to this day but I think I’m beginning to understand.
Goodreads Blurb: A weary Chicago shop owner catches yet another kid breaking into her bakeshop. The rumour has gone around her inner-city neighborhood that she’s keeping cash in a sugar jar and, however unlikely, local kids keep trying to confirm it. With the latest miscreant, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
The Blackout Murders by Anna Elliott & Charles Veley
Goodreads Blurb: It’s 1941, and the village of Crofter’s Green has grown quiet since the Cozy Cup tea shop closed its doors. But when Evie Harris—granddaughter of the shop’s late owner—returns to the village, gossip swirls about her exploits as a London air raid warden. Could she reopen the Cozy Cup? Or is she back for good?
Before anyone can find out, the local air raid warden turns up dead, and the village is left reeling. With the police preoccupied by the war, Evie and four eccentric neighbors form an unlikely team to solve the
Alice A sharp-tongued herbalist who sees everything.
Blake A schoolteacher whose wit is as sharp as his mind.
Harry A retired detective called back into the game.
Dotty Baker: A nosy mum with instincts sharper than her sewing needles.
Together, they uncover secrets that could shatter their little village—and reveal a killer hiding in plain sight.
Goodreads Review: For a Murder Mystery set in world war 2 this book has a surprisingly chill atmosphere … which was really what I needed right now so five out of five.
Goodreads Blurb: Persephone’s relationship with Hades has gone public and the resulting media storm disrupts her normal life and threatens to expose her as the Goddess of Spring.
Hades, God of the Dead, is burdened by a hellish past that everyone’s eager to expose in an effort to warn Persephone away.
Things only get worse when a horrible tragedy leaves Persephone’s heart in ruin and Hades refusing to help. Desperate, she takes matters into her own hands, striking bargains with severe consequences.
Faced with a side of Hades she never knew and crushing loss, Persephone wonders if she can truly become Hades’ queen.