Review: Sounds and Sweet Airs

While I mostly love to read sci-fi and fantasy, I do read other genres. As a classical musician and music teacher, I particularly like to read books about classical music and famous composers (I’d recommend Mozart’s Letters to anyone). I’ve had to teach a lot of music history due to Covid 19, and I wanted to include female composers as a regular part of my curriculum. In my research on female composers, I stumbled across Anna Beer’s Sounds and Sweet Airs, a book about “the forgotten women of classical music.” It focuses on eight female composers throughout history, telling about their lives, their struggles, and of course, their music. It’s a fascinating look at women who often achieved considerable recognition and respect within their own lifetimes, yet somehow their music was often ignored by (mostly male) musical historians after their deaths.

Cover of Sounds and Sweet Airs by Anna Beer

I loved reading this book—it was inspiring to me as a female musician who was always nervous about trying to write my own music. But in addition, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I felt like the stories of these women reflected a part of music history that I always suspected was there, but was somehow always obscured by the narrow focus on only a few (always male) composers (though shout out to my early music history professor, who taught us about Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini). Several of the composers I had never heard of before, including Marianna Martines and Elizabeth Maconchy.

It’s hard to generalize about the composers Beer describes—they are all from different time periods and backgrounds, and their music is unique. But each one managed to overcome the strictures and expectations of their gender to compose in her own voice. Each composer’s biography was well written and engaging, though I found the story of Lili Boulanger the most haunting. As I read about each composer, I also found recordings and performances of their music on Youtube. I particularly loved Fanny Hensel’s Das Jahr, Clara Schumann’s piano trio, and Francesca Caccini’s opera, La Liberazione de Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in classical music or women’s history. It’s always a pity when truly beautiful and powerful music is neglected due to silly stereotypes, and it’s a great loss if we don’t enjoy these women’s brilliant music.

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Review: Black Thorn, White Rose

One of the great things about having a nice long Christmas break is that I finally get the time to read through all the books I’ve steadily accumulated over the year. This Christmas, in part because Covid has kept us from going out or doing many parties/activities/concerts, I have read a lot of books!

One I read recently is Black Thorn, White Rose, a collection of fairytale retellings edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. I’d read a couple of other books in their collections of retellings (The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest and Black Swan, White Raven) quite a while ago, and I was interested to read more. Black Thorn, White Rose is the second book. Like other books, I didn’t love every story, but most of the stories were entertaining and fun to read, and a couple were brilliant little gems. I loved Godson by Roger Zelazney, Tattercoats by Midori Snyder, and The Black Swan by Susan Wade. Godson is a dark and clever tale with plenty of funny little twists to keep it interesting. Tattercoats is a sweet and touching story about a married woman reconnecting to her husband by exploring her dark, mysterious, and wild side. I loved that this story shows that even a happy marriage takes work, and that sometimes exploring and freeing ourselves is the best way to connect with another person. The Black Swan is something of the opposite of Tattercoats—it’s more of a haunting fable about the consequences of someone molding themselves to shape the desires of the people around them, and maybe about the subtle and heart breaking consequences of not recognizing that a true love would never want a change like that.

Cover of Black Thorn, White Rose

The only story I could not get into was The Sawing Boys by Howard Waldrop, which had maybe just too much dialect and too many characters with complicated names. I got confused and skipped over it.

I also had mixed feelings about Peter Straub’s Ashputtle. It was a very intense and horrifying story, but some of the madness and violence felt like it came out of nowhere. I could quite grasp the main character’s intense hatred of her stepmother or the child in her care, and some of the rest of the story felt too bizarre to really make sense. It did, however, have some visceral and powerful imagery.

There were also several stories I enjoyed, including Stronger Than Time, Words Like Pale Stones, Ogre, and The Brown Bear of Norway. Both Stronger Than Time and Words Like Pale Stones were haunting tales, while Ogre was a charming comedy about community theater. The Brown Bear of Norway was a strange and sweet romance about adolescence and change.

Overall, like their other collections, I’d recommend Black Thorn, White Rose to anyone who enjoys fairytales and fantasy short stories. It’s fun and quick to read, and I always love seeing a creative spin on beloved stories.

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Review: Blood Child and Other Stories by Octavia Butler

I’ve been meaning to read Octavia Butler’s books for a while now. She’s one of the great masters of science fiction, and I think it’s important for writers to read the greats of their genres. I also think it’s necessary now more than ever for everyone to read books by diverse authors, and Octavia Butler is also one of the first black women to become famous for writing science fiction. So I recently bought a copy of Blood Child and Other Stories, to check out some of Butler’s short fiction.

In the forward to her book, Butler writes that she doesn’t consider herself much of a short story writer, but I think she must be being incredibly modest or her novels must blow your socks off. These are some of the most powerful, shocking (in a good way), and imaginative science fiction short stories I’ve ever read. It’s hard to put into words how radical and incredible her ideas are. To much science fiction reads like badly updated Star Wars or Star Trek novels (I mean, I loved Star Wars, but I don’t think most people really improve it much with their thinly veiled rip offs). In stories like the titular “Blood Child” or “Amnesty,” Butler depicts aliens in an entirely original and unique way. And the relationships she imagines between humans and aliens are complex, fraught, and uncomfortable in ways that are alternately hopeful and horrifying. It’s hard to explain without giving too much of the stories away, but it’s incredibly powerful and unlike any other science fiction I’ve read.

Blood Child and Other Stories by Octavia Butler, reviewed by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

Other stories that vividly stand out to me are “Speech Sounds” and “The Evening, the Morning, and the Night,” both of which refer to pandemics. They hit home (also, I heavily suspect that at some point “Speech Sounds” was the inspiration for the movie Bird Box—some of the parallels are too uncanny). “The Evening, the Morning, and the Night” explores the concept of not trusting your own mind and the fear that genetic diseases like Huntington’s or Alzheimer’s, with a terrible homicidal/suicidal twist. Yet, for whatever terrors both of these stories inspire, in the end, they have hope.

One of the things I loved about all of Butler’s stories is how many of them had hope even in desperate and nightmarish scenarios. While I haven’t yet read Butler’s novels, I know that one of her most famous, Kindred, explores the horrors of slavery. I wonder if stories like “Amnesty” aren’t influenced by this historical awareness, the understanding that many people survive even the most unimaginably horrifying situations. The understanding that to a certain extent, losing a war against aliens is only the beginning. After that, we can find a way to survive, or not.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who loves science fiction or cares about the future. The book also has two essays that writers, especially science fiction writers or writers of color, should read. Her writing advice is thoughtful and usable. And her stories are mind-blowing, visceral, and incredibly powerful.

What good is science fiction’s thinking about the present, the future, and the past? What good is its tendency to warn or to consider alternative ways of thinking and doing? What good is its examination of the possible effects of science and technology, or social and political direction? At its best, science fiction stimulates imagination and creativity. It gets reader and writer off the beaten track, off the narrow, narrow, footpath of what “everyone” is saying, doing , thinking—whoever “everyone” tends to be this year.

—Octavia Butler, “Positive Obsession,” from Blood Child and Other Stories

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Review: The Regency Years by Robert Morrison

This book has a funny story about how I ended up reading it! I spotted it one day in the library ad picked it up on a whim. I’d always found the Regency (about 1810-1820, when the Prince of Wales replaced his insane father George III on the throne of England) interesting, mostly because I love Jane Austen books, and I’d also loved Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which is set in an alternative magical reality in approximately the same time period.

However, I’m often one who grabs enticing history books off library shelves and renews them multiple times without having even cracked them open. So after I renewed the book for the second time, I resigned myself to once again failing to read a history book that enticed me. And then, low and behold, Covid 19. The libraries were shut down, and they sent me a very nice note about how I could keep my books until they opened back up again. This is one of the few nice things that came out of this whole quarantine/stay at home thing. I kept the book, and I had enough time to actually read it!

The Regency Years by Robert Morrison. Review by Alexis Lantgen of Lunarianpress.com

I’m gad I did, because the Regency is one of the most conflicting, interesting, and least studied periods of English history. It’s the time of Lord Byron, Jane Austen, J.W. Turner, and Sir Walter Scott, as well as many other illustrious writers, scientists, and artists. It’s also a distinctly naughty period of English history, when the Prince Regent and his comrades indulged in all kinds of excess, from opium to drinking to sex. It’s also a pivotal point in the Industrial Revolution, when the old rural agrarian way of life was dying off for good, while the poor and displaced flocked to cities where they were promptly exploited. Charles Dickens was a child then, and his inspirations for Oliver Twist and other books that depict the horrors of poverty and child labor may have come from this time period.

Robert Morrison captures something of the drama and intensity of this period in his book, and he does a good job of showing the many different points of view that people at the time had of all the events around them. For instance, his depiction of the Prince Regent himself, the future George IV. While Morrison notes the many intensive criticisms of the Regent, who was careless, profligate, and self centered, and did little to help his countrymen, he also notes that the Regent had his admirers, including Lord Byron. The book also managed to capture some of the other notable characters of the day, in including Beau Brummell and Lord Byron himself.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading history or is interested in learning more of a relatively ignored period of English History. As a writer, I also found the evocative descriptions and characterizations a good inspiration. Lots of fantasy/steampunk writers could benefit from reading books like this, which can give their worlds depth and a touch of vivid realism. So check out The Regency Years!

Here’s the blurb:

A surprising and lively history of an overlooked era that brought the modern world of art, culture, and science decisively into view.

The Victorians are often credited with ushering in our current era, yet the seeds of change were planted in the years before. The Regency (1811–1820) began when the profligate Prince of Wales—the future king George IV—replaced his insane father, George III, as Britain’s ruler.

Around the regent surged a society steeped in contrasts: evangelicalism and hedonism, elegance and brutality, exuberance and despair. The arts flourished at this time with a showcase of extraordinary writers and painters such as Jane Austen, Lord Byron, the Shelleys, John Constable, and J. M. W. Turner. Science burgeoned during this decade, too, giving us the steam locomotive and the blueprint for the modern computer.

Yet the dark side of the era was visible in poverty, slavery, pornography, opium, and the gothic imaginings that birthed the novel Frankenstein. With the British military in foreign lands, fighting the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and the War of 1812 in the United States, the desire for empire and an expanding colonial enterprise gained unstoppable momentum. Exploring these crosscurrents, Robert Morrison illuminates the profound ways this period shaped and indelibly marked the modern world.

Review: Wayward Magic from Magical Mayhem Press

My Review of Wayward Magic

Like many multi-author collections of short stories, Wayward Magic has a huge variety of different stories and writing styles, although all the stories do concern magic and fantasy. I’ll admit that not all the stories are to my taste, but that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of people who would enjoy them. I think the anthology is also complicated by the fact that many of the stories aren’t intended to be stand alone stories. Some clearly end on cliffhangers that I understand will be finished in the next book. I think it would be helpful to think of Hidden Magic, Wayward Magic, and Forgotten Magic as being installments, with each of the stories having a beginning, middle, and end in those books. Nonetheless, some of the “installments” I read in Wayward Magic really stood out to me as being very interesting, and I’m looking forward to reading the ends of them in Forgotten Magic when it comes out.

In particular, I loved Majanka Verstraete’s “The Lair of the Red God.” It was an engaging story set in an interesting world, and I liked the main character, Saleyna. The stakes felt high, the emotions felt genuine, and it was enjoyable to read. Likewise, I ejoyed Alesha Escobar’s “The Deh’Anin Unveiled.” Her world had plenty of interesting mysteries and an enjoyably selfish and villainous main character, and I would definitely be curious to see if she gets away with her nefarious deeds or gets a serious comeuppance. ”The Mouth of the Dragon” by Devorah Fox was another story that left me wanting to know the ending. It was written in a way that reminded me of the “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” or “The Phantom Tollbooth,” which is a type of fantasy I don’t see as often anymore, and I would like to read more. “Spirit Gambit” also had interesting characters, and I liked seeing the very different take on magic Leah W. Van Dinther depicts. Some other stories I enjoyed were “The Ones Who Fight” and “Aamira.”

A few stories, however, really didn’t speak to me. “Weather Witch Worries” felt like too much teenage wish fulfillment and not enough genuine drama (she’s super powerful! and has a hot, perfect boyfriend! and OMG, now she’s royalty, too!). A couple of other stories may have been better, but it felt as though they were too incomplete for even an installment. I couldn’t follow that much of the drama or really care about the characters because I felt like I was starting the middle of a bunch of action that made very little sense. Also, in general I’m not to fond of over-powered protagonists. Maybe it’s a personal preference, but I prefer magic that feels like effort and heroes/heroines that need to earn their successes instead of just being born at the right time/with the right gifts. I also like villains who have a more compelling drive than just be evil because, I don’t know, evil? Jealousy over the perfect protagonist?

Overall, I’d recommend this book (though maybe not every story in it) to anyone who enjoys fantasy. The nice thing about collections of short stories as ebooks is that if one story doesn’t speak to you, you can always just skip ahead to another one. So check out Wayward Magic! Right now it’s only $0.99.

Wayward Magic Book Spotlight by Alexis Lantgen from Lunarianpress.com

Blurb for Wayward Magic

Wayward Magic (Magic Underground Book II) reveals stories of missing people, rescue, and most of all, magic. Our heroes will grapple with magic gone wayward in order to save themselves, their families, and often the world. This collection features:

Out-of-control magic that could destroy a young apprentice’s master and their world

A woman’s hidden magic leaving her with more freedom that she wanted

Sisters at the center of a black magic scandal must stop the city from falling to demons

Children separated from their mother must escape the castle on the most dangerous night in history

The ill are suddenly protected from death by an unlikely hero…a teenage physician

Famine-stricken subjects await precious cargo currently stranded on a ship

A holy order must save a town from a pretty poison most magical and most deadly

And more!

Fans of Patricia Briggs and Tamsyn Muir will love Wayward Magic, second of the Magic Underground trilogy of anthologies… Get it today!

Magical Mayhem Press: https://magicalmayhempress.com/

Authors:

Melinda Kucsera, Joynell Schultz, Lee French, H.B. Lyne, Raven Oak, L.C. Ireland, Alesha Escobar, Tiffany Shand, C.S. Johnson, Anela Deen, Erik Kort, Devorah Fox, Stephen Wallace, Gwendolyn Woodschild, Leah W. Van Dinther, Barbara Letson, C.K. Rieke, William C. Cronk, Majanka Verstraete, Toasha Jiordano, H.M. Jones  Krista Ames,  A.R. Johnston

Wayward Magic Book Spotlight from Alexis Lantgen at Lunarianpress.com

R&R Book Tours hosted by Alexis Lantgen at LunarianPress.com

Review: Lulu in Hollywood

I got the book “Lulu in Hollywood” after listening to the History Chicks podcast on Louise Brooks, an iconic movie star from the 1920s and early 1930s. Their descriptions of Louise fascinated me—her life was full of incredible highs and lows, and she observed Hollywood with a sharp eye and unusual honesty. So when at the end of the show they mentioned that Louise Brooks had written a book called “Lulu in Hollywood,” I decided to go ahead and get it. It’s apparently well-known among people who are interested inn Hollywood history or films, because Louise had such an intimate knowledge of the place, and because she herself was such an interesting character.

Louise Brook was a stunning actress and dancer who became Hollywood’s iconic flapper.

The book isn’t a traditional autobiography by any means. In fact, it includes an essay Louise wrote called “Why I Will Never Write My Memoirs.” It’s more of a collection of Louise’s writings about films and the people who made them, from Greta Garbo and Lillian Gish to W.C. Fields and the German director G. W. Pabst. Yet, Brook’s prose brings to life the people she knew and the places she visited, from their deepest, darkest flaws to their greatest triumphs. Her reverence for the great artists of her time makes the book sing with vivid memories of luminaries such as Charlie Chaplin, with whom she had a lovely three month long affair, to Martha Graham, whom she danced with in the Denishawn Dance Company. But Brooks also has a keen and unforgiving eye for weakness, and her depictions of Humphrey Bogart, William Randolph Hearst, and Marion Davies will feel honest, clear, and cold. The heart-breaking tale of Pepi Lederer, Marion Davies’ brilliant but constantly overshadowed niece is one example of Hollywood’s cruelty to those it considers “failures.” Brooks watches the destruction of many starlets and stars close up, including herself.

It’s interesting to read this book with all the modern revelations about Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood sex abusers. Louise vividly details the sexual humiliations that she was exposed to as a star, and it’s absolutely harrowing to consider how lesser women were likely treated. She describes a frightening scene of Humphrey Bogart terrorizing her when his wife Mayo Methot couldn’t find her shoe. At other times, she describes the cruel jests and casual sexism she was subjected to by the crews she worked with, or the ugly double standards for men and women she witnessed. It’s easy to see why she fled Hollywood rather than try to stay there as an aging star.

I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in early silent movies, the 1920s, or old Hollywood. Yet, I don’t think it needs to be limited to that. Louise Brook’s sharp eye and honesty gives the book something enduring about human nature. Perhaps it has lessons about how no stars can endure living o the pedestals their fans create for them. Brook’s depictions of the intense personalities and the harrowing personal tragedies of the people who lived in the wake of Hollywood is well worth reading for anyone.

Review: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Snow Crash is a book that was recommended to me by a friend years ago. I bought a copy, intending to read it, but it unfortunately sat on my shelf for several years. But with my new determination to do more reading for pleasure and that fact that I’m home to stop the spread of the corona virus, I decided to pick it up and give it a try. While it took me a little while to get into it (Neal Stephenson’s world is so different, I think it took me a little while to get adjusted), I really ended up enjoying the book and loving the characters. It’s zany, funny, and exciting, but the stakes feel really high. I’m also something of a history nerd, so I actually loved Stephenson’s digressions on ancient Sumer.

Snow Crash takes place in what was the former United States, which seems to have been sold off piece-meal to corporations, franchises, and other countries, until what remains is a Balkanized hodgepodge of isolated communities. Many people’s lives are so constricted and impoverished, their main escape is the Metaverse, an internet that people access via virtual reality googles and headsets.

Hiro Protagonist is the main character (yes, I think his name is meant to be ironic), a dejected hacker who initially works as a pizza delivery boy for a Mafia-owned pizza chain. But my favorite character ended up being Y.T., an irreverent teenage girl who works as a courier, delivering goods and messages from her hi-tech skateboard. I started off thinking Y.T. was annoying, but I ended up loving how she managed to be brave, incredibly foolish, and yet show some startling amounts in insight into herself and other people. Without giving too much of the plot away, she’s also the source of some amazing drama/comedy gold that made for some of the best parts of the book. Even the ancillary characters such as Uncle Enzo, the head of the mafia, or Eng, a disabled Vietnamese immigrant who drives around in a giant tank that doubles as his wheelchair, are incredibly vivid and interesting.

Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson (Review by Alexis Lantgen at Lunarian Press)

The main antagonist, Raven, is equally fascinating. He at first appears like one of those silent sentinel types you see in fiction, a murdering automaton that appears to have very little interest in anything besides, well, murder. But Stephenson doesn’t leave him as a mysterious and silent evil entity. In fact, Raven’s backstory and motivations are some of the most interesting and compelling parts of the latter half of the book. And his downfall as harrowing, gruesome, and comical as almost anything I’ve ever read (how can it be all those things? You seriously have to read the book).

I’d recommend Snow Crash to anyone who enjoys science fiction or action in books. It’s honestly hard to imagine why this hasn’t been made into a movie yet, unless it’s because so many movies have stolen some of the scifi dystopian elements of the book already. I could easily imagine this as a series on Netflix. One last thing—I loved that fact that even though the book is more or less set in a dystopia, the characters still seem to be building lives and have hope. I’d like to think that even if the world “ended,” most people would just figure out a way to keep on going and build new lives in whatever grim future they faced. Throughout the centuries, millions of people have seen their lives upended by plagues, or the fall of an empire, or wars, but the vast majority of those people just did what they needed to in order to survive. I think that’s an important thing to remember, as things are starting to get bad this year with the new virus. It’s going to suck, and it will be difficult. Some people will die, others will lose their jobs, and some of us will have our world turned upside down. But we can survive, and move forward, and find hope for the future.

Review: Terry Pratchett's Hogfather

I’ve been meaning to read Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather for quite a while. For one thing, I loved many of Sir Terry’s other books, so I was excited to read another of his wonderful Discworld series. And Hogfather had a particular appeal—I love the character of Death in his books, and it sort of has a Christmas theme, so what’s not too love? However, for reasons of time/exhaustion/babies, even after I bought myself a used hard back copy of the book from Half Price Books, it lingered on my shelf, neglected. That is, until this past month or so. That’s when I finally, and purposefully, decided I would read this book (among many other books I’ve been meaning to read). I’m so glad I did, because it’s so full of just wonderful characters and it’s a truly lovely, marvelous story that manages to be powerful, emotional, and heart-warming without being the slightest bit sentimental (if that last sentence sounds contradictory, read more Terry Pratchett).

This is a wonderful book to read for Christmas! Fun, thoughtful, beautiful fantasy by Terry Pratchett. —Alexis Lantgen, www.lunarianpress.com

The premise of Hogfather is simple. The Hogfather, the Discworld version of Santa Claus, has been killed (sort of, he’s something like a god, which makes it rather difficult to kill him completely). But the Hogfather’s role in the lives of children is so important, so absolutely essential, that Death himself decides to take over the role of the Hogfather (yes, that Death, the skeleton in black with the scythe). With help from his angry assistant Alfred, Death dresses as the Hogfather and distributes presents while his ever curious and no-nonsense granddaughter Susan goes on a quest to save the Hogfather. And possibly, all life as we know it.

What I loved about this book is, well, everything. I loved the characters. Pratchett’s personification of Death is such a fascinating presence in all of his books, and Susan is a practical, resourceful, and brave heroine, who manages to be unsentimental yet also warm and heartfelt. Even the minor characters, from the magical thinking machine Hex to the Librarian of the great Unseen University, feel wonderful and imaginative, and yet ultimately, so strangely human. There’s a saying that there are two kinds of fantasy books: those about incredible people in mostly ordinary circumstances (superheros going to high school, for example), and those about very ordinary people in very extraordinary circumstances (ordinary hobbits go an a grand adventure!). Terry Pratchett, on the other hand, finds the magic in the ordinary loves and hopes of regular people, and Hogfather is a powerful example of this. It is a book that will truly warm your soul.

I’d recommend Hogfather to anyone who likes fantasy or Christmas, and I’d especially recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of the fantastic Good Omens series on Amazon Prime (which I would also highly recommend).

Review: The Dark Lord of Derkholm

This fall, I had a ton of books to read and review, and I got very busy finishing all of them (as well as working and parenting and writing). It got pretty overwhelming, so I was glad when I finally got through my review pile and could read the books I chose. One of the first ones I picked was The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones, a book I’d read about and was really excited to get into. And I’m so glad I finally got the chance to read it, because it was everything I’d been hoping for and so much more.

First of all, the book is very sharp and funny. Wynne Jones pulls apart fantasy tropes with a keen eye and enjoyable wit, and the book in part reads as a brilliant parody. Yet, what makes the story most compelling is her thoughtful and realistic depictions of family life. Her main characters include the wizard Derk, who has been assigned to be the “Dark Lord” of the year’s “Pilgrim Parties,” a type of service that traffics tourists from our ordinary world into the magical fantasy world so that they can have an “adventure,” which usually involves defeating (or pretending to defeat), the Dark Lord. Many of the other wizards think that Derk is hopelessly inept, and they secretly hope that he’ll fail badly enough to stop the Pilgrim Parties for good. Yet, Derk prove to have surprising strengths, mostly stemming from his family.

It’s rare for fantasy books to really examine family, and the bonds that bring families together, both genetic and chosen families. Derk’s family includes his two human children, Blade and Shona, as well as a whole group of intelligent and magical griffins that Derk and his wife created. He also has a farm full of other magical creatures, from flying pigs to angry, intelligent geese. I loved this big, brash, and chaotic family, and the special bonds they have with one another, and the way all of Derk’s children grow and struggle to find their place among their multitudes of diverse and talented siblings.

It’s also rare for a parody or a satire, and this book is in large part a satire, to have such a vivid and exciting plot. Wynne Jones might be sending up fantasy as a genre, but she also manages to create a wonderful and enjoyable fantasy story, one that’s funny, joyful, dark, and frightening in turns.

In short, I loved this book, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, especially funny or light fantasy such as Good Omens or anything by Terry Pratchett.

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Review: Love Potions and Other Calamities

I was excited to get an ARC of Charlie Laidlaw’s Love Potions and Other Calamities from Accent Press. It has a lovely cover and an intriguing premise, so I was excited to read it. I’m happy to say that while it may have a few flaws, it definitely delivered a charming array of characters and some very funny moments, as well as an intriguing mystery.

In particular, I enjoyed that characters of the book. I found the main characters—Rosie, Mara, Richie, and Jack—charming, interesting, and generally fun to read about. Each one of them had a vivid voice and compelling emotional stakes. They were so fully developed I felt as though I could walk into the Fox and Duck and meet them in person, or perhaps people they were inspired by. I enjoyed Rosie especially, since her gift for herbalism felt both scientific and well-researched, and instinctual, perhaps even magical. I also loved the relationships between the characters.

The setting of the book was also richly drawn and very enjoyable—the village of Holy Cross felt very vivid, full of interesting history and sights, and with lots of interesting local character.

If I had a criticism of the book, it’s that the mystery almost felt added on, as though the book almost didn’t need a plot beyond Rosie’s scheming and the romances. However, I did think that the mystery drew the characters together in an interesting way. It also kept me wondering, which is unusual, since I normally figure out the murderer long before the end of a novel (or movie, or TV show. I totally saw the ending to Watchmen coming three episodes ago).

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries or slightly-steamy light fantasy romance, or well, Scotland. It’s a charming and enjoyable to read. You can also find a giveaway for it here!

Find Love Potions and Other Calamities on Amazon!

Here’s the blurb:

Welcome to the strange world of Rosie McLeod, an amateur detective with a big difference.  Her deductive powers are based solely on the careful preparation and use of plants and herbs.

Love Potions and Other Calamities is pure comedy, with a bit of drama thrown in, as Rosie sets out to discover whether her husband is having an affair and, as the story unfolds, to solve a murder – before she becomes the next victim.

Rosie McLeod, pub proprietor and a gifted herbalist of some renown, is thirty-nine and holding, but only just.  The talons of her fortieth birthday are in her back and her bloody, bloody husband hasn’t laid a lustful hand on her for months.

She has the fortune, or misfortune, to live in one of Scotland’s most famous places – the East Lothian village of Holy Cross, which takes its name from the legendary Glastonbury Cross that was spirited away – and subsequently lost – when Henry VIII purged the English monasteries.  The cross of pale Welsh gold, reputedly buried within the village, had at its centre a fragment of emerald from the Holy Grail.  The story is, of course, complete baloney.

But the association with the Holy Grail and the later witch persecutions of James VI mean that the village is as well known around the world as Edinburgh Castle, haggis or Loch Ness.  It has been described as “the heartbeat of Scotland” and is a major tourist destination – many of whom visit the village with metal detectors, hoping to discover the elusive cross.

However, a sighting of a large, black cat by the local Church of Scotland minister sets off a chain of events that lead back twenty years and, although the villagers are blissfully unaware of it, to a woman’s murder.  The black cat had last been sighted near the village some two decades before, and the minister’s predecessor was sure that it had triggered something evil.  The villagers, of course, think otherwise.

Nothing ever happens in Holy Cross.

About the Author

I was born in Paisley, central Scotland, which wasn’t my fault.  That week, Eddie Calvert with Norrie Paramor and his Orchestra were Top of the Pops, with Oh, Mein Papa, as sung by a young German woman remembering her once-famous clown father.  That gives a clue to my age, not my musical taste.

I was brought up in the west of Scotland and graduated from the University of Edinburgh.  I still have the scroll, but it’s in Latin, so it could say anything.

I then worked briefly as a street actor, baby photographer, puppeteer and restaurant dogsbody before becoming a journalist.  I started in Glasgow and ended up in London, covering news, features and politics.  I interviewed motorbike ace Barry Sheene, Noel Edmonds threatened me with legal action and, because of a bureaucratic muddle, I was ordered out of Greece.

I then took a year to travel round the world, visiting 19 countries.  Highlights included being threatened by a man with a gun in Dubai, being given an armed bodyguard by the PLO in Beirut (not the same person with a gun), and visiting Robert Louis Stevenson’s grave in Samoa.  What I did for the rest of the year I can’t quite remember

Surprisingly, I was approached by a government agency to work in intelligence, which just shows how shoddy government recruitment was back then.  However, it turned out to be very boring and I don’t like vodka martini.

Craving excitement and adventure, I ended up as a PR consultant, which is the fate of all journalists who haven’t won a Pulitzer Prize, and I’ve still to listen to Oh, Mein Papa.

I am married with two grown-up children and live in central Scotland. And that’s about it.

You can find Charlie Laidlow on his website, facebook page, or twitter.