The Last Letter (Lehn)

The Last Letter
by Fiona Lehn (2011)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a freebie I picked up on a table either and World Fantasy Con in Niagara Falls or Philcon near Philadelphia. I'm thinking it was the former. It's part of a series of books (Conversation Pieces) by different authors. This was the 31st listing in the series with no mention of anything coming after that (either "coming soon" or because this was a reprinted edition). I was surprised that this book was so old given the condition it was in. Also, it was more than likely that I saw a pile of them and took one rather than taking this book in particular from a random collection of books.

This book is a "conversation piece" in that the book is a letter from one scientist to another. She's writing the letter as she is dying, and she's recounting what happened in the time that they'd spent together on the island of SG-7 (which has nothing to do with the Stargate franchise, a notion I quickly put out of my head whenever it popped up). Peta is called to the island because of a problem in the forest of webworms who are eating the leaves of the forest and stringing up webs. The forest is out of balance and it's her assignment to bring it back into balance. The situation isn't helped by the "solutions" that the islanders have already tried and what they demand that she should try, which are things that likely would cause more harm than good. In particular, these webworms seem to be mutated from the usual form that are seen.

Worse, the population is starting to grow fearful and superstititous about them to the point that Peta has to pull rank and enlist local law enforcement to institute curfews and arrest people.

While she is there, she meets another scientist, Helmut, who is there studying geese guano on the idea. He has a secret agenda that involves a species of toad, which is why he accepted this assignment (or why he choose this island for his geese assignment, actually). The two meet, help each other, and form a connection. Unfortunately, both of them are married (in loveless marriages) and Helmut even has a daughter. But they can't deny the attraction for each other.

As the book progresses, the worms don't ask as expected, which makes dealing with the crisis more difficult until Peta finds something unexpected which was causing the imbalance. Her part in this assignment comes to an end and we find out what happened with their lives after this and why Peta is dying.

It's a pretty long letter, but not a long book. I found it enjoyable. It was a "pool book" for me, so I likely started it last August and didn't get very far into it. I picked it up without a bookmark in it but found roughly the place I'd left off. I finished it in a few days. (I actually finished it on a train because of the iffy weather ahead and I didn't know when I'd get more pool time.)

Generally, I read old science fiction/fantasy magazines in the pool that I find at conventions in case I drop it while sitting in a tube (or it just gets wet while I'm trying to get out) but I've read other books that are either old or that won't bother me too much if they got wet.

From the description, I'm not likely to search out any more of these Conversation Pieces, but I'll check them out if I spot them anywhere at other convnetions.

This one will be going into a Little Free Library in the neighborhood.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

One Piece, Volumes 41-42 (Oda)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

The Water Seven story line has moved to Eines Lobby where Nico Robin is being judged (more than tried) for her crimes, and nothing will stop Luffy of the rest of the pirates from saving her, even if Nico doesn't wished to be saved.

The new twist comes as Nico is handcuffed with shackles that cancel out fruit powers and are unbreakable with the correct key. Each of the villains has a key and takes off in different directions, so the pirates have to split up and try to take each of member of CP9, a highly elite government organization, down. And they have to do this before Nico Robin is whisked away to someplace where all hope will be lost.

The fights are slow moving and a bit repetitive but we get to see more of the CP9 agents in actions. The highlist of these two volumes is seeing Nico Robin's past and learning what it is that she's supposed to have done or what it is that she's capable of doing. Her quest for knowledge will not only be her undoing but will undo the world government.

Something happened nearly a millenium ago that isn't talked about or written down. It's the missing century in history. But the answers are out there if one knows where to look. This seems to be something as valuable to find as the One Piece itself that the series is named for (that I doubt we'll ever see, along with a return of Red-Haired Shanks.)

I'll keep reading, but I'm reading more regular graphic novels, and I wouldn't mind sampling other manga as well. I know this series goes on nearly forever. (I had an interesting conversation with my adult son who's been binging the cartoon so he can catch up with his friends. I believe he's at episode 1100, or a number equally ridiculous.)

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Crown and Chronos (Letha)

Crown and Chronos
by Rosa Letha (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

This book had a short page count -- it was in fact fewer than 20 pages as a PDF, including all the front matter and blank pages. It was basicaly a short story. I was so shocked when I got to the end, I double-checked the email with the file, and I wrote the author asking if it was supposed to be so short.

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

This is a short story that reads like the prologue to a much longer novel that wasn't included. I got to the end and thought, "That's it?"

---

I can't say anything else because there was no story there to say anything about. But at least I finished both of this month's Library Thing books quickly. I still have a couple of older ones to catch up on.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Everyone Kept Quiet So I Did Too (Djukičin)

Everyone Kept Quiet So I Did Too: Tales of a Reluctant Soldier:
A Graphic Novel About the Balkan Wars of the 1990s
by Đorđe Balmazović (Author), Aleksandar Djukičin (Author) (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

I saw that there was a graphic novel, so I requested it even though it's an ebook and not something that I can share with my classroom.

As I noted on the LT page, this is more of an illustrated memoir than it is a graphic novel in the usual sense but it's still enjoyable.

The artwork changes sometimes but it fits the story.

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

This is more of an illustrated memoir than a proper graphic novel, but that's a minor distinction that doesn't distract from the story at hand, namely the absurdity and futility of war and its effects on the people fighting it. In this case, it's the story of a soldier fighting in the war between Serbia and Croatia in 1990 and managing to survive it.

The artwork isn't as simplistic as the cover might suggest. That style (where the soldiers look almost like bowling pins, or old-style bottles of soda with the tops still on them) is used in certain situations while more traditional artwork is used elsewhere.

This was a quick read and I enjoyed it.

---

There isn't much more to add. It was a quick read. I was done before sooner than I expected to be.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Heracles: Lion of Nemea (Kin)

Heracles: Lion of Nemea
by kin (2026)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.

I usually avoid series books, but this was based on the 12 Labors of Heracles (Hercules), so I didn't really worry about it being open-ended. And it is the first book in the series. (The second was offered the following month.) It also helped that it was a short book.

I will say that while I'm familiar with the idea of the 12 labors, I couldn't name them all any more than I could name all of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I didn't watch that many movies or read that many books.

Note that the author's name is given only as "Kin".

I left the following review on the Library Thing website:

This was a fun little read although it was long on introspection and short on action until the final third of the book when Heracles fights the lion. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.

---

I realize that this wasn't much of a review but it was a short book and not a lot happens.

I enjoyed the book, but it was slow and there wasn't a lot of action until the last third of the book. In the prologue, Heracles' wife is dead and he had her blood on his hands but that's all we get. Then he's on the road, traveling, going somewhere or nowhere. He confronts one village who won't let him stay a night or have anything to eat. Later, he's beset on by bandits whom he dispatches quickly enough, getting hurt along the way. It's not until the end where he's climbing a mountain that he seeks out whatever creature is up there (We know: it's in the title of the book!), and to rescue a father and son.

There is a lot of detail about the mountain and you almost just want him to get there already.

Finally, there's so action where Heracles, wounded and bleeding, kills the lion with bare hands and the strength in his battered body.

He returns to the town the boy is from and tells them the lion is dead and the man is covered in rocks in a cave to protect his body from vultures. Then he walks on without asking to stay.

End of story.

I guess you would classify this kind of writing as "literary" although that usually means that there isn't a speculative element. Not that any are mentioned here, but this is Heracles we're talking about.

It was enjoyable, and I'd read the next one if I won it.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Model Home (Solomon)

Model Home
Rivers Solomon (2024)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This book was a Pandemic Book Club selection. I listened to it, and then read it. It was mostly hated and ripped about by my book club. It rivaled Anger is a Gift as a benchmark to mock other books by.

It didn't help that I listened to this book right after listening to Parable of the Sower. I make no comparisons because that's too high a bar, but, damn.

There are spoilers below because there is no way to discuss this book without them.

The title "Model Home" refers to the house that the family bought. Model homes are a showcase and usually have hidden flaws. Buying this home could almost be like a bait and switch, except every buyer should know that there's less than meets the eye.

This term could also apply to the family that occupies the home as well. (More below.)

But the real flaw belongs to the book itself where one might expect a malignant spirit haunting this house, when in fact the real problem is much more mundane but just as malignant. There is nothing supernatural about the horrors of this house. Every problem has a manmade cause.

Basically, this is the most messed up version of Scooby Doo that you could possibly imagine. And they would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids.

Instead of a story about a haunted house, we get the twisted, messed up lives or a bunch of twisted, messed up people. The main character isn't sympathetic, and neither is anyone else. Like Anger is a Gift, all the checkboxes are checked, including the sudden inclusion of diabetes halfway through the book.

This story takes place in the present (and over the past 30 years) but the attitudes seem quite dated to decades before that. Except of course, that it couldn't be decades earlier because (aside from obvious indicators like tech) no one has a problem with a young boy who suddenly becomes nonbinary and uses "them" pronouns *in the late 90s*. It's hard to take the story seriously when people are supposed to have problems with a black family in a white community but they take non-binary and transgenderism in stride. At the very least, you'd expect more misgendering and misuse of pronouns three decades ago.

Basically, this could've been better if it picked and chose which issues it would stress. And possibly if there actually had been a Lady Without a Face haunting the place.

No, I didn't enjoy this book. I would rate this book 1 star, which I normally reserve for poorly, written self-published work, not because this is poorly written but because it's just that bad.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Between Two Fires (Buehlman)

Between Two Fires
Christopher Buehlman (2012)

[AUDIO ONLY -- no image]

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This was a semi-random audiobook selection. At least one person listed on their reading list on Tik Tok and the cover was intriguing enough that I looked for it on Libby.

This is the Google AI summary of the book: a medieval horror-fantasy novel set in 1348 during the Black Death, following a disgraced knight, Thomas, who escorts a young girl, Delphine, across a plague-ridden France to Avignon, as she claims to be on a divine mission to confront evil in a second war between heaven and hell. The story blends grimdark fantasy, historical fiction, and religious mythology, featuring a journey through a depraved landscape filled with angels, demons, and the risen dead, exploring themes of faith, redemption, and the struggle for humanity's soul.

I didn't give it the best of chances because there were many times that I listened for less than 15 minutes at a shot, so I was sometimes a little lost when I started again. The narrative also shifts between current day and events in the past, and I sometimes wasn't sure where I was supposed to be. When the final conflict happened, I was a little confused as to what was going on.

Still, I enjoyed it. I don't know if I'll get around to actually reading it (I have a bunch of things that I need to get to) but I might suggest this one the next time it's my turn to pick books for the book club. (Other books are likely to be Dragon Teeth and The Fourth Consort, which will be reviewed soon).

If I had a favorite scene that I think would play well on a big screen (or streaming as a series), I would pick when the fallen knight meets up with the man who took his land (and who even has his horse with him). This happens not long after the knight found a bunch of French fighters who are momentarily helpless and he backs out of the room without killing or harming any of them. The knight's battle with the lord and his men is interrupted by French attacking and massacring everyone on the field. One of the Frenchmen finds Thomas and is about to kill him when he recognizes him. He hollers to all the combatants while pointing his sword, "NOT HIM!" Thomas is the only one to survive.

I'd like to read this one.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Two Catwings Books (Le Guin)

Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1994)
Jane on Her Own, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1994)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

These were two kids books that were inside a Little Free Library. I saw the author's name on the cover, and I knew that I had to borrow them.

I hadn't heard of "Catwings" before, but I can't say that I'll well-read with the author's work. And even if I were, I'm not exactly the target audience for these books.

There were four books, and these were the final two. They're short, but between the two of them, they're as long as some of the books that I picked up at World Fantasy Con or Philcon, so I gave them a combined entry.

In brief, in the first of these two, a regular kitten named Alexander decides to explore what's beyond his yard and the tree past them and gets lost. He climbs a tree for safety and is stuck up there. He is aided by a cat with wings named Jane. Jane leads Alexander to the rest of her family of Catwings. Jane suffered trauma and doesn't speak. Alexander is happy in his new home.

In the second, Jane flies off and flies and explores. She flies into a man's apartment and he shuts the window. He shows her off as an amazing animal. She eventually gets away.

These were cute and I have to put them back. I wish I'd done so before school let out. These would've been fun for some child to find.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.