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Book Review: From Black Fires Rise: The Vicissitudes, Book 1, by Joseph Sale

cover art for From Black Fires Rise by Joseph Sale

From Black Fires Rise: The Vicissitudes, Book 1, by Joseph Sale

Self-published, October 2026

ISBN: 9798175031677

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

If you thought author Joseph Sale was going to sit back and rest on his laurels after completing his acclaimed Carcosa series, think again. From Black Fires Rise is the start of a new fantasy series, The Vicissitudes, and it’s a real humdinger. The book has all of the excellence that marked the Carcosa books, but takes a different approach to fantasy fiction.

 

In the world of Erethia, Telos is a master thief, sentenced to the harshest prison in the land. After making his escape, (with a bit of help from the gods) he’s focused on fleeing, with the man known as the Warden in hot pursuit. A thief with questionable morals, he finds himself caught up in a larger plot involving the gods: their assistance with his escape comes at a price. The book follows the journey of Telos and the companions he meets along the way as they journey across the land, trying to evade the Warden and at the same time, figure out what exactly the gods expect of them.

 

That’s the bare bones of the story: there’s a good deal more to it, but I don’t want to give away any of the surprises. This is more of a straightforward fantasy series than Carcosa, but, as always with Joseph Sale, he’s taken the genre and created his own additions, making it a world unique to his writing. Instead of using standard races like elves and dwarves, he’s added in theronts, a unique race of human/animal crossbreeds. There is magic of a sort, but it derives from Daimonsblood, a unique fossilized fluid found in the ground. (think dinosaurs and oil, and you’ll get the idea) Sure, there are dragons, and… spaceships? Yes, you read that right, although they are called “sky-chariots” here. This is what makes the land of Erethia one of a kind, the plugging in of new ideas to a familiar genre.

 

Of course, none of that matters without excellent writing, and with this author, that’s par for the course. The book is a fast read, with the pacing being good enough to keep you up at night, just because you “gotta know what happens next”! The supporting characters are good enough to stand on their own merits. The tavern owner Ylia and her gigantic cougar-pet Urrgal are excellent, and the Warden is a fearsome antagonist who keeps the suspense level high, with his single-minded pursuit of Telos. In a way, this book is kind of a “chase” book. While Telos and Ylia are trying to figure out how they fit into things, there is always the specter of the Warden behind them, and he keeps the tension tight throughout the book. It’s worth noting that this is a fantasy book, as opposed to the dark fantasy of the Carcosa series, so this book is a bit light-hearted and has a little more bounce than that series. That shows up in the humorous moments that occasionally pop up. The scene where Ylia gets utterly bombed in a bar was hilarious, and Telos just has a funny way of rubbing the Warden’s face in it whenever he can. Most prisoners would be happy to just escape, but Telos can’t do it without provoking the Warden, and further enraging him. There are even a few scenes that startled me enough to make me jump in my seat a bit (one involving a giant spider), and that is NOT an easy thing for a book to do.

 

Bottom line is, this book is a surefire winner. Fantasy fans, you do not want to miss this one: there isn’t a chance of disappointment. Highly recommended!

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on October 6, 2026 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: The God List by Steve Niles and Scott Hampton, art by Scott Lange, letters by Janice Chiang, edited by Sandy King

The God List by Steve Niles and Scott Hampton, art by Scott Lange, letters by Janice Chiang, edited by Sandy King

Storm King Comics, 2024

ISBN-13: 9798988728528

Available: paperback

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

William Clark owns a used bookstore called Olden Daze Books in Greenwich Village that pays more out than it takes in. He doesn’t mind, though, as he enjoys being surrounded by the dusty old tomes. One night after he has closed shop and is settling in for the night, a woman disturbs him when she pounds on the door of the store begging for help. She pushes a parcel into his hands, cries for him to protect it, and turns into ash when she hits the ground. Following her is a group of robed cultists, and a mysterious blonde woman named Lydia who saves him from them. As they make their getaway, she tells him he must discover the secrets of the book in his hands. As he unlocks the secrets of the God List, a legendary inventory of unknown creative works, he finds that his dreams show him the way. Lydia and William’s search takes them from Greenwich Village in New York, to the Vatican archives, and finally to an old cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Unfortunately, the cult leader has summoned the giant of a man named Ravyn to do whatever it takes to retrieve the God List.

 

Niles delivers a great story with The God List. The plot moves quickly and delivers a good bit of religious and artistic history. The characters feel real, despite the reader knowing them for a short time. I especially love the formidable librarian, Lucinda, who they have to make their way past in the Vatican archives. Hampton’s artwork is phenomenal, from character designs to intricate backgrounds.

 

This would be a solid addition to libraries looking to expand their horror graphic novels collection, as well as support an independent publisher specializing in such resources. Highly recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on October 2, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: Find Me Where It Ends by Cassandra Khaw

 

Find Me Where It Ends, by Cassandra Khaw

Tor Nightfire, October 2026

ISBN: 9781250877895

Availabie: Hardcover, paperback, electronic (pre-order)

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

 

Find Me Where It Ends is a stripped-down novella, a well-done suicide-oriented tale with ghosts and spectral animals. It fixes all the problems that plagued Khaw’s last novel, The Library At Hellebore: there are no more confusing plots or poor word choices, and it gives a good insight into the psychology of the main character, who is considering such a choice.

 

Antigone is a single woman who just hit forty. She gave up a chunk of her life to help her rather miserable mother, and she also works as a part-time paranormal investigator/ghost banisher. She’s got two overriding problems: she’s been considering suicide for some time, and a ghostly black dog– a harbinger of her own demise– shows up on her doorstep and moves into her house. As the story quickly counts down the weeks, days and hours towards her chosen time of death, Antigone interacts with various people and ghosts who help, and also hurt, her perspective on life. The final hour quickly hits at the end of page 130, and a decision needs to be made, based on whether she has seen enough inside this short time frame to change her mind, or follow through. Does she? That, dear readers, I will of course not tell you. Read and see for yourself.

 

Let’s break it down. First thing with a topic like this, is that the protagonist has to be one that readers will find believable. You don’t have to agree with the character’s reason for desiring to end their life, but the narrative has to be one the readers will buy into. Khaw is a gifted writer, and she handles explaining Antigone’s reasons and how she got to this point with deft prose throughout. Here, it’s because Antigone’s life is one of unrealized dreams, there is nothing happy in her life, and she feels… tired. So very tired. Tired enough that living seems like more work than it’s worth. I suspect some people may relate to such sentiments. Khaw handles it well, without the poor word choice that plagued her last book, which was loaded with words so rarely used that Dickens himself would have been left scratching his head. This time, any reader can handle the vocabulary.

 

It is during Antigone’s interactions with others that the narrative really shines, perhaps even more so then the parts concerning Antigone’s state of mind. And, the parts about her psyche were very well done. Most people want to help her, but the story shows the difficulty of trying to do so, as many of the ideas of “helping'”prove more detrimental than beneficial. It feels true to life: as anyone who has been in the same boat knows, dealing with suicidal people is like working with a very volatile substance. That’s why this story works so well. Despite the ghostly trappings with the black dog and others, this is a beautifully written narrative on a very touchy subject, one that could happen to many people.

 

Bottom line: if you want a touch of well-written, relatable, real-life darkness, this is the way to go. Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on September 20, 2026 by , Reply
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