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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

Book Review: The Court of Pe’kar (Lost Carcosa #4) by Joseph Sale

Cover art for The Court of Pe'Kar by Joseph Sale

The Court of Pe’kar, by Joseph Sale

Blood Bound Books, 2024

ISBN: 9781940250687

Available: Paperback, ebook edition

 

 

The Court of Pe’kar is the penultimate story in Joseph Sale’s riveting Carcosa series, and it does an outstanding job setting the stage for the final volume, while being an excellent addition to the series based on its own merits.  

 

This fourth volume has more of the feel of the first two in the series: quick pacing, tangible enemies, and good head-crushing, stomach-tearing battles.  The third volume, while good, took the series in a more cerebral, introspective direction, where the adversaries were contained within the characters themselves.  With The Court Of Pe’kar, it’s back to the prior approach, as Alan Chambers, Queen Cassilda, and their companions, complete the journey to the City of Demons to face off with Pe’kar the Demon King, and Cassilda’s traitorous sister Cali. 

 

While most of the chapters focus on the protagonists, some of the earlier chapters feature Cali.  The author makes the most out of these chapters, using them to sow doubt about Cali’s final intentions toward Pe’kar, when it appeared that she was previously in league with him.  The story takes a somewhat similar turn with Pe’kar, as his intentions towards Alan and his party, as conveyed by his minions, are not at all what the group expects.  That’s what the narrative does best in this volume.  The actions of some of the characters cause some of the others to view their own intentions with a level of dubiousness, making for an exciting, yet unpredictable story.  It’s best exemplified by a meeting between Cassilda and Cali towards the end, which may be the best part of the book.  Alan’s group may have been united in their quest to eliminate Cali, but as she and others become unpredictable and show other facets of themselves previously hidden, the heroes have to question if the desired result would benefit the land of Carcosa, or themselves.  In all fairness, although Alan Chambers was the driving force behind the series in the beginning, it’s a bit more about Cassilda and Cali, and their relationship as sisters and mortal enemies, which is now the focus.  Of course, that may very well change in the final volume, as the author has proven adept at surprising readers.  

 

Worth noting also, the final battle in this book is a thrilling collage of bloodshed: it’s almost as good as the epic battle that closed out volume two.  

 

While it’s kind of sad when you can see the journey start to end as the series nears its conclusion, it’s been a hell of a ride getting there, and still is.  We probably won’t see another fantasy series this good anytime soon. Most definitely recommended!

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on April 21, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: Saint Death’s Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney

Cover art fo Saint Death's Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney

Saint Death’s Daughter by C.S.E Cooney.

Solaris, 2022

ISBN-13: 978-1786184702

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook. ( Bookshop.org  |   Amazon.com )

 

 

Miscellaneous Stones, born into a family known for its violence in service to the crown of Liriat, is a teenage necromancer with an allergy to violence that opens “echo wounds” when violence is done or described. When her parents die, her family is left indebted to a banker’s family with connections to Liriat’s enemy, the Blackbird Bride.

 

Lanie’s sister Nita returns to renegotiate the debt, and does so by agreeing to work for the Queen of Liriat to kill all 24 of the Bride’s consorts. Nita has returned with an unwilling fiance, a gyrgard, who can shapeshift into a falcon and usually has a soul-bonded partner. The gyrgard, renamed Mak, attempts to poison himself rather than stay with Nita, but Lanie, unwilling to experience the echo wound that would be caused by his suicide, brings him back by calling on Saint Death, one of the 12 Lirian gods.

 

In order to prevent having his memories wiped, Mak swears loyalty to Nita, and they have a child, Datu, who is raised primarily by Lanie and Mak, while Nita assassinates the members of the Bride’s parliament. Finally, the Bride kills Nita, pronounces a death sentence on Datu, and tries to seduce Lanie into joining her court. Lanie, Mak, and Datu, along with the family revenant and the entrapped ghost of Lanie’s necromancer grandfather, flee to hide in the city of Liriat Proper to protect Datu.

 

In the city, Lanie, Mak, and Datu make truly good friends willing to help with their problems. Lanie also has a romance with Canon Lir, second son of the queen, and a priest to the many-gendered god of fire. Then Lanie has a serious echo wound in public that reveals their location to the Blackbird Bride, and Mak and Datu flee. Lanie has made a promise to her family’s revenant she must follow through, protect Datu, and bring down the Bride.

 

I know Harrow the Ninth is the big name in literary necromancers right now, and she’s a much more horror-tinged character, but Lanie is my favorite necromancer character ever. Compassionate and loving to the living, dead, and undead, sometimes unwise, she honors her goddess.The allergy to violence and refusal to enthrall others, and her relationship with Lir, make her unusual.

 

This is a long book, but with surprising twists, fascinating world building, great character development, and beautiful prose. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

Posted on February 25, 2023 by , Reply
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