Review: Murder in the Vatican, The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes

I recently discovered that this blog post disappeared from the blog.

It needs to come back.

When I was thirteen, I started reading through the collected stories of Sherlock Holmes. I made it about halfway through. I had been stopped dead by "The Adventure of the Gloria Scott"—one of two times that Holmes was the narrator.  I wasn't the only one who had a problem with that story. Another author of the day, G.K. Chesterton, said that the Gloria Scott showed why Watson was relevant: because Holmes was an awful storyteller.

Since then, I have been critical of anything about Sherlock Holmes written after the death of Arthur Conan Doyle. Some stories went wildly off track. Others were riddled with so many anachronisms it was painful. Of the vast quantity of Holmes-related material published, my family of readers owns only a fraction.

When Robert Downey Jr. starred in Sherlock Holmes, I crossed my fingers and hoped it didn't suck … instead, I got a checklist of what they did right.

When Doctor Who scribe and show runner Steven Moffat created a show called Sherlock, I also crossed my fingers. It was surprisingly awesome.

Then I heard about Murder in the Vatican. The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes on the newsletter for the Catholic Writers Organization. It had an interesting premise: author Ann Margaret Lewis takes Watson's offhand references of Holmes working on cases for the Pope, or involving religious figures, and turns them into entire stories.

I experienced the same feeling of dread. How off would the narration be? Would someone try converting Holmes? How lost would a detective from Victorian, Anglican England be in Catholic Rome? How many different ways were there to screw this up?


I stopped worrying when I read the first sentence.  And, oh my God, this book is awesome!  I loved this book....

Lewis caught the voice of Dr. John Watson as though she had taken it, trapped in a bottle, and used it to refill her pen into as she wrote. I liked the voice. I liked Watson, the doctor, trying to diagnose an ailing Leo XIII (85 at the time of the events of the first story). I like the brief sketch of the political situation between the Vatican and Italy. I even enjoy Watson's discomfort at the Pope slipping into “The Royal We” when he speaks of himself as The Pope.  Even the artwork was as though it had been lifted from issues of The Strand magazine.

Someone had fun here, and it shows.

Thankfully, there is no overt attempt to convert Holmes, evangelize or proselytize him. There is only enough theology in the entire novel that explains to the casual reader exactly what the heck the Pope is doing. The closest the book comes to exposing Holmes to theology is a page-long sequence that ends with Leo saying, “Perhaps you should spend some of your inactive time pondering that conundrum [of Jesus] instead of indulging in whatever narcotic it is with which you choose to entertain yourself.”  That is the best zinger I've ever seen a character use on Holmes regarding his drug use.  Even the most secular person I know can appreciate a page of theology for one of the better one-liners I've ever seen.

Also, the little things were entertaining for a nerd like me. For example, the casual mention of John Cardinal Newman, referred to as “a recent convert.” The political situation at the time is given just enough of a sketch to explain what's going on, but nothing obtrusive; history nerds like me can be satisfied, but you don't have to have a degree in it to comprehend what's going on.

There are truly parts where the novel seems to merge all the best qualities of Sherlock Holmes with those of G.K. Chesterton's Fr. Brown short stories ...

At this point, I must make a small confession. I write these reviews as I read the book. There is plenty of backtracking, to fill the blanks, and rewrite it as the book goes. I wrote the above line when I finished the first tale. In fact, the interview questions I sent to Ann Margaret Lewis were written before I even received a review copy of the book.  I then read “The Vatican Cameos,” and discover a Deacon, named Brown …

I swear I didn't see that coming.

The first story in this collection is "The Death of Cardinal Tosca."

In this memorable year '95 a curious and incongruous succession of cases had engaged his attention, ranging from his famous investigation of the sudden death of Cardinal Tosca -- an inquiry which was carried out by him at the express desire of His Holiness the Pope  . . . .

—Dr. John H. Watson, “The Adventure of Black Peter”

Imagine Sherlock Holmes on vacation … if you see that vacation turning out like an episode of Murder, She Wrote, with a body hitting the floor at some point, you pretty much have the setup. It has a poison pen letter, with real poison, some Masons, references to two different cases in the space of two paragraphs, and a Papal commando raid with a real pontiff. This story is so delightfully odd and over-the-top, but still preserves as much reality as any other Holmes tale. I enjoyed every moment of it. And I can't argue with any story where the pope gets most of the amusing one-liners.

Heck, even the murderer gets in a good line.  When confronted, our first killer sneers.  “Let me guess. You're going to explain, to the amazement of your friends, how I did the deed?”  Holmes replies, “I've already told them that. It would be old news. They already know you blundered badly.”

I think the story concludes on a nice, solid note.  As Holmes tells Watson, “[Leo XIII] is genuinely pious. He is also imperious, but in a most endearing way.”

Watson merely replies, “Yes, well. I'm used to that.”

The second tale, "The Vatican Cameos," is a bit of a flashback episode to when Holmes first met the Pope. Leo XIII has sent a collection of cameos to Queen Victoria. The cameos are secured tightly in the box they're delivered in, but upon their arrival in London, the box is empty. The Queen has a simple solution: send Sherlock Holmes. Watson is busy with a medical emergency, so he wasn't around.

When Watson asks Sherlock about the incident, Holmes says, quite clearly “Watson, I am incapable of spinning a tale in the way you do. The narrative would read like a scientific treatise.”

Madam Lewis certainly read "The Adventure of the Gloria Scott."

So, there is only one person left who can narrate this tale … the Pope himself. This was the story that truly showed that the author did her research, assembling little details of Leo XIII's interests and hobbies and putting them together into a rich, vibrant character. He is shown here as witty, humorous, and bright.

The byplay between Leo XIII and Holmes in this story was marvelously entertaining. The Pope is shown to be about as smart as Watson … maybe a little smarter. When Holmes first meets the Pontiff, and rattles off conclusions in his usual rapid-fire manner, the Pope takes a minute, and deduces how Holmes came to most of them. Not all, but most. This is a wonderful inversion of what is so typical of early Sherlock Holmes films—in the Basil Rathbone movies, whenever Holmes walked onto the screen, the IQ of everyone in the room dropped about ten points. Making Leo this smart only serves to make Holmes as impressive as he should be—yes, everyone else may be smart, but Holmes is smarter.

Also, having Leo XIII using Thomas Aquinas to talk with Holmes of reason and science … it works for me.

And the scene with Holmes, the Pope, and the gunman was fun, too.

"You know that I am preoccupied with this case of the two Coptic Patriarchs, which should come to a head to-day."

Sherlock Holmes, “The Retired Colourman”

"The Second Coptic Patriarch": The third and final tale is from yet another throwaway line of Arthur Conan Doyle's.

In this case, a former criminal comes to Holmes to solicit his services; the priest who converted him away from his life of crime is in jail for murder. A bookstore owner has been murdered with a book (“The Rule of Oliver Cromwell--weighty subject, no doubt,” Holmes quips), and the priest will only say that the victim was dead when he arrived.  It's almost Sherlock Holmes meets Alfred Hitchcock ... I didn't know someone could do I Confess like this. It's a fun little read, and possibly the most traditional of the Holmes stories -- it's a good tale.  From the perspective of the overall book, it's a perfect cap to the character arc.

Now, after reading Murder in the Vatican, I think I'm going to go back and finish the Sherlock Holmes series -- and keep Murder in the Vatican handy, so I can read them all in chronological order.

Ann Lewis said that the book was "meant to be fun and lift your heart for a short time. I had a blast writing it, and I hope you have a blast reading it."

Mission accomplished.

At the time I read this book, I had been reading another recent work of Sherlock Holmes-related fiction called The Sherlockian.  It was written by a Graham Moore, and it was about a Sherlock Holmes nerd who was sucked into a murder mystery.

Between the two of them, read Murder in the Vatican.


And, now, a surprise .... a sneak peek of the novel.


Enjoy.

An Excerpt

From “The Case of Cardinal Tosca”

“Good Lord.” Harden’s face grew pale. “Rosalinda—!”

Pope Leo blanched as well. Tapping his right fist in his opposite hand, he turned to look out the window behind him. The rain clouds had now blotted the sun, making it seem as dusk in the early afternoon sky.


The pope turned back to us, his dark eyes flashing with decision. “Giocomo!” He commanded suddenly. “Come here.”

Father Dionisio came quickly to his master’s side.

“Remove your cassock.”

“Holiness?”

“Subito!” As Leo spoke, he lifted the pectoral cross over his head and set it on the table. He then unwrapped the sash from around his waist and tossed it on his chair. “Presto! Presto! We have no time to waste.”

Hurriedly, the young man unbuttoned his cassock even as Leo unbuttoned his own. Holmes came around the table and knelt to help Leo with the lower buttons.

“What on earth —?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” said Holmes.

Dionisio removed his cassock and stood in simple black shirt, clerical collar and black trousers. Holmes helped Leo slip out of his white cassock and into the black gown provided by Dionisio. The black was almost the right size, though fuller through the midsection due to Dionisio’s thicker frame.

“You’re not serious, Holiness,” said Harden. “You’re not actually leaving the Vatican. Someone may recognise you—”


“‘If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship,’” Leo replied, quoting what I later learned was Aquinas. “‘He would keep it in port forever.’” He buttoned the top of the cassock while Dionisio crouched to fasten the bottom. “We must go. An innocent child is in danger for my sake.”

“Signore Harden is right, Holiness,” said Dionisio from floor. “This is madness.”

“Basta.” Leo pulled the young man from the ground by the elbow. He gestured emphatically with an open hand to the top of his head. “Portami un cappello. Presto!” Dionisio dashed into the next room. “And black stockings and shoes—ah, never mind I’ll find something.” The pontiff marched with remarkable energy into a side room that I guessed to be his sleeping area and returned promptly with black calf-length boots. His gentleman servant now trailed him protesting in rapid Italian as His Holiness moved. While the pontiff sat on a small bench to kick off his red slippers and pull on the boots, the agitated servant knelt beside him rambling so quickly that neither Harden nor I could decipher any meaning from him.

Apparently the meaning didn’t register to Leo either. “Basta, basta, BASTA!” He barked, stomping his boot-covered foot. He pointed a thumb to his chest. “Ego sum Petros!” He made sweeping gesture to drive the man from in front of him. “Vai!” Struck with terror, the butler dodged from the old man’s path as Leo charged to a baroque style cherry wood cabinet. From it he removed a worn, black leather case that he tucked under his arm. He finished buttoning his cuffs and Dionisio returned with a small, wide-brimmed black hat, which Leo snatched from him. He then plucked off his white zucchetto and slapped it into the bewildered priest’s hands.

“Allora, Signori,” Leo said to us, dropping the black hat on his head. “Andiamo.”

“You’ve forgotten one detail, Padre,” said Holmes, in reference to the pope’s new attire.

“Che?”

“L’anello.” Holmes held up his right hand and pointed to his fourth finger.

“Ah.” Leo pulled the fisherman’s ring from his finger and dropped it into the left pocket of the black cassock. The young priest then handed him a tall black umbrella, and Leo set its end to the floor with authoritative thud.

It is amazing how clothes can change the appearance of a man. Where once stood the proverbial Vicar of Christ on Earth, now stood a simple, venerable Italian priest. Strangely, he resembled the aged Italian cleric persona Holmes once adopted to avoid the notice of Professor Moriarty.

I glanced at Holmes and saw him giving me a knowing grin. “Very well then,” he said. “As the man says—let’s go.”

Writing City of Shadows -- #PulpRev speed ahead

People have noted that I pump out a book in 4-6 weeks. That's usually when I'm dragging my feet or when someone is trying to get me to work on real world projects when I'd rather be working the day job -- which is pumping out books.

I am the KU book factory. Bwahahaha.

Anyway....

But for City of Shadow, I was going to go a little deeper into the pulp rabbit hole.

Enter "the Soul Stone."

Before anyone starts Googling, the closest I've ever seen is has been an accessory for weapons in Elder Scrolls ... and the stones are charged by sucking the souls out of the things you kill. If you get a black soul stone, you can suck the life out of a human being. You can then use the power of a soul to ... keep a magical weapon charged.

Oh please. Surely we can take a human soul, something with enough power to mold and shape the world, and use it for somewhat grander goals, right?

But where do you find something like that in human history?

I'm a historian. I know we don't have any....

I also know that human history doesn't anywhere near cover the existence of the human race. The entire Silmarillion could be a textbook, set before a natural catastrophe that hit the reset button on the planet, and we never would have known.

And in Genesis we are told of a time when giants walked the Earth, and Nephilim wreaking havoc.

I can play with this.

In the book, I describe it like this.

It was beautiful, in a goth sort of way. It was like a black, Satanic Faberge egg. It was brilliant, translucent, and dark. The very sight of it filled me with dread. There were natural, almost fluid striations on either side, within the stone itself. They were clearly below the gleaming, faceted surface. One set of striations were blood red. The other set was a startling silver. If they weren’t embedded inside of a millennia-old diamond, I would have thought they were runes. They're a language that no one has ever seen before. It predates … everything. Yet there are no tool marks on the stone. There’s no way that this should exist. The soul stone is entirely impossible. 

The legend is simple: that it was given to the first pharaoh by Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead himself. And if it was ever misused, it would annihilate any who use it.... And it wiped out Thinis, the first capital of Egypt. So much so we barely know it even exists.

Now, since a weapon that levels the city (like, say, the entire Greater London area) is something you build up to, and not confront over the course of the entire novel.  Unless of course, you can use the main threat to create other threats, more manageable threats, that won't annihilate the entire city... but will kill the hero.

How about taking little flecks of the stone and giving it to casual thugs? They can use it for their own whims -- which will be, of course, to give them superpowers.

In short: I wanted to fight the X-Men as casual minions. Heh heh heh.

Then there was going to be a running shootout in a flaming temple, a chase scene in the middle of London in the middle of a riot, escaping an exploding skyscraper from the top floor, and then a knife fight with an SAS commando.

Then it gets crazier when Tommy has to confront the Soul Stone itself. Because an unknown artifact from the dawn of time may have an attitude problem.

So yeah, it's gonna be FUN.

Get City of Shadows here.

As you wait for the books to download to your Kindle, please join the discussion about the Dragon Awards. I've got the latest post updated and ready to go, and I seriously want to hear from you and your thoughts on what you enjoyed..

Writing City of Shadows -- a return to Horror

City of Shadows is going to be a little tonally different from Death Cult and Infernal Affairs. In fact, it's going to feel a little more like Hell Spawn. Not because I'm going over the same ground, but because I'm going back to a horror novel.

Yes, I know I stumbled into horror the more I wrote Hell Spawn, but hey, it worked. For  Death Cult and Infernal Affairs, I was focused on my original mission -- make an urban fantasy novel.

I didn't put any thought into the tone of the books. Death Cult had a similar tone, but that was largely because of the subject matter being handled. Infernal Affairs just threw it all out the window as the larger world of demons and monsters came at Nolan in a fast and furious flurry of fighting,

With City of Shadows, oh, we're going back to horror.

London is alive with the sound of shadows.

When Tommy Nolan was sent abroad to avoid being made a saint too soon, he thought he'd be a glorified tourist. But when an impossible prehistoric artifact the Vatican is looking at is stolen from the British Museum, they do the first thing that comes to mind -- they call the cops.

But Tommy is soon convinced that the artifact is more than it seems. The crime scene looks like a war zone. The owners of the stolen merchandise eye him with suspicion. His new partner has a shady, mysterious past. The police are ready to arrest him. The city itself seems primed to explode.

Worst of all, the darkness itself is closing in on Tommy, the city, and everyone who lives there.

But Tommy isn't one to curse the darkness. The darkness curses him.

Yeah, I had fun with this one.

You might be thinking "does this sound familiar?"  Only a little. When I wrote Infernal Affairs, I was disappointed in only one thing -- that one of the tricks in the last fight scene wasn't something that I had spread out throughout the novel. That element is where I realized that I had fallen a little too far off of the horror train.

All aboard.

Now, granted, most of this is atmospherics. But when the darkness seems to be closing in even at midday, it helps.

When the darkness itself reaches out and grabs you, that's when we start having fun.

City of Shadows should still be only $.99 this week. Enjoy.

As you wait for the books to download to your Kindle, please join the discussion about the Dragon Awards. I've got the latest post updated and ready to go, and I seriously want to hear from you and your thoughts on what you enjoyed..

Saint Tommy Abroad -- Writing City of Shadows

To my knowledge, the NYPD is the only city police force that has its own international intelligence operators. It's getting to the point where the NYPD operates like the Texas Rangers -- their jurisdiction is wherever they are.

So, when Infernal Affairs ended the way it did, it was obvious that Tommy Nolan had to get the Hell out of town, it was easy enough to transfer .... elsewhere.

Anywhere else.

But why London? In large part because it's one of the places I know best. Sadly, I still needed to use a lot of Google maps, since I was last there 20 years ago. (Also, I've blown up a lot of Rome already in The Pius Trilogy.)

But one of the nice things with getting Tommy abroad is isolating him. He loses his friends, his family. I get to give him a new partner. He gets a total stranger. I get to grind him down and tear out his soul.

And if you're going to nail someone who gets power from God, you're going to have to grind him down and sever his connection.

Me? Sadistic? I'm a writer. That part is redundant. You can tell when even Jim Butcher enjoys talking about how much he tortures Harry Dresden.

But then again, a large part of the fun in fiction is watching our heroes get the ever loving stuffing beaten out of them and still come back for more, and stop them if you can.

And if you can't tell that I like the results I get from beating up Tommy, you should remember everything I did to him in Hell Spawn.... and remember that he still has scars from all of that.

If you think that's bad, you should see what I do to him in City of Shadows.

But isolating him works on multiple levels. You may remember in the first trilogy, Tommy called in backup. He could do that. He did do that on multiple occasions -- when he could.

But now, he's a New York Cop in the middle of Europe. The nice thing about Europe in particular is that it's slowly becoming the wild west again. Acid attacks. Rape gangs. London itself is so scared and so timid, they're banning kitchen knives and recording who buys a shovel or an ax. The next step is to ban spoons. Just wait until they learn what the average convict can weaponize....

Oh, I should note that it's still legal to carry acid around in the middle of London. Because I can't make this crap up. I really can't.

But yeah, it's a nice setup for a rough and tumble world in "civilization."

Oh, and of course, we can't forget -- our hero isn't allowed to carry his own damn gun. Because Europe.

So Tommy has no friends. He has one uncertain ally. The cops are antagonistic. The civilians aren't much better. The criminals wouldn't help him on a bet. He's got no one to back him up except for a total stranger and God Himself.

I won't say that "Then the Winged Hussars Arrived"... but close.

So there's a lot of fun elements to taking Nolan out of his element and dropping him straight into the fire.

It worked in Hell Spawn, Death Cult and Infernal Affairs.

Also, City of Shadows is $.99 this week. So this is the time to jump on board.

As you wait for the books to download to your Kindle, please join the discussion about the Dragon Awards. I've got the latest post updated and ready to go, and I seriously want to hear from you and your thoughts on what you enjoyed..

NEW RELEASE: City of shadows.

City of Shadows is live and only $.99 on Amazon right now.

London is alive with the sound of shadows.
When Tommy Nolan was sent abroad to avoid being made a saint too soon, he thought he'd be a glorified tourist. But when an impossible prehistoric artifact the Vatican is looking at is stolen from the British Museum, they do the first thing that comes to mind -- they call the cops.

But Tommy is soon convinced that the artifact is more than it seems. The crime scene looks like a war zone. The owners of the stolen merchandise eye him with suspicion. His new partner has a shady, mysterious past. The police are ready to arrest him. The city itself seems primed to explode.

Worst of all, the darkness itself is closing in on Tommy, the city, and everyone who lives there.

But Tommy isn't one to curse the darkness. The darkness curses him.

But while I think about it, the entire series is $.99 this week. This means the other three books are on sale right now. Click here if you haven't gotten them already.

And, as you wait for the books to download to your Kindle, please join the discussion about the Dragon Awards. I've got the latest post updated and ready to go, and I seriously want to hear from you and your thoughts on what you enjoyed..

Within Temptation - In Vain (Official Lyric Video)

Within Temptation has a new album out.

I can use anything to write scenes where stuff blows up.

And please remember that the Dragon Awards are kicking around. If you want to vote RIGHT THIS MINUTE, click here.

My discussion starts in Wednesday's blog. Enjoy

Review: Hollow City, by Kai Wai Cheah

Hollow City (Song of Karma, book 1), by Kai Wai Cheah is the latest in Silver Empire's superhero universe line. While it's been discussed in terms of this version of the Punisher....

This may end up as a Punisher origin story, but our hero is way, WAY too sane to be Frank Castle. The vibe as you read the novel is more Michael Connelly doing a noir superhero novel, with gun porn that outdoes Larry Correia. (No, I'm not exaggerating, and you did not misread that. Gun porn that would make Larry Correia blush).

Six kills in six years.
Super powered cop Adam Song has dedicated his life to the law. In the military and the police force, Adam ruthlessly protects the innocent.

But this time he’s killed the wrong bad guy. Now the local drug lord’s son is dead, and the boss is out for Adam’s blood. Even his secret identity won’t keep him safe. The police department hangs him out to dry, his years of exemplary service forgotten. Adam must take justice into his own hands to keep his family safe.

Because Adam is a Song. And Songs take care of their own. No matter the cost.

When does justice become murder? And just how far will he go to protect his clan?

Dragon and Hugo Award nominated author Kai Wai Cheah steps onto the superhero scene with his debut Heroes Unleashed novel. His characteristic fast-paced action and attention to detail brings Adam Song and the Chinatown of Hollow City vividly to life.

What makes a straight-laced hero cop go rogue? Buy the book or read it in Kindle Unlimited today to find out!

Imagine if Baen did a superhero novel and it was one part Connelly, one part Correia. You've got smart police tactics by a superpowered former soldier as part of a SWAT team, but you also have the problems of the politics of "Primes" (they're not supeheroes or mutants, they're Primes).  It becomes an interesting mix of politics, powers and police. When I reference Michael Connelly, most people should think of his hero, Harry Bosch (yes, now an Amazon Prime show). And the police department in Halo City is very much like the corrupt, politics-ridden (but I repeat myself) legal system of Bosch's LA. It helps with the noir feel of the novel, as it constantly refers to Halo City as the Hollow City, dark, soulless and corrupt....


You know, Chicago.

(Okay, if you're looking for a direct parallel, it's probably if San Francisco were run by Chicago politicians, down to the demographics, and "Grand Park" instead of SF's Grant Park.)

Once again, as with the first book in the series, (Morgon Newquist's "Heroes United") it's a superhero world that feels very real. Screwups are not tolerated, leaving a realistic feel to the narration -- such as referring to an egomaniac "hero" who was going to livestream an arrest... so the criminal set a trap and put three rounds in the sucker's face.  Stupidity is its own death penalty. The politics are realistic enough to make me want to strangle the politicians -- even down to having a Black Lives Matter group that's against Primes. And I love the line "Politics is never personal until it happens to you," I may need to steal it.

And the tactics are solid. The guns are detailed and make sense given the use of force required. The fact that Adam has three guns, as well as a taser, is one of the better carry policies I've seen of a hero in a novel for some time.

The world building is solid. The tactics are great. The character is also well developed. Publicly, Adam Song seems to have the powers of Marvel's Bullseye -- he always hits what he aims for, with preternatural reaction time. That's what everyone else thinks, too. But it goes beyond that, and he has a very simple, straightforward approach to handling everything -- it's handled by the book. I love the byplay between what the public thinks he can do, what he says he can do, and what he actually can do. It's the usually conflict of the civilian mindset versus the mindset of people who actually get shot at with some regularity. I had to look up his Amazon bio to make certain that Kai Wai Cheah hadn't served in law enforcement or the military.

And then there's our hero's family... I await someone to bitch about Kai Wai Cheah using "Asian stereotypes" as he writes his novel in his native Singapore. Heh.

There are a bunch of cute bits as well. They're not SWAT teams, but STAR teams (Resident Evil, anyone?). The investigator is Herbert Franks (cute Cheah. Very cute). Cheah also has bullet storm haiku... no, I'm NOT kidding.

Short version: If Harry Bosch were an Asian superhero, and Michael Connelly had a sense of humor, this is the book you'd end up with -- a Superhero Baen novel. If you enjoy anything put out by Baen, or Harry Bosch, or Astro City, or Jon Bernthal's portrayal of the Punisher in Daredevil, you're probably going to enjoy this one.

My only problem? There is a bit of a cliffhanger. But then again, it did say book 1. For some reason, it does NOT piss me off anywhere near as much as others have.

I wholeheartedly recommend this one. 5/5. I'm seriously considering this for a Dragon Award if I knew where I'd put it.

Dragon Con Award discussion, April 2019

The Dragons are here, let the discussion begin.

And yes, I said discussion. I'd like people to come on, and tell me what you want to see nominated. Hell, I've already made adjustments to the list below. I haven't changed who I'm voting for yet, since something would need to blow my socks off to change my mind. But I want to make certain that this become a DISCUSSION.

Now, again, please remember the eligibility is from the start of July 2018 to the end of June 2019.

So, let's continue.

* * * * * *  * *

Best Science Fiction Novel

I have already reviewed Heroes Fall by Morgon Newquist. You might think .... whatever you like. But this was one Hell of a solid novel, and some of the best SF I've read in years.

What is it? Superheroes. If you liked Astro City, or JMS's Rising Stars, or, hell, the MCU, you're going to want to read this one, and I think you're going to agree with me that it's pretty kickass.

Now, as was suggested last time, Richard Paolinelli has a new book out, called When the Gods Fell.

Also, Christopher Ruocchio would like people to recall that his novel, Empire of Silence has also come out.

Best Fantasy Novel 

(Including Paranormal)

I have not yet reviewed Bokerah Brumley's "Keepers of New Haven: Woe for a Faerie" on my blog. However, I can tell you that it has some interesting ideas and

How can I have already put it on my blog?  That's the joy of getting ARCs from your publisher. Heh heh heh. But for Brumley, she'll get her due. Oh yes, she will.  BWHAHAHAAHAHAHA.

Anyway.

I had considered putting one of Daniel Humphreys Paxton Locke novels up for this one (again, I got the ARC. Heh heh heh), but he was more interested in emphasizing another topic.

Also, to be honest, while I know the book is done, I don't know when it's going to be released, so there's that too.

Best YA / Middle Grade Novel

Mutter mutter mutter. The Kings Regret by Ligon is not yet out, so you'll have to take my word on it for this moment. I can't say too much. It's Steampunk YA.

Lucky for him, Jagi hasn't come out with another Rachel Griffin novel.

Best Military SFF Novel

Daniel Humphrey's A Place For War... Yes, this is what Daniel wanted to be nominated in instead of his upcoming Black Night's Agents, so I concurred.

For the record, no, I have not yet read David Weber's Uncompromising Honor. I suspect he will not need additional support.

And Brian Niemeier said a while ago, one Dragon Award was enough, so I'm not going to bother getting him a nomination for Combat Seed X.

Best Alternate History Novel

This was a tough one.

Because in addition to Hans Schantz's Brave and the Bold (reviewed here), you also have yet again another Robert Kroese Iron Dragon novel .... which I will admit, I have not read, but let's face it, Robert isn't going to start to suck at this late date, now is he?

And,  honestly, I thought it was going to be Hammer of the Witches, by Kai Wai Cheah. However, I don't think it's eligible. So I'm going to have to flip a coin between Hans and Robert.

Best Media Tie-In Novel

Thrawn: Alliance
Timothy Zahn is doing a Thrawn novel. Your argument is so invalid, it's not even funny.

Best Horror Novel

This is funny, since by the time the Dragons comes out, I will have SIX horror novels eligible.

Hell Spawn
Death Cult
Infernal Affairs
City of Shadows (Coming soon)
Crusader (Coming soon)
Deus Vult (Coming soon....ish)

..... But as I argued, it's best to nominate Hell Spawn and move on. And if you disagree and would like to nominate one of the other books in another category ... okay, but I'd like you not to split the vote too too much. Please refer here for my thoughts on the matter.

Best Comic Book

Flying Sparks, by Jon del Arroz.

Is anyone going to fight me on this one? Go ahead, name me something better. I dare ye.

Review coming.... yes, I owe a lot of people reviews. Stow it.

Best Graphic Novel

Good question. Any ideas?

Though I'm tempted to say the comic adaptations of PD Wodehouse by Chuck Dixon, just because Jeeves and Wooser are just so much fun.

Best SFF TV Series

I actually have a tossup on this one. Believe it or not

Reverie... which was a great little series over the summer that should probably get a nomination for the first year along.

And

God Friended Me .... what can I say? I enjoy it so far, even though I do expect it to go Person of Interest by the end of the season.

For right now, let's say Reverie.

Best SFF Movie

The Meg...

No. No question. Just The Meg.

Yes, I'm biased, you damn straight. I've only waited 20 flipping years for this movie.

Though wouldn't it be funny if it's The Meg vs Aquaman?

Water on water violence.

Best SFF PC / Console Game

Spiderman, PS4, Insomniac games.

Yup. No hesitation. This was .... amazing.

As for ... Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Mobile Game ....
AND
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game....
AND
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures / Collectible Card / Role-Playing Game....
You got me. Come at me, give me some suggestions in the blog comments, and let's see how this stacks up.

Other nominees.

You might remember that last year, I had at least half a dozen nominees for each category....

Nope. Not anymore.

Granted, I could suggest some nominees for you.

Hans' Brave and the Bold, as mentioned and linked to above.

A friend of mine, MA Rothman, has an SF book out that might be of interest.

Again, the upcoming Daniel Humphreys' Come Seeling Night is something I'd suggest in paranormal, but he wanted military.

....So, yeah, right now, I'm out of alternate suggestions at the moment. Maybe I'm just out of authors. Heck, I would love to nominated Simon R Green for Night Fall... but it is one of his lesser works, and really dropped the ball for the finale of his magnum opus, largely by having it as a crossover with a series I truly and deeply hate.

If you want to give me alternate suggestions, please be sure to leave one in the comment -- author, title, and genre category.

As of now, let the discussions begin.

And if you want to vote RIGHT THIS MINUTE, that would be here.

Classic SFF, my Questions for RavenCon

So, this Sunday, I'm going to be moderating a panel on Classic SFF at Raven Con

The description?

What makes a classic? And what’s the lifespan of a classic? Nothing lasts forever… what can you think of that was long accepted as a classic but no one thinks of now?

This is simple enough.

The guests?

• Dina Leacock
• Declan Finn (M)
• L. Jagi Lamplighter
• Nathan Skreslet
• John C. Wright

1) Introduce yourself in relation to your experience with Classic SFF.

2) One definition of a classic is a work that survives the generation it was published in, largely because there is a timeless element to it. Would you add any other attributes to the definition in regards to SFF?

3) What classics are there that you believe have been largely overlooked or forgotten, and why do you think they fell by the wayside?

4) Using our definition from before, do you see any modern works of SFF that are timeless enough to be classics in the future? Or are there some, like David Weber's Honor Harrington series, that have been around so long that they are already classics?

5) Have you found Classic SFF influencing how you write? And how?

6) Definitions of words change over time. So does cultural context. For example, Robert E Howard used words in his stories that were not racist at the time, but some may consider them as such now. Heck, we can't even screen Blazing Saddles without someone having a temper tantrum. In an era with at least three annotated versions of Sherlock Holmes, are there any classics of SFF that you can imagine being rereleased with footnotes and marginalia? Or does SFF establish enough of its own context within the world so that it defies a need for annotations?

7) We seem to live in an era where people seem to read classic SFF that they skim the book until they find something to be offended by, then get offended over it. What is your most problematic work of classic SFF that you enjoy the most? What classic do you enjoy the most that you think no one else would understand unless you sat them down and explained it to them?


PEOPLE I HOPE TO BRING UP include

Robert E. Howard, A. Merritt, Poul Anderson, Jack Wance, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Zelazny, Lovercraft, Leigh Brackett, Frederick Brown.

RAVENCON, 2019 SCHEDULE

This upcoming weekend, I will be at RavenCon. My schedule looks a bit like this.

Friday

5 - 7 pm (Private, Optional) Meet and Greet for Guests / Green Room

7 pm (Opening Ceremony) Large Auditorium

8 pm (Panel) Music and Art Influences in SFF Stories and Novels / Room F
Where have our panelists used music or art in SFF stories or novels, or seen it used? What are your favorite examples? When you share a playlist with your readers, is it always the same music you wrote to?
Guests: (Moderator) Gray Rinehart, Declan Finn, Alexander G.R. Gideon, James P. Nettles

This should be fun. Especially when it feels like half my posts on the blog are music posts.

Saturday

3 pm (Panel) Combining the Mystery/ Detective Genre with SF / Room L
Although humanity changes very slowly, in the future the methods used to commit crime and enforce laws will certainly change. What elements of detective fiction make for satisfying science fiction? What elements of science fiction make for satisfying mysteries? In the cold world of cyberpunk, does justice usually prevail?
Guests: T. Eric Bakutis, Declan Finn, Jack McDevitt, Joan Wendland, Meriah L. Crawford (M)

Having written at least three straight up murder mysteries (It Was Only on Stun!, Set to Kill, and Codename: UnSub), not even counting the "fantasy with mystery elements" in Love at First Bite and all of Saint Tommy, NYPD,

I think I can make this work.

And I'm on this panel with Jack flipping McDevitt.

5PM: Signing

9 pm (Panel) Letters Written From Hell – The Horror Writing Process / Room L
Ever wondered how seemingly normal people come up with such horrific ideas? Are they, in fact, normal? What kind of research do they do? How far into a psycho's psyche do they have to get? Do their subjects ever get to them? Come find out, if you dare.
Guests: Pamela K. Kinney, Lexie Carver, Declan Finn, Michael Cieslak (M)

BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

"Normal" people. Heh heh heh.

That's not even the dark one. The next one is after any potential children at the con are asleep.

11 pm (Panel) Exploring the Dark / Room L
What draws us to the horrific? What role does horror have in society? Does gore/hyper-violence and/or a comic/humorous tone in horror conflict or complement psychological horror?
Guests: Mark Geary (M), RS Belcher, Lexie Carver, Declan Finn

This should be interesting since this is going to be just me and one other person. Though talking about "horror in society" might be a wee bit pretentious.

Sunday

11 am (Panel) Classic SFF / Room L / Moderator
What makes a classic? And what’s the lifespan of a classic? Nothing lasts forever… what can you think of that was long accepted as a classic but no one thinks of now?
Guests: Dina Leacock, Declan Finn (M), L. Jagi Lamplighter, Nathan Skreslet, John C. Wright.

Yes. I'm moderating this one. And I'm on with Jagi. And with John C. Wright.... No big deal.

Granted, it's also 11 am on Sunday morning of a convention. Let's see who's going to be awake. Hopefully, I'm one of them.


1 pm (Panel) Beyond John Williams / Room E
John Williams is the man, but he isn't the only one. Who are some other great film score composers?
Guests: Declan Finn, Jason Hamlin (M)

I could make this a three hour lecture all by myself.