BOOKLIFE.COM 71SF/FANTASY/HORROR
Witches and Reapers
Steven Smith
264p, ebook, $3.99, ASIN B08NQMMDN3
An assassin must escape
with his new-born daughter
when he discovers that her
mother plans to sacrifice the girl
in Smith’s fast-paced erotic
fantasy debut. Tobin is a reaper,
a favored follower of Bytos, God
of Assassins. Working under-
cover to secure Bytos a foothold
in Snowbank Kingdom takes
Tobin into the bed of Queen
Marilynn but when he discovers that she’s a servant of the
dark goddess, Seren, and intends to sacrifice their daughter,
Tobin kidnaps the new-born. After hastily hiring Rene, a
brothel wet nurse, to care for baby Dakota, Tobin flees for
Crescent City with the wicked Queen’s soldiers on his heels.
Smith sets an electric pace as Tobin, Rene, and Dakota race to
keep ahead of their pursuers. The world-building is immersive
and littered with intriguing hints that connect this fantasy
world to ours as the party secures passage across the ocean
and heads for Tobin’s hometown as part of a merchant caravan.
However, those promising elements of the world-building
remain mostly ambiguous in this first volume, suggesting that
a link to our world may only play a major role in subsequent
installments of the Merging Realms series. Readers who prefer
clearly explained worlds and magic systems may be frustrated
with Smith’s immersive, mystery-tinged style.
Smith offers a variety of steamy scenes, which include
loving partnerships, trips to a
brothel, and dark rituals
ending in human sacrifice.
The sole non-consensual
scene is neither gratuitous nor
overly graphic. The heat level
leans toward the milder end of
the spectrum throughout, and
Smith cleverly incorporates
characterization and plot
advancement into the most
intimate scenes. Tobin’s
portrayal as being a gifted
lover can be heavy-handed at
times, which is not entirely
mitigated by his more tender
traits. Some inconsistencies
with character names cause
confusion. Fans of dark
fantasy and those who enjoy
erotic fantasy will find much to
enjoy in Smith’s debut.SF/FANTASY/HORROR
The Gods of
Ahman-Tahk
Maria Mathis | KDP
243p, ebook, $2.99, ISBN 978-1-793-
18624-9
This inter-planetary, multidi-
mensional sci-fi epic opens in
contemporary Oakland, where
Danny, a member of the myste-
rious Shadow Clan, is being ques-
tioned by Paranormal Task Force
Detective Ernie Benasco over the
bombing of a witch coven.
Danny’s brother, Tuyouk, is the
chief suspect; Ernie wants answers, but rather than offer them up
Danny recounts events from Tuyouk’s past--events that trans-
pired on another planet, Ahman-tahk, centuries ago. There,
Tuyouk was a mighty warrior fighting against an invasion of
witches whose leader, Belall, decimated Tuyouk’s village and
sickened the women of his planet, effectively condemning
Tuyouk’s people to extinction. But it’s not until Tuyouk is captured
by Belall that he realizes how monstrous and complicated she
truly is, as he calls into question his role in the war and whether his
hatred for witches has endured over such time and distance.
The far-flung premise and atypical elements—witches, aliens,
and scientific experimentation—blend together surprisingly
well, culminating into distinctive and well-constructed lore. The
narrative momentum suffers, though, as the novel turns from the
exciting timeline of Ahman-tahk back to Danny’s and Ernie’s
interview, interjections that ground the story and offer novelty
and character but also often are
static. It takes a long time
before the events of the distant
past connect to the novel’s
present. Fortunately, the crisp
prose and energetic plotting
otherwise keep things moving.
Mathis’s writing is witty and
funny, and the chapters often
end in cliff-hangers that pull
readers in for more. An added
plus is the focus on early black
and brown societies, a
welcome change for a genre
dominated by white ones. This
solid opener will likely lead to
grander follow-ups, judging by
the included excerpt of the
second in the series, which
takes off with the electric intro-
duction of a new character.
Though it has some way to go,
this planet-hopping series has
targeted its destination.
Erotic and dark
fantasy fans will
enjoy Smith’s tale of
an assassin on the
run from a dark
queen.Production grades
Cover: A
Design & typography: B-
Illustrations: –
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Production grades
Cover: A
Design & typography: B
Illustrations: –
Editing: C
Marketing copy: C+Fans of daringly
eclectic genre
fiction who like not
choosing between
fantasy, sci-fi, and
detective novels
will relish this
series opener.
PAID REVIEWSGreat for fans of
Heather Graham’s
Dreaming Death, Ivan
Kal’s Broken Stars.Great for fans of
S.J Sanders’
Corruption of the Rose,
Guy Gavriel Kay’s
Sarantine Mosaic.