A Case of the Claws: Classics Tales of Feline Crime by Catherine Aird, Edmund Crispin, Ellis Peters and Patricia Highsmith

A Case of the Claws: Classics Tales of Feline Crime by Catherine Aird, Edmund Crispin, Ellis Peters and Patricia Highsmith

Bookshop.org | Ebook | TG Jones | Waterstones

Blurb

Soft paws come with sharp claws…

It’s deep winter. Time to light the fire, pull up a blanket and curl up with your cat. But is your feline friend playing innocent? What were they up to while you were out of sight?

Slink through shadows in these classic cat-themed mystery tales from beloved crime authors Catherine Aird, Edmund Crispin, Patricia Highsmith and Ellis Peters.

A Case of the Claws bring a thrilling winter chill to the festive season and are these furry friends the guardians of our secrets or omens of misfortune?

Review

This is my first festive read of the season and one that I only recently bought. I will be honest I couldn’t not buy this book because it is about cats!

The book consists of four short stories that all involve cats who help solve crimes. Trinity Cat by Ellis Peters, Ming’s Biggest Prey by Patricia Highsmith, The Hunchback Cat by Edmund Crispin and Touch Not the Cat by Catherine Aird.

Trinity Cat by Ellis Peters was my absolute favourite story of the book. It instantly hooks you in and you can’t help but fall in love with Trinity Cat. Trinity Cat is a real character who I would love to meet. He also clearly knows more than the local police. There are some really funny scenes in this short story that made me giggle out loud.

Ming’s Biggest Prey by Patricia Highsmith was my second favourite of the short stories. I really liked the character of Ming and how the story is told through Ming’s perspective. Ming knew exactly what was going on and knew what needed to be done. I was really rooting for Ming in this story.

Touch Not the Cat by Catherine Aird was a good short story but I did find it lacked a certain something and was one of these stories that you could easily forget. It is another story where the cat is instrumental in catching the murderer.

The Hunchback Cat by Edmund Crispin was my least favourite story of the group. It started off promising but then it just ended up rushed at the end and left me very unsatisfied. I really felt that the author wasn’t comfortable writing short stories.

Overall, I really enjoyed this quick read and found it a perfect start to my festive reading. Short stories are always a favourite at Christmas as everything is so busy you can just read a story a day if you wish. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲🐲

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach by Nnedi Okorafor (Review)

Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach by Nnedi Okorafor

Blurb

Tornado Onwubiko is one of seven people on Earth paired with sentient ships to explore and research the cosmos for twenty million euros. A decade of solitary life for a lifetime of wealth. Five years into the ten-year mission of total isolation comes a a temporary meetup among fellow travelers. A lot can happen in a week. For Tornado, who left a normal life behind, a little company can be life-changing.

Review

This is the fifth book of The Far Reaches collection and my first book by Okorafor. I also think this book is my favourite of the collection. I would have loved this to have been a full length novel as I just wanted to know so much more.

The first thing I loved about this short story was the science and technology involved in the living ships called Miris. The ships really reminded me of one of my favourite TV shows Farscape. I really found the Miris fascinating and I would love to have learned more about them. I loved how each Miri adapted to whomever lived in them and made things comfortable for them.

Each captain of the Miris is on the ship on their own although some do have pets, they also have AI on board to help them. I loved the story and found the characters unique and interesting. There were a couple of scenes that I found quite sad but they also just added to the story. The story might only be 45 pages long but it really packed a lot in and I enjoyed Okoafor’s idea of what humans travelling the universe would be like and what they might encounter. I really enjoyed this short story and I will definitely be reading more by Okorafor in the near future. I give this story 5 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

About the author

Nnedi Okorafor is a New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism, both terms she coined and defined. Born in the United States to two Nigerian (Igbo) immigrant parents and visiting family in Nigeria since she was a child, the foundation and inspiration of Nnedi’s work is rooted in this part of Africa. Her many works include Who Fears Death (winner of the World Fantasy Award and in development at HBO as a TV series), the Nebula and Hugo award winning novella trilogy Binti (in development as a TV series), the Lodestar and Locus Award winning Nsibidi Scripts Series, LaGuardia (winner of a Hugo and Eisner awards for Best Graphic Novel) and her most recent novella Remote Control. Her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. She lives with her daughter Anyaugo in Phoenix, AZ.

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

The Long Game by Ann Leckie (Review)

The Long Game by Ann Leckie

Blurb

An inquisitive life-form finds there’s more to existence than they ever dreamed in an imaginative short story by New York Times bestselling and Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Ann Leckie.

On a far-off colony, humans tower over the local species who grow the plants they need. Narr keeps the workers in line—someone has to. But when Narr learns just how short-lived their species is, the little alien embarks on a big adventure to find out why their people die and how to stop it. Stubborn and hopeful, Narr has a plan for the locals, for humans, and for the future.

Ann Leckie’s The Long Game is part of The Far Reaches, a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

Review

This is the fourth book of The Far Reaches collection which I have been really enjoying so far. The Far Reaches collection features six short stories by different authors. This is my first introduction into Ann Leckie and I was not disappointed.

To begin with I was a little bit confused by this story because it begs the question of what is the point behind it because at first it just seems like a pointless tale about a little alien. However, once I got into this short story I realised it asked quite a few big questions.

Narr is a native species of a planet that humans have colonised. Narr’s species are subordinate to the humans and basically do all the work that the humans don’t want to do. Narr keeps the workers (his own people) in line for the humans. However, Narr soon begins to realise that his species are very short lived in comparison to the humans and that there must be a reason behind it.

This story is only 28 pages long but it packs a punch and asks a lot of questions. I really enjoyed it and I will definitely be on the look out for more books by Ann Leckie. I give this little short story 4 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲🐲

About the author

Ann Leckie (born March 2, 1966) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. Her 2013 debut novel Ancillary Justice, which features artificial consciousness and gender-blindness, won the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Novel, as well as the Nebula Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the BSFA Award. The sequels, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy, each won the Locus Award and were both nominated for the Nebula Award. Provenance, published in 2017, and Translation State, published in 2023, are also set in the Imperial Radch universe.

Leckie’s first fantasy novel, The Raven Tower, was published in February 2019.

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Beach Hut 512 by Dorothy Koomson (Review)

Beach Hut 512 by Dorothy Koomson

Blurb

When vandals destroy beach hut 512 on Brighton’s iconic seafront, they reveal a dead body that has apparently lain undisturbed for two months. But according to the hut’s owner, Sims, its locks rusted shut three months ago and she hasn’t had access to it since. So how could the man have got in, and why is there no evidence of the murderer?

Sims has spent the past three years recovering from the trauma of being targeted by a serial killer and narrowly escaping with her life. But this grim discovery feels like too much of a could the person who put the body in her hut be the same man who wants her dead? In a desperate race against time, can she uncover the truth behind beach hut 512 before a murderer with a chilling obsession strikes again?

Review

I got this short story on the Amazon Prime First Reads scheme and I’m really pleased I did as it was a good introduction to a new author for me.

I always struggle with short stories as I get frustrated when a story feels rushed and some authors are just not great short story writers but this was not the case with Koomson’s short story. This short story was brilliantly written and didn’t feel rushed or like details were missing. The story was well rounded and lacked for nothing.

The story goes between current events and past events. The past shows Sims as a Chemistry professor who was targeted by a serial killer but she survived. Sadly the serial killer escaped and is still on the run. The current events show Sims discovering her beach hut vandalised but what she didn’t expect was a dead body to be in her beach hut. She has no idea how the body got there as the locks on the hut have been rusted shut for 3 months and apparently the body has been in the hut for 2 months. Sims must work out what is going on.

At the beginning I did find Sims a little odd but once I realised her past trauma I understood her more and understood her actions. She really was a fascinating character. I also really liked the idea of a locked room (beach hut) mystery and it really reminded me of a Jonathan Creek episode.

I really enjoyed this short story and give it 4 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲🐲

About the author

Dorothy Koomson (born 1971 in London) is a contemporary British novelist of Ghanaian descent. She has been described as “Britain’s biggest selling black author of adult fiction”.

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse (Review)

Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse

Blurb

A young man caught between two disparate worlds searches for his place in the universe in a wrenching short story by New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse.

Light-years from home, it’s Ira’s second chance. Just another anonymous student at a space station university. Not the orphan whose Earther heritage was erased. Not some social experiment put on display by his adoptive father. Not the criminal recruited by the human rebels. But when Ira’s loyalties clash once again, two wars break one on the ground and one within himself. Which will Ira stand with? Which will take him down?

Rebecca Roanhorse’s Falling Bodies is part of The Far Reaches, a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

Review

This is the first story I have read by Rebecca Roanhorse and I was not disappointed. The story focuses on Ira. Ira’s is a sad tale, he is a human orphan who was adopted as a social experiment which means he grew up in a life of privilege but with this privilege he lost all his Earther history.

In this story humans are not the dominant species and they are trying to find ways to fight back. Humanity has been conquered and yes they are allowed to live but their history, their culture is being obliterated. This short story shows a small snippet of humanity fighting back.

This little story of just 35 pages really packed quite a punch and I really enjoyed it even if I would have preferred a different ending. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons and I will be definitely looking out for more books by Roanhorse in the future.

🐲🐲🐲🐲

About the author

Rebecca Roanhorse is a New York Times bestselling and Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Award-winning speculative fiction writer. She has published multiple award-winning short stories and novels, including two novels in The Sixth World Series, Star Wars: Resistance Reborn, Race to the Sun for the Rick Riordan imprint, and the epic fantasy trilogy Between Earth and Sky. She has also written for Marvel Comics and games and for television, including FX’s A Murder at the End of the World, and the Marvel series Echo for Disney+. She has had her own work optioned by Amazon Studios, Netflix, and AMC Studios.

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Void by Veronica Roth (Review)

Void by Veronica Roth

Blurb

An intergalactic luxury cruise to a distant port is a world unto itself in this piercing short mystery by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth. Traveling faster than light, the transport ship Redundancy is cut off from communication as effectively as an ancient ocean liner. The isolation suits crew member Ace Vance just fine—she’s got nowhere else to be. But when a wealthy passenger turns up dead during a routine voyage, Ace will have to connect with the passengers and crew to uncover the truth. Tragedy will strike again—it’s only a matter of time. Veronica Roth’s Void is part of The Far Reaches, a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

Review

Wow, Veronica Roth can write a short story!

This is the second book in the Far Reaches series and a far better story than the first in my opinion. I really struggle with short stories because quite often an excellent writer struggles with producing a good short story but this was not the case with Roth. This was an amazing murder mystery set in space. Instead of a locked room mystery it is a ship in space with no communication with anyone else.

A lot of the workers on the Redundancy are there to forget something and because of how time works eventually the people they knew on their home planet are long dead whilst they are still young. This is just fine for Ace Vance and she likes her life working and living on board. However, when a murder happens on board there is nobody there to investigate so Ace takes it upon herself to solve the murder.

I was really impressed by the characters within this book. Usually in short stories you don’t get a sense of the characters but in this story you get a real idea of each character’s personae and how they work together as friends and colleagues. The other element I loved was the science included and how this linked in with the story so the ending all made sense.

I read this short story in one sitting and absolutely loved it. I will be definitely reading more Roth in the future as I now know she can write brilliant books and short stories. I give this story 5 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

About the author

Veronica Roth is the New York Times best-selling author of Arch-Conspirator, Poster Girl, Chosen Ones, the short story collection The End and Other Beginnings, the Carve the Mark duology, and the Divergent series. She lives in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and dog.

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

How It Unfolds by James S. A. Corey (Review)

How It Unfolds by James S. A. Corey

Blurb

Roy Court and his crew are taking the trip of a lifetime—several lifetimes in fact—duplicated and dispatched across the galaxies searching for Earthlike planets. Many possibilities for the future. Yet for Roy, no matter how many of him there are, there’s still just one painful, unchangeable past. In what world can a broken relationship be reborn? The universe is so vast, there’s always room for hope.

Review

I love James S. A. Corey books so I was really excited to read a short story and so I downloaded the full Far Reaches collection onto my Kindle.

I struggled with this short story and found it hard to get into. In fact I did abandon it for a few months so when I picked it back up I read it from the beginning again. I enjoyed the concept of the story and really thought more could have been done with the story but I felt that too much was being crammed into a short space and this led to it feeling rather confused at times. I would have also liked more things explained which I think would have also helped me with the storyline.

I couldn’t help but root for Roy and really hoped that at least one version of him found happiness in love. However, I would have loved to have learnt more about his fellow crew mates.

This short story had so much potential but I just felt like it missed the mark for me and it didn’t feel like a typical James S. A. Corey story. I really wanted more from the story but just felt disappointed. I give this short story 3 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲

About the author

James S. A. Corey is the pen name of fantasy author Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, George R. R. Martin’s assistant. They both live Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Etsy

Death Comes at Christmas edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane (Review)

Death Comes at Christmas edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane

Blurb

The award-winning Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane invite you to a festive gathering of bestselling, critically acclaimed and award-winning writers in tribute to classic, British period crime stories. From locked room mysteries on Christmas eve to devilish whodunits and tales of simmering rivalries unfolding at the dinner table, these thirteen original seasonal tales will delight and shock at every twist and turn. So, unwrap the presents, pour a mug of mulled wine and follow the bloodstained footprints through the freshly fallen snow as winter descends and darkness lurks in the shadows.

Review

I’m not a huge short story fan but at Christmas I always make an exception and buy some short story books because you can’t beat a good Christmas murder mystery.

I will be honest I wasn’t overly enthralled with this book. There were some stories that really caught my interest but most just lacked the lustre that I usually enjoy in a short story about a Christmas murder mystery. I won’t go into every story but here are the ones which have stayed with me for good and bad reasons.

One of the stories that I really enjoyed was one of the first stories in the book. How to Commit Murder in a Bookshop. I thought this story was very clever and I really had no idea what was going on till the very end. It was beautifully written and I loved the characters, especially the bookshop staff.

The Red Angel was also a good story and was very surprising. I loved the ending and really didn’t see it coming.

Christmas Yet to Come was a piggy back on the classic A Christmas Carol and to be honest I thought it was rather an insult to Dickens. I could see what the author was trying to do but I didn’t enjoy the story and didn’t find that it flowed very well. It was also rather predictable.

Icarus was probably my least favourite story of the collection as it felt unfinished and it was also the shortest story in the book. It just felt like the author had forgotten the storyline and then not bothered to finish it.

Overall, I could take or leave this book as it just felt a bit ‘meh’. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith

(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke (Review)

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke

Blurb

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scott is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees—and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.

One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst—and the path of her life is changed forever.

From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of Piranesi and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an enchanting, beautifully illustrated short story set in the Strange universe. Featuring an introduction by Susanna Clarke and gorgeous illustrations from Victoria Sawdon truly worthy of the magic of this story, this is a mesmerising, must-have addition to any fantasy reader’s bookshelf.

Review

I bought this short little book for my husband who is a huge fan of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell but I fancied a short wintery read so I picked it up at the beginning of December for a quick read.

I loved the illustrations in this book and for me the illustrations were the best thing because I just thought the story itself was really lacking. Sadly for me the book was just too short. I needed a bit more character development, I wanted to know more about the Merowdis and her sister. I definitely think this would have been better as a full novel.

My opinion of this book is that it is rather forgettable. To be honest if it wasn’t for the blurb I wouldn’t have remembered the main character’s name and I definitely can’t remember the sister’s name. The main thing I remember is the pet pig called Apple because how can you forget a pet pig called Apple?

The story felt like Clarke was aiming for a Grimm’s fairytale feeling but for me it just missed the mark. I was quite excited for this book but sadly it just was a bit beige. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

Susanna Clarke (1959) is an English author who has published novels and short stories. Her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and her set of short stories The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories are all set in a magical England.

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

A Place Like Home by Rosamunde Pilcher (Review)

A Place Like Home by Rosamunde Pilcher

Blurb

A Place Like Home is a spellbinding collection of short stories by internationally bestselling author Rosamunde Pilcher, never before published in book form. The collection contains fifteen stories, which range from “Our Holiday”, in which a wife surprises her husband of twenty-five years with a holiday full of Mediterranean sunshine, red rocks and blue seas in an effort to rekindle the romance they had before children; “Through the Eyes of Love”, which takes the reader to a village by the sea where old flames meet again; and “A Place Like Home”, where a lonely young woman goes to recuperate in the Scottish countryside after a brief illness. The fruit orchards and fresh sea air offer much needed respite–but not as much as the handsome, mysterious farmer she meets.

Each unforgettable story is the perfect slice of romance written with warmth and passion featuring wonderfully memorable, smart, and feisty female characters that will transport the reader to another time and place.

Review

People who have been following my blog for some time know that one of my favourite authors is Pilcher. I absolutely adore her full length novels but I do struggle with some of her short stories. I find Pilcher’s strength as an author was in the epic novel where she had the freedom to create such powerful female characters that were strong and in control of their own futures.

This set of fifteen short stories has been sat on my kindle since last year as it was a holiday read that I never got around to reading. These stories all focus around marriage and courtship and quite a few strong female characters. Each story is beautifully written and has Pilcher’s wonderful charm about it but I did find them all rather similar and could guarantee what the ending would be of each story after finishing the third story.

Whilst there isn’t anything very remarkable about this book of short stories the stories were all enjoyable and a nice read and of course beautifully written. I did find myself wanting to know more about several of the characters and would have loved a full length novel instead of a short story. This was the case for the stories that had the romantic couple as the main characters of the story. The stories which had the romantic interests as side characters were much better suited to the short story format.

This was an enjoyable read and one that was perfectly suited for reading when you have a short space of time but it really lacked the special something that I expect from Pilcher. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.

🐲🐲🐲

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Waterstones | WH Smith

About the author

Rosamunde Pilcher was born on the 22nd September 1924 in Cornwall. She began writing when she was 7 and published her first short story at the age of 15. From 1943 to 1946 she served with the Women’s Royal Naval Service. In 1946 she married her Graham Hope Pilcher and they moved to Dundee, Scotland together. In 1949 Pilcher’s first novel was published under the pseudonym Jane Fraser, she went on to publish a further ten novels under that name. In 1955 she published her first novel under her own name, by 1965 she had dropped the pseudonym entirely. Pilcher retired from writing in 2000, two years later she received her OBE.