Village – DaneCobain.com

Title: Midworld

Author: Alan Dean Foster

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 216

Rating: 4.5*/5

Alan Dean Foster – Midworld

I picked up this book because I watch Todd the Librarian on YouTube and this is her favourite book. I figured if it’s good enough for Todd then it’s good enough for me and so I picked it up, and it was delightful.

What’s interesting about it is that it’s almost like a mixture of fantasy and science fiction, following the story of Born as he defends his village against the creatures of the forest. They live amongst the trees and live in harmony with the planet, but then a couple of strange men show up from a futuristic world. What follows is a classic case of technology not being all that it’s cracked up to be.

I thought this was a fantastic read, and Alan Dean Foster has an unusual writing style that’s perfect for people who love strange words and beautiful language. At the same time, at its heart it’s just a good old-fashioned adventure story, but it also has a lot to say about society. It’s arguably even more relevant now than it was when it was published back in 1977. It was a great little book and I’m glad I picked it up. Thanks, Todd!

Alan Dean Foster

Click here to buy Midworld.

Stevyn Colgan – A Murder to Die For | Review

Title: A Murder to Die For

Author: Stevyn Colgan

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 334

Rating: 5*/5

Stevyn Colgan – A Murder to Die For

I was super excited for this book because Mr. Colgan is a local writer and he’s even been a guest speaker at a writing workshop of mine. This release came out through Unbound, which is a pretty innovative new publisher, and so I pledged some cash to support the book in exchange for a pre-release copy, which is why I’m able to read this now and why you’ll have to wait.

Sucks to be you, ’cause this is a cracker. It’s basically a fun take on the classic cozy detective novel, and I love cozy detectives and have even written my own, which is due for release in 2018. But this takes that a step further, satirising detective novels while simultaneously being one. It gets super meta, and I liked that.

Basically, the book is about a murder that happens during a festival held each year in honour of fictitious crime writer Agnes Crabbe. Her fans flock to the small village of Nasely and dress up as her characters, attending talks and hobnobbing with the actors who play her characters on the TV adaptation. Unfortunately, in this particular year, a real-life murder takes place – and the subsequent investigation fills up the majority of the narrative. But I won’t talk about that because, you know, spoilers.

What’s great about this is that it gets the balance just right, making me laugh as a reader whilst simultaneously delivering a plot that kept me gripped until the end. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to both die-hard murder mystery fans and to people who only ever read “funny” books. Hell, I’d recommend it to anyone, but if Agatha Christie and the other Queens of Crime are your jam then this is sure to give you the warm fuzzies. But if it is your jam, don’t eat it. It might be poisoned.