The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Hidden Saint
Mark Levenson
Level Best Books
https://www.levelbestbooks.us
9781685120504, $17.95, PB, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Saint-Mark-Levenson/dp/1685120504

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Hidden Saint" by Mark Levenson,
the historical horrors of eighteenth-century Eastern Europe are deftly
interwoven with fantastic creatures drawn from 3,500 years of Jewish
myth and magic. For the first time, "The Hidden Saint" conjures up a
very human origin story for one of the greatest superheroes of Jewish
folklore: Rabbi Adam, famous for battling wizards, witches, and
demons.

The story opens on a long-awaited family wedding, which turns to
horror as Rabbi Adam's children are abducted by an ancient
supernatural evil. To save them, the rabbi is joined by a golem, a man
of clay pained by the burden of living among, but always apart from,
humans. He's goaded and mentored by an elderly, wisecracking
housekeeper who is secretly one of the thirty-six hidden saints, or
Lamed-Vavniks, upon whom the fate of the world depends.

As he is both blessed and challenged by his wife, Sarah, who leads him
to a garden named Eden, and as tidal waves and fires ravage the earth
and the very stars above begin to disappear, can Rabbi Adam and his
companions succeed in time?

Critique: Inherently fascinating, deftly written, elegantly absorbing,
and always entertaining, "The Hidden Saint" is a unique masterpiece of
Jewish fantasy and will prove to be a welcome addition to personal,
community, college, and university library Jewish Historical Fantasy
collections. It should also be noted that "The Hidden Saint" is also
readily available in a digital book formt (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Mark Levenson is an award-winning dramatist,
screenwriter, and short-story writer, as well as a longtime
journalist. His Jewish-themed fantasy writing has won honors from The
National Foundation for Jewish Culture and the American Jewish
University, as well as a Union Internationale de la Marionnette-USA
Citation of Excellence. Levenson has also written The Return of the
Golem and The Wise Men of Chelm for the stage, and adapted S. Ansky's
The Dybbuk for actors and puppets. His Jewish-themed short fiction
credits include Mystery Weekly Magazine, Kindle Kzine, and Ami
Magazine. He also blogs about Jewish fantasy for The Times of Israel.

The Cool Thing: A Dark Comedy - Or Not
Robert Rife
Independently Published
9780578348193, $22.95, HC, 350pp

https://www.amazon.com/COOL-THING-DARK-COMEDY-NOT/dp/0578348195

Synopsis: A love besotted crook and his street girl acquire a device
taken from a long buried UFO. They think it's a medieval breastplate.
But it's not! It's part of a spacesuit that can nullify distance,
allowing access to a house above the wreck. Which is a site with a
terrifying history of failed species-splicing.

Not all of the failures die. Occasionally one escapes, vastly
invigorating the human staff. Especially those who get eaten. The girl
accidentally activates the device and is snatched. Death would be an
improvement on her fate. The lovesick crook blindly charges to the
rescue, running in circles on banana peels -- and the feces hits the
proverbial fan!

Critique: Original, compulsively entertaining, exceptionally well
written, "The Cool Thing: A Dark Comedy - Or Not" will have a very
special and enduring appeal to dedicated fans of genetic story based
science fiction with threads of horror and humor throughout.
Showcasing author Robert Rife's impressive flair for narrative driven
and memorable storytelling, "The Cool Thing: A Dark Comedy - Or Not"
is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community
library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted for
the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction fans that "The
Cool Thing: A Dark Comedy - Or Not" is also readily available in a
paperback edition (9780578660875, $16.95) and in a digital book format
(Kindle, $2.99).

Reign of the Devourer
David Annandale
Aconyte Books
https://aconytebooks.com
9781839080944, $16.95, PB, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Reign-Devourer-Marvel-Untold-Novel/dp/1839080949

Synopsis: Victor von Doom saw his future for an instant, and now he
cannot rest. His obsession with regaining those memories leads him
into the arcane science of geomancy. As he delves into the ancient
memories that lie beneath his land, Doom discovers a tremendous
concentration of power -- a power that should never have been
explored. Doom's excavations and necromancy fracture the prison of
something awful: the Devourer of Souls. Now free to roam Latveria, the
Devourer spreads a plague of soul-hungry vampires. Doom must choose
between seizing this power for himself or destroying it, before his
realm is no more.

Critique: A deftly crafted and simply riveting read from first page to
last, "Reign of the Devourer" by David Annandale is a 'must' for the
legions of Marvel Universe fans in general, and Doctor Doom
enthusiasts in particular. A part of the simply outstanding Aconyte
Books 'Marvel Untold' series, and highly recommended for community
library Science Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal
reading lists that "Reign of the Devourer" is also readily available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).

Editorial Note: David Annadale is a lecturer at a Canadian university
on subjects ranging from English literature to horror films and video
games. He is the author of many novels in the Horus Heresy and
Warhammer 40,000 universe, and a co-host of the Hugo Award-nominated
podcast Skiffy and Fanty.

The Sterling Gospel
Atticus Mullon
DartFrog Books
4697 Main Street, Manchester Center, VT 05255
www.dartfrogbooks.com
9781956019100, $16.99 Paper/$5.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NHNWNCR

While one could call The Sterling Gospel a work of Christian fiction
or history, it's featured here as an unusual, powerful work of sci-fi
set in 2085 because it revolves around the conviction of a billionaire
that the miracles performed by Jesus were actually demonstrations of
high technology by a being from the future. Specifically, the
billionaire's future is one in which he finances those famous
miracles.

From this description, one might expect the story to open with a
high-tech jolt; but The Sterling Gospel provides an initial surprise
in following the actions of a petty thief who has made crime his new
vocation. He lives with his mother, who believes he's still working
daily at the valve factory. He's the last person on Earth who would
seem to be the candidate for giving new hope to the world. And that's
why twenty-seven-year-old Amir Saleh seems the perfect choice for
billionaire William Sterling to introduce miracles to the ailing world
of Jesus's times.

Author Atticus Mullon builds a powerful saga replete with not just
spiritual but social inspection and considerations as it views a man
rooted in poverty who receives the opportunity of a lifetime.
Christians might find the premise a challenge, as it follows not just
God's purpose in creating a Messiah, but a near-madman's intentions of
injecting the past with an icon representing the source of these
miracles, based on a technologically-rich future. Moral and ethical
dilemmas arise as the story unfolds that will particularly enrich
reader group discussions, secular or religious.

The dialogue between Amir and those in this distant past world bring
its events and perceptions to life: "We are here to bring glory to the
Most High. We Nazarenes serve the Father and have avoided His wrath by
shunning sin. Yet, in our grass, we find you. A viper waiting with
tools of hubris to bring sin to our ranks and wrath upon our people.
Accordingly, you will be raised up, positioned in the sky so all can
see that sin has no place here."

As Amir meets Jesus and comes to realize his strength and radical
message, readers receive a powerful saga that juxtaposes faith, past
and future world perceptions, and the origins of beliefs and
possibilities that influence Jesus, Amir, and those around them.

As an author, Mullon provides a powerful, rich story that holds much
food for thought and many discussion points about miracles,
technology, the teachings of Jesus and the Bible, and historical
events of the past. Much more than a sci-fi story but vastly different
from the usual Christian fiction approach, The Sterling Gospel is
highly recommended as a thought-provoking inspection of human and
godly affairs that includes a dialogue between the deity and Amir that
questions the foundations of power, influence, and faith: "In fact,
there are some truths woven to the very fabric of being that are not a
question of might, but rather of being."

Jestin Kase and the Masters of Dragon Metal
J. Michael White
Teer Publishing
9798985221305, $14.99 paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Jestin-Kase-Masters-Dragon-Metal/dp/B09NRJT55W

How can one individual make a difference in the world? Jestin Kase and
the Masters of Dragon Metal presents an unlikely young hero in the
battle between good and evil. He is Jestin Kase, a Chicago foster kid
who finds himself drawn into a world of monsters, corruption, and the
lure of Dragon Metal, an ancient magic that holds the key to mankind's
future.