Upstream Reviews Presents…!

“There’s an inn, a merry old inn, beneath an old grey hill….”

Artwork by Caroline Furlong

We have yet another list of novels, anthologies, and TV series for you to peruse, readers. Here at Upstream we like to keep you on your toes, and so we mix and match a variety of entertainment options. No one likes to be bored, after all – that is one reason why we need to be amused. Without that…. Well, you know what they say about idle hands and the devil’s workshop.

Several of the books on this list were reviewed at Upstream in the past, so if you like what you see, feel free to follow the link to learn more about the book or books in question. After all, that is our purpose here; we want to tell you about great books you wouldn’t learn of otherwise. Not including them on a list like this would be criminal!

Fantasy

Who doesn’t want to go to a land far, far away from the chaos of the present world? Check out these fantasies for that escape to situations where the solution is easy: Stay alive! Beat the bad guys! And if you’re lucky, get home in time for dinner!

Terrors of Pangaea (Lost on the Last Continent Book 1) by John C. Wright

What do you do when you reach the end of all times?

Colonel Preston Lost is a man of many talents. One of the youngest to achieve the rank of colonel, Lost found himself unable to return to civilian life after the war. He was a man born at the wrong time. Chivalry was dead, and there were no more crusades or mighty deeds to be done.

Sport fishing and big game hunting became first a pastime, then an obsession, but the times were against him, and the nations outlawed such sport, as they did anything dangerous, rare, or worthy of manhood. Basically, anything he saw as “fun” or “challenging.” His aerospace plane had, at first, been merely another pastime.

And then he saw the unidentified flying object.

Lost didn’t think of himself as reckless. He believed in preparation, proper equipment, and patience in stalking the prey. But, in reality, he was not a cautious man. If he was, he wouldn’t have followed the spaceship into the black storm clouds above the Bermuda Triangle.

Now he’s at the end of time, having crash-landed on Pangaea Ultima with few supplies and no way of returning home. But Lost is a man of many talents, and anything should be possible for him. Or, is it possible that this time, Lost has met his match?

A Spring for Spears by Katie Cross & Derek Alan Siddoway (reviewed here)

The fate of the Wolf Riders falls on an outcast.

Astrid would give anything to be one of the Ulfsark—fearless warriors who ride giant Amarok wolves.

Like her ancestors, she yearns for the soul-deep bond with a wolf. The connection. The union. A chance to prove her worth and honor her mother's legacy.

Yet she's never heard the Wolf Song. 

And with each passing year, it's likely she never will.

Astrid refuses to accept her fate. Then an encounter with a nature spirit and a foreign princess dashes her last hope and changes everything.

Accused of killing a royal guardsman, Astrid travels to the halls of a mad king to clear her name and stop a war against her people. Though she has no Amarok wolf, Astrid refuses to fail her tribe. 

Even if she cannot be an Ulfsark.

There, she'll discover a regular wolf that opens her heart, friends she never asked for, and a new world far more dangerous—and strange—than she ever imagined.

Will Astrid save a fragile peace and embrace her destiny? Or will her dreams of the Wolf Song fade in distant lands?

Join Astrid and friends on a thrilling new fantasy adventure in A SPRING FOR SPEARS, the first novel in the WOLF SONG SAGA series by bestselling, award-winning authors Katie Cross and Derek Alan Siddoway.

All Things Huge And Hideous by G. Scott Huggins (reviewed here)

Everyone says it was better in the Good Old Days. Before the Dark Lord subjugated us. Before he gave all the good land to his ogres, orcs and trolls, reducing the civilized races to serfdom and the dirty work: pig farming, sewer cleaning, veterinary medicine.

But even before that happened, things weren't that much different for the veterinarians. Everyone cheered the heroes who rode their unicorn chargers into combat against the Dark Lord's dragons, but no one ever remembered who treated the unicorns’ phosphine burns afterward. The only real difference is that now I'm treating the dragons. Today I have to save one's life. Know what fewmets are? No? Then make a sacrifice of thanks right now to whatever gods you worship, because I have only a few hours to figure a way to get them flowing back out of the Dark Lord’s favorite dragon. Yeah, from the other end. And that’s just my most illustrious client.

I’ve got orcs and trolls who might eat me and dark elf barons who might sue
me if their bloodhawks and chimeras don’t pull through. And that doesn’t even consider the
possibility that the old hag with the basilisk might show up.

The only thing that’s gone right this evening is finding Harriet to be my veterinary assistant.
She’s almost a witch, which just might save us both. If we don’t kill each other first.

Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer (reviewed here)

A laugh-out-loud, slice-of-life martial-arts fantasy about . . . farming????

Jin Rou wanted to be a cultivator. A man powerful enough to defy the heavens. A master of martial arts. A lord of spiritual power. Unfortunately for him, he died, and now I’m stuck in his body.

Arrogant Masters? Heavenly Tribulations? All that violence and bloodshed? Yeah, no thanks. I’m getting out of here.

Farm life sounds pretty great. Tilling a field by hand is fun when you’ve got the strength of ten men—though maybe I shouldn’t have fed those Spirit Herbs to my pet rooster. I’m not used to seeing a chicken move with such grace . . . but Qi makes everything kind of wonky, so it’s probably fine.

Instead of a lifetime of battle, my biggest concerns are building a house, the size of my harvest, and the way the girl from the nearby village glares at me when I tease her.

A slow, simple, fulfilling life in a place where nothing exciting or out of the ordinary ever happens . . . right?

Merchant and Magic (Merchant and Empire Book 1) by Alma T. C. Boykin

When Magic Fails...

Tycho Rhonarida Galnaar trades hides—hides tanned, hides untanned, with and without fleeces, nothing risky. He prefers steady, low-key trade, a quiet home life, and reliable business partners. Slow and steady bring wealth and do not draw the attention of nobles, thieves, or the gods. Especially not of the gods!

Counterfeit coin and cursed grain...

But the gods have other plans. Tycho's secret—his absolute inability to work or even see magic in a world that depends on it—may be the key to solving a mystery, and saving a city. Tycho wants no part in mysteries or adventure. He's a merchant, nothing more.

Trade is Tycho's world. That world changes under his feet.

Urban Fantasy (including Paranormal)

Something is on the prowl in these dark streets. Whether it is werewolves, demons, or ghosts depends on the setting – and your preferred cup of tea or coffee. Bonus points if you start the book with a shot of liquor, as some of these tales’ protagonists doubtless do:

Pack Dynamics: A Price to Pay by Julie Frost

In this urban fantasy, a werewolf PI goes up against a technologically enhanced enemy who is out for revenge.
 
Six months after a case gone bad infected him with lycanthropy, private detective Ben Lockwood hasn’t just come to terms with his new condition—he’s embraced it. The animal inside lets him just be instead of dwelling on past horrors, and he frequently sleeps better as a wolf. Ben thinks he’s fine . . . until a couple of supernatural law-enforcement agents inform him that if he wolfs too much, he’ll forget his humanity, and that will leave them with a mess to clean up.

Then one of those past horrors comes roaring back into Ben’s life. Rutger Ostheim, enraged by the death of his family, breaks out of prison to seek vengeance on Ben. He’s aided by a ruthless businessman with slippery ethics and a separate grudge, who has taken the werewolf nanotech to new and awful heights, determined to sell it to the highest bidder . . . no matter what they want to use Berserker Virus Murder-Wolf tech for.

However, when Ben is given the opportunity for some payback of his own, his own inner demons may be a far graver threat than a tech-enhanced werewolf nearly twice his size.

Fae Hunt by Nicholas Woode-Smith (reviewed here)

A darkness has come to Hope City…

And, of course, I’m expected to fight it. Sure, that’s my job. Stab the monster a few times and it falls over. Collect the cheque. Thank you very much.

But this time it’s different.

This isn’t some beast I can just stab. And when it ends up hurting my friends…

Now it’s personal.

I won’t let my city be consumed by rot and pestilence.

My name is Kat Drummond, and I will save my city!

League of Angels by Thomas Tan (reviewed here)

They said that God didn’t exist. They said that the time for religion was over. If mankind was to progress, the human race had to be purged of superstitions. Like everyone else, Chelsea Shields believed the Lumen Corporation, even when they hunted the faithful to extinction. What did she care? She had no sympathy for fools and fanatics. But the grisly death of her brother was about to change all that. Freed from bondage and forced on the run, her only hope for salvation lies with three mysterious priests known as the Archangels. Armed with prayer, sacred rituals and a truckload of guns, these fugitives from the Underground Church vow to save her from the armies of Hell. But can she really trust these men to protect her? Surrounded by treachery and intrigue, and pursued by seven demons, she finds herself drawn into a world of despair. To survive the night, she has to confront her deepest fears. And do all she can to recover her faith before it’s too late.

League Of Angels is an adrenaline-pumping ride into the supernatural, combining heart-stopping action with mystical folklore and facts, truth and fantasy to create a compelling tale of loyalty, faith, courage, and sacrifice.

Ghost of a Chance by Dan Willis (reviewed here)

When a bizarre string of locked-room murders terrorize New York, the police have no leads, no suspects, and only one place to turn. Now private detective Alex Lockerby will need every magical trick in his book to catch a killer who can walk through walls and leaves no trace.

Unfortunately Alex's magic hasn't been working very well.  He can't even manage to track down several truckloads of stolen goods, including one belonging to New York's preeminent sorcerer, Andrew Barton. To make matters worse, Alex and his clients are being stalked by a shadowy cabal with strange powers that Alex has never seen before. 

With the Ghost killer seemingly able to murder at will and the tabloids, the public, and Alex’s clients demanding results, Alex will need a miracle to keep himself, his clients, and his reputation alive.

Tell No Tales by C. Chancy

Some nights it just doesn’t pay to rise from the grave....Corbin wants to uncover the truth behind her death at a demon’s hands. But her memories have been shattered by the grave, and even with footloose Sighted mechanic Devon Fortunato helping her search for answers, a restless ghost is up against the darkest spells and lies of the living. If they can’t unravel who sabotaged the Cunning Folk circle’s spellcast defenses, the child Corbin meant to protect will suffer a fate worse than death. Corbin’s notes hold clues, but the broken circle would rather die than admit the truth....

Military SF

It is a dangerous galaxy out there, readers, and you want the best of the best on your side. So why not pull up a chair and settle in to listen to the music of laser fire and futuristic destruction with these soldiers as they clear away the enemies to peace and justice?

The Unity Wars: The Complete Series: A Military Sci-Fi Box Set by Peter Nealen

Get the Unity Wars Box Set, featuring all three books in the action-packed series. 1000+ pages of aliens, war, space marines, and explosive military sci-fi action.

Centurion Scalas and his brothers ride the thundering ships toward the enemy surface. Some of the finest and most respected warriors in the galaxy.

Their code is strict: If you target the innocent…You will fall.

But the horrific foe descending from deep space isn’t like anything they’ve faced before.

Can they hope to stand against the rising new power in the galaxy?

Splashdown by Blaine L. Pardoe (reviewed here)

An unknown enemy waits for war.

From the bottom of the oceans of the world a hidden threat stalks mankind - probing, testing our weapons and defenses, biding time to strike. In the summer of 2039 this aquatic foe unleashes surprise attacks against coastal cities around the globe. Mankind faces a sophisticated new enemy, arrived from the depths of space and lurking in the dark blackness of the seas.

The United States and the rest of the world are ill prepared for such an attack.

Humanity’s only hope are ASHURs, powerful armored combat suits named after the Assyrian god of war. The fight for survival will require ingenuity, cunning, and a furious application of destructive violence against the most unrelenting enemy mankind has ever known!

Torchship by Karl Gallagher (reviewed here)

A captain who’ll take any job if there’s enough money in it.

A pilot with an agenda of her own.

And a mechanic with an eye on the pilot.

The crew of the Fives Full are just trying to make enough money to keep themselves in the black while avoiding the attention of a government so paranoid it’s repealed Moore’s Law. They’re not looking for adventure in the stars . . . but they’re not going to back down just because something got in their way.

Guardian (War Angel Book 1) by David Hallquist

The Solar System is at war!

A war between the planets would be unthinkably destructive, yet Jovian Republic Navy pilot Michael Vance is recalled to his host carrier for just that reason.

The Jovian Republic Navy relies on an elite corps of warriors to fight their battles anywhere in the air, on land, or in space. They’re known by a simple name: Angels. These cybernetically enhanced warriors pilot the giant Guardian exo-frames that are able to fight in nearly any environment. In their prime, they were the best...but that day is long past. Now the old Guardian frames are obsolete, and Michael’s flight goes to war already down one member due to a training accident.

Even worse, the Angels will have to fight the best forces the Solar System has to offer. The Saturnine Union seeks to dominate the system and transform everyone into cybernetic drones under the control of the Saturn Undermind. Utterly ruthless, relentless, and with terrifying technology, the other planets can’t stop Saturn...only Jupiter can. If it’s lucky.

The Angels are on the way…but will they be enough?

YA/Middle Grade Works

Remember when YA was largely an escape from a world obsessed with all of school’s unhealthy aspects? Well, here are some YA novels that should be very good at giving you the out that you desire!

HIDDEN: Don't Fear the Unseen (The HIDDEN Series Book 1) by Verity Lucia

Are DEMONS and ANGELS, like vampires and werewolves, merely legend and lore? Or is there more to life than meets the eye?

After the unexpected death of her older brother, high schooler Clare Thomson's world is shaken, and she grasps for security in what's close at hand—popularity. But when even those tenuous relationships quake, she finds herself truly alone. Or so she thinks until she accidentally discovers a pair of aviator sunglasses that forever changes the way she sees the world.

When an invisible reality is made visible, and gruesome ape-like demons threaten to take away even her sense of sanity, Clare must face the truth: Angels and demons are real. And they live among us.

OFF TO BE THE WIZARD by Scott Meyer (reviewed here)

An io9 Can’t Miss Science Fiction and Fantasy title.

Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.

What could possibly go wrong?

An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.

Sworn to the Light (The Avatar Wizard #1) by Denton Salle (reviewed here)

"Power comes from either the Light or the Dark, lad. Nothing is neutral."

Jeremy has a problem: he randomly turns into a black and white bear cub. The transformations panic his mom, but his father says he knows a wizard who can help. That scares his mother even more.

The volkh wizards once ruled like gods in their power, building the great golden city of Miklagard, establishing kingdoms, and trading with legendary places like Sheba, Chin, and India. Then the Dark arose and the wars destroyed much of the world. Kingdoms fell, cities burned, and the volkhvy were merciless in crushing it.

Master Anthony remains the greatest of the living volkh lords. Can he, will he help Jeremy stop this random changes? And at what price? Why is Jeremy's dad so worried? Isn't the war against darkness over?

I Am Margaret: A Dystopian Novel about Faith, Freedom, and Martyrdom by Corinna Turner [Oh, look, it’s $0.99!]

In Margo’s world, the ‘imperfect’ are recycled. Literally.

Margaret Verrall dreams of marrying the boy she loves and spending her life with him. But she’s part of the underground network of Believers – and that carries the death penalty. But before she can be unmasked as a Believer, she fails her Sorting and is reassigned as spare parts. Bane swears to rescue her before she can be dismantled, but a chance to take on the system ups the stakes beyond mere survival. Now she has to break out of the Facility—or face the worst punishment of all: Conscious Dismantlement.

Anthologies & Collections

Not up to reading a full-length novel? We’ve got you covered! Search through these anthologies and pick one up today. No need to rush or worry if you forgot what happened in the last chapter – not when each story is a world in itself!

Small Worlds by Misha Burnett [New Release!]

Cirsova Publishing is proud to present Small Worlds, a brand new anthology from short fiction master Misha Burnett.

Small Worlds has all of the hallmarks of Misha Burnett’s fusion of SFF with classic weird, inviting the reader into the uncanny realms where the mundane has been pervaded by the strange, but also brings to the table his unique brand of white-knuckle thrilling adventure.

But Not Broken (Hope and Healing Book 2) by Cedar Sanderson, Kelly Grayson, & 8 other authors

Fourteen stories of surviving and healing from cPTSD. Fiction has the power to give us an escape from where we are, and an ability to envision where we could be. None of these are easy stories, but all offer hope, and healing, for those who need to see a path through the fog of pain.

Tales Yet Unsung: Short Stories in the Avatar Wizard World by Denton Salle

Return to the world of the Avatar Wizard with this collection of short stories. See how Jeremy's mother first met Arianna, how Arianna convinces Master Anthony to marry her, and other tales not revealed in the main story of Jeremy's path to mastery of the Volkh arts.

Come along as Jeremy rides with the Weather bringer's Hunt, climb with Harald as he seeks the forge of the Sun, and read how Helena's mischief almost catches up with her. See the changes that come to the Keep as Arianna has her kits and both of Anthony's sisters are courted. Go home with Danil as he and Harald venture south to the rich wheatlands to repair the great canal. Visit low dives as Jeremy and Gerasim steal a bard.

In addition, a glossary of people, places, and words has been added at readers' requests. Please note a few of these stories were published in anthologies in shortened form. This is the 'canonical' version.

Fantastic Schools, Volume 2 edited by L. Jagi Lamplighter (reviewed here)

Have you ever wanted to go to magic school? To cast spells and brew potions and fly on broomsticks and—perhaps—battle threats both common and supernatural? Come with us into worlds of magic, where students become magicians and teachers do everything in their power to ensure the kids survive long enough to graduate. Welcome to ... Fantastic Schools.

Follow a mundane teacher striding into a world of magic, a spy on a mission, a guided tour of a magical school, a school dance for monsters, a dangerous reunion ... and many more.

The Best of the Planetary Anthology Series edited by John M. Olsen (discussed here, and to some extent here and here)

Welcome to this remastered best-of collection to showcase the highlights of the entire out-of-print Planetary Anthology series from Sol to Pluto and everything in between.

Selected Verse - Heroes and Wonders by Ben Zwycky

From the author of the critically acclaimed Beyond the Mist,

A collection of poems dealing with heroes and wonders of the grand type we see depicted in our favourite epics as well as inspiring everyday examples that only a few ever notice. Beauty to enjoy, courage to inspire, wisdom and folly to admire and avoid.

Highlights include a heartfelt celebration of a life well lived, the story of a survivor of China’s brutal one child policy, an uplifting appreciation of nature’s cycles, and a grand tale of a beast that haunts the hearts of men.

Awake the hero within you, and stand in awe of wonders that never cease.

TV Series

Have a zombie itch that needs scratching, but The Walking Dead isn’t covering it? Try Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress instead:

Ever hear of Early Edition? You may want to check it out:

I still need to watch it, but I hear that Grimm is pretty darn good:

And of course, The Highlander: