Author Archives: Michael

Curating Online Book Spaces

The online book community can be a great place, but it can also feel daunting sometimes, with unwritten rules you might feel like you ought to follow, regular (and often baffling) platform changes, a huge amount of noise going on all the time (so many people and conversations to follow and keep track of), and the constant temptation to judge yourself against others. Whether you’re a reader, writer, reviewer or combination thereof, it can be easy to get lost amongst everything that’s going on and feel uncomfortable, unhappy, or even burned out. There are few, if any, hard and fast rules or easy answers for how to make the most of the community, but one thing I’ve learned from running Track of Words for nearly a decade is the importance of curating your spaces.

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The Sleepless – Victor Manibo

Victor Manibo’s debut novel The Sleepless is a sharp, thought-provoking science fiction mystery with an instantly compelling premise and some strong commentary on technology and corporate power. In a near future in which large swathes of the population have become physically incapable of sleeping, Jamie Vega is a journalist for a global media outlet, and a hyperinsomniac himself – one of the Sleepless. When he finds the body of his beloved boss and mentor in the buildup to a huge takeover bid, Jamie can’t believe that it’s a case of suicide, and puts his investigative skills to use in trying to uncover the truth. The deeper he digs, as he uncovers dangerous secrets and reopens old wounds, the more he realises that not only can he not trust many of the people around him, but he might not even be able to trust his own mind.

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Winter’s Gifts – Ben Aaronovitch

Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London crosses the Atlantic with Winter’s Gifts, the fourth novella in this hugely popular series. Not only is this the first time the series has ventured to America though, with FBI agent Kimberley Reynolds stepping into the spotlight for her own story, but it’s also the first time the series has really delved into the realm of the horror story. It’s a classic horror setup – a small town in Wisconsin, snow blanketing the ground and cutting off access, a missing man, locals hiding secrets, and a lone FBI agent trying to piece together a mystery which might involve a lost 19th century expedition, while dealing with the inimical weather and a lurking darkness (which inevitably steps out of the shadows soon enough).

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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s eighth novel, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is – as the title suggests – a retelling of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, transplanting the story to Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula in the nineteenth century and focusing on Carlota Moreau rather than her father, the doctor. Carlota lives a happy, sheltered life, beholden to an illness that only her father’s medical expertise can keep at bay, content with just the hybrids for friends – amalgams of humans and animals, brought to life by the doctor’s arts. When the son of her father’s patron arrives out of the blue though, the Moreaus’ safe life is turned upside down. Carlota begins to wonder what else life might offer beyond the walls of her quiet home, while her father sees opportunity, and the hybrids see only danger.

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Spotlight On Justin Hill’s Original Fiction

You might be familiar with Justin Hill for his Black Library fiction (written as Justin D. Hill), but outside of the worlds of Warhammer he has a considerable backlog of original work too, all exploring various aspects of contemporary and historical fiction. His seven books cover all manner of periods and locations from 11th century England to 20th century Eritrea, and characters from Viking kings to Chinese poets. As part of an ongoing series of guest posts in which I invite authors onto the site to tell us about their original fiction, Justin is here to talk a little bit about each of his novels, what inspired each of them, and what went into their writing. The stories behind these books are fascinating, featuring rapid evacuations, overseas volunteering, meeting the descendents of royalty and more, so settle in to add some books to your TBR list!

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Monthly Roundup – May 2023

Hello and welcome to May’s Monthly Roundup post here on Track of Words. After a couple of months in which I really struggled for motivation and headspace, and therefore didn’t have a lot to talk about in my roundups, I’m pleased to report that May went pretty well, and has definitely felt like an uptick all around. As always I’ve put together a quick recap of everything I posted this month, and then this time around I’ve also written a quick reading update, some thoughts on several book events I recently attended – including Comic Con, and the brilliant Black Crow Blogger Brunch – and some cool book news and recommendations.

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The Game of 100 Candles – Marie Brennan

Following on from The Night Parade of 100 Demons, Marie Brennan’s The Game of 100 Candles – her second novel in Aconyte Books’ Legend of the Five Rings range – once again balances supernatural investigation and gentle queer romance to engaging, heart-warming effect. The months since their victory over the Night Parade at Seibo Mura have largely kept Ryōtora and Sekken apart, until the two samurai meet again at the Phoenix Clan’s Winter Court. Amid the cut and thrust of court life, as the pair struggle to find their feet together again they come under suspicion when members of the court start to mysteriously fall asleep, and are unable to be woken. Even as they search for answers to what’s afoot, they also have to come to terms with the reality of the bond between them, and learn anew what they mean to each other.

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Short and Sweet – May 2023

Hello and welcome to the May 2023 Short and Sweet roundup here on Track of Words, where I’ve chosen three more recent reads to talk about. This instalment is very much a set of twos: I’ve gone for the second book in a fantasy duology, the second novel in a science fiction trilogy, and the second part of a Black Library duology. I didn’t set out to pick all these book twos, I promise – it just happened that way! As always, these are books that I want to make sure I talk about, but which for one reason or another I don’t have the time or headspace to cover in a full standalone review.

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Working With Reviewers

Every book blogger and reviewer I know wants to read and talk about as many books as possible, but the simple truth is that we all have far too many books we want to read, and nothing like enough time in which to read them all. If you’re an author then, how do you get your book into the hands of reviewers who have the interest, motivation and time to be able to read your book and write about it? That’s what I want to tackle with this article. I obviously can’t speak for all reviewers, but I can offer some suggestions based on my own experiences, which I think will stand you in good stead for encouraging reviewers to want to read your book.

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Spotlight On Danie Ware’s Original Fiction

Regular Track of Words readers will probably be familiar with SFF author Danie Ware from her excellent IP fiction, but like many writers Danie also has a rich catalogue of original fiction with novels published by Titan Books and Fox Spirit Books, and short stories in all sorts of anthologies (there’s even a short story of Danie’s available to read for free right here on Track of Words!). As part of an ongoing series of ‘Spotlight On…’ author guest posts, I’ve invited Danie onto the site to tell us more about her original fiction, and in particular which books she recommends as starting points. So settle in, and get ready for some new books to hit your TBR list!

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