‘They stepped through into darkness. Regret flung a flame to a brazier on the wall. The white bones of the Watcher remained where they’d bee the last time. Elissa crept closer. The skeleton was huge, almost twice as big as Hope’. Gates of Sorrow is the second volume in J E Hannaford’s Aulirean Gates series, which began in Gates of Hope. The series is set on the three linked planets of Mythos, Lieus and Tebein, Once joined by a series of magical gates, the three worlds are now separated from each other, all three diminished by their isolation. But while the people of Lieus live smaller (bette ..read more

ParSec – Issue #2 Winter 2021 ParSec is a digital Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror magazine published by PS Publishing and edited by Ian Whates which started publishing in the Autumn of 2021. PS Publishing are well known for their extensive and prestigious line in novels, novellas and anthologies, and Ian Whates is the head of the wonderful indie publisher NewCon Press, so as soon as I heard about this new magazine and the people involved I was sure it would be an exciting venture, and I jumped at the chance to take part in the magazine’s blog tour organized by publicist Tamsin Traves. I ch ..read more

Born in London and the first of three, Rogba was raised across both London and Lagos, Nigeria. He is a descendant of John Augustus Otunba-Payne; the noted lawyer, writer and murdered prince of the Ijebu-Ode royal family. Rogba first began writing while studying law at university – where the shapes of the characters in his debut, ‘The Dance of Shadows’, first took form. He is particularly interested in the deep-rooted beliefs, myths and stories that underpin culture and the beautiful lies that often inspire them. Now a lawyer, living in Lagos, he is most alive writing speculative fiction ..read more

This review contains mild spoilers “Don’t listen to stories encouraging you to be good, telling you to shine in a filthy world and patiently endure suffering. Screw suffering. It’s too hard to be good. Do the easy thing. Do the evil thing. Grasp whatever you desire in your greedy bloodstained hands.”   When being evil is just too good!    When Rae thinks her life is over, when her illness slowly consumes her remaining strength and her days are spent in a hospital bed, she gets the chance to do what all book lovers can only dream of, enter her favourite fictional world. It star ..read more

We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Rogba Payne’s debut novel The Dance of Shadows. It’s out now from Gollancz, and fuses high fantasy with West African spirituality. Before we share the prologue with you, let’s check out the official blurb: Rumi and his family are Odu, stricken with poverty and disparaged by the other tribes. When ruthless agents of the Palmaine – the colonising nation that dominates the continent of Basmine – threaten to destroy the village market, Rumi takes it upon himself to liberate his family. Taking a place in the prestigious Golden Room, where earnings from ..read more

Today, we’re delighted to welcome E. C. Hibbs back to the Hive, to celebrate the release of her latest novel The Shade Between Shadows with a guest post on fairy tales! Before we hand you over to E, let’s find out more about The Shade Between Shadows: “I didn’t think myself truly silent. I possessed a voice, as sure as any other. It was simply not the same as any other I had met.” The year is 1838. Queen Victoria has ascended the throne. And within the United Kingdom lies Nightland: a sprawling forest filled with darkness and danger. Beatrice has always been different. She has not spoken ..read more

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell is a delightfully gory asexual monster romance, but it is also so much more than that. Shesheshen is a shapeshifter who wants nothing more than to be left alone in her abandoned manor where she can be an amorphous blob in peace. When monster hunters rudely invade her home, she is embroiled in a wider plot that threatens to end her quiet life for good.  Shesheshen then meets Homily, an empathetic, warm-hearted human who seems to want to help – but is that only because she doesn’t know who Shesheshen really is? This book combines the charming ..read more

John Wiswell is a disabled writer who lives where New York keeps all its trees. He won the 2021 Nebula Award for Short Fiction for his story, “Open House on Haunted Hill,” and the 2022 Locus Award for Best Novelette for “That Story Isn’t The Story.” He has also been a finalist for the Hugo Award, British Fantasy Award, and World Fantasy Award. His stories have appeared in Uncanny Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Diabolical Plots, Nature Futures, and other fine venues. Hi debut novel, SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN, will be published ..read more

Jen Williams is a writer from London currently living in Bristol with her partner and a dramatically fluffy cat. A fan of grisly fairy tales since her youth, Jen has gone on to write dark, unsettling horror thrillers with strong female leads and character-driven fantasy novels with plenty of adventure and magic. The Winnowing Flame trilogy twice won the British Fantasy Award for best novel, and she is partially responsible for the creation of Super Relaxed Fantasy Club. When she’s not writing books, she enjoys messing about with video games and embroidery. She also works as a freelance copywr ..read more

‘“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?” In the attic, that is where.’   India Holton is one of my most favourite comfort authors. She’s a writer who can easily sweep her readers away to a world of magic, chaos, spicy romance and batshit crazy shenanigans, and I wholly appreciate her for it.    The Secret Service of Tea and Treason is the third book in the Dangerous Damsels trilogy and it was everything I was expecting and more.    When the Agency of Undercover Note Takers (A.U.N.T.), learn of a plot to assassinate Queen Victoria, they assign ..read more