The enemy has sent a destroyer against an ancient race. Story: “The Lament of the Last Wolf Spider” by Nathan James Norman Genre: Strange Rating: PG   Credits: "The Lament of the Last Wolf Spider" by Nathan James Norman  

Review by Kim Wicke General Thoughts With nine stories by seven different authors, this anthology offers a good mix of the speculative genres, from the barely-futuristic to the fabulous.  I am slightly disappointed that none of the selections scratched my itch for classic high fantasy, but the variety was wide enough that I was able to find other things I liked almost as much.  If your personal preferences run more towards sci-fi or horror, you probably won’t feel even that small lack, and there’s definitely at least a little something here for everyone. Despite the variety on display, though, I did notice one odd similarity running through several tales.  Four out of nine stories contain the following formula: something bad happens to the protagonist’s daughter, which consumes said protagonist’s mind and drives all of his (or in one instance, her) actions.  After two stories in a row featuring this device, I started mentally bracing myself as soon as ...

Review by Nathan James Norman When a madman calling himself Nero abducts five strangers to a mysterious island, events are set in motion that may very well trigger the catastrophic events of the Book of Revelation. These five strangers quickly discover that Nero intends to torment these five people in his sadistic games as he asks the question, "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" Jason Brannon opens The Tears of Nero with explosive intrigue and action. The reader, like the protagonists, is thrown right into the conflict without reason or explanation. This is a gutsy move on Brannon's part. On the one hand, it grabs the reader's attention. On the other hand, though, it results in very little upfront characterization. Indeed, the opening chapters of the novel are propelled forward by plot and not by the characters. But something interesting happens as the five strangers traverse the dangers and traps of the island... a...