Nov 28 2025

Black Friday: Short Stories From Africa by Cheryl S Ntumy

And now for a little counter-programming… (she says, having already bought a huge stack of gifts online.)

Subtitled Fantasy and Science Fiction from a Powerful African Voice (and with a foreword by Eugen Bacon,) this collection definitely functions as both a critique of capitalism and other exploitative systems, as well as a celebration of Ghana and of African speculative fiction. Exactly half of the eighteen stories here were published elsewhere first: the rest get their debut in this volume. Several of the stories are only vaguely speculative flavored. Unsurprisingly, those prove the weakest in an ultimately very strong collection (and are kept towards the back, so if you tire or need to go read something else, you won’t really be missing anything if you save the last handful of stories for a later date, IMO.)

The best thing about these short stories is the way they exemplify the strengths of the form. There isn’t a lot of fluff here as readers are plunged straight into worlds at once familiar and strange. From the folk horror of Lady Abra’s Butterflies to the solarpunk setting of The Feeding Ground, the vast majority of Cheryl S Ntumy’s worlds need little clarification, seeming to exist as naturally as thought. The only exceptions to this are The Way Of Baa’gh, set in a shared universe I was entirely unfamiliar with before reading this collection, and Dream State, which raises more questions than it answers in the persons of the Parfaits. Everything else is satisfyingly self-contained.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/28/black-friday-short-stories-from-africa-by-cheryl-s-ntumy/

Nov 26 2025

Murder Among The Stacks by Rosie A Point & Charles Timmerman

It is the day before Thanksgiving and I’m so tired. Are you tired? This year has been endless, and even reading has become something of a chore. My brain keeps yearning for something that’s charming and mildly stimulating that doesn’t feel like work. So you can imagine my relief at cracking open this book and finding exactly the fun diversion I was looking for.

Murder Among The Stacks is essentially a word search book with a light cozy mystery attached. There are 50 themed word search puzzles inside, and a short one-page chapter of the overarching mystery attached to each. The story itself starts, as almost all cozy series do, with an attractive and single young entrepreneur launching her small business in a quaint town, accompanied by a beloved pet. In this instance, our heroine is Abby Jones, who has recently moved to Cranberry Cove from the city where her lying ex broke her heart. She’s opening a brand new bookstore and is excited to host a signing event for one of the town’s notables, bestselling author Brooke Pines. It’ll be exactly the launch boost that Abby and her store need.

Things go awry when Brooke proceeds to drop dead at the event. Brooke’s overbearing momager publicly accuses Abby of killing her daughter, causing the whole town to turn against their newest resident. Of most immediate concern to Abby tho is the fact that local Sheriff Swift considers her his number one suspect. It’s only a small relief that his handsome deputy Nathan Harrow seems less inclined to leap to conclusions. With her reputation, livelihood and very freedom on the line, Abby is going to have to do a little sleuthing of her own in order to figure out whodunnit, and maybe even save a life in the process.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/26/murder-among-the-stacks-by-rosie-a-point-charles-timmerman/

Nov 25 2025

Sunder, Tome One: Small Beginnings by Pierre-Alexandre Comtois, Mark Englert & Buddy Beaudoin

Small beginnings is right, as a humble young monk finds himself plunged into an epic quest over the course of this science fantasy adventure!

Zeek has only ever known life at the monastery. For the most part, he enjoys his work of transcribing books, even if he’d much rather be having adventures than copying them down. While kind and generous, he can also default to acting first and thinking things through later.

When he finds a weird book in the library, he’s literally stunned when it unexpectedly bonds with him. The Abbot is concerned, mostly because he knows this is probably the sign that he needs to let Zeek out into the wider world finally. Despite his misgivings, he tasks Zeek with finding out more about the book. There’s an apothecary in a nearby town who might know someone who knows more. Zeek is nervous but excited to think that he’ll finally be able to go forth on the adventure he’s always wanted.

At first, things some easy enough, as any conflicts are easily resolved with conversation and a little ingenuity. But when actual criminals enter the picture, Zeek quickly finds himself out of his depth. Luckily, he has allies in his quest… or does he?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/25/sunder-tome-one-small-beginnings-by-pierre-alexandre-comtois-mark-englert-buddy-beaudoin/

Nov 24 2025

The Secrets Of The Old Post Cemetery by Patricia Crisafulli (EXCERPT)

Patricia Crisafulli is back with the third book in her Ohnita Harbor Mystery Series, starring small town librarian, authenticator and educator Gabriela Domenici!

Our heroine is excited about the latest assignment she’s devised for her students. The Traitor’s Map that was recently donated to an Ohnita museum might not be the most accurate map of the area — leading some to believe that it was deliberately drawn that way in order to throw off the British during the Revolutionary War — but it is a fascinating glimpse into an important chapter of the region’s past. She wants her students to consider how to authenticate the map: a challenging but worthwhile puzzle for others seeking to follow in her professional footsteps.

But when one of those students is found dead on the lakeshore, Gabriela is stricken with the thought that he might have gone too far in his zeal to complete the assignment. When she learns that the cause of death was actually murder, she finds herself caught up in a tangled web of death and deceit that may claim yet more lives if she doesn’t figure out whodunnit and why.

Read on for an excerpt that highlights the very human side of our heroine and her interactions with the people of Ohnita!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/24/the-secrets-of-the-old-post-cemetery-by-patricia-crisafulli-excerpt/

Nov 22 2025

A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by Laszlo Krasznahorkai

A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by László Krasznahorkai belongs to the branch of literature that’s more “do unusual things with words” than “tell a story.” I picked it up on a recent trip to Frankfurt because Krasznahorkai won the 2025 Nobel Prize for Literature, and the book itself is short at 130 pages. If nothing else, I figured it might be a good introduction to his work.

Mountain to the North Etc by Laszlo Krasznahorkai

The lengthy title comes from the proper orientation of a Buddhist monastery, where most of the book takes place. It is not far from Kyoto, but getting there is not easy, and the book’s unattributed epigraph might also serve as a warning to the characters, if they could but read it: “None saw it twice.” Krasznahorkai relates his observations in 49 chapters numbered in Roman numerals beginning with II and ending with L. Presumably, beginning with the chapter two is meant to imply that readers are joining an ongoing tale, the beginning of which will remain unknown to readers and characters alike.

The chapters are short, but the sentences are long. Numerous chapters are one extended sentence Chapter XXVII, to pick one more or less at random, stretches its sentence across three full pages. They’re run-ons, of course. Mann and Proust delighted in clauses and conjunctions; sometimes when reading them I had the impression that finding out how many grammatical balls they could juggle was at least half the fun of writing that particular bit. Krasznahorkai does a fair amount of that, but he also charges straight through where even an extended sentence would normally end and just keeps going. (Although I lived in Budapest for a year and a bit, I never studied Hungarian systematically, so I certainly couldn’t say whether Krasznahorkai’s style in this book is as much of a stumbling block in the original as I found it in English. I suspect that it is; certainly Miklos Bánffy, the only other Hungarian writer I’ve read much of this century, does not take a similar approach.)

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/22/a-mountain-to-the-north-a-lake-to-the-south-paths-to-the-west-a-river-to-the-east-by-laszlo-krasznahorkai/

Nov 21 2025

Tantalizing Tales — November 2025 — Part Two

(assuming you count last week’s Gift Guide as its own separate beast, which I’m choosing to do here!)

Is anyone else taking advantage of the pre-Black Friday sales? Or are you being stubborn like me and choosing to wait till the day itself in case there are really good deals, literally or figuratively, lying in store for us? Regardless, keep this next selection top of your shopping list! I adored the first book in Vanessa Kelly’s Emma Knightley mystery series and am only sorry that the sequel didn’t come in time for me to secure a place for it on my review list.

That said, if Murder At Donwell Abbey is even half as good as Murder At Highbury, then readers are in for a treat indeed. Ms Kelly reimagines Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse as an amateur sleuth who must solve the murders she keeps coming across now that she’s happily settled down with her husband George. Unfortunately for her ongoing peace of mind, someone else in her immediate family is looking to get settled as well, in this second book of the series. To Emma’s less-than-delight, her hypochondriac father announces his engagement to, of all people, Miss Hetty Bates.

But something even worse than domestic mismatch happens when Emma’s hardworking lady’s maid Prudence is found dead, presumably from an accidental fall. Emma, however, suspects that something far more sinister is afoot. In her pursuit of justice for Prudence, will she put her own life at risk?

Emma is, perhaps weirdly, my favorite of Jane Austen’s heroines, as I’ve slowly come to accept and appreciate the similarities between us. I love what Ms Kelly has done with her and with the entire world in which she lives, extrapolating fairly from the original book for entertainment that is at once riveting and convincing. And honestly, of all the Austen heroines we know, who but clever and meddlesome Emma would be best suited to succeed at amateur sleuthing?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/21/tantalizing-tales-november-2025-part-two/

Nov 20 2025

The Spiritual Meaning Of Birds Oracle Deck by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Can’t decide whether it’s better or worse for me to review this deck this week rather than next, which contains the US’ foremost holiday nicknamed for a bird, lol.

Regardless, it was nice to be able to finally get this deck to the top of my queue. While I originally received it in May, my review backlog has been sheer nonsense. That delay did, however, give me time to not only better vibe with the deck but also to compare the readings I did when I first got it with the readings I did last night, paired as well with a Tarot deck (but more on that later.)

I’ll admit that my first impression of this deck was not the greatest. Perhaps it was just the readings I got from it originally, but it seemed hyper-focused on domestic issues, as if this was the perfect deck for the sedate and home-loving. Tho I suppose that that is the kind of person who is the target audience for a deck about the Spiritual Meaning of Birds, particularly when the majority of said birds are the kind most commonly encountered in North America and Europe.

And there’s nothing wrong with that, especially since the illustrations are primarily Audobon-based. This is a very tastefully illustrated deck, from the green and white card backs to the beautiful renditions of birds and plant life throughout the deck and its accompanying guidebook. The deck itself is sturdy and oversized: while I generally prefer my oracle cards closer to Tarot-sized, I didn’t find this deck so large as to be unwieldy. The cards shuffle nicely and aren’t too slippery, tho have a tendency to bend when left on their own. That doesn’t bother me, but I’ve heard enough grousing about decks not lying flat from others to feel that it warrants mentioning in this review.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/20/the-spiritual-meaning-of-birds-oracle-deck-by-arin-murphy-hiscock/

Nov 19 2025

Are You A Friend Of Dorothy? by Kyle Lukoff & Levi Hastings

subtitled The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped.

Hand to God, I did not know that the Dorothy of this saying wasn’t a real person! I always assumed it was an allusion to Dorothy Gale, the heroine of The Wizard Of Oz so iconically portrayed by Judy Garland in the seminal 1939 movie. Ms Garland herself was a gay icon and ally, while the role of Dorothy — someone who was able to escape her repressive black and white life for a Technicolor world with people who understood her — has spoken to queer people ever since her screen debut.

But the “Dorothy” of Are You A Friend of same is much more complex than that, as this vividly illustrated picture book shows us. Despite allusions to both the fictional Dorothy Gale and the very real Dorothy Parker, the Dorothy of this saying was really just a codeword that helped gay people find community in places that were often hostile, if not worse, to their very existence. Kyle Lukoff relates the 20th century (and beyond) history of queer existence and acceptance in language that’s clear and accessible for advancing readers, and makes the hunt for Dorothy feel as gripping as a spy thriller — which it occasionally was!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/19/are-you-a-friend-of-dorothy-by-kyle-lukoff-levi-hastings/

Nov 18 2025

Exo by Colin Brush (EXCERPT)

Hello, dear readers! Today, we have a thrilling excerpt for you from a debut novel that expertly melds a future Earth devastated by climate change with a compelling murder mystery, featuring an octogenarian sleuth.

Our heroine Mae Jameson is no Miss Marple tho. Thirty years ago, she returned to a hostile Earth, determined to find a former lover. Now she ekes out a living on a planet that has turned against humanity, its oceans having turned into an annihilating liquid entity known as The Caul. Every living creature approaching its shores is irresistibly compelled to enter. . . and is never seen again. Scientists, some of the few inhabitants left, work in facilities seeking to understand and stop the Caul, and perhaps pave the way for humanity’s return from the orbital habitats and moon colonies where they presently live in exile.

Carl Magellan is a rogue scientist whose obsession with The Caul outstrips what others might consider both sense and decency. When Mae discovers his notes on the origins of the killer oceans, she’s plunged deep into the heart of a dangerous conspiracy. Someone believes that they can use the secret of the Caul to shape humanity’s future, and they aren’t afraid to kill to keep control of it.

Read on for a glimpse into Mae’s life, as her past and present collide before plunging her into a mystery perhaps only she is uniquely equipped to solve!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/18/exo-by-colin-brush-excerpt/

Nov 17 2025

Love Languages by James Albon

This tender depiction of love and how it can help transcend the barriers of language is a wonderful slow-burn romance that feels almost autobiographical — even if some of the slow burn means that the romance itself doesn’t feel so much felt as described.

But that’s almost to be expected in a book centered on words and language barriers. James Albon does a phenomenal job of describing, as perhaps only a graphic novelist can, the rivers of words that swirl around lonely, awkward expatriates trying to make connections in foreign countries. His main characters, Sarah and Ping, feel somewhat like islands isolated in the stream of camaraderie forged by those who do share fluency. The way they come together is heartwarming, and a lovely ode to the power of love to bridge all obstacles.

Sarah has a vaguely described but well-remunerated job in Paris, where she’s moved to from London. She’s always been a bit of a loner, but the college bro vibe of her department doesn’t help her make friends, especially as they’re assigned increasingly ridiculous and futile tasks to salvage the company’s reputation. She spends her time when not at work trying to learn French and roaming the streets of Paris, battling her feelings of isolation by desperately reminding herself that she probably just needs to try harder.

After an unpleasant encounter with a duo of street mimes, she’s approached by Ping, another young woman pushing a stroller with a baby in it. Ping is sympathetic, despite not having much French or English. She is, however, fluent in Cantonese, being from Hong Kong. The two women slowly build up a friendship as they work at understanding each other’s languages, and eventually build up to something more.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/17/love-languages-by-james-albon/