Collection Archives - Novel Notions

The Great Change (and Other Lies) is a terrific and thought-provoking insight into the behind-the-scenes of creation and revolution in The Age of Madness.

“Greed was the one thing in the diamond trade, after all, that could always be relied upon.

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Book Review: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1 (The Sun Eater, #2.7) by Christopher Ruocchio

November 8, 2023 Petrik Leo Comments 2 comments

Cover art illustrated by Nathan Anderson

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1 by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #2.7 of 7)

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy

Pages: 172 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 16th April 2021 (Self-Published)

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 1 is a mixed-quality collection of short stories in The Sun Eater series. …

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Book Review: Sharp Ends (The First Law World, #7) by Joe Abercrombie

July 18, 2022 Petrik Leo Comments 2 comments

Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: First Law World (Book #7 of 10)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Westerns

Pages: 369 pages (UK paperback edition)

Published: 26th April 2016 by Gollancz (UK) and Orbit (US)

Sharp Ends, the ultimate collection of tales from The First Law World by Joe Abercrombie, is a great dessert to provide insights and background for most of the previously established characters in the past six novels. …

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Book Review: Brief Cases (The Dresden Files, #15.1) by Jim Butcher

October 29, 2020 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

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Cover illustration by: Chris McGrath

Brief Cases by Jim Butcher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Dresden Files (Book #15.1 of 25)

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Pages: 444 pages (US Kindle edition)

Published: 5th June 2018 by Orbit (UK) & Roc (US)

This collection, especially Zoo Day, is mostly worth it just for the non-Harry’s POV stories. …

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Book Review: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

October 23, 2020 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

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Cover illustration by: Quentin Trollip

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Thriller, Magical Realism, Historical Fiction

Pages: 464 pages (US Hardback)

Published: 10th March 2016 by Head of Zeus (UK) & 8th March 2016 by Gallery / Saga Press (US)

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories is an intimately powerful and beautiful collection of stories that encompassed some of the most relatable themes to our society, and some stories contained in this collection felt personal and evocative to me.

“Every act of communication is a miracle of translation.”

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Book Review: Side Jobs (The Dresden Files, #12.5) by Jim Butcher

August 24, 2020 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

Cover illustration by: Chris McGrath

Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Dresden Files (Book #12.5 of 25)

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Pages: 434 pages (US Kindle edition)

Published: 14th April 2011 by Orbit (UK) & 26th October 2010 by Roc (US)

Back Up, The Warrior, and Aftermath were the only noteworthy stories in Side Jobs for me.

“Whenever it gets too dark, think of the good things you have, the good times you’ve had. It will help. I promise.”

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Book Review: If It Bleeds by Stephen King

July 21, 2020 Celeste Comments 1 comment

If It Bleeds by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve honestly come to believe that King can simply do no real wrong in my eyes. And I’m still baffled by this turn around, as I vividly recall years of my life when I couldn’t get past the first chapter of anything he wrote. Whatever the catalyst for this change in taste might have been, I’m grateful for it. King is now firmly planted among my favorites. While not every book or story is a masterpiece, they’re all enjoyable. This newest collection of his is no exception. Below are micro-reviews for each of the four stories contained in this collection. Even if I didn’t adore them all, I had fun reading them. …

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Book Review: The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu

March 10, 2020 Petrik Leo Comments 0 Comment

ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press—in exchange for an honest review.

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Dystopia

Pages: 432 pages

Published: 25th February 2020 by Head of Zeus (UK) & 25th February 2020 by Saga Press (US)

Ken Liu is incredibly good at writing short stories.

I’ve been waiting for The Dandelion Dynasty to be completed for years now so I can binge read the epic fantasy series. During my waiting time, I have read The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and also some books Liu has translated: The Three-Body Problem and Death’s End by Cixin Liu. I loved them all; The Paper Menagerie, in particular, is one of the two best short stories I’ve ever read so far. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories is the second collection of short stories published by Ken Liu, and as expected, it’s another wonderful collection of stories. I think of this as something wondrous because I’m not even a fan of short stories; I avoid this format more than I avoid novellas. However, this is Ken Liu, and this collection goes to show how good he is at writing short stories. Just try reading the beautifully written two-page long preface; I highly doubt you’ll be able to resist reading this collection after reading this.

“As the author, I construct an artifact out of words, but the words are meaningless until they’re animated by the consciousness of the reader. The story is co-told by the author and the reader, and every story is incomplete until a reader comes a long and interprets it.”

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