Kate Pearsall’s debut, Bittersweet in the Hollow, was a solid and satisfying novel. With Lies on the Serpent’s Tongue, Pearsall delivers a strong second installment in what I hope will be at least a quartet of enchanting stories.
Author Archives: Elisabeth Ring
‘Headshot’ Fast-Moving but Hard-Hitting
Most of the boxers’ stakes in Headshot are drawn from the most ordinary of things, which gives the world inside the book more authenticity and the world outside it a reminder of its import.
‘Unmothers’ Sings Thanks to Subtlety
Most characters within The Unmothers grapple with some kind of emotional fracturing; what’s more interesting is seeing how each responds. The nice thing is that the creeping thing in the fog finds all flavors of grief delicious.
‘Siege’ Pits Pacifism Against Realities of War
Siege is a good read, a compelling read, but it’s not an easy read. Mohamed’s lyrical prose makes the events beautiful, but intentionally doesn’t blunt them.
‘Girl’ Ponders Trauma, Identity
The Girl Before Her feels less like a narrative than it does someone trying to work out where they’ve come from and how they ended up in their present place and as their present selves. The reader is a ghost over Papin’s shoulder as she turns herself, and her family, inside and out in search of answers.
‘Last Call’ Echoes Uncomfortably to Present
History repeats itself; whether or not you study it, chances are your recently elected political leaders haven’t. But I found unlikely optimism in this niche book of history.
‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ a Compendium of Lore
Lore has a distinct style, and that same writing is present on every page of Cabinet of Curiosities, so much so that, without reading the audiobook, I still had Mahnke’s voice and delivery in my head, along with a light soundtrack from an imaginary Chad Lawson.
‘Woods’ More Human Nature than Thriller
In The God of the Woods, Moore isn’t concerned with crafting a whodunnit so much as a careful sketch of a far more human story.
‘Ghost Station’ Full of Space-Age Scares
Despite minor missteps, Barnes crafts a taut horror with radically flawed characters that combine to make a satisfying horror of both the past and the unknown.
New story in Cast of Wonders!
One of my favorite stories to date just dropped on Cast of Wonders. Check out the podcast, narrated by Dani Daly, or read the full text online. This one started out with the imagery of a jack-o-lantern with a mouth full of human teeth and ended up becoming a deeply personal story about being aContinue reading “New story in Cast of Wonders!”
Ring Reads 