Nov 10, 2025 | Author Interview, book review, R.J. Huneke, Russ Colchamiro, sci-fi
Join TFF this week as renowned author of the Angela Hardwicke Series Russ Colchamiro Speaks To R.J. Huneke LIVE on Zoom [sign up free here] this Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 7pm EST!
As RJ’s Ants Waking Book Tour continues readers of TheForgottenFiction.com are privy to an evening of discussion as the two authors talk writing, from mystery genres to sci-fi, and everything in between!
Russ Colchamiro is a fellow genre masher and is excited to come on and hit on his incredible mystery-science-fiction Angela Hardwicke series (we reviewed Book 1 here) – all 5 books in the series so far are on his site here – as well as an intriguing new Y/A horror espionage thriller titled Hyde & Seek: Fury of the White Mask.
Prepare your queries, as the two writers will talk shop and also answer some questions from readers and attendees!
Sign up To Attend the Event Free at Zoom here.
Oct 8, 2025 | book review, Book Reviews, Horror, Nat Cassidy, sci-fi, Spoiler-Free, When the Wolf Comes Home
The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoevsky: humorous satire astounds in its lethal wit and sharp criticisms of ‘the Old Guard’, elitist aristocracy, Westernization, greed, and the Russian government in the late 1800s.
I hope Kurt Vonnegut read and reveled in Dostoevsky’s The Crocodile!
As a bonus, I read this book in a scintillating limited edition fine edition crafted by Century Press; I will examine this closely further down the book review.
The premise is simple enough for this hundred page novella: a man is swallowed whole by a crocodile in an aristocratic carnival-like setting and he continues to live on, albeit literally in the belly of the beast.
Dostoevsky’s tale is often labeled absurdly surreal, and it is that.
But the laugh out loud humor can also bring tears (not crocodile tears, yuck, yuck), because of the stark criticisms on display.
This book could just have easily been written for the west in the 20th and 21st centuries, as the metaphor has ferocity in The Crocodile.
Dostoevsky’s swallowed character, Ivan, represents personal struggles amidst systemic corruption in government and society, as well political and social oppression in order to retain the status quo of suffering . . . this is our fun character the silent crocodile who is slowly digesting Ivan.
It is funny how Dostoevsky pinpoints, in particular, how the old elites feel ‘progressives’ and ‘education’ were always to blame for the people suffering, even as foreign companies bought up housing and tripled prices ‘to keep the peasants’ busy in their suffering and to keep them paying into the system.
This was late 1800s Russia.
Here is a short passage on the economy and housing according to a wealthy elitist:
The metaphor is strong in this one!
The satire is thick, the humor prevalent, and I really wonder if this work influenced Mark Twain or Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Now this gorgoeous goatskin book is small but remarkable and letterpress printed for not much over a hundred Euro.
I am floored with this book – the letterpress printed linework art is incredible, the scales chapter pages superb in green and black, and the custom endpapers I was lucky to attain are tactile-wise so much fun and the visuals are one-of-a-kind amazing!
I will be keeping an eye on every book Century Press makes.
Limited to 250 copies, Century Press is proud to present a striking new edition of The Crocodile like it’s never been seen before.
A brand new translation of Dostoyevsky’s “Editorial Preface” that accompanied the original publication of The Crocodile in Dostoevsky’s journal, The Epoch. This preamble to the story will be published in English for the first time in our edition.
An annotated and revised version the English Garnett translation from Dr. Sarah J. Young, a professor of Russian literature at UCL in London, as well as comprehensive introduction of her own.
Illustrated for the first time with four pieces by UK-based illustrator Rohan Eason.
Printing and Bindery Specs
Fully bound in vegetable-tanned, cypress goatskin leather from the Hudson Valley
Two-colour letterpress printed on premium 100% cotton ‘Flurry’ paper with a 1956 Heidelberg ‘Windmill’ platen press, typeset in Academy
Italian, tight-weave, cotton ribbon bookmark
Original gold-stamped artwork on front cover, back cover, and spine by Oksana Tarasenko.
All pre-orders received a special edition of The Crocodile with handmade endsheets from master Canadian artist Susan Kristoferson.
Her stunning paste papers were exhibited by the Grolier Club earlier this year, and have been acquired by NYC’s Metropolitan Art Museum as part of their Paper Legacy Collection.
“The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoevsky: humorous satire astounds” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
R.J. Huneke was just interviewed on the Tilting at Windmills show to discuss his newest book of fiction ANTS WAKING coming Oct. 28th!
Watch it now here!
And yes, RJ’s newest book is almost out! What is the premise? I’m glad you asked:
Coming October 28, 2025 – For readers of fantasy, Ants Waking by R.J. Huneke is a thrilling, visceral magical realism tale about an autistic college freshman in the magical city of Cambridge racing against meddlesome gods for the means to thwart their friend’s premature death before a Dark storm consumes them.
The title novella is accompanied by Huneke’s illustrations plus bonus material: previously published and unpublished short stories and select poetry, all of which were newly revised by Huneke to provide an author’s preferred text.
STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ON RJHUNEKE.COM TO TIMES, LINKS & DETAILS FOR R.J. HUNEKE’S ANTS WAKING BOOK TOUR 2025, INCLUDING AN EXCLUSIVE TFF AUTHOR INTERVIEW IN NOVEMBER WITH SCI-FI GREAT RUSS COLCHAMIRO!
Preorder ANTS WAKING here and get in on free signed remarqued bookplates here!
Aug 21, 2025 | book review, Book Reviews, Horror, Nat Cassidy, sci-fi, Spoiler-Free, When the Wolf Comes Home
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy: a poignant thriller, this book is must-read weird fiction, and a fast-paced, genre-smashing classic.
Fans of great horror, fantasy, and literary fiction will not want to miss this one.
Dare I mention Ray Bradbury?
“As if the universe chose that moment to come alive for them and tell them there was nothing to worry about. As if it knew their names.”
― Nat Cassidy, When the Wolf Comes Home
Cassidy builds on accessible page-turning genre fiction and establishes endearing characters that you would give an eye to, just to see that they are okay (see what I did there?).
The boy becomes our adopted son and our endearing friend met during the hardest of times.
The following book review of When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy will be Spoiler-free.
I cannot understate how difficult it is to write a realistic five-year-old that you fall in love with, as if they were your own child in trouble.
And make no mistake, terrible trouble is following this runaway boy and leaves behind a slew of bloody wrecks that used to be bodies.
This is not a spoiler as it is touched on in the novel’s description: the boy can turn his every fear into reality.
This power is unnerving, terrifying, and awe-inspiring.
Two favorite trailblazing books of mine – two cornerstones of contemporary fiction – reverberate in my head while reading When the Wolf Comes Home: Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Stephen King’s Firestarter.
This brilliant modern fairy tale soars to innovative heights while remaining grounded in two GREAT protagonists the reader cares deeply for: Jess and the boy.
The young woman, a failing actress with a heart of gold, and big time father issues, is also a brilliant, likable character you root for wholeheartedly.
This is one of the best books I have read this year.
If you love Ray Bradbury or Richard Matheson, do as the King says: “Sink your teeth into a classic.” —Stephen King
“The wolf lets out a tremendous, world-splitting roar. The stench is appalling: rot and decay and the promise of ruined flesh.”
― Nat Cassidy, When the Wolf Comes Home
We reviewed Nat Cassidy’s Mary too and it is also phenomenal.
“When the Wolf Comes Home By Nat Cassidy: A Poignant Thriller” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
Jun 10, 2025 | book review, Book Reviews, Martha Wells, Murderbot, sci-fi, science fiction, Spoilers
Murderbot Gets a Makeover in Artificial Condition – Murderbot Diaries Book 2 by Martha Wells – as it heads to where it all began . . . the very minute where it ‘went rogue’ and turned the corner toward sentience.
Why had it killed the members of its former crew, so many prior missions ago?
The remains of deleted memories still haunt the delightful SecUnit (security droid) with a conscience that, once self-aware, names itself Murderbot.
As it decides to go on a quest of self-discovery, the snarky, disdainful, and witty fan of space opera television, especially its favorite Sanctuary Moon, boards a ship sans crew, but finds an unexpected surprise . . .
“Murderbot Gets a Makeover in Artificial Condition” book review has Mild SPOILERS* related to the plot at the book’s start.
For Murderbot is not the only droid to have hacked its government module, and its new pilot is not only self-aware, but has serious attitude and a lot of questions for its newfound friend.
Without ruining the story, let us just say that when ART – the pilot-program – helps Murderbot with some body customizations to better fit in as human and throw off anyone looking for a rogue SecUnit, Murderbot has not thought through the end-result: if you look more human, you need to act more human.
What a nightmare!
Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries is a series that any fan of science fiction, Kurt Vonnegut, good humor, well-written action, and the philosophical contemplation of what it means to be alive – as a thinking being – including realistic artificial intelligence (real AI, not that LLM knock-off garbage-slop) must devour this as soon as you are able.
The security android unit has a unique, human-looking face – when its helmet is not opaqued – and a chiding personality, which works wonderfully as a metaphor for autism spectrum disorder on many levels:
- Murderbot feels and uses empathy in its actions, despite the common misnomers of a lack of feeling for others.
- Its face appears mask-like much of the time.
- It observes many details and minute facets of the human beings around it that they themselves are often oblivious to.
- It takes pride in making decisions based on logic, especially when its companions appear to fly in the face of it.
P.S. The MURDERBOT Apple TV series adaptation is very faithful, well-written, and superbly-acted and OUT NOW!
Murderbot often makes fun of – or screams in frustration – in its dealings with or monitoring of humans, and as it continues to binge-watch serial TV whenever it can, the reader gets the sense that this is an extremely plausible and entertaining depiction of AI.
For all of the awful renditions of self-aware programs or bots in fiction – After Origin, anyone? – that are far too simplistic or one-dimensional, in Artificial Condition, Murderbot, ART, and company are here to set us at ease.
“Murderbot Gets a Makeover in Artificial Condition” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
May 20, 2025 | book review, Book Reviews, Jodorowsky, Moebius, sci-fi, science fiction, SFF, small press, Spoiler-Free, The Incal
Moebius’ & Jodorowsky’s The Incal is Must-read Sci-Fi Epic masterpiece of fiction.
This is one of the greatest metaphysical noir SFF epics of all time! And the art is like nothing you’ll ever see.
Even if you are not usually a graphic novel reader, I must urge you to try on The Incal, even from a strictly writing standpoint it is pure genius.
If Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo dominated the East in the 1980s with its grandiose, philosophical, cyberpunk – with extraordinary art in terms of both story and illustration – then The Incal dominated the West during a decade with its innovative metaphysical space opera noir that is equally as mind-blowing, just in wholly different ways.
Each work, Akira and The Incal, are often dubbed “the best comic book” ever written.
And it is hard to argue.
The Incal inspired The Expanse series – both books and film – as well as countless other works of SFF literature and graphic novels.
From the minds of two artists who spent countless hours attempting to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune – which never completed – Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean ‘Moebius’ Giraud took their work someplace entirely new as one labyrinth after another are peeled back, like a giant space onion, to reveal deeper dangers, steeper odds, and more intricate plotlines for The Incal’s John Difool and company.
The story’s trajectory evolves as much as the characters do, which is to say a lot because swallowing the Incal can cause a stone pterodactyl to speak its well-formed, growing mind!
I love the dark sense of humor that adds brevity to the most dire of circumstances threatening whole planets, galaxies, and universes and all who dwell within them.
But the visual art by Moebius is enthralling.
I spent hours just staring and studying The Incal’s artwork, panel by panel, illustration by illustration, with my jaw seated heavily on the floor.
There are no words to describe such brilliance, such genius.
Myriad styles converge or stand alone, emergent in exactly the right spot in the story to add the enormity or the intimacy needed to hit home.
And then The Incal ends in an amazing, unforeseen, and a classic fashion that elevates the entire book.
Go and seek out The Incal!
“Moebius’ & Jodorowsky’s The Incal is Must-read Sci-Fi Epic masterpiece of fiction” Was Written By R.J. Huneke.
Dec 23, 2024 | Babel, Best Books, Best Of 2024, book review, Book Reviews, Brandy Schillace, Discworld, fantasy, Feet of Clay, fine press, Horror, Kurt Vonnegut, limited edition, Max Allan Collins, Michael Crichton, Mickey7, mystery, Phantasia Press, Quarry, R.F. Kuang, sci-fi, science fiction, Signed Limited, small press, speculative fiction, Spoiler-Free, Terry Pratchett, THE FRAMED WOMEN OF ARDEMORE HOUSE, walter mosley
Best Books of 2024 TFF To-Read Festivus Guide comes to you just in time to place some last-minute literature at the feet of your metal pole, recently taken from out of the crawl space.
Here at TFF, we are especially focused on the fiction that transforms us all, this Solstice.
So Happy Yule, Happy Holly King, Welcome Father Christmas, or whichever legends you may observe ere the New Year of 2025* comes!
*At TFF we review newly released books and also books that have been released any year, so our ‘best of list’ contains what we found and loved this year, not necessarily what was published in 2024.
Feast your eyes, Eager Readers, The Best of 2024:
The Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot’s Mustache Equals Best Mystery Award goes to the THE FRAMED WOMEN OF ARDEMORE HOUSE by Brandy Schillace.
Few can intertwine classic golden age mystery tropes with modern fiction themes, both with myriad intriguing facets, like Dr. Schillace writes in this classic.
An excerpt from our review: The witty, charming, and intelligent [protagonist] Jo is thirsty for answers . . . And despite her difficulty overcoming a not-too-distant divorce with a husband that continually reminded her of her autism and her behavioral faux pas . . . she collects herself time and again and proves to be insightful, well-read, and courageous as she presses on. [ReadTFF.com]
The Ray Bradbury Award Winner For Best Speculative Fiction Likely To Blow The Doors Off Your Mind Palace goes to…R.F. Kuang for the novel BABEL.
This book is the one that moved me the most in the entire year of 2024.
I knew as soon as I read BABEL, it would make an indelible dent in my brain.
An excerpt from our review: If you are a fan of language or translation or history or great characters being challenged beyond your wildest prescient thoughts, then you must read this . . . As with many great stories – especially in the SFF-speculative fiction realm – the character’s path needs to resonate deeply, and Kuang’s protagonist Robin Swift does this while being utterly captivating. [ReadTFF.com]
The 1984: You Made Me Cry…Twice Award goes to Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass – it hurt so damn much.
If you want to buy any of the award-winning books, check them out here in my Bookshop.org List – I get a commission if you buy from there and monies are donated to local bookstores with each purchase:
The Red Death Award For A Work Most Likely To Keep You Too Terrified To Sleep Award goes to…THE CLUB DUMAS by Arturo Pérez-Reverte and Sonia Soto (Translator).
I love bibliomysteries, but this one combines a historic evil, played out in brutal fashion, against the backdrop of New York City, Spain, Portugal, and the many twists of a previously unknown The Three Musketeers manuscript pages.
THE CLUB DUMAS is utterly unique, but be careful you do not lose yourself as you strive to unravel the book’s many strands.
The Michael Crichton You Better Check Your Technology At The Door Sci-fi Award goes to…TOUCHED by Walter Mosley.
The language from one of the world’s best authors is as sharp as it comes!
The Da Vinci Ornithopter Award For Best Small Press Publication goes to…both Hard Case Crime for THE LAST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins and Phantasia Press for Mickey7 by Edward Ashton.
Quarry is the villain we love to root for, and, hell, make him an ‘antihero’ he does not give a damn as to your labels. In this book, there is an outstanding display of character growth for the would-be-retired assassin.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton was the first in a historic Phantasia Press relaunch, as the first fine press dedicated entirely to Sci-Fi-Fantasy returns in the 21st Century with a resounding BOOM and a gorgeous limited edition.
The Kurt Vonnegut Satiric Stylin’ Society Needs Kilgore Trout To Give It An Enema Award goes to…TIMEQUAKE by Kurt Vonnegut.
You will never read anything remotely like this novel – TIMEQUAKE is genius, but I know of no sane way to describe it to you.
Last, but not least, is the Inklings Award For Best Fantasy In Fiction is…FEET OF CLAY by Terry Pratchett.
The Discworld Series continues to daunt my dreams and haunt my, well for lack of a better word, daydreams, and, well, the point is these books are so bloody good, you want to keep reading more and more about Commander Vimes of the Night’s Watch and all of the plethora of fantastically, wonderful characters that contribute to the sludge that clings to the edge of the Disc.
FEET OF CLAY is an impactful classic on multiple fronts in the fantasy genre.
Here dear readers is the list of TFF Best Books of 2024:
-
The Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot’s Mustache Equals Best Mystery Award
-
The Ray Bradbury Award Winner For Best Speculative Fiction Likely To Blow The Doors Off Your Mind Palace
-
The 1984: You Made Me Cry…Twice Award
-
The Red Death Award For A Work Most Likely To Keep You Too Terrified To Sleep Award
-
The Michael Crichton You Better Check Your Technology At The Door Sci-fi Award
-
The Da Vinci Ornithopter Award For Best Small Press Publication x2
-
Hard Case Crime for THE LAST QUARRY by Max Allan Collins
-
Phantasia Press signed limited edition of Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
-
The Kurt Vonnegut Satiric Stylin’ Society Needs Kilgore Trout To Give It An Enema Award
-
Inklings Award For Best Fantasy In Fiction
Buy books here:
Happy New Year, Fictioneers!
