A. F. Stewart

A steadfast and proud sci-fi and fantasy geek, A. F. Stewart was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada and still calls it home. The youngest in a family of seven children, she always had an overly creative mind and an active imagination. She favours the dark and deadly when writing—her genres of choice being fantasy and horror—but she has been known to venture into the light on occasion. As an indie author, she’s published novels, novellas and story collections, with a few side trips into poetry.

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Website: https://afstewart.ca/
Twitter: @scribe77
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://afstewartblog.blogspot.ca/

https://www.amazon.com/A.-F.-Stewart/e/B00653FUOW/

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...and 9 more

• Nightmares From Eberus - A Speculative Fiction Collection on Sep. 07, 2010
  
  Nightmares From Eberus, A Speculative Fiction Collection by JC De La Torre is an interesting mixture of stories that create a book that is shaken and stirred, leaving it a bit murky around the edges. The majority of the short stories contained in the book are dark fantasy or creep into horror, but there are a couple of sci-fi tales thrown into the mix. I liked the author’s take on the world of dark fantasy, with the standout tales for me being Shockers and Serial. Shockers is both a takeoff of ghost hunting shows and a chilling paranormal story, while Serial is a nice old-fashioned vampire tale. However, I really felt the author was off his game when it came to the sci-fi stories; they didn’t quite gel in my opinion, veering too near to caricature for my taste. Continuum Force – The New Guy in particular I didn’t enjoy; it seemed to be in need of a good edit. The idea behind the story was very fascinating and thought-provoking, but it just required more substance. On average, the stories in Nightmares From Eberus are reasonably enjoyable, ripe with intriguing premise and often tinged with a nice edge of satire, although sometimes that satire moved too close to unrealistic exaggeration. Still, it was a satisfying enough book to read, if not an exceptional one. At least for me.
  
• Warped & Wired on Dec. 18, 2010
  
  Warped and Wired by Joshua Caleb is an enjoyable adventure novel, part sci-fi, part fantasy. You are not going to find any deep meaningful angst or heavy introspective character development, but you will find an amusing, delightful book full of sly humour, action and an intriguing premise. The book follows the escapades of two girls: Portia, a magical Sky Wryter, and Mlina, who has a serious computer problem. They are on the hunt for Mlina’s father so he can shed light on the secret of both girls’ past. Complicating matters are Portia’s odd relatives and a malevolent Dark Wryter who wants both Mlina and her father for his own malicious purposes. The book is breezy and an easy read, giving the reader a fast-pasted plot and engaging characters, nicely realized. The tone blends the conflict and peril with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek wit and homage. I did think it faltered a bit in the emotional resolution; I found it somewhat rushed and shallow, with all the family threads tied up a bit hastily. Also, there were a few grammar gaffes here and there. Still, overall it is an entertaining book.
  
• From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War on Feb. 13, 2011
  
  From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War by Jessica James is a fascinating glimpse behind history, into the lives of individuals that lived and died during the American Civil War. The non-fiction book is a collection of love letters written during this era, by people famous and not so famous, with explanatory tidbits by the author regarding these people and their circumstances. It is a short read, but a captivating one. There are several sets of letters featured, including ones from Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart, and not only do you get insight into the writers of these letters, but also into the time in which they lived. They paint a vivid picture of a culture and values far different than what we know today. The book also brings an intimacy and a poignant touch to a war that many know only through harsh facts and statistics. These letters tell the story of the human beings involved, what they sacrificed and sometimes lost. It is a gem of a book for a history buff, and a great read for all.
  
• Dead Man's Eye on March 21, 2011
  
  Dead Man’s Eye by Shaun Jeffrey is a nice, solid paranormal thriller, with a strong engaging plot. The prose is realistic, well-written and the story holds your attention from start to finish. Joanna Raines has enough problems already with failing eyesight, a troubling cornea transplant when she discovers she’s seeing strange shadows. She thinks she is going mad, only to discover there’s something far more sinister and supernatural is happening. And she may be the only person who can stop it. The author does a splendid job of throwing a poor ordinary person into an extraordinary, unbelievable situation and making it both realistic and logical. The heroine reacts and behaves in a genuine, plausible manner that grounds the narrative beautifully. I also found the simple motivation of the antagonists (they’re just looking to wreak mayhem) refreshing; sometimes old-fashioned evil is enough. Some readers may find the ending unsatisfying, but I loved it. I thought the unresolved, dark closer was the perfect finish. I look forward to reading more novels by this author.
  
• Hungry For You on May 01, 2011
  
  Any book that starts with a zombie apocalypse love poem is my kind of tome. Hungry For You is a well penned, alluring collection of romance stories laced with a satirical edge of zombie madness. The book is a gentle smorgasbord of dark horror, small portraits of life gone horribly wrong, but still clinging to some redemption. It is a glimpse of love surviving in the zombie apocalypse, and once or twice, of other tales of undead romance. As one might expect, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but they were all well-written, engaging and great fun to read. It has a subtle touch of dark humour, but also has a sweet undercurrent of affection and warmth. It maintains love can survive total catastrophe, that even zombies have a heart. Hungry for You is an interesting take on your typical zombie story, and will keep you entertained, as well as occasionally queasy.
  
• Doodling on Sep. 21, 2011
  
  Doodling by Jonathan Gould is absurd, quirky, breezy, fun and a total delight to read. It is also a witty little metaphor for today’s social climate, without being preachy or heavy-handed. The book makes some subtle observations while maintaining its air of entertainment. The book begins with Neville Lansdowne falling off the world. Literally. After the shock wears off he sets out exploring a nearby asteroid field, and finds out he’s not the only one who fell. From there his adventures just commence. The premise of Doodling is unusual, surreal and not the least bit scientific, but from the moment you begin reading, the book enchants with its style. It weaves an alluring charm with its eccentric farce that amuses and captivates. Odd characters and fantastic situations abound, flit through your imagination with verve, before settling around you in a warm, clever cosiness. I couldn’t help but imagine this book as a wonderful animated film. Doodling is a thoroughly pleasing book and I highly recommend it.
  
• Symphony of Blood, A Hank Mondale Supernatural Case on Oct. 29, 2011
  
  Symphony of Blood by Adam Pepper is a fascinating mix of hard-boiled detective novel and paranormal thriller. It melds two genres in an excellent fast paced style that keeps you turning the page. Hank Mondale is a down-on-his-luck private investigator who drinks too much and gambles too much. In need of some quick cash he takes a new case where the rich client has an unusual problem: a monster is trying to kill his daughter. Hank doesn’t believe in monsters, but takes the case anyway, only to find the facts leading him into the unknown. Symphony of Blood was a chilling delight to read. The book is basically divided into three parts, with parts one and three telling the story from Hank’s point of view. These sections are an old school, hard-boiled mystery story, unfolding Hank’s investigation slowly, and playing out the tension before we return to his voice for the conclusion. Both parts are well told, have nice flow with gritty atmosphere and substance, engaging characters, and I enjoyed what I read. But it was the second part of the novel that truly excelled for me, when the author unexpectedly switched points of view and told the story through the killer/monster’s eyes. Here, the story is woven from an alien perspective and draws the reader in with fascination, repulsion and even sympathy. Secrets hinted at are now revealed and the subtle contrasts and truths give depth to the plot. I adored this section of the novel and the sudden change between characters was seamless. I did have some small disappointment with the ending, though. It wasn’t that it was badly written or a cheat, and it wrapped up all the threads conclusively, but it just felt a bit detached to me. I think I would have liked something a bit less restrained. Still, I can happily recommend Symphony of Blood as a great book.
  
• The Black-Eyed Susan on Dec. 12, 2011
  
  Parallels: The Black-Eyed Susan is a quick and satisfying taste of her world of On Dark Shores. It is a great standalone story, but also gives a bit more depth to some of the events in On Dark Shores 1: The Lady. For those who have read her ongoing book series, this story has familiar characters, some new ones and that same rich setting and prose that makes her work such a treat (plus it serves to feed reader’s appetites while we wait patiently for the next book). For those who are new to her writing, this tale makes a lovely introduction. Either way it is a story worth reading.
  
• Flidderbugs on Jan. 17, 2012
  
  A captivating short book, with a witty satirical edge that was a delight to read. It’s a charming tale and a quick page-turner that leaves the reader both smiling and pondering the underlying themes. The author has a fabulous knack of combining acerbic lampooning with an entertaining yarn.
  
• Bitten on March 26, 2012
  
  Bitten by K. Drollinger is a reasonably entertaining and charming paranormal novel. It is freely sprinkled with vampires, werewolves and their friends, all traipsing through harrowing escapades and a bit of romance. Bitten is the sequel to Enthralled and while it can be read on its own as I did, it’s probably best for the books to be read in sequence. I felt like I started reading in the middle of a story, although the author does a reasonable job of providing enough back-story to make events comprehensible. The book continues the story of Annette and the werewolves Flynn and Conrad as they deal with aftermath of events in Enthralled, and an old vampire menace still looms. I found the supernatural background of the novel nicely fashioned and well blended into “normal reality”; there was a valid sense of the two worlds interacting and reacting. Plus, the book’s characters come off as genuine as they deal with problems both mundane and paranormal and I found the interpersonal relationships especially intriguing. It was this engaging setting and its appealing denizens that easily captured my attention for the first half of the book. Unfortunately, I did find my interest waned somewhat as the novel progressed. I thought the plot setup and denouement a bit predictable (the end sequence was telegraphed earlier in the novel) with a surprising lack of tension for my taste. And I felt the concluding twist, while interesting, seemed inevitable and unsurprising. Overall though, I did enjoy reading Bitten and it would probably appeal to fans of the paranormal genre.
  
• The Watchtower on July 22, 2012
  
  I was pleasantly surprised reading The Watchtower by Darke Conteur. I expected a reasonably interesting fantasy novel, a short and quick, agreeable read. What I got was a highly crafted, delightfully intricate book, entangled in a dark and a fascinating fantasy world populated with captivating characters. The book starts with the character of Martin Cunningham, who is looking for a job and getting a bit desperate. This job urgency is what brings him to Terin Global, a not-at-all typical place of employment. Once hired, he slowly gets dragged into a dangerous and strange world. One of the best aspects of the book is Martin’s point-of-view, which goes from, “okay these guys are quirky” to “I can’t believe this is happening” without ever seeming forced or out of step. As a reader, you identify with Martin and are drawn into the story as he is wrenched from his comfortable beliefs and faced with another reality. The plot is fast-paced, but never sacrifices continuity or believability in favour of keeping the action moving. The reader receives just enough explanation and back-story to construct the fantasy, without breaking the authenticity of the real world setting. The Watchtower is a first-rate urban fantasy and I highly recommend it.