Book Review: The Pale

Something strange is killing people in The Pale of Settlement—the strip of Western Russia where the Czars let Jews live.

When military hero Sergei looks up from the kid’s body on the street of the captured Polish town under his charge, he’s met with the most terrifying thing he’s seen in years: a flea-bitten orthodox Jew who looks just like him and knows his true name.

When Yankev of Vishanev—down on his luck demon hunter, once powerful kabbalist—looks into the eyes of the brother he thought dead half a lifetime, he’s certain he’s finally back on the path God laid out for him.

When the monsters attack, when the angels speak, when something darker than human violence threatens the Jews of the town with extinction, will these two have what it takes to find their way back to being a family? Will they have what it takes to stop what’s coming?

Book Review: The Block Party

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other. On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

The Block Party by Jamie Day was published July 2023 by St. Martin's Press.

Book Review: The Big Gang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide

It was 2007. The era of Must-See TV had ended. There was no Friends, no Will and Grace, no Seinfeld. The broadcast airwaves were being ruled by reality television series like American Idol and Big Brother, coupled with the expanded offerings of cable networks. Only CBS was seeing some success with the traditional multi-camera sitcom structure through shows like How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. Into that very lineup, sandwiched between the two hit series, came a fresh take on the sitcom setup: What would happen if two brainy nerds found themselves living next door to a beautiful woman? And television history was made, while educating readers about pop culture and world events.

Book Review: Alternate Worlds

Alternate Worlds is a the Gathering memoir written by Brian Schneider, one of the game’s early R&D leads, about the fun and merit of growing up a gamer. Consider it a love letter to CCG, to gamers, and to anyone who woke up one day and thought, “I miss my friends.”

The book itself is a “Magic deck” of sixty short, delightful, stories -- all tales about lessons learned along the way. All profits from Alternate Worlds will be donated periodically to nonprofit organizations of the highest need.

Alternate Worlds: A Memoir From the Early Days of Playing and Making Magic: The Gathering was published November 2025.

Book Review: The Thunder Heist

Meet Kef Cutmark. pirate, monster-slayer, scourge of the Twisted Seas. After a lifetime of running from her past, she’s returned to Zorith – a tangled jungle of a thousand boats, all lashed together to make a floating city-ship. Zorith is powered by a device that draws energy from lightning. Mysterious, unique, and locked in an unbreachable tower, it’s the envy of Zorith’s rivals.

And Kef? She’s here to steal it. If she can take the device and cripple Zorith, maybe she’ll find justice for all the hurt the city has caused her. But with an unreliable thieving crew, hunters closing in, and her past bearing down upon her, failure looks more likely. And if she fails, she’ll never find peace again.

The Thunder Heist by Jed Herne was published October 2020 by Undergrove Press.

Book Review: Across the Broken Stars

Leon has a secret. He was once an angel – a winged warrior sworn to protect Paya, a realm where people live on discs that float in space. He failed.Now, Leon’s a broken man, trying to forget the past. He thinks he’s the last angel. But then a young fugitive stumbles onto Leon’s doorstep. She’s an angel, too. And she has a riddle leading to a place where angels still live. Or so the stories claim.

Desperate for redemption, Leon begins a perilous quest through myth and folklore. But will Leon and the fugitive find their legendary destination? Or will Leon lose his last chance for salvation?

Across the Broken Stars by Jed Herne was published February 3, 2020, by Undergrove Press.

Book Review: Old Bastards

Hi, I’m Tracy. I work in a nursing home, and to say I hate it would be a gross fucking understatement. It’s got a few perks though — like the sleeping pills (so long as no one sees you take them), and Juan, the hot guy who sells me weed and totally wants in my pants.

But lately, things have been fucking weird. Some old bitch died — it wasn’t my fault, I swear! — and now she’s haunting me. Everywhere I go, she's there, creeping me out with her big creepy face. Does she want something, or am I just tripping? Either way, she better fuck off before I really lose my shit.

Old Bastards: A Very Naughty Comedy was written by Stevie Duffy,independently published June 24, 2026.