Review: Fighting Words: Notes for a Future We Won't Have by Peg Tittle

 

Genre: Short Story Collection/Speculative Fiction

Description:

“Fact-driven speculative fiction.

What could've been. What should've been.

A collection of 18 stand-alone, but related, pieces”

Author:

Peg Tittle is the author of several novels, a few screenplays, and multiple non-fiction books as well as writing in other venues including a couple blogs and various publications.

Appraisal:

Each of the stories in this collection have something in common, whether showing how bad things could end up if we (as in the world in general, although focused on the US and Canada) continue with some of the current social and political trends that are engrained in our cultures. Think a dystopian world due to things like climate change that remains relatively unchecked and misogyny (yeah, I know “tough guy”, you don’t think it’s real, but people like you are a big part of the problem). Or wait, maybe if we make some big changes things could turn out okay. It depends on which story you read, but those changes are far from trivial. If you read this and it doesn’t get you thinking, pondering the issues that it illustrates, and recognizing some of the problems it is illuminating, then I don’t want to say you might be a big part of the problem, but …

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

A special note that while you’ll want to go to Amazon to get a paper version of the book, if you want an ebook version you can get that that for free from a link on this page on the author’s website: https://pegtittle.com/books/fighting-words

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Throwing the Hammer by Gary J. Kirchner

 

Genre: Literary Fiction/Humor

Description:

“Paranoid administrators, interdepartmental feuds, quirky staff members, and an eccentric headmaster: welcome to Winston Grant High School.

Mark Patterson has a master’s degree in physics, wants to do nothing more than surf and ski, and believes that high school teaching will be the cushy job of his dreams. He receives a rude awakening when he becomes a physics teacher at Winston Grant, a begrudging little brother amidst rival private school heavyweights.

From the outset, Mark must tiptoe through a virtual minefield of Procrustean rules, coddling parents, scheming colleagues, and, of course, teen-aged students.

Things don’t go well, inside or outside the classroom. His students call him Mr. Goofegg. His football team is pathetic. His lunch-table kids behave like Neanderthals. His teaching supervisor, aka the ‘education implementation strategist,’ criticizes him for using equations. His colleagues have even organized a betting pool for when he will get fired.

And when Mark discovers that a weak student in his class is a physics genius, he finds himself caught in the middle of a conflict between father and son, a conflict which could destroy the young man’s potential. Or help Mark find his.”

Author:

“Gary J. Kirchner studied physics at McGill University and did his Master’s work in sports biomechanics. He also played football with the McGill Redmen and continued as a coach with the team for many years after he graduated. In 1993 he was a recipient of Football Canada’s Gino Fracas Award.

Kirchner taught physics at several Montreal area high schools as well as at John Abbott College. In 2014 he was awarded La Mention d’honneur de l’Association québécoise de pédagogie collégiale for teaching excellence.

He is also a flute-player, amateur astronomer, and keeps physically active as an avid cross-country skier, curler, and triathlon participant.

Kirchner lives in Dorval, Quebec, with his Estonian wife Hille. He is the author of five novels.”

Appraisal:

This book is an interesting read. It’s funny at times, frustrating at others if you’re imagining yourself in the place of or at least feeling a minimal amount of empathy for the protagonist, and thought provoking as you consider the complications that our protagonist Mark has to work through. For various reasons Mark finds himself using his education to get a job as a physics teacher because someone has to support his wife and the baby on the way. If he had his way he’d be in Vancouver surfing in the summer and hitting the slopes in the winter. The frustrations, battles, and learning he experiences are humorous at times, but the messed up priorities of a private school, sometimes more concerned with keeping the tuition paying parents happy than actually helping the kids being taught, the internal battles between different cliques (talking other teachers here, not just the students), and all the other complications keep this interesting and engaging to the end. What that end was going to be, I was not sure what it was going to be until we got there, but I had to find out and I eventually did. (You’ll have to read it yourself if you want to know too.)

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses Canadian spelling conventions.

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Review: Gates of Polished Horn by Mark A Rayner

 

Genre: Speculative fiction

Description:

This sort of fiction skips between science fiction and literary. The subjects are usually those that engage people who enjoy reading about real people in the real world, but there is a twist. Not as in crime fiction where (shock, horror!) the butler did not do it, but something … weird. In Britain TTA Press, run by Andy Cox, was the prime exponent of the genre in short form. That, sadly, ceased publication in the Noughties. But here is a whole collection of speculative stories. Yum yum.

Author:

Mark A. Rayner is a Canadian author of science fiction, satire and humour, from London, Ontario. His most recent books are The Gates of Polished Horn (Donovan Street Press, 2025.), Alpha Max (Monkeyjoy Press, 2021) and The Fatness (Monkeyjoy Press, 2017). The latter won and IndieReader Discovery award for humor and an Independent Book Publisher Association (IBPA) award for humor (silver). He has been nominated for the Prix Aurora Award (for short fiction) three times.

The Gates of Polished Horn was selected by the Toronto Star as one of its 20 favourite fiction books of 2025. ^[1]

Rayner teaches in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at The University of Western Ontario. He is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, and is a founding member of The Emily Chesley Reading Circle. He is also the co-host of the Re-Creative podcast. And he has cats.

He has a Wikipedia page here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_A._Rayner#References where you can discover his other published works.

Appraisal:

The first thing to say is that this short story collection is first class. Even if you don’t usually read short fiction, you should really give this a try.

The title is found in a quotation from Homer’s Odyssey (book XIX):

“The dreams that pass through the gates of polished horn are fraught with truth, for the dreamer who can see them.” Are you that dreamer? I bet you are.

There are 20 stories in this collection. Some tiny, some much meatier. Here are a few thumb nails to whet your appetite: Socrates and time travel: worms and Adidas: a mind meld with a deer: celebrity cooking (a far cry from Master Chef): in the theatre, the essence of character vis à vis the height of your leading lady.

Each story has a dichotomy at its heart. Some of them simply investigate the human condition, with a penetrating eye. Others bring in outré elements.

I recommend this to you.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

A very few missed proofing errors.

There is an odd tic throughout the book which is an underscore where one would usually expect a hyphen. Is it a badge of slipstream-ery? Or a trick of the file? Having just finished this book I am inclined to say that it means you shouldn’t try to explain _everything_.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Reprise Review: Dangerous Memories by Donna Fasano

 

Genre: Romance/Suspense/Psychological Thriller

Description:

“What kind of woman am I?

The question haunts Keira Rhodes when she awakens in the hospital with amnesia and learns that two men claim to be her baby’s father.

Logan claims he is her loving husband. Although Keira feels drawn to this quiet man, she senses that their marriage has been far from perfect. For Logan’s own brother, Kyle, staunchly maintains that Keira’s baby and her heart are his…

The truth lay hidden in Keira’s lost memory—and in the tender touch of one special man…”

Author:

“USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA FASANO is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by BigAl's Books & Pals Review Blog.

Her books have sold 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in two dozen languages. Her novels have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #1...”

To learn more about Ms. Fasano, check out her website or stalk her on Facebook. “She loves to hear from readers.”

Appraisal:

I was enthralled with Keira Rhodes predicament. She awakens in the hospital with no memory of her life before her fall from Simon’s Point in this psychological thriller. The story is mainly told through Keira’s eyes with the exception of getting enough of Logan’s thoughts to complicate and intrigue the reader. Right along with Logan’s younger brother Kyle, who both claim to be her baby’s father. 

I found the dialog realistic as Keira tries to put the pieces of her life back together. Logan is soft spoken as he tries to help Keira by giving her space and time to remember her past with him. Where Kyle is more insistent that she and the baby are his. Keira is not sure who to trust, to make matters worse, they all live in the same large house.  All she can do is trust her own feelings while searching for something familiar that may jog a memory.

The plot has a nice pace. The tension rises as Logan and Kyle both share pieces of their past with Keira. Ms. Fasano’s descriptive prose puts the reader right in the middle of each scene to share the experience along with Keira as pieces of her life are revealed from each brother. I was sure the story was going to take a turn for the worse, which kept me reading late into the night.

I like character studies like this. They give me a lot to think about and the suspense gets my heartrate up. I enjoyed this story, it’s different from the other books I have read by Donna Fasano. “If you enjoy the Hallmark Mystery movies, you will love Dangerous Memories.”

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

This is a clean romantic suspense with just the right amount of sexual heat.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Review: Tripping Over Your Cane by Jass Richards

 Genre: Humor

Description:

A humorous looks at the issues with aging.

Author:

“Jass Richards has, surprisingly enough (or not), a Master’s degree in Philosophy and for a (very) brief time was a stand-up comic (now she’s more of a sprawled-on-the-couch comic). Despite these attributes, she has received four Ontario Arts Council grants.”

She has several books written under this name as well as under a couple pen names.

Appraisal:

I’ve been known to say that “getting old sucks, the only thing worse is the alternative.” I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Jass Richards saying the same, not only because this book looks at aging and the pain in the … well, lots of body parts this causes, but does so in a humorous way that you old people out there could relate to (yeah, I’m looking at you, the balding grey-haired person reading this). This is a quick, fun read for you old people who can relate. You kids (yeah, the 48 year old, I’m talking to you), might still be amused, even though you won’t get some of it quite as well as those of us with more life experience.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Old people like me will be saying “language young lady, language” to the author as they’re reading. (Yes, I use those fucking words too, don’t tell on me.)

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Review: The Crushed Can by F.E. Beyer

 Genre: Literary Fiction

Description:

“Kurt and Reece don't fight the reputation foreign teachers have in China in 2002—they embrace it. Opium, brothels, and booze help them forget unsuccessful classes and long commutes.

When Reece abruptly leaves the country, Kurt takes over his apartment and inherits Ronghua—Reece’s ex-girlfriend.

Originally from Anhui Province, Ronghua once sold cigarettes on a Shanghai street and is now an unlucky gambler. As her problems spiral, Kurt senses a chance to redeem his own failures through helping her. Or should he jettison her to avoid sinking?”

Author:

” F.E. Beyer writes about dead-end jobs, travel, history, and crime. He is the author of three novels. His articles and reviews have appeared in the South China Morning Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Inside Indonesia, and Travelogues Magazine.”

Appraisal:

The premise of this book, a teacher from Australia is living in China and teaching English there is an interesting one. How realistic the culture and things he goes through are, I have no idea. It may be very accurate and it may have no relationship to the reality someone in this situation would experience. But either way it’s an interesting thought exercise as Kurt works his way through the things he encounters and tries to figure things out in a culture that he’s trying to figure out on the fly. If you’ve ever spent time in a foreign country, especially if that involved trying to communicate in a language you aren’t experienced in or depending on others to understand your foreign (to them) language, you’ll probably flash back on that a time or two. All in all an interesting read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Some adult language and some relatively minor references to adult subjects.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and proofing misses.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Review: Shot For Justice by J.R. Wheeless

 

Genre: Suspense/Mystery

Description:

“After rival gangs kill his sister during a gun battle, an Army sniper returns home for revenge.

Travel with him as he makes his way across the nation to visit a wife of a fallen comrade before settling into his hometown of Modesto, CA. Along the way, his journey forces him to examine his own life and the past he thought he’d left behind.

Before he can get settled in, he meets Henry Clay Jackson, a retired lawman with ideas of his own. Then there’s the young lady and her son, who have an influence on his life. The only thing standing between him and happiness is a husband with a violent personality.

From the beginning, Detectives Peterson and Dempsey become a concern for our hero, a man determined to make someone pay for his sister’s death. As the bodies pile up, additional problems arise to slow him down. And his old partner from his army days arrives with issues of his own.

Will the man who is out for justice succeed in his quest? Can he deliver retribution?

Does he ever quench the anger that pierces his soul? Can he stay a step ahead of the detectives who are intent on putting him behind bars, all the while carrying out the plan he has laid out for himself?

And how does he handle the situation with the woman who comes into his life without getting her tangled up in his problems?

Dealing with his past and the obstacles determined to thwart his plans, our army veteran attempts to establish a new life for himself, only to face adversity at every turn.”

Author:

A writer all his life, J.R. Wheeless was writing a weekly column for his local newspaper as a high school senior. His writing was more personal for a lot of years, journals he kept for himself and such, but in 2015 he published his first book and he has had several since then, some fiction, some non-fiction, some novels, some short story collections.

Appraisal:

As I was pondering this book one thing that struck me is how in a story like this it is possible for the reader to get behind and be pulling for a protagonist who could accurately be described as a mass murderer. As law enforcement is looking for him, trying to figure out who is doing this to arrest them, he’s doing his best to prevent that from happening and figure out who killed his sister, his ultimate target. As a reader, we’re pulling for him to meet his goal. Sometimes a “bad guy” by most definitions can still be a good guy. What the ultimate conclusion is, I’m not saying, other than to wonder if he’s done now or if there is more to come.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words

Review: The Collected Lives of Chuck Burke by Shawn Inmon

 

Genre: Science Fiction/Time Travel

Description:

“Chuck Burke dies surrounded by clutter, isolation, and the remains of a life that never found its way—but Middle Falls, Oregon, offers the rarest gift of all: a do-over.

Waking in his nineteen-year-old body with all his memories intact, Chuck sets out to break the cycle of hoarding that has destroyed him. But as the weight of old patterns bears down, it’s not just his life at stake—it’s his chance to love, to connect, and to truly live.

In this quietly powerful tale of recovery and renewal, Chuck must learn that real change isn’t about what he can keep—it’s about what he’s willing to release.”

Author:

Former DJ, business consultant, and real estate agent, Shawn Inmon is now a fulltime author. He can’t seem to decide whether to write fiction (Rock’n Roll Heaven) or non-fiction (a couple travel memoirs) or something in between (a couple books he wrote that were slightly fictionalized memoirs mostly based on truth). He has a couple long running series, one of them the Middle Falls Time Travel series.

Appraisal:

It’s been a while since I read one of the books in this series, and decided it was time I dove into one. The premise of each book is an interesting one. The protagonist typically makes some questionable decisions or choices in life that eventually lead to his or her death. Then they wake up, but rather than being dead they’re at some earlier point in their life before it headed down that route with a bad ending. On the positive side, they remember that first life and given a second chance can hopefully do better this time around. But being human, the same impulses and tendencies have a way of making a different route a struggle even when you know how bad the repercussions might be. The result is often some improvement the second time around, but eventually the character falls into the bad habits and dies again. And again. And … continues to do so until they finally get things right.

As a reader we can often sympathize with the protagonist and while hopefully things work out better for us than for them, we might see ourselves in them and experiencing their lives will get us thinking about our own. In Chuck Burke’s case, he’s an obsessive collector. A little of this is okay. I tell myself it doesn’t matter how many books and CDs I have, but at some point I’ll run out of space. Chuck’s numerous collections do exactly that leading to fatal consequences. I really enjoyed watching him as he fought these urges and figured out eventually how to control them. As with the other books in the series, this was a fun, yet thought-provoking read.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

While this book is the 23^rd in the Middle Falls Time Travel series, each book stands alone.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 85-90,000 words

Reprise Review: Castle Walk by Melissa Bowersock

 

Genre: Paranormal/Cozy Mystery

Description:

“Paranormal investigators Lacey Fitzpatrick and medium Sam Firecloud discover their reputation has spread around the world when they get a surprise call to investigate ghosts in an Irish castle. They’re even more surprised when they learn it’s the Castle Fitzpatrick, the ancestral home of the Fitzpatrick name, and Lacey’s hopeful she can uncover some of her own family’s history. But while they’re researching that and the ghosts that Sam’s walk has revealed, they get unexpected resistance from the castle owners. If Sam is wrong about the impressions he’s received from the spirits, the releasement won’t work, and the ghosts will be doomed to walk the castle forever.”

Author:

“Melissa Bowersock is an eclectic, award-winning author who writes in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres: paranormal, biography, western, action, romance, fantasy, spiritual, and satire. She has been both traditionally and independently published and is a regular contributor to the superblog Indies Unlimited. She has a tattoo on the inside of her left wrist that says IMAGINE. In her next life, she plans to be an astronaut. She also writes under the pen name Amber Flame.”

Learn more about Ms. Bowersock and her other books on her website or stalk her on Facebook.

Appraisal:

Lacey is thrilled when she and Sam have the opportunity to go to Ireland, all expenses paid, to release a couple of ghosts in an old castle. Castle Fitzpatrick is outside of Dublin and being renovated as a tourist attraction as well as a Bed and Breakfast. Needless to say the ghosts have been in residence for centuries and it is almost impossible to learn who they are and their stories. However, Sam is an optimist and is sure they can do it together. Sam and Lacey both become unnerved when Lacey gains a ghostly suiter who seems to have the run of the castle, including their private suite.

On a more personal note Lacey is hoping to be able to trace her family’s genealogy farther than she has been able to get on the internet. With what little info she has, she felt like it would be a pipedream to be able to trace her family back to Castle Fitzpatrick. However, that was not her goal. With the castle owner’s archivist, Oswald, Lacey is able to learn more about the ghosts. With castle employee, Harley, Sam and Lacey are led to a small abbey outside Dublin to meet Brother Jonas who has a hand-written history from which Lacey learns more about her ancestors than she ever dreamed possible. 

Castle Walk is a lovely feel good mystery after the last harrowing story, Blood Walk. Both story arcs in Castle Walk are woven together seamlessly. The dialogue is engaging, the secondary characters are well written, and realistic. The descriptive prose puts the readers right in the setting. I highly recommend this series to lovers of mystery’s with an element of the paranormal.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Castle Walk is the ninth book in Ms. Bowersock’s A LACEY FITZPATRICK and SAM FIRECLOUD MYSTERY SERIES. I would recommend reading from the beginning to get the full benefit of Sam and Lacey’s storyline.

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues in proofing or formatting.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 30-35,000 words

Review: Human Again: In the AI Age by J.D. MacPherson

 Genre: Non-Fiction/Technology

Description:

“In a world where algorithms shape thought and automation floods the creative field, Human Again is a field-tested playbook for staying awake, original, and alive in the age of machines. Part reflection, part practical guide, it invites readers to explore identity and inspiration in real time, learning to think with AI rather than be replaced by it.

Blending cultural insight, personal experience, and practical tools, Macpherson explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping creativity, work, and identity, and how to harness it without losing yourself.

You will learn how to:

Ask sharper questions that create leverage, not noise

Build a High Signal Question Engine to think deeper and faster

Use the Socratic method and mindfulness to train deeper thinking

Recognize the ‘qualia,’ the unspeakable textures of human experience, that no algorithm can touch

Protect your authenticity, taste, and voice while others sound the same

Learn how to compound clarity and creativity

Whether you are a professional, a creator, or simply curious about what is next, Human Again shows how to use AI better than anyone around you while keeping what no algorithm can replicate: your judgment, conscience, and imagination.”

Author:

“J.D. Macpherson is an author and journalist who works in the messy middle—turning complex ideas into stories people actually want to read. Relentless, jargon-allergic, and unmistakably human, she cuts through hype with a reporter’s instinct. A Canadian with a background in theatre and philosophy, Macpherson loves people-watching and finding beauty in unexpected places—and has an especially soft spot for chicken katsu.”

Appraisal:

This is an interesting book. I’m sure you’ve seen the same thing I have with lots of people badmouthing AI on social media and various news stories. I’ve seen acquaintances who are college professors complain about students having an AI application write their papers and mention how obvious it is and how bad the results are. I’ve also interacted with AI in various forms including hints and ideas from word processing programs or answers from Siri and her Android cohort for a few examples. The little I’ve interacted with AI thus far seems okay, but I’ve tried to stay away from it as a rule. This book has me reconsidering.

An author’s note at the start of the book makes it clear that these are the author’s opinions and judgements she has made, that the reader should research on their own and come to their own opinions on the issues raised. She doesn’t claim to be a tech expert, but it will become apparent from reading her thoughts that her background as a journalist who knows how to research, dig into new things to understand them better, and communicate her thoughts through the written word resulted in a book that should help most people who are curious understand AI, both its faults and its positives along with how an average person might put it to good use, much better. Like any tool AI can be used in a good way or a bad way. The author’s thoughts on this were very helpful in helping me better understand how to use various AI tools for a positive result for both me and the world as a whole.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words