The Lack of Religion in Fiction and Issues this Causes

Kit Sun Cheah had an interesting article on his site recently. Titled “Guy Gavriel Kay’s Religion Without Religion,” he tackles an issue rampant in modern fiction of every variety: modern writers largely cannot write believable religions or religious characters. Every time they try, they leave a hollow world behind that does not satisfy a reader…

Review: White Ops by Declan Finn

Whew! Apologies for the delayed review, readers. It’s been a busy time and I had to read this work in between breaks. Yes, it’s been that type of busy behind the scenes here at A Song of Joy and I am ashamed to say it has prevented me from reading and reviewing the early copy…

Evil vs. Antagonism

Take a look at this excellent post by Declan Finn, readers. And since it’s Christmas, remember to give his books a try! He’s got everything from urban fantasy (the Love at First Bite series)*, to modern thrillers (St. Tommy, NYPD* and the Pius Trilogy*), to a new space opera coming from Tuscany Bay Books next…

The Great Halloween Book Boost!

N. R. LaPoint has a list of horror stories for Halloween, and yours truly made the list! Take a look, readers, and see if you can find some new books to give you more thrills and chills this October 31st!

A Study in Black – Thoughts on Marvel’s Black Widow and the MCU in General

©Disney I did not intend to give any regard to the MCU following my viewing of Avengers: Endgame, readers. That film was a fine swan song, though I will be the first to admit that I think it could have been done differently and better. Following this film, there was no reason for yours truly…

Reposted: Christian Fiction Sucks

Check out this interesting article by Declan Finn, readers: Christian Fiction Sucks Yes, the title is clickbait. Yes, I supposedly write "Christian Fiction." So, what's the problem of "Christian Fiction"?As with hanging or beheading, it's all in the execution. Read more.... 

Review: The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin by L. Jagi Lamplighter

And here we are with another review, readers. You might recall that I mentioned I had read The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin* in my review of Fantastic Schools, Vol. 2*, which you can read here. For this reason, this author had enough familiarity with Ms. Lamplighter’s world that reading the short story was a…

Review: Hell Spawn by Declan Finn

Once is impressive. Twice is a record. I should have known that if it took two days to get through one of Declan Finn’s novels*, it should be a fast trip through the second one. Yet I was still surprised when I finished this book in two separate sittings: My name is Officer Tommy Nolan,…

Review: A Pius Man: A Holy Thriller by Declan Finn

Whew! What a ride! I cannot remember the last time I read a book where the end left me feeling as though I had experienced a crash-landing. Here is the blurb for the book: Murder at the Vatican!           Giovanni Figlia checks all the boxes of a typical police detective. He even sacrificed his soccer…

Superversive Dragons from DragonCon!

Convention-goers across the world have found themselves unable to attend these events due to circumstances outside theirs and the organizers’ control. Nevertheless, some conventions have convened virtually through the Internet to provide fans with the essential parts of the celebration. DragonCon, typically held in Atlanta, Georgia, was no exception. Among the panels that occurred virtually…