Hello friend. Today’s Indie Recommends Indie post features author Cassondra Windwalker and she shares her favorite indie reads. Her latest book, Love Like A Cephalopod is a Magical realism novel that you can learn more about it at the end of the post. I am very excited to read this book! 🙂
Welcome back, Cassondra. It is great to have you back on Armed with A Book! Tell me about yourself.
Ugh. I do loathe talking about myself. I’m not nearly as interesting as my characters! But here goes – I’m a full-time writer presently resting my wings on the southern coast of Alaska, where I live with my very understanding husband, a miscellany of ghosts (human and otherwise,) and the usual array of swamp spirits and selkies.
Do you primarily read indie books or big publishers books as well?
I rarely read indie books before I (very reluctantly) boarded Twitter back in 2017. Now I’m both a huge advocate for the amazing writing community on Twitter, which I maintain is one of the few little life-rafts of humanity keeping hope afloat in the desperately sick ocean of petroleum and plastic Twitter has become, and an avid reader of books self-published and small press-published. I’d guess I read about 50% indie a month, although it may actually be weighted more heavily in that direction. What’s wonderful about the indie world is that it’s still taking chances, it’s still behaving as an art form rather than a billboard commercial, it’s still pushing boundaries and outsizing genres. Although of course there are plenty of people who have espoused self-publishing as a shortcut, as a way to dump unpolished, uncriticised, unexamined word-effluence into the virtual slosh, there are also true craftspeople of incredible creativity and skill creating worlds unlike any you’ll find on the bestseller shelves. Most agents and big publishers are only interested in more of the same, more of what’s already sold, regardless of what lip service they pay to the contrary. Very few of the real literary giants are in the window displays of Barnes & Noble. They’re in the indie world. And that goes both for actual literary fiction and for highly enjoyable works of pure escapism.
Cassondra’s Indie Recommendations
The Sons of Mil by L.M. Riviere
Fantasy, The Innisfail Cycle #1
On the continent of Innisfail, Old Gods reign. Following five hundred years of vicious conflict, the High King has negotiated an armistice between the immortal Sidhe in the North, and the human populations of the South- the Sons of Mil. In this land of treacherous magic and ageless blood feuds, the peace is precarious at best.
This series absolutely blew me away. It’s immersive high fantasy based on a very deep read of Celtic mythology but with a modern twist that completely shifts the paradigm. I can’t recommend these books highly enough. And best of all, the third book in the trilogy came out last year, so you don’t have to wait forever to find out what happens next. This is the sort of read that changes a reader indelibly.
Here’s my review of Book One. Anyone who enjoys high fantasy, mythology, or Irish history will be possessed by these books.
As a longstanding disciple of Irish and Celtic mythologies, I couldn’t be more enthralled with L.M. Riviere’s debut title, The Sons of Mil, in the The Innisfail Cycle. This particular mythos has been often overlooked or cheaply represented in the world of fantasy literature, but Riviere more than does it justice while still taking it further than it’s ever been in a far-reaching Ireland that almost dabbles in science fiction. She flawlessly executes what few fantasy authors pull off: a world of limitless imagination coupled with magic and science that abides by strict rules and laws and whose dues must always be paid. There’s no hand-waving in this book to flippantly free the characters from the dilemmas and debacles that plague them. I was equally delighted by Riviere’s exquisite command of prose and her simply brilliant fight scenes. And there’s plenty of them – although her writing is lyrical, her characters are notably-less-than-perfect creatures who often tumble from one fiasco to another. I loathe an either unrealistic or a pedantically perfect fight scene equally, but Riviere’s had me holding my breath and dodging blows. I did my best to put this book down and fulfill my other obligations, but I failed miserably. Lovers of fantasy, mythology, adventure, and history will all find themselves hopelessly absorbed by this wonderful book. Should be top billing in fantasy bays in bookstores of every town!
The Melody of Trees by Helen Whistberry
Short Story Collection/Speculative Fiction
You’ll discover an elder god keeping a loving eye on their forest, a girl made of glass and other characters fighting for their lives against both impossible odds and monsters (human and otherwise), some wise guys having a supernaturally bad day, and the exploits of a loner gun-for-hire and his loyal dragon.
From fantasy and folklore to horror and sci-fi, these tales are tied together not only by their forest settings but by a sense of humanity (even in those characters who aren’t quite human), empathy for all creatures, and the weird beauty to be found in moments both light and dark.
And be warned! There are dark and sometimes violent themes ahead and not all stories have a happy ending, but for those brave enough to venture into these wild woods, 10 unforgettable experiences await. (Visit author’s website for complete list of content warnings.)
Whistberry’s work is a perfect example of the sort of gifted, wild, weird, provocative and lovely work that terrifies the mainstream publishing world but enthralls readers. Anyone with feelings will find something in this collection they can’t forget.
Compactly beautiful and utterly weird, The Melody of Trees brings ten magical tales to vivid life in well-crafted language that wastes not a word. Unlike too many short story collections and anthologies, each of these stories is a world of its own not soon forgotten by any traveler. What unifies the tales? A difficult question. Magic, perhaps, and an intimacy between human and creature and earth that manifests in multiple ways. Whistberry weaves effortlessly between genres almost as if they did not exist. Although it would be possible to classify the stories as fantasy or horror or western or science fiction, the label disappears beneath the weight of the tale itself. Best of all, though these genres are gathered under the speculative designation, every story, every voice, rings utterly real in the reader’s ears.
Immaculately edited, this book is available as an ebook, but I strongly recommend the print edition if that’s accessible for you. Not only the cover but the frontispieces for each chapter are beautifully illustrated by the author herself. Both the heft and the silken texture of the cover are immensely satisfying to hold.
Creatures Set Forth by Roppotucha Greenberg
Magical Realism
The synopsis for this book reads simply: “An illustrated collection of tiny stories inspired and told by the Creatures of the Thicket.”
That doesn’t tell the reader much, and yet it tells them all they need to know. Greenberg’s work is perfect for adults who have fond memories of Beatrix Potter, who yearn for something strange and simple, something poignant and powerful that with far fewer words and the deftest of illustrations will evoke all the wisdoms they didn’t realize they’d forgotten.
Both a delectable delicacy and an overwhelming feast for the senses and the intellect, Creatures Set Forth is strange, wandering, and spell-binding. I read and reviewed this as an ebook, but I must order a print copy now, for this sort of magic begs to be held in the hands. There are many stories, one great story, and no story at all. A tender and indefinable work of art and language that may well leave you stranded in a fairy circle you have no desire to leave. “Dictionaries” broke my heart, and “Another Complaint” saved me. Not for the faint of heart or meagre of spirit.
Warflower by Robert Stark
Memoir
Bob Stark had no plans after high school. With his brother locked away in the only maximum-security prison in Alaska, his mom working overtime at the local grocery store, and his bad habits getting worse, he saw no hope for the future. Until the Army recruiter came to school offering an escape. Bob envisioned romantic adventures in Italy, life-saving missions in Africa, and friendships built on tough times – he wanted to be an honorable, dependable, and brave man – all of the things he was not. He signed the papers, and five days after graduation was sent out.
After basic training and airborne school, Bob is stationed in Italy where his eighteen-year-old dreams of travel and romance are cut short when his unit is ordered to parachute into Northern Iraq. He spends the next year in Iraq learning more than he could have ever imagined.
Four and a half years later, after two deployments and a long list of life lessons, Bob leaves Fort Campbell, Kentucky on a road trip west with the hopes of falling in love with the country he fought for. Along the way, he reunites with family and friends – from his happy-go-lucky mother in Arizona who talks to her incarcerated husband on the phone whenever she is not at work, to his foul-mouthed grandmother in Idaho who wears one glove and drinks beer with ice all day long, until finally reuniting with his high school sweetheart in Las Vegas – Bob begins a new chapter of self-discovery and acceptance that just may allow him to be the man he always wanted to be. Warflower is a coming-of-age story about family traditions, brotherhood, and one boy’s journey into manhood without a father to teach him.
I normally loathe memoirs, but this reads like a rollicking philosophical adventure worthy of Hunter S. Thompson but written by a poet. An excellent read for life’s wanderers and questioners of every stripe, it’s a war story, a love story, and a life story.
Unflinching and intimate, Warflower is as much a philosophical journey as a memoir, a journey that ends not at a destination but with wiser questions. Stark gives no quarter to the self-indulgence that typifies much of the work of this genre, laying bare the truths about himself and his experiences as he encountered them, undressed with poetry or excuses. Don’t be deceived, though: this is a work of art, not a recounting of facts, and as such, Stark’s language harnesses all the best of literary skill, at once sweeping the reader along and bringing her over and over again to a standstill. Warflower is stunning and sobering, ugly and enlightening, and will leave the reader more than eager for the next book from this author. Recommended for thinkers and explorers of all sorts.
Tears of Grief Hollow by Shawn Burgess
Horror, Duology: Return to Grief Hollow
When a young autistic girl goes missing from a small Appalachian community, the residents of Harper Pass descend into chaos. Brooks Raker and his friends stumble across the police investigation, and as they dig deeper into the mysterious events, the boys realize the fate of their missing classmate pales in comparison with the evil lurking in the shadows of the quiet little town.
With four boys who believe something sinister is at work, and an ambitious reporter breathing down his neck, Detective Holt of the Harper Pass Police Department must confront his doubts and follow the evidence. A chain of disappearances and suspicious deaths, leads Holt to the doorstep of the mysterious and reclusive Professor Wadlow who may know exactly what has come to collect in Harper Pass.
Can the detective and the boys work together to unravel the dark secrets of Harper Pass before those secrets devour them all?
(This was also one of those rare delights where I actually liked the second book even better than the first!)
Readers of Shawn Burgess’s online work have been eagerly awaiting the release of Tears of Grief Hollow, formerly titled The Tear Collector, and they will not be disappointed. Technically in the horror genre, Tears of Grief Hollow is much more than a tale of terror and gore – although I definitely recommend reading it in the daylight hours. Deft prose combined with thrilling, pell-mell action carry the reader page to page, wild anticipation stronger than the undeniable dread. A band of young boys, brought together by camaraderie in the face of small-town bullying, encounter an ancient evil only to discover that they are its true prey. But why? And how is this possible? Burgess weaves a complex tale of love and loss, betrayal and revenge, that will both terrify and haunt his readers. Although the characters are middle-school children, this is definitely a book for adult readers, who will find Burgess’s work thoroughly engaging. “Love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave:” Can this love, this jealousy, ever be buried?
The Between by Steve and Tamsin
Speculative Fiction
On-going series
It could have been a straightforward heist caper. Two human worlds intent on outwitting each other. Black and white versus technicolour. But, sometimes, the real story lives between the lines. And in this case so do the mice.
They’re supposed to be keeping the peace between Nostalgia and Forget. But, crouch down, peer into the half-chapters, and you’ll find misplaced heroism, reckless ambition and a tragic betrayal.
Thanks to the good intentions of Hazel Dormouse, the murine Very Civil Service is at breaking point. The fabric of existence is under threat. Is there any way back from the brink… for the humans, or the mice?
Read it here.
[summons best Monty-Python voice] And now for something completely different!
Not only do indie writers push the boundaries of genre and style, they also push the boundaries of storytelling itself, of how the bard reaches the ears of those weary around the fire. So I felt duty-bound to include this incredible project undertaken by two of my favorite Twitter-scribes, Tamsin and Patchie’s Steve. It’s at once old and new, a harkening back to the old days of novels told by magazine serials but delivered at will all over the world thanks to the Internet. The writing styles and wily imaginations of these two authors complement one another seamlessly in this story that will charm and delight the reader as it both warms and pricks the heart. Anyone who needs a little haven of beauty and peace, a world of magic into which they can not only escape but belong, should peer within. In the words of one of the mice, “One way leads into the story. The other way leads out of the book.” Join this world and explore both.
Cassondra’s Book Spotlight
Love Like A Cephalopod
Magical Realism
Being an executioner for the state is exhausting, but after a lifetime of dispatching the criminal
and the inconvenient, fifty-eight-year-old Grenda finds it does have its compensations. Her cat-
sized dragon Bjartur and the dragon eggs she tends are all the friends and family she needs. Completely cut off from the outside world, she happily accepts the luxuries owed her status – including a pet octopus named Morrigan – without the faintest twinge of conscience or doubt.
All that changes when she encounters the most unexpected nemesis: a young refugee girl whom Grenda is incapable of executing. Against her will, Grenda finds herself shifting from killer to caretaker, risking her life to defy the state she’s never questioned and help young Allora to freedom. Everything Grenda thinks she knows about her world, her life, and even her own identity cascades out of her control—including the dragon-bond she holds dearer than life itself.
Find the book on Goodreads and IndieStoryGeek.
Readers who enjoy the works of Neil Gaiman and Lois Lowry will warm quickly to this novel.
Did you add any books to your TBR today based on this post or did you see any you have already read? Tell us in the comments!
Thanks for hanging out with us today! Connect with Cassondra on her website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Read an excerpt from Love Like A Cephalopod here.
If you are an indie or small press author who is an avid reader and wants to be featured, sign up using the form on the Indie Recommends Indie home page. This is a fantastic way to bring attention to fellow indie authors as well as your own book. 🙂
Banner Photo of library by Alfons Morales on Unsplash
Yes, I added three! Great post.