FIRESTARTER Book Review: Childhood Wonder vs Adult Analysis

January 20, 2026 /

Rereading FIRESTARTER. Does Stephen King’s Classic Hold Up?

00:00 Some casual sexism, a bit dated due to it being published in 1980
01:10 When the ordinary is horrific
01:34 When supernatural superpowers was weird and inconceivable
02:32 SPOILERS from here on out!
02:43 Setting audience expectations astronomically high, and ratcheting up the tension
03:06 Stephen King’s self-insert, and who the story is really about
04:06 Overcoming addiction as a mental trick
05:33 Acting like a stoned idiot as an act of heroism
06:08 Government agency versus a normal father and daughter
07:00 Overreliance on a computer instead of using common sense
07:41 It’s one of my favorites by Stephen King

Here’s a literary analysis of the novel “Firestarter,” reflecting on its themes, its era, its audience, and its impact.

Review: Art of the Adept and Wrath of the Storm King

November 5, 2025 /

Okay, it may be impossible to top my favorite fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire and the Wheel of Time, but Michael G. Manning’s work is in that league. Here I rave about his Art of the Adept series, which starts with The Choice of Magic and ends with The Wizard’s Crown. Fans had problems with the tragic ending, but he wrote an ongoing sequel series to address that. I enjoyed Wizard in Exile and Daughter of the Dragon.

Review: Apocalypse Parenting

October 16, 2025 /

I enjoyed this litRPG book series by Erin Ampersand.

It’s refreshing to read a hero who’s not your typical young guy thrust into leadership. She’s a mom of 3 little kids, and she uses her mom skills not only to keep her kids safe throughout a system apocalypse where aliens pit humans against monsters, but also to rally humanity into defiance against their true enemies instead of fighting over loot and scraps.

Meghan’s character shows a lot of strength without being muscle-strong. She has to keep emotions controlled and her wits sharp while secretly yearning for her husband and fearful for the safety of her family. She is thrust into trolley problem dilemmas and comes through them with sensible solutions, fueled by her emotional intelligence.

I just enjoyed this whole series, which is up to Book 4 so far. There’s a lot of cleverness in terms of fights and challenges and aliens.

The downside, for me, is that these books are just a touch too cozy for my tastes. Alien monsters that can’t even kill little kids (albeit kids with powers) seem kinda incompetent, no matter how threatening they are, no matter how many adults they kill off-screen. But plot armor is a common thing in a lot of litRPG, so I give it a pass.

After reading this series, I still don’t want kids. But it’s nice to get one version of a glimpse into motherhood. Holy smokes.

Inside the Male Reading Crisis

October 14, 2025 /

Here’s my inside look at the male reading crisis, which I believe is very much engendered by the book industry. Reading should be for everyone.

00:00 Why the male reading crisis shouldn’t be dismissed.
01:19 What do men prefer in a good story? Here it is.
02:44 The big best-sellers of the last twenty years cater to teen and female audiences.
04:13 Why the book industry leans female: a feedback loop of risk avoidance driven by analytics. Also…
05:34 The tastemakers of the book industry are mostly underpaid, stressed out young women.
07:12 And big publishing avoids epic series, aka big and heroic tales.
07:59 Where do men go for stories? Videogames, manga, and underground niches such as web serials.
09:27 Some hope for male-oriented fiction going mainstream.
10:48 Men who read are sexy.

 

 

5 Psychological HORROR Books That Will Knock Your Socks Off!

October 8, 2025 /

If you’re looking for some great modern classics to read for this spooky autumn season, here are my top five Psychological Horror book recommendations.

00:00 Pet Sematary by Stephen King

01:53 Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

03:08 Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice

03:44 The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

04:31 Night of Sorrows by Frances Sherwood

Tribute to Robert Jordan

October 2, 2025 /

Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time book series had a huge influence on my story crafting techniques and the importance of research and world-building. Here I reflect on my personal memories of rereads, and also of meeting the influential fantasy author in person.

Here’s my old Wheel of Time fan site.

A.I. Book Covers

September 21, 2025 /

It’s not learning a skill when you just press a button, but the economic and social pressure to use it (and to rapidly iterate low effort content) is intense. Here’s my hot take on writers and other creatives using generative A.I. to package and promote their otherwise high effort human endeavors.

Insight into Why Authors Abandon or Milk Series

September 16, 2025 /

Whether professional or amateur, sci-fi and fantasy writers rarely finish the epic series they start. Abby explores the reasons why authors abandon their series, having run that gauntlet herself, as well as having studied the craft for over twenty years.

You can join Epic Series Writers on Discord and Facebook!

What Makes FIRST CONTACT Stories So Compelling?

September 8, 2025 /

Here’s why extreme culture clashes make for such compelling storytelling, with epic heroes, crazy villains, and powerful action-based plots. The best sci-fi and fantasy books include conquest or extreme first contact situations. So does historical nonfiction, particularly the Age of Exploration and the Spanish Conquistadors.

Review: The Alex Verus Series is GREAT

August 10, 2025 /

This London-based urban fantasy book series by Benedict Jacka is right up there with Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones in terms of dramatic tension, escalating stakes, and character interactions. Definitely in Abby’s top ten book series of all time. EXCELLENT.

The Alex Verus series starts with Fated by Benedict Jacka.

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