The Seaboard Review of Books: June 2, 2025
Volume 2, Issue 22
Hello and Happy June! This week’s issue has a little of the new and a little of the “old”. A couple of new releases, a look back at the early poems of A.F. Moritz, novels by Hilary Mantel and Josephine Tey, an interview with Emma Donoghue, a critical look at the dangerous and exploitative world of U.S. College football, and our popular “Hot Takes” round out this early June edition of The Seaboard Review of Books.
Review of the Week
Other Reviews
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Poetry
Michael Greenstein Reviews:
Interview
Hot Takes: Brief Notes on Books Present & Past
(Note: clicking on the underlined link takes you to the book’s publisher page or Amazon.ca for more information or for purchasing purposes)
Shapers of Worlds (Volume 5) is a comprehensive collection covering various themes in science fiction and fantasy. Edited by Edward Willett and illustrated by Wendi Nordell, it presents a marvellous cross-section of the genre, exploring many worlds—magical realms, civilizations on other planets, our world past, our world future, mythological worlds, worlds of fantastic creatures, and worlds that could be anywhere, anytime. The key factor is that each setting is well-drawn and follows the rules implicit in its existence.
It is an effective book lover’s guide, a sampling of various sub-genres and writing styles of different authors. To review each would take many pages and would also perhaps dilute the experience for the reader. It is a collection to be savoured, perhaps choosing a title that appeals, then selecting another. . . It is also a set that encourages the reader to sit down and read from cover to cover, finding links in the organization while wandering new worlds, never bored. We move from The Grove (with its Stephen King’s The Raft mood) to the sinister presence in Forest Dark, to a virtual marriage-counsellor stripper app in Pole Dancer. Each story, in some way, draws us to reflect on the reality of the human condition, its purpose and its destiny, while providing diverse settings and plots to entertain and feed the imagination. (contributed by Anne Smith-Nochasek)
The Queen of the South, by Arturo Pérez Reverte
This is a cracking good story, both of the trade in illegal drugs in Mexico and across the Mediterranean, and of a resilient woman who builds her own empire within that trade. Pérez-Reverte writes highly literate, suspenseful stories, and I recommend any of his books, the historical Captain Alatriste series or the contemporary dramas. The Queen of the South (made into a TV series, but not quite as good as the novel) tells the story of Teresa, a once-naive girl from Sinaloa, whose first boyfriend flies small planes for the cartel. When is executed for double-dealing, her own life is threatened. She flees to Spain, and there becomes involved with a Gallican who runs speed boats from Morocco to Spain. I won't give away more of the plot, but this is great summer reading, with great twists and turns and a strong female protagonist. (Contributed by John Oughton)
Book News
If you would like to have your book event (or any other bookish news) shared in our Monday emails, please contact us at theseaboardreview@gmail.com! (Click on the image gallery to enlarge)
Lori Green: “Breathe, My Darling” by Lori Green — The March 2025 Silver Medal Winner, Blank Spaces Magazine! Read more here. Congratulations, Lori!
TSR Subscriber Count
We now have 402 408 subscribers! That number includes our paying subscribers (thank you!) as well as our free ones. Being a paid subscriber (for as little as $5/month) allows us to give out honorariums to our team of contributors, which keeps them dedicated to writing reviews of books we think are worthy of your time. Click the button to see all the Substack options.
Other support options:
Ko-fi: you can choose from one-time donations to a $5/month membership.
Patreon: memberships from $3/month on up.
PayPal.me/theseaboardreview For one-time payments.
Thanks for reading this issue of The Seaboard Review of Books!
James M. Fisher, editor-in-chief
TSR’s Social Media Links
