Blacktop Wasteland is a pedal-to-the-metal thriller that drops you into the heat of the concrete Georgia landscape. S.A. Cosby’s writing is gripping from start to finish. Beauregard, or “Bug,” is one of the elite getaway drivers in the land. But he’s retired from the high-adrenaline life of heists. He’s trying to tame his inner demons and be a good father, husband, and son. He also has the demons of his father, who left decades ago, and was similarly a man of malice behind the wheel of a car. Bug runs into some trouble that drags him back into his old life. He comes to realize that his old self has really never left him. What ensues is a string of events starting with a job Bug takes for a quick windfall, and eventually ending with a life-or-death scramble. Blacktop Wasteland is fun, real, heavy, and relentless. It’s a page turner with a solid all around profile. It won’t leave a permanent impact on me, but it’s a great read. 82% Derek Dragonfruits 🐉🍉

Quantum Radio is a fun sci-fi thriller. This story is what I would call hard science fiction. We're not making a few small jumps to suspend disbelief here; we're diving head-first into quantum physics to carry out a story that, at many junctures, feels too contrived. This story relies on quite a few fantastic coincidences for characters being in the right (or wrong) places at the wrong times. The first half of this story really captivated me. Tyson Klein makes a breakthrough scientific discovery, only to shortly thereafter find himself in a world of trouble. It's a break-neck pace that keeps you turning the pages. The story reaches what feels like a first climax around halfway through, and then... well, it feels like it undergoes a complete makeover. It becomes a deep dive into an alternate historical fiction, in a world where our very history is drastically changed. It didn't lose me, but it felt like it morphed its identity a bit. And without revealing anything as a spoiler, I will just say that the ultimate resolution of the story might have the reader saying... "Really? That worked?" I think A.G. Riddle wrote a fun story here. I think it lost its way at times, and I wasn't totally satisfied with the ending. But it was a fun read. 71% Derek Dragonfruits! 🐉🍉

The Pale Horseman is an excellent follow-up to The Last Kingdom. Being a big fan of the Netflix series, I have a prior bias toward this series by Bernard Cornwell. There are times when the plot moves a bit slowly in this book, but Cornwell's illustration of 9th century Wessex and the journey of Uhtred (an awesome character) is thoroughly enjoyable. He has that Game of Thrones style "nobody is safe" narrative in his stories, many of which are grounded in real history. I appreciate the afterwords in these novels that explain which elements are historically accurate and which were created as fictional devices. Bernard Cornwell is a master with his battle scenes. They are gory and graphic, but they recreate the battlefield experience and reel you in. Show-related note: Books #1 and #2 in The Saxon Stories only map to Season 1 of The Last Kingdom show. From what I hear, Books #3 and #4 map to Season 2. After that, there is some variance, but many key events are still lined up, roughly 2 books per 1 season. I'll certainly be continuing with these novels! Verdict: 83% Derek Dragonfruits 🐉🍈!