Even by themselves, the terms “amateur,” “adult,” and “furry” can all give one pause when it comes to fiction; when all three apply to the same work, there can be even more reason for hesitation. Still, when it’s only a mere ten bucks to see whether someone’s debut novella is any good, it can be worth it to gamble from time to time, and in this case, for the most part, that gamble has paid off.

The Cupcakes series are intended to be “short and sweet” novellas, and for better or worse, The Peculiar Quandary of Simon Artyle fits the bill.

One of the things I like about New Fables as a series is that the stories within are not strictly “furry”, nor are they explicit. Many of them touch on some very adult themes, but it’s the kind of book you could give to a family member or friend to ease them into “that weird animal thing that you’re into”. The Summer 2010 collection keeps up the tradition, and has the added bonus of featuring some of my all-time favorite stories ever printed in these books.

Few modern authors have the talent of blending the classical with the modern that Neil Gaiman does. In Odd and the Frost Giants, he melds that talent with the not inconsiderable feat of writing a good children’s book. Finally, he adds that rare gift, writing a book with a fox in it*, to make a delightful little tale.

I want to encourage amateur authors to make that leap into professional writing. God knows it’s hard to write a novel, and it takes a lot of guts to put it out there for everyone to read. This kind of thing should be encouraged. The world needs good writers and I want to find those people that have the talent and the drive to write great literature. As a critic it’s my job to not only praise the authors that produce quality work, but also to critique authors, in the hopes that they become better.

That said, Save the Day is not a good book.

The best slice-of-life is supposed to take the ordinary and present it in a way that makes it fantastic. After leaving the quietly wonderful world of the story, you look around to find yours is that world. A good author leads you to find the extraordinary in your own existence. Unfortunately, Seeing Spots by Andres “Cyanni” Halden doesn’t manage that.

I’ve been pretty lucky so far with furry fiction. I’ve read a number of good, and even great novels. It was only a matter of time before I got to a stinker, but I wasn’t expecting Ben Goodrige’s novel Found: One Apocalypse to be this bad. It’s the literary equivalent of dying a horrible decompression death in space.

Bridges, Kyell Gold’s newest novel is a different, experimental story that breaks new ground for the author, including, but not limited to, having to write about girl sex (gasp!).

Bad Dog Book’s Roar Volume 2 is one of those projects that almost becomes something great, but never quite gets there.

Full of intrigue, drama, tense action and (yes) sex, Kyell Gold’s latest novel continues to set the gold standard for furry erotic fiction.