Paul Semel

At this year's Summer Game Fest, I got to play the upcoming sci-fi third-person shooter "Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2," which is adding new enemies, new missions, a new playable character, and expanding your squad. Here's the link to my hands-on preview. https://paulsemel.com/aliens-fireteam-elite-2-sgf-play-days-2026-hands-on-preview/ 🎮👽🔫

While they refused to tell me anything about the next game (bastards!), Halo Studios writers Jeff Easterling and Alexander Wakeford did spill the beans about the new short story collection "Halo: Waypoint Chronicles: Volume One" in this exclusive interview. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-halo-waypoint-chronicles-volume-one-authors-jeff-easterling-and-alexander-wakeford/ 📖🎮🔫👽

For their first short story collection, "The Wildcraft Drones," author T.K. Rex assembled a collection of sci-fi cli-fi solarpunk stories all set on the same fictional world. To learn more, check out this exclusive interview. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-wildcraft-drones-author-t-k-rex/ 📖🪐🤖

While I've always wanted my own R2 unit, it was never because I wanted to go on the run with it and a dog. No matter, author J.P. Lacrampe is doing that for me in his comic science fiction novel "Valet." To learn more about this novel, check out this exclusive interview. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-valet-author-j-p-lacrampe/ 📖🤖🐶

With "The Ishtar Deception," author James L. Cambias is presenting the fourth installment of his ongoing pulpy sci-fi space opera series, "The Billion Worlds." To learn more about both, check out this exclusive interview. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-ishtar-deception-author-james-l-cambias/ 📖🚀

With "Moonfall," author Ed Crocker is presenting the middle piece of his dark epic fantasy trilogy, "The Everlands." In this exclusive interview, he discusses what inspired and influenced this second installment, as well as when fans can expect the end of this saga. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-moonfall-author-ed-crocker/ 📖🧛🐺🧙

Like his best cinematic adventures, the stealth-action video game "007 First Light" has James Bond saving the day with his fists, guns, brains, charm, and ability to be a sneaky bastard when need be. Here's the link to my review. https://paulsemel.com/007-first-light-review/ 🕵️👊🔫🚗

In my new interview with author Tim Weed, he calls his new novel "The Gatepost" a "hallucinatory thriller," a portal fantasy story, a near-future sci-fi novel, "or simply a literary speculative novel incorporating elements of all of the above." https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-gatepost-author-tim-weed/ 📖🖊️

Author Craig Higginson isn't the first person to write a story after taking a trip. But he may be the first to ever say — as he does in this exclusive interview — that he wrote his murder mystery / war novel "Shadow Country" after taking a trip to write a musical. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-shadow-country-author-craig-higginson/ 📖🖊️🎶

In writing her near-future science fiction thriller novel "Cash And Gravity," author Perrin Pring not only took influence from the classic sci-fi books she's read, but also her work as a park ranger. To find out how, check out this exclusive interview. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-cash-and-gravity-author-perrin-pring/ 📖⚛️

Thanks to creative shooting and platforming, the horror-infused, bullet hell, sci-fi first-person shooter "Luna Abyss" is an exciting, engaging, and effortlessly fun gun game. Here's the link to my review. https://paulsemel.com/luna-abyss-review/ 🎮🔫👽🌛

While it's largely the same as previous iterations, the open world racing game "Forza Horizon 6" does have some new events and a new setting that makes it feel fresh. Here's the link to my review. https://paulsemel.com/forza-horizon-6-review/ 🎮🚗🏎️🛻

When we think of cryptids, we think of fantastical creatures. But in his rural / dark supernatural thriller novella "Mad Dog And Englishmen," author Alan Smale spins a tale of a creature more familiar looking. To find out what, and what it does, check out this exclusive interview. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-mad-dogs-and-englishmen-author-alan-smale/ 📖🐺

There's no denying that Beyonce's music has influenced other musicians. But in my new interview with author Savannah Stephens about her dark, Southern Gothic novel "Witch Queen Rising," she says it was inspired by the Queen Bee as well. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-witch-queen-rising-author-savannah-stephens/ 📖🪄

While writers of humorous fantasy tales frequently cite Terry Pratchett as an influence, in this exclusive interview with author Oliver Darkshire about his cozy comic fantasy novel "The Devil And Mrs. Gooch," he also credits Giovanni Boccaccio, Lord Dunsany, and "my work as an antiquarian bookseller." https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-the-devil-and-mrs-gooch-author-oliver-darkshire/ 📖🕴️👿

Though it's the fourth book in "The Fractal Series," Allen Stroud's new military science fiction novel "Anti-State" is also a stand-alone sci-fi story. To find out more, check out this exclusive interview. https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-anti-state-author-allen-stroud/ 📖🚀🔫

You can argue all you want about whether "Mixtape" is a video game or not, but as a music lover who grew up in the suburbs, I found this cozy, nostalgic, third-person slice of life to be a real blast from the past. Here's the link to my review. https://paulsemel.com/mixtape-review/ 🎮🛹🎧🍻