I'm reviewer/writer Val Kovalin.  Thanks for visiting my website Obsidianbookshelf.com.  Here, I review m/m (homoerotic) fiction in most genres because that is the genre I've always most enjoyed reading.  That, and fantasy fiction.  Occasionally I write about other types of fiction and nonfiction.  There is no sexually-explicit content or images to be found here that would make this website off-limits to minors.

I'm actually old enough to remember life before the internet – so it makes me grateful for what we have now, including epublishing, blogging, and self-publishing.  The drawback to all this is that we're all on the worldwide web, clamoring for one another's attention. Books get published and then forgotten so quickly.  With that in mind, I hope my reviews will act as small, permanent signposts on the worldwide web.  I may not get a gargantuan amount of traffic, but I can direct some readers to books that I've enjoyed.   

What type of reviewer am I?  I'm not the Consumer-Report type that uses a rating system to separate the good fiction from the bad.  There are already a lot of excellent reviewers doing that.  Mostly I like to promote fiction I've enjoyed, and I especially like to analyze why it does and doesn't work (insofar as I can without including plot-spoilers). 

I don't review fiction that, for whatever reason, doesn't engage me.  All the fiction I've reviewed here I've liked enough to point out its good features – even if I think it had major flaws.  I can find something good in most m/m fiction, but there are only a few examples that I would consider outstanding.  Here is some more information on my reviewer policy. 

What is my Reviewer Policy?

What is my Copyright Policy if you'd like to quote from my reviews?

See my Obsidian blog for special topics and news.

My Fiction.   I've got my fiction currently in the seeking-publication stage.  Right now, I'm working on some shorter pieces which are anywhere between 20K and 60K words total:  m/m fiction that is mostly paranormal, steampunk, urban fantasy, and alternate-history fantasy. 

I hope to post some samples in the near future.  If you're curious, the following list summarizes what my fiction is like:

• Characters:  Average guys who are not too aggressive nor too emotional.  I like to put them under pressure and show them developing inner strength.
• Genre:  I like to write paranormal, fantasy, and historical.  Sometimes I like to blend genres!
• Humor:  If at all possible!  Let's face it, people are funny and so is sex.
• Length: All lengths, but I prefer novellas (18K words to 40K words) and novels (40K words +)
• Point-of-View:  I like close third-person, and I dislike "head-hopping."  So I limit myself to one or two viewpoints and alternate between them consistently (scene by scene or chapter by chapter).
• Setting:  as specific and vivid as I can make it.  No generic cities!
• Sex scenes:  Some as needed.   Explicitness?  Fairly explicit.  I mean, these are men, right?  They're going to pay attention to the sex!  Maybe a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5.
• Style:  I keep it as streamlined, brief, and unobtrusive as possible.  Plain is good!

Thanks for reading!  You can contact me, Val Kovalin, at