As I started reading On the Edge, my biggest question was, would lightning — or magic — strike twice? Could Ilona Andrews write something just as great as her Kate Daniels series, in a completely different universe? The answer, it turns out, is yes!
The world-building is a little more familiar, but Andrews puts an original spin on it. There’s an Otherworld full of magical beings, called the Weird, and there’s our mundane world,
September 30th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter and John Hulet´s rating: 4.5 | Ilona Andrews | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim C. Hines
In The Stepsister Scheme, Jim Hines introduced us, or rather, re-introduced us, to three of the best-known fairy-tale characters: Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, known respectively in the book as Snow, Danielle, and Talia. When Talia used her deadly fighting skills to save Danielle from a murderous attack by one of Danielle’s step-sisters, then joins with Danielle (wielding a glass sword) and Snow White (wielding mirror magic learned at her evil stepmother’s hands) to rescue Danielle’s kidnapped husband, Prince Armand,
September 29th, 2009. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Jim C. Hines | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Pastworld is a theme park that is run by the Buckland Corporation. It is a complete authentic reproduction of 17th century London. Everything is authentic: the dress, the lack of electricity, even the 17th century laws. Everyone who visits Pastworld has to be authentic as well, right down to the luggage they carry and the toiletries they use.
But despite the fact that Pastworld has a few electronic security measures, crime runs rampant within the park. Underground “unofficials” beg and steal from the “gawkers” or visitors to the park,
September 29th, 2009. Guest´s rating: 2.5 | Ian Beck | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Phoenix Endangered by Mercedes Lackey
I got through about three quarters of The Phoenix Endangered on audio. This was a sluggish and clunky second installment in The Enduring Flame trilogy. The writing was dull and not much happened to advance the plot. By the time a battle finally started, I couldn’t muster up enough interest to participate.
Even more than the last book, this one was full of two teenage boys brooding, bickering, whining, and being noble. Half of what they say is said “sulkily,”
September 28th, 2009. Kat Hooper´s rating: 1.5 | Mercedes Lackey | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Of all the books I’ve been looking forward to this year, Doubleblind was pretty high up on the list. When we last left our heroine, Jax, she was in the orbit of Ithiss-Tor, preparing for a diplomatic mission with high stakes: Recruit the distant but formidable Ithtorians to the human cause. Fail, and the human race gets eaten by the Morgut. If they’re lucky. But the Ithtorians aren’t very fond of the idea and Jax’s job is to change their minds. She also has to deal with March,
September 28th, 2009. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 2.5 | Ann Aguirre | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Mythangelus by Storm Constantine
Storm Constantine has frequently taken inspiration from the legends of the angels. Mythangelus is a collection of her angel-themed short fiction. The stories deal with issues of religion, gender, and sexuality; and are filled with lush prose:
At first light, a flock of birds known as the guardabarrancas, the guardians of the ravine, wake Silva with their tinkling song. It sounds as if a thousand wind chimes are being subtly excited by a tantalising breeze. The light, when Silva opens her eyes,
September 25th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4.5 | Storm Constantine | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Darker Angels by M.L.N. Hanover
My inner curmudgeon nearly set Darker Angels aside at about the halfway point. “I don’t get this book!” said the curmudgeon. “The voodoo’s all wrong. Legba isn’t an evil serial killer! The good guys’ plan doesn’t quite add up, and is pretty unethical besides. And the interpersonal drama just ate the plot for lunch!”
“Sit down and shut up,” said M.L.N. Hanover. “I’m telling a story here.”
OK, so I’ve never met M.L.N. Hanover, and he didn’t literally say that,
September 25th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | M.L.N. Hanover | SFF Reviews | no comments |
CLASSIFICATION: Set in an alternate history Seattle, sometime around the year 1880, Boneshaker is a steampunk-flavored adventure that incorporates elements of zombie horror, pulp fiction and post-apocalyptic retrofuturism. Think The Wild Wild West meets Fallout (a videogame series) meets George Romero…
FORMAT/INFO: Page count is 416 pages divided over 28 numbered chapters, an Epilogue, and an excerpt from Unlikely Episodes in Western History which serves as the prologue. The book also includes a map and an Author’s Note regarding the historical and geographical liberties taken in the novel.
September 25th, 2009. Robert Thompson, Bill Capossere and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Cherie Priest | SFF Reviews | no comments |
This week I want to take on a more serious topic than normal. September 26th starts Banned Books Week, an annual observance of the importance of the First Amendment to protect your freedom to read. This is especially pertinent to fantasy readers because young adult fantasy novels are frequently challenged. The J.K. Rowling Harry Potter books and Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series are two of the most challenged books over the last decade. If Fantasy Literature’s motto is “Life’s too short to read bad books” then for the next week, let it be “Life’s too short not to read bad books.”
September 24th, 2009. Ruth Arnell | Thoughtful Thursday | 8 comments |
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
I’m having a hard time reviewing Lips Touch: Three Times. Intelligent language seems to be failing me. I don’t want to write a review so much as I want to jump up and down and squeal like a crazed fangirl. Lips Touch is chocolate in book form. It’s dark, it’s rich, it’s delicious, and it’s precisely to my taste.
Lips Touch is a collection of three stories; the common theme,
September 23rd, 2009. Kelly Lasiter and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Laini Taylor | Short Fiction, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Looking forward to reading the review.
Always my pleasure, Marion! I'm almost finished with Book #3 now, and hope to be reporting on it very shortly....
After reading your review, I'm quite sure I never read this one, or Book Three for that matter. I loved…
What a fantastic review! I loved how you highlighted the blend of action and character development in "Foundryside." The intricate…
On her blog, "Aunt Beast" says she is in the early stages of working on another Tinfoil Dossier novella, so…