Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Month: January 2010

Death’s Daughter: She thought the devil wore Prada…

Death’s Daughter by Amber Benson

She thought the devil wore Prada… until she met the real one!

Before I begin this review, a confession: I’m a sucker for any novel containing cute hellhounds.

Calliope Reaper-Jones is living the life of a typical New York office flunky, dealing with a diva boss, less-hunky-than-advertised blind dates, and a lust for designer clothes she can’t afford. That is, until her father, who happens to be the Grim Reaper himself, is kidnapped and Calliope is swept back into a dangerous supernatural world she’s spent her entire adult life trying to escape.

January 16th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Amber Benson | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |

The Book of Dreams: A small but satisfying collection

The Book of Dreams edited by Nick Gevers

The Book of Dreams is a small but satisfying collection of short stories that are thematically, albeit loosely, connected by the theme of “dreams.” The book features original stories by Robert Silverberg, Lucius Shepard, Jay Lake, Kage Baker and Jeffrey Ford, and was edited by Nick Gevers for Subterranean Press.

Somewhat surprisingly,

The Seven Rays: In search of a target audience

The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger

Beth Ray is beginning to realize she’s not just your average teenage girl. She’s seeing strange visions, and then there are the letters: shiny gold envelopes containing hints of a great destiny. Her mother tries to keep them from her, but the envelopes manage to find Beth wherever she goes.

And then a big hairy bloke shows up on a flying motorbike and takes her to a wizard school in Scotland… wait, wrong book.

What happens to Beth, instead, is that she undergoes laser eye surgery to try to correct her sight,

Diving into the Wreck: Fast and entertaining

Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Diving into the Wreck is a short but excellent science fiction novel by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who has also written extensively in fantasy, mystery and romance, and is the former editor of the prestigious Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

The main character of Diving into the Wreck (2009), who goes by the name “Boss,” is a specialist in the exploration of derelict space ships. Accompanied by a team of specialists,

Darkspell: Just as gripping as Daggerspell

Darkspell by Katharine Kerr

Darkspell is the second Deverry book and it proves to be just as gripping as the first. Here we are dealing with a present time storyline of Jill and Rhodry’s life on the road as silver daggers, and the danger they face from masters of dark dweomer. Jill discovers more about dweomer from Nevyn as he tries to gently encourage her to fulfill her Wyrd (destiny).

We also go back in time to a previous incarnation of Jill and Rhodry and Cullyn (Jill’s father).

January 15th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest)´s rating: 3.5 | Katharine Kerr | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Thoughtful Thursday: Best of 2009

All of the FanLit reviewers got together and made a list of the best fantasy novels published in 2009. The Thoughtful Thursday column this week is going to be dedicated to letting several of the reviewers explain why they chose the books they did. For our complete list, see this post.

In the order that I found them in my inbox, here are our reviewer comments:

From Stefan:

Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente. “This is a novel to read slowly and savor,

January 14th, 2010. Ruth Arnell | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 20 comments |

Peter Pan: Do you really know him?

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Most people think they’ve read — or at least know — the story of Peter Pan. The figure of the boy who refuses to grow up has become so infused in Western culture that he’s taken on a life beyond his literary beginnings, starring in countless theatrical productions, movies, television series, prequels and sequels, his image used in merchandise (everything from records to peanut butter), and on several famous statues around the world (the most famous being the one in Kensington Gardens) and even providing the namesake behind a psychological condition (we’ve all heard of people with a “Peter Pan syndrome,” referring to those who refuse to accept the responsibilities of adult life).

The King of Attolia: Recommended with a caveat

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Gen is now The King of Attolia, married to the woman who he has loved since childhood, who also ordered his hand cut off when he was caught snooping around the castle. At the end of the last book, The Queen of Attolia, he offered to marry the Queen to seal a peace treaty between her country and his native Eddis, keeping secret from almost everyone that he has been in love with her since his youth.

Changing the World: All new tales of Valdemar

Changing the World: All new tales of Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey

In Changing the World: All new tales of Valdemar, Mercedes Lackey edits a collection of short stories from several different authors. They’re all set in her famous Valdemar, and many center on a theme: What happens when being Chosen causes more problems than it solves? I enjoyed this approach to the classic being Chosen trope in which being Chosen is the end of all your troubles.

Lackey starts off the collection with “The One Left Behind” about a young woman who is dealing with the emotional fallout of being left — her father abandoned her as a child because he was Chosen,

January 13th, 2010. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | Mercedes Lackey | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Crown Rose: Where’s the “ripping philosophical discourse”?

The Crown Rose by Fiona Avery

Fiona Avery’s The Crown Rose is a historical fantasy — it places real historical figures in a real historical setting but it includes fantastic elements (magic, sorcery, etc.). In this novel, we follow the story of Princess Isabelle, Queen Mother Blanche, King Louis, Prince Robert, and Prince Charles in 13th century France. The royals are protected and advised by the Order of the Rose, a mysterious trio of women with supernatural powers and unknown origins.

Ms Avery’s “good” characters are charming and her premise is interesting.

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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