Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Month: March 2010

World Wide Wednesday: Twilight and Heroes

The last Wednesday of March, so let’s celebrate with our by-now customary trip through the byways of the Internet, seeking out all the stories and announcements you might have missed in the excitement of instantly clicking to FanLit (because that’s what you all do, right?!)

1) How Do You Organise Your Library?

We all love a gratuitous look at other people’s shelves, and find out how/whether they organise their books, and Grasping For The Wind asked the blogosphere the question ‘how do you organise your library?’ Many bloggers,

March 31st, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest) | World Wide Wednesday | 4 comments |

The Pillars of the World: Not appealing

The Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop

I loved Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels Trilogy so much. But it took me a long time to pick up The Pillars of the World, because it just didn’t sound terribly appealing.

And it wasn’t appealing in the least. The one character I did like was portrayed as a cold, possessive jerk by the end of the book. The mysterious Lucien is shunted aside for the “sweet” Neall who has about as much depth as a puddle.

March 31st, 2010. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 1 | Anne Bishop | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Through the Veil: Hardly high literature, but mildly entertaining

Through the Veil by Isobel Bird

Through the Veil is the ninth book in the Circle of Three series, which chronicles three teenagers’ journey through a year-and-a-day of discovering and exploring Wicca. If you haven’t yet come across these books, I suggest you stop reading now and head back to book number one So Mote It Be, as the books are very closely tied together and it’s near impossible to read them out of chronological order (which is annoying, but there you go).

Dinner with Jaye Wells

I recently had the great pleasure of dining and talking with urban fantasy author Jaye Wells, whose Mage In Black hits shelves today. In fact, in our two-book giveaway, one lucky commenter on this interview will receive a free copy of Mage in Black while a second will receive a copy of Red-Headed Step Child. So, be sure to comment below.

Ms. Wells is one of my favorite new urban fantasy authors. Her books are driven by action and suspense and spiced with humor and remind me of the popular series by Jeaniene Frost and Karen Chance.

March 30th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank | Jaye Wells | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 40 comments |

Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary: Not as good as Tam Lin

Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary by Pamela Dean

I’ve read several Pamela Dean books in the past, and so I was prepared for her style; it didn’t bother me much that characters quoted too often, or that the book was long on characterization and mood but short on plot, or that the ending swooped in out of the ether when I was least expecting it. I was ready for those things to be the case, so they didn’t disappoint me. I opened the book hoping for a story like Dean’s earlier Tam Lin,

The Ghost in the Mirror: Gothic creepiness for all ages

The Ghost in the Mirror by John Bellairs & Brad Strickland

I may not be the best person to review John Bellairs’ The Ghost in the Mirror (1993), since it is clearly one book of many in a series, and I’ve only just arrived. When I picked up my copy from the library, I had no idea that it was part of a larger set, when in fact, Bellairs has written sixteen books that contain the characters found within this book.

I should say at this point that Bellairs’

Mage in Black: Better than the first Sabina novel

Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

Jaye Wells is getting better. Mage in Black is the sequel to Wells’ debut novel, Red-Headed Stepchild. In Red-Headed Stepchild, Sabina Kane foiled a plot by the head of the vampires (her own grandmother) and is now on the run from vampire assassins.

In Mage in Black, war is brewing between mages and vampires. Sabina, who was raised by vampires, is caught in the middle.

March 26th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 4 | Jaye Wells | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

The Gold Falcon: Starts a new Deverry sequence

The Gold Falcon by Katharine Kerr

With The Gold Falcon, Katharine Kerr is starting a new phase in the Deverry series. We move on fifty years or so from the climactic ending of The Fire Dragon, and times have changed. The Horsekin have started marauding the Deverry border, killing the men and enslaving the women. There is a fragile alliance between the Deverry folk, the Rhiddaer, and the West Folk (Kerr’s version of elves). And Alshandra’s repute as a goddess is growing,

March 26th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest)´s rating: 3 | Katharine Kerr | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Thoughtful Thursday: Worst opening lines

It was a dark and stormy night.

That’s considered the worst, most clichéd opening line in fiction. In honor of that author, Edward George Bulwer-Lytton and the opening line to his novel Paul Clifford, there is now an annual contest to pen the most horrendously bad opening sentence to a novel that you can imagine. And to make it even better, there’s a fantasy category. Below, for your delectation and delight, are the winning and runner-up from last year’s fantasy contest.

Winner: Fantasy Fiction

A quest is not to be undertaken lightly —

March 25th, 2010. Ruth Arnell | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 17 comments |

The Fire Dragon: Best Deverry book

The Fire Dragon by Katharine Kerr

In The Fire Dragon we spend about half of our time in the past, concluding the storyline concerning Lillorigga, princess Bellyra, Maddyn the bard, and the prince Maryn. The second half of the book shifts the plot forwards concerning Rhodry, Dallandra, Niffa, Raena, and the dragon Arzosah.

In my opinion The Fire Dragon is by far the best book in the whole Deverry series. I was gripped throughout. Of necessity (considering the curse of the dweomer tablet),

March 24th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest)´s rating: 5 | Katharine Kerr | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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