Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Month: June 2010

Thoughtful Thursday: Happy Birthday to Us!

Do you know who is three? My son! You know who else is three? Fantasy Literature! We celebrated our third birthday on Tuesday. As we were sitting around the FanLit (virtual) offices, we were chatting about what to do to incorporate our birthday into the Thoughtful Thursday post. Bill suggested we could do a list of series that stopped at a trilogy that should have continued, but then we realized that would be a short list. Like, two series short. Do authors stop at trilogies any more? Then, Bill offered a birthday toast, “may your pants remain free of firedrakes and your staff never warp.”

June 3rd, 2010. Ruth Arnell | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 8 comments |

The Summer Country: Not your little sister’s faerie novel

The Summer Country by James A. Hetley

First, a caveat. Don’t let the pretty cover art fool you. The Summer Country is not a “pretty” book. It’s really more horror than fantasy, full of violence and truly twisted characters. That said, I enjoyed The Summer Country. It stands out, with a few others, as a novel that presents a distinctive and original way of looking at the Otherworld, the faerie realm.

James A Hetley‘s “Summer Country” is ruled by those of the Old Blood,

June 3rd, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | James A. Hetley | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Sirena: Powerful, beautiful, tragic

Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli

Now famous for her ability to take old, familiar tales and present them through new perspectives, Donna Jo Napoli tackles the subject of Greek mythology and the captivating mermaids of the oceans.

The Sirens were long thought to be deadly women, either humanoid or bird-like, who lured sailors to their deaths on the rocks with their enticing songs. But Napoli presents the Grecian Sirens as mermaids — half-women, half-fish, a hybrid creature who are just as cursed as the men they destroy. Due to a spiteful nymph’s curse,

Zel: Deceptively simple — deep and evocative

Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

For readers who simply glance over the words and do no reading between the lines, Zel will simply read as a fleshed-out fairytale, in which the characters, settings and storylines are given more background and details. For those who take the time to read more luxuriously and deeply, they will find layer upon layer of meaning, symbolism, motivations and psychological breakdown that is simply intoxicating to discover. Underlying all of this is the concept of deep and powerful love, and its conflicting abilities to both nourish and destroy.

The Left Hand of God: A big mess, yet…

The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman

If Paul Hoffman’s The Left Hand of God were a movie, its audience would have lots of reasons to walk out well before the credits. It’s a big mess of a book with major flaws in nearly all aspects: plot, character, world building, and pace, to name a few. Yet somehow, and I have yet to figure out how, it kept me marching through it, and damn if I wasn’t a bit curious about what would happen in the sequel.

June 2nd, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Paul Hoffman | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

The Eyes of God: Big fantasy beefsteak, not fully cooked

The Eyes of God by John Marco

The Eyes of God is a sprawling, medieval fantasy novel. The seed for the next book (The Devil’s Armor) is planted well in the first, and I hope more of the good than the bad from the first book carries over.

The Eyes of God consists of three parts. (And before that, a beautiful cover — one of its very best features.) The first is basically a rehashing of Camelot’s love triangle.

June 2nd, 2010. Rob Rhodes´s rating: 3 | John Marco | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Silver’s Edge: Who to trust?

Silver’s Edge by Anne Kelleher

I loved Silver’s Edge. It’s an eyes-glued-to-the-page story of politics and war between three realms in a world not unlike Dark Ages Britain or Ireland. The silver caul that once held the Sidhe, the goblins, and the humans in their own little worlds is missing; now the three races are thrown back together for reasons unknown, and chaos ensues.

The story focuses around several young women struggling to survive in this chaotic situation. I loved it — it’s rare that a book about political intrigue really does surprise me and pull the rug out from under my feet.

June 2nd, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Anne Kelleher, Anne Kelleher Bush | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Living With The Writer: Dave Fenn

For this third edition of the semi-regular feature Living With The Writer, we welcome our first husband to the hot seat. Today we talk to Dave Fenn, husband of Jaine Fenn who has two books (Principles of Angels and Consorts of Heaven) published through Gollancz. Dave is a rather private person, so we express our gratitude that he was willing to spill some details about his life with Jaine.

Gollancz have very kindly put up three copies of Jaine’s latest book,

June 1st, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest) | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 5 comments |

Naamah’s Curse: Stupid boy!

Naamah’s Curse by Jacqueline Carey

At the end of Naamah’s Kiss, Moirin’s lover Bao set out on his own, uncomfortable with the magic that bound him and Moirin together. As Naamah’s Curse begins, Moirin undertakes a dangerous journey to find him. The beginning is on the slow side, focusing on the hardships of winter travel and on Moirin’s stay with a kindly Tatar family.

Then, Moirin learns that Bao has done something stupid.

It took me a while to warm to Bao in Naamah’s Kiss,

June 1st, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Jacqueline Carey | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Bell at Sealey Head: Perfect introduction to McKillip

The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia McKillip

Patricia McKillip’s latest novel takes us to the little fishing village of Sealey Head; tiny and inconsequential, and dominated by four influential families: the Cauleys (father and son innkeepers), the Blairs (a large family of merchants), the Sproules (rich farmers who have gained some degree of nobility) and the Aislinns (living in the crumbling manor house). Actually, there’s only one Aislinn now: old Lady Eglantyne, who lies dreaming in her bedchamber, waited on by a host of servants. The extensive cast of characters have interconnecting friendships,

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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