Manhattan in Reverse by Peter F. Hamilton
I’ve been meaning to read Peter F. Hamilton for years. I own a few of his books, but I haven’t read them yet. If you’re familiar with Hamilton, I’ll bet you know why. His books are HUGE, and most of them are part of a series. Every time I look at them on my shelf, they scream “MAJOR TIME COMMITMENT,” so there they stay. Thus, I was pleased to come across Manhattan in Reverse, a slim and inviting collection of seven stories by Peter F.
July 25th, 2012. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Peter F. Hamilton | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Emma Bull turns the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral into a romping fantasy adventure in Territory.
Since I don’t know much about this period, most of the historical specifics were lost on me. For example, I can’t critique her characterization of Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday or say if she was accurate with the nitty-gritty details of events. Thus, historical accuracy wasn’t a huge deal to me, which allowed me to sit back and really enjoy the book for its story.
July 25th, 2012. Sarah Chorn | Emma Bull | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Devil Delivered and Other Tales by Steven Erikson
I’m a huge fan of Steven Erikson’s massive MALAZAN EMPIRE series, which I consider one of the outstanding works of fantasy in the past few decades. I’m also a fan of his trilogy (Bauchelain and Korbal Broach) of novellas set in that same universe following the two eponymous characters and employing a healthy dose of black humor and satire. His new collection of novellas, The Devil Delivered and Other Tales, has no connection to the Malazan world at all,
July 24th, 2012. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Steven Erikson | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock
Elric of Melniboné is one of those fantasy giants that shook the genre. He’s probably not so well-known as Conan or Gandalf, but he’s nonetheless in the same country club of figures often cited as seminal to sword and sorcery — for good reason. The argument could definitely be made that Elric was the basis for most of the brooding, troubled heroes that have become so popular of late. Think of all those angsty sorcerers and tragically doomed warriors wandering across unforgiving worlds.
July 24th, 2012. Tim Scheidler, Kat Hooper and Greg Hersom´s rating: 4 | Michael Moorcock | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Murky Depths is a quarterly magazine of “dark speculative fiction” — I’d call it simply horror — that marries illustration — specifically, graphics (or comics, if you prefer that term) — and story in a way different from any other magazine I’ve seen. The black and white drawings sometimes intensify the effect of a story beautifully; sometimes, however, they seriously detract from a story by making it seem comic or by giving too much of a story away. It’s an interesting approach that appears to be giving greater exposure to a number of new illustrators and writers.
July 23rd, 2012. Terry Weyna | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Thieftaker is an intriguing new book by D.B. Jackson (penname of David B. Coe) set in pre-Revolutionary Boston. While the novel has its flaws, its unusual setting, winning characterizations, and unique mix of historical fiction, mystery (with a real noir tinge) and fantasy mostly make up for relatively middling plotting and left me looking forward to spending more time in this world.
Ethan Kaille is an independent thieftaker in a 1765 Boston roiling with pre-War tension between loyalists and the patriots newly angered by passage of the Stamp Act.
July 23rd, 2012. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | D.B. Jackson | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
To have an enemy worthy of one’s respect… that is a prize beyond measure. What is a lover’s touch compared to such a thing? Love is but weakness shared, trials halved for being met in tandem. While a skilled enemy provides stimulation, challenge, and ultimately growth for all those who test their strength against his.
I didn’t think that C.S. Friedman’s wonderful space epic In Conquest Born needed a sequel, but here it is, nonetheless. The Wilding can stand alone,
July 23rd, 2012. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | C.S. Friedman | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Sorry Please Thank You: Stories by Charles Yu
[At The Edge of the Universe, we review books that may not be classified SFF but that incorporate elements of speculative fiction. However you want to label them, we hope you’ll enjoy discussing these books with us.]
It is rare that I find myself blown away by a collection of short stories. Unless it is a “selected” anthology, where an editor can sort through a long career of writing and winnow out the mediocre and simply bad (even then there’ll most likely be at least a few I don’t care for),
July 20th, 2012. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Charles Yu | Edge, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Wake of the Bloody Angel by Alex Bledsoe
Wake of the Bloody Angel is the fourth novel in Alex Bledsoe’s EDDIE LACROSSE MYSTERIES series. Like its predecessors, it crosses traditional noir crime fiction with well-known tropes from fantasy literature. Not an easy thing to do well, I’d think, but Alex Bledsoe makes it work. In the previous novels, we’ve met some manifestation of Epona the horse goddess, Rhiannon from the Mabinogi, dragons, and the Arthurian Legends. I’m not going to tell you who/what we meet in Wake of the Bloody Angel because that would spoil the big mystery — I’ll just say I didn’t see it coming.
July 20th, 2012. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Alex Bledsoe | Audio | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Fantasy Literature reached its fifth year of existence this summer, and I thought it time to do a little celebrating. I love this site a great deal, and it excites me to no end to see it grow like it has. FanLit has played a huge part in my development as a writer, and as a reader. I really appreciate the hard work our team puts into making the site so great. Besides reading and writing reviews, each of us has our own site jobs — editing, columns we’re in charge of, interviews, and many behind-the-scenes tasks that keep us producing daily content.
July 19th, 2012. Justin Blazier | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 30 comments |
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…