Daytripper by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba
“Isn’t it strange how we always seem to remember the trivial things from our daily lives… yet so often we forget the most important ones?”
In the opening chapter of Daytripper, Bras de Oliva Domingos, main character of this lushly drawn graphic novel, stops for a beer and a pack of cigarettes on the way to a gala honoring his famous and powerful novelist father. He becomes involved in a shocking event, one that leaves the reader reeling.
September 28th, 2012. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Son by Lois Lowry is the fourth and final book in THE GIVER series. I’ve had serious problems with previous installments in this series, and unfortunately this book does little to nothing to resolve those problems. My main issues have been that there is no source or explanation given for the mystical gifts that very few of the people possess, and that there is no explanation for the evil force that pervaded Forest in the last book.
Son starts back in the first community in the series.
September 28th, 2012. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 2 | Lois Lowry | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Clean is the first installment in the MINDSPACE INVESTIGATIONS series by Alex Hughes. It’s sort of a mix of police procedural, mystery, urban fantasy and science fiction.
Set sometime in a distance future, humans have become wary of artificial intelligence and the telepathic abilities of the people who saved humanity from the sentient computers during an event now known as the Tech Wars. Some people still have internet interfaces implanted in their brains, but most of their fellow humans regard them with disdain and are ready to revert to pre-internet forms of technology.
September 28th, 2012. John Hulet´s rating: 3.5 | Alex Hughes | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
One of the things we’re always getting excited about here at FanLit is the emergence of new talent in speculative fiction. Every time a publicist writes to tell us about a debut author, we huddle together to read the press release, look around at each other, and start to mumble: “Is this the Dragon Reborn one we’ve been waiting for? The next King or Queen of Fantasy Literature? Someone who will reach down and lift us out of the wretchedness of our miserable mundane lives?
Alas. Usually no. But over the past couple of years we have read some authors that we’re getting pretty excited about,
September 27th, 2012. Justin Blazier | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 19 comments |
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan is a twist on a classic Gothic romance, like Jane Eyre. Complete with a mysterious mansion on a hill, a desperate love triangle, mysterious goings-on and troubled characters, Unspoken throws a twist into the formula by reversing the genders of the main characters, setting it in a modern setting, and adding a sense of humor.
Kami lives in Sorry-in-the-Vale, a small English town that lives in the shadow of the Lynburn mansion.
September 27th, 2012. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | Sarah Rees Brennan | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Shima Isles are on the brink of ruin. The empire practically runs on chi, a substance extracted from the bloodlotus plant which fuels its engines but also poisons its soil, kills its animals, and keeps its people addicted with its opium-like qualities. The wars of conquest against the barbarous gaijin are stalled. The citizens live in poverty and pollution while the young, murderous shogun Yoritomo and his court live in luxury.
As Stormdancer starts off, there’s been a recent sighting of an arashitora or “thunder tiger,” a near-mystical creature previously thought extinct.
September 27th, 2012. Stefan Raets´s rating: 2 | Jay Kristoff | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
So, need a break from playing the new World of Warcraft expansion (OMGPANDASFTWQUEEEEE!!!)? Here’s some other pixels you can rest your eyeballs on. Though really, I would recommend getting out of your chair, eating some fruit and going outside. That big glowing thing in the sky is called the sun.
Awesome Star Wars terrariums. Who knew you could make a Dagobah terrarium?
A new Hobbit trailer!
Over at #sffwrtcht, an excellent interview with Juliet Marillier, including her talking about what she’s working on now for readers to look forward to.
September 26th, 2012. Ruth Arnell | World Wide Wednesday | 2 comments |
Amber House by Kelly Moore, Tucker & Larkin Reed
Do you like haunted old houses with tangled histories and lots of secret passages? If so, Amber House is the mother lode. This is the kind of book where the heroine figures out there’s a hidden staircase because, while it’s nowhere to be seen in the house itself, a dollhouse based on the real house does have a staircase in that spot. If this appeals to you — and it definitely appeals to me — you need to read Amber House.
September 26th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Kelly Moore | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Kate Milford’s recent novel The Broken Lands is set in the same universe as her earlier The Boneshaker, though it involves different characters and takes place some years earlier. The Boneshaker made it onto my top ten list for 2010, and The Broken Lands appears set to repeat that feat for 2012 (read my reviews). Recently, Kate took some valuable time out of her schedule to answer some questions for us. I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about Kate’s wonderful stories.
September 25th, 2012. Bill Capossere | Kate Milford | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 8 comments |
Eric by Terry Pratchett
Up to this point I’ve always enjoyed Terry Pratchett’s DISCWORLD books, and Faust Eric was no exception in that regard. It was a fun read. Still, I’m not as big of a fan of the Rincewind books as I am of some of the other DISCWORLD books centered around his other characters. Nothing against the cowardly, inept wizard Rincewind, I mean, Lord knows I’d probably react to the dangers of Discworld the same way he does,
September 25th, 2012. Steven Harbin´s rating: 3.5 | Terry Pratchett | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
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…