The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye by A.S. Byatt
[At The Edge of the Universe, we review mainstream authors that incorporate elements of speculative fiction into their “literary” work. However you want to label them, we hope you’ll enjoy discussing these books with us. Today we have two reviews of A.S. Byatt’s The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye.]
The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye is a collection of five stories,
November 23rd, 2012. Kelly Lasiter and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | A.S. Byatt | Edge, Mythopoeic Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Today we welcome Max Gladstone, author of Three Parts Dead which I found to be inventive and enjoyable. Max wants to know how you feel about gods as characters in speculative fiction. One commenter will win a hardcover copy of Three Parts Dead. Thanks for joining us, Max!
When my book Three Parts Dead came out, as I trawled around reading reviews, I was intrigued by the number of comments on my book’s use of gods. Turns out people have pretty strong feelings about gods in science fiction and fantasy,
November 22nd, 2012. John Hulet | Max Gladstone | Thoughtful Thursday | 12 comments |
Lots of links today to give you plenty of reading for when you’ve had just about as much family togetherness as you can take.
First, three free e-books from Nightshade Press. Two of these have been on my need to read list, and the third one looks interesting. Go here for details. (And yes, I checked it and it works!)
It’s like a slot machine for the literary set.
Sword and Laser’s Author Guide to Jim Butcher, with interview.
If you’re planning to re-read The Hobbit before the movie,
November 21st, 2012. Ruth Arnell | World Wide Wednesday | 7 comments |
Robots Have No Tails by Henry Kuttner
Originally released in 1952 by the early sci-fi/fantasy publisher Gnome Press, the meaninglessly titled Robots Have No Tails collects the five stories that Henry Kuttner wrote featuring the drunken inventor Galloway Gallegher. (As to that title, in the book’s original introduction by Kuttner’s equally celebrated wife, C.L. Moore, she tells us that her husband was at a loss for an appropriate name for this collection, and so told the publisher, “I can’t think of one. Call it anything you like.
November 21st, 2012. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4 | Henry Kuttner | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Casket of Souls by Lynn Flewelling
Lynn Flewelling is the author of the NIGHTRUNNER series. The two main characters are Seregil, an aurenfaie, a race with powerful magical abilities; and Alec, an orphan from the north who, it turns out, has aurenfaie blood. Seregil and Alec live in Rhiminee, the capital city of Skala. Skala is always ruled by a queen, and for centuries they have been at war, off and on, with the Plenimarans. Casket of Souls is the sixth book in the series,
November 20th, 2012. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2.5 | Lynn Flewelling | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The owner, publisher and editor of Weird Tales have all changed since the last issue of the magazine, and it shows. No longer innovative, with cutting edge fiction, it is now filled with pastiches of the work of H.P. Lovecraft, a throwback to the early days of the magazine. The Hugo-Award-winning team of fiction editor Ann VanderMeer and editorial and creative director Stephen H. Segal are clearly no longer choosing the fiction or art that used to brighten each issue, and the intelligent nonfiction that completed the magazine is nearly gone,
November 19th, 2012. Terry Weyna | Brian Lumley, Darrell Schweitzer, H.P. Lovecraft, Michael Shea, Ray Bradbury | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Black Gondolier by Fritz Leiber
The Black Gondolier is a collection of horror stories by Fritz Leiber. I love Leiber’s LANKHMAR stories — they’re some of my very favorites in fantasy literature — and I’ve enjoyed several of Leiber’s short stories and one of his horror novellas, so I figured I might enjoy The Black Gondolier.
I found The Black Gondolier to be, as we so often say when reviewing a story collection, “a mixed bag.” I love Leiber’s style in all of these stories — he’s got a great ear and I love the way he uses language.
November 19th, 2012. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Fritz Leiber | Audio, Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Lois McMaster Bujold’s newest entry in the VORKOSIGAN SAGA, Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, is a romp from start to finish. It’s not great literature, but it’s a great deal of fun, and I enjoyed every minute reading it.
Bujold appears to have exhausted the possibilities in Miles Vorkosigan’s life, now that he is as highly placed a government official as he can be, as well as happily married and the father of at least two children.
November 19th, 2012. Terry Weyna and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Lois McMaster Bujold | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Kat Richardson’s Greywalker series is absolutely noir and it reaches the darkest tones ever in the fifth book, Labyrinth. In fact, this book is unrelievedly dark, scary and suspenseful. Richardson topped herself with the fourth book in this series, Vanished; now she has topped herself yet again.
Labyrinth requires one to have read the earlier books in the series; it does not stand well by itself. In fact,
November 17th, 2012. Terry Weyna and Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5, 4 | Kat Richardson | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
I picked up Castle Waiting by Linda Medley at the recommendation of The Book Smugglers who described a charming take on classic fairy tales with a twist. When I checked it out from the library, it felt like a vintage volume of fairy tales with a beautiful full-color illustrated cover, rough cut pages, and a silk ribbon bookmark. However, there is a very modern sensibility to these stories. Castle Waiting is a hardback omnibus collection of the first several issues of Medley’s comics about an abandoned castle that has become a refuge for the abandoned,
November 16th, 2012. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 4.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 3 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…