The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
I suspect that Jean M. Auel disappointed quite a few readers with The Shelters of Stone, the fifth book her EARTH’S CHILDREN series. It appeared 12 years after The Plains of Passage and does little other than repeating all that has gone before. While I didn’t think it was as dreadful as the final book, The Land of Painted Caves, it’s most certainly not the highlight of my reading year.
February 18th, 2014. Rob Weber´s rating: 2 | Jean M. Auel | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The January 2014 of Nightmare Magazine opens with “The Mad Butcher of Plainfield’s Chariot of Death” by Adam Howe. Gibbons is the proud owner of Eddie Gein’s car, a genuine relic of the murder on which Alfred Hitchcock based his movie Psycho. Gibbons has a carnival show built around the car, a regular “Disneyland from hell,” and he can’t figure why it isn’t the huge success he expected when he spent his inheritance from his mother on the thing. But not only don’t people flock to see his show with a two-bit carnival traveling from town to town;
February 17th, 2014. Terry Weyna | Christopher Golden, Jonathan Maberry, Kat Howard, Tanith Lee, Tim (T.A.) Pratt | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
And the Darkness Falls edited by Boris Karloff
In 1943, Boris Karloff was induced by his old friend Edmund Speare, an English professor and book editor, to assist in putting together an anthology of horror stories; as Speare put it, “a collection of bogey stories selected by a professional bogey man.” The resulting volume, Tales of Terror, consisted of a six-page introduction by Karloff and 14 stories, ran to 317 pages, and was a popular release with the public. On the strength of that book’s sales,
February 17th, 2014. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 5 | Algernon Blackwood, Ambrose Bierce, H.P. Lovecraft, Lord Dunsany | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume One by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima
Dark Horse has just started reissuing one of the best manga collections of all-time: Lone Wolf and Cub. If you are interested in Japanese art and culture, this volume is one you want to order immediately! Even if you aren’t interest in the historical role of the Samurai warrior in Japan, you’ll want this book for the beautiful black and white artwork.
In the U.S., we’ve been inundated with manga aimed primarily at teenagers,
February 14th, 2014. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan
“Only the world’s dumbest person would run a risk like that again. Step forward — Darren Shan!”
Darren Shan (which is the name of the author and the protagonist of the CIRQUE DU FREAK series) was having a pretty normal life until one of his best friends finds an advertisement for the Cirque du Freak. After they “borrow” some money from their parents and sneak out at night, Darren and Steve discover a weird world that they never could have dreamed of.
February 14th, 2014. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Darren Shan | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Theo Bernstein accidentally put a decimal point one place to the left instead of the right and, thusly, caused the Very Very Large Hadron Collider to explode, thereby disintegrating an entire Alp and becoming one of the most hated men alive. Coincidentally, Shliemann Brothers, the company that held all his investments, went bust at just about the same time, so, well, things aren’t going great for Theo.
After Theo receives an apple, a seemingly empty bottle and a small pink powder compact as part of an inheritance from his friend and former physics professor Pieter van Goyen,
February 14th, 2014. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3 | Tom Holt | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Given the recent flap over J.K. Rowling’s revelation that Hermione and Ron were perhaps not the best choice to put together in a long-term relationship (though she has since said they’d probably be OK with some counseling), Alix and I were wondering if any of us could do a better job playing Cupid this Valentine’s Week.
Alix wants to introduce Arya Stark and Kvothe, because, she says, “I never bought Kvothe and whassername for a second, and Arya would take him down a notch or two.”
As for me,
February 13th, 2014. Bill Capossere | Thoughtful Thursday | 8 comments |
Three Princes by Ramona Wheeler
Ramona Wheeler came up with a great setting premise for her novel Three Princes: an alternate Earth where neither the Egyptian nor the Incan Empires ever failed. Now, from their center in Memphis, Egypt rules an enormous swath of land across Africa, Europe, and Asia, though not all are happy with said rule, especially a resistance group led by Otto von Bismarck. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the Incans rule most of that area, which they crisscross in their Quetzal airships,
February 13th, 2014. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Ramona Wheeler | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I had never read a David Brin book before reading Startide Rising. Hearing his background was in math, physics, astronomy, etc., I went about buying one of his books with trepidation. Isaac Asimov, Vernor Vinge, Alastair Reynolds, and other popular science fiction authors may be good scientists, but they lack the touch and feel of an inborn writer and the style of their novels suffers. Though it’s prose is not glorious, Startide Rising was nevertheless a pleasant surprise.
February 13th, 2014. Jesse Hudson´s rating: 3.5 | David Brin | Hugo Award, Nebula Award | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Lists and articles
We are experiencing a list and award drought. Book buying sales might suffer, and the quality of the Websday post might decline, but we persevere! First, here’s a single, lonely list to tide you over: The zaniest alternate histories ever published, compiled by iO9. They’ll always make a list in our hour of need.
We’re also a little lite on articles, but here’s a really juicy one from SF Signal asking the provocative question: What’s wrong with epic fantasy?
February 12th, 2014. Alix E. Harrow | World Wide Wednesday | 4 comments |
Thanks for the kind words, Ira! Much appreciated!
Fine review
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!