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WWWednesday: July 9, 2014

We’re a little thin on the ground today, but here goes!

On this day in 1981, Donkey Kong debuted and the world was introduced to everyone’s favorite Italian plumber, Mario.

Writing, Editing, and Publishing:

Two pieces today by writers, about writing, both from Tor.com. First, Mary Pearson wrote this article about using ancient history to inspire new fantasy worlds, citing George R. R. Martin and Robin LaFevers as examples. Second, Ellen Klages writes about the collaborative writing process and laments that short fiction gets no love (‘cept here,

July 9th, 2014. Kate Lechler | World Wide Wednesday | 6 comments |

In Thunder Forged: Here’s my After-action Report

In Thunder Forged by Ari Marmell

To: Military Subcommittee, Colonial Council, Kingdom of Fantasy Literature

Month of Summer Solstice, in the Year of the Brazilian World Cup

Re: Codename In Thunder Forged, After Action Report

Honorable Council:

Herewith my report on the targeted objective, codename In Thunder Forged. In reviewing reports for this mission I noted that your intelligence analysts theorized that In Thunder Forged may have been based on a video game,

July 9th, 2014. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Ari Marmell | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |

The Creature From Beyond Infinity: Kuttner’s first novel

The Creature From Beyond Infinity by Henry Kuttner

The Creature From Beyond Infinity was the first novel published by Henry Kuttner, an author who was one of the half dozen or so pillars of the Golden Age of Sci-Fi. It first saw the light of day in a 1940 issue of “Startling Stories” magazine under the title A Million Years to Conquer, and finally in book form in the 1968 Popular Library paperback that I recently completed. Although that original title may perhaps be a more accurate descriptor,

Shattered: Introduces an excellent new character

Shattered by Kevin Hearne

When Kevin Hearne’s IRON DRUID CHRONICLES series started with Hounded a few years ago, the story starred Atticus O’Sullivan, the world’s last druid, and his funny movie-watching Irish Wolfhound, Oberon.

In Shattered, the seventh novel (and the first one released in hardback!), we now have two more point-of-view characters. One is Granuaile, the former barmaid who became Atticus’ apprentice and is now a druid in her own right and has her own hound (Orlaith) that she can mind-speak to.

The Moon King: An impressive debut

The Moon King by Neil Williamson

I ended up with mixed feelings about Neil Williamson‘s debut novel, The Moon King, loving the setting and the premise, quite enjoying the beginning, and mostly responding to the often lyrical prose, but finding as my reading went on that my appreciation was beginning to dwindle. In the end, I’d say it’s an impressive first novel in many ways, very impressive actually, but one that shows some first novel cracks that widen as the novel progresses.

July 8th, 2014. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Neil Williamson | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

The Winter Ghosts: A short and spooky read for a winter’s night

The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse

First of all, it’s important to note that Kate Mosse’s The Winter Ghosts is nowhere near the same length as her other works, particularly her best-known books Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel. It’s best described as a novella, one which can probably be read in one sitting (it took me two). Your enjoyment will probably hinge on knowing beforehand that this isn’t a dense holiday read,

July 8th, 2014. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Kate Mosse | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

The Girl: Hall has a great career ahead of him

The Girl by Bryan Hall

The Girl is the second novella in a series called THE SOUTHERN HAUNTINGS SAGA by Bryan Hall, a young, relatively new writer. If it is any indication, this fellow has a great career ahead of him.

The protagonist of The Girl is Creighton Northgate — Crate — who is a sort of psychic, and a sort of private detective, and a sort of ghostbuster, though he rejects all three descriptors. What it amounts to is that he can see ghosts,

The Crimson Campaign: A wonderful sequel

The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan

War is hell. That is true on many different levels, and each individual copes with it differently. Brian McClellan’s The Crimson Campaign is a journey into hell from four perspectives — each character’s hell no less terrible than the others’.

Tamas is the acknowledged tyrant, military leader,and instigator of the overthrow on the Kingdom of Andro when his group of crack powder-mages killed the King and his royal cabal of Privileged (extremely powerful users of magic). Tamas has been through hell,

July 7th, 2014. John Hulet´s rating: 4.5 | Brian McClellan | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

Dust: Immaculate plotting

Dust by Hugh Howey

I know I’ve retired from reviewing, but since I reviewed the first two volumes in the SILO trilogy (Wool and Shift) and there isn’t a review for this third one, I thought I would do a little guest review here for my friends at FanLit because nothing sucks more than the first two books in a trilogy being great and then the third one going right off the rails and exploding in a burst of unresolved plot lines and out of character behavior.

July 7th, 2014. Ruth Arnell and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Hugh Howey | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

The Wurms of Blearmouth: A short comic tale by Erikson

The Wurms of Blearmouth by Steven Erikson

The Wurms of Blearmouth is the fifth novella by Steven Erikson centered on his gloriously disruptive pair of “evil sorcerers” Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, along with their by-now-relatively-stoic servant Emancipator Reese. As with the prior four, this is a far lighter tale than his lengthy, dense, and often deeply serious MALAZAN series. The BAUCHELAIN AND BROACH tales are more comic, far shorter, with far fewer moments of Erikson’s trademark “philosphophizing” (though fewer does not mean no such moments).

July 5th, 2014. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Steven Erikson | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |

Month: July 2014

WWWednesday: July 9, 2014

In Thunder Forged: Here’s my After-action Report

The Creature From Beyond Infinity: Kuttner’s first novel

Shattered: Introduces an excellent new character

The Moon King: An impressive debut

The Winter Ghosts: A short and spooky read for a winter’s night

The Girl: Hall has a great career ahead of him

The Crimson Campaign: A wonderful sequel

Dust: Immaculate plotting

The Wurms of Blearmouth: A short comic tale by Erikson

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