The Lady of Blossholme by H. Rider Haggard
The Lady of Blossholme was Henry Rider Haggard‘s 34th piece of fiction, out of an eventual 58 titles. It is a novel that he wrote (or, to be technically accurate, dictated) in the year 1907, although it would not see publication until the tail end of 1909, and is one of the author’s more straightforward historical adventures, with hardly any fantasy elements to speak of.
The story takes place in England during the reign of Henry VIII,
October 8th, 2015. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4 | H. Rider Haggard | Free!, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
On this date in 1714, residents of the Netherlands city of Alkmaar took to the street in a full-blown riot. What caused their outrage? The city fathers had attempted to levy a tax on beer. Don’t mess with the beer, people.
Legacies:
Sir Terry Pratchett’s estate announced a $1 million Australian endowment for the University of South Australia. The scholarship will be awarded every two years. It will pay two years’ worth of expenses for the student, and provides $100,000 to that student for an additional year of study at the UniSA or at Trinity College,
October 7th, 2015. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | 7 comments |
The Crystal World by J.G. Ballard
The Crystal World (1966) is J.G. Ballard’s third apocalyptic work in which he destroys civilization, the other two being The Burning World (1964) and The Drowned World (1962). It seems he likes the elements, having employed floods, draughts, and now crystallization. The process somewhat resembles Ice-9 in Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle (1963), but there is no ironic humor to be found in this book as far I could tell.
October 7th, 2015. Stuart Starosta´s rating: 2.5 | J.G. Ballard | Audio, Edge, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Not one sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. ~Matthew 10:29
I thoroughly enjoyed this expansive story of space travel and first contact. The Sparrow (1996), a multiple award-winning novel from Mary Doria Russell and the first book in THE SPARROW duology, is wonderfully deep in its exploration of culture clash and how individual experiences, both spiritual and physical, shape those interactions. Russell is at her best in bringing her characters to life and deftly creating three dimensional imagery that are at once understandable,
October 7th, 2015. Jason Golomb´s rating: 5 | Mary Doria Russell | BSFA Award | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Now winding down his hectic promotion schedule, Stephen Aryan joins us at Fantasy Literature to talk about his debut fantasy novel, Battlemage, his literary influences, and to tease us about what may be in store for the sequel, Bloodmage.
Three random commenters, two with a US address and one with a UK address, will win a copy of Battlemage. Start your comment with (US) or (UK) according to where you live to enter the giveaway, and please welcome, Stephen Aryan!
João Eira: Hi Stephen,
October 6th, 2015. João Eira | Stephen Aryan | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 32 comments |
Raising Caine by Charles E. Gannon
Neapolitan ice cream with its three stripes of flavor, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, was a favorite in my house when I was growing up. Charles E. Gannon’s latest novel Raising Caine reminds me of that. Do you like rollicking high-tech military SF? Get yourself a bowl. You want multi-planetary space opera with unusual environments and nonhuman exo-sapients? Dish up. You want a book that makes you think about the nexus of biological evolution and social evolution? Grab a spoon,
October 6th, 2015. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Charles E. Gannon | SFF Reviews | 10 comments |
Empire Ascendant by Kameron Hurley
I thought Kameron Hurley’s first book in her WORLDBREAKER SAGA, The Mirror Empire, was a richly imagined, ambitious novel that landed on the positive side of the ledger even if its flaws gave the book’s strengths a run for their money. Unfortunately, the flaws do a bit more than that in the sequel, Empire Ascendant, leading to an overall weaker second effort.
The Worldbreaker setting is a multi-verse with parallel worlds that,
October 6th, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Kameron Hurley | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
There is so much free or inexpensive short fiction available on the internet these days. Here are a few stories we read this week that we wanted you to know about.
“Please Undo This Hurt” by Seth Dickinson (2015, free at Tor.com)
Not speculative fiction, but a very insightful and poignant story of Dominga, an EMT on the verge of burnout after the man she loves breaks up with her. Her friend Nico is in a tough spot as well, after breaking up with his girlfriend because he thought she deserved better,
October 5th, 2015. João Eira, Tadiana Jones, Jana Nyman and Marion Deeds | Aliette De_Bodard, Seth Dickinson | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Becoming Darkness by Lindsay Francis Brambles
Becoming Darkness is the first of the HAVEN trilogy by debut author Lindsay Francis Brambles, a YA horror series which asks “What if the Nazis won WWII?” with the added twist of a global vampirism plague. It’s mostly quite good, with allusions to literary predecessors like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and layers of complicity in nearly a century’s-worth of conspiracies. The overall concept is interesting and the narrative flows well, and many of the characters are engaging.
October 5th, 2015. Jana Nyman´s rating: 3.5 | Lindsay Francis Brambles | Horror, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray by Frank Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham
Imagine your favorite pulp art from the covers and illustrations of adventure and fantasy stories. Now imagine this same style updated so that the artwork is consistent with a hint of contemporary polish plus wonderful, eye-grabbing color. Finally, imagine a comic book that tells an entire story with this artwork so that instead of the illustrations accompanying the text, the text accompanies the art. At that point, you will have imagined the first volume of Frank Barbiere’s Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray,
October 3rd, 2015. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
COMMENT Was I hinting that? I wasn't aware of it. But now that you mention it.... 🤔
So it sounds like you're hinting Fox may have had three or so different incomplete stories that he stitched together,…
It's hardly a private conversation, Becky. You're welcome to add your 2 cents anytime!
If the state of the arts puzzles you, and you wonder why so many novels are "retellings" and formulaic rework,…
I picked my copy up last week and I can't wait to finish my current book and get started! I…