A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin
“Are there no true knights among you?”
Dunk, a hedge knight, is burying his former master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, in the soft spring ground. He has little, besides a sword and a horse. Though he is neither well trained nor especially well educated, Dunk is an unusually large man and he has a good heart. Looking at his former master, buried anonymously in a random hillside, Dunk decides to risk it all at the tourney in Ashford.
November 13th, 2015. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 4 | George R.R. Martin | Audio | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Editor’s note: This book, which is in the public domain, is available free in Kindle format.
Beatrice was first published in 1890, and was H. Rider Haggard‘s 10th novel, out of 58 titles. Unlike so many of his other books, Beatrice is one that features almost no action scenes whatsoever; no lost races, no adventure, no battles, no supernatural elements. (My editors here at FanLit are thus indulging me once again by allowing me to submit a review of a book by my favorite author,
November 13th, 2015. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4 | H. Rider Haggard | Free!, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher
Fans of Jim Butcher (including myself) were thrilled to see that he’s started a new series called THE CINDER SPIRES. This one is quite different than his previous works. THE DRESDEN FILES, for which Butcher is best known, is a modern-day urban fantasy with a first-person narrator and a hardboiled feel. THE CODEX ALERA is an epic fantasy with a typical medieval setting and plot.
THE CINDER SPIRES is set in a more imaginative world.
November 13th, 2015. Kat Hooper, Kevin Wei and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 3 | Jim Butcher | Audio | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Dragon Coast by Greg Van Eekhout
Daniel Blackland, the most powerful osteomancer in the Southern Kingdom, will go to any length to rescue his adopted son, Sam. Sam’s essence is inhabiting a huge dragon, a Pacific firedrake that is wreaking fiery devastation on huge swathes of Los Angeles. To extract Sam’s essence, Daniel needs an artifact, and he and his friend Moth will attempt a high-risk impersonation in the warlike Northern Kingdom next door.
Gabriel Argent is the Water Mage of the Southern Kingdom. He, along with his human “hound” Max,
November 12th, 2015. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Greg Van_Eekhout | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Minority Report and Other Stories by Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick is the classic case of a brilliant but struggling artist who only got full recognition after he passed away. Despite publishing an incredible 44 novels and 121 stories during his lifetime, it was not until the Ridley Scott film Blade Runner was released in 1982 that PKD gained more mainstream attention, and sadly he died before being able to see the final theatrical release.
A number of his short stories were adapted into feature-length films,
November 12th, 2015. Stuart Starosta and Jana Nyman´s rating: 4.5 | Philip K. Dick | Audio, Film / TV, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
November 11 is the day we remember and honor all of those who have served in our armed forces. Woodrow Wilson declared the first “Armistice Day” in 1919, to commemorate the end of the Great War. In 1947 President Eisenhower expanded the acknowledgement to all veterans. Thank you, former armed forces members, for your service. We may not always agree with the reasons our leaders give for deploying American troops, but we always acknowledge your courage and your sacrifice.
Awards
Locus reports David Mitchell’s novel The Bone Clocks won the World Fantasy Award,
November 11th, 2015. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | 3 comments |
Murder on the House by Juliet Blackwell
In Murder on the House, the third book in Juliet Blackwell’s HAUNTED HOME RENOVATION MYSTERIES, Melanie “Mel” Turner is starting to acquire a reputation as a successful general contractor and ghostbuster. Homeowners around San Francisco are asking for her special services and she’s got some new projects going on while she’s still finishing up some of the historic renovations we got to see in the first two books, If Walls Could Talk and Dead Bolt.
November 11th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Juliet Blackwell | Audio | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Cronos directed by Guillermo del Toro
Very recently, this viewer watched, for the first time, the 1958 Mexican film The Vampire’s Coffin, in which the Count Lavud – a bloodsucker very much in the traditional, uh, vein – returns to continue his nocturnal depredations. And just last night, for the first time also, I watched another Mexican film dealing with a man who has a decided thirst for blood, Guillermo del Toro’s first film as a director, 1993’s Cronos. This latter picture, however, coming 35 years after the other,
November 11th, 2015. Sandy Ferber | Film / TV | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
In 2013, Ann Leckie published Ancillary Justice, the first book in her RADCH EMPIRE series. The book swept the 2014 awards, garnering a Nebula, an Arthur C Clarke and a Hugo award for best novel. In 2014, Leckie followed it up with Ancillary Sword, and the final book of the trilogy, Ancillary Mercy, came out this October, and landed on the New York Times best-seller list. Leckie keeps a busy schedule with writing, book promotion, managing a family, and occasionally beading.
November 10th, 2015. Marion Deeds | Ann Leckie | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 18 comments |
The Book Of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
Because he has garnered no fewer than eight Hugo and Nebula Awards over the years, has been inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Hall of Fame, and has been, since 2005, anyway, an SFWA Grand Master, it might be difficult to credit the notion that Robert Silverberg might also be a writer of horror. And yet, there it is, the 55th book under discussion in Jones & Newman’s excellent overview volume Horror: Another 100 Best Books;
November 10th, 2015. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 5 | Robert Silverberg | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
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…
Gentlemen, I concur! (Forgive me for jumping into your convo)
The cover is amazing. I love how the graphic novel (and the review!) hewed close to the theme of "good…