Wrath of the Bloodeye by Joseph Delaney
Wrath of the Bloodeye is the fifth book in Joseph Delaney’s very popular LAST APPRENTICE (or WARDSTONE CHRONICLES) series for middle graders. This book has also been released in other countries, such as those in the UK, under the title The Spook’s Mistake.
Tom has been John Gregory’s apprentice for a couple of years now. In the last book, Attack of the Fiend,
March 21st, 2016. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Joseph Delaney | Audio, Children, Horror | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Blood Music (1985) by Greg Bear is a novel that, in its day, was well lauded, but has since had its profile reduced by books which have taken its central premise further. One of, if not the first, major novel to utilize the idea of nanotechnology, the wave of related sci-fi digging deeper into the potential for nanotech that has followed has perhaps drowned out the book, leaving it to be found by those looking back into the history of the genre.
March 21st, 2016. Jesse Hudson | Greg Bear | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Welcome to another Expanded Universe column where I feature essays from authors and editors of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, as well as from established readers and reviewers. My guest today is Sarah Hollowell. Sarah is definitely not several raccoons in a trenchcoat. Her poetry (not about raccoons) has been in Apex Magazine and her essays (also not about raccoons) have been featured on The Butter and The Gloss. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahhollowell.
Hey, it’s my friend Chester the Corgi!
March 19th, 2016. Kate Lechler | Expanded Universe, Giveaway! | 27 comments |
Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
Note: if you’ve never stumbled your way into a Spiderman/Spider-Man movie, or even past the poster, there will be spoilers in this review. If you’re somewhat familiar with the Spider-Man story and/or the Marvel universe (particularly in New York) then nothing in here should surprise you.
Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1 covers a huge amount of Spidey: from his humble beginnings as a simple high-school student in New York through a seemingly never-ending parade of villains.
March 19th, 2016. Skye Walker´s rating: 2 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George
In 1897, seventeen year old, Louisa (Lou) and Dacia, cousins, close friends, and high society debutantes, are excitedly traveling from New York City to Bucharest, Romania for an extended stay with their Florescu family relatives, on their mothers’ sides. Dacia is traveling with her mother’s sister, Aunt Kate, while Lou is traveling along a separate route to Romania with both of her parents.
But their eagerly anticipated trip starts to go wrong. Dacia made the mistake of flirting too much with a young man in London,
March 18th, 2016. Tadiana Jones´s rating: 3.5 | Jessica Day George | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Ringworld Throne by Larry Niven
Larry Niven has great ideas but, in my opinion, he’s weak with characters and plot. The Ringworld, a huge artificial ring that surrounds a star, is Niven’s greatest creation and accounts for the success of his most famous novel, Ringworld, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1970. As I explained in my review, it’s the Ringworld itself that’s exciting, not the actual events that happen upon it.
The sequel,
March 18th, 2016. Kat Hooper´s rating: 0.1 | Larry Niven | Audio | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |
All the Lives He Led by Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl sold his first work in 1937; seventy-four years later, a new novel hit the selves. I don’t think many authors can boast such a long career. I’ve read several of Pohl’s novels as well as Platinum Pohl, a best of collection of short fiction, and I very much like the often slightly satiric nature of his work. The second half of the 1970s are usually considered the best period in his writing career,
March 18th, 2016. Rob Weber | Frederik Pohl | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
Stephen King’s latest, The Wind Through the Keyhole, is a DARK TOWER novel. The cover assures readers that they can read this novel even if they have not read the rest of the series, which is probably true, but the already converted will be interested to know that The Wind Through the Keyhole is something like the 4.5th book in the series. While King may not (cannot?) offer any revelations here that will significantly alter the course of the series,
March 18th, 2016. Ryan Skardal, Tim Scheidler and Jana Nyman | Stephen King | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Happy Lá Fhéile Pádraig!
I’ve only got a wee bit of Irish in me, but every year I like to celebrate Irish history and culture on St. Patrick’s Day.
Mainly that includes food and drink. At this very moment there’s a pot of corned beef and cabbage simmering on my stove and the Guinness is chilling in the fridge.
But I also enjoy celebrating their literature and lore. After dinner I may settle down with some Irish-inspired text — perhaps a story set in their beautiful land, perhaps a tale inspired by their legends and myths,
March 17th, 2016. Kat Hooper | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 8 comments |
Golden Reflections (Mask of the Sun & stories) edited by Joan Spicci Saberhagen & Robert E. Vardeman
Golden Reflections is an anthology of stories based on Fred Saberhagen’s Mask of the Sun, the premise of which is the existence of certain goggles that allow the wearer to see events in the future. But it only works sometimes, and it’s unclear what it chooses to show the wearer and why. Golden Reflections includes Saberhagen’s original Mask of the Sun while bringing together several well-known sci-fi/alternate history writers who build on his original concept and its world.
March 17th, 2016. Jason Golomb´s rating: 4 | Daniel Abraham, David Weber, Fred Saberhagen, Harry Turtledove, Jane Lindskold, Walter Jon Williams | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
We’re in total agreement David!
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.