Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
Warning: Will contain spoilers for the previous book, Red Queen.
After escaping from Maven and Queen Elara’s clutches, Mare soon finds herself on a new mission for the rebel cause. While she quietly processes Maven’s betrayal, Mare must race against the clock to rescue other “newbloods” like herself and recruit them to the rebels’ side. All the while, Maven and his army are pursuing her, and they are willing to take down anyone who gets in their way.
March 17th, 2016. Karima Al-Absy´s rating: 3 | Victoria Aveyard | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
This Census Taker by China Miéville
This Census Taker is a short novel by China Miéville. It’s almost a novella. The story could be psychological horror, but it’s stranger than that. I just finished rereading some Gene Wolfe, so I may be forgiven for interpreting This Census Taker as “China Miéville does Gene Wolfe.” Even the front flap describes the book as a “poignant and riveting exploration of memory and identity.” Buckle up, people, and keep your head and arms inside the vehicle at all times.
March 17th, 2016. Marion Deeds and Ryan Skardal´s rating: 4 | China Mieville | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
This week’s word for Wednesday is digirati, a plural noun, and something which many of you are: people with expertise and/or professional involvement with information technology. This word came into use in the USA in the 1990s. Sadly, as much as I want it to, it does not rhyme with glitterati, which means glamorous or fashionable people usually in show business.
Books and Writing
Was Hercules the first superhero? Tor.com discusses the myth.
Also at Tor.com, a column about J.K. Rowling’s “North American History of Magic.” People are not happy with what they are seeing at Pottermore,
March 16th, 2016. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | 7 comments |
The Scrivener’s Bones by Brandon Sanderson
My 13 year old daughter Tali and I are enjoying reading Brandon Sanderson’s ALCATRAZ series together. We thought the first installment, Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, was clever and funny and I particularly liked how Sanderson had his first-person narrator (Alcatraz) explaining the literary techniques he’s using as he writes his autobiography. This was amusing as well as instructive.
The second book, The Scrivener’s Bones (the book formerly known as Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener’s Bones),
March 16th, 2016. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Brandon Sanderson | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Fantasy Literature is pleased to welcome Jordanna Max Brodsky, whose recently-published novel, The Immortals, brings the ancient Greek gods to modern-day Manhattan in a supremely entertaining way. She was kind enough to chat with Jana about the inspirations and challenges she faced in bringing disparate elements together into a cohesive whole, and we’ve got a copy of The Immortals to give away to one lucky commenter!
Jana Nyman: Many books which feature Greek gods and mythology are kid-friendly or YA-oriented,
March 15th, 2016. Jana Nyman | Jordanna Max Brodsky | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 11 comments |
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox
The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, Janet Fox’s middle-grade fantasy adventure has a smart, feisty girl hero; it has clockwork steampunk, the London Blitz, spies, sinister rooks who seem to be speaking, and magic. And lots of atmosphere!
Katherine Bateson, who goes by Kat, is the oldest of three children and her watchmaker father’s favorite. It is World War II, and America hasn’t entered the war yet. The Blitz has made London unsafe and many families are sending their children out of town.
March 15th, 2016. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Janet Fox | Children | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Version Control by Dexter Palmer
“Knowledge is a big subject. Ignorance is bigger… And it is more interesting.” ~Stuart Firestein
Dexter Palmer’s Version Control is my kind of science fiction. I loved every moment of this book. The story is set in the near future and focuses on Rebecca Wright and her small circle of family and friends. Rebecca, who drinks wine at breakfast and works from home as a customer service agent for an online matchmaking company called Lovability,
March 15th, 2016. Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Dexter Palmer | Audio, Edge, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 12 comments |
Here are some of the stories we read this week that we wanted you to know about, most of which are free to read online. This week we continue focusing on 2015 Nebula-nominated short fiction, along with some other stories that caught our attention.
“Everybody Loves Charles” by Bao Shu, trans. Ken Liu (2016, free at Clarkesworld magazine; Kindle magazine issue).
I listened to this novella in the car on the way to WriteFest in Houston,
March 14th, 2016. Kate Lechler, Tadiana Jones, Kat Hooper and Jana Nyman | R.A. Salvatore, Ray Bradbury, Sarah Pinsker | Nebula Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Winged Histories by Sofia Samatar
I was going to review Sofia Samatar’s book The Winged Histories, her companion novel to 2014’s A Stranger in Olondria, by simply saying, “This book is great, but don’t take my word for it; go read it.” Then I realized that not everyone will feel the way I feel about The Winged Histories. Instead of saying, “This book isn’t for everyone,” I’m going to aim this review at the people I do think it’s for.
March 14th, 2016. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Sofia Samatar | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The Devil You Know by K.J. Parker
Everything that K.J. Parker writes automatically goes on my TBR list. So when I picked up The Devil You Know, I figured I was in for a treat but I didn’t realize that the novella is a sequel to Blue and Gold, one of my favorite Parker stories. You don’t need to read Blue and Gold to enjoy The Devil You Know,
March 14th, 2016. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | K.J. Parker | Audio | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
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.
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,…