Shadowed Souls edited by Jim Butcher & Kerrie L. Hughes
Shadowed Souls is an invitational anthology edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes. Butcher is the author of three fantasy series: THE DRESDEN FILES, THE CODEX ALERA, and THE CINDER SPIRES. Hughes is an established short fiction writer who has edited several anthologies including Chicks Kick Butt, Westward Weird, and Maiden Matron Crone.
The theme of Shadowed Souls is,
January 5th, 2017. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Anton Strout, Jim Butcher, Jim C. Hines, Kat Richardson, Kevin J. Anderson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Lucy A. Snyder, Rob Thurman, Seanan McGuire, Tanya Huff | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
In the Nigerian town of Rosewater, Kaaro, the main character of Tade Thompson’s Rosewater (2016), works for Section 45, a sinister government agency. Rosewater is built next to an alien dome, Utopicity, and the arrival of the aliens ten years earlier seems to have unleashed a host of unusual occurrences and abilities within the human population of Rosewater.
Kaaro is one of these people — for his job at Section 45, he prevents crime, can read the minds of prisoners,
January 4th, 2017. Kate Lechler and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4.5 | Tade Thompson | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Blood of Innocents & A Shattered Empire by Mitchell Hogan
Since I read the last two books, Blood of Innocents and A Shattered Empire, in Mitchell Hogan’s SORCERY ASCENDANT series one upon the other, I’m just going to review them together. There may be minor spoilers for book two (you’ll know which characters survive for instance), but I’ll avoid major spoilers. The takeaway is that the series disappoints in its conclusion, making it one I can’t recommend starting,
January 4th, 2017. Bill Capossere´s rating: 1.5 | Mitchell Hogan | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier
As a rule, I love Juliet Marillier’s work, but I’ve tried several times to read The Dark Mirror and have never managed to get very far.
Marillier’s prose is as beautiful as ever, but the story doesn’t hook me. It just feels like such a slow beginning, and the protagonist Bridei is very young and nobody tells him anything. Events occur, but we often don’t see them; a secondary character will exit stage left, come back having obviously had a perilous adventure,
January 3rd, 2017. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 0.1 | Juliet Marillier | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan & Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is a companion for readers of Robert Jordan’s THE WHEEL OF TIME novels. Although I enjoyed the ~14 (15, if New Spring is included or fewer if the final three novels are counted as one, the way Jordan intended) WOT novels, I don’t recommend this companion. Here’s why.
The book is written from the point of view of fictional historians from within Randland,
January 3rd, 2017. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 2 | Robert Jordan | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
I am not, historically, a fan of zombie narratives — neither in books nor in movies. The allegories are too obvious: consumerism, racism, opposing political party members, generalized xenophobia, etc. There’s hardly ever a satisfying answer as to why any of this is happening. Characters rarely do anything more interesting than board up windows, shriek at each other, get chewed on, and then do a little chewing of their own before dying gruesomely. Imagine my grateful surprise, then, when I opened up a copy of Mira Grant’s Feedback (2016),
January 3rd, 2017. Jana Nyman and Kate Lechler´s rating: 4.5 | Mira Grant | Horror | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
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.
“Das Steingeschöpf” by G.V. Anderson (Dec. 2016, free at Strange Horizons)
“Das Steingeschöpf,” or the “Stone Creation (or Creature),” is set in Europe in 1928, where the aftermath of WWI mingles with foreshadowings of the Holocaust. A young German, Herr Hertzel, tells of his trip from Berlin to Bavaria, on his first assignment as a journeyman to repair a living,
January 2nd, 2017. Tadiana Jones and Skye Walker | Alix E. Harrow, Peter S. Beagle | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
A Crucible of Souls by Mitchell Hogan
A Crucible of Souls by Mitchell Hogan is the first book of a trilogy that runs over pretty familiar ground in the coming-of-age fantasy genre and rarely rises above average in its telling, but has a likable enough main character and an intriguing enough plot to keep the reader satisfied.
Caldan is a young orphan raised by monks in a relatively secluded monastery that typically educates the wealthy children of the empire. When an incident occurs between one of those wealthy entitled youth and Caldan,
January 2nd, 2017. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Mitchell Hogan | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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…
I've thought about picking that one up. The artwork looks perfect.