2020’s Stormsong, in THE KINGSTON CYCLE is the long-awaited sequel to C.L. Polk’s wonderful Witchmark. This review may contain spoilers for Witchmark.
Witchmark followed Miles, a doctor and former prisoner of war, and a member of his world’s faerie race, the Amaranthine, as they solved a murder, uncovered a plot to assassinate Aeland’s queen, and revealed the murderous corruption that lay at the root of Aeland’s magical progress.
March 19th, 2020. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | C.L. Polk | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
The Language of Thorns (2017) is a collection of six stories and novelettes by Leigh Bardugo, dark and lyrical folk tales set in her GRISHA universe, in the Russian-inspired country of Ravka and other nearby countries. These are stand-alone stories, unrelated to the specific characters and events in the GRISHA novels. This tales might be told on a dark night by a villager living in Ravka.
Bardugo’s stories,
March 19th, 2020. Tadiana Jones and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5, 5 | Leigh Bardugo | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
I hope you are all safe, healthy, and, if you live in the USA, you have toilet paper.
This is the CDC’s COVID-19 site. Much of the information is general, but it’s all in one place.
Books and Writing:
The Minecraft virtual “loophole” library holds works by banned and murdered journalists. An inspiring story.
LitHub shares indie booksellers’ recommendations.
Publishers Weekly takes a look at the state of diversity in the conventionally-published romance field,
March 18th, 2020. Marion Deeds | Giveaway!, SFF Reviews, World Wide Wednesday | 6 comments |
The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman
The Secret Chapter (2019) is the sixth book in Genevieve Cogman’s THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY series. Librarian Irene and her former apprentice Kai, who is a dragon prince, hop between realities, trying to maintain a balance between order (personified by the dragons) and chaos (exemplified by the Fae). “Maintaining a balance” often involves the judicious theft of books from different realities. In this outing, Irene must barter for a book in order to save a world she spent her childhood in,
March 18th, 2020. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Genevieve Cogman | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
The penultimate book in Sarah J. Maas‘s THRONE OF GLASS series goes on an unexpected detour: instead of following Aelin Galathynius (the protagonist of the previous five books and a collection of novellas), Tower of Dawn (2017) focuses on supporting players Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq, who have travelled to the southern continent and the city of Antica to try and enlist its armies to assist them in the coming war.
At this stage,
March 18th, 2020. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Sarah J. Maas | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Children of Time (2015), the first book in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s CHILDREN OF TIME series, is an expansive and visionary epic that speculates about the future of humanity.
In the first chapter, we meet a scientist who has managed to extend her life so that she can create her own world. Her plan is to drop monkeys on a terraformed planet, let loose a virus that will uplift them, wait until they evolve, and then introduce herself as their god.
March 17th, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Adrian Tchaikovsky | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
This is the third of four planned books in Libba Bray‘s THE DIVINERS series, set in New York in the 1920s, in which speakeasies, jazz and the Prohibition ruled the streets. The titular Diviners are a group of people from all walks of life that have one thing in common: preternatural gifts.
Evie is a radio personality that can glean psychic visions from handling certain objects. Memphis Campbell is a black poet and healer. Theta is a Zeigfeld girl who can start fires.
March 17th, 2020. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5 | Libba Bray | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Night of Cake & Puppets by Laini Taylor
For years Laini Taylor’s been a favorite here at FanLit, and now I know why. I picked up Night of Cake & Puppets, a stand-alone novella set in Taylor’s DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE world, because it was short and available on audio at exactly the length I needed for a recent car trip: two hours and forty-five minutes. Perfect. That’s not all that was perfect about Night of Cake & Puppets.
March 16th, 2020. Kat Hooper and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5 | Laini Taylor | Audio, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Bill: This week I read Val Hall: The Even Years by Alma Alexander, The Book of Samson by David Maine, Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renki and Big History by Paul Singh.
Marion: I read Genevieve Cogman’s sixth INVISIBLE LIBRARY novel, The Secret Chapter, which is, to some extent, a heist novel. I liked it. I am finishing up T.
March 15th, 2020. Tim Scheidler | Status Update | 1 comment |
Terminal Uprising by Jim C. Hines
Terminal Uprising (2019) is the second novel in Jim C. Hines’ JANITORS OF THE POST-APOCALYPSE series. It follows Terminal Alliance, which should be read first. There you’ll meet “Mops” Adamopoulos, the boss of a human janitorial crew that works for the Krakau aliens. These friendly aliens saved humanity by genetically engineering thousands of humans after the Earth was ravaged by a virus that turned everyone into zombies.
It’s been a few months since Mops and her crew found themselves accidentally in charge of the spaceship Pufferfish.
March 13th, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Jim C. Hines | Audio | SFF Reviews | no 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…