So Bright The Vision by Clifford D. Simak
I have been on something of a kick this past year as regards Clifford D. Simak and his shorter fiction of the 1950s. All the Traps of Earth (1962), The Worlds of Clifford Simak (1961) and Other Worlds of Clifford Simak (1962) had all proved to be truly wonderful – or perhaps I should say “wonder-filled” – collections,
June 20th, 2024. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4.5 | Clifford D. Simak | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
In my first post about Lost, I casually referred to Jacob and his unnamed twin, two characters who appear in Seasons 5 and 6, as “demigods.” After I wrote that, I had some doubts. The traditional definition of “demigods” is the offspring of a deity and a mortal. (Hmmm… so it doesn’t have to be a human, just a “mortal.” There could be demigod rabbits or demigod earthworms or… Oh! Demigod trees!)
But I digress.
There is no mention in the lore of Lost that Jacob and his brother have a divine parent.
June 19th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |
I chose Blake Crouch’s 2022 novel Upgrade out of curiosity because I’d never read anything of his. He is a popular author whose books are everywhere, and he writes thrillers, usually with a speculative-fiction flavor. I’d heard of him years ago when Fox TV made a show based on his WAYWARD trilogy, and the one or two episodes I saw (Season 1) had a nifty, paranoid, who-can-you-trust vibe. Upgrade shares that vibe.
My plot synopsis may contain mild spoilers.
June 18th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Blake Crouch | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
I’ll admit I got Wexler’s 2024 fantasy novel, first in the DARK LORD DAVI series, mostly because of the title, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying. I couldn’t help noticing that blurbs and reviews both take delight in describing this book as funny and raunchy. I don’t see “raunchy” as a description that much anymore—in this case it is accurate. Davi, our first-person narrator,
June 17th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Django Wexler | SFF Reviews | no comments |
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Perhaps you would have to be a baby boomer to fully understand just how big a deal The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was back in the mid to late 1960s. Riding the crest of the spy-wave mania created by the seismic shock that were the James Bond films starting in 1962, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. debuted on NBC TV in September 1964 and ran for four seasons; well, actually, 3 ½, that final season having the plug pulled on it after just 16 episodes.
June 14th, 2024. Sandy Ferber | J. Hunter Holly | SFF Reviews | 17 comments |
Tachyon Publications celebrates the 30-year anniversary of Patricia McKillip’s The Book of Atrix Wolfe with a beautiful new edition. McKillip, who passed away in May, 2022, wrote seductive fantasies, filled with engaging characters and prose that sang. Beginning in the 1970s, McKillip filled our lives with magic, mystery and beauty.
We’re happy to reveal the beautiful cover of the new book, and host a giveaway. One commenter will have a choice of a hardcopy ARC or an eARC of The Book of Atrix Wolfe.
“When the White Wolf descends upon the battlefield,
June 12th, 2024. Marion Deeds | Giveaway!, World Wide Wednesday | 10 comments |
The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
The Brides of High Hill (2024) is the fifth installment in Nghi Vo’s SINGING HILLS series of novellas. I found it a solid enough of a story if a bit slight, though it’s possible that if, unlike me, you’ve read the others you might have a more positive response.
Cleric Chih is accompanying a young bride, Nhung, and her parents to the estate of Lord Guo, where Nhung is to be wed to her wealthy but far older husband-to-be.
June 10th, 2024. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Nghi Vo | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Damien Cavallo.
Damien Cavallo is a first-year student at Oxford College who is currently studying political science.
June 8th, 2024. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
It’s the first Thursday of the month. Time to report!
What’s the best book you read in May 2024 and why did you love it?
It doesn’t have to be a newly published book, or even SFF, or even fiction. We just want to share some great reading material.
Feel free to post a full review of the book here, or a link to the review on your blog, or just write a few sentences about why you thought it was awesome.
And don’t forget that we always have plenty more reading recommendations on our 5-Star SFF page.
June 6th, 2024. FanLit | Giveaway! | 17 comments |
Babel by R.F. Huang won the 2024 Xingyun Award for best work in translation. You might remember this book. It was disqualified from the Hugo awards earlier this year for no known reason.
The Bram Stoker Awards were also announced.
Romance Writers of America filed for bankruptcy on May 29. Reasons included a dwindling membership—apparently down from 10,000 members in 2019 to about 2,000 members in 2023–and equally dwindling paid registrations at conventions. The organization itself, according to a Bloomberg headline, blames “DEI,” (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) for its problems.
June 5th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | 2 comments |
Yes, that's why the comment from "b" is a repeat of the comment from my usual handle "Noneofyourbusiness" and talks…
Yep, that's you all right. Please send me the usual info and you choice of hardcopy or eARC, and I'll…
Aargh, somehow the first letter of my email address appeared instead of my usual Noneofyourbusiness handle here in that followup…
B, if you live in the USA, you win a copy of THE BOOK OF ATRIX WOLFE. Please contact me…
That's sweet! (I don't know how this turned up as a reply to Lady Morar's comment at first when I…