Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Amanda Rutter (guest)

By Midnight: Dull and unimaginative

By Midnight by Mia James

April is deeply upset when her father takes a job at a small paper in London, and moves his wife and daughter from Edinburgh to do so. At first she is just miserable because she misses her friends and has to start a new school, Ravenwood, where many of the students are either stunningly beautiful or frighteningly clever. But then the deaths start, and April realises that she might be in danger as well. Suddenly there is no one she can trust — not even the beautiful and mysterious Gabriel,

July 28th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest)´s rating: 1.5 | Mia James | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

Why You Should Read… John Connolly

Today’s feature comes courtesy of Mihir Wanchoo, who reviews over at Fantasy Book Critic.

When I saw Amanda’s call going out for readers everywhere to write about their favourite authors and “why others should read them too” I was intrigued. When I thought about who I could write about, one name popped out in my head…. John Connolly. Its not as if John needs any help from me or any other blogger for that matter, his books are popular on both sides of the Atlantic as well with readers from both genres of mystery thrillers &

July 23rd, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest) | John Connolly | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

World Wide Wednesday: Worldbuilding and Wizards

Eeep, things have been up and down at FanLit the last week or so thanks to various server shenanigans. Hopefully it is getting back to normal now 11 and, as such, I bring you the top ten items brought to my attention over the last week. Enjoy!

1) Robert Rhodes is a winner!

Our very own Robert Rhodes (who writes our 25 Heroes in 2010 stories) came 2nd in Pyr’s essay writing competition to celebrate their five year anniversary! We are thrilled for him and have a link here to his winning entry: Why Fantasy and Science Fiction Matter.

July 21st, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest) | World Wide Wednesday | 11 comments |

Why You Should Read… Cherie Priest

Our second article in the ongoing feature Why You Should Read… is by Adam Christopher, published author and blogger. He can be found on Twitter as @ghostfinder. He has chosen to talk about Cherie Priest.

(Pic courtesy of Caitlin Kittredge)

As a writer, reading the work of others elicits one of two reactions. As John D. MacDonald once said, you read everything with grinding envy or a weary contempt.

Take Cherie Priest.

July 16th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest) | Cherie Priest | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |

Why You Should Read… David Gemmell

This is the first in a new weekly feature entitled ‘Why You Should Read…’ It will be a series of articles by bloggers, publicists, editors and authors focusing on various speculative fiction authors, and giving you reasons as to why you should be reading these authors NOW.

If you would like to contribute a feature, then please do get in touch with us.

First up, we have blogger Steve Aryan. He runs his own blog Steve’s Fantasy Book Reviews and is also the co-host of a comics and pop culture podcast (which includes a Book Club and Author Interview feature on a regular basis).

July 9th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest) | David Gemmell | SFF Reviews | 11 comments |

World Wide Wednesday: Masterworks and iPads

Okay, after our little break while we waited for our systems to catch up with our scintillating articles, here is another vibrant issue of World Wide Wednesday: your weekly trip through the joys of the Internet!

1) SFF Masterworks

First up, there is a little project in the works right now. You can find the SFF Masterworks Read blog here: an audacious project to read all of the SF and Fantasy masterworks as issued by Gollancz. The various members of the reading project will be familiar to you from other review blog sites,

July 7th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest) | World Wide Wednesday | 3 comments |

Wintercraft: Ordinary with occasional flashes of brilliance

Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw

In Shadowcry (Wintercraft in the UK where I live) we meet Kate Winters, a young girl who discovers that she has the power to see through the veil and command the souls of the dead. She and her friend, Edgar — who is more than he first appears to be — are taken to the city of Fume and caught up in a power struggle between the Skilled and the High Council, who wish to destroy them.

Wintercraft is a really mixed bag.

The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall

The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall by L.J. Smith

Elena Gilbert has returned from the Other Side, and has to relearn how to live amongst humans. She is helped by the love of her life — Stefan Salvatore, a vampire — and her three closest friends. However, evil forces are gathering around Fell’s Church, drawn by the beacon of a returned soul, and Stefan is snatched away from Elena when she needs him most. She has to turn to his dark brother, Damon, for help — never knowing for certain what motivates Damon or whether he has been possessed by the dark forces that want to steal Elena for themselves.

World Wide Wednesday: Kings and Football!

Well, the Internet has been ablaze with news and chatter this week! Lots of interesting tidbits to bring you, so let’s get started immediately if not sooner…

1) The Way of Kings

Just about every major book blog brought to you the extract of Brandon Sanderson‘s The Way of Kings from Tor.com. The Speculative Scotsman has a bit to say on the subject, and links through to virtually every pertinent piece of information. I am most definitely excited about this major fantasy release!

June 16th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest) | World Wide Wednesday | 3 comments |

Infinity: Tedious and confusing

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

I didn’t like Infinity. There were parts that I quite enjoyed, but the majority I found tedious and vaguely confusing.

By far the strongest part of the book is the character of Nick. His dialogue, both internal and towards other characters, is sarcastic and funny. He cares deeply about his mother. Like most teenage boys he wants to date girls, but doesn’t know where to start. He’s pretty realistic in the way he’s written, and I enjoyed the way Sherrilyn Kenyon represented him.

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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Recent Discussion:

David C Walton on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 5, 2025
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
Marion Deeds on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 5, 2025
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
Bill Capossere on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
We’re in total agreement David!
David C Walton on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Marion Deeds on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.