Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Stephen B. Frank

A chat with Carrie Vaughn

FanLit welcomes our regular guest Stephen Frank. He’s a big fan of Carrie Vaughn’s KITTY NORVILLE series and he had a chance to talk with her about the newest installment which was released today. Thanks, Stephen!

We are pleased to have with us today Carrie Vaughn, bestselling author as well as the ingenious creator of my personal favorite fictional radio show host: Kitty Norville. Her latest novel, Kitty Steals the Show is being released by Tor today. Comment below to win a copy.

Stephen Frank: Hi Carrie.

July 31st, 2012. Stephen B. Frank | Carrie Vaughn | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 11 comments |

Waking the Witch: Contrived setting, but enjoyable series

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong is a fine addition to the Women of the Otherworld series. It relays the adventures of Savannah Levine, whom we met as a precocious orphan in earlier novels and who is now a grown woman. The mystery is strong, compelling, and reasonably twisted; the plot is well paced and packed with action; and the characters and their stories are, as always, strong. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel.

What’s not to like?

August 19th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 3.5 | Kelley Armstrong | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Reckoning: Chloe Saunders is a great YA protagonist

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

While Kelley Armstrong is best known for her Women of the Otherworld series, which I have read and mostly enjoyed, I personally prefer her YA-geared Darkest Powers series. The Darkest Powers novels, which begin with The Summoning and The Awakening, detail the stories of Chloe Sanders, a girl raised in a wealthy yet non-magical home who, upon hitting puberty, discovers that she can see ghosts.

A misinterpreted incident at school leads to a diagnosis of mental illness and soon lands her in a halfway house for disturbed teens with serious psychological problems,

Shade: Enjoyable YA

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Everyone in the world who is Aura’s age or younger can see ghosts, while older people can’t see them. Aura dreads her “gift” (mostly) until her boyfriend, Logan, dies of a drug-alcohol overdose and returns to watch over her. Despite Logan’s lack of a physical body, their relationship deepens.

Meanwhile, Aura begins to fall for a living boy: Zachary. Zachary was born scant minutes before Aura, and whereas she was the first born with the ability to see ghosts, Zach is the last child born without that ability.

Dinner with Jaye Wells

I recently had the great pleasure of dining and talking with urban fantasy author Jaye Wells, whose Mage In Black hits shelves today. In fact, in our two-book giveaway, one lucky commenter on this interview will receive a free copy of Mage in Black while a second will receive a copy of Red-Headed Step Child. So, be sure to comment below.

Ms. Wells is one of my favorite new urban fantasy authors. Her books are driven by action and suspense and spiced with humor and remind me of the popular series by Jeaniene Frost and Karen Chance.

March 30th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank | Jaye Wells | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 40 comments |

Mage in Black: Better than the first Sabina novel

Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

Jaye Wells is getting better. Mage in Black is the sequel to Wells’ debut novel, Red-Headed Stepchild. In Red-Headed Stepchild, Sabina Kane foiled a plot by the head of the vampires (her own grandmother) and is now on the run from vampire assassins.

In Mage in Black, war is brewing between mages and vampires. Sabina, who was raised by vampires, is caught in the middle.

March 26th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 4 | Jaye Wells | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Bite Me: Christopher Moore is the king of crass

Bite Me by Christopher Moore

Tired of reading about sexy vampires having sword fights… or orgiastic love fests? What about tragically misunderstood yet sensitive and compassionate vampires? Much as MaryJanice Davidson is the godmother of vampire chick lit, Christopher Moore owns the market of the stoner-loser vampire. In Bite Me, the sequel to You Suck (which was in turn the sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends), Moore once again puts the fun in dysfunctional and demonstrates why he is the king of crass,

March 11th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 4.5 | Christopher Moore | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Unperfect Souls: Creative characters, setting, and plot

Unperfect Souls by Mark Del Franco

Unperfect Souls by Mark Del Franco stars Connor Grey, a druid who has lost his powers but still helps investigate the magical goings-on in the Boston neighborhood known as the Weird. In this fourth book of the Connor Grey series, the Dead who had visited earth in Unfallen Dead (book 3) are now stranded on earth. The Weird has become tainted — heightening the aggressive tendencies of its living and dead inhabitants — and Connor has attracted the attention of both faerie courts who are rushing to control him,

March 10th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 4 | Mark Del_Franco | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Vintage Soul: First of what should be a good series

Vintage Soul by David Niall Wilson

Vintage Soul by David Niall Wilson is a well-written short novel billed as the first in The DeChance Chronicles. Wilson is the winner of the Bram Stoker award for his horror stories, and it’s clear from the start that Vintage Soul was written by a master wordsmith. I particularly enjoyed reading the indulgent setting of the opening party scene in which a powerful vampire is kidnapped right in front of her guests. The vampires call upon mage and investigator DeChance,

March 10th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 3.5 | David Niall Wilson | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

THE HAVEN SERIES: Once Bitten & Twice Dead

Once Bitten & Twice Dead by Kalayna Price

One of the great joys of book blogging is the discovery of a new authorial talent. I recently had the distinct pleasure of reading two books — Once Bitten and Twice Dead — by new author Kalayna Price.

The protagonist of this excellent series, Kita, is a shapeshifter — a tiny tabby cat who hails from a world dominated by lions and tigers. Forbidden to marry the man she loves,

March 8th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 4 | Kalayna Price | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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