The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett
Note: Terry Pratchett’s The Last Hero works without the illustrations, but you don’t want to miss out on Paul Kidby‘s fabulous Discworld art.
The Last Hero follows the trail of several popular Discworld characters and this is the closest you’ll get to a world-spanning crossover. There’s no real villain in the story — simply lots of good guys working on opposite ends.
As typical of a Discworld novel,
August 24th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Terry Pratchett | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams
John Joseph Adams assembles a wide variety of apocalypse-related fiction in Wastelands. some of which are older than I am, while others are more recent. What you end up with is a diverse anthology covering topics such as religion, war, and exploration while containing horror, comedy, and a sense of wonder.
The majority of the stories are easy to get into. Some stories are more subtle than others. Overall, Wastelands is an enjoyable read and the selection seems balanced.
August 22nd, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3.5 | Cory Doctorow, Elizabeth Bear, Gene Wolfe, George R.R. Martin, Jonathan Lethem, Orson Scott Card, Paolo Bacigalupi, Richard Kadrey, Stephen King, Tobias Buckell | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Drowned Life by Jeffrey Ford
Jeffrey Ford‘s The Drowned Life is as engrossing as his previous short story collections, immediately ensnaring the reader with his detailed prose and characterization. One noticeable trend is that while Ford dabbles in clear-cut fantasy with stories such as “The Manticore Spell” or “The Dismantled Invention of Fate,” much of his work deals more with the mundane sprinkled with just the right amounts of magic and the surreal. The titular piece for example, “The Drowned Life,” seems like the narrative of the common Joe,
August 18th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 5 | Jeffrey Ford | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen
The first thing that comes to mind when I read Here, There Be Dragons is that it’s dual-layered. On one hand, it’s your typical young adult fantasy where the protagonists enter another realm and end up saving it (although James A. Owens breaks convention by having a much older demographic as its heroes). On the other hand, more knowledgeable readers will catch various literary and mythical allusions that the author sprinkled into the story.
This is very much a young adult book,
August 4th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | James A. Owen | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The New World by Michael A. Stackpole
Retaining the suspense and excitement of the previous book, The New World brings to a close the epic The Age of Discovery series. Michael A. Stackpole’s characterization and sense of timing remain his strengths, as well as his ability to deliver the unexpected to readers.
The New World features lots of action and combat scenes, as well as the usual elements of epic fantasy including honor, betrayal, and a climactic battle. The novel kept me on the edge of my seat,
July 11th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Michael A. Stackpole | SFF Reviews | no comments |
While a relatively short anthology, what Mythic lacks in quantity is more than made up for with the quality of its selections. Each poem and story stands out as well as fitting the “mythic” tone the book is attempting to capture. Right from the very start, I was already enamored by the opening poem, “Syllables of Old Lore” by Vandana Singh and Mike Allen keeps the interest, flow, and beat consistent throughout the volume.
There are some editorial choices I’d like to highlight.
July 11th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Catherynne M. Valente, Theodora Goss | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
First off, I’d like to clarify one thing. I don’t really consider myself a Forgotten Realms reader (never mind my various Drizz’t books or the Shadows of the Spider Queen novels) so I don’t have a Master’s degree in the setting. Having said that, Shadowbred was an interesting read and starts out with a prologue that hooked me.
As for the rest of Shadowbred, Paul S. Kemp manages to juggle multiple points of view from both heroes and villains.
June 12th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Paul S. Kemp | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Promise of the Witch-King by R.A. Salvatore
Promise of the Witch-King is the second book in R.A. Salvatore’s Sellswords series, a spin-off/repackaging of his famous Drizz’t series. While the title may sound like a rip-off from Tolkien (and indeed, Dungeons & Dragons does name Lord of the Rings as one of its influences), Salvatore is actually paying homage to Fritz Leiber.
The novel follows the anti-hero adventures of Artemis Entreri, a mellowed-down assassin, and the dark elf Jarlaxle,
June 12th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 2 | R.A. Salvatore | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer
Shriek: An Afterword is Jeff VanderMeer’s second novel set in his AMBERGRIS cosmology. There are a lot of elements with regards to the book that I want to talk about, so please bear with me.
The first is that this is a sequel, yet it’s not. I won’t talk about City of Saints and Madmen here, but suffice it to say, Shriek: An Afterword builds on the material presented in that novel.
June 12th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 4 | Jeff VanderMeer | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I’ve been seeing Sarah Monette’s name for a while but, for the most part, this collection of short stories was a blind purchase. The Bone Key deals with the exploits of Kyle Murchison Booth which are homages to M.R. James and H.P. Lovecraft. Now I’m not familiar with the former but I can attest that Monette captures the mood of the latter with this book. Even the protagonist himself is similar to Lovecraft’s “heroes” although Monette improves upon the concept and provides us at the very least with an interesting character instead of simply delivering a verbose narrator who can’t hold a decent conversation.
May 31st, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Sarah Monette | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Oh...and the men used the name "The Great Northern Expedition" to throw people off as to their actual destination, even…
Oh, it IS, Marion! It is!
Sorry if I mislead you in this detail, Paul...the voyage by ship was only the first leg of the quintet's…
The geography is confusing me--how does one get to a village in Tibet by ship? And even the northernmost part…
Oh, this sounds interesting!