Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Greg Hersom

This Crooked Way: A clever, witty, darkly whimsical series

This Crooked Way by James Enge

Already an exile, Morlock Ambrosius is now also officially an outlaw in This Crooked Way. Winter finds him wandering when his horse, Velox, is stolen. Previous adventures have earned Morlock’s loyalty to the mystical steed and it’s apparent that the horse theft is a tactic to lure Morlock into a series of traps orchestrated by an enemy from his past. So into the dangerous pass called the Kirack Kund — dwarvish for “The River of Skulls” — The Crooked Man goes.

September 21st, 2010. Greg Hersom and Rob Rhodes´s rating: 4.5 | James Enge | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Fell Cargo: Take to the high seas with this motley crew!

Fell Cargo by Dan Abnett

Captian Luka Silvero and his bloody Reivers are the most despicable, cut-throat, greedy sea-wolves of the Old World and they’re just the right stuff to rid the seas of something even more evil: the cursed Butcher Ship. Of course it takes the right incentive of a hefty reward and, for Luka, it’s either sink the Butcher Ship or face his just reward at the end of noose. After all, a buccaneer does have his reputation to think of. Plus there is always the unbreakable pirate code…

I don’t know what it is about pirates,

Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword & Sorcery

Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword & Sorcery edited by Jonathan Strahan & Lou Anders

Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword & Sorcery is a book I’ve been eagerly anticipating ever since it was first announced in 2009. I was particularly excited about the anthology’s impressive list of contributors which includes several authors I enjoy reading like Glen Cook, Greg Keyes, Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Garth Nix, Tim Lebbon, Caitlin R.

June 15th, 2010. Robert Thompson, Stefan Raets and Greg Hersom´s rating: 4.5 | Bill Willingham, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Garth Nix, Gene Wolfe, Glen Cook, Greg Keyes, James Enge, Joe Abercrombie, Jonathan Strahan, K.J. Parker, Lou Anders, Michael Moorcock, Michael Shea, Robert Silverberg, Scott Lynch, Steven Erikson, Tanith Lee, Tim Lebbon | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 20 comments |

Fugitive Prince: Another excellent installment in one of the best fantasy series

Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts

Fugitive Prince is the fourth novel in THE WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW by Janny Wurts, but because of the series’ unique structure, it’s actually the start of a brand new “arc” inside the overall story: book 1 comprises the first arc, books 2 and 3 together are the second arc, and the third arc consists of books 4 through 8 (the first of which is Fugitive Prince). Looking forward, the forthcoming 9th novel,

June 10th, 2010. Stefan Raets and Greg Hersom´s rating: 4.5, 5 | Janny Wurts | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane: Check yourself for wounds

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard

Dressed in black with the tall slouch-hat typical of Puritan fashion, and armed with sword, flint-locks, and, later, an ancient carved staff, Solomon Kane stalks the 16th century world from the remote reaches of Europe to the bloody decks of the high seas, and into the deepest, darkest African jungles. Whether it be a witch-cursed monstrosity, hell-spawned vampire, mutant throwback, or just a wicked wretch of humankind, Solomon Kane will fight with equal determination and enthusiasm to see good triumph.

Robert E.

May 28th, 2010. Greg Hersom´s rating: 5 | Robert E. Howard | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Monument: It took guts to write this story

Monument by Ian Graham

When Ballas is nearly beaten to death, kind strangers give him life-saving medical attention. He repays their charity by robbing them. But there’s more to the stolen artifact then just priceless gemstones. It holds ancient secrets the ruling religious leaders will stop at nothing to keep hidden. Ballas quickly becomes the most hated and feared man in the empire. He is hunted with a brutal relentlessness that equals only that of Ballas himself. His only chance for survival is escape to a mythical land on the far side of an impassable mountain range — the only place beyond the power of the Church of the Four Pilgrims.

Rise of Empire: Straight-up action/adventure done fantasy style

Editor’s note: Rise of Empire was originally published as Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm.

Rise of Empire by Michael Sullivan

Nyphron Rising: Now that the Imperialists have a puppet for their throne, the war for conquest has begun. Knowing that Melengar cannot stand against the Imperialists’ might, Princess Arista employs Royce and Hadrian to escort her on a self-imposed mission. While working for the princess, Royce has his own agenda: to secretly investigate Hadrian’s past to determine if what the wizard Esrahaddon has told him about his friend is true.

May 21st, 2010. Greg Hersom and John Hulet | Michael J. Sullivan | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |

Shadowfall: Has its problems, but an engrossing read

Shadowfall by James Clemens

Shadowfall is the start of yet another fantasy series and much of it will sound familiar to fans of the genre. There is a military order of skilled knights with a secret sect, a pantheon of gods, not one but two special swords (not to mention a special dagger), lots of folks with hidden origins, a small band fighting against overwhelming odds, and a quest to undertake to save the world.

Despite the oh-so-familiar trappings, however, and despite some flaws of execution,

May 15th, 2010. Bill Capossere and Greg Hersom´s rating: 4 | James Clemens | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Watcher of the Dead: Worth the wait

Watcher of the Dead by J.V. Jones

Watcher of the Dead has a momentum that’s like watching black clouds grow in mass for a storm you just know will be enormous.

In a world fraught with clan wars and military invasions, the individual power struggles grow even more desperate as the ancient evil called the Endlords opens a breach into existence. Sadaluk No Ears, the Listener for the Ice Trapper people, may never return from a dangerous trek into the frozen wastes. Raif Sevrance, now possessing the sword called Loss,

April 7th, 2010. Greg Hersom´s rating: 5 | J.V. Jones | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |

By the Mountain Bound: Greg loves it. Stefan doesn’t.

By the Mountain Bound by Elizabeth Bear

The Einherjar and the Waelcyrge are the immortal Children of the Light that were born of the sea when the world was created. For five hundred years, they were charged with protecting the human race and preparing for the war that would one day come. As they anticipated the glory of fighting with honor, it never occurred to them that the final battle would be with each other.

This series, the EDDA OF BURDENS, seems to have gotten somewhat mixed reviews.

March 12th, 2010. Greg Hersom and Stefan Raets´s rating: 2, 5 | Elizabeth Bear | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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