Author: Guest

Sorcery and the Single Girl: Great chicklit!

Sorcery and the Single Girl by Mindy Klasky

It’s been almost a year, but Jane Madison still hasn’t mastered this whole “witchcraft” thing. True, she managed to turn the Potomac River into ice, and can make small whirlpools in the sink…but those things aren’t really helpful in real life…right?

Things are looking up for Jane’s love life, however, after a handsome Brit randomly walks into Melissa’s bakery asking for a plateful of Lust. Floating on her prospects of a new beau, Jane’s euphoria is short lived when David, her warder,

December 19th, 2009. Guest | Mindy Klasky | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Laurentine Spy: Deserves more than 5 stars

The Laurentine Spy by Emily Gee

Saliel is in over her head. Masquerading as a noble lady in the fortress of Laureant’s greatest enemy, she sneaks into the old disused catacombs every other night to meet One, Two, and the Guardian, other Laurentine spies whose true identities she doesn’t know.

After foiling an enemy plan to take over another fought-over land, Saliel learns that the Prince and his consort know there are spies in the fortress and have hired a notorious and feared spycatcher. Saliel and the other spies still have work to do however,

Well of Darkness: Should have left it in the bargain bin

Well of Darkness by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

I bought Well of Darkness in hardcover years ago in the bargain bin. I should have left it there. I have tried starting it three or four times, and I, for the life of me, cannot get past the second chapter. It is totally boring and un-engaging, and I instantly disliked the characters I was reading about. Therefore, I really can’t say much more about the book. I rarely get so turned off so early in a book, and Weis and Hickman have written some pretty entertaining stuff (Dragonlance),

December 19th, 2009. Guest´s rating: 0.1 | Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

Mirrorscape: Flat characters ruin a great idea

Mirrorscape by Mike Wilks

Mel is living his dream. He’s been plucked from his meager existence in his sleepy town and has been brought to the big city to study as an apprentice under a great Master painter. Once there however, Mel finds that life in the big city is not exactly what he pictured.

The head apprentice Groot has it out for him because he knows how much more talented Mel is, and Groot’s big-shot uncle also has Mel on his short list and will go to any lengths to fatten his own pockets and squash Mel like a bug.

How Not to Make a Wish: Good, but not as good as Jane Madison

How Not to Make a Wish by Mindy Klasky

A year after the fact, Kira Franklin is still recovering from a breakup. Thirty pounds heavier, practically jobless and in need of a miracle, she unexpectedly gets one in the shape of a genie. That’s right, a real rub-the-lamp genie named Teel. Kira’s troubles are over!

Or so she thinks. As it turns out, her wishes make her life anything but easier. She wishes for a new job that turns out to be a huge fiasco, and after she wishes away her extra thirty pounds,

November 4th, 2009. Guest´s rating: 3.5 | Mindy Klasky | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Candle Man: Plot’s too complex for the simple writing style

Candle Man by Glenn Dakin

Theo has spent all of his life inside and away from people. His guardian Dr. Saint has always told him that he has a deadly disease that prevents him from being involved in modern society. So it’s a treat for Theo when, as a birthday outing, Dr. Saint allows him to take a stroll in the cemetery near the house. Imagine his surprise when he happens to find a gift with his name on it randomly sitting on one of the headstones.

Aside from the strange gift,

On Becoming a Fangirl! by Heather LH.

Next week, on November 3rd, we’ll be sharing an interview with Ann Aguirre. Today, we welcome Heather LH of “Book Obsessed”. All commenters to Heather’s guest post will be eligible for a copy of Ann Aguirre’s Doubleblind. But hurry, this contest is only good today!

Heather: I read a Meme the other day that was entitled something like ‘My Life Thru the Books I Have Read” and it got me thinking about how people come to be readers of a particular genre or sub-genres.

October 27th, 2009. Guest | Giveaway! | 44 comments |

Janny Wurts’ works return to American bookshelves

Janny Wurts has become a favorite of several of the reviewers here at Fantasy Literature, and much to our delight, her epic series, THE WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW (“TWoLaS”) is back in print this year in America and Canada! With its return to North America, one of the most important fantasy series currently underway is once again available to readers of epic high fantasy the world over.

One of the great strengths of Wurts’ writing is that it is not mere escapism. Fantasy Literature reviewer Stefan Raets notes that “rather than the standard cotton-candy fantasy tomes you find nowadays,

October 14th, 2009. Guest | Janny Wurts | Author Interviews | no comments |

Pastworld: Great ideas, shallow characters

Pastworld by Ian Beck

Pastworld is a theme park that is run by the Buckland Corporation. It is a complete authentic reproduction of 17th century London. Everything is authentic: the dress, the lack of electricity, even the 17th century laws. Everyone who visits Pastworld has to be authentic as well, right down to the luggage they carry and the toiletries they use.

But despite the fact that Pastworld has a few electronic security measures, crime runs rampant within the park. Underground “unofficials” beg and steal from the “gawkers” or visitors to the park,

Sphinx’s Princess: Ancient Egypt comes to life

Sphinx’s Princess by Esther Friesner

Nefertiti has had a wonderful childhood, living with her adoring father, stepmother, and half sister. She is the beauty of her small country town on the Nile River, and has the gift of dance as well as a desire to learn to do something almost no women can do — write and read.

But Nefertiti’s life takes a sharp curve when her aunt, the great Pharaoh’s wife, decides that she is beautiful enough to wed to her son Thutmose, the crown prince of Egypt. Before she knows it,

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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