Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Guest

Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft: Give me more!

Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky

Jane Madison has always thought of herself as “plain Jane” and — let’s face it — her life does leave something to be desired. A low-paid, overworked librarian of an obscure resource library in Washington DC, Jane fills her days mooning after her “imaginary boyfriend” Jason Templeton, a professor at one of the local universities who does his independent research in her section of the library every week.

One day however, her boss calls her into her office to give her some bad news: the library’s funding is so bad that she is going to have to cut Jane’s pay…by 25%.

December 19th, 2007. Guest´s rating: 4 | Mindy Klasky | SFF Reviews | no comments |

A Distant Tomorrow: Mindlessly entertaining

A Distant Tomorrow by Bertrice Small

Five long and peaceful years have passed since the Winter War the people of the Outlands fought and won against the greedy nation of Hetar. But Gaius Prospero has not given up his scheme to become emperor, and after an unexpected and tragic blow, the Fairy woman Lara is pulled towards her distant and elusive destiny once again.

Unexpectedly Lara finds herself in a distant land across the sea know as Terah where, with her newfound powers, she manages to banish an evil curse and earns the love and adoration of the ruler Magnus Hauk.

December 19th, 2007. Guest´s rating: 2.5 | Bertrice Small | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Redemption of Althalus

The Redemption of Althalus by David & Leigh Eddings

The Redemption of Althalus was almost as bad as Domes of Fire. I read it because I thought that maybe David & Leigh Eddings got better. Unfortunately, it was more of the same. That’s the end of my review. Otherwise, I’ll just be repeating myself.

ANGUS BICKERTON practises law in a small town in Eastern Ontario. He lives with his wife, their two youngest children, and their black lab in a 160 year-old stone home,

Deadhouse Gates: What the heck is going on?

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

The only words that I can think of to sum up Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series are “Wow.” and “What the heck is going on here?!?” (I would have used stronger language, but this is a family website). Erikson appears to be doing something big and shiny, but I have not yet been quite able to grasp what it is. Maybe I am being dense, but this is the second of his books that I have read, and I have the pervasive feeling as I progress through this series that I am missing something important,

December 19th, 2007. Guest´s rating: 4 | Steven Erikson | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Book of Joby: Well-written debut

The Book of Joby by Mark Ferrari

Ostensibly inspired by the book of Job found in the Bible, The Book of Joby is actually a somewhat odd meld of Arthurian legend and fantasy set in modern times. Who knew that such a thing could exist! There are several characters who have been drawn from the Bible, namely God, Michael and Gabriel — both archangels — and, of course, the devil himself. Any biblical resemblance to characters and plot ideas in The Book Of Joby ends there.

Domes of Fire: Wasting my time

Domes of Fire by David Eddings

I could not bring myself to finish Domes of Fire. I stopped somewhere towards the end and thought “why am I wasting my time?” This book is another repeat of the Eddings “gather a group of characters and send them on a long journey” formula, and I just could not do it again.

I can’t give a synopsis, because I didn’t finish it, but I don’t really need to. The plot is the same as everything else that Eddings had written up to the time that this series was done.

December 15th, 2007. Guest´s rating: 0.1 | David Eddings | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Court of the Air: A lot to like

The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt

Stephen Hunt‘s The Court of the Air is a fantasy novel in the steampunk subgenre. The story is set in a gritty world where steam- and clockwork-powered devices are the height of technology and where an aerial navy of military balloons keeps the nation of Jackals safe from the dirty communist Quatréshiftians. Actually, the “Shifties” are not quite communist, per se; they seem based on the French revolutionaries, complete with a penchant for decapitating the ruling classes.

November 11th, 2007. Guest´s rating: 3 | Stephen Hunt | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Swans’ War: I never knew what was at stake

THE SWANS’ WAR by Sean Russell

I struggled through these books and I only read them because Stephen Donaldson and Robin Hobb gave them high praise.

What I did like is that the characters were unique, with the exception of Tam and Prince Michael — they seemed to be the same character. All other characters seemed to be woven from a fresh cloak — they were different people who came from different backgrounds but learned to live together.

What I didn’t like was that there was a distinct lack of urgency.

November 6th, 2007. Guest´s rating: 2 | Sean Russell | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Pox Party: A Pox on Rationalists!

The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson

“I do not believe they ever meant unkindness.”

So Octavian says of those to whom he was an experiment, to those who claimed he was chattel, to those who weighed his excrement daily and compared it to his intake.

It is perhaps this book’s most frightening truth that he is correct.

Octavian and his mother were sold into slavery in the 1760s, in Boston, to The Novanglian College of Lucidity. These men were rationalists, and sought to discover — once all of the niceties are removed — whether the Negro was inferior to the European.

The Sum of All Men: Original ideas

The Sum of All Men by David Farland

Gaborn Orden, the next King of Mystarria is headed to the kingdom of Heredon to ask the lovely Princess Iome for her hand in marriage. Castle Sylvarresta however is under attack by the evil Raj Ahten, the Runelord of all Runelords. With thousands of endowments taken from other men and women, he is truly a man among men, and he takes over Castle Sylvarresta without a single drop of blood being shed. Gaborn however can see through this ruthless man. Endowed with the Gift of the Earth and deemed to be the future King who will seek revenge upon Raj,

November 2nd, 2007. Guest´s rating: 4 | David Farland | SFF Reviews | no comments |

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.