The Ruby Airship by Sharon Gosling
The Ruby Airship is a direct sequel to The Diamond Thief and the second book in Sharon Gosling’s DIAMOND THIEF YA steampunk trilogy; though some key events from the previous book are recapped in this installment, I suggest that if you’re interested in the trilogy, you should read these books (and their reviews) in sequential order.
It’s been roughly six months since the water-soaked conclusion of The Diamond Thief.
May 30th, 2016. Jana Nyman´s rating: 2 | Sharon Gosling | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
Ken Liu is a writer of many talents, all of which are on full display in his first short story collection, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. Each of the fifteen pieces presented here is well-executed; many don’t have happy endings (as much as I would like them to), though Liu makes the best choices possible for the tales he’s telling, and I will admit that the end results frequently left me crying or stunned.
May 18th, 2016. Jana Nyman and Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Ken Liu | Hugo Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |
Daughters of Ruin by K.D. Castner
Daughters of Ruin is the debut novel from K.D. Castner and, presumably, the first of four books. This first title focuses on Princess Rhea of the Kingdom of Meridan, shown on the cover in her country’s colors (red and gold) and displaying an ornate set of jewelry which also doubles as her weapon of choice. The cover art is quite striking, and seems to promise a tale full of intrigue and danger, but I couldn’t see past the narrative missteps and flimsy logic,
May 5th, 2016. Jana Nyman´s rating: 2.5 | K.D. Castner | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Today Fantasy Literature is glad to host Gwenda Bond for another chat with Jana — this time, in celebration of Ms. Bond’s second novel in the DC Comics universe, Lois Lane: Double Down. She and Jana discuss authorial freedom, the most amazing detective trio in the history of head-canons, and bubbly drinks. One commenter with a U.S. mailing address will win a copy of Lois Lane: Double Down!
Jana Nyman: Writing within an established universe, with established characters, can’t be easy. How much leeway does DC Comics allow you with the Lois Lane novels?
May 3rd, 2016. Jana Nyman | Gwenda Bond | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 9 comments |
There is so much free or inexpensive short fiction available on the internet these days. Here are a few of the stories we read this week.
“The Desert Glassmaker and the Jeweler of Berevyar” by Rose Lemberg (March 2016, free at Uncanny Magazine, Kindle magazine issue)
In this lush story, Lemberg shows us a long-distance romance developing between two makers-of-things. Maru lives in the desert and sings sand into glass; Vadrai lives in the Northern woods and uses deepnames to inscribe images into jewels.
May 2nd, 2016. Kate Lechler, Kat Hooper, Tadiana Jones, Marion Deeds, Terry Weyna and Jana Nyman | Kevin Brockmeier | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Lois Lane: Double Down by Gwenda Bond
Building on the successes of 2015’s Lois Lane: Fallout, Gwenda Bond takes everything that fans loved about that book and throws even more entertainment into its sequel, Lois Lane: Double Down. Excellent friendships? Check. An online romance between two people who respect one another and view each other as friends above all else? Check. Hard-nosed investigation of nefarious dealings, sprinkled with a dash of shadowy criminals? Check. Mysterious and possibly crackpot sightings of a flying man?
May 2nd, 2016. Jana Nyman´s rating: 5 | Gwenda Bond | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling
The Diamond Thief is the first book in the trilogy of the same name by Sharon Gosling; it’s a YA steampunk series set in Victorian England featuring Rémy Brunel, a circus acrobat by day and a jewel thief by night. Rémy seems to have some sort of metaphysical or psychic connection with jewels, and can determine just by holding a gem whether it is valuable or a piece of fancy glass.
Thaddeus Rec is an orphaned teenaged detective who is determined to rise through the ranks of Scotland Yard and prove,
April 22nd, 2016. Jana Nyman´s rating: 3 | Sharon Gosling | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
Sylvain Neuvel’s Sleeping Giants honorably borrows from notable films — Pacific Rim, The Iron Giant, and the Indiana Jones series — in this creative take on first contact in a contemporary world of shadowy government operatives, high tech archaeology, and mystery-shrouded alien technology.
Rose Franklin was the little girl who fell into the mysterious metal hand. Years later, with a physics Ph.D. in hand, Dr. Franklin is appointed to lead the investigation into the metal object.
April 21st, 2016. Jason Golomb, Jana Nyman and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 5 | Sylvain Neuvel | SFF Reviews | 10 comments |
Today Fantasy Literature welcomes Philip Reeve, whose most recent novel, Railhead, is accruing rave reviews (including ours). Jana chatted with him about Easter eggs within his novel, his thoughts on grimdark, and more. One lucky commenter will win a copy of Railhead!
Jana Nyman: I recently discovered that Railhead is being adapted to film, so congratulations are absolutely in order! How excited are you to see your novel morph from page to screen?
April 12th, 2016. Jana Nyman | Philip Reeve | Free! | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 9 comments |
There is so much free or inexpensive short fiction available on the internet these days. Here are a few stories we read this week that we wanted you to know about.
“The Cage” by A.M. Dellamonica (2010, free online at Tor.com or purchase Kindle version)
“The Cage,” a stand-alone short story by A.M. Dellamonica, was published a few years ago on Tor.com; I read it a while ago, re-read it recently, and am happy to report that it was just as enjoyable the second time around.
April 11th, 2016. Jana Nyman, Tadiana Jones and Kat Hooper | A.M. Dellamonica, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Carrie Vaughn, Kameron Hurley | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…