Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Jana Nyman

Lee Kelly talks about A CRIMINAL MAGIC

Today, Fantasy Literature welcomes Lee Kelly, whose second novel, A Criminal Magic, was released in February of 2016 (and Jana thought it was fantastic). Ms. Kelly was kind enough to chat with Jana about inspirations, sorcery, jazz music, and letting the reader become part of the creative process. Comment below for a chance to win a copy of A Criminal Magic!

Jana Nyman: The idea of a government-sanctioned prohibition of sorcery — particularly in the vein of the very real prohibition of alcohol in the U.S.

March 1st, 2016. Jana Nyman | Lee Kelly | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 16 comments |

Blackout: Super-powers with realistic consequences

Blackout by Robison Wells

Robison Wells’ Blackout is, at first glance, just another typical dystopian YA novel. The chapters are short, the sentences shorter, and the vocabulary wouldn’t be a stretch for most junior high students. Good teenagers are in conflict with bad teenagers and seemingly every adult in existence; adults can’t be trusted as authority figures because they aren’t special and they exploit the people who are. I would guess that a potential blurb for the book might read as, “Who can you trust when your own body might betray you?”

SHORTS: Muir, Emrys, Sanderson, Kingfisher

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 Deepwater Bride” by Tamsyn Muir (2015, Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine July/August 2015 issue, Kindle)

Sixteen-year-old Hester Blake is having an unconventional summer: octopodes are in the laundry, deep-sea fish keep showing up in a pond, and salty, oily rain falls from the sky. Normal people are worried about global warming, but the Blakes belong to a long line of seers and scribes,

The Immortals: Far more than just PERCY JACKSON for adults

The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky

Should you happen to see the words “Percy Jackson” connected with Jordanna Max Brodsky’s debut novel, please do not mistake The Immortals for “kidlit” or YA fare. This is a thoroughly adult affair, with all manner of Greek gods and mortals behaving badly, and its story about the Goddess of the Hunt stalking a murderer through New York City is as bloody and thrilling as one could hope for.

Selene DiSilva lives in Manhattan, sleeping through each day and spending her nights either walking her rescue dog Hippolyta along the Hudson River or protecting women from abusive men.

February 17th, 2016. Jana Nyman´s rating: 4.5 | Jordanna Max Brodsky | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |

Our Lady of the Ice: Some fresh twists on old tropes

Our Lady of the Ice by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Cassandra Rose Clarke’s latest novel, Our Lady of the Ice, explores a unique setting: a domed city perpetually bathed in artificial light and whose inhabitants never see the sun, moon, or stars. Human dramas, both large and small, play out against a crumbling infrastructure and swells of rebellion and terrorism. While not as tightly focused or briskly plotted as I would like, it’s an entertaining and imaginative read, especially for mystery readers who bemoan the lack of female characters in traditional noir.

SHORTS: Kingfisher, Jones, Ferebee, Swirsky, Lecky

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 Dryad’s Shoe” by T. Kingfisher (2014, free at Fantasy magazine, $2.99 at Amazon for magazine issue)

“The Dryad’s Shoe” is a charming Cinderella retelling that features Hannah, a young woman who is far more interested in gardens and bees than fancy gowns and dukes’ sons. When the local duke holds a masquerade ball for his son,

SHORTS: Christopher, Bledsoe, McIntosh, Wallace, Brooke and Brown

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.

“Brisk Money” by Adam Christopher (2014, $0.99 for Kindle, free at Tor.com)

Ray is an electromatic man — a full-metal private investigator in 1960s Los Angeles — with a functional memory which must be reset every twenty-four hours. He relies on his assistant, Ada, an artificial intelligence who lives in a bank of computers,

SHORTS: Lee, Lingen, Skerry, Sanderson, St George, Benford

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.

“Variations on an Apple” by Yoon Ha Lee (2016, free at Tor.com or $0.99 at Amazon)

I want to thank Tadiana for bringing this story to my attention. I probably wouldn’t have found it on my own, and it’s a stunner.

This is a retelling of the siege of Troy,

The Fifth Season: Stunning imagination

Editor’s update: The Fifth Season won the 2016 Hugo Award.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

I am awestricken by the imagination of N.K. Jemisin, but it isn’t just her wild vision of a seismically turbulent planet that makes The Fifth Season so successful. Jemisin depicts her strange and harrowing world through the old-fashioned tools of fine writing and hard work, done so well that it looks easy – transparent – to the reader.

The world of The Fifth Season,

Daniel José Older talks MIDNIGHT TAXI TANGO

Daniel José Older wrote the YA urban fantasy Shadowshaper, co-edited the fantasy anthology Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History, and has had his short fiction published at Tor.com. He is the author of the new urban fantasy series BONE STREET RUMBA, the latest of which, Midnight Taxi Tango, was released on January 5, 2016. When he’s not writing fantasy, Older composes and plays music, conducts writing workshops, and blogs about his decade of experiences driving an ambulance.

January 12th, 2016. Jana Nyman and Marion Deeds | Daniel José Older | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 18 comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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Author: Jana Nyman

Lee Kelly talks about A CRIMINAL MAGIC

Blackout: Super-powers with realistic consequences

SHORTS: Muir, Emrys, Sanderson, Kingfisher

The Immortals: Far more than just PERCY JACKSON for adults

Our Lady of the Ice: Some fresh twists on old tropes

SHORTS: Kingfisher, Jones, Ferebee, Swirsky, Lecky

SHORTS: Christopher, Bledsoe, McIntosh, Wallace, Brooke and Brown

SHORTS: Lee, Lingen, Skerry, Sanderson, St George, Benford

The Fifth Season: Stunning imagination

Daniel José Older talks MIDNIGHT TAXI TANGO

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