Vampires of Manhattan by Melissa de la Cruz
Vampires of Manhattan is the first book in Melissa de la Cruz’s latest urban paranormal fantasy series, THE NEW BLUE BLOODS COVEN. This new series is a continuation of her BLUE BLOODS septalogy, and Vampires of Manhattan picks up ten years after the events of Gates of Paradise, the seventh and last BLUE BLOODS book. Though there are many moments of exposition for the previous series,
July 20th, 2015. Jana Nyman´s rating: 3 | Melissa De-La-Cruz | Horror, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 11 comments |
Hannu Rajaniemi: Collected Fiction by Hannu Rajaniemi
In his Collected Fiction of nearly twenty stories ranging from the micro style of Twitter fiction to a more traditional length, Hannu Rajaniemi displays a generally hopeful, but cautionary, view of humanity’s future and the rapid onslaught of technology. Of primary importance is the need to recognize the value of others amid the increasing electronic noise in which we all seem to live. Rajaniemi is a physicist with the heart of a poet (and vice-versa) who takes data packets,
July 16th, 2015. Jana Nyman´s rating: 4 | Hannu Rajaniemi | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds
Slow Bullets is the latest addition to Alastair Reynolds’ impressive body of work, a slim novella which he manages to fill with plausible far-future technology, interstellar war, and questions of identity and legacy.
Scurelya “Scur” Timsuk Shunde is a soldier for the Peripheral Systems, which are at war with the Central Worlds. One of the central points of conflict are the Books which each side holds sacred; while never explicitly named, the Books share several common tenets, and are clearly religious in nature.
July 6th, 2015. Jana Nyman´s rating: 4 | Alastair Reynolds | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
For today’s Book Chat, we’re examining Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451. Interestingly, it’s the only one of his novels that Bradbury considered to be “science fiction,” telling the story of Guy Montag, a fireman who starts fires rather than putting them out. In Montag’s world, books and intellectual curiosity are forbidden, with interesting and terrifying consequences.
Bill: Another day, another Bradbury classic. I’ve been a fan of Fahrenheit 451 since I read it the first time way back in late middle or early high school and have remained so through all those re-reads back when I used to teach it in high school as well (most student reactions were positive).
June 12th, 2015. Bill Capossere, Jana Nyman, Ryan Skardal, Stuart Starosta and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Ray Bradbury | Hugo Award | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Agniezska is the brave, stubborn, sensitive heroine of Naomi Novik’s recent release, Uprooted — and she’s about to steal your heart. She comes from Dvernik, a remote village on the edges of the enchanted Wood, the dark forest that creeps like a blight over interior Polnya. The only thing holding the Wood back from engulfing the land is the Dragon, a feared sorcerer who lives nearby. For his work keeping the danger at bay, every ten years the Dragon demands one young woman from the village.
May 21st, 2015. Kate Lechler, Tadiana Jones, Marion Deeds and Jana Nyman´s rating: 5 | Naomi Novik | Nebula Award | SFF Reviews | 23 comments |
Today, Gwenda Bond stops by FanLit to chat about her newest novel, Lois Lane: Fallout, which I thought was both a fantastic story and a refreshing take on some old YA stereotypes. She was kind enough to answer some questions I had about the book and her writing process, and one lucky U.S.-based commenter will win a copy of Lois Lane: Fallout!
Jana Nyman: The narrative of Lois Lane: Fallout is told strictly from Lois Lane’s perspective.
May 19th, 2015. Jana Nyman | Gwenda Bond | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 5 comments |
A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall (pseudonym of Jesse Bullington)
A Crown for Cold Silver is a big, brassy, gut-buster of a fantasy, weighing in at over 650 pages. Alex Marshall has crafted a multi-layered tale (or song, if you prefer the parlance of The Star) of bloody vengeance, personal glory, and the unimaginable consequences of a single careless wish. Clear your calendar, stock up on snacks, and silence the phone — this is a serious investment of time,
May 7th, 2015. Jana Nyman´s rating: 4 | Alex Marshall | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
This Book Chat we’re continuing with another classic Ray Bradbury title: Something Wicked This Way Comes, his 1962 novel that mixes fantasy, horror, and coming-of-age to tell the story of a sinister carnival that arrives in the town of two 13-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway.
Bill Capossere: I’ll start off by saying I loved this book when I read it the first time as a young teen, somewhere when I was probably just a year or two older than the two protagonists;
May 1st, 2015. Bill Capossere, Jana Nyman and Stuart Starosta´s rating: 4 | Ray Bradbury | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond
Lois Lane: Fallout is the latest YA novel from Gwenda Bond and follows the adventures of Lois Lane, a sixteen-year-old army brat with a chip on her shoulder and a nose for trouble. She’s convinced that East Metropolis High will be a fresh start, unlike all those other schools she’s been to, where her efforts to help people in need always seem to end up adding black marks to her permanent record. Straighten up and fly right is her brand-new mantra,
May 1st, 2015. Jana Nyman´s rating: 5 | Gwenda Bond | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
In Edan Lepucki’s debut novel California, published in 2014, Cal and Frida are a young couple trying to eke out a living in a post-apocalyptic Californian wilderness. Their relationship has fared relatively well during their two years of near-isolation, but the intrusion of strangers — first a small family, then Frida’s unexpected pregnancy, and later a commune with its own deep problems and secrets — reveals severe cracks in their seemingly perfect marriage.
Perhaps post-apocalyptic isn’t the right descriptor for the time setting.
April 1st, 2015. Jana Nyman´s rating: 3.5 | Edan Lepucki | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
No, Paul, sorry, I don't believe I've read any books by Aickman; perhaps the odd story. I'm generally not a…
I like the ambiguities when the story leading up to them has inserted various dreadful possibilities in the back of…
COMMENT Marion, I expect that my half-hearted praise here (at best) will not exactly endear me to all of Ramsey…
Ramsay Campbell was all the rage in my circle of horror-reading/writing friends in the 1980s, and they extolled the ambiguity.…
Oh boy, I wish I could escape that Neil Gaiman article, too. I knew already he’d done reprehensible things but…