Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: John Hulet

Narcissus in Chains: Turning into a soap opera

Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K Hamilton

Like an addiction to pain, I have kept reading Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter despite having some serious issues with what Laurell K Hamilton has done with her characters. She seriously pisses me off with the way that she is developing the Richard-Anita relationship.

Anita has turned from a virtuous woman into a tramp. She just keeps getting worse and her apparent ability to get past becoming a whore is just ridiculous. Her ability to remain a true believer despite all the dark forces at work has been one of her truly redeeming characteristics.

July 10th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 3 | Laurell K. Hamilton | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Saga of Recluce: Repetitive but appreciated theme

THE SAGA OF RECLUCE by L.E. Modesitt

The underlying repetitive theme of the Modesitt works is personal accountability and the triumph of an enlightened, empowered individual over the self-serving machinations of the opposition. That may be simplifying things to a great degree, but that is what I get out of it. My personal experience with Modesitt began with The Magic of Recluce many years ago. At the time I was just beginning to refine my taste for fantasy and Modesitt was something different.

In the Saga of Recluce,

June 30th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 3 | L.E. Modesitt_Jr | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Covenants: No way is this guy a soldier

Covenants by Lorna Freeman

I am a soldier, and Rabbit, the main character of Lorna Freeman’s Covenants, is a joke.

Freeman is just all over the place with Rabbit — he’s willing to tangle with someone one minute, and the next minute he’s hiding under his blankets because he’s afraid? The premise of Covenants is very interesting and I enjoyed the plot, but it bugged me that Rabbit acted like a scared kid half of the time and a foul-mouthed tough guy the rest.

June 24th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 3.5 | Lorna Freeman | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Confidence Game: Not a page-turner

Confidence Game by Michelle M. Welch

Confidence Game describes itself as two characters who are troubled by their history and are caught up in a situation that leads them together to confront their problems. The dual main characters of Elzith and Tod are both broken to a certain degree and the story revolves around their burgeoning relationship and the impending problems that they have to overcome.

Elzith is a orphan, raised to be a super competent spy for the Justices of Dabion, a ruling council of Magistrates.

June 21st, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 2.5 | Michelle M. Welch | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Fortress in the Eye of Time: Different slant on an old story

Fortress in the Eye of Time by C.J. Cherryh

I loved Fortress in the Eye of Time. To be honest, the first half of the book doesn’t move very fast, but you come to appreciate how C.J. Cherryh controls the flow of the story based on the progress of the main character. It’s a very interesting technique that takes a little patience to enjoy.

The story centers around a young man who is called back from a distant past and who’s soul has already lived a life.

June 14th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 5 | C.J. Cherryh | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Killing Dance: LKH really blows it on this one

The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton

I enjoyed ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER up to this point, but Laurell K. Hamilton really blows it on this one. Anita has turned into a hypocrite and any claim she had to integrity was shredded within the first 3 chapters of the next book. Hamilton has destroyed her main character — Anita is turning into a nasty tramp. We are talking about a complete reversal of the sharp-edged but relatively moral person she started out as. What a shame.

I should admit that The Killing Dance must have been well conceived and written because it really affected me — I was utterly devastated.

June 10th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 1 | Laurell K. Hamilton | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

The Good, The Bad, and the Undead: Good stuff

The Good, The Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison

This is the second book in the series by Kim Harrison about Rachel Morgan, ex-IS runner, white witch, and now paranormal investigator. Dead Witch Walking, while being nothing spectacular, was a solid enough read which introduced the relationship between humans and Inderlanders and the characters which inhabit the Hollows. The Good, the Bad and the Undead ramps up the action, suspense, excitement, eroticism, and terror — it is a whirlwind of a story that doesn’t let you breathe until the last page has been turned.

June 10th, 2007. John Hulet and Robert Thompson´s rating: 5 | Kim Harrison | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Poison Study: Lightweight political fantasy

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Overall, I am impressed with Maria Snyder‘s first novel, Poison Study. It was well written and the main characters are likeable, complex, and engaging. The characters of the “supporting staff” are also well done. The dialogue is realistic and the writing style is pleasant and unpretentious. The pace is quick, there is political intrigue, spying, treachery, fighting, forgiveness, personal growth, and romance (although the single love scene was confusing and a bit corny).

However, the plot was somewhat predictable and there were few surprises.

June 9th, 2007. Kat Hooper, John Hulet, Tadiana Jones and Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Maria V. Snyder | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Turning: Fast-paced and sexy, but familiar

The Turning by Jennifer Armintrout

Fans of vampire novels should check out The Turning, the first novel in Jennifer Armintrout‘s Blood Ties series, an exciting and sexy addition to the genre.

Our heroine, Carrie, is a young doctor whose sire accidentally turns her into one of his kind during a fight in the hospital morgue. Carrie has little to leave behind in her mortal life. Her parents were cold in life and are now deceased, and she has no friends,

June 9th, 2007. Kelly Lasiter and John Hulet´s rating: 3.5 | Jennifer Armintrout | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Blade Itself: Vivid, tense, action-packed, and droll

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

By setting The Blade Itself (2006), the first book of his FIRST LAW series, in a well-built world and filling it with interesting, “gritty” characters, Joe Abercrombie creates a good balance of stage-setting and story-telling.

The story is told from the perspective of five major characters who are gradually drawn together and whose collected experiences create an engrossing tale. There is the mage, the apprentice, the barbarian, the gifted young noble, the crippled anti-hero… and so forth. Abercrombie writes engaging characters — perfect for my personal tastes.

June 1st, 2007. John Hulet, Kat Hooper, Rob Rhodes and Greg Hersom´s rating: 4 | Joe Abercrombie | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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