There are many words I could use to describe Lute by Jennifer Thorne. I could say words like “atmospheric” or “haunting.” I could also say “beautiful” or “terrifying.” Lute is a book that evokes many descriptors, but none really captures the story in its totality. The blurb from Tor Nightfire says “Wickerman meets Final Destination.” That description is about as accurate as it gets.
Lute is an island off the coast of Scotland,
January 22nd, 2024. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | Jennifer Thorne | Audio, Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Rise of the Vicious Princess by C.J. Redwine
I get a big kick out of reading books not specifically for my demographic. Actually, let me rephrase that. I enjoy reading books that I assume are not written for my demographic. I’m a guy, so stories about princesses are off the table. Perhaps you’re a girl and that John Wick in Space book is not supposed to be your cup of tea. I beg to differ, and love to step outside my comfort zone and read material that is not necessarily written with me in mind.
September 12th, 2022. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | C.J. Redwine | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
FORMAT/INFO: Leviathan Wakes is 592 pages long divided over a Prologue, 55 chapters and an Epilogue. Extras include an interview with the author and an extract from Caliban’s War, the second book in The Expanse series. Narration is in the third person, alternating between Executive Officer James Holden and Detective Miller, except for the Prologue (Julie) and Epilogue (Fred). Leviathan Wakes is mostly self-contained, coming to a satisfying stopping point,
August 9th, 2022. Robert Thompson, Bill Capossere and Justin Blazier´s rating: 4.5, 5 | James S.A. Corey | Audio | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Off to be the Wizard by Scott Meyer
After being on a bit of a horror and dark fantasy diet, I decided I needed something lighter, a palate cleanser if you will. Off to Be the Wizard (2014) by Scott Meyer kept showing up in my recommendations for a light and humorous fantasy. As it turned out, Off to be the Wizard was exactly what I was looking for.
The story follows Martin Banks who is a data entry clerk for a large company.
May 27th, 2022. Justin Blazier´s rating: 3.5 | Scott Meyer | Audio | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Devolution by Max Brooks
I spent countless hours as a kid rummaging the local libraries and shops for stories about Bigfoot. I was a walking encyclopedia for all things Sasquatch, Yeti, Yowie, Skunk Ape, Hairy Man, and even Harry Henderson. The idea of an 8-foot primate rampaging through the forest terrorizing campers is really my jam.
Although I now may no longer “believe” in the Bigfoot story as an actual thing that exists, I’m still a sucker for a good Sasquatch story. I couldn’t get to the bookstore fast enough when I heard that World War Z author Max Brooks had taken a crack at some Bigfoot horror with his novel Devolution (2020).
April 19th, 2022. Justin Blazier´s rating: 3.5 | Max Brooks | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
Amazonia by James Rollins (aka James Clemens)
A scientific expedition of thirty people enters the Amazon jungle and is never heard from again. One of the expedition’s members was Gerald Clark, a former special forces turned CIA agent after he lost an arm in combat. Four years after he disappeared with the expedition, Agent Clark stumbles into a remote mission — covered in markings, his tongue cut out — and then dies in a fit of convulsions. That’s not even the strangest part. When Agent Gerald Clark comes out of the jungle,
October 13th, 2016. Justin Blazier´s rating: 3 | James Clemens | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
The world has changed over the last several years and the opportunities that are now possible are too hard for Oree to resist, so she left home to seek a new life in Sky. Oree is an artist with a gift for seeing magic, but magic is the only thing she can see. She has set up shop in a promenade section of the great city and has created a pleasant life for herself there amongst friends and Godlings. Things start to get ugly, though, when Oree stumbles upon a dead Godling.
September 16th, 2016. Justin Blazier, Stefan Raets, Bill Capossere and Stuart Starosta | N.K. Jemisin | Audio | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
CLASSIFICATION: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is epic fantasy that mixes together court intrigue, mythology, romantic/family drama, and celestial magics. It brought to mind everything from Jacqueline Carey, Lane Robins‘ Maledicte, and Marie Brennan’s Midnight Never Come to Gregory Frost’s Shadowbridge / Lord Tophet, John Scalzi’s The God Engines,
September 6th, 2016. Robert Thompson, Justin Blazier, Bill Capossere, Marion Deeds and Stuart Starosta | N.K. Jemisin | Audio, Locus Award | SFF Reviews | 15 comments |
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
My Body is Not My Own…
Having just finished Paolo Bacigalupi’s Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel, I’m left rather bereft at how to describe, let alone review, The Windup Girl. I am not a big reader of science-fiction or dystopian thrillers, which means that no obvious comparisons come to mind, and the setting and tone of the novel are so unique (to me at least) that they almost defy description.
Set in a future Thailand where genetically engineered “megodonts” (elephants) provide manual labor and “cheshires” (cats) prowl the streets,
February 11th, 2016. Rebecca Fisher, Marion Deeds, Stefan Raets, Justin Blazier, Ruth Arnell and Stuart Starosta´s rating: 4 | Paolo Bacigalupi | Audio, Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
Thanks to retired reviewer Justin Blazier who recently caught up with Kevin Hearne at his local bookstore. Kevin is celebrating the release of Staked, the next installment in his popular IRON DRUID CHRONICLES. Leave a comment for a chance to win one of three paperback copies of Hounded, the first book of the series, or one hardcover copy of Staked. This giveaway is open to readers in the U.S. and Canada… And here’s Justin:
Last week,
February 9th, 2016. Justin Blazier | Kevin Hearne | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 22 comments |
Good. The Basilisk Throne definitely left several characters in medias res at the end. I haven't seen any word about…
It wholly works as a self-contained work with a very brief bit at the end that allows for the possibility…
I just read The Saliva Tree yesterday and loved it. A couple notes: In my copy (I read it in…
I have a hold request for this at the library, so I'm glad to hear you liked it. Does this…
It reminded me immediately of LeGuin and also Isabel Allende's "universal matter" (I think) in Eva Luna. It's a concept…