Mavra, Queen of the Black Vampires, is after “The Word of Kemmler,” the ultimate how-to on being an all-powerful necromancer. Mavra wants it, and is blackmailing Harry into getting it for her. Harry must find this book, while dodging a whole collection of black wizards who are also seeking the tome.
Jim Butcher’s Dead Beat is another one of the “middle” DRESDEN books that I love so much. Just about the time when most series start getting stale,
September 8th, 2010. Justin Blazier and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Jim Butcher | Audio | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Valentine’s Rising by E.E. Knight
Valentine’s Rising takes place immediately following the disastrous end of the previous novel, Tale of the Thunderbolt. The disaster was widespread and has changed Southern Command forever, and David Valentine and his remaining men must find ways to survive the situation. Valentine’s Rising is a tale of espionage, sacrifices, and all-out war.
E.E. Knight sticks with the same format he’s always used in the Vampire Earth novels: plenty of action,
September 3rd, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | E.E. Knight | Audio | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Just reports about his visit to GenCon. Comment for a chance to win a FanLit bookmark signed by R.A. Salvatore.
Each year in Indianapolis, thousands gather for what’s called “The Best 4 Days in Gaming.” Gencon Indy was held from August 5th to August 8th, 2010. This gathering of nerds is the largest of its kind in the country. If you are into Dungeons & Dragons or board games, this is your Mecca because over 8600 gaming-related activities are held over four days. Gencon is awesome, but you may be wondering how much it relates to fantasy.
August 19th, 2010. Justin Blazier | Anton Strout, Jim Butcher, Patrick Rothfuss, R.A. Salvatore | Giveaway! | 4 comments |
Discord’s Apple by Carrie Vaughn
Evie Walker is a comic book writer who is to inherit a magical storeroom from her terminally ill father. Unbeknownst to her, it has been the duty of her family for thousands of years to keep this storeroom safe. The storeroom contains artifacts from myth and legend, such as the Golden Fleece, Cinderella’s slippers, and of course Discord’s apple. Not only is Evie about to inherit these objects of legend, but she is also about to inherit the attention of powerful beings that would love to obtain them.
July 7th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | Carrie Vaughn | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed by Patrick Rothfuss
The Princess and her teddy bear, Mr.Whiffle, live in a marzipan castle and spend their days in various childhood adventures such as fighting pirates, squashing stuffed toy rebellions, and hiding from monsters under the bed. Patrick Rothfuss’s simple and cheery writing style and Nate Taylor’s beautifully comic artwork, full of clean lines and plenty of little details to look for, add to the childish atmosphere.
But The Adventures of the Princess and Mr.
June 28th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 5 | Patrick Rothfuss | Comics, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Tale of the Thunderbolt by E.E. Knight
Tale of the Thunderbolt is the third installment in the VAMPIRE EARTH series. Each book has so far followed the story of David Valentine, post-apocalyptic warrior extraordinaire. In this third volume, Southern Command has sent David on a mission to bring back a secret weapon that lays hidden somewhere on the Haitian side of Hispaniola. David has been undercover for over a year in preparation for this mission, and has done things for the sake of humanity that he dares not speak of.
June 6th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 3.5 | E.E. Knight | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
WWW: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer
Note: This review is slightly spoilerish; some of the themes I discuss are important to the overall story, but no actual plot points are revealed. Sawyer delivers his message through dialog between characters, so some of the ideas I mention do not get discussed till later in the book. If you had mixed feelings about book 1, you should read this review before deciding to read book 2.
The story of Caitlin and the emergent entity WebMind continues in Watch.
May 19th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | Robert J. Sawyer | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
It’s been a long time since I read Calculating God, and I’d forgotten how good Robert J. Sawyer was. As I was reading Wake, the wonderful, smooth rhythm of Sawyer’s writing came back to me, and I wondered why I ever stopped reading his stuff. I loved Wake, but defining exactly why I loved it will be somewhat difficult.
Caitlin is a 15 year old math genius who was born blind.
May 10th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4.5 | Robert J. Sawyer | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Choice of the Cat by E.E. Knight
David Valentine returns home for a break in Choice of the Cat, but his rest is short-lived, as he quickly becomes the victim of military bureaucracy and is given a special assignment: he is to partner with a special agent who goes by the code name Smoke. Smoke, a small, attractive female killer with mild psychotic tendencies, is a specialized soldier called a Cat. While we learned a little about Cats in Way of the Wolf,
April 30th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | E.E. Knight | Audio | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
It’s a hot and humid Georgia summer, and 10 year old Beau Jackson and his family have made their annual journey to the summer retreat of Gull Island. (Gull Island is not really an island, it’s a peninsula, but like the name of Gull Island, not everything is like it seems.) Beau’s family stays in the old home still occupied by his grandmother and they’re joined by his aunt and his odd cousin Sumter. The Jacksons seem like a typical albeit somewhat dysfunctional Southern American family, but that doesn’t take long to change.
April 27th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | Douglas Clegg | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
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…