Sorcerer’s Legacy by Janny Wurts
Sorcerer’s Legacy is the first book written by Janny Wurts and it’s a wonderful breath of fresh air because it’s a self-contained story. Much of modern fantasy seems bent of many volumes and epic scope while Legacy is content to be a single volume and a complete story.
It is essential to appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship that Wurts puts into her writing and for one familiar with her more recent works, this novel is just plain fun.
May 2nd, 2008. John Hulet and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4, 4.5 | Janny Wurts | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold
I think Lois McMaster Bujold has exactly the right idea with the Chalion series. Each book stands alone, but if you have read the first one (Curse of Chalion), you get all the background material you need to understand the geographical, political, and religious systems of her world. This means that later books (Paladin of Souls and The Hallowed Hunt) can have fresh new characters and plots,
April 26th, 2008. Kat Hooper and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 2.5, 4 | Lois McMaster Bujold | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti
I really don’t know what sort of story this is. It’s an adventure, it’s a mystery, it’s a crime novel, and a romance kind of all throw into one. It’s a complex blend of genres all set in a different world where technology is far behind our modern times in many respects, but has been carefully enough thought out that it makes sense.
At the center of the story is a young woman who works as an Icarus — basically the equivalent of a bicycle messenger,
April 1st, 2008. John Hulet and Kat Hooper´s rating: 3, 3.5 | Dru Pagliassotti | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
No sophomore slump here! Ilona Andrews follows — and tops — her debut novel with an excellent sequel, Magic Burns (2008).
We get some more world-building. Andrews explains, in a way that flows smoothly with the story and doesn’t feel like an infodump, the theory as to why the magic and tech have gone wonky in the first place. We also learn about magic flares, which occur roughly every seven years. During these upsurges in magic, powerful and dangerous summonings can be done.
April 1st, 2008. Kelly Lasiter, John Hulet, Tadiana Jones and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4.5 | Ilona Andrews | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Neil Gaiman+ Lenny Henry = Twice the Entertainment
I like Neil Gaiman’s style — his writing is easy, intelligent, well-edited, dryly humorous, and just plain charming.
Anansi Boys is no exception, and it’s especially charming in audio format, thanks to Lenny Henry, an English stand-up comedian whose deep rich voice and character comedy is absolutely perfect for this novel which is based on the African/Caribbean mythology of the trickster spider god Anansi (introduced in American Gods). Henry’s voices are brilliant (especially the old Caribbean women) and he had me literally smiling nearly all the way through the story.
March 25th, 2008. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Neil Gaiman | Audio, Mythopoeic Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Alector’s Choice by L.E. Modesitt Jr
There’s no longer any doubt — Modesitt has fallen into the “shampoo” mode of series writing: rinse-shampoo-repeat. Alector’s Choice, while not a bad book if read on its own (which it can be), is, for fans or former fans of Modesitt’s other work, merely a rehash of the same old same old. Same old plot. Same old characters. Same old conflicts. Same old resolutions. Only the names have been changed to protect the profits (and a possible plagiarism suit if one could sue oneself).
March 3rd, 2008. Bill Capossere and Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | L.E. Modesitt_Jr | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Swords Against Death by Fritz Leiber
After a self-imposed exile, our heroes — the legendary Fafhrd and Gray Mouser — are back to their old shenanigans in the sinful city of Lankhmar. Shortly after their return, they find themselves hypnotically drawn across Newhon’s Outer Sea to lands unknown, only to have to survive a perilous journey to again get back to Lankhmar — the closest thing they have to a home. Along with their other misadventures, they finally come to terms with the deaths of their true-loves.
As stated on the book’s back-cover,
March 3rd, 2008. Greg Hersom, Kat Hooper and Stuart Starosta´s rating: 4 | Fritz Leiber | Audio | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
THE RIDDLE-MASTER TRILOGY by Patricia McKillip
Your Eyes are Full of the Sun…
My entirely subjective opinion of “epic fantasy” is that it is tedious, predictable and just plain boring most of the time. The same line-up of stock characters go on the same quest to save a land that is permanently stuck in the Middle-Ages. On the way they meet the same supporting characters (gruff dwarf, regal elf, mysterious wizard), collect the same treasures, get in the same tavern brawls, are betrayed by the same turncoats,
February 1st, 2008. Rebecca Fisher, Kat Hooper and Ruth Arnell´s rating: 5 | Patricia McKillip | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Scarlet, the second book in Stephen Lawhead‘s King Raven Trilogy focuses on Will Scatlocke (“Scarlet”), a disillusioned forester who goes searching for, finds, and joins King Raven’s infamous band of thieves. During one of their exploits, Will is caught, sentenced to hang, and thrown into prison where he is asked to tell his story to a priest in hopes that he’ll let slip some information that will help sheriff Guy of Gysborne find and defeat the robbers. Thus,
January 21st, 2008. Kat Hooper and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Stephen Lawhead | Audio | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
After reading Lois McMaster Bujold‘s first Chalion book, I was an instant fan (see review above). So, I was really excited to get my hands on the audio versions of the first two novels in her second fantasy series: The Sharing Knife.
Alas, it really pains me to have to write a lackluster review for anything Bujold does, but here we go.
First, let me say that Beguilement is a romance novel,
January 15th, 2008. Kat Hooper and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 3 | Lois McMaster Bujold | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Sounds intriguing!
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