Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Kat Hooper

Alector’s Choice: Shampoo-rinse-repeat

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).

Swords Against Death: Sword and sorcery’s most famous duo

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,

RIDDLE-MASTER: Belongs in a genre all its own

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: Famous archery tournament gets a revamp

Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead

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,

Beguilement: A chatty romance

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,

Magic Bites: A lot of points for creativity

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Magic Bites (2007) is an exciting urban fantasy with a unique premise and detailed world-building, somewhat marred by an unsatisfying twist in the story’s central mystery.

I give Ilona Andrews a lot of points for creativity here. In Magic Bites‘ near-future setting, magic and technology come and go a bit like the weather; when magic is working, tech isn’t, and vice versa. The shifts are unpredictable, but it can be assumed there will be several per day.

Powers: The best in the series

Powers by Ursula Le Guin

Powers is the third and, in my opinion, the best of the Annals of the Western Shore novels. In this book, we meet Gavir, a slave in the City State of Etra. Gavir was born in the marshes but was stolen, along with his sister, by slavers and brought to Etra. He has the power to clearly remember things he has seen before and even some events that have not yet happened to him. This gift is not uncommon in the marshes,

The Sword-Edged Blonde: Bledsoe is a natural storyteller

The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe

A foaming tankard for public libraries. If mine hadn’t featured Alex Bledsoe‘s engrossing debut novel, The Sword-Edged Blonde, I doubt I’d have ever discovered it.

Granted, I only discovered it because of the quasi-garish cover and title (neither of which has much to do with the actual story), picking it up just to shake my head at one more piece of fantasy trash. But then I read the cover blurbs from Charles de Lint and Orson Scott Card,

December 30th, 2007. Rob Rhodes, Kat Hooper and Greg Hersom´s rating: 4 | Alex Bledsoe | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |

The Song of Albion: A Pleasant Surprise!

THE SONG OF ALBION by Stephen Lawhead

My husband bought me the The Song of Albion trilogy because Lawhead is a Christian and he thought I should try some “Christian” fantasy. I’m a Christian, but I was reluctant. I tend to avoid Christian fantasy and, until recently, Christian music. If Christians are going to contribute to the arts (or science, or anything else), we need to make sure that our contributions are excellent. We can’t sacrifice the quality of the work just to promote a message. Christian music used to be just awful,

December 21st, 2007. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Stephen Lawhead | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The King of Ys: I remember Ys, though I have never seen her

The King of Ys by Poul Anderson

“I remember Ys, though I have never seen her.”

The King of Ys is a historical fantasy — it is set in our world just before the fall of the Roman Empire and it mixes in the legend of the mythical city of Ys which was built below sea level on the coast of Brittany. Many of the characters in The King of Ys (Roman emperors, Christian saints, etc) are based on legendary and real historical figures and Poul and Karen Anderson include plenty of footnotes which explain the legend of Ys and the culture and religion of the 5th century.

December 15th, 2007. Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Poul Anderson | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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