Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth is a marvelous re-telling of Rapunzel, woven together with historical fiction that gives the reader a glimpse into the life of Charlotte Rose de Caumont de La Force, the French noblewoman who first published the fairy tale. Forsyth, pursuing her doctorate in fairy-tale retellings in Sydney, originally published in this novel in her native Australia. It has just been released in the US.
Bitter Greens begins with the story of Charlotte,
February 3rd, 2016. Kate Lechler and Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4.5 | Kate Forsyth | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
An Apprentice to Elves by Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette
An Apprentice to Elves, the third installment of the ISKRYNE series, is a book that depends on its thick world-building. Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette have created realistic cultures that take some cues from Norse and Roman history and dramatized a cultural conflict between them, at the same time as developing relationships and characters rooted in these cultures. Most of the narrative is set in the Northlands,
February 2nd, 2016. Kate Lechler´s rating: 3.5 | Elizabeth Bear, Sarah Monette | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
There is so much free or inexpensive short fiction available on the internet these days. Here are a few stories we read this week that we wanted you to know about.
“Brisk Money” by Adam Christopher (2014, $0.99 for Kindle, free at Tor.com)
Ray is an electromatic man — a full-metal private investigator in 1960s Los Angeles — with a functional memory which must be reset every twenty-four hours. He relies on his assistant, Ada, an artificial intelligence who lives in a bank of computers,
February 1st, 2016. Jana Nyman, Kat Hooper, Kate Lechler, Tadiana Jones and Bill Capossere | Adam Christopher, Alex Bledsoe, Will McIntosh | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 10 comments |
Since the publication of Mr. Shivers in 2010, award winning writer Robert Jackson Bennett has not looked back. He has won the Shirley Jackson award twice, once for Mr. Shivers and once again for American Elsewhere in 2013. His current series is the brilliant second-world fantasy THE DIVINE CITIES. Bennett’s work is wildly imaginative and heart-breakingly human. City of Stairs introduced us to The Continent, a collection of conquered city-states still mourning their fall from glory, and the island nation of Saypur,
January 26th, 2016. Marion Deeds and Kate Lechler | Robert Jackson Bennett | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 19 comments |
There is so much free or inexpensive short fiction available on the internet these days. Here are a few stories we read this week that we wanted you to know about.
“Variations on an Apple” by Yoon Ha Lee (2016, free at Tor.com or $0.99 at Amazon)
I want to thank Tadiana for bringing this story to my attention. I probably wouldn’t have found it on my own, and it’s a stunner.
This is a retelling of the siege of Troy,
January 25th, 2016. Marion Deeds, Jana Nyman, Kate Lechler, Tadiana Jones and Bill Capossere | Brandon Sanderson, Yoon Ha Lee | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Welcome to another Expanded Universe column where I feature essays from authors and editors of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, as well as from established readers and reviewers. My guest today is Sarah Gailey. Gailey is a Bay Area native and an unabashed bibliophile, living and working in beautiful Oakland, California. She enjoys painting, baking, vulgar embroidery, and writing stories about murder and monsters. She livetweeted Star Wars and the internet got very excited about it, but mostly she writes short SFF and horror. Her fiction has appeared in Mothership Zeta and The Colored Lens,
January 22nd, 2016. Kate Lechler | Sarah Gailey | Expanded Universe, Giveaway! | 7 comments |
There is so much free or inexpensive short fiction available on the internet these days. Here are a few stories we read this week that we wanted you to know about.
Enchantress of Venus by Leigh Brackett (1949, $0.99 at Amazon)
The world celebrated what would have been the 100th birthday of Leigh Brackett on December 7, 2015, and to celebrate the centennial of the so-called “Queen of Space Opera” in my own way, I have resolved to finally read five novels featuring her most famous character,
January 18th, 2016. Sandy Ferber, Kate Lechler, Tadiana Jones and Bill Capossere | Joe Abercrombie, Leigh Brackett | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Steven Universe by Rebecca Sugar
Steven Universe, an episodic 11-minute animated television show created by Rebecca Sugar, is one of my new not-guilty-at-all pleasures. It tells the story of young Steven Universe and his friends, the Crystal Gems, humanoid mineral-based aliens. Steven is half-human, half-gem. His dad, Greg Universe, is a car wash owner and aspiring musician. His mom, Rose Quartz, was one of the Crystal Gems until she gave up her physical form to have a child. Steven lives in Beach City with the three remaining Crystal Gems: Garnet, Amethyst,
January 18th, 2016. Kate Lechler´s rating: 5 | Film / TV | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
Welcome to another Expanded Universe column where I feature essays from authors and editors of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, as well as from established readers and reviewers. My guest today is Sarah Gailey. Gailey is a Bay Area native and an unabashed bibliophile, living and working in beautiful Oakland, California. She enjoys painting, baking, vulgar embroidery, and writing stories about murder and monsters. She livetweeted Star Wars and the internet got very excited about it, but mostly she writes short SFF and horror. Her fiction has appeared in Mothership Zeta and The Colored Lens,
January 15th, 2016. Kate Lechler | Sarah Gailey | Expanded Universe | 3 comments |
Welcome to another Expanded Universe column where I feature essays from authors and editors of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, as well as from established readers and reviewers. My guest today is Sarah Gailey. Gailey is a Bay Area native and an unabashed bibliophile, living and working in beautiful Oakland, California. She enjoys painting, baking, vulgar embroidery, and writing stories about murder and monsters. She livetweeted Star Wars and the internet got very excited about it, but mostly she writes short SFF and horror. Her fiction has appeared in Mothership Zeta and The Colored Lens,
January 8th, 2016. Kate Lechler | Sarah Gailey | Expanded Universe | 9 comments |
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…
this sounds like a fun one