Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
Bill: Let’s see, last week in September. That means I’ve got to grade my first-years’ first essays. Call the guy to clean the gutters. Make sure the furnace and gas fireplace are set to go. And, oh yeah, it’s been a month, that must mean I have a new Brandon Sanderson novel to review. Yep, Shadows of Self, the second book in his second MISTBORN trilogy (or, if you prefer, the fifth book in the entire MISTBORN series).
December 9th, 2016. Bill Capossere, Kevin Wei and Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Brandon Sanderson | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer
Last Song Before Night (2015) is the debut novel from Ilana C. Myer, and while many aspects of the work shine — detailed world-building combined with protagonist backstory and development — they come at the expense of antagonist development, prose ranging from lovely to overly ornate, and, most importantly, the plot of the novel itself.
The novel ranges far and wide, but at its crux, there is a woman named Lin who seeks to achieve the impossible by becoming a female poet,
December 5th, 2016. Jana Nyman and Kevin Wei´s rating: 3 | Ilana C. Myer | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Today, Fantasy Literature is honored to talk to N.K. Jemisin, who, in 2016, became the first Black author to win the Hugo in the Best Novel category for her work The Fifth Season, book one in the BROKEN EARTH series. In addition to writing the INHERITANCE trilogy, the DREAMBLOOD series, and the BROKEN EARTH series, N. K. Jemisin is also a speculative short fiction author. She has also won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and has been nominated for numerous other awards such as the World Fantasy Award.
October 4th, 2016. Kevin Wei | N.K. Jemisin | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 18 comments |
The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler
In The Guns of Empire, Django Wexler continues one of the strongest military fantasy series to date. With Queen Raesinia determinedly in tow, Janus and Marcus chart course for the holy city of Elysium in hope of destroying the Pontifex of the Black to bring a more permanent peace to Vordan. Our protagonists return to begin a massive military invasion of Vordan’s powerful neighbors, and if you enjoyed Wexler’s world building in book three, The Price of Valor,
July 29th, 2016. Kevin Wei´s rating: 3 | Django Wexler | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
Note: This review discusses a major revelation for readers of this series, disclosed in the first chapter of this book.
Three years after the sudden death of her husband Aral, Cordelia Vorkosigan is still the Vicereine (governor) of the colony planet Sergyar, and is still recovering from the grief of losing Aral. Cordelia is now seventy-six, but still young both at heart and physically, since she enjoys the much longer-than-usual lifespan of a native of Beta Colony. Barrayaran Admiral Oliver Jole,
June 14th, 2016. Tadiana Jones and Kevin Wei | Lois McMaster Bujold | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Summer Dragon by Todd Lockwood
It’s been ages since I’ve encountered a worthwhile dragon-rider-type novel, and illustrator Todd Lockwood’s debut The Summer Dragon certainly didn’t disappoint! This first instalment in Lockwood’s THE EVERTIDE series tells the story of Maia, scion of a family of dragon-breeders who have tended the aeries of Riat for generations. In The Summer Dragon, the dragon riders are the sociopolitical elite, and Maia hopes to someday day bond with one of the dragons of Riat.
June 10th, 2016. Kevin Wei´s rating: 3.5 | Todd Lockwood | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
I picked up Adrian Selby’s debut novel, Snakewood, after hearing a lot of good things about the book. Promising a dark world of realpolitik in the tradition of Glen Cook, Snakewood tells the story of the company once known as Kailen’s Twenty. While the company is long disbanded, many of its members still live and thrive in various occupations, until they turn up with throats slit and a black, stone coin on their bodies — the mark of a traitor.
April 26th, 2016. Kevin Wei´s rating: 0.1 | Adrian Selby | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
In Pierce Brown’s debut novel, Red Rising, humanity lives in a strictly hierarchical society, with the various castes marked by colors: Golds at the top, Reds at the bottom, Pinks for pleasure, Yellows for bureaucrats, etc. Darrow, a young Red, who mines beneath the surface of Mars for Helium-3, has always accepted the hierarchy as it has been drummed into him, until events cause him to see things differently. Eventually, he is set on a path whereby he will seek to undermine the Golds’ power and spark a revolution of Reds.
April 8th, 2016. Bill Capossere, Kevin Wei and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Pierce Brown | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
We love Pierce Brown’s RED RISING trilogy, a grand-scale space opera with class warfare, rebellion and a main character struggling with his own destiny. You can read our reviews here.
We are partnering with the publisher, Del Rey, on a way to introduce more of you to this great story.
We are giving away 20 (yes, you read that right, 20) copies of Book One, Red Rising, to 20 readers with a USA or Canadian address.
March 11th, 2016. Kevin Wei and Bill Capossere | Pierce Brown | Giveaway! | 6 comments |
WARNING: Contains spoilers for book two, Golden Son.
Editor’s note: This series continues with Iron Gold.
I was very excited to finally lay hands (or eyes) on Pierce Brown’s Morning Star. Picking up where book two, Golden Son, left off, Morning Star opens roughly a year after the Jackal storms into the celebration at Darrow’s Triumph,
March 11th, 2016. Kevin Wei and Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Pierce Brown | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
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…