The Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guinis an iconic voice whose books, like Left Hand of Darkness and The Word for World is Forest, made people rethink their assumptions of the society they lived in. She is intimidatingly intellectual but writes characters who are real and full of heart. She is a personal role model of mine, so it’s difficult to write a less-than-glowing review about The Telling, a late entry into Le Guin’s HAINISH CYCLE stories.
December 19th, 2011. Marion Deeds and Kat Hooper´s rating: 2.5 | Ursula K. Le-Guin | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by Victor Pelevin
In our Edge of the Universe column, we review mainstream authors that incorporate elements of speculative fiction into their “literary” work. However you want to label them, we hope you’ll enjoy discussing these books with us.
I think I can safely say that I have never read a book quite like The Sacred Book of the Werewolf before. I found the book in the fantasy section, but it had literary novel packaging with a slightly risqué cover (the back and buttocks of a naked woman sporting a plumy fox’s tail).
December 16th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Victor Pelevin | Edge, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I’m a pretty big fan of Ian McDonald, so when I learned that a brand new novel by the author was on the way, I got suitably excited. Then, when I found out that the new novel would be the start of a series, and that this series would deal with alternate dimensions and multiverse-type ideas (very different from his last few books), I got really excited. And then, when I discovered that the series would be a young adult series — well, it took me a while to come down from that one.
December 14th, 2011. Stefan Raets and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Ian McDonald | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
I’m giving Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare three stars, because it ably fulfills its function as the second book in the INFERNAL DEVICES series, but I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I did Clockwork Angel. The writing is fine and the story moves well, but somehow our heroic characters just aren’t shown at their best in this volume.
After the debacle at the end of Clockwork Angel,
December 14th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Cassandra Clare | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The first Robert McCammon book I ever read was Swan Song, a post-apocalyptic horror story about the choices people make when there are no rules. Baal, published in 1978 and reissued by Subterranean Press, explores many of the same themes. I expected this book would have some historical interest for me, as a look back at how a mature writer got his start. To my surprise I found compelling writing and a character I cared about.
November 30th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Robert McCammon | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch is justly famous for writing the scariest shower scene in history, even if it was Alfred Hitchcock’s movie that introduced it to a broader audience. Bloch is the author of Psycho, which introduced us to the cross-dressing, multiple personality-mass murder Norman Bates.
Over several decades Bloch wrote crime fiction, thrillers and horror. One recurring theme was that of the unsolved murders in Whitechapel, London in 1888, and the unknown killer with the nickname “Jack the Ripper.”
Subterranean Press has gathered together a collection of Bloch’s Ripper-themed work called Yours Truly,
November 28th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Robert Bloch | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Folded World by Catherynne M. Valente
Prester John has been king in Pentexore for many years now, aided by his wife Hagia the blemmye. He loves the creatures he rules and has spent his time teaching them about Jesus Christ and trying to reconcile the creation story in Genesis with his new knowledge of the world. When one of John’s daughters brings a letter from Constantinople, asking John to bring his army of monsters to fight the Muslims in Jerusalem, he decides that they’ll go. Although he is happy with his new life in Pentexore,
November 28th, 2011. Kat Hooper and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Catherynne M. Valente | Audio | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son. Good, now that’s out of the way. 20th Century Ghosts (2007) is a prime collection of short fiction. Some stories are horror, some are literary horror and some aren’t horror at all. Hill has a strong style, a distinctive voice, and a willingness to indulge in post-modernism. This means that the conclusions of some stories are left up to the reader. This is not the undisciplined writing of someone who can’t commit to a resolution,
November 27th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Joe Hill | Short Fiction, World Fantasy Award | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
When Hollywood makes a movie of Ganymede — and they have to — I hope they subtitle it “The Battle of Barataria Bay.” That sequence comes near the end of Cherie Priest’s latest CLOCKWORK CENTURY novel, and is fasten-your-seatbelt, grip-the-arms-of-your-chair exciting.
Priest’s books always feature strong women, and in Ganymede, the main character is Josephine Early. Josephine lives in New Orleans, running an upscale bordello. Nearly twenty years into the American civil war,
November 24th, 2011. Marion Deeds and Robert Thompson´s rating: 4 | Cherie Priest | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
A vulnerable boy makes his way into an alternate world filled with magic and danger. To return to his own world, he must find a talisman held by the land’s king. He is beset by dangers, unsure who to trust.
So far, this sounds like many other books and stories; myths, fairy tales, “Thomas the Rhymer,” The King of Elfland’s Daughter, The Wizard of Oz,
November 22nd, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | John Connolly | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
so you're saying I should read it? :)
As a native New Yorker, I love the idea of the city being filled with canals and no skyscrapers! And…
How did I miss this? Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I guess that is true, Marion. And when it comes to "You Only Live Twice," I saw the movie TWICE…
You managed to work in your two loves; vintage fiction and films!