The Monstrous Citadel by Mirah Bolender
2019’s The Monstrous Citadel is the second book in Mirah Bolender’s fantasy trilogy THE CHRONICLES OF AMICAE. This review may contain mild spoilers for the first book, City of Broken Magic. In this world, the main characters, called Sweepers, function like the people in an old British series called UXB, disarming undetonated magical weapons left over from an ancient war. Some of the magical infestations are like Japanese kaiju,
June 24th, 2020. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Mirah Bolender | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Giveaway:
One commenter chosen at random will get a copy of Brian Fies’s graphic novel A Fire Story.
Awards:
Finalists for the Shirley Jackson Awards have been announced. Pleased to see Elizabeth Hand’s Curious Toys on the list.
Books and Writing:
The troubles at literary agency Red Sofa began when the owner tweeted that, during the protests against police brutality and violence in New York City, she had called the police about some people she saw down the street at a gas station.
June 17th, 2020. Marion Deeds | Giveaway!, World Wide Wednesday | 10 comments |
Awards:
The Peabody Award finalists, for “the most compelling and empowering” digital media and broadcasting stories of 2019, have been announced.
Books and Writing:
Nebula-winning author Cat Rambo was profiled in her local paper, the Seattle Times.
Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) issued a statement in support of Black Lives Matter. The organization acknowledges its responsibility for failing to address racism in the past, and is putting its money where its mouth is. There are some good resources at the end of the article.
June 10th, 2020. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |
Internet:
Here are 20 strange and wonderful places in the world.
A new theory about Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) challenges the “pre-colonial collapse” model.
Yahama offers remote cheering for stadiums with Remote Cheer. How timely.
June 3rd, 2020. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | 3 comments |
Creatures of Charm and Hunger by Molly Tanzer
Creatures of Charm and Hunger (2020), the title of the third in Molly Tanzer’s THE DIABOLIST’S LIBRARY series, accurately describes the elemental beings with whom the human diabolists contract in order to do magic. It also accurately describes the two main characters, Miriam and Jane, and Jane’s Aunt Edith, an important secondary character.
These three books are not a trilogy in the conventional sense, since each takes place at a different point of history,
June 3rd, 2020. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Molly Tanzer | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Grand Tour by E. Catherine Tobler
E. Catherine Tobler created Jackson’s Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade, a carnival/circus where things are not necessarily what they seem… or in some cases, exactly what they seem, no matter how strange that might be. The stories appeared in places like Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and now, in The Grand Tour: A Jackson’s Unreal Circus and Mobile Marmalade Collection (2020), Apex has gathered up nine of the tales, which traverse earth and time, as we meet Jackson and the people who find their way to the circus,
May 28th, 2020. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | E. Catherine Tobler | Short Fiction, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Gatherings, or Not:
SFWA’s Nebula Event starts Thursday. I think you can still register.
AmazingCon, held June 12-14, will also be an online experience (as most of this year’s conventions will be.) Thanks to File 770.
Giveaway:
One commenter chosen at random will win a hardcover edition of N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became.
Books and Writing:
Nerds of a Feather posted a micro-review of an anthology on inland seas.
May 27th, 2020. Marion Deeds | Giveaway!, World Wide Wednesday | 10 comments |
Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Once upon a time there was a small group of uber-powerful folks who truly messed up the world. Luckily that was ages, sorry, I mean, Ages, ago. But now one of those ancient badass power users is potentially going to return and hoo boy is the world in trouble if he gathers all his power yet again. Thank the gods for the plucky group of scruffy underdogs who are definitely not a fellowship and who have decided to risk their lives to prevent the Dark Power’s rise.
May 25th, 2020. Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5, 5 | Robert Jackson Bennett | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Giveaway:
I ended up with two hardcover copies of Robert Jackson Bennett’s Shorefall. I am giving one away to a commenter chosen at random. Please note that it helps to have read Foundryside, which is Book One in the series, first. Here’s our review of it, and here’s Bill ‘s review of Shorefall.
Awards:
Premios Kelvin is awarded for excellence in works translated into Spanish. The finalists have been announced.
File770 highlights some more crime fiction awards.
May 20th, 2020. Marion Deeds | Giveaway!, World Wide Wednesday | 13 comments |
A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
Luce Cannon was a rising rock star, traveling with a new band and doing live shows all over the country, until a rash of deadly terrorist attacks, and the threat of more to come, caused the American government to criminalize large public gatherings.
Now, instead of live concerts, musicians and their fans meet virtually, with the fans wearing hoodies equipped with technology that allows them to safely experience the perception of being with others at a show. But Luce and like-minded artists never bought into this concept and aren’t willing to sell their souls to StageHoloLive,
May 18th, 2020. Kat Hooper and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Sarah Pinsker | Nebula Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
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…