Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Author: Marion Deeds

WWWednesday: March 27, 2024

A single-topic column today.

Fifteen years after Johannes Cabal the Necromancer came out, to acclaim, I finally read it, along with Johannes Cabal the Detective, the second book in Jonathan L. Howard’s series. While I’m not quite sure how I missed them the first time around, I thoroughly enjoyed these first two and the astringent wit with which they are written. I was completely entertained by Johannes Cabal, scientist, necromancer, intelligent and cold-blooded anti-hero who is just human enough to make really big,

March 27th, 2024. Marion Deeds | Jonathan L. Howard | SFF Reviews, World Wide Wednesday | no comments |

System Collapse: Just as entertaining as all the rest of the series

Reposting to include Marion’s new review.

System Collapse by Martha Wells

The first thing to know about Martha Wells’ System Collapse is that if you can’t dredge up memories of its (chronological) predecessor, Network Effect, you’re going to want to refresh yourself either by a reread (fun enough) or skimming a few reviews, as System Collapse picks up directly afterward and really feels like it could have just been part of Network Effect (you know,

March 26th, 2024. Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Martha Wells | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |

WWWednesday: March 20, 2024

March 17 is best known in the modern USA as St. Patrick’s Day. It is also the feast day of St. Getrude of Nivelles, an aristocratic woman who became a nun and an abbess, and might be the patron saint of cats. This older article is interesting, even though there is no formal documentation of a Patron Saint of Cats.

Short story writer and award winner John Wiswell shares six books with Nerds of a Feather.

Best five? Best six? Stubby the Robot says, “Hah!” to such paltry lists and gives us 13 selkie stories on Reactor.

March 20th, 2024. Marion Deeds | Giveaway!, World Wide Wednesday | 7 comments |

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles: Come for the mystery, stay for the great characters

Reposting to include Bill’s new review.

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older

On Jupiter, known as Giant, Mossa, an Investigator, and Pleiti, scholar and instructor, are on a new case, involving the disappearance of a student. As Mossa explores, she finds not one, but seventeen university students, faculty and staff have gone missing. What the two sleuths will uncover in 2024’s The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, by Malka Older, will destabilize Pleiti’s already-shaky faith in the university system,

March 14th, 2024. Marion Deeds and Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5, 5 | Malka Older | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

WWWednesday: March 13, 2024

Tom Doherty will be awarded the 2024 Robert Heinlein Award.

Reactor shares more casting news in the Murderbot adaptation. All the “good” characters appear to be cast.

File 770 recapped the Oscars in case you missed them.

Point Nemo is the most remote spot on the planet, it seems.

According to Beth Ann Malow, “springing forward” is not good for us—and yet we keep doing it. https:

This year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off has identified its 10 finalists.

March 13th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |

Witch King: Good adventure in a lush fantasy world

Witch King by Martha Wells

2023’s Witch King, by Martha Wells, is the first book in a new fantasy series, THE RISING WORLD. In the opening pages we meet Kaiisteron, who goes by Kai, the Witch King of the title. Kai awakens in a strange place, unable to move. He can mentally contact his friend Ziedi, but their magical connection should let him know exactly where she is, and he can’t find her. He can’t find his own body, either.

From there,

March 11th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Martha Wells | SFF Reviews | no comments |

WWWednesday: March 6, 2024

Apple TV has cast David Dastmalchian in the Murderbot adaptation. He’ll play Gurathin.

On his blog, Peter Clines writes about the temptation to complicate things for the sake of complication, and the risks involved.

Nerds of a Feather takes a close look at Dune, Part Two. They review The City of Marble and Blood by Howard Andrews Jones.

The Saint of Bright Doors won the 2024 Crawford Award, which is awarded to a writer whose first fantasy novel debuted the previous year.

March 6th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | no comments |

What Feasts at Night: This Easton outing is less creepy, more scary

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

Alex Easton, protagonist of T. Kingfisher’s 2023 novella What Moves the Dead, is back with a second adventure in 2024’s What Feasts at Night. Joining Easton is loyal batman Angus and the unflappable British mycologist Miss Potter. This go-round, Easton and company face less of the science and more of the supernatural.

Alex Easton is Gallacian by nationality (a small imaginary country somewhere in central Europe). Easton is a “sworn soldier,” anatomically female but living as a man as part of the military.

WWWednesday: February 28, 2024

I picked this site because they included Comeuppance Served Cold on one of their “favorite” lists, but the whole place looks pretty fun.

Uncanny Magazine, Issue 57, is available on March 5.

The Crime Writers Association announces its 2024 winners.

Victoria Strauss discusses productive ways to change your mindset when thinking about agent/writing scams. (Thanks to File 770.)

The U.K. Guardian has an obituary for Canadian actor Kenneth Mitchell,

February 28th, 2024. Marion Deeds | World Wide Wednesday | 2 comments |

The Tainted Cup: Two wonderful new detectives take the stage

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

With 2024’s The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett introduces us to another beautiful, strange world, gives us a murder mystery, and brings on stage an engaging duo of detectives, against a backdrop of gargantuan creatures and weird botanical science. The first book of THE SHADOW OF THE LEVIATHAN is a satisfying mystery that leaves plenty of bigger questions unanswered, and I want the next book. Now.

Dinios Kol is a member of the Iudex,

February 26th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Robert Jackson Bennett | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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