Cross Elizabeth Hand with Fire and Hemlock, and you might end up with something like Freda Warrington’s Elfland. This is the kind of big, sweeping modern faerie tale that you don’t see often on the adult shelves anymore. There’s been some beautiful work done in YA recently, but in the adult realm, the trend has been away from novels like this. And that’s a shame. Elfland is complex, rich, sensual, beautifully written, and sometimes heartbreaking.
April 7th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5, 5 | Freda Warrington | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
For kids who are too young for the complex Harry Potter series, and yet interested in fantasy stories, then Bruce Coville’s Magic Shop books might be the thing to hook them up with. Each book is based on a basic premise: a young child with the usual kid problems (home trouble, bullies, crushes, angry teachers, etc) stumble across Mr Elives’ Magic Shop, and leave with an unusual purchase that creates more trouble for them, but ultimately teaches them important lessons.
March 16th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Bruce Coville | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Victor’s Challenge by Pamela Freeman
Twelve years after Victor’s Quest was released, it’s being republished, along with its new sequel Victor’s Challenge. Both are spin-offs of the Floramunde trilogy, though aimed at a much younger audience — specifically those who have begun independent reading. The Victor books are geared toward six to eight year olds, though of course there’s nothing to stop anyone from reading them. Older readers should be warned though that they are very slender volumes: you’d probably finish each in about fifteen minutes.
March 5th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Pamela Freeman | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Victor’s Quest by Pamela Freeman
In the third and final book of the Floramunde trilogy, we were briefly introduced to a character called Victor (who sadly failed in the attempt to win Princess Betony’s hand due to his unfortunate stupidity). But Victor wasn’t a total pushover. He may not be very clever, but he’s brave and kind, and has a very intelligent horse that makes up for his own lack of sense. And he’s still single, something that his mother wants him to rectify immediately.
He’s sent off on a quest to find and marry a princess,
February 24th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Pamela Freeman | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
In the Forests of Serre by Patricia McKillip
Patricia A. McKillip once more takes us into her intricate and ornate imagination with In the Forests of Serre, which has the feeling of an old fairytale that McKillip has discovered in some old book and fleshed-out for us in her unique style of writing. Combining several components from various myths and legends, (predominantly the Firebird and a witch who bears more than a passing resemblance to the Russian Baba Yaga), In the Forests of Serre is a book that McKillip’s fans will find to their liking.
January 30th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Patricia McKillip | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Just as every Harry Potter book began with the requisite tormenting of the Dursley family, every Percy Jackson book begins with the destruction of a school, a trend that continues in the fourth book starring the young demi-god son of Poseidon. Unless you’re familiar with the three previous books, you’ll probably find yourself lost with what’s going on here. About to celebrate his fifteenth birthday party, Percy is still up to his neck in problems, ranging from his mother’s new boyfriend to the Greek monsters that keep trying to kill him.
January 8th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Rick Riordan | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
Like all of Patricia McKillip‘s books, Ombria in Shadow is a dreamy, intricate tale, made memorable by her distinctive poetic prose. Symbols, circumstances and meanings can be interpreted on any number of deeper levels, making her books ones to be savored and re-read. If you are a lover of eloquent poetry and subtle imagery, then let Ombria in Shadow be the first of McKillip’s range of stories to let you drift away on language that must have been meticulously chosen in order to create a sense of faery and dreaming.
January 4th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher and Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Patricia McKillip | Mythopoeic Award, Stand-Alone, World Fantasy Award | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
To briefly bring you up to date: the five-part Percy Jackson series revolves around updated versions of the Greek gods and their half-blood children. With Olympus currently situated in New York, many of the gods’ children (who often don’t know who their godly parent is, having been raised by their mortal one) attend Camp Half-Blood where they can learn to control their abilities and fend off the monsters that they attract like magnets. Percy’s coming-of-age story involves him undertaking number of dangerous quests to defeat the growing power of Kronos,
December 8th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Rick Riordan | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The first installment of Pamela Freeman‘s Castings trilogy may seem at first like a typical fantasy novel, with swords as everyone’s weapon of choice, horses as everyone’s mode of transportation, and copious amounts of ale and stew making up everyone’s diet. But it doesn’t take long before Blood Ties reveals itself to be quite different from the usual swords-and-sorcery realm: in its setting and atmosphere, in its plot and story-structure, and in its myriad of themes and ideas.
November 20th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5 | Pamela Freeman | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Truth be told, I wasn’t hugely impressed with the first Percy Jackson book, The Lightning Thief. It was entertaining, yes, but somewhat convoluted, derivative and predictable. Well, with Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, I take it all back. With a more rewarding plot, stronger characterization, and smoother pacing, the second book in the five-part series is an improvement in every respect.
Percy Jackson has recently discovered that his missing father is none other than the sea god Poseidon,
November 15th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Rick Riordan | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Welcome, Serena!
Good. The Basilisk Throne definitely left several characters in medias res at the end. I haven't seen any word about…
It wholly works as a self-contained work with a very brief bit at the end that allows for the possibility…
I just read The Saliva Tree yesterday and loved it. A couple notes: In my copy (I read it in…
I have a hold request for this at the library, so I'm glad to hear you liked it. Does this…