The Witch and the Wizard: The Gift by James Patterson & Ned Rust
A dystopian urban fantasy written for young adults, The Gift is the second novel in James Patterson’s Witch & Wizard series. Co-writing with Ned Rust, Patterson wastes no time opening The Gift, starting his story with the public execution of a resistance leader and follows up with a face-off between our teenage heroes and their villainous foe, The One Who Is The One.
December 12th, 2010. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 2.5 | James Patterson | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
You’ll be forgiven for overlooking that Jack Whyte’s The Skystone is an adaptation of Arthurian legend. Believe it or not, Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are nowhere to be found. Instead, Whyte’s story is about Roman general Caius Britannicus’ dream for Britain.
The Skystone is set amidst the Roman withdrawal from Britain. Britannicus’ legion has faced hard fighting along Hadrian’s Wall. They have retreated to Londinium, and the Romans are about to leave permanently.
December 11th, 2010. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 3.5 | Jack Whyte | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Hawkmoon: The Runestaff by Michael Moorcock
This reissue reveals how much epic fantasy has changed since the 1960s. It’s hard to believe that there is an epic fantasy stretched over just four 200-page entries. Certainly, Hawkmoon: The Runestaff is an old-school sword and sorcery tale. Originally published in 1969, Michael Moorcock’s The Runestaff is the fourth entry in The History of the Runestaff. Tor has now released the story as Hawkmoon: The Runestaff. How have things changed?
December 8th, 2010. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 3 | Michael Moorcock | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Atlantis and Other Places by Harry Turtledove
Atlantis and Other Places is a collection of short stories published over the last ten years, in which Harry Turtledove does his best to showcase the freedom offered to writers of alternate history. Just ask “what if” and see what happens. For example:
What if 21st century news media existed during World War Two? What if centaurs suddenly discovered humans? What if complex intelligence had evolved in mollusks instead of people? They’re interesting ideas and it’s tough not to be curious about what sort of ride Turtledove has constructed for his audience.
December 7th, 2010. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 3 | Harry Turtledove | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie
The Little Prince and Alice in Wonderland are sometimes considered “Children’s Literature,” but both stories speak to the human imagination so directly that they free themselves from the shackles of young age. In his latest novel, Luka and the Fire of Life, Salman Rushdie seeks to write a transcendently ageless, imaginative story about Luka, a boy who was born to turn back time.
Luka is an unusual child.
November 16th, 2010. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 3 | Salman Rushdie | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Songs of Love and Death edited by George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois
Songs of Love and Death is the third anthology that George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois have edited together. Like Warriors and Songs of the Dying Earth, Songs of Love and Death brings together some of the biggest names that SFF has to offer and they set these authors to work on a common theme.
Martin and Dozois offer a cross-genre anthology that ranges from Robin Hobb’s epic fantasy “Blue Boots,” which tells the story of a romance between a young serving girl and a silver-tongued minstrel,
November 15th, 2010. Ryan Skardal and Kat Hooper | Carrie Vaughn, Diana Gabaldon, Gardner Dozois, George R.R. Martin, Jacqueline Carey, Jim Butcher, Linnea Sinclair, Lisa Tuttle, M.L.N. Hanover, Marjorie M. Liu, Mary Jo Putney, Melinda Snodgrass, Neil Gaiman, Peter S. Beagle, Robin Hobb, Tanith Lee, Yasmine Galenorn | Audio, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
Zero History by William Gibson
It is getting more difficult to classify William Gibson as an SFF writer. Although Gibson’s earliest work stands alongside the best of science fiction and cyberpunk, and The Difference Engine, which he co-wrote with Bruce Sterling, is a well-respected steampunk novel, Gibson’s Bigend trilogy has left cyberpunk, outer space, and human cloning behind.
Instead, Zero History is about jeans.
Gabriel Hounds clothing is unlike any clothing now made by mainstream fashion companies.
November 10th, 2010. Ryan Skardal and Marion Deeds | William Gibson | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
In Full Dark, No Stars, the latest short story collection from Stephen King, our heroes explore the boundaries between victim and predator, often exchanging roles as they navigate their way through the twisted passages of King’s mind. These characters are often out for no one but themselves, and they will use every resource — even burlap sacks and GPS — in their quest to get what they want.
Of the four stories, “Big Driver” stands out as Tess,
November 9th, 2010. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 4 | Stephen King | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Spook Country by William Gibson
William Gibson’s Spook Country is set in the same universe as Pattern Recognition, but Hubertus Bigend aside, there is little here that recalls its predecessor. Spook Country is perhaps the weakest entry in Gibson’s Bigend trilogy.
Where Pattern Recognition was told from Cayce Pollard’s point of view, Spook Country is divided between three plotlines that only barely touch each other.
November 4th, 2010. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 3 | William Gibson | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
One of the problems with reviewing books like Towers of Midnight is that as you’re taking your notes and then as you’re writing the review itself, you know that really, none of it matters. Because let’s face it, nobody’s reading a review of the thirteenth book in a series — the penultimate one no less — to see if they should read the book. So we’ll dispense with the recommending part of the review and just give some spoiler-free impressions of this almost-the-end book by Robert Jordan &
November 2nd, 2010. Bill Capossere and Ryan Skardal´s rating: 4 | Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
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…
this sounds like a fun one