The Urban Fantasy Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle & Joe R. Lansdale
It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of most urban fantasy. I tend to find problems with almost every urban fantasy book I’ve tried to read. When I got this book in the mail, I kind of rolled my eyes and shot it to the top of my “to be read” pile so I could get it over with fast. I didn’t expect to actually enjoy this book. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d open this anthology and think,
July 25th, 2017. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 4 | Carrie Vaughn, Charles De_Lint, Emma Bull, Francesca Lia Block, Holly Black, Jeffrey Ford, Joe R. Lansdale, Kelley Armstrong, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Briggs, Peter S. Beagle, Steven R. Boyett, Suzy McKee Charnas, Tim Powers | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
I usually struggle a bit with young adult books, however, Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood (2011) was a book I was really excited to see in my mailbox. First of all, the title is catchy and so is the cover. But it was the idea that really caught me — a teenage boy falling for a serial killer ghost. Interesting. How on earth could an author turn something like that into a book geared toward teens?
Blake does a great job at creating a world that is both familiar and different for readers to immerse themselves in.
July 17th, 2017. Sarah Chorn | Kendare Blake | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson
When I really need a mental vacation, I turn to romantic urban fantasy for a light, fun read. Full Blooded (2012), by Amanda Carlson, was just what I was looking for when I was going through a stressful time. It’s the first in Carlson’s JESSICA MCCLAIN werewolf series.
Full Blooded introduces us to our protagonist, Jessica, who wakes up in the middle of a change she shouldn’t be having, as women have never been able to change into werewolves before.
June 28th, 2017. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 3 | Amanda Carlson | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Empire of Dust by Jacey Bedford
I’m a huge sucker for science fiction books that toy with the mixing and merging of society and advanced technology. Just how would said technology impact people, morality, society and the like? It’s a fascinating moral gray area that leaves so much for authors to explore. Add in some additional mental abilities — like the ability to talk to animals, and to communicate with other people mentally across millions of miles — and you have something quite interesting.
Empire of Dust (2014) by Jacey Bedford has all of the elements of a good science fiction debut.
June 27th, 2017. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 3 | Jacey Bedford | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Keri Arthur’s books aren’t normally my style, but the description of City of Light (2016) interested me, so I jumped on it. A futuristic world that has been ravaged by war? Reality has been fundamentally altered? Yes, please.
The worldbuilding impressed me from the start. This world felt strange enough to not be our world, but similar enough for me to try to pick out where all this was taking place from various points of reference Arthur gave her readers.
June 26th, 2017. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 4 | Keri Arthur | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson
The Witches of Echo Park (2015) is a book that kind of has me stumped. The publisher sent me this first book in the series along with the second book. I read this one, and I’ve just kind of sat on it, wondering what to say about it. On the one hand, I loved it. It’s a unique, well written spin on what could easily have been a completely typical urban fantasy. On the other hand, I spent a good chunk of the book waiting for something to happen.
June 19th, 2017. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 3 | Amber Benson | SFF Reviews | no comments |
A Turn of Light by Julie E. Czerneda
Have you ever read a book that you fell head over heels in love with purely because the writing was so breathtakingly beautiful? For me, A Turn of Light (2013) by Julie E. Czerneda is one of those. It contains some of the most lyrical, breathtakingly beautiful writing I have run across in my many years writing reviews.
That being said, the lyrical writing might also be a downside for many readers. It takes quite a while for Czerneda to get to the point.
April 18th, 2017. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 4 | Julie E. Czerneda | SFF Reviews | no comments |
This River Awakens by Steven Erikson
Pretty much all you have to do is say Steven Erikson and I’m there. This River Awakens (2012) is far different from anything most people will think of when they hear the author’s name. It’s not set in a secondary world. It’s not epic fantasy. There isn’t a huge war or expanding empire in the core of the book. From what I understand, This River Awakens was Erikson’s first book and it’s more fiction and urban fantasy than anything else.
March 17th, 2017. Sarah Chorn | Steven Erikson | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Rapture of the Nerds by Cory Doctorow & Charles Stross
The Rapture of the Nerds (2012) is an odd duck, and that’s probably the reason I’m struggling so much to write this review. On the one hand, there are some deeper themes that are absolutely fascinating. On the other, the book feels like a mashup of as many clever curses as the authors can possibly think of, with some odd situations thrown in. Is this good or bad? I can’t even seem to decide. There is a place for fun and funny books,
February 18th, 2017. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 4 | Charles Stross, Cory Doctorow | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Brotherhood of the Wheel by R.S. Belcher
The Brotherhood of the Wheel (2016) was one of those books I never really thought I’d read. However, I picked it up and it took exactly one paragraph for me to be hooked. The reason for that is simple. Belcher has one hell of an addicting style of writing. Lyrical, flowing, full of imagery and atmosphere, this book instantly sucked me in.
And then he hit me with all the mythology and urban legends and I was in heaven.
February 13th, 2017. Sarah Chorn | R.S. (Rod) Belcher | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…