Shadowmarch is the start of yet another epic fantasy trilogy by one of the genre’s better known authors. While I wouldn’t personally equate Shadowmarch with Tad Wiliams‘ earlier masterpiece (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn), it does stand above much of what is being written today. As is typical of fantasy, for that matter most genre novels, there are echoes of earlier works by the same author and other works by different authors.
March 6th, 2011. Bill Capossere and Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | Tad Williams | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I had intended to simply glance at the first page of The Angel’s Game and then set it aside to finish other books I was reading, but the first paragraph ensnared me:
A writer never forgets the first time he accepted a few coins or a word of praise in exchange for a story. He will never forget the sweet poison of vanity in his blood, and the belief that, if he succeeds in not letting anyone discover his lack of talent,
January 20th, 2011. Terry Weyna´s rating: 5 | Carlos Ruiz Zafón | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Peter and the Starcatchers by Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry
How did Peter Pan get to Neverland? Where did Tinkerbell come from? How did Hook lose his hand? And most importantly, how did Captain Hook and Peter Pan meet? This last question is the one Paige Pearson asked her father after hearing “Peter Pan,” which in turn led to Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson‘s collaborative effort Peter and the Starcatchers, written as a prequel to J.M. Barrie‘s classic work of children’s literature.
January 16th, 2011. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Ridley Pearson | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne
Day by Day Armageddon is a fictional journal of an unnamed Navy pilot depicting the daily events of the zombie apocalypse. The journal begins with a new year’s resolution, describes newscasts about a virus outbreak in china, then continues to describe each day as things around the world get progressively worse, leading to the eventual total collapse of modern society.
J.L. Bourne has not brought anything new to the table as far as zombie lore goes. He sticks to the fundamentals laid out by George A.
September 28th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 3 | J.L. Bourne | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Silver’s Edge by Anne Kelleher
I loved Silver’s Edge. It’s an eyes-glued-to-the-page story of politics and war between three realms in a world not unlike Dark Ages Britain or Ireland. The silver caul that once held the Sidhe, the goblins, and the humans in their own little worlds is missing; now the three races are thrown back together for reasons unknown, and chaos ensues.
The story focuses around several young women struggling to survive in this chaotic situation. I loved it — it’s rare that a book about political intrigue really does surprise me and pull the rug out from under my feet.
June 2nd, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Anne Kelleher, Anne Kelleher Bush | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard
Dressed in black with the tall slouch-hat typical of Puritan fashion, and armed with sword, flint-locks, and, later, an ancient carved staff, Solomon Kane stalks the 16th century world from the remote reaches of Europe to the bloody decks of the high seas, and into the deepest, darkest African jungles. Whether it be a witch-cursed monstrosity, hell-spawned vampire, mutant throwback, or just a wicked wretch of humankind, Solomon Kane will fight with equal determination and enthusiasm to see good triumph.
Robert E.
May 28th, 2010. Greg Hersom´s rating: 5 | Robert E. Howard | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Cup of the World by John Dickinson
John Dickinson’s The Cup of the World centers on Phaedra, daughter and only child of the Warden of Trant, an all-important land/fortress in a land with a long history of internal warfare. Her combination of looks, inheritance, and intelligence makes her the prime bridal catch, even one of the two princes is her suitor, but she rejects them all for two basic reasons: fear (of losing her independence and her life as her mother did, dying in childbirth) and love (of a strange man who comes to her in her dreams).
May 22nd, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | John Dickinson | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
While it was a nice breath of fresh air to see a book that incorporated the Norse mythology involving Odin, Thor, Ragnarok, etc., something relatively rare in all the fantasy out there, it seemed The Sea of Trolls as a whole lacked a spirit or spark to make it stand out.
The story follows just-started apprentice bard Jack as he and his little sister Lucy are taken prisoner by raiding Northmen (basically Vikings). The Sea of Trolls opens with Jack starting his apprenticeship,
May 17th, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Nancy Farmer | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Robert read the omnibus version called This Witch for Hire. It contains Dead Witch Walking and The Good, The Bad, and the Undead.
A guilty pleasure of mine, pardon the pun, was reading the ANITA BLAKE series by author Laurell K. Hamilton. Unfortunately, like many readers, I was turned off by the direction that the series was heading with later novels, and eventually stopped reading the books altogether with 2003’s Cerulean Sins.
April 14th, 2010. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | Kim Harrison | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Troll Fell by Katherine Langrish
Troll Fell is a decent young adult book whose Norse background gives a more fresh feel to an otherwise relatively mundane plot and set of characters. Younger readers will most likely enjoy it if not be inspired or captured by it; older readers won’t find much to chew on.
The story follows young Peer Ulfsson who upon his father’s death is grabbed up (literally) by a pair of wicked ogrish uncles for their own hidden reasons, the most transparent of which is to use him as free labor at their run-down mill,
March 15th, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Katherine Langrish | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
We’re in total agreement David!
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.
COMMENT Was I hinting that? I wasn't aware of it. But now that you mention it.... 🤔
So it sounds like you're hinting Fox may have had three or so different incomplete stories that he stitched together,…