2004.01 | Fantasy Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews

Order [book in series=yearoffirstbook.book# (eg 2014.01), stand-alone or one-author collection=3333.pubyear, multi-author anthology=5555.pubyear, SFM/MM=5000, interview=1111]: 2004.01

The Stone of the Stars: I’d have treasured it at 13

The Stone of the Stars by Alison Baird

The Stone of the Stars is a fun, if imperfect, high fantasy with gently feminist overtones, a coming-of-age theme, and a slight hint of romance.

The beginning is… well, inauspicious. There’s a Prologue that has the feel of warmed-over Tolkien as seen through the lens of the “back in the good old days, everyone was a peaceful Goddess-worshipper” myth. Then, in chapter one, we meet our heroine, Ailia, in a scene that has “Mary Sue” written all over it,

The Game of Sunken Places: Bit muddled

The Game of Sunken Places by M.T. Anderson

The Game of Sunken Places has at its core several relatively humdrum concepts: a board game that plays for real, a hidden kingdom, two friends (one timid, one outgoing), a race to save the (or a) world. This isn’t so bad since so much fantasy works with the same basic materials. The question is whether the author transcends the familiar and here the answer tends to be no.

The story follows a pair of thirteen-year-old friends, Gregory and Brian,

THE BRIDGE OF D’ARNATH: Carol Berg is a favorite

THE BRIDGE OF D’ARNATH by Carol Berg

Carol Berg has been one of my favorite authors for years now, ever since I picked up Son of Avonar, having been intrigued by both the title and the cover. She’s an author who can handle first person point of view with skill (no, it’s not easier, trust me), weaves some truly fascinating plots with excellent twists, and creates interesting worlds peopled by races that feel unique in a genre full of elves, dwarves, and the like. Though she has her occasional disappointments,

December 22nd, 2009. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 5 | Carol Berg | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Firethorn: Sarah Micklem’s prose is beautiful

Firethorn by Sarah Micklem

Reading the publisher’s blurb quoted above, you might expect a very different book from this one. It’s not that it’s inaccurate, per se. It’s just that all of the events in the blurb happen at the very beginning of the story. By page 15, Luck has fled the estate and is hiding out in the Kingswood, trying to survive on what she can forage. After what can best be described as a shamanic near-death experience, Luck believes she has been chosen by Ardor, the god of fire, for some unknown purpose,

June 24th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4.5 | Sarah Micklem | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Year of Our War: Cluttered plot, erratic execution

The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston

I’m always drawn to material that is described as “fresh,” “original” or “inventive.” So when I was introduced to Steph Swainston and her highly praised fantasy series, I was eager to delve into this fascinating new world starting with Ms. Swainston’s debut The Year of Our War. Unluckily for me, it wasn’t quite what I expected.

Set in The Fourlands, The Year of Our War focuses on three races (humans, winged yet flightless Awians,

June 15th, 2009. Robert Thompson´s rating: 2 | Steph Swainston | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Singer of All Songs: Gripping

The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable

In the world of Tremaris, there are nine types of magic. Ninth is the power of tongue, the ability to speak in all languages. Eighth is the power of beasts, commanding all animals at will. Seventh is the power of seeming, which creates illusions in the mind. Sixth is the power of wind, which commands weather. Fifth is the power of iron, commanding all that belongs to the earth excepting anything living, fire, wind and water.

Night of Knives: Strong characters

Night of Knives by Ian Cameron Esslemont

Any die-hard fan of the Malazan novels by Steven Erikson should know of Ian Cameron Esslemont. For the uninitiated, Mr. Esslemont and Steven Erikson are the co-creators of the Malazan world, which was originally conceived as a role-playing game.

I am a big fan of the Malazan novels. It was in 2004 that I first heard about the series thanks to the Science Fiction Book Club, which was featuring Gardens of the Moon when it was making its U.S.

April 14th, 2009. Robert Thompson and João Eira | Ian C. Esslemont | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Matthias Thulmann: Witch Hunter

Matthias Thulmann: Witch Hunter by C.L. Werner

I’m not into RPG’s. So I’m not always comfortable with an RPG-based book. But I’ve been to Warhammer’s Old World before — I‘ve read Fell Cargo, and a couple of Dark Blade books. And I do like the main concept of the Warhammer storyline — a medieval world on the brink of apocalypse where a dark empire, ruled by the descendant of a god, is mankind’s only hope against the hordes of Chaos.

April 8th, 2009. Greg Hersom´s rating: 5 | C.L. Werner | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Becoming: Nothing to write home about

The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein

If you don’t think about it too hard, The Becoming could be a fun book for the beach. It’s short, fast-paced, and suffused with a sun-drenched California atmosphere that’s unusual in a vampire novel. (Jeanne C. Stein’s vampires have evolved to tolerate the sun.) It’s also nice that it’s self-contained; there are sequels, but The Becoming is a complete story in itself. Unfortunately, there are all sorts of things about it that bothered me or fell flat with me.

April 8th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Jeanne C. Stein | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Mountain’s Call: A stinker

The Mountain’s Call by Caitlin Brennan

I really thought I would like Caitlin Brennan’s White Magic Trilogy, I really did! The Mountain’s Call started off so well, very Harry Potter-like with the herioine headed off to this mystical school where she was to learn about the White Horse Gods… but as it went on and on and on… it lost its thrill.

The plot, though intending to become more intense, only became more and more dull. The whole plot is culminating in this “Dance”

March 11th, 2009. Guest´s rating: 2 | Caitlin Brennan | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Bill Capossere on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
We’re in total agreement David!
David C Walton on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Marion Deeds on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.
Sandy Ferber on The Druid Stone: Ugony and the EcstasyJune 30, 2025
COMMENT Was I hinting that? I wasn't aware of it. But now that you mention it.... 🤔
Paul Connelly on The Druid Stone: Ugony and the EcstasyJune 30, 2025
So it sounds like you're hinting Fox may have had three or so different incomplete stories that he stitched together,…

Order [book in series=yearoffirstbook.book# (eg 2014.01), stand-alone or one-author collection=3333.pubyear, multi-author anthology=5555.pubyear, SFM/MM=5000, interview=1111]: 2004.01

The Stone of the Stars: I’d have treasured it at 13

The Game of Sunken Places: Bit muddled

THE BRIDGE OF D’ARNATH: Carol Berg is a favorite

Firethorn: Sarah Micklem’s prose is beautiful

The Year of Our War: Cluttered plot, erratic execution

The Singer of All Songs: Gripping

Night of Knives: Strong characters

Matthias Thulmann: Witch Hunter

The Becoming: Nothing to write home about

The Mountain’s Call: A stinker

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