Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
I read Furies of Calderon while waiting for Jim Butcher’s next DRESDEN FILES novel. Butcher’s little blurb at the end of his books had convinced me to give it a whirl.
Let it be known, this is not to the caliber of THE DRESDEN FILES. It is a good book nonetheless. The story follows several characters in the world of Alera who find themselves intertwined together in a land on the brink of war. Furies of Calderon is a book of themes.
February 13th, 2009. Justin Blazier and Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Jim Butcher | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Stone Prince by Gena Showalter
A pre-warning: The Stone Prince contains cheesy content. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Jorlan En Sarr is from another planet. He’s also a prince on his home planet and a warrior who was sent to Earth in the form of a statue by his evil brother who just happens to be a sorcerer. On Earth, Jorlan is awoken from his stone state by Katie, a practical tomboy who renovates houses for a living. After Katie miraculously awakes Jorlan the next 2/3 of the book are scenes of heated sexual tension along with a little silliness (I laughed particularly hard when Jorlan tried to use a spatula as a weapon).
February 9th, 2009. Guest´s rating: 3 | Gena Showalter | SFF Reviews | no comments |
FIRE OF HEAVEN by Russell Kirkpatrick
The Fire Of Heaven series is a Christianity-inspired fantasy. My rating for these three books varies quite a bit from the first book to the last. The first book, Across the Face of the World, was a promising start to the story and I would rate it at perhaps three stars. I had hoped the writing would improve as the story progressed, but the second book, In the Earth Abides the Flame, was, unfortunately, a step backwards rather than forwards and it introduced elements that bothered me,
April 28th, 2008. Guest´s rating: 1 | Russell Kirkpatrick | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Ferren and the Angel by Richard Harland
Never before have I read a book with such epic proportions, such potential, and such originality — and yet was written so carelessly and simplistically. What promises to be a future-fantasy-adventure along the lines of Philip Pullman‘s amazing His Dark Materials trilogy, instead reads like sci-fi pulp fiction.
Ferren and the Angel is set in the year 3000AD, after a series of scientific discoveries and heavenly experiments that resulted in a full out war between Heaven and Earth.
April 10th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Richard Harland | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Joining the ranks of comic fantasy authors like Terry Pratchett, Robert Asprin, Esther Freisner, and Piers Anthony is relative newcomer Jim C. Hines. His dungeon delving novel, Goblin Quest, brings a jovial and ironic spirit to the ranks of fantasy fiction.
Jig, a young, scrawny, and near-sighted goblin is content to work with muck. It keeps him out of the way of the rougher, tougher goblins,
March 26th, 2008. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 4 | Jim C. Hines | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Wizard’s Ward by Deborah Hale
I blame Deborah Hale for my drowsiness this morning. I had to stay up late to finish The Wizard’s Ward, or I would never have been able to sleep.
Maura Woodbury, an enchantress, has always led a quiet life… until her uncle announces that she is to be queen of all Umbria and she has to make her way to the Secret Glade and awaken the Waiting King who will drive the evil Han from Umbria forever and restore peace to all the land.
February 9th, 2008. Guest´s rating: 4 | Deborah Hale | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Beyond the Summerland by L.B. Graham
Beyond the Summerland is a magnificent work — an adventure story that is compelling, fast-paced, and full of deep and rich characters. Deep in scope, filled with intimate duels and the clash of armies, it is a work that still maintains a sense of what man is and how his choices lead either to ruin or rejoicing. The race to an exciting and surprising conclusion will leave you hungering for more.
The story is seen primarily through the eyes of Joraiem,
February 5th, 2008. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 5 | L.B. Graham | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr
The adventure in The Akhenaten Adventures involves a pair of twins, 12-yr-old John and Philippa Gaunt, who discover after a series of odd events that they are not simple upper-class adolescents as they’ve always though but a pair of djinns (“genie” is considered vulgar) about to come into their own powers. Soon they’re off to London and the tutelage of their Uncle Nimrod. It turns out, however, that they need to learn their powers quickly, for Nimrod is involved in a dangerous quest to prevent the head of an evil djinn tribe from finding a source of great power,
January 6th, 2008. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | P.B. Kerr | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Greenstone Grail by Amanda Hemingway
If one has to accept the fact that almost all fantasy books are now the beginning of a series (and we’re just about to that point), then at least Amanda Hemingway’s The Greenstone Grail is a compelling enough beginning to leave the reader wanting more while still resolving at least this portion of the story. Grail opens nicely with a bit of suspense and mystery as Annie Ward, carrying her infant son, is chased/herded, down a dark unfamiliar road by things dark and barely seen.
January 3rd, 2008. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Amanda Hemingway | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Divine by Mistake by P.C. Cast
I was not able to finish Divine by Mistake. It flunked the Finish-able Book Test, which means that if I put it down for a couple of days and find no desire to pick it back up, I don’t bother wasting my time.
Shannon, a schoolteacher from Oklahoma, gets zapped by magic into the mythical world of Partholon, where she ends up worshipped as a priestess, married to an attractive shapeshifter, and embroiled in a war with the truly nasty and evil Fomorians.
December 26th, 2007. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 0.1 | P.C. Cast | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
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.