Astonishing X-Men, Volume One: Gifted (Issues 1-6) and Astonishing X-Men, Volume 2: Dangerous (Issues 7-12) by Joss Whedon (writer) and John Cassaday (artist)
These two Astonishing X-Men trade collections by Joss Whedon — Gifted and Dangerous — make a great introduction either to superhero comics in general or to X-Men comics specifically. There are some goods reasons Joss Whedon was chosen to write and direct the latest Avengers movie,
March 15th, 2013. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4.5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary contains eight tasty little nuggets of supernatural horror that I found very satisfying. In each of them the story is told second or even third hand by a genial narrator whose acquaintances, who are themselves of a decidedly scholarly bent, have been the victims of supernatural intrusion into our world. Often the stories revolve around an ancient artifact able to invoke the otherworldly that is discovered by these particularly luckless individuals (though they often feel themselves lucky indeed when they first make their discoveries).
September 24th, 2012. Terry Lago´s rating: 4 | M.R. James | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer & Rags Morales
Over the years, the DC universe has undergone a series of crises — Crisis on Infinite Earths, Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis. Out of these four, arguably the best written and most significant, and certainly my personal favorite, is Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales. It’s about the death of Sue Dibny,
August 31st, 2012. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Over the top villain. Check. Strange and funny alien races. Check. Quest for singular object that leads through space. Check. Multitudes of battlecruisers, space wings, and dreadnaughts converging at a single point. Check. Boxes ticked, Iain M. Banks makes no bones about it: The Algebraist is unabashed space opera, for better and worse.
The Algebraist, the 20th novel and 8th sci-fi offering in Bank’s oeuvre, tells the story of Fassin Taak, a scholar who spends his time in the atmosphere of a gas giant interacting with the native species called Dwellers.
July 27th, 2012. Jesse Hudson´s rating: 3 | Iain M. Banks | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Stamping Butterflies by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
I picked up John Courtenay Grimwood’s Stamping Butterflies because Marion thinks so highly of his work and I thought a stand-alone novel which has just been released in audio format would be an ideal introduction to the author. While I found much to admire about Grimwood’s style, I didn’t enjoy Stamping Butterflies as much as I expect to enjoy some of his other work.
The non-linear three-pronged plot of Stamping Butterflies is ambitious.
May 30th, 2012. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Jon Courtenay (Jonathan) Grimwood | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Scarecrow and his Servant by Philip Pullman
We Might Sometimes Go Hungry, But We Will Never Want for Adventure…
Philip Pullman is best known for his young-adult fantasy series His Dark Materials as well as the Victorian thrillers starring Sally Lockhart, but he also has quite a few children’s books under his belt, all of which are whimsical and comedic in nature. The Scarecrow and His Servant is one such story, highly reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander‘s work and definitely a change of pace from Pullman’s darker,
August 31st, 2011. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Philip Pullman | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Inventing Memory by Anne Harris
Inventing Memory is a book I found impossible to put down. Anne Harris kept me spellbound from beginning to end, with one hiccup: an aspect of the science-fiction twist that didn’t quite make sense.
The novel contains two parallel storylines. One is about Shula, a slave in ancient Sumer, who has visions that lead her to the service of the goddess Inanna. However, even as Inanna makes greater and greater demands upon her, Shula loses her heart to a different goddess,
June 12th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Anne Harris | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Ian McDonald’s River of Gods is a complex, multi-threaded tale that takes place in near-future India which has been split into somewhat warring states. There is a water shortage as the monsoon hasn’t come in three years, a rigid caste system is in place, and political and economic strife is tearing cities apart at the seams. While the rich get richer and designer babies are common among the elite, there is a gross gender imbalance where men outnumber women by two thirds.
January 15th, 2011. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 4 | Ian McDonald | BSFA Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison
Everyone knows the story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” but Mettie Ivie Harrison has something more to say, not just about the Evil Queen, but also her magic mirror. In recent years it has been rather vogue to take a traditional fairytale and put a new spin on it (usually by retelling it through the eyes of the antagonist), but Mira, Mirror not only acts as a sequel to “Snow White,” but also provides a new point-of-view in the form of the Queen’s mirror.
November 19th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Mette Ivie Harrison | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
During the height of the French-Indian War, Isabella and her father, who is a doctor with the British army, are making their way to a new fort through the New York wilderness. In the meantime, Wusamequin, a Native American brave who is looking to avenge the death of his wife and child has a vision of soldiers crossing through the lands of his people. In a fit of rage Wusamequin leads a party of warriors against the English. Impressed with the way Isabella fights back, he spares her life and takes her into his home as his slave,
June 20th, 2010. Guest´s rating: 2 | Nancy Holder | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
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…