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]: 2006.01

Nightlife: Didn’t like the characters

Nightlife by Rob Thurman

Set in modern day with a sprinkling of different mythical/fantastic creatures, Nightlife introduces a boy who was born from a human and demon cross. Exactly why this has happened and what the consequences will be consumes the majority of the story.

The main character, Cal, is a cynical, self-absorbed, boring twit. I didn’t like him and his older brother is so noble and self-righteous that he is not believable. The idea for the story is fine, but I didn’t like any of the characters, so basically I didn’t like Nightlife.

February 11th, 2009. John Hulet´s rating: 2 | Rob Thurman | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Inda: A wonderful book

Inda by Sherwood Smith

Sherwood Smith’s Inda is such a wonderful book. To begin with, Smith has created a world full of all the details and history that many of us crave and so seldom find. Smith takes the time to do more than simply tell a story. She creates a really vibrant backdrop for the characters to act against and the result is something a cut above most of the fantasy being written today.

Inda (his actual name is Indevan-Dal) is the second son of a noble family.

January 19th, 2009. John Hulet´s rating: 5 | Sherwood Smith | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Sea Witch: Sea witch words and punctuation marks we can omit

Sea Witch by Helen Hollick

I really enjoyed Helen Hollick’s trilogy about King Arthur, and I love pirates, so I had very high hopes for this historical fantasy. Therefore, I was extremely disappointed that I couldn’t even get past chapter five of Sea Witch. The story and the characters seemed promising, and I know from past experience that Ms. Hollick tells a good tale, but the writing was so badly done that I couldn’t continue. I had to keep re-reading paragraphs in order to understand what was going on.

December 21st, 2008. Kat Hooper´s rating: 0.1 | Helen Hollick | SFF Reviews | no comments |

A Shadow in Summer: A book worth re-reading

A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

The Cities of the Khaiem shine like jewels in the East, and the brightest is the port of Saraykeht. The realm’s profitable cotton trade flows through the city, quickened by the artistry of the poet Heshai. For in the East, a poet’s art can become incarnate as a powerful spirit-slave (andat), and it is on the shoulders of Heshai, master of the andat Seedless, that the weight of Saraykeht’s continuing prosperity balances… a weight outsiders would gladly topple.

In these delicate times, first-time novelist Daniel Abraham chronicles the poignant choices of a handful of characters seldom seen in the “fantasy”

Here, There Be Dragons: Quick, enjoyable, with Easter Eggs

Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen

The first thing that comes to mind when I read Here, There Be Dragons is that it’s dual-layered. On one hand, it’s your typical young adult fantasy where the protagonists enter another realm and end up saving it (although James A. Owens breaks convention by having a much older demographic as its heroes). On the other hand, more knowledgeable readers will catch various literary and mythical allusions that the author sprinkled into the story.

This is very much a young adult book,

Shadowbred: A fun read with plenty of suspense

Shadowbred by Paul S. Kemp

First off, I’d like to clarify one thing. I don’t really consider myself a Forgotten Realms reader (never mind my various Drizz’t books or the Shadows of the Spider Queen novels) so I don’t have a Master’s degree in the setting. Having said that, Shadowbred was an interesting read and starts out with a prologue that hooked me.

As for the rest of Shadowbred, Paul S. Kemp manages to juggle multiple points of view from both heroes and villains.

June 12th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Paul S. Kemp | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Skewed Throne: Gritty low fantasy debut

The Skewed Throne by Joshua Palmatier

Varis is “gutterscum,” a girl — as much animal as girl — who survives as a sneak-thief in the horrid slum of Amenkor known as “The Dredge.” But even in the slum, rumors are spreading about The Mistress, who governs the city from the mystical Skewed Throne — rumors of insanity after a tidal wave of mysterious white fire sweeps through the land. After Varis stabs a criminal in self-defense, she comes to the attention of one of the Mistress’s guardsmen-assassins and begins to help him in tracking his “marks.”

June 10th, 2008. Rob Rhodes´s rating: 3 | Joshua Palmatier | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Sebastian: A romance novel with some fantasy concepts

Sebastian by Anne Bishop

It always saddens me when an author I thought was good turns out to be…well, not so good. I was willing to forget about Anne Bishop’s previous trilogy (Tir Alainn) and go into Sebastian with her original Black Jewels Trilogy in mind.
This just was not a good book. It was not a fantasy novel, so much as a romance novel with some fantasy concepts. And they are interesting concepts, as Bishop’s often are (although a bit confusing until you get far enough into the book to make the right connections).

March 31st, 2008. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 2 | Anne Bishop | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Karavans: No significant action for 350 pages

Karavans by Jennifer Roberson

Karavans is the story of a country that has been overrun by a foreign nation of savages, and as the people start to flee the country, Alisanos, the demonwood on the border of the country starts to come alive and take back parts of the land. The story follows several different characters as they deal with the disruptions to their lives caused by the invading Hecari and the awakening of Alisanos.

Jennifer Roberson is a talented writer who creates intriguing characters. Karavans is a beautifully written novel that evokes a visceral reaction from the reader at several different points.

March 5th, 2008. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3 | Jennifer Roberson | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Dusk & Dawn: Dark and imaginative, tinged with horror

Dusk & Dawn by Tim Lebbon

For Tim Lebbon, multiple award-winning (Bram Stoker, Tombstone, Shocker, British Fantasy) author of numerous horror/supernatural-themed novels and short stories, the Dusk and Dawn duology marks the writer’s first attempt at a fully realized fantasy world with mixed results.

Before we get into the positives and negatives of the novels, it must be noted that Dawn is a direct sequel to Dusk, so it’s necessary to have read the one before the other,

February 26th, 2008. Robert Thompson and Greg Hersom´s rating: 3, 3.5 | Tim Lebbon | SFF Reviews | no comments |

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