Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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]: 2008.02

Catching Fire: Highly recommended

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

One of last year’s best, most compelling reads was Suzanne Collins’ dystopic The Hunger Games, in which a group of young boys and girls are sent into a large geographic area for a kill-or-be-killed TV spectacle — a sort of Running Man meets Lord of the Flies meets Survivor meets The Lottery. The book, carried along winningly by the strong main character Katniss, was suspenseful, poignant, and often breathless, ending with a clear resolution but with an obvious nod toward a sequel.

Betraying Season: Lacks the charm of Bewitching Season

Betraying Season by Marissa Doyle

Penelope Leland is off on an adventure of her own. Eager to get away from her newly married, not to mention disgustingly happy twin Persephone, Pen ships off to Ireland with her former governess Ally to continue her studies in magic in the hopes of getting to the same level as her sister.

But things never seem to go according to plan, and Pen soon finds herself more alone than she could have thought possible, Ally is expecting a baby and is dreadfully sick all the time,

Darkness calls: Mr. Erl King is one icky villain!

Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu

I loved The Iron Hunt, and was eagerly looking forward to the sequel. (Has it really only been a year?) I’m happy to report that Darkness Calls (2009) is a worthy successor. This time around, Maxine and her boyfriend Grant are being hounded by a mysterious group of religious fanatics and by a horrifically creepy being who introduces himself as “Mr. Erl King,” a name that will probably be familiar to myth-geeks like me. Seriously,

July 8th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Marjorie M. Liu | SFF Reviews | no comments |

In Ashes Lie: This is a story about power

In Ashes Lie by Marie Brennan

In Ashes Lie continues the story of the Onyx Court, a faerie city situated just below London, and the Court’s dealings with London’s mortals. Lune, who became queen of the Onyx Court in Midnight Never Come, reigns still. Her mortal consort, Michael Deven, is long dead. Lune has chosen another man to act as her official consort and liaison with the mortal world, but the role is political only.

In Ashes Lie follows Lune and her allies through the end of Charles I’s troubled reign,

July 5th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4.5 | Marie Brennan | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Lord Tophet: Better than its predecessor

Lord Tophet by Gregory Frost

Creatively Shadowbridge is a marvelous work of invention, embodied by the imaginative Shadowbridge setting — a world of linked spiraling spans of bridges on which all impossibilities can happen — the intriguing art of shadow play, and the many enchanting tales and fables that are interwoven into the main narrative. Yet because of issues that I had with not being able to emotionally connect with the characters, worldbuilding that I felt could have been more penetrating, uneven pacing and narrative structure, and an unsatisfying cliffhanger,

July 5th, 2009. Robert Thompson´s rating: 4.5 | Gregory Frost | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Map of Moments: Golden and Lebbon make a great team

The Map of Moments by Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon

Mind the Gap, the first collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, was a solid offering, marred by a slow start and conventional plotting, but ended on a very strong note. Their second collaboration follows a somewhat similar path — slow beginning, powerful ending — but with some key differences.

Firstly, the setting for The Map of Moments is much more interesting than it was in Mind the Gap.

May 29th, 2009. Robert Thompson´s rating: 4 | Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Magic in the Blood: Ouch!

Magic in the Blood by Devon Monk

I complain sometimes about urban fantasy heroines who keep racking up more and more improbable powers over the course of a series, eventually becoming such spectacular demigoddesses that it would take a small army to give them so much as a black eye.

That’s one problem Allie Beckstrom doesn’t have. I’m beginning to think Allie needs more powers to deal with everything Devon Monk is throwing at her. Monk is great — maybe a little too great — at describing the agony of trekking all over Portland in the rain with a blinding migraine,

May 3rd, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Devon Monk | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Longeye: Can’t recommend it

Longeye by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Longeye is the sequel and conclusion to the enjoyable novel Duainfey.

Now that Becca has escaped from life as a sex-slave to Artificer Altimere, she must find a way to rebuild her life, learn to trust again, and help solve the mystery of what is happening to the land around her, as undead trees and strange monsters are starting to appear and take over Faliance. (Undead trees? That’s the big bad guy here?)

I usually am a big fan of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller,

January 12th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 2 | Sharon Lee | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Blood Bargain: Darn good paranormal mystery

Blood Bargain by Maria Lima

It took me a little while to get fully engrossed in Blood Bargain, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Maria Lima’s second Blood Lines novel is even better than the first, a fun and sometimes poignant paranormal treat.

Once again, there’s trouble in Rio Seco, and Keira Kelly finds herself embroiled in it. Her vampire boyfriend Adam is showing alarming signs of weakness, and at the same time, Keira is drawn into two missing-persons cases that seem unconnected on the surface but may in fact be linked.

November 25th, 2008. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Maria Lima | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Wanderlust: I gobbled it up

Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre

So one of the problems I’ve been having recently, when it comes to returning to authors I’ve already read, is book blurbs that fill me with a sense of foreboding. The plots have been sounding so thin (and often matching). Not Wanderlust though. When I read the blurb for Wanderlust, I got excited.

Now that Sirantha Jax has exposed Farwan Corporation for what it really is, she’s kind of suffering a bit of a career dilemma… i.e.,

July 2nd, 2008. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 4.5 | Ann Aguirre | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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