Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost
Would-Be Witch (2009) is the first book in Kimberly Frost’s SOUTHERN WITCH paranormal romance series. I picked it up because Tantor Audio has just released its sequel, Barely Bewitched, and offered to send me a copy for review. There are currently five novels in this popular series.
Tammy Jo is a fiery red-head descended from a line of witches. Tammy Jo’s magical powers never developed, so she doesn’t practice witchcraft.
December 7th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | Kimberly Frost | Audio | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
Confession: I love pirates. Stories with pirates in them have captivated me for as long as I can remember (and I’ll blame my family for sitting me in front of such movies as Muppets Treasure Island and The Princess Bride) and continue to bring me great joy. With this in mind, you can imagine how excited I was when I found a pirate story by one of my favourite authors, Chris Wooding. Retribution Falls is everything I could have asked for from a swashbuckling tale: there are old foes,
November 24th, 2015. Skye Walker´s rating: 4.5 | Chris Wooding | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Yes, my dear child, monsters are real. I happen to have one hanging in my basement.
Rick Yancey’s story revolves around Dr. Wathrop who investigates and studies monsters — he’s the Monstrumologist. The setting is late 19th century New England, and the Monstrumologist has taken in Will Henry, the orphan of his former assistant. It’s through this young apprentice’s eyes that Yancey tells his tale of mythological monsters run amuck in pre-industrial Massachusetts. The Monstrumologist is a creepy,
October 23rd, 2015. Jason Golomb´s rating: 3 | Rick Yancey | Horror, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Rising Stars: Compendium (Part One) by J. Michael Straczynski
Having just finished Straczynski‘s Rising Stars, I now have a new comic book to add to my list of favorites. JMS, as he’s known, is the creator of Babylon 5, and he applies his grand world-building skills to this superhero comic. As Neil Gaiman writes in the introduction to Rising Stars, with Babylon 5, JMS did what should have been “impossible,”
December 13th, 2013. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | J. Michael Straczynski | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey
Solange Drake is about to turn sixteen and she just wants to be a normal teenager. That’s hard enough when she’s got seven big brothers hovering over her, but what really sucks is that she knows she’s going to die on her birthday. If she’s strong enough to survive the Bloodchange, she’ll return as a powerful vampire — the only female vampire born (not made) in centuries and, according to an ancient prophecy, she’ll be the rightful vampire queen. She doesn’t really want to be queen,
October 11th, 2013. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Alyxandra Harvey | Audio, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
[In our Edge of the Universe column, we review mainstream authors that incorporate elements of speculative fiction into their “literary” work. However you want to label them, we hope you’ll enjoy discussing these books with us.]
Depending on the period being portrayed, historical fiction novels are often too graphic and too depressing for me to enjoy. The Viking era is a popular one for authors, and, until Blood Eye, I have always been unable to get into books set in that period.
January 25th, 2013. John Hulet´s rating: 3.5 | Giles Kristian | Edge | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter adapted and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
The Hunter (Book One), starring Richard Stark’s Parker, by Darwyn Cooke is one of the best graphic adaptations of a novel you could ever get your hands on. The main character is as tough as they come. Women shudder and men cower when Parker passes — even if he’s in a good mood, which is rarely. But wait until he’s in a bad mood. Like in this book. Like when he wants what’s his. And somebody else has got it.
August 17th, 2012. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
The summer I turned 30, I went to Great America with my two sisters and one brother-in-law. We rode the Screaming Eagle rollercoaster, one of those wooden rebuilds of old-time coasters, which (at the time) had the longest drop on the first hill of any rollercoaster in the world. As we reached the top of that hill, my sister turned to me and said, “It’s been nice knowing you.” Sure enough, that first drop about killed me; even worse (or better, depending on your perspective) was the series of corkscrew turns at high speed that came toward the end of the ride.
July 11th, 2012. Terry Weyna and Robert Thompson´s rating: 4 | Jonathan Maberry | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Dragon in Chains by Daniel Fox
Most epic fantasy written in English has its basis in Western culture. While the worlds created in these books are not our world, they are generally recognizable: the use of language is comfortable, the foods are what we or our ancestors ate, the customs are basically familiar. Even mythological creatures look the way we expect them to, so that unicorns have horns and dragons have wings. When there are exceptions to these rules, the author is certain to provide an explanation, and the exception is often integral to the tale.
June 2nd, 2012. Terry Weyna and Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5, 4 | Ben Macallan, Chaz Brenchley, Daniel Fox | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Walls of the Universe by Paul Melko
Paul Melko’s The Walls of the Universe reminds me a bit of the old-style Heinlein/Asimov kind of juveniles: plucky young intelligent male protagonist into science gets himself into lots of scrapes then extricates himself using those sciency smarts (say, to invent or build something), all of which is conveyed in adequate but not particularly memorable prose. It also reminded me a lot of the old TV show Sliders, both in its movement-through-parallel-universes premise (not original to Sliders by any means) and in its TV-like presentation — easily digestible writing,
May 30th, 2012. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Paul Melko | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 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.