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]: 2009.01

Shiver: Twilight with werewolves, but better

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Forget everything you thought you knew about werewolves.

Forget the full moon and silver bullets. Maggie Stiefvater’s werewolves are different from any you’ve seen before. After being bitten, a werewolf changes erratically for a while, then settles into a seasonal cycle. Cold weather brings on a change to wolf form; warm weather returns the werewolf to human form. However, this cycle doesn’t last forever. As the years pass, it takes more and more heat to trigger the change back to human, until one year the werewolf remains a wolf forever.

WWW:Wake: I was simply left in awe

WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer

It’s been a long time since I read Calculating God, and I’d forgotten how good Robert J. Sawyer was. As I was reading Wake, the wonderful, smooth rhythm of Sawyer’s writing came back to me, and I wondered why I ever stopped reading his stuff. I loved Wake, but defining exactly why I loved it will be somewhat difficult.

Caitlin is a 15 year old math genius who was born blind.

May 10th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4.5 | Robert J. Sawyer | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Morpheus Road, The Light: Winning voice makes up for some plot issues

Morpheus Road: The Light by D.J. MacHale

Morpheus Road: The Light by D.J. MacHale is the first book in a projected YA horror trilogy, focused on young Marshall Seaver, who is being haunted by his own artistic creation, a creepily menacing character he calls Gravedigger.

The story is a fast-paced read, though it gets off to a somewhat slow start as we’re introduced to the main character and his best friend Cooper. The two have one of those awkwardly painful adolescent friendships where one has leapt full-heartedly into the young adult world (Cooper) and the other is still staying safe on the outer edges of childhood (Marshall).

Hyddenworld – Spring: Read Duncton Wood instead

Hyddenworld: Spring by William Horwood

Sometimes it’s hard to separate our feelings for a book from the setting in which we read it. Somewhere along the way of my first backpacking trip through Great Britain, I managed to obtain a copy of William Horwood’s Duncton Wood. A purchase at Waterstone’s, a swap with another backpacker, a left-behind-for-anyone copy on a hostel table; I have no idea how or why I picked it up. But I was quickly glad I did and once I’d finished it,

May 2nd, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | William Horwood | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Choir Boats: Did Not Finish

The Choir Boats by Daniel A. Rabuzzi

The Choir Boats is set in an alternate 1812 London in which famous fictional characters exist alongside historical personages. As the novel begins, we meet a small cadre of Londoners who are all dissatisfied with their lives in one way or another, and their interest is piqued when they learn of the fantasy world of Yount, where they may be able to find their hearts’ desires.

A common device in fantasy literature is the misdirection spell. A sorcerer casts this on a person or object,

April 15th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 0.1 | Daniel A. Rabuzzi | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Vintage Soul: First of what should be a good series

Vintage Soul by David Niall Wilson

Vintage Soul by David Niall Wilson is a well-written short novel billed as the first in The DeChance Chronicles. Wilson is the winner of the Bram Stoker award for his horror stories, and it’s clear from the start that Vintage Soul was written by a master wordsmith. I particularly enjoyed reading the indulgent setting of the opening party scene in which a powerful vampire is kidnapped right in front of her guests. The vampires call upon mage and investigator DeChance,

March 10th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 3.5 | David Niall Wilson | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

THE HAVEN SERIES: Once Bitten & Twice Dead

Once Bitten & Twice Dead by Kalayna Price

One of the great joys of book blogging is the discovery of a new authorial talent. I recently had the distinct pleasure of reading two books — Once Bitten and Twice Dead — by new author Kalayna Price.

The protagonist of this excellent series, Kita, is a shapeshifter — a tiny tabby cat who hails from a world dominated by lions and tigers. Forbidden to marry the man she loves,

March 8th, 2010. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 4 | Kalayna Price | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Shades of Grey: Fantastic setting, flat characters

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

In the world of Shades of Grey, Jasper Fforde‘s newest novel, your social standing is partly decided by your ability to perceive color: most people can only see one color, and some people are more color-sensitive, allowing them to see their color better than others. In this “Colortocracy,” the Greys — who can see no color at all — are the lowest class and little more than serfs, those who are most sensitive to their color become community leaders (or “precepts”),

February 23rd, 2010. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3.5 | Jasper Fforde | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Spellbent: It’s a good book even before we get to Hell

Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder

It’s just a routine rain spell. Jessie and her teacher and lover, Cooper, head to the city park to call up a storm and make a few bucks. But something goes horribly wrong. By the end of the night, Cooper has been sucked away into a Hell realm, and Jessie has suffered devastating injuries.

Then, things get worse. Benedict Jordan, the leader of the city’s magicians, gives Jessie a choice: either she agrees not to rescue Cooper, or else she becomes anathema.

February 5th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4.5 | Lucy A. Snyder | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Warded Man: Eagerly awaiting the sequel

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

I’ve often said that employing the usual fantasy tropes in a novel isn’t an automatic sign of poor writing; it’s what you do with them that matters. Witness the three main characters in Peter Brett’s The Warded Man: a young boy leaving his small hamlet for the larger world, a young girl trying to maintain her independent nature, a young orphan who must make his own way in the world. Anyone seen these before? Anyone? Buehler?

Luckily for us readers,

February 1st, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Peter V. Brett | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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