Will Power is A.J. Hartley’s second book about actor-turned-adventurer Will Hawthorne. It’s a direct sequel, beginning just a month after the events in Act of Will, but a reader could easily enjoy this book without reading Act of Will.
In Will Power, Will and the gang are swept away to what appears to be a parallel universe in which goblin-like creatures are threatening the beautiful people of Phasdreille.
October 6th, 2010. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | A.J. Hartley | SFF Reviews | no comments |
This Crooked Way by James Enge
Already an exile, Morlock Ambrosius is now also officially an outlaw in This Crooked Way. Winter finds him wandering when his horse, Velox, is stolen. Previous adventures have earned Morlock’s loyalty to the mystical steed and it’s apparent that the horse theft is a tactic to lure Morlock into a series of traps orchestrated by an enemy from his past. So into the dangerous pass called the Kirack Kund — dwarvish for “The River of Skulls” — The Crooked Man goes.
September 21st, 2010. Greg Hersom and Rob Rhodes´s rating: 4.5 | James Enge | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Children of the Lost by David Whitley
The Children of the Lost is David Whitley’s follow-up to last year’s The Midnight Charter, which I reviewed as a weak three: strong in ideas but weaker in characterization and plotting. The Children of the Lost is a stronger book, though it also has its flaws. One thing I feel compelled to point out upfront, however, is that The Children of the Lost ends in a true cliffhanger of an ending,
September 9th, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | David Whitley | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Grimrose Path by Rob Thurman
Trixa Iktomi comes from a long-lived, semi-divine trickster race. (Think “relative of Coyote” here.) She currently makes her home in Las Vegas, running a bar with her friend Leo, who is really the god Loki. As a result of events that occurred in the first TRICKSTER book, Trick of the Light, Trixa and Leo are de-powered at the moment and now have to solve their problems with very little in the way of magical ability.
Trixa is approached by a demon,
September 7th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Rob Thurman | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Teutonic Order, under the sadistic Brother Semyon, once trained wolfbreed (werewolves) as holy war machines. But when the Order lost control of the wolfbreed, they changed focus. Now, a century after the events of Wolfbreed, the Order believes the werewolves are Satanic and are dedicated to exterminating them.
In Wolf’s Cross, a group of Order knights chases a werewolf onto Polish land. After a disastrous battle, the bloodied and tattered knights seek shelter at the castle of Polish leader Wojewoda Boleslaw.
August 2nd, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | S. Andrew Swann | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Johannes Cabal the Detective by Jonathan L. Howard
Johannes Cabal the Detective is the second book about the eponymous necromancer. I read the first book, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, at the beginning of this year, and was enormously enamoured with the bitingly sarcastic gentleman in question. In fact, it has remained my number one read of 2010 despite fierce competition from other titles, and so I was almost nervous about picking up this second novel about Johannes Cabal in case it did not live up to the first.
August 1st, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest)´s rating: 5 | Jonathan L. Howard | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
One of the most entertaining novels I read in 2009 was Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker. Full of exciting cross-genre adventure (zombies, steampunk, post-apocalyptic retrofuturism), memorable characters and a cool twist on American history, Boneshaker was a blast to read. I couldn’t wait to see what else Cherie Priest’s CLOCKWORK CENTURY had to offer. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long thanks to Subterranean Press and their publication of Clementine.
July 19th, 2010. Robert Thompson and Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5, 4 | Cherie Priest | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Warning: This review will contain spoilers for the previous book, Shiver. There’s simply no good way to discuss Linger without them.
You could stop with Shiver. You really could. It ends on a tentative note of happiness, and it’s easy to imagine that everything worked out OK after that. Sure, there are a few loose ends: Isabel’s dad is still itching to shoot some wolves, the lycanthropy cure is incredibly dangerous and might have unintended consequences,
July 11th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Maggie Stiefvater | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Naamah’s Curse by Jacqueline Carey
At the end of Naamah’s Kiss, Moirin’s lover Bao set out on his own, uncomfortable with the magic that bound him and Moirin together. As Naamah’s Curse begins, Moirin undertakes a dangerous journey to find him. The beginning is on the slow side, focusing on the hardships of winter travel and on Moirin’s stay with a kindly Tatar family.
Then, Moirin learns that Bao has done something stupid.
It took me a while to warm to Bao in Naamah’s Kiss,
June 1st, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Jacqueline Carey | SFF Reviews | no comments |
WWW: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer
Note: This review is slightly spoilerish; some of the themes I discuss are important to the overall story, but no actual plot points are revealed. Sawyer delivers his message through dialog between characters, so some of the ideas I mention do not get discussed till later in the book. If you had mixed feelings about book 1, you should read this review before deciding to read book 2.
The story of Caitlin and the emergent entity WebMind continues in Watch.
May 19th, 2010. Justin Blazier´s rating: 4 | Robert J. Sawyer | Audio | SFF Reviews | no 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.