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]: 2011.01

The Sentinel Mage: Great storytelling, unoriginal plot

The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee

As The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee begins, a curse is sweeping across the Seven Kingdoms, starting in the east and slowly trickling westwards across the land. Anyone who drinks curse-tainted water becomes a mindless, bloodthirsty monster, attacking friends and family alike. There’s only one way to stop the curse: a royal who is also descended from witches must touch and spill some blood on three stones spread throughout the land. Unfortunately, witches are considered monsters by most of the Seven Kingdoms: victims of an unfounded prejudice that thinks them guilty of a list of unlikely crimes,

January 24th, 2011. Stefan Raets´s rating: 2 | Emily Gee | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

God’s War: Dark, edgy, highly imaginative

God’s War by Kameron Hurley

Some reviews are harder to write than others. Take God’s War, the first novel by Kameron Hurley, an author whose blog I’ve been reading with interest. The book had a long journey getting published (which you can read about on said blog) and has now, finally, reached the shelves thanks to the awesome folks at Night Shade Books. I was excited to get my hands on this book, because it’s in a sub-genre (or maybe more accurately,

January 21st, 2011. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3.5 | Kameron Hurley | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

The Fallen Blade: A wild, improbable adventure in Renaissance Europe

The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood

CLASSIFICATION: Combining alternate history with the supernatural, The Fallen Blade is kind of like Jasper Kent’s Twelve and Thirteen Years Later crossed with Anne Rice’s vampires and Underworld’s lycans, written in the style of Glen Cook.

FORMAT/INFO: The Fallen Blade is 464 pages long divided over two Parts, sixty-three numbered chapters,

January 20th, 2011. Robert Thompson, Stefan Raets and Marion Deeds | Jon Courtenay (Jonathan) Grimwood | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |

Never Knew Another: Fascinating concept, frustrating deficiencies

Never Knew Another by J.M. McDermott

AUTHOR INFORMATION: J.M. McDermott is the author of numerous short fiction and the critically-acclaimed debut novel, Last Dragon, which was shortlisted for an IAFA William Crawford Award and included on Amazon.com’s list for Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2008. Last Dragon will be reprinted in early 2011 by Apex Publications who will also publish McDermott’s next novel, Maze, in Spring 2011.

PLOT SUMMARY: When Walkers discover the corpse of a demon’s child — a city guard of noble blood named Jona — the memories of the deceased lead the Walkers to the city they call Dogsland.

January 18th, 2011. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | J.M. McDermott | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Of Blood and Honey: Mixed reviews

Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht

FORMAT/INFO: Of Blood and Honey is 300 pages long divided over 27 numbered chapters and an Epilogue. Narration is in the third person via Liam Kelly, his mother Kathleen, and Father Murray. Of Blood and Honey can be read as a stand-alone novel, but offers many opportunities for future sequels. February 2011 marks the North American trade paperback publication of Stina Leicht’s Of Blood and Honey via Night Shade Books.

January 17th, 2011. Robert Thompson and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Stina Leicht | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Rise of the Wolf: Engaging and fun YA

Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling

Drew Ferran was raised on a rural farmstead in an area called the Cold Coast. Drew lived the simple life with his family until tragedy struck one night while his father and brother were away at market. A monster invades their home. While terrified, Drew unleashes a beast from within himself that he never knew existed. His father and brother return to a gruesome scene of Drew huddled over his bloodied mother. Confusion and rage ensue as the blame quickly falls on Drew. He is forced to flee his own home to the forests where he has to survive on his own.

The Lost Gate: Intriguing new fantasy universe

The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card

In the fictional universe of Orson Scott Card’s latest novel The Lost Gate, what we think of as gods were actually people from another planet (called Westil), who arrived here through magical “Gates.” Passing back and forth through these Gates gave people with minor or latent magical powers huge boosts to their skills, resulting in god-like abilities — and as a result, they were often thought of as actual gods and entered Earth’s mythology. Some time in the 7th century,

Blood Trinity: Strong heroine, monsters, lots of action

Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love

Evalle is not human, nor is she a full blooded Belador. She is an Alterant and straddles the line between man… err… woman and monster every day of her life. She has maintained a precarious relationship with the Belador tribe over the years, and is employed by them as part of a group that protects humanity from the nasties of the night. Things begin to go wrong for Evalle when she comes under suspicion for a grisly murder that bears the marking of her kind.

The Red Pyramid: Why mess with a good thing?

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid (2011), by Rick Riordan, starts readers off on a new series intermingling ancient mythology, today’s world, and snappy young teens. In this case, though, the mythology is Egyptian, not Greek as in his Percy Jackson series (or Roman, as in the newest addition to that series) and the young teens aren’t the sons and daughters of gods but are instead possessed by them (if that doesn’t seem like much of a difference, it’s because it really isn’t as the story plays out).

Bone and Jewel Creatures: A lovely trifle

Bone and Jewel Creatures by Elizabeth Bear

Elizabeth Bear appeared on the scene in 2004 as if she were Athena, sprung fully formed from Zeus’s forehead to be a major player in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Her first project was the science fiction thriller Jenny Casey space opera series beginning with Hammered, but in short order books by Bear began appearing at least every six months. In 2005, she won the John W. Campbell award for Best New Author; in 2008 the Hugo for Best Short Story (“Tideline”);

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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