This is a crow-eating review. Or, considering the kind of carrion eater that lives in Christine Cody’s post-apocalyptic world, a giant-gargoyle-bird-eating review. I had a terrible time getting into Bloodlands, it took me several weeks to read it, and I fully expected this to be a negative review. Instead, I’m pleasantly surprised. It’s been a while since a book pulled the rug out from under me so satisfyingly.
Bloodlands is set in the American West of the near future,
August 8th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Christine Cody | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer
FORMAT/INFO: The Whitefire Crossing is 353 pages long divided over 24 numbered chapters. Narration alternates between Dev’s first-person POV and Kiran’s third-person POV. The Whitefire Crossing ends at a satisfying stopping point, but is clearly the first book in a series as numerous threads are left unresolved. The Tainted City, volume two of The Shattered Sigil, is scheduled for publication in 2012. August 2011 marks the trade paperback publication of The Whitefire Crossing via Night Shade Books.
July 29th, 2011. Robert Thompson and Stefan Raets | Courtney Schafer | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
CLASSIFICATION: Prince of Thorns is R-rated epic fantasy that combines Robert E. Howard/Glen Cook-like sword-and-sorcery action with George R. R. Martin-inspired court intrigue and a revenge-driven plot that would make Joe Abercrombie proud. Because of a young protagonist whose accomplishments defy his age and abilities, and a fantasy world that seems to be a different version of Earth, I was also reminded of Paul Hoffman’s The Left Hand of God,
July 28th, 2011. Robert Thompson and Greg Hersom´s rating: 4.5 | Mark Lawrence | SFF Reviews | 17 comments |
Den of Thieves by David Chandler
FORMAT/INFO: Den of Thieves is 480 pages long divided over a Prologue, four titled Parts, and 100 chapters. The book also includes a map of the Free City of Ness and an excerpt from A Thief in the Night, book two of The Ancient Blades trilogy. Narration is in the third person, mostly via the thief Malden and the knight Sir Croy, while minor POVs include Cythera. Den of Thieves is self-contained, but is the first volume in The Ancient Blades trilogy,
July 25th, 2011. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | David Chandler | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
Devon Monk, the author of Dead Iron, is also the author of the Allie Beckstrom urban fantasy series, but you’d never know it if her name wasn’t on the cover. Monk pulls off the impressive feat of creating a wholly distinct voice for her new Age of Steam series.
Here, Monk paints a vivid picture of a gritty, grimy Old West. Like the Beckstrom books, this is set in Oregon, but it’s a very different Oregon. The writing invokes all of the senses,
July 18th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Devon Monk | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
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.
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Glen Duncan is the author of seven previous novels including I, Lucifer, which was shortlisted for the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. He was chosen by both Arena and The Times Literary Supplement as one of Britain’s best young novelists.
July 15th, 2011. Robert Thompson and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Glen Duncan | Edge | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Sword of Fire and Sea by Erin Hoffman
At the start of Erin Hoffman’s debut novel Sword of Fire and Sea, Captain Vidarian is tasked by the priestess Endera to transport Ariadel, a young fire priestess, to the safety of a water temple. The journey will be dangerous, because Ariadel is pursued by the telepathic Vkortha, so Vidarian is understandably reluctant to take on the assignment, but when Endera invokes an old pact between his family and the Temple of Kara’zul, he has no choice but to comply….
July 15th, 2011. Stefan Raets´s rating: 0.1 | Erin Hoffman | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma
PLOT SUMMARY: Privileged Andrew Harrington is a despondent young man who plans on killing himself. Eight years earlier, he had found the love of his life. It didn’t matter that their lives were vastly different — he born to a rich and entrepreneurial family and she a woman struggling to survive as a prostitute in London’s seedy Whitechapel section. He’s determined to declare his love for her and live happily ever after, even if it means leaving his privileged life behind. Everything changes however,
July 1st, 2011. Robert Thompson, Marion Deeds and Bill Capossere | Félix J. Palma | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Flying Blind is the first in Deborah Cooke’s Dragon Diaries series, the young adult spinoff of her Dragonfire paranormal romance novels. The Dragon Diaries are set in the near future, and the heroine and her peers are the children of the protagonists of the Dragonfire books.
Zoë Sorensson has always been told she has a great destiny: she is the Wyvern, which means she’s the only female Pyr (dragon shapeshifter) of her generation, and is supposed to have certain powers beneficial to her fellow Pyr.
June 21st, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Deborah Cooke | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Miserere: An Autumn Tale by Teresa Frohock
FORMAT/INFO: Miserere: An Autumn Tale is 350 pages long divided over three Parts and 21 numbered/titled chapters. Narration is in the third person, mostly via Lucian Negru and Rachael Boucher, while other POVs include Lucian’s twin sister Catarina, the foundling Lindsay Richardson, and Lucian’s Elder John Shea. Miserere: An Autumn Tale ends at a satisfying stopping point, but is the first book of The Katharoi, which will have at least two more sequels: Dolorosa: A Winter’s Dream (Book 2) and Bellum Dei: Blood of the Lambs (Book 3).
June 20th, 2011. Robert Thompson´s rating: 4 | Teresa Frohock | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
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.
COMMENT Was I hinting that? I wasn't aware of it. But now that you mention it.... 🤔
So it sounds like you're hinting Fox may have had three or so different incomplete stories that he stitched together,…