I usually give books sent for me to review a lot more of a chance than books I pick up on my own, having some sense of obligation. And that was the case with Fireblood by Jeff Wheeler. According to my trusty Kindle, I read sixty-seven percent, giving it more than a week of picking it up and putting it down. Generally, if I can’t finish a book in two or three days, I know I’m having problems with it. So over a week and barely past halfway through,
September 6th, 2013. Bill Capossere´s rating: 0.1 | Jeff Wheeler | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
If you took The Canterbury Tales, Ship of Fools, The Origin of Species, and And Then There Were None, mixed them all up and added a pinch of Asimov, Brin, Blish and maybe a few others, you’d have something approximating James Gunn’s newest novel, Transcendental. While those are some quality ingredients, and there were some long moments of pure deliciousness,
September 4th, 2013. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | James Gunn | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
New Montly Comic Titles: ASTRO CITY by Kurt Busiek and THE WAKE by Scott Snyder
In last week’s column, I explained pull lists and the benefits of buying monthly comics instead of waiting for trade collections or only buying older comics that have already been collected. Mainly, I argued that comic book stores and comic book readers offer a community that is more active and immersed in fictional narrative than anywhere else (even here at FanLit!). Why? Because of the nature of the comic book industry: Since comics come out monthly,
August 30th, 2013. Brad Hawley | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Six Heirs, the first book in the SECRET OF JI series by Pierre Grimbert, was originally published some years ago in the author’s native French. Sadly, it does not import well, though some of the flaws may be due to translation issues rather than authorial ones.
The novel opens with a captivating story of how several generations ago an enigmatic stranger (is there any other kind?) led a group of emissaries from most of the nations of the Known World to the island of Ji,
August 29th, 2013. Bill Capossere´s rating: 1.5 | Pierre Grimbert | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
I read some great YA novels last year, but also a few less than impressive ones. In my reviews, I explained my reservations about the novels I didn’t like in some detail. At one point, I started to wonder whether I was being too hard on them, because, after all, those books are aimed at a younger audience. Is it fair to set the same expectations for YA as for books aimed at mature readers? Looking back, I even mentioned in some reviews that I clearly wasn’t the target demographic for these novels and that someone who is closer to the YA age range would probably enjoy them more.
August 28th, 2013. Stefan Raets´s rating: 4 | Karen Healey | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Blood’s Pride is a debut fantasy from Eve Manieri that unfortunately reads not so much like a first novel, with all the usual attendant issues of a first novel, but more like an early draft of a first novel. There’s the very strong opening scene that one could see perhaps sparking the whole idea, a few intriguing “what if one character did this to another character” plot points to create both internal and external conflicts at the outset, and several neat background ideas concepts with regard to mythology or world-building.
August 22nd, 2013. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Evie Manieri | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Planet Thieves by Dan Krokos
The Planet Thieves, by Dan Krokos, is the first in a new children’s science fiction series set in a far future during a half-century-old interplanetary war between humanity and a mysterious race known as the Tremist. Thirteen-year-old Mason Stark, his best friend Merrin, and his sometime rival Tom Renner, along with another dozen or so cadets, are on board the warship SS Egypt for what is supposed to be a routine mission when they are suddenly attacked by a Tremist ship.
August 21st, 2013. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Dan Krokos | Children | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman
Between Two Thorns is the first book in Emma Newman’s SPLIT WORLDS series set in Bath, England where some humans live in a secret world called Aquae Sulis (aka “the Nether”) that’s parallel to Mundanis, the “Mundane” world we know. The people who live in the Nether keep themselves hidden from us and shun modern dress, manners and technology. Their society is just like early 19th century English society except that they are influenced by their fae House Lords and are also under the authority of the Arbiters who police their use of magic.
August 21st, 2013. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | Emma Newman | Audio | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough
Karin Kross just posted an excellent piece on Tor.com about “dumb” action movies, nominally a review of Pacific Rim (which I haven’t seen) but with broader application to anything we tend to label as “dumb”:
Respectfully, I would like to disagree. Or at least, insist that we stop using the word dumb. Simple? Sure. Uncomplicated? Absolutely. Spectacular, in the truest sense of the word? Hell yes. But none of these things are dumb.
The rest of the article is worth reading for SFF readers,
July 30th, 2013. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3.5 | Jason M. Hough | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Extinction Point by Paul Antony Jones
Emily Baxter is a news reporter for a large paper in New York City. Emily loves being in the city, surrounded by people, and finds the hustle and bustle to be comforting. Then, one morning she is sitting in a cafe writing her next article when the red rain begins. Within a few hours, everything Emily loves about the city is gone. Everyone is dead, and not only is she now totally alone, but the Earth is changing. The plague brought on by the red rain is all-consuming.
July 29th, 2013. Justin Blazier´s rating: 3.5 | Paul Antony Jones | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…
this sounds like a fun one
These weird westerns are always interesting and have been popping up more in recent times (it seemed like there was…
Looking forward to reading the review.