Cold Welcome by Elizabeth Moon
I was surprised and pleased to see that Elizabeth Moon has continued her VATTA’S WAR quintet with a sequel series called VATTA’S PEACE. I read all of VATTA’S WAR (Trading in Danger, Marque and Reprisal, Engaging the Enemy, Command Decision, Victory Conditions) and even though I rated each book with only 3 or 3.5 stars,
June 7th, 2017. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Elizabeth Moon | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts
Royal Bastards (2017) marks the newest addition to YA epic fantasy — a genre that seems to be having a bit of a moment. We meet Tilla, our plucky young heroine and bastard to the Lord Kent, and her half-brother Jax, swigging wine on the palace roof and watching the arrival of the visiting Princess Lyriana. Despite their royal blood, the bastards are worlds apart from the legitimate royals, though all that may be about to change…
A great feast marks the welcome for Princess Lyriana,
May 22nd, 2017. Ray McKenzie´s rating: 3 | Andrew Shvarts | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
River of Teeth (2017) is Sarah Gailey’s first novella-length work, and if the idea of a gonzo queer alt-history hippo extravaganza doesn’t immediately set your imagination aflame, then perhaps rich character work and a thoroughly convincing atmosphere will do the trick. Beyond that, there’s a caper (which Mr. Winslow Remington Houndstooth would like everyone to know is an operation) and a whole lot of revenge to be had.
Let’s travel back in time,
May 19th, 2017. Jana Nyman´s rating: 4.5 | Sarah Gailey | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
Planet of Blood and Ice by A.J. Hartley
Planet of Blood and Ice (2017) is the first book in A.J. Hartley’s CATHEDRALS OF GLASS series for teens. Hartley is billing this story as Alien meets Lord of the Flies, and I’d say that description is fairly accurate since Planet of Blood and Ice is about a group of teens who must overcome the dangers of a hostile alien environment while struggling to live with each other in a safe and civilized fashion.
May 15th, 2017. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | A.J. Hartley | Audio, Horror, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis
Robyn Bennis’ debut novel, The Guns Above (2017), is a fun blend of flintlock rifles, airships, military exercises, and wry commentary on both gender politics and “military intelligence.” There’s enough whip-smart dialogue to make any reader laugh out loud, and readers who are mechanically inclined will love the detailed descriptions of gears, flight tests, and ballast.
Josette Dupre is the first female airship captain in the Garnian Aerial Signal Corps, a promotion which may as well be a death warrant: her homeland,
May 2nd, 2017. Jana Nyman and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Robyn Bennis | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Black Witch by Laurie Forest
In an ironic twist, The Black Witch (2017), a book expressly dedicated to exploring the problem of prejudice and promoting diversity and tolerance, has been accused by many voices of being the very thing it is most devoted to showing as wrong. Words like “offensive,” “racist,” “ableist,” and “homophobic” have been hurled at the author and this book. It’s understandable, because the society and most of the characters depicted in The Black Witch ― including the main character,
April 28th, 2017. Tadiana Jones´s rating: 3.5 | Laurie Forest | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 10 comments |
Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan
In Sins of Empire, Brian McClellan makes his explosive return to the world of THE POWDER MAGE trilogy with a sequel series called GODS OF BLOOD AND POWDER. Sins of Empire (2017) is the first GODS OF BLOOD AND POWDER novel, so I’d recommend checking out THE POWDER MAGE trilogy first before picking up this book. If you’re curious about McClellan’s work, you can check our reviews here: Promise of Blood,
April 25th, 2017. Kevin Wei´s rating: 4 | Brian McClellan | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Spill Zone written by Scott Westerfeld illustrated by Alex Puvilland
Scott Westerfeld’s newest story, Spill Zone, is a graphic novel illustrated by Alex Puvilland that takes place several years after Poughkeepsie suffered a major “spill,” and while nobody knows exactly what that entailed, nanotechnology and a nuclear power plant are mentioned as being involved. Whatever it was changed things inside the city, leaving behind fantastical creatures, changed animals, and “meat puppets” (think zombies). Addison’s twelve-year-old sister Lexa escaped that night,
April 22nd, 2017. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Scott Westerfeld | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
Marion Deeds: John Scalzi’s “brand” is generally known for thoughtful premises, fast-paced action and a humorous tone (certainly there are exceptions). The Collapsing Empire hits all the right Scalzi-notes: it provides a big problem that will have long-reaching influence on human society; it has smarter-than-average characters working to fix things; it has action, snark, and humor. While one storyline is resolved, somewhat, by the end of this book, what The Collapsing Empire does best is set up the problem and introduce characters for the rest of this series.
April 21st, 2017. Marion Deeds and Kevin Wei´s rating: 3.5 | John Scalzi | Locus Award | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles
It’s not been the best year for Zoe. What with her father’s death in a caving accident, her neighbour’s disappearance and then the fact that she is brutally attacked with her younger brother in a cabin in the woods, it’s fair to say things have been better. But with the arrival of the mysterious paranormal bounty hunter “X”, everything is about to change.
On the surface, The Edge of Everything might look like your average contemporary YA novel, but it is far darker than many readers will expect.
April 17th, 2017. Ray McKenzie´s rating: 3 | Jeff Giles | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
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…