Victor LaValle’s Lone Women (2023) is brilliant. It’s about connections, family, secrets, guilt and love. Yes, there is a monster in it. Yes, it is suspenseful, and yes, it is gory, and those are both horror trademarks, but Lone Women is filled with hidden history and restored triumphs. Is it horror? That depends on your definition of “monster.”
In 1915, Adelaide Henry flees her family farm in Lucerne Valley, California. She leaves behind a burning farmhouse and her two dead parents;
May 27th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Victor Lavalle | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Tordotcom Books has reissued Martha Wells’s 1995 fantasy novel City of Bones, updated and expanded. In an interview, Wells explained that she took a few opportunities to make the writing better but didn’t change the book substantially for this edition.
I knew who Martha Wells was, but until the MURDERBOT series I hadn’t read anything by her. This is the second fantasy novel of hers I have read. City of Bones is a pleasing read,
April 15th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Martha Wells | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
“It’s easier to be a villain than a pub owner, I’ll tell you that much.”
I think most people know the plot of John Scalzi’s 2023 novel, Starter Villain. Our protagonist, Charlie, is divorced. He’s been downsized out of his job as a business journalist, and is eking out a living as a substitute math teacher. When the story opens, his best or only friend is his cat Hera. Then Charlie learns that his enigmatic Uncle Jake,
February 19th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | John Scalzi | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell
Estevar hauled up on his mule as Castle Aramor came into view through the dampening fog. The mule turned back with a baleful look.
“I know, I know. Do you think I’m enjoying this foul weather any more than you are?”
The mule dipped its head and turned it slightly aslant, looking upward at Estevar, as if to note that while they both shared the same weather, only one of them had the other’s weight as additional burden. A substantial weight at that Estevar had to acknowledge.
January 23rd, 2024. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Sebastien De-Castell | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Reposting to include Marion’s new review.
Daniel Mason’s North Woods (2023) is a wonderfully and precisely crafted collection of related short stories that greatly impresses with its varied styles, vividly detailed descriptions, sharp sentence constructions, connecting echoes, and a few unexpected twists and turns. I would have preferred a bit more emotional depth at times, though several of the stories, particularly toward the end, offer up some more than a few moving scenes. Between those moments and Mason’s consummate craftsmanship,
December 7th, 2023. Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Daniel Mason | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Truth Against the World by David Corbett
If you like Irish folklore and enjoyed Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and/or The Road by Cormac McCarthy, then you owe it to yourself to read David Corbett’s 2023 novel The Truth Against the World.
Corbett comes out of the crime novel tradition, and The Truth Against the World brings elements of that, and, as always, an interesting pairing of protagonists. In this case,
November 27th, 2023. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | David Corbett | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey
The demon who inhabits Pale House in Richard Kadrey’s 2023 novella The Pale House Devil is the star of the show for me. Part of this short, fairly fast-paced story is centered in its point of view, and it is one fascinating, confounding creature. It also has a habit of eating people, so… that’s bad.
In this short outing, Kadrey introduces us to Ford and Neuland, paranormal mercenaries. Ford seems to be a more or less regular human with skills in magic,
November 14th, 2023. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Richard Kadrey | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Thornhedge (2023), by T. Kingfisher, is a bittersweet fairy tale that starts off on familiar ground and shifts, making us consider who defines the monsters and the heroes. This brief novella reads as smooth as cream, and the story seems simple, but it is not.
Toadling is a fairy, left to maintain a hedge of thorns around a tower, where an enchanted maiden sleeps. From this, you might think you know the story. Toadling is dutiful, strengthening the thorn hedge to discourage the eager knights and princes who come at first,
November 9th, 2023. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | T. Kingfisher | Short Fiction, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The pleasure for me in reading E. Lily Yu’s collection of short stories, Jewel Box, was sourced in two of the book’s elements: its what-if premises and its, well, jewel-like language, which glittered precise and edged as any gemstone in a Tiffany’s case. The plots and characters, meanwhile, were more hit and miss for me, which is why I’m not giving it a five.
As is typical for collections, the individual stories varied in their impact,
November 6th, 2023. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | E. Lily Yu | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Starling House is the central mystery of Eden, Kentucky. Eden is a company town, and that company is Gravely Power, who provides energy to a wide swathe of the southeast. They also poison the air, soil and water of Eden. Periodically the government imposes fines, and the Gravelys pay them and move on. Starling House is an isolated mansion in the woods, close to an abandoned mine shaft that goes deep into the earth. There is less “history” about Starling House than there are rumors, and Opal,
November 1st, 2023. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Alix E. Harrow | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
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…