Previous SFF Author: Sara Douglass
Amanda Downum graduated from the University of North Texas with a BA in English Literature, a minor in German, and a Technical Writing certification. She married a technical boy, and runs a housing project for fat and bitchy cats, and one rambunctious puppy. She lives near Austin in a house with a spooky attic, and is currently a bookstore minion while writing and beast-herding full time. Learn more at Amanda Downum’s website.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE BOOKS BY AMANDA DOWNUM.
The Drowning City by Amanda Downum
Orbit Books sent me The Drowning City and I wasn’t sure it would work for me. The cover is awesome and the back-cover blurb is intriguing, but for some reason, I just got the feeling it was a story aimed more toward a female readership.
Before I even got to the map, though, I was impressed by Amanda Downum‘s choice of opening quotes. The first quote is from Emily Dickinson, which would have been impressive even by itself,
Greg Hersom´s rating: 4.5 | Amanda Downum | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Dreams of Shreds and Tatters by Amanda Downum
I’m giving this book a lower rating than I expected to. Usually a 2.5-star rating from me means I found serious structural, character or writing problems with the book, and that’s not the case here. My low rating of Amanda Downum’s Dreams of Shreds and Tatters reflects the gap between my expectations and my experience. The writer did do a few things that jarred me out of the book, though, and I am going to discuss those.
Marion Deeds´s rating: 2.5 | Amanda Downum | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The Modern Ladies’ Letter-Writer by Sandra McDonald (March 2016, free at Nightmare, Kindle magazine issue)
There are customary ways to begin a letter and end it, to address the envelope and set it to post. We have delivered to you (while you slept so prettily, your pale face a serene oval in the moonlight) this polite and improving manual of letters for the Fair Sex.
Magic City: Recent Spells edited by Paula Guran
Things you should know:
1. This is a reprint anthology. If you read a lot of anthologies in the field, you will probably have read some of these before. I had read three, though two of them were among the best ones, and I enjoyed reading them again.
2. It still has some worthwhile stuff in it, especially if you’re a fan of the big names in urban fantasy (Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, Patricia Briggs) and haven’t read these stories before.
Mike Reeves-McMillan | A.C. Wise, Alan Dean Foster, Amanda Downum, Angela Slatter, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Carrie Vaughn, Catherynne M. Valente, Charles De_Lint, Christopher Barzak, Delia Sherman, Diana Peterfreund, Elizabeth Bear, Emma Bull, Holly Black, Jim Butcher, John Shirley, Jonathan Maberry, Nancy Kress, Nisi Shawl, Nnedi Okorafor, Patricia Briggs, Scott Lynch, Simon R. Green | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Previous SFF Author: Sara Douglass
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…
this sounds like a fun one