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The Ringworld Throne by Larry Niven
Larry Niven has great ideas but, in my opinion, he’s weak with characters and plot. The Ringworld, a huge artificial ring that surrounds a star, is Niven’s greatest creation and accounts for the success of his most famous novel, Ringworld, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1970. As I explained in my review, it’s the Ringworld itself that’s exciting, not the actual events that happen upon it.
The sequel,
March 18th, 2016. Kat Hooper´s rating: 0.1 | Larry Niven | Audio | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |
A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
You know that delighted little feeling you get when a package arrives on your doorstep? And with how excited you are, you just can’t wait to unbox whatever it is? Imagine you’ve just received a mysterious package, perhaps one you’ve been anticipating for a long time. Except, you’re so thrilled that you forget to check the name on the shipping label… and when you open it up, it’s not for you… Whoops.
You see, I’d heard so many things about Piers Anthony’s XANTH series,
December 4th, 2015. Kevin Wei and Kat Hooper´s rating: 0.1, 0.5 | Piers Anthony | SFF Reviews | 19 comments |
The Mapmaker’s War by Ronlyn Domingue
I really wanted to like The Mapmaker’s War, by Ronlyn Domingue. For so many reasons. First, it had “mapmaker” in the title. I love maps. I have books upon books of maps — old maps, strange maps, historical maps. And books upon books about maps, or mapmakers. So it had that going for it. And second person. I know lots of folks can’t stand it, but I like second person. I like reading it. And I like writing in it.
August 14th, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 0.1 | Ronlyn Domingue | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
It always feels weird to write a DNF review for a book that’s not actually bad. There is nothing objectively wrong with Kelley Armstrong’s Visions, at least in the portion of it I finished, and it would be a perfectly fine read. For someone else. For me, it felt like I’d boarded a train that I thought was going to Albuquerque, and it turned out to be headed for Chattanooga instead. There’s nothing wrong with Chattanooga, but I’ve been there before, and I was really looking forward to that trip to Albuquerque,
June 9th, 2015. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 0.1 | Kelley Armstrong | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Inside a Silver Box by Walter Mosley
Sometimes you read a book and think, “Well, that was a bad book.” And sometimes you read a book and wonder, “Was that a bad book?” Walter Mosley has been a widely praised author for decades, has won a host of major awards, and is known for his sharp characterization and compelling plotting. So when I read a book of his that just throws me wholly for a loop, one in which I can’t abide either the characters or plot at all, so much so that I have to force myself to reach the halfway point before finally giving up,
March 25th, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 0.1 | Walter Mosley | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
Robert Heinlein was one of the most influential writers of sci-fi in the 20th century. He published more than thirty novels, several of which won awards, and many more received nominations. Considered one of the ‘big three’ alongside Asimov and Clarke — the American perspective, that is — Heinlein’s agenda included independence, personal responsibility, freedom, and the influence of religion and government on society. Stranger in a Strange Land, arguably his most famous book — and perhaps most controversial — is the subject of this review.
March 13th, 2015. Jesse Hudson´s rating: 0.1 | Robert A. Heinlein | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 14 comments |
Dove Arising is a new YA science fiction novel from Karen Bao, and one which I persevered through despite a host of issues, until I reached the last fifth or so when things really began to go off the rails. I pushed on, admittedly skimming a bit, thinking “I’m this far in, I can finish,” but the cumulative effect was just too much and I ended up giving up about forty pages from the end.
The setting is one of a series of bases on the moon,
February 24th, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 0.1 | Karen Bao | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Atlantis Rising by T.A. Barron
I gave Atlantis Rising by T.A. Barron a pretty fair shot I’d say—200 of its 370 pages, but eventually I just had to give it up. And I wasn’t alone in that, as my wife and 13-yr-old son gave up far, far quicker. As usual with books I didn’t care for, and especially for books I didn’t finish (a rarity for me), this will be a relatively short review, as I don’t like to belabor the point.
The problems began immediately,
December 2nd, 2014. Bill Capossere´s rating: 0.1 | T.A. Barron | Children | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
All Those Vanished Engines by Paul Park
I’m not a big reader of avant-garde fiction. In fact, I’m SO not a big reader of it that I’m not even sure if I’m applying the term correctly to Paul Park‘s recent novel All Those Vanished Engines. I’m probably not. But the thing is, I’m not sure what term to apply to it: meta-fiction? Experimental fiction? Alternate history with several unreliable narrators who may or may not be Paul Park himself?
All Those Vanished Engines is a novel told in three parts.
June 30th, 2014. Kate Lechler´s rating: 0.1 | Paul Park | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
Plague Seed by Wade Alan Steele
I did not finish Plague Seed by Wade Alan Steele and so as is usual when that happens, this will be quite the short review, as I don’t like to belabor the point about why I found a book to be so bad that I put it down.
Plague Seed begins with a letter from the elven Seligre, “Savior of Oldenhome and the southern lands of Talandria,” to his newborn son, introducing his account of the Plague War.
March 24th, 2014. Bill Capossere´s rating: 0.1 | Wade Alan Steele | SFF Reviews | 3 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…