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Queen’s Hunt by Beth Bernobich
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Beth Bernobich’s first book, Passion Play, a combination of having received it unasked-for and its romance-like cover. While it had its flaws, I found the main characters, Ilse and Kosenmark, intriguing and captivating both individually and with regard to their burgeoning relationship. In the end I gave it four stars and said in my review that I looked forward to its follow-up. That sequel, Queen’s Hunt,
July 17th, 2012. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Beth Bernobich | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Giant Thief by David Tallerman
Easie Damasco is caught stealing and sent to war. He manages to escape, taking a giant named Saltlick and some other items with him, mostly out of habit since he is a thief by trade. Unfortunately, Easie does not realize the full significance of the items he has stolen, and he is forced to run for his life. Fortunately, he hadn’t intended to fight in the battle anyway.
David Tallerman’s Giant Thief is an amusing rogue’s tale, and Easie is just the sort of hero that one might expect from a rogue’s tale: clever and not above bending the rules and the truth to get ahead.
July 3rd, 2012. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 2.5 | David Tallerman | Audio | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Esperanza by Trish J. MacGregor
Esperanza is a supernatural adventure novel set in Ecuador. It has a lot to recommend it, even though I was ultimately disappointed.
Some of the problems have to do with marketing. Esperanza is blurbed as a “supernatural thriller.” The book is tense and suspenseful, but I was never scared by it. Also, it is clearly book one of a series, but the blurb does not make that clear. As it is, Esperanza doesn’t end,
June 11th, 2012. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2.5 | Trish J. MacGregor | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
A Prince Among Men by Robert N. Charrette
Aside from some rather grotesque cover art, there’s really not anything particularly wrong with A Prince Among Men. Unfortunately, it’s equally difficult to think of anything that it actually does right. It’s a relentlessly ho-hum sort of novel, reasonably diverting while it’s in front of you but always giving the lingering sensation that if an overenthusiastic friend or a speeding bicycle messenger were to come along and knock it flying from your hands into a storm drain,
June 5th, 2012. Tim Scheidler´s rating: 2.5 | Robert N. Charrette | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Prince of Ayodhya by Ashok K. Banker
I don’t know exactly why Prince of Ayodhya failed to satisfy me. Ashok K. Banker has achieved a modern retelling of the Hindu mythic cycle, the Ramayana. I’m a sucker for mythology. Banker is a competent writer and some of his descriptions are beautiful. He clearly knows his source material and wants to share it with a wider audience.
The Ramayana follows the adventures of Prince Rama Chandra, his wife Sita, brother Lakshman and Hanuman the Monkey King as they battle against the powerful arch-demon Ravana.
June 1st, 2012. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2.5 | Ashok K. Banker | SFF Reviews | no comments |
James Swain is the author of several crime thrillers, featuring series characters like a casino detective and an ex-cop who searches for missing children. Dark Magic is his first attempt at a supernatural thriller. Dark Magic is set in New York City with a main character who is a stage magician and a psychic.
Dark Magic opens with a group of psychics conducting a séance. The leader, Peter Warlock, has a horrifying vision.
May 22nd, 2012. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2.5 | James Swain | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff
Rodney Gallowglass is a spy whose job is to discover unknown planets that need to be brought into the fold of the enlightened democratic intergalactic system. When he lands on the backward planet of Gramayre in his spaceship disguised as an asteroid, Rod and his epileptic computer Fess discover a world of fantasy creatures — witches, ghosts, werewolves, dwarves and elves. Gramayre was originally settled by a group of humans who wanted to revert back to a feudal society. Now it’s a benevolent monarchy that’s threatened by anarchists,
May 21st, 2012. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2.5 | Christopher Stasheff | Audio | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Dragon’s Eye by Kaza Kingsley
When Erec Rex’s adoptive mother disappears into a tunnel under a New York City sidewalk, 12-year-old Erec and his new friend Bethany go looking for her. Below the city streets they find a new world full of magic and enter a contest which, if they win, will make them king and queen of Alypium.
The Dragon’s Eye, the first book in Kaza Kingsley’s EREC REX series, is a fun, fast-paced children’s adventure featuring a magical world that’s hidden from modern society but can be accessed through a magical version of Grand Central station.
May 19th, 2012. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2.5 | Kaza Kingsley | Audio, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
The Gathering Storm is the first in the KATERINA TRILOGY by Robin Bridges. The trilogy blends historical fiction with the paranormal, and is set in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the late 19th century.
Bridges immerses us in an evocative setting. The pageantry of the Russian court is combined with that hard-to-describe fairy tale mood. Even though we see through the eyes of a heroine who doesn’t really like all the pageantry, we are swept away into a world that is elegant but filled with dark secrets.
May 14th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2.5 | Robin Bridges | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Watchtower by Elizabeth A. Lynn
Watchtower, the first book in the award-winning THE CHRONICLES OF TORNOR series by Elizabeth A. Lynn, follows the tale of a young prince — why is he called a prince when his father is a lord? I have no idea. This bothered me through the whole book — who has to fight against a usurper to regain his lands.
Watchtower is frequently included on lists of feminist and gay SFF.
May 8th, 2012. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 2.5 | Elizabeth A. Lynn | World Fantasy Award | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
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