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The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell
The Kingdom of Liars (2020) is a debut novel by Nick Martell and the beginning of his series THE LEGACY OF THE MERCENARY KING. As such, it shows some debut issues with character, plotting, and world-building, though it has an interesting mystery at its core.
There has “always been a Kingman in Hollow” goes the refrain, a member of the Kingman family who acts as a check on the king. But some years before the novel’s start, Michael’s father,
May 5th, 2020. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Nick Martell | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Peña
In comparison with the other three books in the DC ICONS COLLECTION, I’m afraid I have to say that Superman’s entry is not the best. As with the others, it explores the adolescence of a famous superhero before he or she donned a mask and cloak, and in this case, focuses on farm-boy Clark Kent realizing that strange things are happening in his rural hometown of Smallville.
Along with his best friend Lana Lang (reimagined for the first time as a would-be reporter) Clark gradually becomes aware of a sudden corporate interest in the farms of Smallville,
April 9th, 2020. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 2.5 | Matt de la Peña | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Keeper of the Winds by Jenna Solitaire & Russell Davis
The cover of my ARC of Keeper of the Winds (2020) shows it co-authored by Jenna Solitaire and Russell Davis. This edition is a reimagining and slight updating of a book originally published in 2006. Its author was Jenna Solitaire. Davis come up with the conceit of an imaginary author, narrating her own adventures as she discovers that she is the Guardian of a strange set of magical spirit boards, at least four of which control the elements.
February 28th, 2020. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2.5 | Jenna Solitaire | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley
I found Natasha Pulley’s The Watchmaker of Filigree Street entirely charming even if I didn’t fall wholly in love with it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same positive response to the sequel, The Lost Future of Pepperharrow (2020), which felt meandering and surprisingly flat to me, despite some solid moments.
It’s half a decade after the events of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street,
February 17th, 2020. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Natasha Pulley | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Strange Exit by Parker Peevyhouse
Decades after the Earth was destroyed by nuclear war and its aftermath, a group of teens aboard an orbiting spaceship meant as a refuge are stuck in a VR stasis while their ship falls apart around them. Only if all them “wake up” and exit the VR simulation will the ship allow them to leave. One girl, 17-year-old Lake, has made it her mission to return again and again into the sim, despite the danger of getting stuck in there, to wake those still “living” there. She’s joined by her younger sister Willow in the form of a sim “figment” (her sister is lost in real life) and a young boy,
January 14th, 2020. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Parker Peevyhouse | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water by Vylar Kaftan
Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water is a 2019 novella by Vylar Kaftan. The story opens with two characters, Bee, our narrator, and Chela, in jeopardy in a very unusual setting, and takes us places we did not expect.
Bee is trapped in a unique and horrifying prison: a cave complex on a planet far from Earth. She has one companion, Chela, and they have banded together to brave the dangers of the caves: the risk of drowning,
January 9th, 2020. Marion Deeds and Terry Weyna´s rating: 2.5, 3 | Vylar Kaftan | Short Fiction, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Children of the Night by Mercedes Lackey
Children of the Night (1990) is the second novel in Mercedes Lackey’s DIANA TREGARDE trilogy, following Burning Water. Each of the novels can stand alone, so you don’t need to read Burning Water first. In fact, it could be argued that this one is a better starting place because it’s set earlier in Diana’s life and we learn more about her in this novel.
December 4th, 2019. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2.5 | Mercedes Lackey | Audio | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Knight of the Silver Circle by Duncan M. Hamilton
I gave a “didn’t recommend” to Duncan M. Hamilton’s Dragonslayer, noting that while it had some good pacing and a smooth, easy flow to it, that the story and characters were both a bit overly familiar and flat. Despite my rating though, when the sequel, Knight of the Silver Circle (2019) appeared, I picked it up, figuring it would be a pretty quick read and somewhat curious as to whether there had been any improvement.
November 26th, 2019. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2.5 | Duncan M. Hamilton | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz
The Future of Another Timeline (2019) was a miss for me, which surprised me given how much I enjoy this writer. Many people on Amazon give it high ratings, so, as we say, your mileage may vary.
There are five-time machines embedded in the earth’s crust in Annalee Newitz’s 2019 novel. These objects, growing out of prehistoric rock, may be machines, or sentient entities, or some kind of strange natural occurrence, but they react to certain rhythmic sounds by sending a person back in time … and allowing them to return to their present.
November 4th, 2019. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2.5 | Annalee Newitz | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff
Orpen is a young woman who lives with her mother and Maeve, her mother’s partner, on an island off the coast of Ireland. As she is growing up, as far as Orpen knows, they are the only humans left alive. Orpen wants to go to the mainland to see if she can find any other people, and to search for the legendary female paramilitary force that is rumored to be fighting the skrake, vicious zombie-like creatures that hunt and kill humans. Her mother and Maeve warn her against this,
October 16th, 2019. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2.5 | Sarah Davis-Goff | Audio, Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
These sound like they're worth picking up.
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