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The Lord-Protector’s Daughter by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
According to the publisher’s blurb, The Lord-Protector’s Daughter is a “standalone fantasy.” Um… no. It most certainly is not. It’s book seven in L.E. Modesitt Jr’s COREAN CHRONICLES and while it’s true that it begins a new story that takes place a couple hundred years after the events of book six, it is the first part of a story that will be at least a duology set in Corus. So, you’re not going to get the full story about Mykella,
June 4th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | L.E. Modesitt_Jr | Audio | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Trial of Intentions by Peter Orullian
I really want to like Trial of Intentions, Peter Orullian’s second novel in his VAULT OF HEAVEN series. I’d really like to recommend it. Not so much for its plot or characters or style, which mostly run from not so good to average, though he has his moments. But underneath the separate pieces of the novel, one has a sense, a somewhat tentative, barely tangible sense, that Orullian is trying to do something interesting here. And it’s for that tantalizing glimpse of the big picture,
May 26th, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | Peter Orullian | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
A Glance Backward by Pierre Paquet and Tony Sandoval
A Glance Backward: A disappointing portal fantasy
A Glance Backward, written by Pierre Paquet and illustrated by Tony Sandoval is a graphic novel that on the face of it might seem aimed at a younger audience, but thanks to its artwork and some grisly scenes, if I were to recommend it to anyone it would be 14 and up. That “if” is because I didn’t really respond at all to either the writing or artistic style,
May 9th, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Dark Between the Stars by Kevin J Anderson
There are some fascinating ideas in The Dark Between the Stars, the first book of the SAGA OF SHADOWS trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson. This is the second trilogy in this particular universe, original to Anderson, who is probably better-known for his collaborations with Brian Herbert in the DUNE universe.
In The Dark Between the Stars, four plotlines unfold. A terrifying enemy has re-emerged in the Spiral Arm after millennia;
May 8th, 2015. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2 | Kevin J. Anderson | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Straits of Hell by Taylor Anderson
My reviews for Taylor Anderson’s DESTROYERMEN series are getting shorter and shorter. That’s because, with each book, I have less to say.
Here’s the bottom line: Taylor Anderson has created a wonderful world full of loveable characters. It’s fun just to hang out with them. However, at this point, it feels like that’s all what we’re doing: just hanging out.
Sure, there are battles and a bit of personal drama, but it’s all stuff we’ve seen before. In Straits of Hell (2015),
May 5th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | Taylor Anderson | Audio | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Macaque Attack by Gareth L. Powell
For the first two books in Gareth L. Powell’s MACAQUE series, I felt like I was standing in the center of a seesaw or teeter-totter, trying to hold the plank level and balanced. With the third book, Macaque Attack, the totter tipped and threw me off. I can no longer maintain the suspension of disbelief needed to enjoy these adventures.
This review may contain spoilers of all three books, so be warned.
March 31st, 2015. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2 | Gareth L. Powell | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
Published in 2003, The High Lord is the action-packed third and final book of Trudi Canavan’s THE BLACK MAGICIAN trilogy. In The High Lord, Canavan brings us back to Sonea’s troubles and her “capture” by Akkarin, the High Lord of the Magician’s Guild. It’s hinted throughout book two, The Novice, that Akkarin might not be as evil and corrupted as his practice of black magic seems to suggest, but it’s in book three that we finally discover some of Akkarin’s motives and end goals.
March 30th, 2015. Kevin Wei´s rating: 2 | Trudi Canavan | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Soda Pop Soldier essentially takes the e-sports concept (DOTA 2, Starcraft, etc.) that offers the promise of making buckets of money by playing video games to talented gamers, and mixes it up with a heavy dose of corporatization (well, a heavier dose than it already has) and a heaping serving of teenage boy wish fulfillment.
See, gamer PerfectQuestion (yes, that’s his name) fights for ColaCorp in an online wargame called WarWorld, where other megacorporations battle each other for dominance in the real world of advertising.
March 24th, 2015. Stefan Raets´s rating: 2 | Nick Cole | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Scarlet Fig: or, Slowly through a Land of Stone by Avram Davidson
I loved The Phoenix and the Mirror, the first book in Avram Davidson’s trilogy about the mage Vergil in ancient Rome, but the two sequels are disappointing. The first sequel, Vergil in Averno, is a travelogue of Vergil’s visit to Averno, a place that ancient Romans thought might be the gate to Hell. (It’s not nearly as interesting as that might suggest, though.) It had little plot, but at least it displayed Avram Davidson’s amusing sense of humor.
March 20th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | Avram Davidson | Audio | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Against the Tide of Years by S.M. Stirling
It’s been several years since “the event” which pulled the island of Nantucket back in time to 1300 B.C. (We read all about this in Island in the Sea of Time, the first book in S.M. Stirling’s NANTUCKET trilogy.) The islanders have been busy learning how to live without all the modern conveniences of the 20th century. They are successfully learning how to farm and fish, breed animals, acquire fuels,
March 17th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | S.M. Stirling | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
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That list of anticipated books is certainly odd, although it does align with the type of books ReacTor and Locus…
If it doesn't have a ripped shirt, is it *really* Doc Savage?
Ooh, I DO kinda like that Doc Savage action figure! But without the ripped shirt, I think I will take…
I like the analysis of the artwork here--detailed and thoughtful. Thanks for sharing this review!
Please contact me Scott I know who got us away and contacted social services.