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Dawn of the Algorithm: Too many pop references, not enough poetry for me

Dawn of the Algorithm by Yann Rousselot

Dawn of the Algorithm is a collection of 33 poems by Yann Rousselot that take a wryly dark look at humanity — mostly our faults — through the lens of science fiction tropes, most pulled from pop culture. We’ve got AIs, giant monsters, depressed T-Rex’s, aliens, and loads of references to anime, science fiction films and fiction. It’s a collection that should have been right up my alley, but though it has its moments, I just didn’t connect with much of it,

The Lord-Protector’s Daughter: Rather dull

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,

Trial of Intentions: Issues of pacing and plot overwhelm an intriguing work

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 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: Interesting ideas are undermined

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: Like WOT on water

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),

Macaque Attack: I fell off the teeter-totter with this one

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: Too much action crammed into too few pages

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: A poor imitation of better media options

Soda Pop Soldier by Nick Cole

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: Will have limited appeal

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.

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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