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Out of the Waters by David Drake
David Drake’s Out of the Waters continues his new BOOKS OF THE ELEMENTS series set in Carce, a quasi-historical Rome. In my review of book one, The Legions of Fire, I called the novel a “mixed bag” in terms of pace and character and said I was actually more engaged by the historical setting and action rather than the fantastical elements. It was a bit of a struggle to finish, but left me curious enough to pick up book two.
December 5th, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | David Drake | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Ghosts of Rockville: Search for the Dominion Glass by Justin Heimberg
Ghosts of Rockville: Search for the Dominion Glass, by Justin Heimberg, is a middle-grade paranormal mystery with a reading twist: a “magic-view” bit of square plastic which, when placed over most of the illustrations in the text, reveals hidden messages or images. It’s an interesting idea, and one which probably will enhance the reading experience for young readers, but to be honest, it doesn’t enhance it enough because the underlying story and characters are relatively weak.
November 21st, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | Justin Heimberg | Children | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
In our Edge of the Universe column, we review mainstream authors that incorporate elements of speculative fiction into their “literary” work. However you want to label them, we hope you’ll enjoy discussing these books with us.
Haruki Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World begins in Murakami’s “hard-boiled wonderland.” This wonderland is postmodern territory: our disaffected hero is in an elevator that is moving so slowly that “all sense of direction simply vanished.” Murakami finds a nexus between the detective story,
November 18th, 2011. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 2 | Haruki Murakami | Edge | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Eve by Anna Carey is light on the world-building as dystopias go. It’s not one of those books that offer an incisive commentary on some aspect of our existing culture. It’s more, “here’s a setting where things suck; now we have a backdrop for a romance/adventure story.” That’s not inherently bad. It just makes it a fluffy read, rather than a chilling one. Eve doesn’t possess the depth of books like Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (which Carey quotes in the front matter) or George Orwell’s 1984 or Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World or Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games.
November 4th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Anna Carey | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Hearts of Smoke and Steam by Andrew P. Mayer
Set in New York during the Gilded Age, Hearts of Smoke and Steam is Andrew P. Mayer’s second book in the Society of Steam series. It is extremely difficult to follow if you haven’t read The Falling Machine, which introduced these characters and their conflicts. This book continues the problem I had with the first book: an interesting premise is undercut by awkward storytelling.
I think this novel is about a transition of power from a stagnant,
November 3rd, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2 | Andrew P. Mayer | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja & The Nightmare Ninja by Simon Higgins
Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja and Moonshadow: The Nightmare Ninja are the first two installments in a series of children’s books by Simon Higgins about, well, ninjas. The first book is mostly entertaining if a bit slight, but the second, unfortunately, is disappointing due to an overreliance on fight scenes. While the Moonshadow series has potential, it took a step backward in book two.
October 11th, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2, 2.5 | Simon Higgins | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin
After years of plotting and poisoning at court, Cersei Lannister is finally sitting the Iron Throne of Westeros. It’s worth noting that her manipulations led to the War of the Five Kings, which has killed so many in the Riverlands and the North that all that remains is A Feast for Crows. As Queen Regent, Cersei immediately begins turning the Seven Kingdoms even more strongly against each other. Cersei envisions a realm of complete obedience to her rule, and to achieve this end she dismisses the most talented lords and knights in Westeros,
October 7th, 2011. Ryan Skardal and Bill Capossere´s rating: 2, 3 | George R.R. Martin | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Lucy’s Blade by John Lambshead
Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, has asked Dr. John Dee to summon a demon so he can ask it questions about who is threatening the queen. Just as the demon arrives, though, something goes wrong and the demon jumps into the body of Lady Lucy Dennys, Walsingham’s pretty ward. The demon, who calls herself Lilith, endows Lucy with superpowers, so when England is threatened by malevolent forces, Lucy starts kicking ass in her petticoats.
I like the premise and plot of John Lambshead’s Lucy’s Blade and its science-fantasy twist on where demons come from (Lilith is a future being who comes to Earth to study her ancestors).
October 6th, 2011. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | John Lambshead | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Lucinda (Luce) Price has always been a little strange. She sees malevolent shadows that other people can’t see. After a mysterious fire in which the boy she was with died, she is sent to a reform school in Savannah. On her first day she falls for a gorgeous but aloof boy who seems to want nothing to do with her. His name is Daniel Grigori (no kidding). But Cam, the other gorgeous (and very popular) guy at school, immediately starts pursuing her. Luce is confused by her feelings toward Daniel and alarmed that the shadows are appearing more frequently.
September 15th, 2011. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | Lauren Kate | Audio, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The land of Shale is in trouble. The Roil, a wave of darkness filled with unnatural monsters, is sweeping across the continent, engulfing everything it encounters. Out of twelve cities, only four remain standing. Humanity is fighting back in every way it can, but internal divisions between political factions increase the chaos, and more and more it seems like the end is nigh. It’s up to a drug-addicted boy, a young woman out for revenge for the death of her parents, and a man who may be thousands of years old,
September 6th, 2011. Stefan Raets´s rating: 2 | Trent Jamieson | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Oh, Marion, you say "but dark" as if it were a bad thing! 😂
Hammer Studios is... reborn? I only ever read the "Kane" stories, which I found good but dark. It's a little…
Oh...and the men used the name "The Great Northern Expedition" to throw people off as to their actual destination, even…
Oh, it IS, Marion! It is!
Sorry if I mislead you in this detail, Paul...the voyage by ship was only the first leg of the quintet's…