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Forever Azathoth: Pastiches and Parodies

Forever Azathoth: Pastiches and Parodies by Peter Cannon

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.

On the back cover of Forever Azathoth: Pastiches and Parodies, H.P. Lovecraft himself is quoted. “As a rule, I don’t think that a comic or flippant style — or one with much satire — mixes well with the weird.” Forever Azathoth sets out to dispute that statement,

Juliet Immortal: Left me more frustrated than satisfied

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

Juliet Immortal was one of my most anticipated books of 2011. I loved Stacey Jay’s Dead on the Delta, and when I learned that she was writing a Shakespeare spin-off involving an original type of paranormal being, it seemed like too much awesomeness in one package. I really wanted to like Juliet Immortal, and it makes me sad that I did not.

Here’s the premise: Romeo and Juliet fell in love in medieval Italy,

August 26th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Stacey Jay | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |

Swordbird: Two stars for Swordbird, Five for Miss Fan

Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan

The Swordbird Song
by Kat Hooper
To be sung to the tune of “The Trees” by Rush.

There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble in the trees,
For the bluejays want their eggs back
And their nuts and their berries.

The trouble with the blue jays,
(And they’re quite convinced they’re right)
They say the cardinals filched their babies
And they grabbed their food at night.

Shadow Prowler & Shadow Chaser: Been there, done that

Shadow Prowler & Shadow Chaser by Alexey Pehov

Shadow Prowler and Shadow Chaser are the first two books, respectively, of the Chronicles of Siala trilogy by Russian author Alexey Pehov. The series is a best-seller and award-winner in Russia, and has been translated into English by Andrew Bromfield (translator of Sergei Lukyanenko’s Night Watch series) for Tor.

The world of Siala has seen several Ages.

August 15th, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | Alexey Pehov | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |

The Silver Horn: Unoriginal with shallow characters

The Silver Horn by Cherith Baldry

Vair, a young pine marten, talks his mom and dad into taking the family to the fair in Watersmeet, but on the way, a group of bandits led by Ragnar, a silver fox, attack them and press Vair into their service. Vair soon discovers that these bandits are working for the evil Lord Owl who plans to take over the whole country. The Lord Owl wants Ragnar’s bandits to find the legendary and powerful Silver Horn in Watersmeet. Can Vair find his family and stop the evil Owl’s plans?

The Infinity Concerto: Fails to deliver

The Infinity Concerto by Greg Bear

I give myself credit for finishing The Infinity Concerto, the first book of Songs of Earth and Power, written by Greg Bear in 1986. The Infinity Concerto has a compelling opening chapter but fails to deliver on that chapter’s promise.

Michael Perrin, the book’s main character, is a sixteen-year-old boy living in southern California, an only child who wants to be a poet. At a family party his father introduces him to the composer Arno Waltiri.

July 18th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 2 | Greg Bear | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Dark Time: Technothriller disguised as urban fantasy

Dark Time by Dakota Banks

Dark Time by Dakota Banks is a technothriller disguised as an urban fantasy. For it to reach its ideal audience, it should instead be titled something like “The Anu Tablet” and have an ominously lit historic building on its cover.

The story begins in colonial times, when Susannah Layhem is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to burn at the stake. (Never mind that nobody was burned as a witch in the American colonies; they were hanged.) As she is dying,

July 11th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Dakota Banks | SFF Reviews | no comments |

City of the Snakes: Early Darren Shan

City of the Snakes by Darren Shan

City of the Snakes is the final entry in Darren Shan’s The City trilogy. The City is so corrupt that it should have fallen to pieces when its criminal overlord, the Cardinal, died. However, Ferdinand Dorak made careful plans for his successor, preventing the gang war that everyone was expecting. Dorak made a deal with the villacs, blind Mayan priests, and together they created human puppets known as the Ayuamarcans. Over the years, the Cardinal made many Ayuamarcans,

July 4th, 2011. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 2 | Darren Shan | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |

Elvenbane: Norton vs. Lackey, Round 1

Elvenbane by Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey

In the world of Elvenbane, elves have subjugated humanity because… well, they’re elves, frankly: magical and long-lived and perfectly capable of taking what they want. Apparently having served as the unselfish goodie-goodies one too many times, elves have instead been refreshingly cast as the fantasy version of the Roman Empire in this text, conquering and enslaving other races out of a sense of entitlement and a desire to expand their power. Humans are used for menial labor and sexual gratification,

June 27th, 2011. Tim Scheidler´s rating: 2 | Andre Norton, Mercedes Lackey | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |

Touch the Dark: Try Chance’s later series instead

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

Touch the Dark is the first in Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer urban fantasy series. Cassie is a seer; she can foretell the future and speak with ghosts. Later, she learns she has another power too: the ability to travel back in time and change events in the past. The time-travel element is unusual in urban fantasy and lends some freshness to what would otherwise be a pretty standard plot about a young woman embroiled in the politics of gorgeous,

June 22nd, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Karen Chance | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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Oh, Marion, you say "but dark" as if it were a bad thing! 😂
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