Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: 3.5

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Red-Headed Stepchild: Jaye Wells knows how to take you for a ride

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Sometimes being unique is not a requirement for writing a good story. Jaye Wells’ Red-Headed Stepchild is not unique. In fact, it’s cookie-cutter urban fantasy with all the clichés. But, Wells uses all the same old urban fantasy elements to crank out a decent story.

Sabina Kane, a half-vampire / half-mage assassin for the vampire governing body, has been raised by her maternal grandmother after the ill-starred match of her vampire mother and mage father leaves her an orphan. Sabina is just as sassy,

December 20th, 2009. John Hulet´s rating: 3.5 | Jaye Wells | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Titus Alone: For completists and fans

Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake

Mervyn Peake’s magnum opus began in Titus Groan, and continued in Gormenghast, two brilliant (though door-stopping) books that explored the lives of those that exist in a self-contained, self-sufficient edifice known as Gormenghast: a labyrinthine world of towers, mansions, slums, and the corridors that connect them all. It is ruled by ancient and meaningless ritual, something that the titular character of Titus, Seventy-Seventh Earl of Gormenghast, has rejected. In the final passages of Gormenghast,”

December 18th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher and Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Mervyn Peake | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Vampire Sunrise: Unique urban fantasy setting

Vampire Sunrise By Carole Nelson Douglas

Vampire Sunriseis the third book in the tales of Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator in the world of post-Millennium Revelation Las Vegas by Carole Nelson Douglas. First, let me say that while I personally struggled through parts of Vampire Sunrise and the series as a whole, it offers several things that are worthy of high praise. For instance, this is one of the more unique urban fantasy settings I’ve read in a while.

Post 2000 Las Vegas is inhabited not only by the standard cast of werewolves and vampires but also by Cin-Sims,

December 5th, 2009. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 3.5 | Carole Nelson Douglas | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Child of Darkness: A bridge book

Child of Darkness by Jennifer Armintrout

In Child of Darkness, Jennifer Armintrout continues the unique, genre-convention-defying story she began in Queene of Light. As before, it says “Paranormal Romance” on the spine, but while Queene of Light tweaked the conventional romance novel structure, Child of Darkness breaks it almost completely. (No happily-ever-after, at least not in this installment.) Nor does Child of Darkness follow the current tropes of urban fantasy,

December 5th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Jennifer Armintrout | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Enchantress of Florence: The means justifies the end

This novel contains much insight, humor, and artistry, and this alone — not the plot or its conclusion — made the journey worthwhile.
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Raider’s Ransom: A good little book with an edge of adventure

Raider’s Ransom by Emily Diamand

Raider’s Ransom is set in and around the British Isles, where the survivors of a major global disaster (caused by technology) live much more primitively than their predecessors did. After major weather phenomena and amazing flooding, those who lived were left to clean up and move on with what was left.

Now war is stirring between the crumbling government and the families. The daughter of the Prime Minister is kidnapped, wreaking havoc on the fishing village where she was taken from.

Nightingale’s Lament: Just serious enough

Nightingale’s Lament by Simon R. Green

The Nightside stories are so hard boiled that it’s hard to put in perspective, but I’m going to try anyway: If you took Dashiell Hammett’s corpse, rolled it in batter, then deep fried it till black, you would have a pretty good approximation of what Simon R. Green is going for.

Nightingale’s Lament is the third book in the Nightside series, and follows the same pattern as the previous books do: basically,

The Greener Shore: An extended epilogue (but gorgeous)

The Greener Shore by Morgan Llywelyn

Chief Druid Ainvar, his three wives and their children, and about 15 other survivors from their Celtic clan are sailing west to Hibernia after years of hiding in the forests of Gaul after the Romans destroyed their clan and Julius Caesar murdered their charismatic leader, Vercingetorix.

Ainvar, who relates their adventure in the first person, expended his druid magic in their last fight against the Romans and he knows how weak his tribe, the Carnutes, is. But the Romans are determined to wipe them out,

The Soldier King: Malan excels at character-driven action novels

The Soldier King by Violette Malan

The second book in the A Novel of Dhulyn and Parno series, The Soldier King is a fun sword and sorcery romp featuring engaging characters and an entertaining, multi-faceted world. Picking up about a year after The Sleeping God leaves off, Violette Malan starts the story on a battlefield at the end of a war. The Mercenary Brothers Dhulyn and Parno accept the surrender of the prince of the opposing side’s army. Their own commanders want to hold him hostage as a bargaining chip in opposition to the Common Rule of the Mercenary Guild,

November 13th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | Violette Malan | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

How Not to Make a Wish: Good, but not as good as Jane Madison

How Not to Make a Wish by Mindy Klasky

A year after the fact, Kira Franklin is still recovering from a breakup. Thirty pounds heavier, practically jobless and in need of a miracle, she unexpectedly gets one in the shape of a genie. That’s right, a real rub-the-lamp genie named Teel. Kira’s troubles are over!

Or so she thinks. As it turns out, her wishes make her life anything but easier. She wishes for a new job that turns out to be a huge fiasco, and after she wishes away her extra thirty pounds,

November 4th, 2009. Guest´s rating: 3.5 | Mindy Klasky | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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