Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: 3.5

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Hart & Boot & Other Stories: By Tim Pratt

Hart & Boot & Other Stories by Tim Pratt

Tim Pratt’s second short story collection, Hart & Boot & Other Stories, features 13 stories that tackle various concepts and genres. While most of the stories still retain that mythology-inspired influence that is undeniably Pratt, they tend to have more closure compared to the stories in the previous collection. They’re nonetheless quick and easy reads, however, and anyone can get immersed in Pratt’s writing style.

Somehow, Tim Pratt manages to write stories called “Romanticore” and “Lachrymose and the Golden Egg” yet end up with a serious,

Changeling: A cute book for kids

Changeling by Delia Sherman

Neef wants desperately to go on an adventure of her own, alike to the ones she hears about in fairy tales, and that’s just what she gets when she’s kidnapped by the fairy.

From being banished by the Green Lady, genius of central park, to a wild ride on the pooka, to serving a riddle to the mermaid queen for her mirror, Neef toughs out obstacles and gains an unlikely companion who seems to be more trouble than she is worth. But Neef is a tough cookie and she gets through it … just not exactly as she planned…

Delia Sherman’s Changeling is a simple and cozy little story chock full of humor and sticky situations.

Deepwood: Exciting fantasy adventure by a veteran author

Deepwood by Jennifer Roberson

Looking back, Karavans was a typical set-up novel. It focused mainly on worldbuilding, laying down the groundwork for the story, and introducing a diverse cast of characters — Audrun, Davyn, and their children Gillan, Ellica, Torvic, and Megritte; the Shoia guide Rhuan and his partner Darmuth; Rhuan’s cousin and courier Brodhi; fellow courier Bethid; and hand-reader Ilona, among various other supporting players.

So, plot-wise, there may not have been a lot going on, but personally I had no problems with this aspect of the book since Ms.

June 25th, 2009. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | Jennifer Roberson | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Steelflower: Fun Sword & Sorcery style romp

Steelflower by Lilith Saintcrow

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened Steelflower. The cover art looked like your standard urban fantasy cover: a feisty female with an exotic looking sword, shot from the back. The plot description on the back cover sounded like someone’s novelization of a roleplaying game — elvish sellsword meets crude barbarian and they join up to defeat the evil badguy — but what I found inside was a fun sword and sorcery style romp with interesting main characters and non-stop action.

June 24th, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | Lilith Saintcrow | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Hero of Ages: Put Mistborn on your TBR list

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

I’m impressed with Brandon Sanderson’s first fantasy trilogy. The entire story was carefully thought out, well-plotted, and well-paced. What impresses me most is that in this last installment, The Hero of Ages, there are plenty of wonderful surprises left. But these surprises aren’t little add-ons that Sanderson lately thought up and decided to throw in just to keep up the interest and excitement. These are major pieces of the puzzle that have purposely been left for the characters (and therefore the readers) to discover.

Promises to Keep: Prequel to the Newford Stories

Promises to Keep by Charles deLint

Promises to Keep is the story of the early Jilly Coppercorn, how she meets so many of the other central characters from the Newford stories, and the adventure that results when she unexpectedly bumps into Donna, a friend from her past who she had met while in the Home for Wayward Girls. Jilly used to be a victim of abuse, a junkie, and a hooker, but she’s changed her life, is clean, and is attending college and working.

June 22nd, 2009. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3.5 | Charles De_Lint | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Gears of the city: Outstanding prose and imagination

Gears of the City by Felix Gilman

Despite a somewhat slow and haphazard beginning, I thought Felix Gilman’s Thunderer was one of the best debuts I read in 2007 and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. Alas, Gears of the City was a bit disappointing in comparison, but still a very good book.

I think the biggest issue I had with the book were the characters. Simply put, I just didn’t care about any of them,

June 11th, 2009. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | Felix Gilman | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Disappearing Nightly: Some fluffy urban-fantasy fun

Disappearing Nightly by Laura Resnick

Funny fact: This book got lost in the mail on its way to me and took almost a month to arrive. I started wondering if it was a bad idea to order a book with “Disappearing” in the title! It turned up in the end, though, and I’m glad. Disappearing Nightly is a lot of fun. It was just what I needed after reading a couple of really dark novels.

Both the heroine and the plot are highly original in the urban fantasy subgenre.

June 10th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Laura Resnick | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Bone Song: Gritty futuristic noir with gothic fantasy

Bone Song by John Meaney

British author John Meaney is primarily known as a writer of hard science fiction. In his latest offering however, he changes tack a bit and delivers a novel in Bone Song that is described as blending “gritty futuristic noir with gothic fantasy.” A fairly accurate description, although personally I would categorize the book as urban fantasy because the backdrop is definitely present day, the main character is a police lieutenant, and the story is driven by a murder investigation that features plenty of familiar police procedural elements and subplots like a romance,

May 29th, 2009. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | John Meaney | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Heroes of the Valley: A quick, enjoyable, often funny YA read

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud

In the long ago history of Jonathan Stroud’s YA fantasy Heroes of the Valley, the great hero Svein gathered the other 11 heroes of the Valley to fight the Battle of the Rock against the ravening inhuman Trows who had long terrorized the Valley residents, snatching babies and killing women and children at night — the only time the Trow came out. At the end of the battle, the heroes were all dead but the Trow were driven utterly out of the valley and into the heights.

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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