Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: 3.5

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Yesterday’s Dreams: Celtic myth, women’s empowerment

Yesterday’s Dreams by Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s novel Yesterday’s Dreams is an interesting mix of Celtic myth, women’s empowerment literature, and urban fantasy. The story is about Kara O’Keefe, a gifted violinist who, through unfortunate circumstance, is forced to pawn her most prized possession, her violin. In doing so, she comes across an unusual pawnshop, called Yesterday’s Dreams, with a caring and kind proprietor who gets Kara out of her jam. But unbeknownst to Kara, this pawnshop and its proprietor are unique in magical and mystical ways.

July 11th, 2008. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 3.5 | Danielle Ackley-McPhail | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Gossamer Plain: Not much happens

The Gossamer Plain by Thomas M. Reid

What happens when the alu-fiend Aliisza gets a conscience? Will she turn to good? Will the justice of Tyr change a creature half-human, half-demon? Interesting questions, especially when you consider that demons are, by their nature, wholly evil. Such a plot allows for discussions on the nature of good and evil, and how choices affect our lives.

Thomas M. Reid, best selling author of Insurrection, returns to the character he created for that story in The Empyrean Odyssey.

June 15th, 2008. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 3.5 | Thomas M. Reid | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Howling Delve: Worth the wait

The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson

In The Howling Delve, Jaleigh Johnson, unlike Erik Scott De Bie in Depths of Madness, does not rely entirely on the dungeon as the setting. Set in Amn in the Year of Lightning Storms, The Howling Delve’s plot revolves around two protagonists: a nobleman’s son who seeks revenge for the overthrow of his family, and a fire elementalist who once lived on the streets of Amn and who seeks something unknown even to her.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds: Southern Gothic that shows a lot of promise

Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest

If you’re a reader who can’t get enough of crumbling antebellum mansions, dark family secrets, and muggy Southern weather, you’ll enjoy Four and Twenty Blackbirds (2003). This Southern Gothic ghost story was Cherie Priest’s first novel, and while it’s imperfect, it’s quite readable and shows a lot of promise.

Set in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Four and Twenty Blackbirds possesses a strong, tangible sense of place. I once spent a brief time in Chattanooga during the summer,

June 5th, 2008. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Cherie Priest | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Mind the Gap: Not much to complain about

Mind the Gap by Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon

Even though Mind the Gap is extremely fast-paced, the novel started out really slowly for me and it wasn’t until 160 pages in that I began to get excited about the book. The problem was that for almost the first half it seemed like Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon were just going through the motions, delivering a plot that was one recognizable convention after another:

The protagonist’s mother mysteriously murdered by shadowy people and forced on the run… Raised to trust no one,

May 25th, 2008. Robert Thompson´s rating: 3.5 | Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Crown of Stars: Stunning in scale and complexity

CROWN OF STARS by Kate Elliott

CROWN OF STARS is well-thought out and obviously well-planned. It’s epic in scope and it’s got a lot of texture. There are many complex characters who we follow in parallel, as in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time. Some of them are very likeable, and there are some really excellent villains (e.g., Hugh). Kate Elliott’s creatures are imaginative and enjoyable, and I especially liked the way they interact with the humans. Ms. Elliott uses a lot of description and intricate world-building and therefore her plot moves very slowly (again,

May 16th, 2008. Kat Hooper and John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 3, 3.5 | Kate Elliott | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Sorcerer’s Son: Hell hath no fury like a sorcerer scorned

Sorcerer’s Son by Phyllis Eisenstein

After the sorceress Delivev Ormoru rejects his marriage proposal, sorcerer Smada Rezhyk becomes worried that she’s out to get him. In order to reduce her powers so that he’ll have time to weave himself a protective gold shirt, Rezhyk sends his demon slave Gildrum to impregnate Delivev with Rezhyk’s own seed. Gildrum takes on the form of a handsome young knight (Mellor) and shows up injured at Delivev’s doorstep. As expected, Delivev falls in love with Mellor, but unexpectedly, Gildrum (who doesn’t even have a heart) falls in love with her,

May 16th, 2008. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Phyllis Eisenstein | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Shadows Return: Didn’t feel right until the end

Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling

Lately, whenever I pick up a new book by a favorite author and read the back of it, I get this feeling of dread. I don’t know what it is, but my favorites are throwing out some really thin-sounding plots. Lynn Flewelling has been a favorite for years, though, since I first began reading her Nightrunner series, so I held out hope for Shadows Return.

So Alec and Seregil are on a new mission when they’re captured and sold into slavery.

May 16th, 2008. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 3.5 | Lynn Flewelling | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Tower at Stony Wood: Not her best work

The Tower at Stony Wood by Patricia McKillip

Patricia McKillip is one of the most unique fantasy writers out there, blending echoes of ancient stories in with intricate and elegant poetic-prose that may surprise those new to her writing style. I must admit that her work is an acquired taste, it took me a few tries to fully understand and appreciate her work; to grasp the story underneath the many-layered poetic language that she invokes.

The Tower at Stony Wood is no exception to this style,

Clockwork Heart: A blend of genres that works

Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti

I really don’t know what sort of story this is. It’s an adventure, it’s a mystery, it’s a crime novel, and a romance kind of all throw into one. It’s a complex blend of genres all set in a different world where technology is far behind our modern times in many respects, but has been carefully enough thought out that it makes sense.

At the center of the story is a young woman who works as an Icarus — basically the equivalent of a bicycle messenger,

April 1st, 2008. John Hulet and Kat Hooper´s rating: 3, 3.5 | Dru Pagliassotti | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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