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First Lensman by E. E. “Doc” Smith
Although a fairly direct sequel to Triplanetary, which is now almost universally regarded as the opening salvo in E. E. “Doc” Smith’s famed LENSMAN series, Book 2, perhaps misleadingly titled First Lensman, was actually the last of the six books comprising this most famous of all Golden Age space operas to be written. As I mentioned in my review of Book 1, Smith had originally written Books 3 through 6 over the 13-year period 1934 –
February 15th, 2019. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 3.5 | E.E. "Doc" Smith | SFF Reviews | no comments |
They Shall Have Stars by James Blish
The optimism of Modernism expressed itself in a variety of fashions. Silver Age science fiction perhaps the grandest of them all, the infinite potential of technology was a playground which hundreds of writers rushed to frolic on. Jaunts to Mars, telekinetic communication, robot servants — a universe of ideas was the genre’s oyster. Space flight perhaps the most utilized trope, there was no shortage of schemes and inspiration about how mankind could achieve the stars. Approaching in realist mode (chronologically, that is), James Blish and his CITIES IN FLIGHT sequence posited that discoveries in mathematics and solar system exploration would be the ticket to the galaxy.
February 15th, 2019. Jesse Hudson´s rating: 3.5 | James Blish | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Cassie Blake is distraught when her mother decides to uproot to the small town of New Salem in order to take care of a grandmother who Cassie had never even met before. But that is only the start of her problems. Starting a new school, trying to make new friends — and discovering that some of the people she would most like to befriend are all part of some secret Club that Cassie is not permitted to join. Then a girl dies and Cassie is finally initiated into the Secret Circle,
February 14th, 2019. Amanda Rutter (guest) and Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | L.J. Smith | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Empress is another one of Mark Millar’s big-action comics. It’s about Earth’s first rulers, long ago, when apparently they had technology beyond anything we could imagine. The Empress, Emporia, lives with a terrible husband, King Morax, who is all-powerful and likes to express that power by killing his people for the smallest possible infraction. This story is about her escape from the misery of his company as she goes on the run with her family across the galaxy.
The story is fairly simple and lacks the complexity of Millar’s best work.
February 9th, 2019. Brad Hawley´s rating: 3.5 | Mark Millar | Comics | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
Diane Setterfield offers up a great premise and a heaping sense of atmosphere in her newest novel, Once Upon a River (2018), but while the book offers up plenty of satisfying moments, I felt it fell short of its potential and was also somewhat marred by Setterfield’s lack of trust in her readers, though both of those complaints are admittedly more subjective than my typical criticism, so more than usual, one’s mileage may vary here.
As for that wholly engrossing premise,
February 4th, 2019. Bill Capossere and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 3.5 | Diane Setterfield | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
A Different Flesh by Harry Turtledove
A Different Flesh (1988), by Harry Turtledove, is a thoughtful collection of linked stories set in an alternate America which was inhabited by a hairy upright-walking sub-human species (homo erectus) when European settlers arrived. The settlers call them “sims.” The earliest story is set in 1610 and the last one in 1988 and, as the stories progress through time, we see the sims become more and more advanced, but it is clear that they will never reach the level of cognition that homo sapiens has achieved.
January 30th, 2019. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Harry Turtledove | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan
The first instalment in Gareth Hanrahan’s THE BLACK IRON LEGACY is a bit like an avalanche: The Gutter Prayer (2019) starts out slowly and a tad scattershot, taking about 150 – 200 pages to build momentum, but when everything falls into place, it becomes an onslaught, picking up speed over the next 300 or so pages before crashing to a breathless finish.
Within the ancient coastal city of Guerdon, citizens maintain an air of normalcy,
January 30th, 2019. Jana Nyman´s rating: 3.5 | Gareth Hanrahan | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones
Year of the Griffin (2000) is a sequel (of sorts) to Diana Wynne Jones’ Dark Lord of Derkholm, a satirical fantasy aimed at children and young adults, but just as enjoyable for grown-ups. Year of the Griffin is different — it’s not a satire and, for that reason, probably isn’t as appealing to adults, but I still enjoyed it. It’s what I like to call a boarding school fantasy,
January 29th, 2019. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Diana Wynne Jones | Audio, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
THE FADED SUN by C.J. Cherryh
C.J. Cherryh’s FADED SUN trilogy (1978) consists of three books: Kesrith, Shon’jir, and Kutath. They’ve been bundled into an omnibus edition and Tantor Media sent me a review copy of their recently released audiobook version.
The three novels make up a continuous story of clashing civilizations that takes place in the far future with a few alien species on several distant planets. One of these species is the Mri,
January 28th, 2019. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | C.J. Cherryh | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Lipstick Voodoo by Kristi Charish
Kincaid Strange is a 27-year-old woman who’s one of the only “zombie practitioners” in the Seattle area. She can temporarily (or permanently, for that matter) raise people from the dead, which is clearly handy when you want to temporarily raise a rich old man and ask him to amend his will in order to avoid a family lawsuit. Lipstick Voodoo (2019) opens with just such a scene, with a crotchety old man who’s not impressed with his family’s reasons for raising him from the dead,
January 23rd, 2019. Tadiana Jones´s rating: 3.5 | Kristi Charish | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I might say "formulaic" actually.
Your review made me curious, so I looked this book up. Sure enough: Tor. Tor seems to specialize in these…
It's a tightrope act for sure.
[…] Stuart (2 December 2015). “Roadside Picnic: Russian SF classic with parallels to Vandermeer’s Area X | Fantasy Lit…. fantasyliterature.com. Retrieved 8 […]
yes, I mean, there are certainly lots of good sci-fi/fantasy novellas out there, so they aren't impossible to do, but…