3 | Fantasy Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews

Meridian: Fenestrae, oh my!

Meridian by Amber Kizer

In the crowded field of YA paranormal novels, the premise of Meridian stands out. Not content to give us yet another tale of angsty vampire love, Amber Kizer instead introduces us to the Fenestras, semi-angelic beings who are tasked with helping the dying cross over to the afterlife. Our heroine, Meridian, has always been different. Small animals burrow into her bed and die, and mysterious ailments have always plagued her. On her sixteenth birthday, she learns why. She is a Fenestra.

Meridian’s life changes overnight.

The Shadow Queen: Still on my guilty pleasures list

The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

My last encounter with Anne Bishop’s BLACK JEWELS SERIES did not go well. Okay, that might be a bit of an understatement. But I suppose even my inner fangirl is a bit hard-pressed to let go sometimes, so I decided to give the series one last try.

The setup is somewhat different for The Shadow Queen. After suffering centuries of abuse and degradation under corrupt Queens, the territory of Dena Nehele is left without a Queen at all.

December 9th, 2009. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 3 | Anne Bishop | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Splendor Falls: A little too slow…

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Sylvie Davis was once a promising ballerina, but a broken leg ended her career. Distraught over her injury, her father’s death, and her mother’s remarriage, she overindulges in champagne at the wedding reception, and sees something … supernatural. Something that simply isn’t possible. Her mother and stepfather, convinced that Sylvie is either an alcoholic or mentally ill, pack her off to Alabama to recuperate at the home of a cousin.

But life at Bluestone Hill is far from peaceful. Sylvie soon realizes she’s walked into a hotbed of simmering tensions.

The Osiris Ritual: Fun, predictable, slightly charming

The Newbury and Hobbes books have some charm to them, but it’s of a lesser sort.
Read More

December 2nd, 2009. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | George Mann | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Demon Bound: Caitlin Kittredge Rocks. Jack Winter not so much.

Demon Bound by Caitlin Kittredge

Demon Bound is the second book in Caitlin Kittredge’s Black London series. Kittredge fans will be happy to know that she has once again spun a fascinating yarn that is loaded with creative nuances and twists. Her dark imagination is a breath of dank, moldering, fetid air exhaled by something creeping out of the haunted crypt she calls a brain. She has a knack for unfolding compelling stories without too much backfill (backfill is something I personally find annoying).

November 26th, 2009. Stephen B. Frank´s rating: 3 | Caitlin Kittredge | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Nightchild: Best book in the trilogy

Nightchild by James Barclay

Nightchild is officially the third book in the CHRONICLES OF THE RAVEN trilogy by British fantasy author James Barclay, but it feels like a completely separate novel from Dawnthief and Nightchild, which were so strongly connected that they could have been published as one long story, with book 2 picking up right where book 1 left off. Nightchild, by contrast, starts 5 years after the end of the previous book,

November 20th, 2009. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3 | James Barclay | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Skeleton Creek: Multi-media mystery for kids

Skeleton Creek & Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman

In the Skeleton Creek duology, best friends Ryan McCray and Sarah Fincher team up to investigate the mysterious goings-on at an old mining dredge in their town. The story is told in Ryan’s journal, in which he records his thoughts and his correspondence with Sarah; and in Sarah’s films, creepy Blair Witch-style videos that are accessible on the Internet using passwords given in the text. Before I go any further, I should say that Skeleton Creek is not fantasy and is better categorized as mystery.

All the Windwracked Stars: Norse mythology + apocalyptic SF

All the Windwracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear

All the Windwracked Stars is the first book in the EDDA OF BURDENS trilogy by fantasy and SF author Elizabeth Bear. The novel is a very original blend of fantasy, science fiction, steampunk and mythology, and while it has some weaknesses, its originality sets it apart in a genre that’s all too often filled with cookie-cutter material.

Surprisingly, All the Windwracked Stars actually begins with Ragnarok, the final battle between the Children of the Light and the Tarnished.

November 13th, 2009. Stefan Raets and Greg Hersom´s rating: 3, 4.5 | Elizabeth Bear | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |

Stealing Death: So much potential

Stealing Death by Janet Lee Carey

Stealing Death by Janet Lee Carey is a book I really wanted to like. It has an unusual YA setting — a desert land of red sandstone and small villages; a great premise — a young boy (Kipp) who steals the sack Death uses to collect souls so no more have to die; an exciting, emotional beginning with all but one of Kipp’s family killed in a fire; and a pattern of inserting small folktales into the larger narrative.

In Between: Art, meditation, Buddhism, martial arts, syndicated crime

In Between by R.A. MacAvoy

In Between is a novella by R.A. MacAvoy about Ewen Young, a Chinese-American painter who early in the story is held up by three gangsters — a threat to his uncle who apparently is behind on some gambling debts. Ewen is a fascinating character who seems to have some latent psychic powers… something that becomes more and more apparent as the story develops.

In Between is one of those novellas that feels and reads like a really tightly compressed novel (as opposed to,

Rating: 3

Meridian: Fenestrae, oh my!

The Shadow Queen: Still on my guilty pleasures list

The Splendor Falls: A little too slow…

The Osiris Ritual: Fun, predictable, slightly charming

Demon Bound: Caitlin Kittredge Rocks. Jack Winter not so much.

Nightchild: Best book in the trilogy

Skeleton Creek: Multi-media mystery for kids

All the Windwracked Stars: Norse mythology + apocalyptic SF

Stealing Death: So much potential

In Between: Art, meditation, Buddhism, martial arts, syndicated crime

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