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Jess Lebowhas brought some of the adventure back to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. It is much like the early Ed Greenwood, when he first began writing media tie in novels for his Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
Obsidian Ridge tells the story of three primary heroes. The Claw is the king’s assassin, whose bladed gauntlets remind me of Wolverine (and The Claw uses them to equal effect). Mariko is the king’s daughter — a budding spellcaster and damsel in distress.
May 10th, 2009. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 3 | Jess Lebow | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
I went through a phase a few years ago where I sought out every retelling of the Tam Lin story that I could get my hands on. So the title An Earthly Knight was instantly familiar to me, and I knew I needed to read this book. I was especially intrigued by the author’s choice to return the story to its original setting, medieval Scotland.
Unfortunately, the historical aspect falls a little flat. McNaughton has a tendency to get a bit infodump-y. I wasn’t familiar with the politics of that time and place,
May 3rd, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Janet McNaughton | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Land is a world where Gods rule supreme. The time of the prophecies has come and old rebellions against the gods have resurfaced, including conflicts with nature itself. The tribes of man, and other species, must scramble and conspire to be on the winning side. Into this dark time, a white-eye (a god-created superhuman) named Isak has ascended and he may be mankind’s last hope or final doom.
For a relatively small page-count, there are way too many characters to keep up with. I realize that many were only introduced to play a bigger role in the following books but I’m afraid I’ll probably forget them by then.
May 1st, 2009. Greg Hersom´s rating: 3 | Tom Lloyd | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Fall With Honor by E.E. Knight
In Fall With Honor, Val is taking part in an effort to start another area of human control in a Kurian zone. He’s worn down, tired, and somewhat broken, but he’s still Val.
Fall With Honor was a bit of a let down. There is an intriguing mission and there could be interesting characters,
but the folks who surround Val seem to be just different iterations of many similar characters who he’s fought, served with,
April 30th, 2009. John Hulet´s rating: 3 | E.E. Knight | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Firebird is a story made up of a range of Russian folklore, from the gnome-like ‘leshis’ to the greedy tsar to the Firebird itself. It reads like a fleshed-out fairytale, and contains much of the imagery and themes associated with such stories — everything from the persecuted younger brother to the quest narrative to the malevolent ruler of the land to the magical helpers and objects. For this reason, the story may sound rather predictable (and often it is), but as Russian folktales are not often delved into by Western writers,
April 29th, 2009. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Sophie Masson | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder
Opal, a student magician at the Keep in Sitia is having problems learning how to control her magic. Known as a “one-trick wonder” by the other students, Opal has a strong relationship with glass and glass making, but can do little else with her skills.
When a glass problem comes up in the storm lands, Master magician Zitora takes Opal with her to see what the problem is. As it turns out, the storm orbs that all the stormdancers use to capture the power of raging storms are breaking and killing stormdancers.
April 24th, 2009. Guest´s rating: 3 | Maria V. Snyder | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Originally published in 1998, Blood Memories is an odd book. In some ways, it’s more in line with the gothic vampire-fiction trends begun by Anne Rice, while in other ways it’s more reflective of the newer urban-fantasy trends influenced by Joss Whedon and early Laurell Hamilton.
On the Rice side of the scales: Barb Hendee’s vampires kill, but are presented as sympathetic characters who don’t enjoy killing. (In current urban fantasy,
April 24th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Barb and J.C. Hendee | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Wow, faeries are everywhere in YA fantasy lately. Aprilynne Pike adds to this growing subgenre with a novel that stands out in some ways but not in others.
Pike’s best touch is her take on how faeries differ from humans biologically. It’s clever, it’s well-thought-out, and it makes sense. It’s easy to imagine how these beings could give rise to the stories humans tell about faeries. Laurel’s plantlike biology also turns out to be crucial to the plot, late in the novel.
The pace is slow in the beginning;
April 16th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Aprilynne Pike | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard
I like mysteries, and I like fantasy, and so I’m always in the market for a mystery with fantasy elements! Shirley Damsgaard’s Witch Way to Murder is a cute, fun addition to this hybrid subgenre. It has a few flaws, but I liked it enough that I plan to read the next Ophelia and Abby novel as soon as I get my hands on it.
Witch Way to Murder is set in the small town of Summerset, Iowa. Damsgaard sets a great scene;
April 12th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Shirley Damsgaard | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Welcome to S.J. Day’s California, where demons walk among us, unbeknownst to all but a few chosen souls. These chosen souls are the “Marks,” so named because they bear the Mark of Cain. Personally recruited by God to serve as demon-hunting enforcers, they gain superhuman powers and a chance to expiate their sins. The oldest, baddest mark is Cain himself. He’s still a rebel with a distaste for rules, and he still doesn’t get along with that brother of his.
Our heroine, Evangeline “Eve”
April 9th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | S.J. (Sylvia) Day | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Oh, Marion, you say "but dark" as if it were a bad thing! 😂
Hammer Studios is... reborn? I only ever read the "Kane" stories, which I found good but dark. It's a little…
Oh...and the men used the name "The Great Northern Expedition" to throw people off as to their actual destination, even…
Oh, it IS, Marion! It is!
Sorry if I mislead you in this detail, Paul...the voyage by ship was only the first leg of the quintet's…