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The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Mists of Avalon, as you’ve likely guessed, is a retake on the King Arthur legends, but what makes it different is that it’s written from the women’s perspectives (Morgaine, Guinevere, etc.). The first one was written by Marion Zimmer Bradley in 1983 and this was the first time this feminist technique was used in fantasy literature and it was very successful (I learned that when I took a Modern Scholar course in fantasy literature).
September 10th, 2008. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Marion Zimmer Bradley | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Greetings from Lake Wu by Jay Lake
Greetings from Lake Wu is a collaboration between Jay Lake and Frank Wu, with the former writing the short stories and the latter illustrating them. Wu’s art can be found preceding each story (there are 13 in this collection) and his style has an old-school feel to it. Lake, on the other hand, struts his early work here and I find it amusing that the book begins and ends with stories that have a similar title (“The Courtesy of Guests”
August 28th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Jay Lake | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett
Note: Terry Pratchett’s The Last Hero works without the illustrations, but you don’t want to miss out on Paul Kidby‘s fabulous Discworld art.
The Last Hero follows the trail of several popular Discworld characters and this is the closest you’ll get to a world-spanning crossover. There’s no real villain in the story — simply lots of good guys working on opposite ends.
As typical of a Discworld novel,
August 24th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Terry Pratchett | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
In the years beyond the 30th century, after life as we know it is destroyed in the Sixty Minutes War, the world is divided into three: the Static communities, who live in farms and buildings firmly stationed on the earth, the aviators, who travel the Bird Roads in the sky, and the Traction Cities, the giant cities on engineered wheels who live by the Municipal Darwinism — the big cities devour the little cities for their resources. And the biggest Traction City of them all is London,
August 5th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Philip Reeve | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
A Sterkarm Kiss by Susan Price
The novel that preceded this, The Sterkarm Handshake was an explosive, riveting and nail-biting story based around the concept of the cultural clash that would follow 21st century time travelers attempting to exploit the riches and opportunities that the past had to offer. The corporation FUP had completed a Time Tube that would transport employees into the past of a different dimension, in order to explore the possibilities that the unspoilt land offered. Only one thing stood in their way; the fierce and treacherous Sterkarms who were not prepared to stop their feuding and troublemaking just because a bunch of “Elves”
August 5th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Susan Price | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen
The first thing that comes to mind when I read Here, There Be Dragons is that it’s dual-layered. On one hand, it’s your typical young adult fantasy where the protagonists enter another realm and end up saving it (although James A. Owens breaks convention by having a much older demographic as its heroes). On the other hand, more knowledgeable readers will catch various literary and mythical allusions that the author sprinkled into the story.
This is very much a young adult book,
August 4th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | James A. Owen | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The New World by Michael A. Stackpole
Retaining the suspense and excitement of the previous book, The New World brings to a close the epic The Age of Discovery series. Michael A. Stackpole’s characterization and sense of timing remain his strengths, as well as his ability to deliver the unexpected to readers.
The New World features lots of action and combat scenes, as well as the usual elements of epic fantasy including honor, betrayal, and a climactic battle. The novel kept me on the edge of my seat,
July 11th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Michael A. Stackpole | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Family Trade by Charles Stross
In The Family Trade, Charles Stross brings together an interesting blend of several different fantasy subgenres. Most of the characters are enjoyable and make sense in their roles, but the main character, Miriam, seems to have left her blue and red superwoman suit in her luggage. She acquires an unending stream of skills and abilities when she gets in a tight spot. Sometimes, in order to be realistic, an author needs to let the hero flounder and fail a bit.
But I look forward to the next Merchant Princes book because The Family Trade has set a stage where multiple factions appear to be competing to eradicate Miriam,
July 11th, 2008. John Hulet and Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Charles Stross | SFF Reviews | no comments |
While a relatively short anthology, what Mythic lacks in quantity is more than made up for with the quality of its selections. Each poem and story stands out as well as fitting the “mythic” tone the book is attempting to capture. Right from the very start, I was already enamored by the opening poem, “Syllables of Old Lore” by Vandana Singh and Mike Allen keeps the interest, flow, and beat consistent throughout the volume.
There are some editorial choices I’d like to highlight.
July 11th, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3 | Catherynne M. Valente, Theodora Goss | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
From the back flap: “What if there were a fantastical cause underlying the social constraints and limited choices confronting a heroine in a novel by Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë? Galen Beckett, … began The Magicians and Mrs. Quent to answer that question… ”
I was excited to receive a copy of The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, Galen Beckett‘s “debut” novel. There’s something exciting about a new author — they’re fresh,
July 9th, 2008. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Galen Beckett | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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…
The geography is confusing me--how does one get to a village in Tibet by ship? And even the northernmost part…