Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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The Wizard Hunters: Never quite lives up to its promise

The Wizard Hunters by Martha Wells

The Wizard Hunters has a great opening line. Unfortunately, it never quite lives up to the promise so tantalizingly held out to us. The good news is the character we meet in that first line, Tremaine, holds up well throughout the book. In general, the characterization is one of the book’s stronger points. The story premise is also a highlight, offering up an unusual meshing of cultures — one with magic and science/technology working side by side, another where technology has yet to form and magic is evil,

July 21st, 2007. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Martha Wells | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Heart of Valor: No Better or Worse than The Night of the Solstice

Heart of Valor by L.J. Smith

Heart of Valor is set a year and a half after the events of the previous book in this two-part series (though both can be read as stand-alone novels), in which four siblings helped the sorceress Morgana Shee prevent the evil sorcerer Cadal Forge from emerging through her magic teleporting mirrors and causing havoc on the world. At the end of ‘Night of the Solstice’ the doorways to the Wildworld were closed, Cadal was destroyed, and his ally Thia Pendriel managed to escape with the immensely powerful Heart of Valor,

Water: Reunion: Decent sequel

Reunion by Kara Dalkey

In the previous book, the sixteen year old mermyd Niniane (called “Nia” for short), discovered betrayal and conspiracy in her underwater home of Atlantis. With the escape of an evil mermyd named Ma’el and the Farworlder (powerful, intelligent squid-like creatures) that he is telepathically connected to, Atlantis was overthrown and Nia the last living Farworlder were thrown ashore.

Reunion picks up again from the point of view of Corwin, a young man whose master has recently been executed by the tyrannical King Vortigern and is now on the run himself.

Water: Ascension: Nia is a great heroine

Ascension by Kara Dalkey

Water: Ascension is the first in Kara Dalkey’s trilogy concerning sixteen-year old Nia, a mermyd of a prominent clan in the undersea realm of Atlantis. The City is ruled by squid-like Farworlders, and their Avatars — mermyds that undergo a special bonding ritual that allows them to communicate with the Farworlders and govern Atlantis wisely. To be an Avatar is the highest honour a mermyd can achieve, and it is Nia’s dream. She believes she has a good chance at winning the position against other young candidates from other clans,

Fortress of Ice: Great author, decent book

Fortress of Ice by C.J. Cherryh

I have really enjoyed C.J. Cherryh’s Fortress Series, and I enjoyed Fortress of Ice.

That being said, this book was the worst one in the series. The plot was kind of boring and the transition to the new characters didn’t draw me in with the same connection that I had in earlier books. My biggest gripe is that the main character of the first four books is left as a supporting character, which makes sense for the book,

July 14th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 3 | C.J. Cherryh | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Wild Blood: Wonderful blend of folklore and fairy myth

Wild Blood by Kate Thompson

Wild Blood is the final book in Kate Thompson‘s Switchers trilogy and deals with the inevitable choice that her young heroine Tess has to face: at the age of fifteen her Switcher powers come to an end, and she can choose either to remain human or to become any one of the animals that she can transform into permanently. To make things worse, her parents are going on holiday without her, and have sent her to stay with her Uncle Maurice,

Narcissus in Chains: Turning into a soap opera

Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K Hamilton

Like an addiction to pain, I have kept reading Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter despite having some serious issues with what Laurell K Hamilton has done with her characters. She seriously pisses me off with the way that she is developing the Richard-Anita relationship.

Anita has turned from a virtuous woman into a tramp. She just keeps getting worse and her apparent ability to get past becoming a whore is just ridiculous. Her ability to remain a true believer despite all the dark forces at work has been one of her truly redeeming characteristics.

July 10th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 3 | Laurell K. Hamilton | SFF Reviews | no comments |

Flyte: Despite some weaknesses, still a nice little read

Flyte by Angie Sage

As the sequel to Angie Sage’s first novel Magyk, a pre-teen wizarding fantasy heavily influenced by the HARRY POTTER series, Flyte picks up a year after the events of the first story, in which the magical Heap family discovered several amazing secrets about their past. Namely, that their adopted daughter Jenna was in fact a princess and that a young nameless boy they picked up in their adventures was their long-lost son Septimus,

The Saga of Recluce: Repetitive but appreciated theme

THE SAGA OF RECLUCE by L.E. Modesitt

The underlying repetitive theme of the Modesitt works is personal accountability and the triumph of an enlightened, empowered individual over the self-serving machinations of the opposition. That may be simplifying things to a great degree, but that is what I get out of it. My personal experience with Modesitt began with The Magic of Recluce many years ago. At the time I was just beginning to refine my taste for fantasy and Modesitt was something different.

In the Saga of Recluce,

June 30th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 3 | L.E. Modesitt_Jr | SFF Reviews | no comments |

The Night of the Solstice: A passable children’s fantasy

The Night of the Solstice by L.J. Smith

The Night of the Solstice, followed by its sequel Heart of Valor, were Lisa Jane Smith‘s first novels, targeted at younger readers, unlike her later (and more popular) horror/teen romance novels surrounding the lives of vampires, witches, shapeshifters and the like.

In her delving into the fantasy world, L.J. Smith introduces us to the four siblings, responsible Alys, normal Charles, kooky Janie and dreamy Claudia who have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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