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A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
2025’s A Drop of Corruption is the second book in Robert Jackson Bennett‘s latest series, THE SHADOW OF THE LEVIATHAN (or, alternately, THE ANA AND DIN MYSTERIES). Set in the same world as the first book, The Tainted Cup, A Drop of Corruption is a glorious magic act, filled with misdirection, mirrors, impersonations, disguises, codes and clues. It also holds a contemplation of the nature of kingdoms and kings.
May 22nd, 2025. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Robert Jackson Bennett | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
I know what you’re thinking: a review of a James Bond book for a website that supposedly only deals with sci-fi, fantasy and horror? How did THIS thing get in here? Well, the fact of the matter is, several of the 007 novels written by Ian Fleming do indeed contain elements that border on the science fictional, and surely on the borderland of the fantastic. And those elements were never more pronounced than in the books featuring Bond’s archnemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld; a series of books today known as THE BLOFELD TRILOGY.
May 9th, 2025. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4.5 | Edge, Film / TV | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Aunt Tigress by Emily Yu-Xuan Qin
2025’s Aunt Tigress brings the reader a rich mix of cultures and folkloric traditions in a story rooted in the Scottish fairy tale of Tam Lin and Janet. Don’t expect a traditional telling of the story here. Emily Yu-Xuan Qin’s story takes place in modern-day Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Tam is Canadian-Chinese, struggling to put some shameful acts behind her and finish college, but her new girlfriend, Janet, and Tam’s powerful, disturbing Aunt Tigress have other plans—especially once Tam is told that her aunt has been murdered,
May 6th, 2025. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Emily Yu-Xuan Qin | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Quest for the White Witch (aka Hunting the White Witch) by Tanith Lee
It would be hard to imagine any reader experiencing the first two novels in Tanith Lee’s BIRTHGRAVE TRILOGY – namely The Birthgrave and Vazkor, Son of Vazkor – who didn’t feel the overmastering desire to press on to Book #3 immediately after. In that first volume, which was initially released in June 1975, the reader had been introduced to a petite,
May 5th, 2025. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4.5 | Tanith Lee | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Rose of Jericho by Alex Grecian
Rose of Jericho (2025) is a sequel to Alex Grecian’s wild and vivid Americana fantasy Red Rabbit. Several characters from that book appear here, as the action shifts from the 1880s Midwest to Ascension, Massachusetts, where people who die aren’t staying dead.
This review contains spoilers for Red Rabbit.
In the village of Ascension, Clarissa Sinclair is dying of cancer. Her self-centered, uncaring husband sent her to their summer home,
May 2nd, 2025. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Alex Grecian | SFF Reviews | no comments |
2023’s Red Rabbit, by Alex Grecian, is a solid entry in a category of speculative fiction I call fantastical Americana. Set in the American Midwest a few years after the Civil War, the book starts when some men in a town in Burden County, Kansas, put a bounty on the head of the local witch. This brings all kinds of killers into the county. Meanwhile, farther south, two former union soldiers partner up with Old Tom, self-proclaimed witch-master, and the mute child,
April 24th, 2025. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Alex Grecian | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Closed Worlds by Edmond Hamilton
In Edmond Hamilton’s 1967 novel The Weapon From Beyond, Book #1 of his so-called STARWOLF TRILOGY, the reader had been introduced to Morgan Chane, an orphaned Earthling who had been brought up and raised by the piratical Starwolves of the planet Varna. In that first installment, Chane had been forced to flee from the vengeful Varnans after having killed one of them in self-defense, and had gone on to work with a group of mercenaries,
March 17th, 2025. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4.5 | Edmond Hamilton | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Carnivale of Curiosities by Amiee Gibbs
This carnival book completely satisfied. 2023’s The Carnivale of Curiosities, by Amiee Gibbs, is set in 1880’s London. It’s a slow-burn, late-Victorian-styled literary novel, filled with magic, lies, secrets, and revenge plots, all centered around Ashe and Pretorius’s Carnivale of Curiosities, and its leader, Aurelius Ashe, who can grant anyone nearly any wish… for a price.
Unlike other circuses and carnivals of the day, Ashe uses real magic and many of his “freaks” have magical powers. Some are simply unusual-looking people,
March 6th, 2025. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Amiee Gibbs | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Days of Shattered Faith is the third book in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s TYRANT PHILOSOPHERS series, continuing that series’ strong run of quality. While each book is meant to stand alone, and this one certainly can, reading the others will allow for a richer experience given the reappearance of multiple characters.
As with the other two books, Tchaikovsky shifts to a new setting in this universe and introduces a new group of characters (with some old ones as noted),
February 27th, 2025. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Adrian Tchaikovsky | SFF Reviews | no comments |
When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution’s Greatest Romance by Riley Black
Riley Black’s The Last Days of the Dinosaurs made my top ten books of the years when it came out (if you haven’t read it, you absolutely should), so I was excited to read her follow-up When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals, and Evolution’s Greatest Romance. I’m happy to report that like its predecessor, it’s an impressive work of popular science marked by wonderful prose and an engaging voice.
February 25th, 2025. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Thanks! These are the "easy" ones, ha!
can't wait to get to these after the usual post-end-of-term review backlog gets a little cleared up--your review and David's…
Agreed! I have loved both of these books. I wasn't as perceptive as you at guessing the true target, though,…
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the Giallo genre! I love how you highlighted her unique blend…
Ever since Tor.com became Reactor they seem to have been focusing increasingly less on books and more on visual media…