Click on stars to FIND REVIEWS BY RATING:
Recommended: 
Not Recommended: 
The Child Thief by Gerald Brom
The Child Thief is one in a long line of novels, graphic novels, films, and cartoons concerned with giving “gritty retellings” of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, or to give that book its original name and set it apart from the play, Peter and Wendy. The phenomenon of taking an innocent old classic and muddying it up is and has been fairly widespread, but Peter and Wendy is particularly popular because it was arguably gritty enough from the start,
July 21st, 2011. Tim Scheidler´s rating: 4 | Gerald Brom | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Devon Monk, the author of Dead Iron, is also the author of the Allie Beckstrom urban fantasy series, but you’d never know it if her name wasn’t on the cover. Monk pulls off the impressive feat of creating a wholly distinct voice for her new Age of Steam series.
Here, Monk paints a vivid picture of a gritty, grimy Old West. Like the Beckstrom books, this is set in Oregon, but it’s a very different Oregon. The writing invokes all of the senses,
July 18th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Devon Monk | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
In our Edge of the Universe column we review mainstream authors that incorporate elements of speculative fiction into their “literary” work. However you want to label them, we hope you’ll enjoy discussing these books with us.
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Glen Duncan is the author of seven previous novels including I, Lucifer, which was shortlisted for the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. He was chosen by both Arena and The Times Literary Supplement as one of Britain’s best young novelists.
July 15th, 2011. Robert Thompson and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Glen Duncan | Edge | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Raoul will one day be baron of peaceful marshy Marckmont, but until his eighteenth birthday, he’s under the protection of his Uncle Armand, Count of the bleak and windy crags of Ger. Armand has no love for the slight and introspective Raoul, and can’t understand why his nephew would rather play chess and write songs than hunt animals. Raoul, a romantic, likes to think about beautiful things, but at Ger, “you must be smothered in blood before they think you are a man.”
When Raoul is told he can’t go with Armand’s company to the tourney in Belsaunt,
July 13th, 2011. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Leslie Barringer | SFF Reviews | no comments |
THE GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME by Joel Rosenberg
Guardians of the Flame: The Warriors pleasantly surprised me. I’ll admit that going into it I was somewhat dubious: it looked like an obvious cash-in on a clichéd premise. Joel Rosenberg, however, turned out to be a more skilled author than I had anticipated, weaving a fun, fast-paced, often grim series that did exactly what it needed to. The Warriors is an omnibus volume consisting of the first three GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME novels: The Sleeping Dragon,
July 13th, 2011. Tim Scheidler´s rating: 4 | Joel Rosenberg | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
I’m a huge fan of books that don’t let me go until I’ve reached the last page. Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones, the first in her Mortal Instruments series, is that kind of book. Ostensibly written for young adults, this is a novel that adults will enjoy just as much as teenagers, for all that the protagonist and her friends are high-school aged.
Clary and her friend Simon — not boyfriend, much as he’d like to claim that title — visit the Pandemonium Club in Manhattan,
July 8th, 2011. Terry Weyna´s rating: 4 | Cassandra Clare | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
Grave Dance is the follow-up to Kalayna Price’s first Alex Craft novel, Grave Witch. I had mixed emotions about Grave Witch, but I’m happy to report that Grave Dance is stronger and more original.
It’s a month since we last saw Alex Craft. She’s angry with Falin for vanishing from her life, conflicted about Death’s interest in her, and reeling from the new knowledge that she’s part fae.
July 7th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Kalayna Price | SFF Reviews | no comments |
City of Ruins by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
One of 2009’s most pleasant surprises was Diving into the Wreck, a short but excellent SF novel by Kristine Kathryn Rusch about Boss, a specialist in the exploration of derelict spaceships. In this first novel, Boss discovered the wreck of a Dignity ship. This remnant of a legendary Fleet contained remnants of the mysterious and dangerous “stealth technology” that could possibly tip the balance of power between the Enterran Empire and a small alliance of independent planets.
In City of Ruins (2011),
July 5th, 2011. Stefan Raets and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Kristine Kathryn Rusch | Audio | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Snow Queen’s Shadow by Jim C. Hines
The Snow Queen’s Shadow is not simply Jim Hines’ fourth book in his fairytale princess series, following Red Hood’s Revenge, The Mermaid’s Madness, and The Stepsister Scheme. He makes clear in a direct address to the reader that he sees it as the close to the series, though like any clever writer he leaves himself some wiggle room. Should he choose to end it here,
July 5th, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Jim C. Hines | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Initiate Brother by Sean Russell
War and plague have recently swept across the kingdom of Wa, leaving a new emperor feeling insecure on his throne. He feels threatened by the ancient houses of Wa, and most especially by the revered Lord Shonto, an intelligent and highly competent man. When the emperor appoints Shonto as governor of the northern province of Seh, Shonto isn’t sure if this is an honor, or a trap.
Both men have some excellent allies. Shonto has adopted the lovely and gifted Lady Nishima, the last heir of the former empire,
July 5th, 2011. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Sean Russell | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
We’re in total agreement David!
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.