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The young-Irish-lad façade does not stand me in good stead when I’m trying to appear scholarly at my place of business — I run an occult bookshop with an apothecary’s counter squeezed in the corner — but it has one outstanding advantage. When I go to the grocery store, for example, and people see my curly red hair, fair skin, and long goatee, they suspect that I play soccer and drink lots of Guinness. If I’m going sleeveless and they see the tattoos all up and down my right arm,
June 7th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter, Kat Hooper, Tim Scheidler and Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Kevin Hearne | Audio | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
The Chicagoland Vampires series started out fairly light and has gradually become darker. The unpretentious, easily digestible writing style is still in effect, and humor is still present, but Merit’s troubles have increased in complexity and the emotional stakes have been steadily raised. Hard Bitten is the fourth in the series and the darkest so far. Chloe Neill brings together a number of previously introduced plot arcs, and all hell breaks loose.
Merit is touched by Ethan’s recent gestures but still wary of him after their breakup in Twice Bitten.
June 6th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter and John Hulet´s rating: 3, 4 | Chloe Neill | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
As Summer Knight (2002) opens, Harry Dresden’s true love, Susan, has left town, the Red Court Vampires have declared war on him and someone’s shooting at him. Oh, and it’s raining toads.
To top it off, Mab, the Faerie Queen of Winter, wants to hire him to investigate the murder of a mortal. The Faerie Queens are beautiful, powerful, alien and frightening, even to Harry:
My voice came out unsteady and more quiet than I would have liked. ‘Sort of like Tokyo,
June 2nd, 2011. Marion Deeds and Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Jim Butcher | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Vampire troubles have been all over the news in the last few months. Now the shapeshifters, still in the closet, are debating whether to stay where they currently are and help defend the vamps against possible persecution, or retreat to their lands in Alaska. Gabriel, their leader, doesn’t expect this to be a battle of words alone, and so Merit and Ethan are working as his bodyguards.
Violence does erupt, and Merit learns of a planned hit on Gabriel. Now she must ferret out who is plotting against him and stop the assassination.
June 1st, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Chloe Neill | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Stranger’s Woes by Max Frei
ABOUT THE STRANGER’S WOES: The Stranger’s Woes continues the story of twenty-something loser Max Frei. A loafer who sleeps all day, Max one night finds himself transported to the magical world of Echo, where he possesses magical abilities and becomes the Nocturnal Representative of the Most Venerable Head of the Minor Secret Investigative Force of the City of Echo.
With his new friends and co-workers — the omniscient Sir Juffin Hully, the hilarious Melifaro and the beautiful Lady Melamori Blimm — Sir Max enjoys a life where he’s no longer a social outcast as he solves crimes,
June 1st, 2011. Robert Thompson´s rating: 4 | Max Frei | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Concrete Savior by Yvonne Navarro
Concrete Savior is the second in Yvonne Navarro’s Dark Redemption series starring Brynna Malak, a fallen angel living as a human in Chicago and trying to earn her way back to Heaven. I enjoyed the first book, Highborn, and Concrete Savior is just as good. Like its predecessor, it mixes angel/demon mythology with superhero tropes for a unique urban fantasy blend.
An anonymous Good Samaritan is afoot in Chicago.
May 31st, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Yvonne Navarro | SFF Reviews | no comments |
A Devil in the Details by K.A. Stewart
A Devil in the Details introduces us to the wry and wiry Jesse James Dawson, a 21st century Midwestern samurai who saves souls in the best tradition of The Seven Samurai. If you sold your soul to the devil, or one of his demonic henchmen, who you gonna call? JJD, of course, or one of his fellow demon-fighting champions. His wife, Mira, a practicing Wiccan white witch, owns a shop in Westport, a trendy Kansas City district of specialty shops and bars.
May 27th, 2011. Guest´s rating: 4 | K.A. Stewart | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Great Work of Time by John Crowley
In 1990, Great Work of Time won the World Fantasy Award for best novella. I’m surprised someone hasn’t snapped up John Crowley’s short book, given it a glossy steampunk cover, and re-released it. Of course it isn’t steampunk. John Crowley’s work doesn’t fit easily into any sub-genre except Things John Crowley Has Written. Still, Great Work of Time has enough of the British Empire, airships, alternate histories, train terminals, misty London cityscapes, and men with bowler hats and tightly furled umbrellas to justify a steampunk cover,
May 25th, 2011. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | John Crowley | Stand-Alone, World Fantasy Award | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Heart of Gold, Word of Honour, Time of Trial, Moment of Truth by Michael Pryor
“Charmingly old-fashioned” is how I would describe Michael Pryor’s series The Laws of Magic, which begins with Blaze of Glory (reviewed above) and continues with Heart of Gold, Word of Honour, Time of Trial, and the most recent,
May 24th, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Michael Pryor | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
September’s father has gone off to war and her mother works all day building airplane engines while September stays home and washes the china teacups. Life in Omaha is disappointingly dull for such an imaginative and adventurous (and heartless!) 12-year old girl… until the day September looks out the kitchen window to see the Green Wind perched on his flying leopard and beckoning her to Fairyland.
There are many wonders to see in Fairyland: witches,
May 22nd, 2011. Kat Hooper, Bill Capossere, Tadiana Jones and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4, 5 | Catherynne M. Valente | Children | SFF Reviews | 2 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.