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Reposting to include Marion’s new review.
Blade of Dream by Daniel Abraham
Blade of Dream is Daniel Abraham’s second book in his KITHAMAR trilogy, though to call it a “sequel” is a bit of a misnomer as rather than directly following the events of Age of Ash, this new story parallels that first book’s events in time, actually intersecting with a few scenes here and there but mostly, or at least somewhat,
August 16th, 2024. Bill Capossere and Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Daniel Abraham | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Mercy of Gods by James S. Corey
After the brilliance that was THE EXPANSE, Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (collectively writing as James S. Corey) are back with The Mercy of Gods (2024), the first book in their new series, THE CAPTIVE’S WAR, and it’s just as good as one would expect it to be. While it shares some narrative DNA with the prior series, The Mercy of Gods is more, um, expansive than THE EXPANSE,
August 5th, 2024. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | James S.A. Corey | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
P. Djèlí Clark has in past works show himself to be a master of the short novel form, and that holds true with his newest, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, a fast-paced mystery romp full of dark humor set amidst a twisting turning tale. I had a blast reading it and can’t imagine that reaction won’t be widely shared amongst those wise enough to pick it up.
That odd title (it gets explained in the opening scene) is the name of an assassins guild working in the port city of Tal Abisi.
July 30th, 2024. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | P. Djèlí Clark | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
2024’s Horror Movie is the first Paul Tremblay book I’ve read. Having finished this disturbing, baffling and freaky tour de force, I will now seek out his other works.
Haunted films or cursed films are nothing new in the horror subgenre or even in pop-culture folklore. Tremblay takes this time-honored trope and runs with it. The book makes its way through three storylines; a present tense storyline narrated by our first-person narrator; his recollections on that time in 1993 when he was part of an independent film called Horror Movie (that was never completed);
July 25th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Paul Tremblay | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North
Amongst the slew of modern myth retellings the last few years (so many the NY Times recently wrote an article on the number “flooding bookstores”), one of the strongest has been THE SONGS OF PENELOPE by Claire North. The first two, Ithaca and House of Odysseus, were excellent, and North maintains that high standard with the just-released The Last Song of Penelope (2024),
July 16th, 2024. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Claire North | SFF Reviews | no comments |
In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Damien Cavallo.
Damien Cavallo is a first-year student at Oxford College who is currently studying political science.
June 8th, 2024. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Victor LaValle’s Lone Women (2023) is brilliant. It’s about connections, family, secrets, guilt and love. Yes, there is a monster in it. Yes, it is suspenseful, and yes, it is gory, and those are both horror trademarks, but Lone Women is filled with hidden history and restored triumphs. Is it horror? That depends on your definition of “monster.”
In 1915, Adelaide Henry flees her family farm in Lucerne Valley, California. She leaves behind a burning farmhouse and her two dead parents;
May 27th, 2024. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Victor Lavalle | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Reposting to include Bill’s new review.
Wicked Problems by Max Gladstone
Save the world, or fix the world? Can we do either? These questions underlie the second book in Max Gladstone’s CRAFT WARS series, Wicked Problems. Other things are happening in this 2024 installment, too, and the ending, while anticipated, is a gamechanger for everyone involved.
In Book One, Dead Country, Craftswoman Tara Abernathy took on a student, the orphaned and traumatized Dawn.
May 21st, 2024. Marion Deeds and Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Max Gladstone | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
In this column, I feature comic book reviews written by my students at Oxford College of Emory University. Oxford College is a small liberal arts school just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I challenge students to read and interpret comics because I believe sequential art and visual literacy are essential parts of education at any level (see my Manifesto!). I post the best of my students’ reviews in this column. Today, I am proud to present a review by Mandy Sun.
Mandy Sun is a first-year student at Emory Oxford University and is considering majoring in Computer Science.
April 27th, 2024. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Utterly Dark and the Heart of the Wild by Philip Reeve
In his review for Skye McKenna’s Hedgewitch, Reeve said: “there are only two sorts of fantasy story: the ones that feel fake and the ones that feel real. It’s hard to explain the difference but you know the real ones when you read them.”
I know exactly what he’s talking about, because he writes the real ones too. His depiction of Faerie – that ancient place where all the fairy tales come from – captures its mystery and danger and uncanny beauty as it also exists in books like Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and Lord Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell,
April 26th, 2024. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Philip Reeve | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
How did I miss this? Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I guess that is true, Marion. And when it comes to "You Only Live Twice," I saw the movie TWICE…
I absolutely loved this deep dive into Edwige Fenech's giallo films! Her unique blend of allure and mystery truly captivates.…
You managed to work in your two loves; vintage fiction and films!
Yup, Marion, your memory serves you well! Oh...as regards these three recent Bond reviews of mine, as the old saying…