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The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith
Well, I do have to thank the Twilight phenomena for one thing at least, and that’s that the collected trilogies of Lisa Jane Smith have been pulled out of the Simon and Schuster publishing vault, given brand spanking new covers, and re-released for both a new reading audience, and old-time fans who are ready to fill in the gaps on their bookshelves.
Out of all Smith’s body of work, it was The Forbidden Game that I was least familiar with.
December 31st, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | L.J. Smith | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Travelers’ Rest is short and sweet. (Much like myself except the sweetness of Travelers’ Rest is Morlock Ambrose’s dispersion of justice, and the sweetness of me is, well I’m just freakin’ adorable). Also, Travelers’ Rest is a free e-book from Pyr in honor of The Wolf Age, the latest MORLOCK AMBROSE novel, being their 100th book. Just in time for Christmas too. So a sincere thank you to Pyr is in order.
December 30th, 2010. Greg Hersom´s rating: 5 | James Enge | Free!, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Many-Colored Land by Julian May
The Many-Colored Land, a classic (1981) science fantasy novel by Julian May, wasn’t too high on my TBR list until I noticed that Blackstone Audio released it last month and I remembered that Thomas Wagner recommended it. I like science fantasy, so I gave it shot, and I sure am glad I did. I loved every moment of The Many-Colored Land and my only disappointment is that the rest of The Saga of Pliocene Exile is not available on audio.
December 24th, 2010. Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Julian May | Audio | SFF Reviews | 12 comments |
City of Ruin by Mark Charan Newton
I loved Nights of Villjamur. It’s one of the rare books I actually allotted five out of five stars, so City of Ruin was both highly anticipated and had quite a few expectations to live up to. It’s always hard for me to read a book I anticipate as much as I anticipated this one because the fear that it will fail miserably to live up to the hype seems to be doubled.
Nights of Villjamur was dark,
December 18th, 2010. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 5 | Mark Charan Newton | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Update: We now know that K.J. Parker is a pseudonym of Tom Holt.
Talk about unreliable narrators! If you like that technique, you’re sure to enjoy K.J. Parker’s Blue and Gold. It’s a fast, intense, and dramatic little book that will entertain you for an afternoon.
Saloninus is probably the cleverest alchemist who ever lived (or is he?). After publishing several important (?) papers and losing his tuition money, he drops out of the university and begins a life of crime,
December 17th, 2010. Kat Hooper and Ruth Arnell´s rating: 5 | K.J. Parker | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Epiphany of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
EPIPHANY OF THE LONG SUN is an omnibus that combines Caldé of the Long Sun and Exodus from the Long Sun.
A smooth speaker, naturally athletic, and an intuitive and inventive tactician, Silk may well prove to be the greatest Caldé that Viron has ever had. He even has impeccable manners. Even authors of fantasy, a genre that has created many near-perfect savior figures, run a risk when they make their heroes too good.
December 17th, 2010. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 5 | Gene Wolfe | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby
Amid the several highly anticipated children’s and YA works this year by big names such as Suzanne Collins and Rick Riordan, one can be forgiven for missing the entry onto the stage of Matthew Kirby’s first novel, The Clockwork Three. Forgiven, but no longer excused, for among all those much more hyped releases (though they are often justifiably hyped), this stands out as among the best. There. Now you know.
December 16th, 2010. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Matthew Kirby | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
Quiet, intuitive Sibeal has always known she was destined to become a druid. Just when she is on the verge of completing her training, however, her mentor Ciaran bids her spend a summer on Inis Eala, where two of her sisters live and where her cousin Johnny runs a warriors’ school. When a Viking ship is wrecked on Inis Eala’s shores, the resulting events change Sibeal’s life and the lives of everyone on Inis Eala.
There are three survivors of the wreck of Freyja: Knut,
December 7th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 5 | Juliet Marillier | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Tam Lin is Pamela Dean’s retelling of the classic folk tale, done as part of The Fairy Tale series created by Terri Windling. The folk tale is about a battle between the Faery Queen and a mortal girl for the heart and soul of Tam Lin, a young man enthralled by the Faery Queen. Pamela Dean has taken the innovative step of setting the story at a university in the Midwest during the seventies, which is pretty smart,
December 4th, 2010. Ruth Arnell, Kelly Lasiter and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 5 | Pamela Dean | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Castle of Dark by Tanith Lee
It is continually frustrating to read a rich, suspenseful, beautifully crafted book and then find that hardly anybody else knows about it — such is apparently the case with Tanith Lee’s The Castle of Dark. Containing an imprisoned damsel, a spooky castle, a magical harp and a mysterious secret, this is a wonderful book that has the same tone and atmosphere of an old dark fairytale.
The chapters switch back and forth between two characters: Lilune is a strange young woman living with two hags in an abandoned and dark castle.
December 1st, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Tanith Lee | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 3 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.