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When last we left the intrepid — and tiny — heroes of Blackbringer, Magpie, Talon, and company were leaving on a task set to Magpie by the Magruwen (the Djinn King). Their mission: To find the last five of the Djinn who created the world.
In Silksinger we meet Whisper Silksinger, the last remaining member of a clan of faeries who weave flying carpets (because they’re all “scamperers,” meaning their wings are too small to carry them).
March 3rd, 2010. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 5 | Laini Taylor | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
MAGEWORLDS: The Price of the Stars, Starpilot’s Grave, By Honor Betray’d by Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald
Mageworlds is one of the best trilogies I’ve ever read. It’s categorized as Space Opera since there are spaceships and multiple planets involved, but trust me, this falls on the fantasy end of the spectrum. If you’ve never tried Space Opera, this is a wonderful place to get your feet wet. If you like Space Opera, jump on in!
March 3rd, 2010. Sarah Webb (guest)´s rating: 5 | Debra Doyle | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Once and Future King & The Book of Merlyn by T.H. White
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of retellings concerning King Arthur, Guenever, Merlin, Lancelot, the Knights of the Round Table and the Kingdom of Camelot, but only a few of them attain literary quality and even less become classics. T.H. White’s four-part masterpiece (or five-part, depending on what edition you have) definitely falls into the elite category.
With oddly chatty and anachronistic prose, which describes Sir Ector as drinking port and discussing Eton before explaining that he’s only using these terms because “by mentioning the modern it is easier to give you the feel,”
March 1st, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | T.H. White | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
When Charles Ludwig Dodgson first began to tell the story of Alice’s adventures underground to the three Liddell sisters, he had no idea whatsoever the impact that his work would one day have in the cultural history of humanity. Is there a person alive in Western civilization that doesn’t know of Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat? I seriously doubt it. Writing under the pen name of Lewis Carroll,
February 19th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher and Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Lewis Carroll | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The ancient Greeks held up Alcestis as a model of wifely devotion. Her husband, Admetus, was spared from death on the condition that someone else die in his place. When Admetus’ relatives and friends refused, Alcestis volunteered herself and made the journey to the underworld, but was later rescued by Heracles. In her debut novel, a poignant literary fantasy, Katharine Beutner fleshes out the figure of Alcestis, and gives her a backstory that helps explain her willingness to sacrifice herself.
Beutner’s Alcestis has always lived in the shadow of death,
February 12th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 5 | Katharine Beutner | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
In his introduction to the first American fairytale that went on to become one of the most famous and beloved movies of all time, author L. Frank Baum says a rather extraordinary thing. Discussing the purpose of the old fairytales by Grimm and Andersen, Baum tells us that such tales existed both to entertain children and provide a moral by means of “horrible and blood-curdling” incident. True enough, but Baum goes on to say that his book falls outside this typical definition of a fairytale,
February 7th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | L. Frank Baum | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Black Thorn, White Rose edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling
Black Thorn, White Rose is the second in Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling‘s series of adult fairy-tale anthologies. I’d have to say that this is my favorite of the bunch; most of the volumes are good, but this one has so many wonderful stories that have stayed with me for years. A few highlights:
“Stronger Than Time,” by Patricia C. Wrede , is a sad but hopeful take on “Sleeping Beauty,”
February 2nd, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 5 | Ellen Datlow, Midori Snyder, Patricia C. Wrede, Peter Straub, Roger Zelazny, Terri Windling | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
From the blurb above, so far this book sounds like Tom Holt, or Terry Pratchett, or any other comedic fantasy author, right? No, definitely not! Jonathan L. Howard infuses Johannes Cabal the Necromancer with flavours from other authors and from films, but the book as a whole is unique and very, very funny. It has the same gruesome humor as Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,
January 29th, 2010. Amanda Rutter (guest)´s rating: 5 | Jonathan L. Howard | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Armless Maiden: And Other Tales for Childhood’s Survivors by Terri Windling
I love adult fairy tales, but it seems that all too often, writers pump up the sex and violence to render the tales “adult,” rather than more deeply exploring the human emotional dramas in the stories. Maybe that’s why I love the anthology The Armless Maiden: And Other Tales for Childhood’s Survivors which was edited by Terri Windling. The tales and poems here do include sex and violence, yes, but at their heart is the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
January 29th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 5 | Ellen Kushner, Emma Bull, Terri Windling | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I loved Black Ships, and I didn’t know if Jo Graham could top it. The answer, I am happy to report, is a great big YES!
Hand of Isis continues the story of some of the characters from Black Ships who have now been reincarnated as players in the Egyptian-Roman power struggle. You don’t need to read Black Ships first, but you’ll probably get more out of Hand of Isis if you do.
January 23rd, 2010. Kelly Lasiter and Ruth Arnell´s rating: 3, 5 | Jo Graham | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…