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The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce
As the last installment of the Darkangel trilogy, The Pearl of the Soul of the World had a lot to live up to, as well as a lot to wrap up. In the first book The Darkangel, slavegirl Aerial saved the darkangel Irrylath from the misery of his own existence under the power of the White Witch and returned him to his mother’s house. In A Gathering of Gargoyles she undertook another task,
March 5th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Meredith Ann Pierce | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Louise Cooper’s Dark Enchantment books are a series of reasonably short novels, all stand-alone stories, that cater well to the young teenage girl who likes a blend of romance, mystery, mild horror and fairytale. Though I don’t fit into that age group anymore, the books in the Dark Enchantment series are nice, quick reads, perfect for cold wintry nights by the fire, just complex enough to hold my interest.
In Heart of Ice,
February 21st, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Louise Cooper | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore
Sometimes, a fantasy story comes along that simply isn’t meant to be taken seriously. This is one of them.
Not to say that that’s a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s wonderful. Resenting the Hero happily mocks a number of fantasy standards, yet manages to avoid completely sacrificing its own story to do so. The plot is not mindblowing or anything, far from it, but it is well suited to the humorous type of story that Resenting the Hero is.
February 8th, 2008. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 5 | Moira J. Moore | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones
So says the note that Mr Crossley finds hidden between the exercise books in class 2Y. In any other world, this would be seen as a harmless joke, but at Larwood House for witch orphans, in a world run by Inquisitors and where witch-burnings still take place, such things are taken deadly seriously. Who is the witch? Chubby Nan Pilgrim, named after the most famous Arch-Witch? Sullen Charles Morgan, who holds a sympathetic view toward witches? Or weird Brian Wentworth, who behaviour gets stranger by the day?
February 7th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Diana Wynne Jones | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Beyond the Summerland by L.B. Graham
Beyond the Summerland is a magnificent work — an adventure story that is compelling, fast-paced, and full of deep and rich characters. Deep in scope, filled with intimate duels and the clash of armies, it is a work that still maintains a sense of what man is and how his choices lead either to ruin or rejoicing. The race to an exciting and surprising conclusion will leave you hungering for more.
The story is seen primarily through the eyes of Joraiem,
February 5th, 2008. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 5 | L.B. Graham | SFF Reviews | no comments |
A Gathering of Gargoyles by Meredith Ann Pierce
A Gathering of Gargoyles is the second of Meredith Ann Pierce‘s Darkangel trilogy, beginning with The Dark Angel and culminating in The Pearl of the Soul of the World, which together create one of the most beautifully crafted and presented stories that I have ever come across. As told in The Darkangel, the story is of Aerial, a simple slave in a wealthy household whose mistress Eoduin was captured by one of the dreaded winged vampyres,
February 5th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Meredith Ann Pierce | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
THE RIDDLE-MASTER TRILOGY by Patricia McKillip
Your Eyes are Full of the Sun…
My entirely subjective opinion of “epic fantasy” is that it is tedious, predictable and just plain boring most of the time. The same line-up of stock characters go on the same quest to save a land that is permanently stuck in the Middle-Ages. On the way they meet the same supporting characters (gruff dwarf, regal elf, mysterious wizard), collect the same treasures, get in the same tavern brawls, are betrayed by the same turncoats,
February 1st, 2008. Rebecca Fisher, Kat Hooper and Ruth Arnell´s rating: 5 | Patricia McKillip | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones’s novels, Charmed Life is possibly her most famous, and her most read. It is the first published of her Chrestomanci novels, and it stars many of her most famous characters with her requisite twisting plot and quirky sense of humour. Set in a parallel world ripe with magic, wizards and magical creatures, DWJ’s Chrestomanci quartet were clearly inspirational to J.K. Rowling in her creation of Hogwarts and her wizarding world — a lot of comparisons can be made between the two.
February 1st, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Diana Wynne Jones | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Farthest Shore by Ursula Le Guin
The Farthest Shore is the third book in Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea series, and the concluding one for several decades. Since it’s highly recommended to have read the first two, I’ll work on the assumption that the reader has. If book one, Wizard of Earthsea has the most action/magic and book two, Tombs of Atuan, is the slowest and most introspective of the opening trilogy, then The Farthest Shore is a nicely-balanced blending of the styles.
January 28th, 2008. Bill Capossere and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4, 5 | Ursula K. Le-Guin | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Finally, a sequel that does not disappoint!
Tally finally has all she ever wanted: She’s pretty, she’s popular, she’s in the coolest clique in New Pretty Town.
What could possibly go wrong now?
Nothing does… until the night of the coolest costume party ever when a blast from the past shows up and leaves her a mystery to follow. All of a sudden Tally and her new friend Zane not only have a mystery to solve, but two tiny white pills to take…
January 28th, 2008. Guest´s rating: 5 | Scott Westerfeld | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…