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The Briar King is the first novel in the (planned) fantasy quartet, Kingdoms of Thorn & Bone by Greg Keyes. The gist of my review is this: The Briar King is perhaps the first wonderful fantasy book of the 21st century and worthy of a place beside A Game of Thrones (George Martin) and Assassin’s Apprentice (Robin Hobb) on your shelf reserved for engaging,
June 28th, 2007. Rob Rhodes´s rating: 5 | Greg Keyes | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Wild Magic was the first book I ever read by fantasy teen writer Tamora Pierce, and continues to be my favourite. It may help slightly if you have read Pierce’s previous Song of the Lioness quartet, but certainly not necessary — I didn’t get round to reading it until several years later. Wild Magic is the first book of The Immortals quartet, and in my opinion, the best series of stories that Pierce has to offer,
June 28th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Tamora Pierce | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
The Subtle Knife is the second in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, beginning with The Golden Compass and ending with The Amber Spyglass. It is an amazing piece of literature; often more suited for adult readers than for the children/young adults that it’s geared toward, and with a message that — though controversial — is immensely thought provoking and worth pondering. Strangely enough, this second book is actually my favourite installment in the series;
June 26th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Philip Pullman | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Before there was J.R.R Tolkien, there was Robert E. Howard, who created what would later be called Heroic Fantasy or Sword-and-Sorcery. With the justly-earned popularity of Lord of the Rings, it seems to me that many writers and publishers of fantasy fiction have forsaken the heroic ballads for overly-complex, over-sized, and, endless series.
But David Gemmell has not forgotten the heart of a good fantasy tale which is simply heroes (or anti-heroes).
This is the story of Druss,
June 25th, 2007. Greg Hersom´s rating: 5 | David Gemmell | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies is a futuristic teen adventure book that will keep even adult readers enthralled from the first page.
Tally is ready to be pretty. When you turn sixteen in this futuristic world, you are plucked from school and taken to have the “operation” that turns you from an Ugly into a Pretty. When you’re pretty you can do anything. You get to move to New Pretty Town and party all night long if you choose and Tally can’t wait to join her friends who have already “turned.”
By turn of chance Tally meets Shay.
June 21st, 2007. Guest´s rating: 5 | Scott Westerfeld | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
“In the world of fairy tales, what was strange was also invariably trustworthy. One quickly learned to depend upon the old beggar woman, the hungry bird, the grateful fox.”
I didn’t realize how much I’d missed Charles de Lint’s urban fantasies until I borrowed Memory and Dream from a friend on a whim. I haven’t been reading much of his stuff for the past couple of years, and I’m not even sure why.
I do know that the landscape of urban fantasy has changed.
June 20th, 2007. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 5 | Charles De_Lint | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Lion of Macedon by David Gemmell
The dearly-departed David Gemmell was, in his lifetime, acknowledged as a master of the heroic fantasy, and if you want any proof of that, read Lion of Macedon.
The tale begins in Sparta in the period after the end of the interminable Peloponnesian wars, when Sparta had begun to weaken, and several decades before the rise of Philip and Alexander the Greats. The eponymous hero, Parmenion, is a Spartan — a true Lakedaimonios — with a Macedonian mother.
June 15th, 2007. Guest´s rating: 5 | David Gemmell | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
In the sea of young adult fiction out there, Gregor the Overlander makes for one of the more pleasant anchorages. The book starts off quickly with Gregor and his two-year-old sister “Boots” falling through a gateway into the Underworld, a sprawling underground land populated by giant talking cockroaches, rats, bats, and spiders, along with several thousand pale humans descended from a 17th century “overlander” who led his small group into the Underworld then sealed the entrances. This descendant left a string of prophecies,
June 14th, 2007. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Suzanne Collins | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Fortress in the Eye of Time by C.J. Cherryh
I loved Fortress in the Eye of Time. To be honest, the first half of the book doesn’t move very fast, but you come to appreciate how C.J. Cherryh controls the flow of the story based on the progress of the main character. It’s a very interesting technique that takes a little patience to enjoy.
The story centers around a young man who is called back from a distant past and who’s soul has already lived a life.
June 14th, 2007. John Hulet´s rating: 5 | C.J. Cherryh | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Return of the King by J.R.R Tolkien
There are many opinions and discussions that one could have on Tolkien’s great epic, but one thing is for certain: he saved the best for last. Even Peter Jackson, the director of the film trilogy was heard to say: “I made the first two movies so that I could make the third.” Everything that has been building in the first two installments now explodes across the pages: battles, intrigues, madness, escapes, disguises, rescues, chases — it’s all here as the allied forces of Middle-Earth (Hobbits,
June 13th, 2007. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | J.R.R. Tolkien | SFF Reviews | no comments |
this sounds like a fun one
These weird westerns are always interesting and have been popping up more in recent times (it seemed like there was…
Looking forward to reading the review.
Always my pleasure, Marion! I'm almost finished with Book #3 now, and hope to be reporting on it very shortly....
After reading your review, I'm quite sure I never read this one, or Book Three for that matter. I loved…