Previous SFF Author: Vera Nazarian
Pretty Monsters is Kelly Link’s latest short story collection aimed at young adults. My young adult phase passed a long time ago but I found this book to be as deep and packed as Link’s Magic for Beginners and Stranger Things Happen.
The first thing that caught my eye is the overall aesthetic of the book. The jacket, designed by Will Staeble, is upbeat and eye-catching, whether it’s simply the presentation of the blurbs or the text on the cover flap.
August 3rd, 2009. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 4 | Kelly Link | Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Women of Nell Gwynne’s by Kage Baker
Crack open the pages of The Women of Nell Gwynne’s and you will find action, mystery, and beautiful women. This novella by Kage Baker is everything a SF/F fan wishes the works of Charles Dickens had been.
The Women of Nell Gwynne’s is about an elite brothel in Victorian London. Though these ladies of the night provide pleasure to the notables of the city, that is not the primary reason for their existence;
June 25th, 2009. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 5 | Kage Baker | Nebula Award | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2008
For me, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2008 has been a two-headed beast. On one hand, it’s an eagerly anticipated book by people involved in the industry, usually for the summation at the front of the book and the honorable mentions list at the back. The various editors are quite thorough and detailed when it comes to this part. The other aspect is, of course, the story/poetry selection, which is what will likely attract the casual reader.
So,
March 3rd, 2009. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 4 | Catherynne M. Valente, Daniel Abraham, Delia Sherman, Elizabeth Hand, Ellen Datlow, Garth Nix, Kelly Link, Kij Johnson, Lisa Tuttle, Ted Chiang | Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Two edited by Jonathan Strahan
The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Two is one of several anthologies that collects the best science fiction and fantasy of 2007. I’ve read many of the stories included, yet revisiting them actually made me appreciate them more rather than feel exhausted. One thing I noticed is that there’s a stronger science fiction balance in this anthology compared to the previous volume, although that might also be because the lines between science fiction and fantasy easily get blurry.
April 3rd, 2008. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 4 | Daniel Abraham, Jeffrey Ford, Jonathan Strahan, Neil Gaiman, Peter S. Beagle, Ted Chiang | Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Hmmm. Where to begin.
First, a confession: despite my high marks for this and other installments of the Earthsea series, I never really warmed up to Ursula Le Guin’s masterworks. It’s like appreciating a painting by Picasso: I know that it’s a magnificent piece of art, but that doesn’t mean I’d want it hanging on my living room wall. Likewise, I can recognize the craftsmanship and skill that went into creating The Earthsea Cycle; there’s so much skill in the writing,
February 16th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 2 | Ursula K. Le-Guin | Nebula Award, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
Powers is the third and, in my opinion, the best of the Annals of the Western Shore novels. In this book, we meet Gavir, a slave in the City State of Etra. Gavir was born in the marshes but was stolen, along with his sister, by slavers and brought to Etra. He has the power to clearly remember things he has seen before and even some events that have not yet happened to him. This gift is not uncommon in the marshes,
January 4th, 2008. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4.5 | Ursula K. Le-Guin | Audio, Nebula Award, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Paladin of Souls takes place just after the events of The Curse of Chalion and focuses on Ista, one of the minor middle-aged female characters from that book. Paladin of Souls can stand alone, but you’ll get a lot more out of it if you read The Curse of Chalion first.
Bujold’s world of Chalion is believable and complex, the magic is deep, fascinating, and just plain scary. Bujold is particularly good at developing multi-faceted characters who have beautiful relationships with each other.
September 26th, 2007. Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Lois McMaster Bujold | Audio, Hugo Award, Nebula Award | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Previous SFF Author: Vera Nazarian
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…