Previous SFF Author: Alyson Noel
The Proverbs of Middle-Earth by David Rowe
The Proverbs of Middle-Earth is a smart, readable literary analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s use of proverbs in his worlds of Middle-Earth, including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and (less so) The Silmarillion. If you’re a passionate fan of Tolkien, you’ll absolutely adore this book. Period. If you love the Peter Jackson films,
February 13th, 2017. Jason Golomb´s rating: 5 | J.R.R. Tolkien | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Infinite Wait and Other Stories by Julia Wertz
The Infinite Wait and Other Stories by Julia Wertz is one of my favorite “slice of life” comics, and it is one I’ve taught several times in my course on comics. A memoir in three parts, The Infinite Wait and Other Stories is memorable for the reader because of Wertz’s strong voice as presented in two ways: through the drawn character we see — the “Julia” we watch living through the events recounted — and through the voice of the narrator,
February 11th, 2017. Brad Hawley´s rating: 5 | Comics, Non-fiction, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa by Haruki Murakami
Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa (2016) is an edited transcript of several conversations between Haruki Murakami, the novelist, and Seiji Ozawa, the conductor.
I came to this book as a fan of Murakami’s writing, as many of this site’s readers would. SFF readers may be disappointed to read that these conversations rarely touch on writing, let alone the imagined mirror worlds that give a haunting quality to his novels.
January 10th, 2017. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 4 | Haruki Murakami | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan & Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is a companion for readers of Robert Jordan’s THE WHEEL OF TIME novels. Although I enjoyed the ~14 (15, if New Spring is included or fewer if the final three novels are counted as one, the way Jordan intended) WOT novels, I don’t recommend this companion. Here’s why.
The book is written from the point of view of fictional historians from within Randland,
January 3rd, 2017. Ryan Skardal´s rating: 2 | Robert Jordan | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18 by Joseph Loconte
During a stressful stretch at work, and the persistently weighty negativity tied to the 2016 U.S. election campaign season, I found myself turning to ‘comfort reading.’ The negative vibes, for me, carried through Election Day and I looked toward J.R.R. Tolkien for relief. I knew I wouldn’t have time to return to the warm depths of THE LORD OF THE RINGS,
December 28th, 2016. Jason Golomb and Ryan Skardal´s rating: 3.5 | C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars by Dava Sobel
Dava Sobel has long done great work in giving major events and people in science a compelling and engaging narrative, whether it be Nicolaus Copernicus in A More Perfect Heaven, Galileo and his daughter Suor Maria Celeste in Galileo’s Daughter, or John Harrison in Longitude. In her newest work, The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars,
December 15th, 2016. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Do Elephants Have Knees and Other Stories of Darwinian Origins by Charles R. Ault, Jr
In Do Elephants Have Knees and Other Stories of Darwinian Origins (2016), Charles R. Ault, Jr. takes a unique path to explaining the complexities of evolution, using children’s books such as Morris the Moose, Treasure Island, Diary of a Worm and others as springboards to discussing Charles Darwin’s path to discovery, from his time as an insatiably curious child to his adventure-filled twenties to the twilight years he spent focused on the lowly (though not to him) earthworm.
December 8th, 2016. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Witch of Lime Street by David Jaher
Harry Houdini is still famous as a magician and an escape artist. The last few years of his life, though, he devoted large chunks of time to exposing and debunking fake “spiritualist mediums.” In The Witch of Lime Street, David Jaher takes a look at Houdini’s most famous spiritualist case: his two-year battle with the “Boston Back Bay Medium” who used the alias Margery.
Most people date the spiritualist movement in the USA from the 1840s,
November 30th, 2016. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4.5 | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick by Lawrence Sutin
Philip K. Dick is certainly one of the most iconic, unusual, and hard-luck SF writers ever to grace the field. His books subvert our everyday reality, question what is human, and explore paranoia and madness, all with a uniquely unadorned and often blackly-humorous style. In classic starving artist fashion, he only gained recognition and cult-status late in life, and much of his fame came after passing away at age 53.
In his prolific career he published 44 novels and 121 short stories,
November 25th, 2016. Stuart Starosta´s rating: 5 | Philip K. Dick | Audio, Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less) by David Bercovici
The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less) by David Bercovici, in his own words, “covers the Universe’s greatest hits, recounting when and most importantly how its various pieces emerged.” That’s a tall order for any book, let alone one that is so short, but Bercovici tempers the readers’ expectations early on, letting us know that:
“There are other excellent books, far more comprehensive than this one,
November 22nd, 2016. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Non-fiction, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Previous SFF Author: Alyson Noel
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