Previous SFF Author: Martin L. Shoemaker
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
I’m having a hard time reviewing Lips Touch: Three Times. Intelligent language seems to be failing me. I don’t want to write a review so much as I want to jump up and down and squeal like a crazed fangirl. Lips Touch is chocolate in book form. It’s dark, it’s rich, it’s delicious, and it’s precisely to my taste.
Lips Touch is a collection of three stories; the common theme,
September 23rd, 2009. Kelly Lasiter and Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Laini Taylor | Short Fiction, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Dreamsongs Volume 1 by George R.R. Martin
George R.R. Martin has become relatively famous in fantasy circles over the last decade or so, but he had already been writing for about 25 years before his excellent A Song of Ice and FIre fantasy epic began. Dreamsongs Volume 1 is the first of two collections of short-form fiction that Martin wrote before A Game of Thrones hit the shelves. I’d already read a good portion of this material in the original collections which I bought directly from the author when he was selling them (out of print at the time) on eBay and Amazon Auctions.
September 7th, 2009. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3.5 | George R.R. Martin | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
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 |
Siege Warriors: A Fantasy Anthology by Brian G. Murray
In his anthology Siege Warriors, Brian G. Murray brings a medieval siege to life through the eyes of a variety of characters. Most of the stories portray cities under siege, surrounded and attacked by an opposing army. The situations described in these stories are similar, but Murray creates diversity by showing the conflict from different points of view.
Other stories take the theme in a different direction. One takes place in a building held by bandits,
July 28th, 2009. John Hulet´s rating: 3 | Brian G. Murray | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Solaris Book of New Fantasy by George Mann (ed.)
I’m pretty much a novice when it comes to short fiction. Because of my lack of experience in this area, I hope that you will bear with me as I try to provide a thoughtful and comprehensive analysis of The Solaris Book of New Fantasy, even if I don’t always succeed. The plan is to first look at each short story individually providing synopses and commentary, followed by my evaluation of the compilation as a whole. So, let’s look at the stories:
1) “Who Slays the Gyant,
July 21st, 2009. Robert Thompson´s rating: 4 | Chris Roberson, Christopher Barzak, George Mann, Hal Duncan, James Maxey, Janny Wurts, Jay Lake, Jeff VanderMeer, Juliet McKenna, Lucius Shepard, Mark Chadbourn, Steven Erikson, Tim (T.A.) Pratt | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Strange Brew by P.N. Elrod (ed)
The theme of Strange Brew is witchcraft. This anthology features nine well-known urban fantasy authors, each with their own spin on the theme. Some of these stories feature well-known characters. Others focus on characters who are secondary in the author’s series, or characters who are entirely new. Glancing at the table of contents and doing a little mental math, most of the stories are around 40 pages, give or take a few. (The longest is Karen Chance’s at just under 60.) As is always the case with anthologies,
July 11th, 2009. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Caitlin Kittredge, Charlaine Harris, Faith Hunter, Jim Butcher, Karen Chance, P.N. Elrod, Patricia Briggs, Rachel Caine | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Storyteller and Other Tales by K.V. Johansen
The Storyteller and Other Tales is a book of stories, and I mean that as the highest compliment. I felt like I was transported from the 21st century to some Thane’s hall with a roaring fire and a smoke hole instead of a chimney, while K.V. Johansen wove tales that took me to different and wonderful traditions.
Johansen is a fantasy scholar, and this shows up clearly in this book. The four tales that she presents use widely differing fantasy settings.
July 7th, 2009. Guest´s rating: 5 | K.V. Johansen | Short Fiction, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Hart & Boot & Other Stories by Tim Pratt
Tim Pratt’s second short story collection, Hart & Boot & Other Stories, features 13 stories that tackle various concepts and genres. While most of the stories still retain that mythology-inspired influence that is undeniably Pratt, they tend to have more closure compared to the stories in the previous collection. They’re nonetheless quick and easy reads, however, and anyone can get immersed in Pratt’s writing style.
Somehow, Tim Pratt manages to write stories called “Romanticore” and “Lachrymose and the Golden Egg” yet end up with a serious,
July 5th, 2009. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3.5 | Tim (T.A.) Pratt | Hugo Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Wild Thyme, Green Magic by Jack Vance
I’m a big fan of Jack Vance’s wild imagination and his “high-end” writing style (his description, as I learned in this book). So, I was happy to get a copy of Wild Thyme, Green Magic, an assortment of his fantasy and science fiction tales which have previously been published in several SFF magazines and have now been compiled and edited by Terry Dowling and Jonathan Strahan and published by Subterranean Press.
July 5th, 2009. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4.5 | Jack Vance | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Hunter’s Run by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Daniel Abraham
Hunter’s Run is somewhat interesting in that it’s a collaboration novel that you can’t really tell is a collaboration and a science-fiction novel that relies surprisingly little on science fiction. And these are by no means complaints. The collaboration’s seamlessness speaks to the craft and professionalism of the three writers while the lack of reliance on science fiction allows for a fine mix of quick-paced adventure and character introspection.
Don’t get me wrong — the science fiction elements are essential to the plot: space-faring races,
July 2nd, 2009. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Daniel Abraham, Gardner Dozois, George R.R. Martin | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Previous SFF Author: Martin L. Shoemaker
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