Previous SFF Author: Michael A. Stackpole
These are stand alone novels (not part of a series).
The Gossamer Mage by Julie E. Czerneda
I really wanted to like The Gossamer Mage (2019) by Julie E. Czerneda, because there is so much to like in it: the premise, the themes, the character cores. But more than usual, I felt the book was fighting me the whole way, so that while it always was in the realm of wholly enjoyable, something always got in the way of it reaching its full potential.
The story is set in the relatively small, isolated land of Tananen,
September 10th, 2019. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Julie E. Czerneda | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I never know what to expect from Adrian Tchaikovsky, but he’s always entertaining. Walking to Aldebaran (2019) is unlike anything I’ve read from Tchaikovsky to date, a powerful, literary SF novella with an edgy, dark sense of humor and a strain of horror that gradually intensifies until its shocking ending.
British astronaut Gary Rendell is part of an international space team sent from Earth to explore a moon-sized, alien-made object ― officially called the Artefact,
September 6th, 2019. Tadiana Jones´s rating: 5 | Adrian Tchaikovsky | Horror, Short Fiction, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Porcelain Dove by Delia Sherman
Years ago, I got into “fantasies of manners” at about the same time as I was going through a big Revolutionary France phase. When I heard about Delia Sherman’s The Porcelain Dove (1993) — a fantasy set in that time period, and which won the Mythopoeic Award for 1994 — it sounded like the perfect book for me. I could never find it in the used bookstores, though. (I did, before I successfully committed the title to memory,
August 30th, 2019. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Delia Sherman | Mythopoeic Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
The Ten Thousand Doors of January (2019), by Alix E. Harrow, is one of the most beautiful books you will read in 2019. It may be one of the most beautiful books you’ll read in your lifetime. When I say it’s beautiful, I don’t simply mean the prose and the imagery, although those both are gorgeous. I mean that this is a beautiful story. The journey of January Scaller, set against the USA’s Long Gilded Age,
August 27th, 2019. Marion Deeds, Tadiana Jones and Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Alix E. Harrow | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
I love fantasies set at colleges, so when I heard about Linda Haldeman’s Esbae: A Winter’s Tale (1981), I had to track it down and read it. The titular Esbae is a spirit who is found wanting by some greater power, and cast down to earth. It attaches itself to an awkward college student, Sophie, and is caught up in a magical battle between good and evil.
The three main human characters are all to be found in Dr.
August 26th, 2019. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2.5 | Linda Haldeman | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Casiopeia Tun is the poor relation of the Leyva family, put to work as a servant to her grandfather, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It’s established early, though, that she’s not one to take easily to subservience. Sure, she’ll probably do what she’s told — eventually — but it won’t be with a smile. She cherishes a few modest dreams of the things she’d see and do if she could only escape the family home and the dusty little town of Uukumil. When the family leaves her out of an outing as punishment,
August 23rd, 2019. Kelly Lasiter and Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 10 comments |
I’ll admit it — I’m pretty scared of Mount Everest before you populate it with ghosts. Ever since I read Jon Krakauer’s riveting nonfiction book Into Thin Air, I’ve felt a little shudder at the very thought of climbing it. So when I heard about The White Road (2017), a horror novel set on Everest, I figured it was guaranteed to freak me out in epic fashion.
Simon and his friend Thierry run a website dedicated to creepy things.
August 22nd, 2019. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Sarah Lotz | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Temple of Fire by Francis Henry Atkins (Frank Aubrey/Fred Ashley)
As I mentioned in my review of English author Francis Henry Atkins’ third novel, The King of the Dead (1903), this was a writer who chose to hide behind a number of sobriquets, all of which featured the initials “F.A.” Those pen names were Frank Aubrey (which he used for that 1903 novel), Frank Atkins, Fenton Ash and Fred Ashley. I had hugely enjoyed the third novel by this seldom-discussed author,
August 21st, 2019. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 3.5 | Frank Aubrey | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
The House on Parchment Street by Patricia McKillip
I probably would never have known about The House on Parchment Street (1973) were I not such a huge fan of Patricia McKillip‘s fantasy stories, and while browsing her name on a library search engine, this title popped up. It was obviously one of her earliest published works, so I was willing to give it a go.
The House on Parchment Street is profoundly different from her later stories,
August 20th, 2019. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 2.5 | Patricia McKillip | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Last Light of the Sun is another of Guy Gavriel Kay’s lovely historical fantasies. This one blends Norse, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon histories with a bit of faerie mythos. We follow a few main characters from each of these societies as they interact with each other to shape their land and destinies. As usual in a Guy Gavriel Kay novel, we see the struggles from each perspective, so there’s no single “hero” or “villain.” We understand what motivates each of the characters and their culture and we can admire their strengths and recognize their weaknesses.
August 20th, 2019. Kat Hooper and Bill Capossere´s rating: 4, 5 | Guy Gavriel Kay | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Previous SFF Author: Michael A. Stackpole
Update: Yesterday was Independent Bookstore Day and I ordered the first two volumes of this.
Well done, Mandy! Thanks for your interesting and VERY well-written review. Your enthusiasm for the book in question will likely…
thanks for this! While I enjoy graphics, I confess it's an area I'm always far less aware of (save for…
Mandy, thank you for this great review. Today is Independent Bookstore Day and I will be at a specialty store…
Me, too! I think independent bookstore are enjoying a golden age, and I plan to continue to support that. One…