Previous SFF Author: John Wyndham
Fantasy Literature for Young Adults (over the age of 12).
Dark Moon by Meredith Ann Pierce
Ever notice how the second parts of trilogies are often the weakest? This is not always the case, but it often happens in both books and movies, and it definitely occurs here. Dark Moon is the second part of The Firebringer trilogy, which began with the fascinating Birth of the Firebringer and ending with the explosive The Son of Summer Stars. But smack dab in the middle is Dark Moon,
April 25th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Meredith Ann Pierce | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Ann Pierce
Meredith Ann Pierce is best known for her wonderful Darkangel trilogy, which sadly is not as renowned as it deserves to be. Even lesser known is Pierce’s Firebringer trilogy, based on stories she wrote and dreams she experienced as a young child, which chronicle the lives and adventures of a tribe of unicorns exiled from their home.
Legend tells of how the unicorns were driven out from their Hallow Hills by the serpentine wyverns, who by trickery,
April 5th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Meredith Ann Pierce | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Joining the ranks of comic fantasy authors like Terry Pratchett, Robert Asprin, Esther Freisner, and Piers Anthony is relative newcomer Jim C. Hines. His dungeon delving novel, Goblin Quest, brings a jovial and ironic spirit to the ranks of fantasy fiction.
Jig, a young, scrawny, and near-sighted goblin is content to work with muck. It keeps him out of the way of the rougher, tougher goblins,
March 26th, 2008. John Ottinger (guest)´s rating: 4 | Jim C. Hines | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce
As the last installment of the Darkangel trilogy, The Pearl of the Soul of the World had a lot to live up to, as well as a lot to wrap up. In the first book The Darkangel, slavegirl Aerial saved the darkangel Irrylath from the misery of his own existence under the power of the White Witch and returned him to his mother’s house. In A Gathering of Gargoyles she undertook another task,
March 5th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Meredith Ann Pierce | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Louise Cooper’s Dark Enchantment books are a series of reasonably short novels, all stand-alone stories, that cater well to the young teenage girl who likes a blend of romance, mystery, mild horror and fairytale. Though I don’t fit into that age group anymore, the books in the Dark Enchantment series are nice, quick reads, perfect for cold wintry nights by the fire, just complex enough to hold my interest.
In Heart of Ice,
February 21st, 2008. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Louise Cooper | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The FIREBIRDS anthologies edited by Sharyn November
Firebirds is the first of the three FIREBIRD anthologies edited by Sharyn November. Some people don’t like short stories, especially in anthologies where you are reading several different authors. I, however, almost always have a volume of short stories on my bedside table. Even if I manage to get no other reading done during a hectic day, it is a way for me to finish a whole story in 15-20 minutes. In an age where many authors seem incapable of writing anything other than multi-novel epics,
February 16th, 2008. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 4.5 | Delia Sherman, Diana Wynne Jones, Emma Bull, Garth Nix, Kara Dalkey, Lloyd Alexander, Megan Whalen Turner, Meredith Ann Pierce, Nancy Farmer, Nancy Springer, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Patricia McKillip, Sherwood Smith | Short Fiction, Young Adult | 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 |
Dave Duncan delivers a fun, sword & sorcery romp in a short book that you don’t need to invest hours slogging through. Too often there are books out there that simply can’t stand on their own without being 800-900 pages in length and Duncan seems to avoid this.
Now, if you have never read any of the King’s Blades before, there are some gaps in this story line that will not make as much sense for you. The concept of soldiers who are magically indentured to their King and thereby granted exceptional skills and unfailing loyalty is cool.
February 16th, 2008. John Hulet´s rating: 4 | Dave Duncan | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Dingo is a YA novel that tells the story of a young woman who has the ability to turn into a dingo because she is a descendant of the original animal people from the beginning of the world. Her breeding causes problems for her and her family when other animal people need her for a mysterious ritual. Fleeing Australia to Canada to find safety, Lainey meets Miguel and together they hatch a plan to win her freedom.
Charles de Lint is recycling previous material for this book.
February 16th, 2008. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 2 | Charles De_Lint | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones
Castle in the Air is the sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle, both of which are two of my favourite Diana Wynne Jones books (and according to an interview Howl’s Moving Castle is one of hers). I strongly suggest reading this preceding novel before tackling the sequel as several of the characters and plot twists found here will not be fully appreciated without knowing the previous story (which is a mistake I made).
February 11th, 2008. Rebecca Fisher and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 4 | Diana Wynne Jones | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Previous SFF Author: John Wyndham
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
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…