Previous SFF Author: Jay Posey
Crown of Shadows by C.S. Friedman
Crown of Shadows brings C.S. Friedman’s COLDFIRE trilogy to a close. (This review may contain spoilers for the previous books, which you really must read before beginning Crown of Shadows.)
In the previous book, When True Night Falls, the unlikely allies Reverend Damien Vryce and undead vampire Gerald Tarrant battled their way across hostile foreign countries to combat the evil force that was threatening humanity.
March 12th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | C.S. Friedman | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Scion of Cyador by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Scion of Cyador is the direct sequel to Magi’i of Cyador and chronologically the earliest book in the series, though it is the eleventh of eighteen books (to date). I read Magi’i of Cyador a while ago and I couldn’t suppress the urge to read the sequel any longer. This book is a little less focused on battles and a bit more on politics, especially the second half. L.E. Modesitt is very good at letting the reader see all the little signs of change and what they add up to.
March 12th, 2015. Rob Weber´s rating: 4 | L.E. Modesitt_Jr | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon
Olaf Stapledon‘s vision of mankind’s entire future history until the end is profound, beautiful, and affecting, and was written way back in 1930. It is unfortunate that Last and First Men has not found a wider audience, though it had a deep impact on many of science fiction’s luminaries, including Arthur C. Clarke, who indicated that this book and its later successor Star Maker were the two most influential books he had ever read.
March 11th, 2015. Stuart Starosta´s rating: 4 | Olaf Stapledon | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
When True Night Falls by C.S. Friedman
When True Night Falls is the second book in C.S. Friedman’s COLDFIRE trilogy. You’ll want to read the first book, Black Sun Rising, first. This review may spoil some of that first book’s plot.
At the end of Black Sun Rising, Reverend Damien Vryce, the devout warrior priest, discovered the source of the evil that is infecting his country — it lies across the ocean where there exists another continent that humans are aware of but know nothing about.
March 11th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | C.S. Friedman | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman
Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina was a subtle, exquisitely quiet novel, nuanced and filled with sharply realized characters. I absolutely fell in love with it, placing it on my list of top reads that year, so it kills me to report that the eagerly-awaited sequel, Shadow Scale, not only failed to meet my (admittedly high) expectations, but really disappointed across the board.
Shadow Scale picks up shortly after the events of Seraphina,
March 10th, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | Rachel Hartman | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin
The Armageddon Rag is the book that almost destroyed George R.R. Martin’s career. It was meant to be the work that put him on the map: he’d been getting bigger and bigger advances for his previous novels, and this was the planned bestseller that would make Martin a household name. It didn’t sell. In fact, it was such a monumental commercial flop that Martin couldn’t even get a small advance for another book, let alone the six-figure deals he’d been seeing up until then.
March 10th, 2015. Ray McKenzie´s rating: 2 | George R.R. Martin | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The King’s Justice by Katherine Kurtz
The King’s Justice is the second book in Katherine Kurtz’s THE HISTORIES OF KING KELSON trilogy, which is part of her DERYNI CHRONICLES. It’s the fifth book about young King Kelson. You really ought to read the books in this order: Deryni Rising, Deryni Checkmate, High Deryni, The Bishop’s Heir and THEN this book, The King’s Justice.
March 10th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Katherine Kurtz | Audio | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s debut novel Signal to Noise, the 1980s are almost over, and Meche is a teenager in Mexico City doing all those random stupid teenager things we all did back then: listening to music all night, riding around on the back of friends’ motorcycles, and casting magic spells in dilapidated factories.
Meche’s dad is trying to make a living as a musician, which in practice works out to spending too much time in bars and not enough time with his family.
March 10th, 2015. Stefan Raets´s rating: 3.5 | Silvia Moreno-Garcia | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Unbreakable is the debut novel from W.C. Bauers and the first book in THE CHRONICLES OF PROMISE PAEN, billed as a blend of hard military sci-fi (in the vein of Starship Troopers) and the Wild West-like sensibilities of the television series Firefly. While the novel does contain those elements, focusing on them alone does a disservice to Bauer’s incorporation of real and imagined military history and his skillful portrayal of the marines who serve the interests of the Republic of Aligned Worlds.
March 9th, 2015. Jana Nyman´s rating: 3 | W.C. Bauers | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
Much has been written about Alfred Bester’s classic 1956 SF novel The Stars My Destination (Tiger! Tiger! in the United Kingdom). According to Wikipedia, it is considered one of the best SF books of all time by many authors such as Neil Gaiman, Joe Haldeman, Samuel. R. Delany, Robert Silverberg, and William Gibson.
Predating cyberpunk by almost three decades (if you count from Gibson’s Neuromancer in 1984),
March 9th, 2015. Stuart Starosta and Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Alfred Bester | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Previous SFF Author: Jay Posey
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
We’re in total agreement David!
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.