Book Reviews
Review: “The Carpet Makers” by Andreas Eschbach
For those who believe that The Great Masters of sci-fi are necessarily long gone, that the depth of their insight was greater due to a proximity to some essential force that we, as descendants, find always already out of our touch, that singular genius is all but evaporated from the modern writer, to you, I submit The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach for consideration.
Review: “Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor”
It sounds dark, ominious and serious, but Matt Stover keeps the novel light, fun and moving along at a crisp pace, something I can’t say of a lot of other “Star Wars” novels of late. If the title sounds pulpy sf, then you’re thinking along the right lines for this one.
Review: “Killing the Rabbit” by Alison Goodman
This book is based in Australia yet blends in a bit of Japanese and Chinese culture. What doesn’t make sense is this South African Pharmaceutical Company is only killing Australian women with this trait and there is no mention of any other women in any other country. Resorting to the murder of those seven women and the other “loose ends” seems a bit drastic without taking into consideration the possibility of hundreds of women worldwide who might have the same genetic mutation.
Review: “Woken Furies” by Richard K. Morgan
Waiting to meet a friend for lunch the other day, I stood outside a restaurant in Manhattan’s TriBeCa with my face buried in Woken Furies, the latest book from Richard K. Morgan. The restaurant manager spotted me reading and approached me eagerly: “Is that the new Takeshi Kovacs?” The funny part is, this was the second time I’d been approached by a rabid fan while reading one of Morgan’s books.
Review: “Magic Bites” by Ilona Andrews
This is a world where tech and magic are competing for control. When the tech wave rises, magic subsides and vice versa. The fantasy construct is detailed and original. It’s a bit Renaissance society meets futuristic.
Review: “The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy”
I heard recently that eighty-one percent of Americans believe they have a book in them. I believe if you polled fantasy fans, that number would be in the nineties. And I’m just talking novels, I’m not including all the movie and TV screenplays we have in mind. It’s one of the best aspects of being science fiction and fantasy fans: you live a big chunk of your life in your imagination.
But, ask anyone who has ever tried to write fantasy, and he or she will tell you. It ain’t easy. How do you make a fantasy world? How do I make up a type of magic that doesn’t seem stupid? How do I make interesting characters? And on, and on, and on.
Review: “Poison Study” by Maria V. Snyder
Enraptured. I cannot remember the last time I read an entire book in one sitting. I could not, did not, put it down.
Yelena is everything you could ask for in a heroine: courageous, clever, resourceful, vulnerable, and strong. From the outset, her situation is dire. She is given a poison that will kill her if she does not return for her daily antidote. And even if she doesn’t, she may simply die from doing her job well.
Review: “Black Magic Woman” by Justin Gustainis
Black Magic Woman is the first in a new series by author Justin Gustainis, “The Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigations”. It’s a wonderful read, and wonderful introduction to a world that’s all too familiar to long-time readers of fantasy and dark fantasy like myself.
