Book Reviews
Review: “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”
Let me start off by admitting that I love both Zombies and Regency novels. So, naturally, when I saw a zombified portrait of Jane Austen on the cover of a book, I was intrigued. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a parody (or as the back cover describes it, “an expanded edition”) of Jane Austin’s classic regency novel Pride and Prejudice.
Review: “Bride of the Fat White Vampire” by Andrew Fox
God, I love the sci-fi-fantasy-horror-magicrealism-pagan-mystic genres, cause every once in a while you come across a book like Bride of the Fat White Vampire, by Andrew Fox. Funny, clever, and highly entertaining.
Review: “Mercury Rises” by Robert Kroese
Mercury Rises is, above all things, a humorous book. It made me laugh, snicker, giggle, and snort (an embarrassing but satisfying thing to happen in the middle of a crowded room).
Review: “Magic Study” by Maria V. Snyder
Poison Study was the first book in a long time that I read in a single sitting. Magic Study is the second. It was everything I wanted from a sequel.
Review: “Four and Twenty Blackbirds” by Cherie Priest
Cherie Priest’s debut novel, this atmospheric Southern Gothic ghost story was originally published by a small regional press in 2003. The (shorter) new edition from Tor is an indication that greater things lie ahead for this new voice in fiction. A sequel, Wings to the Kingdom, is due from Tor in the fall, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the publisher sees a potential franchise here. Heck, I could see this showing up on the new CW network. If you like ghost stories with more texture than genuine twists, Four and Twenty Blackbirds is worth a look.
Review: “Doctor Sleep” by Stephen King
When I heard that Stephen King was writing a sequel to what I consider one of his best novels The Shining, I was both eager and hesitant to pick it up. Part of me was eager to see where King would take the characters from the world of the Overlook Hotel in the sequel and hesitant because of the track record of other authors with “long awaited” sequels.
Review: “Small Favor” by Jim Butcher
Small Favor is a great read and I think that the Dresden Files books are a great introduction to fantasy/sci-fi for someone who doesn’t normally read such genres. It’s a P.I. mystery with magic with strong characters, an over arching plots as well as smaller story arcs that finish up in single book… mostly.
Review: “Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar”
Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books are the reader’s equivalent of coming home after a long day; putting on your pj’s and eating cereal for dinner. It’s simple and sometimes intensely comforting. As a reader, the structure of a Valdemar book is highly predictable and that is part of their appeal.
So, this book of short stories is a great way to shake things up.
