Book Reviews
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: “Across The Nightingale Floor” by Lian Hearn
Billed as “Asian Fantasy,” Across the Nightingale Floor is an epic tale of revenge, intrigue, and love unrequited. At least, that is what the book jacket says. The writing style could have ascended me to a higher plane of enlightenment, but its absent plot, vapid characters, and stilted dialog made me want to commit hari-kari.
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: “Black Blade Blues” by J. A. Pitts
The thing I love about urban fantasy is that it doesn’t take place in some pretend land where everyone can shoot lightning from their eyeballs – it’s here, where we live. There’s always the little extra bit of excitement that it could happen when the story is set in a town you’ve been to, maybe even lived in.
Review: “The Martian” by Andy Weir
The Martian is a decent hard Science Fiction novel and I certainly didn’t regret reading it. I just wish there was more substance to the protagonist’s side of the story. I hope that this will not be the only novel that Weir does, as I look forward to seeing how he grows as a writer.
Review: “The Mirador” by Sarah Monette
The single most impressive aspect of Sarah Monette’s writing is her strong sense of voice. The stories are told in first-person with the perspective alternating between Felix and Mildmay throughout the chapters.
Review: “Soulless” by Gail Carriger
I returned from holidays to one of the worst fates that can happen to a book nerd -– a sewer backup. As I looked at the empty space where our bookshelves used to be, I realized I needed immediate cheering up. Fortunately, Gail Carriger’s Soulless was in my To Be Read pile, above the high water mark.
Review: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” by J. K. Rowling
A million people pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I guess that makes me one in a million! (Thank you, I’ll be here all week.)
Honestly, though, you can’t imagine how I felt when I opened my door mid-Saturday morning, and found the box from Amazon.com sitting there. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. For the next two days, I didn’t turn on the TV, didn’t shave, barely bathed, and left the house only once or twice to get a couple of snacks (and didn’t bother to brush, my teeth look nasty).
