Book Reviews
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: “Night of the Living Trekkies”
Ever since zombies invaded the pages of Jane Austen with great success, publishers have been searching for the next great mash-up novel. Earlier this year, we got “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter,” a funny take on the historical biography that asked what if Honest Abe was really a vampire slayer? On the other end of the spectrum is the Hugo-nominated zombie/steampunk novel “Boneshaker.”
Review: “Sagramanda” by Alan Dean Foster
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a techo thriller with near future sci-fi thrown in. It is a well written and enjoyable tale that is full of the flavor of India, its culture and people, from a forward looking perspective.
Review: “Necronomicrap” by Tim Frayser
The chapbook Necronomicrap: A Guide To Your Horoooscope, by Tim Frayser, mixes astrological “facts” with obvious lampooning. For example, while you can use the book to learn the names of Saturn’s moons, I highly doubt you should share Frayser’s interpretation that the moons regulate “various aspects of human flatulence.”
Review: “City of Ember” by Jeanne DuPrau
Have you ever read a book that is SO good, that you can’t wait to read the next one? That’s this book. It’s the best book I have read so far! The City of Ember is far underground. Which I thought, wow this be really cool to read about.
Review: “Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword”
Do you hear that sound? That is the sound of a thousand Sacred Cows of Fantasy being tipped in the night.
Let me share a piece of wisdom I’ve picked up being the reviewer for the Dragon Page. You simply cannot go wrong reading anything Tee Morris writes. You won’t find a better blend of action, humor, suspense, and romance anywhere else.
Review: “The Strain” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan originally conceived “The Strain” as a serialized television series for the Fox network. After Fox execs balked at the original vision, insisting the writers inject more humor into the storyline of a modern-day vampire apocolypse, del Toro and Hogan decided to take their toys and go home. Rather than create a movie version of this modern day retelling of “Dracula,” the two decided to go literary.
Review: “Night Rising” by Chris Marie Green
The story is fast paced and filled with enough gory fight scenes to please the hard core urban fantasy reader but with a surprisingly emotional layer that may appeal to the female reader. It fails to deliver a complete world building construct and this coupled with the tendency to leave more plot threads open than resolved left this reader dissatisfied.
