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"The Fallen Blade" by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
…. Jon Courtenay Grimwood offers a vividly realized fantasy setting with this not quite historically accurate but still surprisingly realistic version of “la Serenissima,” the Serene Republic of Venice. You’ll get many authentic looks at what life in this amazing city-state must have been like, from the perspectives of both the rich ( Read more... ) -
"Among Others" by Jo Walton
… Aside from the genuine love for science fiction and fantasy that permeates every ounce of this novel, it also features a loving picture of an isolated, intelligent young woman finding her place in life, and a simple but solid present-day fantasy plot that slowly unfolds to reach a satisfying conclusion. The novel reads smoothly, is ( Read more... ) -
"Farlander" by Col Buchanan
…Col Buchanan’s debut Farlander, book one of the Heart of the World series, is a promising but somewhat uneven series opener. Some aspects of this novel are extremely well done, and others don’t work quite as well… World-building is one of Farlander’s biggest strengths… The world of Farlander is simply fascinating, and not nearly all ( Read more... ) -
"Brave New Worlds", anthology of dystopian SF, edited by John Joseph Adams
…Brave New Worlds is as perfect an anthology as you could hope for… One of the great things about a broad anthology like this one, collecting 33 different stories that still all fall under the umbrella of dystopian SF, is that you get the chance to sample a large variety of styles and approaches. Classics and brand new stories, short ( Read more... ) -
"Midnight Riot" by Ben Aaronovitch
… Midnight Riot, the first book in the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch is simply a blast from start to finish. The novel is fast-paced and exciting from the get-go, and there’s barely any let-up in the action until you’ve turned the final page. It almost reads like a particularly exciting episode of a good detective TV series ( ( Read more... ) -
"The Sentinel Mage" by Emily Gee
… The Sentinel Mage reads quickly, and because Emily Gee knows how to tell a story, it reads smoothly too. The pages practically turn themselves, as they say. Unfortunately that’s about the only positive aspect of the book, because the story is so unoriginal and predictable that anyone who reads enough fantasy will probably have encountered at ( Read more... ) -
"God's War" by Kameron Hurley
Some reviews are harder to write than others. Take God’s War, the first novel by Kameron Hurley, an author whose blog I’ve been reading with interest. The book had a long journey getting published and has now, finally, reached the shelves thanks to the awesome folks at Night Shade Books. I was excited to get my hands on this book, ( Read more... ) -
"The Hammer" by K.J. Parker
… The Hammer is simply a blast to read, expertly paced and full of surprising and occasionally funny twists. There’s an odd contrast between the almost cheerful tone of the story and the eventual, much darker revelation about the event that sets off the main plot. K.J. Parker has also mastered the art of showing characters rather than ( Read more... ) -
"Pirate Freedom" by Gene Wolfe
…Pirate Freedom is another solid and intriguing novel by Gene Wolfe, and a book you’re guaranteed to think about for a long time after turning the final page - especially because the end provides a mind-bending twist, which admittedly is almost par for the course with this author. While Wolfe deftly uses his narrator to add several ( Read more... )