Suldrun’s Garden by Jack Vance

As I’m writing this, Jack Vance’s under-appreciated Lyonesse trilogy has been off the shelves for years. My library didn’t even have a copy — it had to be interlibrary loaned for me. Why is that? Publishers have been printing seemingly every vampire and werewolf novel that comes along these days — same plot, same characters, blah blah blah. Read the rest.

The King of Ys by Poul Anderson

The King of Ys is a historical fantasy — it is set in our world just before the fall of the Roman Empire and it mixes in the legend of the mythical city of Ys which was built below sea level on the coast of Brittany. Read the rest.

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (on audio)

I’m extremely impressed with Brandon Sanderson‘s first fantasy trilogy. The entire story was carefully thought out, well-plotted, and well-paced. What impresses me most is that in this last installment, The Hero of Ages, there are plenty of wonderful surprises left. But these surprises aren’t little add-ons that Sanderson lately thought up and decided to throw in just to keep up the interest and excitement. These are major pieces of the puzzle that have purposely been left for the characters (and therefore the readers) to discover.  Read the rest.

The Green Pearl by Jack Vance

…  First, I admire Jack Vance‘s florid imagination. His world and its creatures are unique and, while not as bizarre as Lewis Carroll’s, there’s plenty of weirdness. Second, I love Jack Vance’s odd but irresistible style. There’s no message, no lesson, no pretensions — it’s just pure fast-paced entertainment. But best of all, Vance’s deliberately peculiar and droll prose makes me laugh. Read the rest.

Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock

Many times I don’t like sequels because there’s nothing new to learn. Authors tend to give us all of their world-building in the first novel, so I’m often bored by a sequel. But Lavondyss blew my mind. It is, I have no doubt, one of the best fantasy novels ever written.  Read the rest.

Madouc

… Madouc maintains the quality of this excellent trilogy — it’s filled with clever prose, charming characters, and lots of imagination. Jack Vance’s careful planning produced a tight plot and Madouc wrapped up all the loose ends from Suldrun’s Garden and The Green Pearl. I thoroughly enjoyed Lyonesse, but it may not be for everyone. It occurs to me that these books are a lot like Monty Python. They’re fast-paced, weird, silly, outrageous, and (somehow) smart.  Read the rest.

The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny

Roger Zelazny’s Amber series is one of the best sci-fi/fantasy epics ever written. Not only was it highly imaginative and original when it was published (in the 70s and 80s), but it remains so — there’s nothing else like it. Corwin and his brothers and sisters are clever, sophisticated, sarcastic, and extremely ambitious. They constantly scheme and plot to outmaneuver each other as they vie for political power. If you knew these people in real life, you’d probably hate them, but in Zelazny’s hands they’re charming …Read the rest.

To Ride Hell’s Chasm by Janny Wurts

… I decided to try this stand-alone first to get a feel for Janny Wurts’ style before I leapt into a mega-epic. Along that line, I was also interested to see how she would affect an actual ending, since WoLaS doesn’t actually have one yet (at least not in print)…  So, now that I’ve finished To Ride Hell’s Chasm, I think I have a small idea of what I’ve been missing by not reading The Wars of Light and Shadow. A long epic by Janny Wurts sounds like a very good thing. Read the rest.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Princess Cimorene is tired of embroidery, etiquette, and protocol classes. She wants to take Latin, fencing, magic, and cooking lessons instead. But, that’s just “not done.” So to avoid a betrothal to a handsome and charming (but not particularly bright) prince, she runs away to become housekeeper for a dragon… Patricia C. Wrede’s Dealing with Dragons is a refreshing change from some of the more recent fantasy epics aimed at teenage girls… Read the rest.

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams

Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn trilogy was one of the first fantasy series I ever read and it’s still one of my favorites… This is a classic epic fantasy plot: Simon the kitchen boy saves the world. But please don’t roll your eyes — this was written in the 1980’s — before it was a cliché… Read the rest.

The Dying Earth (on audio) by Jack Vance

… it’s easy to forget that a failing planet is the setting for the Dying Earth stories, for they are neither depressing nor bleak, and they’re not really about the doom of the Earth. These stories are whimsical and weird and they focus more on the strange people who remain and the strange things they do… Jack Vance is my favorite fantasy author. His work probably won’t appeal to the Twilighters, but for those who enjoy Pythonesque surreal humor written in high style, or for fans of Lewis Carroll, Fritz Leiber, and L. Frank Baum, I suggest giving Jack Vance a try. If you listen to audiobooks, definitely try Brilliance Audio’s version! Read the rest.

The Eyes of the Overworld (audio) by Jack Vance

The Eyes of the Overworld is the second part of Tales of the Dying Earth and the main character is one of my favorite Vance characters: the self-titled Cugel the Clever. Cugel is not the kind of guy you want to have dealings with — he’s clever, sneaky, completely selfish and remorseless… This doesn’t sound like it should be very entertaining, but oh, it is! That’s because the story is written in Jack Vance’s singular style: high language, bizarre occurrences, and Vance’s characteristic humor. I hate to say it again, but the best comparison I can make is to Monty Python. If you’re a fan of that type of strange dark humor, then this should be your thing… Read the rest.

The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

I haven’t actually read every page of The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories, yet I’m giving it my highest recommendation. Edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, Master and Mistress of Weird, The Weird is 1126 pages long and should really be considered a textbook of weird fiction. It contains 110 carefully chosen stories spanning more than 100 years of weird fiction… The Weird is not meant to be read front to back all at once, but is rather more like a manual or primer in the scholarly field of Weird Fiction. I read many of the stories (most of them were stories I had not previously read) and familiarized myself with a few authors I’d never heard of before. I look forward to reading all of these weird tales eventually and I’m glad to have this text on my shelf. The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories deserves a place on every speculative fiction lover’s bookshelf. Read the rest.

Cugel’s Saga by Jack Vance

Cugel “the clever” is one of the scummiest, nastiest, lowliest rogues in all of fantasy literature. He’s got no morals and no respect for women, he’s often a coward, he’s not good looking, nor is he particularly good with a sword. In the words of one of Cugel’s acquaintances, “who could imagine such protean depravity?” The answer, apparently, is Jack Vance. And that’s why Cugel is one of my favorite “heroes” — because he belongs to Jack Vance… Cugel’s various adventures do not become predictable and they never get stale — each is unique, fresh, and delightfully funny. Besides the sheer entertainment value, Jack Vance’s voice is consistently a pleasure to read. Nobody writes just like Vance and I never tire of it. I listened to Brilliance Audio’s version of Cugel’s Saga, which was read by Arthur Morey, who has narrated their other Vance titles. He is excellent as usual… Read the rest.

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

Lois McMaster Bujold has long been esteemed in the science fiction genre, so I expected great things from The Curse of Chalion, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed. This is an excellent piece of work! Bujold’s story is completely fresh, and the world-building and magic system are unique, too. I was hooked from page one and it proceeds at a pleasant pace with plenty of surprises and plot twists. Characterization is deep and somehow Bujold made me really like the main character, Cazaril, right from the start, even though he is not the type of hero I thought I preferred. As a psychologist, I especially appreciate how the characters realistically maintained their natural personalities throughout the story while maturing (or becoming more immature) as they grew from their experiences… Read the rest.

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

Paladin of Souls takes place just after the events of The Curse of Chalion and focuses on one of the minor female characters in Curse. It can stand alone, but you’ll get a lot more out of it if you read Curse first. This is another beautifully written masterpiece which won several prestigious awards, including a Hugo and a Nebula. Not only is Lois McMaster Bujold an excellent writer, but her world of Chalion is believable and complex, the magic is deep, fascinating, and just plain scary. Bujold‘s Chalion is very far from the wizard-coming-of-age, orphan-boy-saves-the-world, or hunk-whips-up-on-the-bad-guys-with-a-cool-sword kind of fantasy epic. This is fresh. And highly recommended.

Liveship Traders: Robin Hobb can do no wrong

I would never have picked up Liveship Traders if I hadn’t already read been a Robin Hobb fan. The thought of sentient ships just didn’t appeal to me. However, I really enjoyed this series for the same reason as I like her other works. Some of the characters overlap, also, which is nice. I had become attached to the characters in The Farseer Saga and Tawny Man Trilogy, so it was nice to see them again!

The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb

….Fitz of The Farseer Saga is one of my favorite fantasy heroes. He is so well characterized — I felt a lot of  empathy for his situation. I was really upset when the first trilogy ended (things weren’t so great for Fitz), but then I found out that his story continues in The Tawny Man Trilogy. I think that was one of the happiest days of my life… Read the rest.

Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

Songs of the Dying Earth is the best anthology I’ve ever read. These stories will be enjoyed by any SFF reader, but they’ll be ten times more fun if you’ve read Jack Vance’s The Dying Earth, because they are all written in honor of that fantastic work. Each tale is written in the style of Vance, which is quite amusing in itself, and each takes place on the Dying Earth, that far-future wasteland in which natural selection means survival of the cleverest, nastiest, sneakiest, and most self-serving… They were written by “many high-echelon, top-drawer writers” (as Mr. Vance says in the preface)… and were so well done that much of the time I forgot that I wasn’t actually reading Jack Vance… Read the rest.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke (audio)

Let me say two things about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell:
1. This is one of the finest novels I have ever read. Ever.
2. You might hate it.
Okay, let me say more. I listened to this book on audio and, because of the language and humor, I was delighted from the very start. I listened for 32 hours and approximately 25 of those hours are rather slow… What kept me going was that the writing is absolutely glorious… This is the perfect book for the right reader… Read the rest.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke (audio)

Rebecca has written an excellent review of The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories and I am completely in agreement with her review… I listened to The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories on audiobook. I guess Susanna Clarke ranks high with her publisher because this book is read by two of the best readers in all of audiobook-dom: Simon Prebble and Davina Porter… We have only two major works by Susanna Clarke so far, but in my opinion, there is no better writer in all of fantasy fiction. For that matter, her prose is on level with those authors who we recognize as the greatest in all of literature. I hope there is much more coming from Susanna Clarke! Read the rest.

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

… In the author’s afterward to Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card explains that this was the novel he had always intended to write and that Ender’s Game, its more famous and popular prequel, was just an introduction. I’m sure that’s why, as much as I loved Ender’s Game as a thrilling action-packed YA adventure, I liked Speaker for the Dead even more. This is a more mature, thoughtful, and far-reaching story… Though this is a meaty and thought-provoking work, Speaker for the Dead is populated with characters you can love, hate, or otherwise relate to, and Card holds it all together with a heart-wrenching story about loneliness, bullying, abuse, hate, jealousy, adultery, incest, companionship, guilt, forgiveness, redemption, love, and death. There’s a lot going on here… Read the rest.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Stardust is a charming novel and beautifully written. The language is simple, concise, and to-the-point (I appreciate not having to re-read convoluted sentences). If you’re looking for a deep, dark epic that’s heavy on description, characterization, political intrigue, and plot twists, this isn’t it. This is a light break from the heavy stuff. It’s fun and entertaining. The plot is quick and has a bit of the Princess Bride feel in that it’s purposely a bit silly in places. I listened to Stardust in audiobook format, which I highly recommend because Neil Gaiman himself is the reader, and he does an excellent job… Read the rest.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

If you haven’t read any Ursula Le Guin, you need to put her at the top of your list!… Her writing is beautiful — lyrical and powerful. I love how she makes all of her words count. They are all necessary, there’s no fluff or redundancy — it’s simple, natural, alive, and vivid. Her understanding of different people and cultures (her father was an anthropologist and her mother was a psychologist) enhances her ability to create imaginative, creative, and believable characters and worlds. When you step into Earthsea, you feel like you’re in a real world with real people. It’s deep and engrossing right from the start… Read the rest.

Riddlemaster by Patricia McKillip

… one day, maybe 15 years ago, Patricia McKillip’s Riddle-master fell into my hands. I can’t remember exactly when, and I can’t remember how. I can’t even remember enough to tell you exactly what the trilogy was about. It’s been that long ago. All I can remember is sitting for hours, slack-jawed and amazed. The imagery was so beautiful, the writing so elegant, the ideas so powerful. Some of the imagery has remained with me… I still feel it. I was sad when I finished the Riddle-master trilogy, but excited to have found something I loved so much, so I went looking for more beautiful fantasy literature. It’s been my favorite source of entertainment since. And thus, 15 or so years later, here you are… Read the rest.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

You know how sometimes a book, or a movie, or a concert gets so hyped up in the press and you have such high expectations that when you finally get around to reading/seeing it, it disappoints? That’s what I was worried might happen when I decided to read The Name of the Wind. I purposely came to it late, hoping to wait until Patrick Rothfuss was nearly finished with the trilogy before I starting it. But, the book has received so much attention that it became inexcusable for me, as the editor of this website, not to read it. So I did — in two days. (It’s a huge book.) And I’m very happy to report that The Name of the Wind did not disappoint — I was completely enthralled… Read the rest.

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

In preparation for the next Wheel of Time installment, I decided I’d like to get a feel for Brandon Sanderson’s work, so I downloaded Mistborn from Audible.com. I was completely entertained for 25 hours!… My favorite thing about Mistborn was the creative, detailed, and rule-bound magic system… the audiobook was read by Michael Kramer who also narrated the Wheel of Time novels. He always does an excellent job… So, yes, I really loved Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn and have downloaded the second book, The Well of Ascension… Read the rest.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien was the master of fantasy, and that’s not just because he was the first to write a very popular epic. What makes Tolkien superior was how he used his extensive knowledge of mythology and linguistics to create his own complex world… Besides the amazing world-building, Tolkien builds excellent characters and uses them to explore such heavy human themes as friendship, love, greed, power, redemption, gender-roles, self-sacrifice, and death. This is not a light epic for a Sunday afternoon. This is intense, bone-chilling, goose-bump raising stuff… Read the rest.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit is just good clean fun, delightful for children and adults. If you’ve read LOTR and wondered how Bilbo got the ring, here’s the story. I enjoyed Tolkien’s omniscient narrator style in this book — somewhat like Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, and more recently Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell — which I suppose he adopted because he was writing for children. I think it’s charming. I highly recommend the audiobook, read by Rob Inglis. He’s a Royal Shakespeare company actor and the best audiobook reader I’ve ever heard (and I’ve heard a lot of them). He has a different voice for each dwarf, and he does a great Gollum, too. He actually sings the songs (nice voice!) and he even belches up ponies… Read the rest.

The Orphan’s Tales by Catherynne M. Valente

I haven’t read any fantasy quite like Catherynne M. Valente’s The Orphan’s Tales duology… These stories are all connected to each other, but each is unique and highly imaginative… Ms Valente’s imagination for bizarre characters and plots exceeds Lewis Carroll’s and she never lets up. Each story is brilliant and brilliantly told… Highly recommended for the reader who appreciates beautiful prose, is willing to take notes, and is looking for something original. Read the rest.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

… Coraline is a terrific little heroine. Curious and brave, but appropriately cautious, she sets out to discover what’s in the vacant flat. And though what’s there seems rather wonderful at first, Coraline soon realizes that it’s actually rather horrible. Not in a bloody gory kind of way, but in a spooky, spine-tingling, why-the-heck-is-this-so-scary kind of way. Neil Gaiman understands creepy… The eeriness is accented with excellently terrifying drawings by Dave McKean (who did the Sandman covers). Coraline is excellent fantasy for sensitive but brave children who like to squirm. I read it to my daughters, and I’m sure I squirmed just as much as they did… Read the rest.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

… Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 presents a possible frightening future in which intellectual pursuits and nonconformity are deemed dangerous and subversive. It’s been more than half a century since Fahrenheit 451 was published and we’ve seen censorship laws actually become looser over the years and the advent of the internet has brought on the current “information age.” But that doesn’t make Fahrenheit 451 irrelevant because it’s about much more than literary censorship. It’s about freedom of speech and individual rights. It’s about thinking for ourselves and what might happen if we let the government tell us what we can see, hear, or own. Fahrenheit 451 resonates with me on so many levels. First of all, it’s just superbly written… Read the rest.

Blue and Gold by K.J. Parker

Talk about unreliable narrators! If you like that technique, you’re sure to enjoy K.J. Parker’s Blue and Gold. It’s a fast, intense, and dramatic little book that will entertain you for an afternoon. Saloninus is probably the cleverest alchemist who ever lived (or is he?). After publishing several important (?) papers and losing his tuition money, he drops out of the university and begins a life of crime, then gets commissioned by the prince to figure out how to do two things: 1. Produce the elixir of eternal youth and 2. Turn base metal into gold. During the process, though, he accidentally (?) poisons his beautiful and brilliant wife, so now he’s on the run and he’s pretty stressed-out… Blue and Gold is a fast-paced, gripping, excellently written story, which will be especially enjoyed by those who appreciate unreliable narrators and who feel nostalgic about academic settings. Read the rest.

To Live Forever by Jack Vance

… One thing I love about Jack Vance is that he writes about things that fascinate me. As Gavin is trying to figure out how he can contribute something creative and meaningful to society, and thereby push himself ahead of everyone else, he tackles the field of psychology. I found it great fun to read Vance’s ideas about the future of my field… You don’t have to be a psychologist to love To Live Forever. This is a fun, fast-paced, and clever science fiction novel, but it isn’t at all “gadgetty,” so it will probably appeal even to those who think they don’t like scifi. It’s also, as is common for Jack Vance, part humorously scathing social commentary. Read the rest.

The Killing Machine by Jack Vance

After successfully dispatching the first of his lifelong enemies in the previous novel, The Star King, Kirth Gersen now takes on the second of the five demon princes, Kokor Hekkus, aka “The Killing Machine.” The Killing Machine is even more fun than The Star King. It’s full of diverse characters, exotic venues, hilarious fashions, weird food, awesome architecture, and bizarre machinery. Nobody outdoes Jack Vance for sheer inventiveness. The plot moves rapidly and contains plenty of action and suspense… Read the rest.

The Palace of Love by Jack Vance

… The actual plot, while just as brisk and fun as usual, isn’t the most entertaining aspect of The Palace of Love. This volume is particularly charming because of Jack Vance’s exquisite characters — three in particular: 1. Vogel Filschner, rejected by the prettiest girl in school… 2. Navarath, a washed-up poet who lives on a houseboat… 3. Zan Zu, the girl from Eridu, a dreamy dirty adolescent misfit with no name… These are three of Vance’s best supporting characters, all packed into about 150 pages. That’s enough reason to read The Palace of Love… Read the rest.

The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe

For those of you enjoy audiobooks, this is the perfect time to finally read (or to re-read) Gene Wolfe’s The Shadow of the Torturer. Audible Frontiers recently put it on audio and the excellent Jonathan Davis is the reader… What makes Gene Wolfe’s epic different from everything else on the SFF shelf is his unique, evocative storytelling style… In addition to being unique in style, The Shadow of the Torturer is a gorgeous piece of work: passionate storytelling (heart-wrenching in places), fascinating insights into nature and the human condition, beautiful prose… I enjoyed every moment of The Shadow of the Torturer. I love the oddness, originality, and challenge of it, the way that events I knew I saw coming didn’t happen, and the unsettling sense that there’s way more going on here than I’m being explicitly told… Read the rest.

The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe

The Claw of the Conciliator is the second book in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun quartet. If you read The Shadow of the Torturer and felt like you were lost (or drunk), and weren’t sure whether things would get clearer in the second book, I have to tell you that no, they don’t. But if you, like me, enjoy that dreamy I’m-not-sure-where-I-am-or-how-I-got-here-or-where-I’m-going-but-everything-sure-feels-fine literary experience, then read on, because Severian’s head is a strange and fascinating place to be. The Book of the New Sun is one of those works that some people think is ingenious and others suspect is just drivel. This is not the series for a reader who wants a quick-paced action-filled story with a concrete beginning, middle and end. This is for someone who’s in the mood to be open-minded and has the time and patience for some experimentation with character, setting, and theme. (And, perhaps, some mind-altering drugs might help.)… Read the rest.

The Face by Jack Vance

Here’s another thoroughly delightful installment (book 4 of 5) of The Demon Princes. The plot is as usual: Kirth Gersen is hunting down one of the Demon Princes who destroyed his family and homeland when he was a boy. There’s no doubt that Gersen will kill Lens Larque; the question is how he’ll kill him and what adventures he’ll have on the way. The Face distinguishes itself by introducing a couple of cultures which Vance uses to make fun of human behavior… The Face is hilarious and has a particularly clever and satisfying ending. You don’t really need to read the previous Demon Princes books to enjoy The Face, but why wouldn’t you? Read the rest.

The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe’s The Sword of the Lictor essentially contains no plot, but it’s the best plotless book I’ve ever read. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read, period. I loved every moment of it! (I read this on audio; Audible Frontiers‘ audio version, read by Jonathan Davis, is exceptional.)… Severian wanders the earth almost aimlessly, and it’s this wandering that’s so fascinating… I’d love to tell you more and to discuss what it all means (there’s so much symbolism here), but then you’d miss the jaw-dropping, eye-widening, brain-expanding experience for yourself. I’ll just say that what Severian experiences on his journey perfectly captures the essence of excellent speculative fiction — it’s the reason I love SFF… Read the rest.

The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe

… We’ve known all along that Severian the torturer would be the autarch by the end of his story, but his fascinating journey to the throne is what this saga is all about… on the surface, at least. What it’s really about, for those who want to see it, is the juxtaposition of future and past, the nature of time and space, perception and reality, religion and science, and the Earth’s and humanity’s need for redemption. All of this is explored in the context of the strange characters, situations, and places that Severian meets on his way. The Book of the New Sun is not an easy read, but it’s what speculative fiction is all about — it’s brain-bending, it makes the reader consider and question, it stretches the intellect and opens the mind to new ideas and experiences. In The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe accomplishes all this and does it in a beautiful way. This is my measuring rod for excellent fantasy literature… Read the rest.

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

In The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon blends science fiction, neuroscience, and her own experience to speculate about a future in which scientists have nearly eliminated the symptoms of autism… Because Elizabeth Moon has a teenager with autism, a background in science (and science fiction), and has done a lot of research, The Speed of Dark feels like an authentic account of an autistic man’s cognitive processes… Few readers could fail to become emotionally attached to Lou and to root for him as he struggles to understand who he is and how he fits in, tests his strengths and challenges himself to excel, makes friends and enemies, falls in love, learns how his brain works and, most importantly, decides who he wants to be… The Speed of Dark, which won the Nebula Award, is one of those novels that makes you feel the whole spectrum of emotions, changes the way you think, and stays with you forever. Its portrayal of a devastating behavioral disorder is all at once beautiful, humorous, enlightening, heart-wrenching, poignant, and hopeful. Read the rest.

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

… Under Heaven is just as gorgeous as Kay’s previous historical fantasies: It’s well-researched, carefully constructed, tightly plotted, and beautifully written. The mingling of the real and the magical is delicate — there are no wizards or wands, but just the acknowledgement of the existence of the supernatural and the weird. Most impressively, GGK’s work is always full of poetry, passion, and life. His characters, those who play major roles and minor ones, feel like real people and, whether we like them or not, we come to understand their histories, motivations, frustrations, and desires. We smile when they laugh, our hearts race when they’re afraid, and we cry when they mourn… I read Penguin Audio’s version of Under Heaven, narrated by Simon Vance. For years Mr. Vance has been one of my favorite narrators, and he’s wonderful here, as usual. If you’re an audiobook reader, you’ll definitely want to try this version read by the incomparable Mr. Vance (download here). Regardless, you don’t want to miss Under Heaven — it may be the best fantasy novel of 2010. Read the rest.

The Many-Colored Land by Julian May

The Many-Colored Land, a classic (1981) science fantasy novel by Julian May, wasn’t too high on my TBR list until I noticed that Blackstone Audio released it last month and I remembered that Thomas Wagner recommended it. I like science fantasy, so I gave it shot, and I sure am glad I did. I loved every moment of The Many-Colored Land… I only have one complaint about Blackstone audio’s version of The Many-Colored Land, and that’s that I’m dying to read the rest of this story and it’s not available yet on audio (and I’m not sure if it will be). This is not a self-contained story and readers will definitely want to have the next volume, The Golden Torc in hand. I’ve ordered the print version. Read the rest.

The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne M. Valente

… In The Habitation of the Blessed, Catherynne M. Valente lets her extravagant imagination loose on the 12th century legends of Prester John, the Nestorian Christian priest who set out from Constantinople to search for the tomb of Saint Thomas and ends up as the beloved ruler of Pentexore. This is an ancient land of strange, nearly immortal, creatures who’ve never heard of Jesus Christ… If you’ve read Catherynne Valente before, you’ll already have recognized that the Prester John Legends are perfect source material and you won’t be surprised to learn that this tale is full of the kinds of wonderful visual imagery and dreamy ideas that inhabit her other work… The writing is luxuriant, as always, and the dialogue is often reminiscent of the delightful repartee found in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland… Also, as usual for a Valente novel, there are plenty of interesting ideas to chew on… Read the rest.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

… The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is Catherynne Valente’s first young adult novel and, as Valente fans will expect, it’s gorgeous in every way. The story is fun and the characters and plot will appeal to children, but this book goes far beyond most modern children’s fantasy literature. It’s most comparable to Alice in Wonderland; Like Lewis Carroll’s classic, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is intelligent, beautifully written, packed with imagination, and full of thoughtful and charming ideas (often pointed out by the delightfully intrusive narrator) that give depth and charisma and make this children’s story more than easily-forgotten entertainment… I listened to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making on audio. It was read by Ms. Valente herself… My only issue with the audio version is that I missed Ana Juan’s lovely art that introduces each chapter in the print version. Oh, audiobook publishers, why can’t we have the art, too? Read the rest.

The House of the Stag by Kage Baker

Kage Baker’s The House of the Stag is a stand-alone novel set in the same world as The Anvil of the World and The Bird of the River… What I like best about Baker’s stories is her creative world-building and her sense of humor… Despite some serious subject matter and plenty of darkness, violence and gore, The House of the Stag is delightfully humorous… Too little of Kage Baker’s work has been produced on audio, so when I saw that Audible Frontiers had recently released The House of the Stag, I snatched it up. It’s read by Sean Crisden, whose voices are perfect for Baker’s dry humor. He’s absolutely hilarious in the scene where the theater manager is explaining the stock characters of epics to Gard… It’s rare that I say this, but I was sad when The House of the Stag was finished. I wanted more and I felt again the loss of such a brilliant writer. Read the rest.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is not just for aspiring writers or Stephen King fans. I’m neither, but I was completely entertained by On Writing. The first half of the book is Stephen King’s autobiography of his first 50 years of life. He talks about his family, his childhood adventures with his brother, his relationship with his wife, some of the inspiration and research for his stories, how his alcohol and drug abuse affected his writing, and his accident with the van in 1999. This was interesting, informative, and very funny in parts. I listened to On Writing in audio format and it was read by Stephen King himself, which added poignancy to the narration… Read the rest.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr

It’s the dark ages again. A 20^th century nuclear war spawned a “Flame Deluge” which destroyed human civilization’s infrastructure and technology, killed most of the people, and created genetic mutations in many of the rest. Then there was a backlash against the educated people of the world who were seen as the creators of both the ideas that started the war, and the weapons that were used to fight it. They were persecuted and killed and all knowledge was burned up. After this “Simplification,” people took pride in being illiterate and the only institution that seemed to come through intact was the Roman Catholic Church. Read more »

I am Legend by Richard Matheson

I don’t like vampire novels much, so I wasn’t planning to read Richard Matheson’s classic vampire story I am Legend which was published in 1954, is also known by the title The Omega Man, and is, of course, the basis for the movie I am Legend. But then I recently read and was enthralled by two other books by Matheson: The Incredible Shrinking Man and Steel and Other Stories. I realized that The Incredible Shrinking Man wasn’t really so much about a man who was losing his height as it was about a man who was losing his manhood. Likewise, the novella “Steel,” the titular piece of Steel and Other Stories and the premise for the movie Real Steal, isn’t so much about a fighting robot as it is about a man who, similar to the shrinking man, is fighting to keep his position in life. The psychological aspects of these stories fascinated me and I began to wonder if perhaps I am Legend wasn’t really about vampires after all. As I suspected, it’s not… Read the rest.

The Folded World by Catherynne M. Valente

Prester John has been king in Pentexore for many years now, aided by his wife Hagia the blemmye. He loves the creatures he rules and has spent his time teaching them about Jesus Christ and trying to reconcile the creation story in Genesis with his new knowledge of the world…. The greatest impact of The Folded World comes from Valente’s powerful presentation of every creature’s struggle to understand the world, its beauty and terror, and his own place in it. I cannot think of another author who can fill one book with so many thoughtful ideas so beautifully spoken… I listened to Brilliance Audio’s version, which is dynamically read by Ralph Lister who is convincing in all of his human and monster roles. He does a great job and I’ll be reading the third volume of PRESTER JOHN in this format. The Folded World is highly recommended, but it’s not what you need when you want to read an action-packed adventure story. Save this for when you’re in a pensive and vulnerable mood. It’s incredibly gorgeous. Read the rest.

GIRL GENIUS: Agatha Awakens by Phil & Kaja Foglio

“Adventure! Romance! MAD SCIENCE!”… I only read one graphic novel and that’s GIRL GENIUS by Phil & Kaja Foglio. I love this comic and I must not be the only one —it’s won the Hugo Award three times (and lots of other awards, too). Therefore, I was thrilled to see that Tor is releasing hardback omnibus versions of GIRL GENIUS because this comic is a work of art that deserves to be beautifully bound and displayed on coffee tables everywhere… If you’re already a fan of GIRL GENIUS, you will be more than pleased with this omnibus. I rarely buy hardback books these days since I have two e-readers, but even though I’ve already read this story online, I love being able to hold it in my hands so I can examine the intricate gorgeous art. I’ve read this comic in several formats, but Tor’s hardback omnibus is the very best way to experience GIRL GENIUS… Read the rest.

The Best of Kage Baker by Kage Baker

The more I read Kage Baker, the more I love Kage Baker. Of the hundreds of speculative fiction authors I’ve read, I rank Kage Baker in the top ten. Maybe top five. She’s that amazing. I love her clever imagination and her style which is unembellished, straightforward, and full of wit and charm. Which is why I was jumping up and down when the nearly 500-page story collection called The Best of Kage Baker showed up on my doorstep… In my experience, story collections are almost always a mixed bag, but The Best of Kage Baker is not. Even those I’d read before were welcome re-reads. I enjoyed every single story in this collection. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s the honest truth that nearly every one of them made me think, smile, laugh, or cry. What can be better than that? And at the very end, I wanted to cry just because Kage Baker, who died a couple of years ago, will write no more of her wonderful stories. We have lost such a great talent. The Best of Kage Baker is one of the best story collections I’ve ever read. I will treasure this volume. Please don’t ask me if you can borrow it. Read the rest.

The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe

I picked up Alex Bledsoe’s The Sword-Edged Blonde because it had just been released on audiobook and I was looking for something short, different, and fun. The Sword-Edged Blonde was exactly what I needed. Eddie LaCrosse used to be a rich kid, but a tragic event drove him away from his past life and now he’s a loner. He works as a detective, and he’s really good at it. Read the rest.

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

….. I was entranced by Tigana right from the first page. What I noticed immediately was the passion — this is a story lovingly wrought by an author who loves language, loves his characters, and loves the world he’s created. Guy Gavriel Kay‘s prose is heavy with imagery and emotion yet it reads, for the most part, easily (except for the occasional unexpected shift in point-of-view). Read the rest.

Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber

……I was engrossed in the tales of both of these young men, so when the audiobook reader (the excellent Jonathan Davis) finally said “Chapter 4: Ill Met in Lankhmar,” I felt a thrill of delight! Of course I’m familiar with the name of this Nebula (1970) and Hugo (1971) award-winning novella, and I knew I’d be reading it in Swords and Deviltry, but for the first time the name had real significance for me and I couldn’t wait to witness the meeting of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.  And it was, as promised, a lot of fun… Read the rest.

Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell

… Though Gemmell shows us that good people can do evil things, he give us hope by showing us that we are capable also of great deeds — even if we’ve never done one before. It’s this sort of inspiration that separates David Gemmell’s fantasy from that of some of the writers in this genre who, striving to be different, give us darkness and leave us there… Read the rest.

Wild Thyme, Green Magic by Jack Vance

I’m a big fan of Jack Vance‘s wild imagination and his “high-end” (his description) writing style. So, I was happy to get a copy of Wild Thyme, Green Magic, an assortment of his fantasy and science fiction tales which have previously been published in several SFF magazines and have now been compiled and edited by Terry Dowling and Jonathan Strahan and published by Subterranean Press.  Read the rest.

Mythago Wood

After his post-WWI convalescence in France, Steven Huxley is returning to his family’s home on the edge of Ryhope Wood, a patch of ancient forest, in Britain. For as long as Steven remembers, his father, who recently died, had been so obsessed with the forest that it destroyed their family. Upon returning home, Steven finds that his brother Christian is quickly following in their father’s footsteps — both figuratively and literally… Read the rest.

Hood by Stephen Lawhead (on audio)

… Stephen Lawhead‘s writing and story-telling abilities have steadily improved over the years. I found his Pendragon series tough to stick with (although that was partly due to having read too much Arthurian legend, perhaps), but the Albion series was quite good. This latest book, however, shows that Mr. Lawhead has been steadily honing his story-telling skills to perfection. The writing was perfectly clear and lively, the descriptions aptly set the scenes, the plot was quick and entertaining, and the dialogue was rich and realistic. Read the rest.

The Great Hunt

Here’s another really fun installment of The Wheel of Time. Like The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt kept me thoroughly entertained… It’s fast-paced and full of plot. I think this is the best book in the series. Read the rest.

The Blade Itself

I started reading Joe Abercrombie’s debut novel immediately after finishing a very popular old 1970s classic post-Tolkien fantasy that had left me — quite frankly — bored. I had the flu, my body ached, and I was feeling sorry for myself. But by the end of the first chapter of The Blade Itself, I was feeling much better. First, Mr. Abercrombie’s writing was vivid, tense, action-packed, and droll — just the way I like it. Second, I found myself thankful that I was merely bed-ridden with the flu, rather than in the situation that Logen Ninefingers was in… Read the rest.

Burn Me Deadly on audio by Alex Bledsoe

Ah, the combination of Alex Bledsoe (the author), Eddie LaCrosse (the hero) and Stefan Rudnicki (the reader) — it doesn’t get much better than that! Burn Me Deadly is the sequel to The Sword-Edged Blonde, which I adored, and since Mr. Bledsoe has been picked up by Tor, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who felt that way. I’m happy to report that I enjoyed Burn Me Deadly even more than The Sword-Edged Blonde. Mr. Bledsoe’s got a good thing going here… If you listen to audiobooks, you absolutely must choose that format for The Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries. If you don’t listen to audiobooks, it’s time to start with The Sword-Edged Blonde… Read the rest.

Warbreaker (on audio) by Brandon Sanderson

… There are two things that I really like about Brandon Sanderson’s writing in general, and Warbreaker is no exception:1. His magic systems. I’ve read all of his work now, and in each case he’s developed a wonderfully thoughtful, unique, and internally valid magic system. 2. He’s funny. So many authors try to be funny, but I find few of them to be actually funny. Brandon Sanderson is funny. This brings me to the audiobook. (Listen to sample). At first I was put out by James Yaegashi’s slow pace which at times sounded like he was reading to first graders (I know how big this book is, so I thought “this is going to take forever!”), but it turns out that his reading really highlighted Sanderson’s humorous dialogue… Read the rest.

The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson

Every day Scott Carey is getting shorter by 1/7 of an inch. The doctors have figured out why — he was exposed to a combination of insecticide and radioactivity — but so far they have not been able to make him stop shrinking. Now Scott is only one inch tall and he is trapped in the cellar of his family’s rented home with a stale piece of bread, an out-of-reach box of crackers, a sponge, a garden hose, a water heater, and a black widow spider. And in seven more days, he’ll be gone… this story is less about the horror of being physically small than it is about the horror of being physically different and, specifically, about losing manhood… The Incredible Shrinking Man is so much more than an exciting and well-written horror story — it’s a beautiful psychological study of masculinity and loneliness. I listened to Blackstone Audio’s version. It’s eight hours long and excellently read by Yuri Rasovsky. I highly recommend this version. Read the rest.

Delusion’s Master by Tanith Lee

In Delusion’s Master, the third of Tanith Lee’s FLAT EARTH novels, we’re introduced to another Prince of Darkness: Chuz, the Prince of Madness, who is handsome when seen from one side and hideous when seen from the other. Chuz watches humans and uses the opportunities they give him to practice his craft… All of the FLAT EARTH tales have been dark, but Delusion’s Master actually gets uncomfortable because it includes baby killing, rape, and the torture of a mentally disabled girl. The imagery is vivid and I admit that I squirmed. Still, Tanith Lee continues to enchant us with the exotic setting and peerlessly gorgeous writing… I’m still enjoying this series on audio. Susan Duerden’s narration gets even better with each book. Each also has an interesting introduction by Tanith Lee. In this one she talks about how her mother influenced her writing… Read the rest.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

… Anansi Boys is especially charming in audio format, thanks to Lenny Henry, an English stand-up comedian whose deep rich voice and character comedy is absolutely perfect for this novel which is based on the African/Caribbean mythology of the trickster spider god Anansi (introduced in American Gods). Henry’s voices are brilliant (especially the old Caribbean women) and he had me literally smiling nearly all the way through the story. Actually, if it weren’t for Lenny Henry, I’d have to say that I probably would only give this novel 4 stars instead of 4.5. That’s because this is not Gaiman’s tightest work… Read the rest.

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

This is an excellent book for all of the reason that Bill states: beautiful, concise writing style, good characterization, fast pace, interesting plot. (But I must agree with Rebecca about the ridiculousness of love-at-first-sight — that’s almost never plausible to me, and it makes the characters seem a bit shallow.) But, Lian Hearn’s oriental-flavored writing style is unique and compelling, so I really enjoyed Across the Nightingale Floor… If you’re planning to read this series, read it in print, not by audio. Read the rest.

Voices by Ursula Le Guin

… I enjoyed Voices much more than Gifts… The pace of Voices is slow and the entire story takes place in approximately a one-mile radius so there’s not much action but, as usual for an Ursula Le Guin novel, the power is in the writing — it’s moving and filled with insight into the human mind and our ideas of art, literature, culture, and patriotism. She doesn’t just tell a story, but she gives us a full emotional experience and a lot to think about… I listened to Voices on audiobook. The reader was flawless and added much energy and emotion to the telling. I recommend this format for Voices… Read the rest.

Powers by Ursula Le Guin

Powers is the third and, in my opinion, the best of the Annals of the Western Shore novels… this is what Ursula Le Guin does so well. She makes us believe in these cultures, perhaps even admire them, and then, without explicitly telling us so, she show us that there are always negative sides to an apparently perfect society. And, without telling us to do it, she makes us think about such constructs as freedom, slavery, justice, leadership, work, trust, loyalty, education, and family. We find ourselves asking some tough questions… Read the rest.

Rhialto the Marvellous by Jack Vance

If you’re a fan of Jack Vance, of course you’ve read, or plan to read, Rhialto the Marvellous, last of the Dying Earth books. If you’ve not read any of Mr. Vance’s work, you can start here — it isn’t necessary to have read the previous installments… Rhialto is more passive than Cugel the Clever and not as dastardly, so he doesn’t drive the plot or leave a swath of destruction in his wake like Cugel does. Plus, he has to share the stage with several other strong personalities, making him not as vibrant as we’ve come to expect from Vance’s main characters. Nonetheless, this novel is still chock full of the ludicrous circumstances and strange humor that Jack Vance fans love… Read the rest.

Death’s Master by Tanith Lee

On Tanith Lee’s Flat Earth, humans live in the space between apathetic gods and vain and meddlesome demons. In the first FLAT EARTH book, Night’s Master, we met Azhrarn, prince of demons and ruler of the night who found and loved a human orphan. I loved that book for its exotic setting and gorgeous fairytale quality, but Death’s Master, the second FLAT EARTH book, is even more enchanting. While the first book was a series of connected tales, Death’s Master is a traditional novel. This time we meet a second Lord of Darkness, Uhlume, Lord Death, when he makes a deal with Narasen, a human warrior queen… Tanith Lee’s imagination and writing style are a fantasy lover’s dream. If you haven’t read Tanith Lee, you’re missing one of our age’s best fantasists… If you’re an audio reader, don’t miss this in audio. Death’s Master, originally published in 1979, won the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1980. Read the rest.

The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay

The Last Light of the Sun is another of Guy Gavriel Kay’s brilliant historical fantasies. This one blends Norse, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon histories with a bit of faerie mythos… I thought the cast of The Last Light of the Sun was not as accessible or compelling as that of Tigana and A Song for Arbonne (though I really loved a couple of the side characters, especially Judit and her brother Athelbert) but, as always, each is a work of art. All of GGK’s characters (even the minor ones) are passionate people full of hopes, fears, dreams, and plenty of spirit. This complete characterization — the reader’s ability to be fully in the head of the point-of-view character — is one of the things that sets this author above others… Read the rest.

The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford

The Shadow Year is a charming coming-of-age tale about the 6th grade year of an average American boy (we never learn his name) growing up in the 1960s. This year isn’t average, though, because there are some strange things going on in his small town… The novel reminds me very much of A Christmas Story… most of the plot revolves around the day to day events in a 6th grade boy’s life: waiting for the ice cream man, trying to complete school assignments with a minimal amount of effort, getting picked on by older kids, skipping church, sneaking out of the house, and trying to keep up with his brave and reckless older brother. These little slices of life are funny, poignant, and so beautifully and vividly described that they often brought a smile to my face and occasionally brought tears to my eyes… Read the rest.

The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

… The Stainless Steel Rat is, simply, tons of fun. It’s quick-paced, action-packed, and funny. The villains are purposely overdone in that cheesy James Bond / Batman kind of way, but Harry Harrison doesn’t skimp on Jim diGriz’s character. The Stainless Steel Rat is one of those outlaws that you just can’t help but root for, especially when he’s always amused with himself and his circumstances. For a science fiction novel written in 1961, The Stainless Steel Rat ages well, too. I listened to Brilliance Audio’s version read by Phil Gigante who gives a lively performance. I’m sure that a lot of my chuckling was caused by Mr. Gigante’s interpretation of diGriz’s personality… Read the rest.

The Book of Dreams by Jack Vance

… I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Demon Princes novels, but I was hoping for something extra in this final episode — perhaps the most outrageous enemy, a near-death experience, the cleverest plot, the perfect girl — something special to wrap up the series. Vance could have done more with Howard Alan Treesong who had multiple personalities and was planning to take over the universe. He could have been a scarier villain. The end of The Book of Dreams was abrupt. All through the series, I’ve been wondering what Kirth would do when his life’s work was over. Would he feel relieved? Depressed? Purposeless? This was answered in two lines at the end of The Book of Dreams. I was hoping for more, but Vance chose not to enlighten us. So, I didn’t get the “go-out-with-a-bang” ending or the epilogue I was hoping for, but I’m still satisfied. Kirth Gersen is one of Jack Vance’s best heroes. I’m going to miss him. Read the rest.

The Alchemist and The Executioness by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias Buckell

The Alchemist and The Executioness caught my eye as soon as it went up at Audible.com. Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias Buckell offering linked fantasy novellas that take place in a shared world?… What could be more promising?… It was intriguing to explore the idea that small and secret lawbreaking, even for a good cause, can accumulate to destroy a nation or, as one of Bacigalupi’s characters says: “If we grant individual mercies, we commit collective suicide.” That got me thinking of all sorts of current political, economic, and social parallels. With The Executioness, Tobias Buckell becomes the hero of middle-aged mothers everywhere… I can highly recommend The Alchemist and The Executioness to fantasy lovers of all ages. I wish it had been longer. Read the rest.

The Star King by Jack Vance

… Jack Vance‘s DEMON PRINCES saga consists of five short science fiction novels which each tell the tale of how Kirth Gersen tracks down and deals with one of the evil men who killed his family… Kirth Gersen is the type of hero who was popular back in the 1960s when this series was written: a single unattached worldly man who’s clever and brave, but only slightly more clever and brave than his enemies — a James-Bond-type hero. His enemies are James-Bondish, too… In fact, these are the kind of books that would make great movies because they’re short, the plot is tight, fast, and action-packed and there’s plenty of violence, but it’s not gory. There’s even a bit of romance and mystery… Read the rest.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

I read The Farseer Saga years ago and have since considered it one of my favorite fantasy epics. It’s one (along with The Lord of the Rings and Memory, Sorrow and Thorn) that I often suggest to new fantasy readers. But after more than a decade of reading deeper and further into fantasy literature, I’ve often wondered how well this saga would now appeal to my more mature (I hope) palate. When Tantor Audio recently released The Farseer Saga on audio, I was overjoyed and considered this to be my sign that it’s time to re-visit the six duchies… Read the rest.

This Immortal by Roger Zelazny

… Earth is a strange and dangerous place, fit only as a tourist attraction and a vacation spot for the Vegans… This Immortal is a gorgeous novel and Conrad Nomikos makes a great hero… Conrad’s love of Earth and, particularly, for his Greek heritage is full of beauty and passion… I listened to This Immortal on audio (Brilliance Audio) and fell in love with narrator Victor Bevine whose deeply resonant voice captured perfectly the strength and depth of Conrad, the tenderness of Conrad’s wife Cassandra, the alienness of the Vegan, the gentle deadliness of Hasan the Assassin, and even the zealous geekiness of George, the scientist whose curiosity and ambition makes him willing to experiment on his own friends, pets, and unborn child. The end of This Immortal wraps up a bit too quickly — I wanted to stay longer with Conrad on our devastated planet. I hope everything turns out okay… Read the rest.

The Stainless Steel Rat’s Revenge by Harry Harrison

Several nights ago I was in a bad mood. I had asked my husband to pick up M&M’s while he was at the grocery store because my daughter needed them for a school party the next morning. Due to a bad cell phone connection, he came home with the wrong thing and I didn’t discover this until 11 pm, after the closest grocery store was closed. Grumbling and feeling sorry for myself, I got into my car and set out searching for M&Ms. Fortunately, I had grabbed an audiobook on my way out the door: The Stainless Steel Rat’s Revenge by Harry Harrison (produced by Brilliance Audio). Within 2 minutes of hitting play, I was smiling and laughing out loud — a complete mood reversal. It’s not just the despicably charming characters of Slippery Jim DiGriz and used-to-be-evil Angelina, but also Phil Gigante’s hilarious delivery… The Stainless Steel Rat series, so far, is superb in every way — the plot is exciting and clever, the writing is tight and colorful, and Jim’s voice (it’s written in first-person) is endlessly entertaining. Phil Gigante’s humorous narration makes it doubly funny. This is definitely a series to read on audio! Read the rest.

Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi

In Pump Six and Other Stories, which won the Locus Award for Best Collection, Paolo Bacigalupi treats us to ten excellently written biopunk stories. I listened to Brilliance Audio’s version, read by James Chen, Jonathan Davis, and Eileen Stevens. Every single one of these stories is disturbing, but they’re also unforgettable. Bleak, pessimistic dystopian literature isn’t usually my thing, but Paolo Bacigalupi’s stories make great reading due to their superior construction, moody immersive atmospheres, tantalizingly provocative ideas, and sometimes-subtle warnings. Everything Paolo Bacigalupi writes goes on my TBR list. Read the rest.

The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia McKillip

Patricia McKillip is a must-read author for any true lover of fantasy literature. With a voice all her own, she imbues her work — both the story and the style — with beauty, magic, and wonder. Her latest novel, The Bards of Bone Plain, is just as enchanting as I was expecting it to be. I listened to Audible Frontiers’ version read by Marc Vietor and Charlotte Parry… The Bards of Bone Plain combines the arts and sciences (and mysteries) of archeology, music, language, and history, to create a multi-layered story that’s sure to satisfy both sides of your brain… If you’re familiar with Patricia McKillip, then you know she writes in a somewhat dreamy and fanciful style that, though lyrical and lovely, is occasionally misty and vague… This sense of wonder is part of what makes her stories work so well as fantasy. The Bards of Bone Plain is another McKillip novel that leaves the reader in awe. It’s a gorgeous story that celebrates the power of music, language, and love. Read the rest.

To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer

After he died, the famous 19th century explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton wasn’t surprised to find that what the Christian priests had taught about the Resurrection wasn’t true. But he was totally bewildered by what actually happened… Is this Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, or is it some huge social experiment being run by aliens?… The best aspect of To Your Scattered Bodies Go is its original premise — the idea of all of humanity spread out, generally in chronological order, along a giant river which can be traveled, like a human timeline. There is some “scattering” of bodies (hence the title) so that a 21st century American could end up in a tribe of Neanderthals. If someone dies in the Riverworld, they are resurrected at random somewhere along the river. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, written in 1971, is creative, exciting, fast-paced, and totally absorbing… Read the rest.

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

…Shadowfever is the fifth and final novel in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Readers will be pleased that it’s longer than the previous books, yet still chock full of plot… Much of Shadowfever is emotionally draining as Mac deals with grief and starts to become harder and tougher… There’s also much joy in this final novel, and Moning brings everything together into a complex and satisfying conclusion… like the previous installments, Shadowfever was a quick read that kept me on the edge of my seat. I don’t read much romantic urban fantasy because I usually think that the sex and romance overshadow the plot, but Moning’s Fever series is the best romantic urban fantasy series I’ve read. It’s got a complex twisty plot, a wonderful setting (I can’t wait to visit Dublin someday!), great characters, mystery, a pleasant writing style, and plenty of tension-relieving humor… This is a great series to read on audio… If you’re a fan of urban fantasy and you haven’t read Fever yet, you’re missing out! Read the rest.

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey

… The Kushiel series is set in an alternate Europe which is easily recognized… Phèdre has been rejected by the Night Court because of the scarlet mote in her eye. But scholar Anafiel Delaunay recognizes the blemish (it’s Kushiel’s Dart) and what it symbolizes: Phèdre is the first anguissette born in decades — she finds sexual pleasure in pain, and the unique services she can provide will be highly valuable to certain unconventional patrons. Anafiel purchases, fosters, and trains Phèdre for his own unknown political machinations and hires Joscelin Verreuil, a warrior vowed to celibacy, to protect her. And so Phèdre serves Naamah and Anafiel by loving as she wilt (and wilting as she loves) and she and Joscelin are soon caught up in dangerous court intrigues. It sounds kind of sleazy, with all the BDSM and the bastardized version of Christianity, but in Jacqueline Carey’s hands it isn’t sleazy — it’s decadent. Mostly what sets it apart is the writing style which is beautifully lush, and even more gorgeous when read by Anne Flosnik’s rich smooth voice in the audio version… Read the rest.

At The Edge of the Universe, we review mainstream authors that incorporate elements of speculative fiction into their “literary” work. However you want to label them, we hope you’ll enjoy discussing these books with us.

It’s 1943 and World War II is going strong. There are rumors that the Nazis and the Japanese may be about to unleash a deadly secret weapon against America and people are afraid. But America may be able to create some secret weapons of its own, and who better to imagine and design them than the smartest science fiction writers of the age? So, under the direction of John W. Campbell (editor of the SFF magazines Astounding and Unknown), the Navy recruits Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, L. Sprague de Camp, and L. Ron Hubbard to turn their imaginations into scientific discoveries.

At first, the goals are simple: make the Navy’s ships invisible to radar, control the weather, defy gravity… But when the SF boys find out that recently-deceased (and possibly murdered) Nikola Tesla had a secret journal describing the construction and use of his own anti-aircraft deathray, pulp-style adventure ensues. Not only do they need to find out how Tesla’s weapon works (surely he used alternating current), they must also evade the War Department, which has suddenly taken an interest in their activities. It seems the Feds have read Cleve Cartmill’s story “Deadline” (published in Astounding) which describes how to make a nuclear bomb. But perhaps most frightening of all is that the SF geeks have to contend with a group of Navy sailor bullies. They can’t compete with them physically, but they can use their brains to get revenge!

The plot of The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown takes a while to get going and is interrupted frequently for the insertion of real facts and history because more than anything, Paul Malmont’s novel is a tribute to 1940s science fiction and the men who wrote and compiled it for the “mags.” Thus, readers will learn all about Robert A. Heinlein’s naval career, tuberculosis, hair loss, and how the biochemist who will become his third (and last) wife influences his politics. Readers will also learn about Isaac Asimov’s fear of flying and some history that explains the development of L. Ron Hubbard’s Scientology cult. Other pulp personalities such as Norvell Page, Lester Dent, Hugo Gernsback, William Gibson, and Frederik Pohl appear in unlikely but amusing places. I think Paul Malmont’s greatest accomplishment, though, is that he shows us how the imagination anticipates and creates scientific discovery and the advancement of our society.

The audiobook version of The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown, which was excellently narrated by Christopher Lane and produced by Brilliance Audio, arrived on my doorstep at just the right time. I happened to be reading some pulps recently (always trying to catch up on all the SF history I missed by being born too late), including L. Sprague de Camp’s Harold Shea stories, which are lovingly mentioned by Malmont. Any science fiction fan has to appreciate Malmont’s obvious affection for the genre.

Not only was this a fun, and sometimes very funny story, but I learned a lot, too. I recommend that anyone who’s not familiar with the Golden Age of Science Fiction, and the way that John Campbell and his favorite SF writers changed the history of SF, do a bit of research before reading The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown. I think you’ll get much more out of it. But, even if you don’t, it’s astoundingly entertaining, as any pulp story should be.

The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume Two: Adjustment Team (1952-1953) by Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick wrote 121 short stories over his career, mostly for science fiction magazines. Subterranean Press has been collecting them in chronological order over several volumes. This second volume, Adjustment Team, covers the years 1952-1953 and includes 27 stories with notes that make up approximately 488 pages. Many of these stories use themes that were common in 1950s SF shorts — space exploration, the cold war, racism, xenophobia, and the fear of atomic war and radiation… You’ll also notice other favorite themes of Philip K. Dick: what’s behind reality, playing God through world-building, a vision of a post-robopocalyptic ash-covered Earth, and what it means to be human… Adjustment Team is an absolute must-have volume for any serious PKD fan, but it’s also a great place to start for anyone who wants to become better acquainted with the work of this prolific and highly esteemed science fiction writer. Read the rest.

Gatherer of Clouds by Sean Russell

Gatherer of Clouds is the sequel to Sean Russell’s The Initiate Brother, a story which is not so much about the Initiate Brother Shuyun, spiritual advisor to Lord Shonto, as it is about the entire Shonto household — a household that is seen as a threat by an insecure emperor… While reading Gatherer of Clouds, I was completely immersed in the characters’ lives and the beauty and elegance of their lifestyles… In addition to making us think about some tough ideas, Russell also shows us how legends are made. Every one of his characters has the potential to become either a hero or a villain, and Russell shows us that it’s our daily choices that add up to determine our destiny and how we’ll be perceived by history. If you enjoy character-centered epic fantasy with lots of political intrigue, Sean Russell’s The Initiate Brother is a great choice. I listened to Blackstone Audio’s version and can recommend this format. This was my first experience with Sean Russell’s writing, but I’ll definitely be exploring more of his work in the future. Read the rest.

Armor by John Steakley

Felix is a loner, a broken man with a mysterious past. When he’s dropped with thousands of fellow soldiers on a toxic planet nicknamed “Banshee,” he’s the only survivor of the battle with the 8-foot tall “Ants” that live there… Because he doesn’t really care if he dies, he is able to make quick detached decisions, and it’s this armor, ironically, that keeps him alive…After nearly quitting Armor because of its lack of emotion, I was surprised to eventually find myself stressed out and sobbing. You won’t believe it at the beginning, but Armor becomes intensely emotional, especially for what’s considered a “military SF” novel. This is not merely “military SF” — it’s a novel about suffering, compassion, love, and the human survival instinct. It just takes a while to get there, which makes it even more gratifying when it finally shows itself. I listened to Blackstone Audio’s version of Armor, narrated by Tom Weiner. His deep voice was perfect for a story with a bunch of rough men in it, but he did a great job with the female characters, too. I unhesitatingly recommend the audio version… Read the rest.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

…Revenge of the Witch, the first episode of a children’s fantasy series called The Last Apprentice in the US and The Wardstone Chronicles in the UK, is fast-paced, exciting, and absolutely terrifying. I liked it immediately when I started listening to it on audio (Harper Audio), especially with Christopher Evan Welch’s wonderful narration, so I picked up a copy for my 12-year-old son at the library. But that was before I got to the really scary part. Now I’m not so sure that my son can handle Revenge of the Witch — it’s that frightening. This is a book for kids who like to be afraid… Children who can handle the fright (and teens and adults, too) will definitely want to continue with Curse of the Bane. Read the rest.

Neuromancer by William Gibson

… Neuromancer is fast-moving, flashy, decadent, and sexy. For a novel written in 1984, it feels surprisingly stylish, its cultural issues are still modern, and it has accurately anticipated some of our 21st century technological developments. The most obvious thing that Neuromancer anticipated — and this is what makes it classic science fiction and the seminal cyberpunk novel — is the internet. In his afterward to Neuromancer, Jack Womack suggests that Neuromancer didn’t just foresee the internet, but that the novel may have actually created the internet… I’ve been waiting years for Neuromancer to be released on audio, so I was thrilled to see that Penguin Audio finally produced it this summer… No SF fan should miss the first novel to win the Triple Crown: the Nebula, the Hugo, and the Philip K. Dick awards. And for audiobook readers, now is the perfect time to enjoy Neuromancer. Read the rest

Count Zero by William Gibson

…Several years have passed since Molly and Case freed the AI who calls himself Neuromancer. Neuromancer’s been busy and now his plots have widened to involve several people whom we meet in Count Zero… William Gibson just drops you into his world without instructions, explanations, or technical support. Even though you think you’ve been to his world before (it’s Earth after all), you haven’t, and Gibson never tells us what happened to make it unrecognizable… It’s partly these questions, which are never answered, that make Neuromancer’s sequel work so well. Many sequels feel pallid because the world and the characters are no longer new and exciting, but Gibson avoids sequel stagnancy by creating a gaudy and grueling world that we feel like we should understand, and making us desperate for more information… Read the rest.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

… I listened to the audio version of Princess Academy with my 12-year-old son and my 9-year-old daughter. We all agreed that Princess Academy deserves its Newbery Honor, for it is absolutely charming. I’m enough of a feminist that I was suspicious of a book about becoming a princess, but I had misjudged this book by its title. Princess Academy is not the book I was expecting. Instead, it is a refreshing story about children living in a rural culture where there is much beauty, love, and wholesomeness… though the girls are in a “Princess Academy,” the idea of becoming a pampered princess (or even just a bride)  is not portrayed as the goal for these girls. Instead, the value of education, useful skills, analytical thinking, and a love of home and community is emphasized. Read the rest.

The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg Volume Six: Multiples 1983-1987 by Robert Silverberg

Since 2006 Subterranean Press has been publishing all of the SFF stories that Robert Silverberg wants in his “definitive” collection in chronological order. I’m a fan of Silverberg’s stories, so I think this series is wonderful — it’s a sure way to get one copy of each of his most important stories in eight tidy volumes. Volume six, titled Multiples, contains fourteen stories and novellas published in the mid-1980s… Usually a story collection is a chancy thing unless it was compiled as a “best of” compendium. It’s remarkable, then, that I enjoyed every story in this collection. When I tried to narrow the list down to my favorites, it was hard to do… I highly recommend The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg Volume Six: Multiples 1983-1987 to all Silverberg fans and to any reader who’d like an excellent introduction to the work of this prolific Science Fiction Grand Master. Read the rest.

Moonheart by Charles de Lint

… Moonheart was a truly satisfying read for me. I fell in love with Tamson House — just the idea of a big sprawling mansion that exists in two worlds is enough to fascinate me. Tamson House was my favorite “character” in Moonheart but, as rarely happens, I liked almost all of the characters in this novel. They feel real and alive, with distinct backgrounds, personalities, and motivations. I enjoyed watching them react to their strange situations and interact with each other… In many ways, Moonheart reminded me of Robert Holdstock’s Mythago Wood and Lavondyss, two of my favorite fantasy novels. In each of these stories, an old house exists in both the modern world and on the edge of an old dark forest full of myth and legend. I suppose I just can’t resist this type of story and de Lint does it so well… Read the rest.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

… Old Man’s War is one of the most enjoyable novels I’ve read this year. The premise — old people being rejuvenated — makes for an excellent twist on the usual alien-fighting theme. The elderly, as opposed to the usual young heroes we find in so many speculative fiction novels, have had a lifetime to accumulate knowledge, skills, wisdom, and experience. I found John Perry and his cohort to be mature heroes whom I could admire and enthusiastically cheer for. I cried for them, too, as they lost each other or ruminated on past loves… Old Man’s War is not a comedy, but it’s often funny — very funny. I laughed hard and out loud many times. William Dufris, the narrator of the audiobook version I listened to, contributed to the humor by reading the funny parts in a perfect deadpan voice. Dufris was outstanding and I highly recommend Macmillan Audio’s version… Read the rest.

Reamde by Neal Stephenson

… Reamde is a fast-paced action-packed globe-spanning twisty geo-political thriller. It’s not really a speculative fiction novel at all, but because some of it takes place in an MMORPG and it enjoys poking fun at fantasy literature clichés, it’s especially appealing to SFF readers… Reamde is informative, amusing, and tense all the way through — quite an accomplishment for a book that took me 32 hours to listen to on audio. The audiobook was produced by Brilliance Audio and read by the impressive Malcolm Hillgartner who handled this huge cast, with its diverse array of accents, beautifully — I highly recommend this version. I loved Reamde. It’s may not be exactly what Neal Stephenson’s devoted fans have come to expect from this author, and I expect that some readers will think it’s too light, but if I’m going to judge a book by how much fun it was to read, there’s just no denying that Reamde is 32 hours (1052 pages) of pure fun! Read the rest.

The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke

The latest scheme dreamed up by Dr. Vannevar Morgan, a materials engineer, is either pure genius or pure crackpot: He wants to build an elevator to space. He’s discovered a new material that he thinks is strong enough to withstand the gravitational and climatic forces that would act on such a structure and he’s found the only place on Earth where it’s possible to achieve his dream: the top of the mountain Sri Kanda on the equatorial island of Taprobane (pronounced “top-ROB-oh-knee”). Unfortunately, this mountain is the sacred home of a sect of Buddhist monks who are not willing to budge unless one of their prophecies is fulfilled. Read more »

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

… Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card was published in 1985 and was based on a short story that Card wrote in 1977. The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. The focus is on Ender’s psychological drama as he is raised by indifferent parents (they know he’ll be taken away at an early age), tortured by a cruel brother, separated from his beloved sister, and cast without a friend into a highly competitive and often hostile environment where he’s expected to rise to the top. During all of this, Ender wonders if he will be responsible for saving Earth, or destroying it. There’s a lot resting on Ender’s little shoulders and the tension never lets up. At times Ender becomes whiny and emotionally overwrought, but who can blame him?… Read the rest.

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

… Royal Assassin is an excellent second book in Robin Hobb’s FARSEER SAGA. It’s full of action, great characters, intense emotion, political intrigue, and ugly treachery… Hobb hasn’t treated Fitz well up to this point so, even though these events are related in the first person by a future Fitz, the reader feels no assurance that Fitz is going to be okay. And, indeed, he isn’t — the ending is surprising and devastating. I’ve read these books before, but I can’t wait to torture myself again with the third volume of the FARSEER SAGA: Assassin’s Quest. This time I’ve been reading Tantor Audio’s versions which are narrated by Paul Boehmer who does a great job portraying some of my favorite characters in all of fantasy literature. Read the rest.

Night’s Master by Tanith Lee

… Night’s Master is dark, yet richly luxuriant and full of passion. The writing is gorgeous. There’s not much more that a lover of excellent fantasy could ask for, though some readers may wish for a more obvious hero to love. You won’t find one here. Instead, you’ll feel the decline of civilization and the degeneration into hopelessness as a capricious demon wields magic against powerless men. But because the demons admire beauty, there’s also a gothic splendor that permeates the novel. In many ways the setting and characters of FLAT EARTH are reminiscent of Jack Vance’s DYING EARTH stories, which isn’t surprising considering that Vance was one of Tanith Lee’s major influences. Night’s Master has just been produced in audio by Audible Frontiers… Read the rest.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, published in 1884, is Edwin A. Abbott’s social satire and Christian apologetic. As a Cambridge mathematician, theologian, and schoolmaster, Abbott had a lot to say about his Victorian society and about being open-minded to the supernatural. He does this from the point of view of a humble square that lives in Flatland, a world of only two dimensions.

For the first half of the book (“This World”), the square explains the demography of Flatland, all the while offering hilarious social satire. He begins at the lowest social stratum (women, who are straight lines) and ends with the king, who has so many sides that he’s indistinguishable from a circle. Low-class men, such as soldiers, are isosceles triangles with sharp acute angles. Since the brain is the size of the smallest angle, these men are stupid, but their sharp angles provide offensive weapons. Anyone who has an angle under 60° is a serf. Women, of course, have no angles, which means they are brainless and irrational (and Abbot provides plenty of tongue-in-cheek evidence for this fact). But women have a mouth on one end, and it can effectively be used as a dagger. When viewed from the back, a woman is hard to notice since she is seen only as a point, thus she must sway her bottom back and forth to alert others of her dangerous presence. Read more »

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (on audio)

The Well of Ascension … takes a while to get going and generally has less excitement to offer than its predecessor. After all, we’re now mostly familiar with the world of The Final Empire and we understand the rules of the unique magic systems that rely on the burning of metals for powers and the storing of attributes such as strength, age, and eye-sight into metals. Read the rest.

Act of Will by A.J. Hartley

… It’s Will Hawthorne’s 18th birthday and he is finally a man. Today he hopes to be promoted to playing male parts and penning plays for his acting company. But, O how full of briars is this working-day world! Will instead finds himself on the run from The Empire, dashing across rooftops in a dress and blond curly wig with an arrow stuck in his thigh. As good luck would have it, he’s rescued by a strange troop of a different type, and off he goes to have adventures, to (reluctantly) fight evil, and to learn that all the world is not a stage… Read the rest.

The Song of Albion — A Pleasant Surprise!

… The writing is excellent. The story is interesting, meaningful, and epic in scope while still progressing rapidly enough to finish in three books. The story contains all of the elements I look for in a fantasy: vivid description, many interesting and well-developed characters, problems to solve, quests, romance, war, tension, and intrigue. Read the rest.

Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead (on audio)

… Even though the pace is slower than in Hood and we’re not much concerned that Will might actually hang, Lawhead still spins us a fine yarn — the story is thoroughly entertaining. And, as usual, we are not just entertained, but enlightened as we get a real feel for the period — the tyranny of the Freinc, the corruption of the Church, the suffering and stubbornness of the Britons. This is what Stephen Lawhead does so well. Read the rest.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

… The Eye of the World was just as fun as I remembered it. I still like long adventures where ordinary folks find out that they’ve got special talents and destinies and that they have to stop the bad guys from taking over the world. And I still enjoy a bildungsroman [bildungsroman: a kind of novel that follows the development of the hero or heroine from childhood or adolescence into adulthood, through a troubled quest for identity]. If you’re the type who rolls your eyes at these types of stories, then skip this series. Read the rest.

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (on audio)

In The Dragon Reborn, Rand finally starts to discover his new talents. Unfortunately, we don’t get to watch that happen. We only see a few glimpses of him learning to use his power. It makes me wonder if it was just easier for Jordan to show us the newly developed Rand rather than to explain how he got that way. Read the rest.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

… Lynch has created a unique and fascinating world full of wonderful creations such as a crime boss who rules his empire from a houseboat, his little daughter who sits on his lap drinking ale and kicking subordinates with her steel-toed boots, a blind priest who begs for alms and eats gourmet meals off fine plates in his luxurious cellar, noblemen who live in glowing glass towers, a blood-sucking rose garden, alcoholic oranges, and women who fight jumping man-eating sharks for sport. This is truly entertaining stuff! Read the rest.

Before They are Hanged

Before They are Hanged begins just where The Blade Itself left off and continues the stories of Logen, West, Jezal, Ferro, Bayaz, Glokta, and company. Expect more of the same in this novel: brutal fighting, sickening torture, nasty politics, ruthless characters, and barbarian grammar. Read the rest.

Swords Against Death (audio)

… Fafhrd and the Mouser are persuaded to return to Lankhmar where, it turns out, they have not been forgotten, and soon the duo is back to their old tricks and dealing with their former enemies… Some of the stories are better than others (my favorite was “Bazaar of the Bizarre”) but all are “classical rogue” (Neil Gaiman’s term) and all are worth reading simply because they’re written in Fritz Leiber’s gorgeous prose, which is thick with alliteration, insight, and irony… I listened to Swords Against Death on audio… I highly recommend this format; it adds an extra dimension to these fun stories. Read the rest.

Witch World (on audio) by Andre Norton

… Andre Norton (her real name was Alice, but she chose to write SFF under a male pseudonym back in the 60s) is often called the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy and was the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society. I’ve been meaning to read Witch World for years and since Brilliance Audio has just released the first Witch World novel on CD, this was the perfect opportunity… Though decades old, the plot was quick, fun, and refreshing and I liked the blend of science fiction and fantasy… Read the rest.

Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon

Brilliance Audio has recently been putting together some fine productions of many classic fantasy novels that deserve to be heard and I, as a reader, couldn’t be happier. I don’t have much free time these days, and most of my reading is now done by audio, so I was thrilled to find that I could finally listen to The Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon. The first novel, Sheepfarmer’s Daughter, has just been released, and the rest are following quickly… Read the rest.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

I made a mistake a couple of weeks ago when I gave Graphic Audio the credit for the Recorded Books audiobook I was reviewing: Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker. I incorrectly assumed that the rights for production were given to only one audio publisher and I had downloaded the book from Audible, so when I did the research to find out which audio company to credit, I first saw Graphic Audio and looked no further. Within a couple of hours of putting up the review however, Graphic Audio contacted me to let me know of my mistake and to offer a copy of their version, and several other titles, for review… Read the rest.

A Song for Arbonne (audio) by Guy Gavriel Kay

Blaise, a sellsword from Gorhaut (a violent and chauvinistic northern country), has moved to the warmer country of Arbonne. Blaise doesn’t have much appreciation or tolerance for Arbonne’s womanly culture which is highly influenced by the Court of Love. He also doesn’t have much hope that Arbonne — which values singers over soldiers, and troubadours over troops — will put up much of a fight if Gorhaut decides to try to eradicate Arbonne’s goddess worship… A Song for Arbonne is a beautiful, sumptuous, emotional novel. I listened to this on audio, performed by Euan Morton. This was the first time I’d heard Mr. Morton and I thought he was perfect for this title… Read the rest.

Memoranda by Jeffrey Ford

… In my review of The Physiognomy, I said it was “sometimes brilliant and always bizarre” and the same holds true for Memoranda. It’s got an original and fascinating setting, interesting symbolism, and thought-provoking ideas about memory, time, love, addiction, and evil. The villain Drachton Below doesn’t quite live up to expectations here, since he’s asleep for most of the novel, but I liked the other characters better this time… In general, the plot of Memoranda works better than The Physiognomy’s plot (which kind of fell apart at the end). Don’t look too close, though. I sincerely doubt that it all made sense, but a tight plot is hardly the point of these books. It’s supposed to be bizarre, a little bit silly and, perhaps more than anything, ironic. If you do audiobooks, you definitely want to read Memoranda that way. Audible Frontiers’ production is flawless and Rummel’s narration is brilliant and adds quite a bit of humor. Read the rest.

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

… The Mists of Avalon is beautifully written, but slow-paced, and I often wished the story would move faster. Since the women characters are the focus, there’s not much action (except traveling). The chicks themselves aren’t fighting a lot of Saxons. Also, there’s a major emphasis on the dissolution of the pagan religion as Christianity spread throughout England. This was really interesting, but since the main character, Morgaine, is a pagan priestess, the views expressed on this topic are definitely anti-Christian. In fact, the reader gets the impression that Marion Zimmer Bradley is really pushing pagan and feminist agendas… Read the rest.

The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold

I think Lois McMaster Bujold has exactly the right idea with the Chalion series. Each book stands alone, but if you have read the first one (Curse of Chalion), you get all the background material you need to understand the geographical, political, and religious systems of her world. This means that later books (Paladin of Souls and The Hallowed Hunt) can have fresh new characters and plots, but we don’t have to endure many info dumps… The Hallowed Hunt is another excellent installment in the Chalion series… Read the rest.

Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell

… the story of Jurgen is about man’s quest for meaning, pleasure, and purpose. Jurgen is full of human insight and amusing social satire and, for a novel written in 1919, is oh so impolite. Much of the symbolism and metaphor is crude and puerile double entendre… Yet, James Branch Cabell writes in a sardonic voice which is beautiful and genuinely clever and funny… Back in its day, Jurgen was deemed offensive by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, which tried to get it banned. This, of course, only increased Jurgen’s popularity… Jurgen is in the public domain and can be downloaded for free at Project Gutenberg… Besides being free, Jurgen is an interesting and thoughtful novel which is worth reading not just for entertainment, but as part of the history of fantasy literature. Read the rest.

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula Le Guin

The Tombs of Atuan focuses on a young woman who has spent her life cloistered in the tombs of gods who she serves but doesn’t know. Just as the reader feels completely miserable at the state of this disillusioned young lady, Ged (who nobody would describe as particularly cheerful or up-beat), arrives and brings with him a much-needed ray of sunshine, even though he spends most of the book under the earth… This is a slow-paced book… Ursula Le Guin is always a pleasure to read and this audiobook version is very good. Read the rest.

Gifts by Ursula Le Guin

Usually I love an Ursula Le Guin novel… but I just couldn’t get into Gifts. The writing is beautiful, as we expect from Le Guin (therefore 4 stars), but I found this novel too dull for me. Most of the story is told by Orrec as it happened in the past (a technique I just couldn’t appreciate), and he relates several stories that his mother told him. Orrec and his best friend Gry live in a culture where magical gifts are used for destructive purposes and they are pressured by their parents to develop these powers. They refuse, and Orrec even blindfolds himself so he won’t be able to destroy anything. This makes for a lovely philosophy, but not much action, and even fewer happy moments… Read the rest.

A Stainless Steel Rat is Born by Harry Harrison

A Stainless Steel Rat is Born is a prequel to the Stainless Steel Rat series. Jimmy Bolivar diGriz is a smart and ambitious 17-year-old who feels trapped and inhibited on the backward planet of Bit O’ Heaven where his parents are porcuswine farmers. Jim learned early in life that he was clever and unscrupulous enough to take what he wanted from others and, more than anything, he enjoyed planning and carrying out these little escapades. So, while his classmates were drudging through the material that he had already easily mastered, he decided to spend his time learning useful skills like lock-picking and fighting… A Stainless Steel Rat is Born is a great addition to the Stainless Steel Rat series. It fills in Jim’s backstory, gives us the origin of his names for himself (“Slippery Jim diGriz” and “The Stainless Steel Rat”) and is just plain entertaining in its own right. It’s a great place to start with the series and can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. If you’re an audiobook reader, you must try this series on audio… Read the rest.

King of the Vagabonds by Neal Stephenson

King of the Vagabonds is the second installment of Neal Stephenson’s ambitious and epic Baroque Cycle. I was disappointed with Quicksilver, the first book… King of the Vagabonds is quite an improvement, mostly because it has two extremely entertaining main characters: Half-Cocked Jack Shaftoe (who is, literally, half-cocked) and Eliza, who Jack rescues from a Turkish harem… Even though I liked King of the Vagabonds better than Quicksilver, I still have the same issue: I am being schooled, and the lessons, unlike the humor, are not subtle. Nearly every page contains information and/or explanations that are meant to teach me something. Even the dialogue is full of it… though they’re lowborn and uneducated, Jack and Eliza are like walking encyclopedias, constantly explaining things to each other for our benefit… If this is not an issue for you, then you are likely to greatly enjoy King of the Vagabonds. Neal Stephenson has a great understanding of this time period, he relays it thoroughly in lovely language, the few action scenes are exciting, and the novel is gently humorous (and sometimes hilarious) throughout. If you’re an audiobook reader, you won’t want to miss Simon Prebble’s narration. Read the rest.

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

… I enjoyed the plot, characters, and humor in Best Served Cold, and I recognize and admire Joe Abercrombie’s talent, creativity, and passion. But the truth is that his stories stress me out. It’s sort of like watching Schindler’s List. Brilliant movie, important message, but not something I want to watch before bedtime. There’s a lot of ugliness and vulgarity… and there are more characters who are sociopaths than who are normal. If there’s a crude word for something, Abercrombie uses it… All of this makes for interesting, original, dramatic fantasy, and I completely understand why it’s so appealing. After all, Joe Abercrombie at least makes me FEEL something. But what he makes me feel is rather depressed, hopeless, and just plain icky, and I can’t say that I really LIKE feeling that way. Read the rest.

Hard-Luck Diggings: The Early Jack Vance

… Hard-Luck Diggings is a collection of 14 of Jack Vance’s unconnected short stories that were written early in his career, when he was perfecting his style and writing the kind of tales that were currently popular and likely to be purchased by publishers. In each of these tales the prose is sparse, the characters are quickly sketched, and the plot is fast, tight, and weird… The stories are presented in order of publication so, perhaps not surprisingly, the later ones are better… Each story in Hard-Luck Diggings is followed by a short autobiographical afterword… I learned a lot about my favorite author through these little glimpses into his life and thought this was a nice touch. Hard-Luck Diggings is a nice collection of stories for any lover of excellent speculative fiction, and a necessary one for any true Vance fan. Read the rest.

The Last Song of Orpheus by Robert Silverberg

Finally. After all of the conflicting information we get from the numerous myths, legends, writings, and operas about Orpheus, we have the true story told by Orpheus himself as he writes his life story for Musaeus (with some help from Robert Silverberg)… There’s not much new in The Last Song of Orpheus — you’ve likely heard these stories before. But there is much beauty here… I especially enjoyed listening to Orpheus explain how “music is the divine mathematics” and that the universe, with its planets and moons in perfect relation to each other, like the chromatic scale, is really an infinitely large “harmonious mathematical structure.” He implies also that the inner workings of a single cell are likewise arranged, and these ideas, I think, are truly beautiful. Read the rest.

Return: An Innkeeper’s World Story by Peter S. Beagle

Return: An Innkeeper’s World Story was my first Peter S. Beagle read, but it certainly won’t be my last. I’ve just put his The Innkeeper’s Song on my TBR list… Peter S. Beagle writes lively clear prose that’s passionate, beautiful, smart, and occasionally dryly humorous. His plot is purposeful and tight with a hint of mystery and horror. Beagle’s characters are intelligent and full of life — even those who are referred to but not seen (I can’t wait to meet Lal in The Innkeeper’s Song). Return: An Innkeeper’s World Story is exactly my kind of story except that it’s much too short. I am eager to read more in this world, and more Peter Beagle in general!… Read the rest.

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

The Illustrated Man is a  collection of Ray Bradbury’s stories which are sandwiched between the account of the titular man whose tattoos come alive at night and set the scenes for the 18 tales in this collection. All of these stories are classic Ray Bradbury — full of spacemen, Earth-Mars conflict, psychiatrists, spoiled children, bad marriages, book burning, domestic work-saving technologies, and nervous breakdowns. They deal with the fear of atomic war, loneliness, prejudice, madness, and the dangers of automobiles, junk food, and media entertainment (but smoking is okay). All of the tales are written in Bradbury’s incomparable prose and most of them are emotionally touching. But, not surprisingly, they’re almost all grim, making The Illustrated Man a book that you probably won’t want to read all at once unless you want to have your own book-burning nervous breakdown… This is a great collection (by Tantor Audio) for Bradbury fans who’d like to listen to his stories… Read the rest.

Stormwarden by Janny Wurts

This is a great time to be an audiobook reader! I’ve said often recently that I’m so pleased with Audible Frontiers for bringing us some older fantasy literature on audio, and this month their UK production team released Stormwarden, the first novel of Janny Wurts’ The Cycle of Fire trilogy which was first published in 1984… Stormwarden is a coming-of-age story that focuses on three youth (Jaric, Emien, and Taen) who get caught up in a battle between kingdoms, sorcerers, demons, and aliens. There are some now-classic fantasy characters here — scrawny orphan boy who gets a sword, white-bearded sorcerer who controls the weather, a beautiful enchantress with white hair and violet eyes, and a beautiful dreamweaver with black hair. (Someday I want to read about a middle-aged, overweight, brown-eyed sorceress with thin mousy hair… or maybe I don’t.) But these characters are treated with respect by both author and audiobook reader (David Thorpe) who pack them full of vigor, drive, and both admirable and reprehensible character traits and emotions. There’s plenty of the unexpected, too… Read the rest.

The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt

… In Tia’s take on the Sleeping Beauty story, Talia and her mother’s livelihood and prospects are devastated when spinning wheels are banned. Talia, who has not been blessed with a pretty face, is forced to use other charms and skills (that’s the polite way to say it) to make ends meet… This short novella (I read it in an evening), which was published by Harlequin’s new e-book imprint, Carina Press, is definitely a romance and contains more seduction and sex scenes than I thought were possible to fit into such a short space, so it’s not my usual fantasy fare, but I enjoyed this little diversion. It was well-written, humorous, the characterization was impressive (especially for such a short book), and the story was sweet. I liked Tia’s focus on a minor character in her re-imagined fairy tale… Read the rest.

Keeper of the Keys by Janny Wurts

… Keeper of the Keys is a “middle book,” so much of the plot involves Jaric’s gradually increasing realization and conviction that he can no longer deny the world the talents he was given as Firelord’s heir, even though he risks the madness that his father suffered… Janny Wurts’ story is creative and I especially like the fantasy/science fiction mix which is reminiscent of Andre Norton’s Witchworld. Wurts’ characters are likable and the transitions they go through, especially Jaric’s, are realistic (though I was really ready for Jaric to man up by the end of this book). I especially like a couple of the gruffer characters… Because I’m a Strunk & White kind of girl, the conspicuousness of the style affected my enjoyment of the audio version… The Cycle of Fire is Janny Wurts’ first epic and I prefer her later style. But I’m looking forward to Shadowfane… Janny Wurts writes with creativity and passion, so I’m expecting an exciting finale! Read the rest.

The Well at the World’s End by William Morris

William Morris, a textile artist, was enamored of medieval chivalric romances, so The Well at the World’s End, published in 1896, is his contribution to that dying literary genre. Thus, you’ll find heroic knights on quests, damsels in distress, and scary beasts to slay. The novel is even written in archaic language. What’s different and noteworthy about The Well at the World’s End, though, is that it’s set in an entirely made-up world. For this reason, William Morris is often considered the father of high fantasy literature and, not surprisingly, both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis credit him as a major influence on their own writing… The Well at the World’s End is not likely to completely satisfy if you’re in the mood for something deep, dark, complex, or sexy, but it’s a fun story and, since it was written by the first fantasy world builder, it’s an important piece of fantasy literature history. Read the rest.

Shadowfane by Janny Wurts

Shadowfane, the concluding volume of Janny Wurts’ Cycle of Fire trilogy is an action-packed and exciting finale… there are plenty of wins and losses and lots of heart-breaking suffering for all of our heroes… There are also emotional displays of courage, grace, hope, faith, forgiveness, and love — themes which I appreciate in fantasy literature and miss in the writings of a few recently popular authors. The ending of Shadowfane is satisfying, but intriguingly not closed. While reading The Cycle of Fire, I found myself once again greatly admiring Ms. Wurts’ imagination… I read the audio version produced by Audible UK. David Thorpe’s enthusiasm is infectious. If you read The Cycle of Fire this way, I suggest using Ms. Wurts’ website as a resource — she has posted a helpful map and a glossary. Read the rest.

The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World by Harry Harrison

Slippery Jim DiGriz is back. Back in time, that is. The evil villain who calls himself “He” has been using time travel to try to rid the world of the Special Corp (including Jim and Angelina) by eliminating them before they were even born. As his world is quickly fading in front of his eyes, Jim jumps back to a planet called “Dirt” (that’s Earth) in their year 1975 so he can kill He before He can work His evil plan. Before the adventure is over, Jim ends up fighting He-possessed Napoleon Bonaparte who has occupied London (the history is a little different in He’s time warp). Don’t worry about the mind-boggling impossibilities and plot holes here — just go along for the ride and, if you can, do it in audio. I don’t know how the Stainless Steel Rat books come across in print, but in audio format, with their quick pace (less than 5 hours) and Phil Gigante’s wonderful voices, they’re immensely entertaining. In this installment, Mr. Gigante gets to show off a few more of his brilliant accents. This time it’s British, French, and Gangsta. Even when the plot gets a little slow for a few minutes, Gigante carries it along with his fabulous narration. Listen to the beginning.

Brayan’s Gold by Peter V. Brett

I’m really enjoying these little novellas that Sub Press puts out. Because they’re meant as stand-alone side-stories, they’re a great way for me to get a feel for an author’s world and writing style before jumping into a big series. Peter V. Brett’s Brayan’s Gold is the story of how Arlen, one of the main characters in Brett’s Demon Cycle, goes on his first solo job and meets a snow demon. The episode is referred to in the story collection The Great Bazaar, but hadn’t been written until Brett’s friend asked him about the story. So, here it is… I had no trouble jumping right into this fascinating world where demons rise up from the Earth when the sun goes down… I recommend Brayan’s Gold to fans of Peter V. Brett, and to readers, like me, who want to taste his world before putting a whole helping on their plate. I think I’ll be going back for seconds or thirds on this one! Read the rest.

Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn

… Filled with vivid characters, beautiful scenery, sweet friendships, surprising destinies, political intrigue, mystery, a slow satisfying romance, and an interesting take on personality types, Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn is a book that just feels good. I listened to the audio version produced by Audible Frontiers and read by Jennifer Van Dyck. It was 14 hours long, but I enjoyed it so much that I finished it over a weekend, which kind of annoyed my family. I even considered trying to extract myself from a couple of social engagements so I could spend time with Zoe instead. Troubled Waters is definitely a romance — and some of the verbal sparring felt a bit contrived, as if set up just to create that tension — yet mostly the romance brews in the background… Troubled Waters can be read as a satisfying stand-alone story, but there may be more books to come. If so, I’ll definitely be picking them up. Meanwhile, I’ll be trying out some more novels by Sharon Shinn. Read the rest.

The Phoenix and the Mirror by Avram Davidson

The Phoenix and the Mirror, written by Avram Davidson and published in 1966, is based on the medieval legend that the poet Vergil (The Aeneid) was a mage and sorcerer… Avram Davidson uses the backdrop of Vergil’s quest to fill The Phoenix and the Mirror with some real geography, history, and science, and plenty of richly-detailed bits of medieval legends, fantastical creatures, alchemical instructions, and astrological divinations. Thus, you’ll meet a cyclops, a gargoyle and a homunculus along with Roman soldiers and Sea-Huns and you’ll learn the exact techniques for the construction of magical mirrors. The Phoenix and the Mirror is beautifully written and gently and delightfully humorous, too… Read the rest.

Schrödinger’s Kitten by George Alec Effinger

Jehan is a pretty 12-year-old Islamic girl who sees visions of her own possible futures. These visions suggest that she will be raped in an alley, disowned by her fundamentalist Muslim father, and forced to live as a whore until she dies. Or she could kill her potential rapist first, but if she does that she will be executed, unless somebody saves her by paying the blood price… There are too many “ifs” and too many potential paths and, as a child, Jehan is haunted by all the possibilities and her knowledge that something bad will happen, but not knowing exactly which of those branches her life will take.

Interspersed with these disturbing visions, we see Jehan in a possible future as an assistant and then a colleague to the men who are, during World War II, trying to unravel the secrets of quantum physics. Their findings will enlighten the world, but may also give the Nazis the knowledge they need to design horrific weapons. Does Jehan have the power to influence these sorts of future possible paths, too? Read more »

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

… Based on the Grimm fairytale “The Goose Girl,” this book is the first in a series of companion novels by Shannon Hale (The Bayern Books). Whether you’re familiar with the fairytale or not, you’ll be pretty sure how the story ends — it’s unlikely to surprise you. But perhaps what will surprise you is how exciting the story is anyway. It’s fast-paced, beautifully written, emotional, and satisfying. Even though I was often frustrated with Ani’s forbearance and lack of confidence, I was enchanted by her story anyway. According to Amazon, The Goose Girl is marketed to children ages 9-12, but there is enough violence and murder (and even scary things that happen to animals) that I think it’s better suited for the YA crowd. I listened to, and enjoyed, the Full Cast Audio production and recommend this version. The Goose Girl is a sweet and irresistible story for teens, adults, and the bravest little girls and boys. Read the rest.

The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt

Abraham Merritt’s The Moon Pool was originally published as two stories in All-Story Weekly (“The Moon Pool” and “Conquest of the Moon Pool”) and combined into a novel in 1919. Its copyright has expired, so you can find it at Project Gutenberg or as a free Kindle e-book at Amazon… The Moon Pool is a traditional SFF predator/lost world adventure story with an Indiana Jones feel. The story is exciting from the beginning as Dr. Goodwin, a scientist and a skeptic, can’t believe the preposterous tale he hears until he sees the evidence with his own eyes… The union of legend and old scientific theories is stimulating and thought-provoking…The Moon Pool doesn’t feel like such an old book — it’s completely accessible to modern readers — and it’s free! Read the rest.

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

…Elric of Melniboné, by Michael Moorcock, is a thought-provoking work but, at the same time, it’s appealing to those who just want to read a good sword & sorcery story — sea battles in grottos, ships that sail on land or sea, magic mirrors that wipe out memory, and fights with demons in the underworld. Many of the Elric stories were originally published in pulp magazines or as novellas, so they are fast-paced with sketchy scene and character development. This is likely to be unsatisfying to some readers, but I enjoyed the quick pace and appreciated Elric’s introspective concerns about his duties. I listened to Audio Realms’ production of Elric of Melniboné. Jeff West was an excellent narrator, but I was annoyed by the music which plays behind the entire book’s text… Read the rest.

A House Boat on the Styx by John Kendrick Bangs

John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922) was an American humorist who edited some popular American magazines such as Harper’s Weekly and Puck. His satirical novella A House-Boat on the Styx is responsible for the term Bangsian Fantasy, which refers to stories about famous people in the afterlife… There’s almost no action in A House-Boat on the Styx and no need for characterization since all of the characters are already known to us. The story is almost all dialogue as, for example, Shakespeare defends the authorship of his plays, Solomon’s Proverbs are called a hack-job, Confucius complains about the poets, the logistics of all of Henry VIII’s wives attending Ladies’ Day is discussed… Much of this dialogue is very funny, but it occasionally comes off as a stand-up comedy routine when the jokes are transparently set up… A House-Boat on the Styx and The Pursuit of the Houseboat are available on Kindle in the Halcyon Classics edition, which contains 48 works by John Kendrick Bangs for (at this writing) only $1.99. Both books are rather short and easily read in an afternoon. Read the rest.

The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

Written in 1894, Arthur Machen’s The Great God Pan is a short novel which was highly influential to H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. King, in fact, said The Great God Pan is “…one of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language. Mine isn’t anywhere near that good…” The Great God Pan used to be hard to find, but is now available free on the Kindle (and at other public domain e-book outlets) and is easily read in one dark and rainy evening… the writing style of The Great God Pan isn’t as exquisite as the terror is, but it’s pleasant enough and completely readable over 100 years later. The Great God Pan is a must-read for any fan of horror fiction — not the bloody gruesome type of horror, but the brain-bending, soul-scaring type. Read the rest.

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

I am embarrassed to admit that for years I have judged Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series by its covers, dismissing it every time I saw it. Then Kelly, whose opinion I esteem, recommended the Fever series and, simultaneously, Brilliance Audio sent me the last volume to review. So I decided to get the first book, Darkfever on audio, and give it a try… I was immediately drawn to Mac, understanding the culture she comes from and being completely convinced of her authenticity… Also impressive is the complete lack, so far, of a romance… Darkfever is a fast-paced, compulsively readable novel with a relatable heroine, a wonderful setting, and a plot that’s full of tension of the non-romantic type. Now that this solid foundation has been laid, adding romantic tension on top will be a bonus to the plot instead of a burden. This audiobook was read by Joyce Bean whose voice and acting skills easily range from Sweet Georgia Peach to Cultured Irish Alpha Male. Really impressive. I’m looking forward to the next audiobook, Bloodfever. Read the rest.

The Pursuit of the Houseboat by John Kendrick Bangs

At the end of John Kendrick Bangs’ A House-boat on the Styx, the men went ashore to watch Goliath fight Samson, leaving the houseboat untended. So the ladies, headed by Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth, took the opportunity to trespass. While they were playing pool below decks, the pirate Captain Kidd and his crew, unaware that the ladies were aboard, hijacked the boat and set out for Europe so they could do some looting… The Pursuit of the Houseboat is more fun than A House-boat on the Styx — it doesn’t feel quite so much like a series of history lessons. There is still some slightly clunky humor that depends on understanding the historical allusions, but The Pursuit of the Houseboat actually has an entertaining plot as Captain Kidd and his crew try to deal with the women. The more ancient men (those from earlier times, I mean) think this will be rather easy to do, but the modern men scoff and explain that women are different than they used to be… Read the rest.

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Bloodfever, the second novel in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series featuring Southerner MacKayla Lane, maintains the fast pace, exciting action, romantic tension, and emotional impact of the first novel. So far, Fever has not devolved into a brainless paranormal romance which is more focused on sex than plot, and at this point I feel hopeful that such an atrocity will not occur. I read Brilliance Audio’s version of Bloodfever which was narrated by Joyce Bean. It was difficult to put down. In fact, I listened to the entire book (nine hours) in less than two days, probably annoying my family by having my earbuds in for hours at a time… Read the rest.

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

… I still keep expecting this series to jump the shark, and it refuses to even put on the skis! Mac continues to develop, becoming stronger, more mature, and more admirable as she deals with tough situations, yet still retaining the pink debutante personality that made her so endearing at the start of Darkfever… so far Moning is keeping us guessing and we’re not really sure who Mac can trust. This kind of anxiety (along with a lot of sexual tension) makes the pages turn fast — all the way to the dramatic ending… By the time you get there, you’ll definitely want to make sure you’re armed with lots of flashlights, extra batteries, and the next book in the Fever series: Dreamfever. Read the rest.

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

… After a major set-back at the end of Faefever, Mac’s got a lot of work to do at the beginning of Dreamfever just so she can get back in the game. The first scenes of this novel, the fourth in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, are horrible and heart-wrenching and not at all how we were hoping things would turn out for Mac… Once Mac gets her life back in order, things start moving fast and the tension never lets up. Dreamfever contains my favorite scenes of the series: when Mac gets lost in the “silvers.” Dreamfever ends with an incredibly cruel cliffhanger and I can’t imagine the agony that Moning fans were in when they read this book after publication and then had to wait for book 5! Fortunately, it’s out now. Trust me: you’ll want to have Shadowfever in hand because you will not be able to resist opening it immediately upon finishing Dreamfever. Read the rest.

In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker

Rescued from the dungeons of the Spanish Inquisition, feisty little Mendoza is enrolled in a special school and becomes a cyborg agent of The Company, a group of immortal merchants and scientists who travel backwards in time in order to make money for The Company and to benefit mankind in various ways. Mendoza is educated and trained as a botanist and, for her first mission, she’s sent back to 16th century Europe to document and study samples from the famous Garden of Iden in England… Undercover as a Spaniard, she makes the mistake of falling in love with a mortal — an English Protestant mortal… Set both in the 24th and 16th centuries, In the Garden of Iden (the first of Kage Baker’s The Company novels) is a unique historical science fiction romance… I do hope that Blackstone Audio will be producing more of Kage Baker’s The Company novels. Read the rest.

Dark Jenny by Alex Bledsoe

… If you haven’t read one of Alex Bledsoe’s Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries yet, go ahead and try this one — you don’t need to have read The Sword-Edged Blonde or Burn Me Deadly to enjoy Dark Jenny… This is a Bledsoe-style version of the King Arthur legend… The strengths of the Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries are Bledsoe’s excellent pacing and story-telling abilities and the character of Eddie. Eddie is an awesome hero. He’s tall, strong, and brave, yet he’s smart, mature, and sensitive. He can be brutal, and sometimes he goes too far — even to the point of killing someone with his bare hands — but his brutality is evoked by wickedness in others. He’s most likely to snap when he witnesses someone being cruel to a weaker person. It’s impossible not to like Eddie LaCrosse… I love to hear Stefan Rudnicki read the Eddie LaCrosse Mysteries. Stefan Rudnicki is Eddie LaCrosse for me! Read the rest.

Times Three by Robert Silverberg

Time travel is one of Robert Silverberg’s favorite themes and he gives us three of his best time travel novels, and an introduction to each, in the collection Times Three from Subterranean Press.  Hawksbill Station is about a camp for 21st century American political dissidents who are permanently exiled to the late Cambrian era… it’s based on the short story “Hawksbill Station” which was a runner up for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1967… Up the Line (1969) is a long and lusty piece… Jud falls in love with one of his own ancestors and this leads to a hilarious series of time-travel paradoxes and an unforgettable ending… Project Pendulum (1987) is a shorter work about twins, one a paleontologist and one a physicist, who’ve been chosen to be the guinea pigs in the first human time travel experiment… Not only is the fast and furious juxtaposition of the history and future of the human race fascinating to watch and speculate about, but Project Pendulum is also a beautiful story about brotherly love and the special bond between twins. Though the stories in Times Three are each about time travel, they’re completely different in tone and each offers something unique to the theme. This is a must-read for Silverberg fans, and for anyone who dreams of traveling through time. Read the rest.

Kushiel’s Chosen by Jacqueline Carey

Phèdre and Joscelin, heroes of the realm, are living happily in Montrève until Phèdre receives a package from the traitor Melisande. Obsessed with this clue to Melisande’s whereabouts, and pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, Phèdre decides to return to her role as kinky courtesan and spy. As expected, this decision hurts Joscelin deeply and his reaction — to protect and serve, but to back off emotionally — sets the tone for the rest of the novel. As Phèdre hunts for Melisande, we get to explore more of Jacqueline Carey’s alternate Europe… The best part of Kushiel’s Chosen is the developing characterization, especially of Joscelin. His predicament — his love for Phèdre despite his hate for what she does — is compelling… this aspect of the Kushiel series is what makes it a painful, but beautiful, story of love and forgiveness… If you read audiobooks, I highly recommend Tantor’s version of Kushiel’s Chosen. Read the rest.

Sailor on the Seas of Fate by Michael Moorcock

Michael Moorcock’s Sailor on the Seas of Fate continues the adventures of Elric the albino emperor of Melniboné. While his ambitious cousin Yyrkoon sits as regent, and his consort Cymoril doesn’t know if he’s dead or alive, Elric is in self-exile, exploring other lands so that he can better understand his subjects. He hopes to become a more worthy emperor and, perhaps, to discover why his own race has lost what he calls its “humanity”… The Elric stories are fun for readers looking for short, fast-paced, episodic sword & sorcery adventures with fantastic scenery, but they go deeper than that. Elric is not only brave, he’s complex and introspective… Does he truly care about people? Or is he more concerned with feeling good about himself by satisfying his own self-concept of nobility? I listened to Audio Realms’ production of Sailor on the Seas of Fate which is beautifully narrated by Jeff West and introduced by Michael Moorcock’s dreamy and languorous voice… Read the rest.

Kushiel’s Avatar by Jacqueline Carey

… Kushiel’s Avatar is an exciting story and a nice ending to the first Kushiel trilogy. Imriel’s character is a welcome addition and it will be interesting to see how the horrible experiences he endured in Kushiel’s Avatar help form his personality in later books (in which he is the main character). This is also a good place to bring Phèdre’s adventures to an end. She’s nearing the point of unbelievability as she saves lives and creates world peace wherever she goes. After her accomplishments in this book, it’s hard to imagine what she can do to top them in the future. Jacqueline Carey’s writing is lovely, but it’s becoming occasionally repetitive. In Kushiel’s Avatar, her writing is best when Phèdre expresses her awe at the name of God and the connection between that name and God’s character and creation. I thought this was beautifully done… Fans of the series will be pleased with Kushiel’s Avatar and, like me, will want to follow Imriel’s journey in the next book, Kushiel’s Scion. I should mention, again, that this series was superb on audio. Read the rest.

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

…Written in 1969, Ubik is a fast-paced SF thriller full of classic PKD themes such as an unreliable reality, time running backward, precognition, telepathy, paranoia, drug abuse, hallucinations, and spirituality. The story is quite funny in places and includes a bit of horror, too. There are several plot twists in Ubik, including a big one at the end, which means that the reader is as unsure about what’s going on as the characters are until the big reveal and, still, there are some questions left unanswered. Mainly we’re left contemplating what PKD is suggesting about death, salvation, and God… Ubik has been named by Time Magazine as one of the Top 100 English-Language Novels From 1923 (list compiled by Lev Grossman). I can’t say that I agree with this accolade, but I can say that I enjoyed Ubik and can recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction. For Philip K. Dick fans, Ubik is an essential read. Read the rest.

The Initiate Brother by Sean Russell

… Sean Russell’s The Initiate Brother, first published in 1991, is an Eastern-flavored fantasy similar to Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori and Guy Gavriel Kay’s Under Heaven. The Initiate Brother also reminds me of GGK’s work because it’s full of fascinating twisty political intrigue and there’s a large cast of realistic and appealing characters who we get to know well when we’re privy to their internal thoughts. If you’re a fan of GGK, you’re almost certain to enjoy The Initiate Brother. The occasional use of short Japanese poems and a strategy game similar to the ancient Chinese boardgame Go, add to the world-building and inspire the story. The plot, which is layered with conflict and intrigue, gradually and inexhaustibly rises to a tense climax at the end of the novel. Then it stops. I was sorry that I didn’t have the sequel, Gatherer of Clouds, on hand to begin immediately, but I will be picking it up soon — it promises plenty of excitement and I look forward to finding out what happens to these interesting people. I listened to Blackstone Audio’s production of The Initiate Brother, read by Elijah Alexander… Read the rest.

Gerfalcon by Leslie Barringer

Raoul will one day be baron of peaceful marshy Marckmont, but until his eighteenth birthday, he’s under the protection of his Uncle Armand, Count of the bleak and windy crags of Ger. Armand has no love for the slight and introspective Raoul, and can’t understand why his nephew would rather play chess and write songs than hunt animals. Raoul, a romantic, likes to think about beautiful things, but at Ger, “you must be smothered in blood before they think you are a man”… Leslie Barringer’s Gerfalcon is a beautifully written and exciting coming-of-age epic with a loveable introspective hero who learns that peace has a price and that his own heart’s desires are not to be trusted. The prose, though slightly archaic, is easily read and the story is full of incisive insights into (and sometimes gentle mocking of) human behavior. Gefalcon would be a great read for a mature teenager, if you can find it (Barringer’s fantasies are out of print). Beware of the ebook version which I read (Renaissance E Books) — it’s full of typos. Read the rest.