The Etched City by K.J. Bishop

Sometimes you worry that when you return to a book that you love that the years have not been kind to it, and that nostalgia is doing a lot of the work in your head when you think back. Now, I loved The Etched City the last time I read it, and in rereading it every great memory I had of it was reaffirmed, and I can safely say that it is still in my top ten books of the last ten years as we approach the end of the decade. The novel is dark and decadent, with lush prose, complicated characters, and a wonderful imagination. Despite knowing what happens I still didn’t want the book to end… Read the rest.

The Traitor by Michael Cisco

… The Traitor is a wonderfully dark tale of bleak morality, betrayal, fanaticism, and disdain for society and humanity in general. Even though it is dark, it is also very funny at times as most of the characters that Nophtha meets or associates with tend to be society’s outsiders or misfits. One of my favourite books of the nearly forty I have already read this year, and both a novel and writer deserving of more wider read. Easy to recommend to those who don’t mind a book that requires you to think for yourself every now and then. Read the rest.

Latro in the Mist by Gene Wolfe

Latro in the Mist is the omnibus edition containing two of Gene Wolfe’s historical fantasies set in ancient Greece: Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete… It is easy to recommend Latro in the Mist as it contains two fantastic novels. It has great characterization, not only in Latro, but in his companions Io, and Seven Lions, as well as the lesser characters like Palos, and Eleta. For fans of history it includes many actual events as mentioned earlier, as well as a number of famous figures… the novel is never obscure to the point of being non-sensible if you lack prior knowledge in these areas. As Neil Gaiman said of Wolfe, he is a smart writer who doesn’t lord it over the reader about how smart he is, he is a smart writer who writes to make the reader feel smart, too… Read the rest.

The Portrait of Mrs Charbuque by Jeffrey Ford

… Jeffrey Ford takes a wonderful premise and executes it masterfully, pulling the reader deeper into the novel with each new breadcrumb of information. I couldn’t put the book down, and I read it all in a day as I had to know the answers to the mysteries that make up the novel. In typical Ford fashion he saves the biggest twist for the denouement and once again I was unable to see it coming. Despite the intricate plot the novel is essentially very human… I never have any reservations about recommending Ford’s work to people, he is a fantastic writer and always a joy to read. Highly recommended, particularly to those interested in art like myself, or people who have a fondness for America during the Victorian age. Read the rest.

Mother Aegypt and Other Stories by Kage Baker

When Kage Baker died from cancer earlier this year, I was regretful that I had never gotten around to reading any of her work… Wanting to read her work, I ordered Mother Aegypt, as I am a firm believer in starting with an author’s short stories if possible, prescribing to that old adage that if you can’t tell a good story in ten pages, you can’t tell a good one in two hundred… I was really impressed by Mother Aegypt and Other Stories, especially by Baker’s masterful storytelling, great sense of humour, interesting characters, and range… One thing that is certain from reading these stories is that Kage Baker had a true gift for storytelling, and we are all poorer for having lost her… Read the rest.

Mansfield Park and Mummies by Vera Nazarian

… when Mansfield Park and Mummies arrived I was not sure I would like it. Mash-ups seem to be the current literary trend at the moment, and while I hadn’t read any of the others, I had seen the less than complimentary reviews. Despite my prior knowledge of Nazarian’s talent as a writer, I was a little wary; it was still Jane Austen after all. With my childhood spent wanting to be Elric of Melnibone, or pretending to be Steerpike in the kitchen, ladies in society and romance had always been as far from my mind as possible, and at school I had always managed to avoid Austen by choosing some other novel or a Shakespeare play instead. Not that I had any doubts as to the worth of Jane Austen’s work, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. However, one must always try to step outside safe boundaries, so armed with the knowledge there would at least be some mummies I took the plunge and started reading… Read the rest.