Previous SFF Author: Frank Aubrey
Speculative fiction in audiobook format.
Creatures of Want and Ruin by Molly Tanzer
At first glance, based on the title and cover art, Molly Tanzer’s Creatures of Want and Ruin (2018) looks and sounds like it’s a sequel to her earlier novel Creatures of Will and Temper, but it’s not. The stories have different characters and settings, so I’m going to treat Creatures of Want and Ruin as a stand-alone novel.
During prohibition, Ellie West is a bootlegger in Amityville,
July 6th, 2020. Kat Hooper and Marion Deeds´s rating: 3.5 | Molly Tanzer | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Last Curtain Call by Juliet Blackwell
It hardly seems necessary to continue to review Juliet Blackwell’s HAUNTED HOME RENOVATION MYSTERIES because fans are going to read them no matter what I say but, since the audiobook publisher keeps providing me with review copies, I’ll keep doing it. I love Tantor Media’s audio editions of Blackwell’s two cozy paranormal mystery series (this one and WITCHCRAFT MYSTERIES) because they’re narrated by the fabulous Xe Sands. They are a pleasure to listen to and I recommend them to fans (or future fans) of Blackwell’s books.
July 3rd, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Juliet Blackwell | Audio | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
YA can be more fickle than its literary cousins. It’s notorious for trends. There were wizards, vampires, and what feels like a decade’s worth of dystopias. The result is a glut of books with sassy female protagonists who discover they have a unique power, are fighting to save the world, and struggling to decide which hunky love interest to pick from in their love triangle. Shadow and Bone doesn’t do anything groundbreaking in terms of avoiding these tropes, but what it does do is tell them in a fresh and innovative way.
July 2nd, 2020. Ray McKenzie, Rebecca Fisher and Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5, 4 | Leigh Bardugo | Audio, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Light of Impossible Stars by Gareth L. Powell
Gareth L. Powell brings his EMBERS OF WAR trilogy to a satisfying conclusion with Light of Impossible Stars (2020). You’ll need to read Embers of War and Fleet of Knives first. There will be some spoilers for those novels in this review.
When we left Captain Sal, she had just brought a few new crewmates aboard Trouble Dog: Captain Johnny Shultz,
July 1st, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Gareth L. Powell | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Sam Hawke’s debut novel, City of Lies, is the first book in her POISON WARS series. It features two protagonists, Jovan and Kalina, who are brother and sister. They work for their friend Tain, a young man who has suddenly become the Chancellor of their country after his uncle was poisoned. As the Chancellor’s proofer, Jovan tests everything Tain eats or drinks. He knows how to detect most poisons, he’s inoculated against many of them,
June 29th, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Sam Hawke | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
D.J. Butler’s Witchy Eye (2017), the first book in his WITCHY EYE series, is an alternate history set in a 19th century United States that’s almost unrecognizable.
In Appalachia, a scrawny teenager named Sarah Calhoun is being raised by her grandfather. Her most notable features are her razor-sharp wit, her willingness to stand up for herself and others, and her eye which is swollen shut and looks gross. Sarah’s life is turned upside down when a priest and his minions attempt to kidnap her.
June 23rd, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Dave (D.J.) Butler | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Jade War (2019) is the second book in Fonda Lee’s GREEN BONE SAGA series and a finalist for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. It follows Jade City, which won the World Fantasy Award, and which you’ll need to read first (this review will contain some mild spoilers for that novel).
Jade War picks up a year after the dramatic events of Jade City.
June 19th, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Fonda Lee | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
SHORTS: Our column exploring free and inexpensive short fiction available on the internet. This week’s post reviews two more Locus Award nominees, along with other recent short fiction works that we’ve enjoyed.
Late Returns by Joe Hill (2019, included in the Full Throttle collection). Locus award finalist (novelette)
Joe Hill, who like his famous father typically writes in the horror genre, switches it up in Late Returns, a novelette that was originally published in his Full Throttle (2019) collection of short fiction.
June 18th, 2020. Tadiana Jones, Skye Walker and Kat Hooper | Joe Hill, Suzanne Palmer, Tobias Buckell | Audio, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Fleet of Knives by Gareth L. Powell
Fleet of Knives (2019) is the second book in Gareth L. Powell’s EMBERS OF WAR series and a finalist for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Its predecessor, Embers of War, was also a Locus finalist and won the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel of 2018. When I reviewed it last year, I reported that Embers of War was “pleasant but forgettable” and,
June 18th, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Gareth L. Powell | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Reynolds’ Permafrost (2019), a finalist for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella, is billed as “a time-traveling climate fiction adventure.” It takes place in two timelines.
In 2080, humanity seems to be coming to an end, mostly due to a lack of food. Valentina Lidova, an elderly Russian math teacher, attempts to continue teaching her malnourished students, knowing all the while that it’s futile.
Then she’s visited by someone from an institution called Permafrost who offers a crazy-sounding solution.
June 18th, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Alastair Reynolds | Audio, Short Fiction, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Previous SFF Author: Frank Aubrey
Just saw you like Jack Vance. Me too. Surely he offends you somewhere though?
Words fail. I can't imagine what else might offend you. Great series, bizarre and ridiculous review. Especially the 'Nazi sympathizer'…
"Nor Iron Bars a Cage by Kage Harper" Freudian slip there. ;)
[…] (Fantasy Literature): In 1957, Hammer Studios in England came out with the first of their full-color horror creations, […]
I'm going to have to find these and read them.