From the category archives:

Books

Encore, Encore!: George Mann’s The Osiris Ritual

September 7, 2010
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No sooner had I finished reading The Affinity Bridge, the first volume of George Mann’s wonderful steampunk mystery series, Newbury & Hobbes Investigations, than I found myself plunging into the second novel in the series, The Osiris Ritual, which I completed in just over twenty-four hours and found even more captivating than the first.  In [...]

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“To Serve Man”: George Mann’s The Affinity Bridge

September 5, 2010
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Earlier this year, after having read George Mann’s ultraviolent and dazzlingly pulpy slice of superhero steampunk noir, Ghosts of Manhattan, set in an alternate version of Manhattan in the Roaring Twenties, I was extremely eager to go back and read his first novel, The Affinity Bridge, which I finally had the opportunity to do this week.  If [...]

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Fairy Tail: China Miéville’s King Rat

September 3, 2010
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Last month, I finally started reading the work of an author who I had been hearing about for years and always meant to try out, China Miéville.  I began with his YA fantasy, Un Lun Dun, and found myself just as captivated as so many friends and critics had indicated I would be.  After that, I [...]

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In Which Gail Carriger’s The Parasol Protectorate, Book the Third: Blameless Is Reviewed

September 1, 2010
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A Word of Caution: While every effort has been made to ensure the minimization of the prevalence of spoilers and their harmful effects, they are impossible to avoid all together, this being a review of the third in a series.  Therefore, if you have not yet had the pleasure of partaking in Soulless or Changeless, [...]

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High Fantasy With a Twist: Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law

August 29, 2010
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Joe Abercrombie’s deliciously dark The First Law trilogy takes all of the classic High Fantasy tropes that have been populating similar novels since J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings first came on the scene and practically established the genre, and gives them all a savage twist.  By turns mercilessly satirical, stupendously grisly, [...]

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“Secrets and Lies”: Rowena Cory Daniells’ The King’s Bastard

August 22, 2010
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No point in beating around the bush.  Rowena Cory Daniells’ The King’s Bastard, the first volume in The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin trilogy (released by Solaris Books), is one of the best new high fantasy books I’ve read in ages.  Simultaneously intimate and epic, this gloriously entertaining first novel presents a richly realized world with [...]

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“Prophecy Girl”: China Miéville’s Un Lun Dun

August 17, 2010
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At first, China Miéville’s young adult fantasy novel, Un Lun Dun seems to be part of a long tradition of children’s stories wherein otherwise seemingly ordinary children travel to a magical world and end up either being revealed as a Chosen One of prophecy, doing extraordinary things, crowned as royalty, fulfilling a quest, or some [...]

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Guest Review: Stormlord Rising by Glenda Larke

August 10, 2010
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Note: Since my partner, Thomas, enjoyed Glenda Larke’s The Last Stormlord so much, I asked him to review the brand-new sequel, Stormlord Rising, for my site as well.  And here it is!  I will definitely be reading the Watergivers series in the near future.–Rob Some time ago I reviewed The Last Stormlord, by Glenda Larke.  You can [...]

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“Where is Thy Sting?”: Trent Jamieson’s Death Most Definite

August 6, 2010
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Note: This review was originally posted on April 9, 2010, months in advance of the book’s release. As it is now available, I am re-posting, to point more people in the direction of this fantastic urban fantasy. Please disregard all mention in the review of the novel not being out yet… There are times when [...]

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Cold Front: Kate Elliott’s Cold Magic

August 1, 2010
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Have you ever had the experience of reading a book that you really wanted to like, that you tried to like, that you remained completely open to liking from the moment you started the first sentence, but for whatever reason, you just couldn’t?  This is how I feel about Kate Elliott’s Cold Magic, the start [...]

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