I devoured The Giver last month and almost fainted when I heard that Lois Lowry wrote more books in the series. So of course it was off to my local library to put in a request because EVERYONE IS READING IT. I can see why–this book isn’t exactly a sequel, but it does provide some unusual counterpoint to the Stepfordian world Jonas inhabited in The Giver. Gathering Blue begins with Kira, who is mourning the sudden death of her mother. She is crippled with a […]
This review is of dubious value to the forces of Light
Target: Sergei Lukyanenko’s New Watch. Translated by Andrew Bromfield (The Watches pentalogy #5) Profile: Modern Fantasy, Suspense, Horror Sergei Lukyanenko ostensibly drew his Watches series to a conclusion with Last Watch, but almost six years later he released a fifth book. New Watch is a very different kind of novel than its predecessors. It draws inspiration from other contemporary and urban fantasies, most notably the Harry Potter series. There is a greater emphasis on the mechanics of the world’s magic system, answering some questions from previous novels, but shifting […]
I need a Malediction……and some Aqua Regia
Full disclosure here – I met Richard Kadrey at ComicCon in July – got this SIGNED COPY of the book from him – oh YEAH. So yes, I am a total fanGirl. This is number 5 of the Sandman Slim series. Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, Aloha from Hell, The Devil Said Bang, Kill City Blues and now…Getaway God. James Stark IS Sandman Slim: “The Monster that kills Monsters” – he got sent “Downtown” (to Hell) by his “Sub Rosa” (magician) friends where he […]
The Gods are….Silly Buggers
Imagine, if you will, that the Classical Greek Gods were real and have continued in existence from those BCE times to now and are living in somewhat squalid circumstances in London. Imagine that they are a bit spoiled and out of sorts with the modern world and are forced to live together in a massive but decrepit London mansion for 400 years, gradually fading and losing their power. Imagine that they actually have to get day jobs to pay the bills: Aphrodite as a […]
Okay, I’m in this now. Dammit.
August might as well have been Outlander month, for all I paid attention to anything else. I read Outlander late last year and enjoyed it, but I also found it very strange and disturbing in parts (and not in a way that I found altogether explicable). Ultimately, despite my reservations about some of the content (not the things that happened, necessarily, more the way Gabaldon treated them in her prose*), I decided to continue the series, probably one a year to stay current with the show, […]
Myth, magic and monsters — what can be bad?
This was my first foray into Ilona Andrew’s popular “urban fantasy” series, and it was a fun ride—like Jim Butcher’s Dresden files with a little more sex and a lot more kapow, if possible! Gunmetal Magic is apparently a spin-off from the main series, and is centered on the story of Andrea Nash, best friend of the serie’s main character and all-around badass Kate Daniels. Andrea is definitely no slouch, and has an interesting backstory that calls to us from the very first pages. Andrea and […]