Browsing all articles in Reviews.
Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix – Series Review
Five Great Charters knit the land. Together linked, hand in hand. One in the people who wear the Crown. Two in the folk who keep the Dead down. Three and Five became stone and mortar. Four sees all in frozen water. Written by Australian author Garth Nix, the Abhorsen trilogy is set in the fictional […]
Blade & Rose by Miranda Honfleur
An R-Rated Kushiel’s Dart. For Miranda Honfleur’s fantasy romance, Blade & Rose, I originally considered using the tagline, Versailles meets Empire Strikes Back. Set in a second world French royal court, with plenty of intrigue, it initially appears as if the bad guys are using the heroine’s best friend as bait—just like Darth Vader tortures […]
Chasing Graves by Ben Galley
Spoiler Warning: This review contains minor spoilers. Read with caution if you have yet to finish the book. “They must die in turmoil. They shall be bound with copper and water of the Nyx. They must be bound within forty days. They shall be bound to whomever holds their coin. They are slaved to their […]
Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
The Dragonlance books were published between 1984 and 2011, and are a group of connected fantasy novels set in the world of Krynn. Krynn was an official setting for Dungeons & Dragons, so it’s fair to say that Dragonlance was an “official” D&D product. Most of the novels were set in Krynn’s “present day”, but […]
Spellbound by Debbie Viguié and Nancy Holder
Somehow, I forgot that it got weirder, but I really should have expected that. To recap: I have been going on a reread of the Wicked series by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié. I first read the books when I was a young teen and for various reasons (too many other books, not enough time, […]
Neuromancer by William Gibson
As debut novels go, this one kicks arse. Written in 1984, Gibson’s cyberpunk tale was a culmination of various cult influences and pressure from a looming deadline. We’re introduced to body modifications, cybernetic implants, and ‘the matrix’ – an online information highway. Bear in mind that the World Wide Web wasn’t invented by Tim Berners-Lee […]
Paternus: Wrath of Gods by Dyrk Ashton
Stephen Hawking meets the Dalai Lama. (And they agree on everything about the universe.) In my review of Paternus: Rise of Gods, I mentioned my first impression was it felt like an urban fantasy; though neither it nor Paternus: Wrath of Gods belong to that genre. In the end, I compared Rise of Gods to American Gods […]
Dark Moon by Meredith Ann Pierce
Meredith Ann Pierce doesn’t miss-a-beat with the second instalment of her wonderfully original Firebringer Trilogy, Dark Moon. But before I begin, I feel that the following needs to be stated. Anyone that might be wary of reading Pierce’s Firebringer Trilogy solely based on the fact that it is unicorn fiction, you are missing-out on a […]
Cold Iron by Miles Cameron
Cold Iron follows the exploits of Aranthur Timos, a poor but conscientious student, at a university called The Academy, which can be found in a city called the City. The City seems to me to be a fusion of Byzantium and Renaissance-era Venice, possibly with some elements of the Holy Roman Empire and the actual […]
Rex Draconis: Lords of the Dragon Moon by Richard A. Knaak
While Narnia and Middle Earth were my gateways to fantasy, the Dragonlance world of Weis and Hickman made me a fantasy reader for life. Adding to the core storyline was Richard Knaak, with his Dragonlance standalones. The Legend of Huma and Kaz the Minotaur have sat on my various shelves and spent brief sojourns packed […]
Masters of Deception by J. C. Kang
I would like to start with a confession, I haven’t read any of J.C. Kang’s previous novels and know nothing about the world in which this story takes place. I jumped in totally blind, went with the smooth pace of the book and was captivated with the wonderful world that the author created. While I […]
Wraith Knight and Wraith Lord by C. T. Phipps – Double Book Review
Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for book one of the series. Please read with caution if you have yet to finish Wraith Knight. When Wraith Lord, the sequel to C. T. Phipps’ outstanding Wraith Knight, opens, protagonist Jacob Riverson has a few problems: 1. He has two wives, and they’re mad at each other. […]
