Tag: fantasy
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Review: THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman
First of all, let’s get a few things straight. (1) This is a literary fantasy novel. (2) This novel was much more influenced by The Chronicles of Narnia than by Harry Potter. (3) I read this trilogy because I adore the television show currently airing, so my review is going…
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Review: BLOOD RED by Mercedes Lackey
It’s always fun to return to one of my favorite series, and it’s even better when that series manages to consistently surprise you. Though there have been some departures, Lackey’s formula for her Elemental Masters series has been “Traditional fairy tale retold in historical (mostly British) urban fantasy setting and…
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Review: MAGIC SHIFTS by Ilona Andrews
Part of me keeps waiting for anything about this series to get stale or boring or overdone, because it can’t possibly keep being this damn good. Sure, not every novel in the series is the best thing I’ve ever read, but one thing I appreciate about Ilona Andrews (referred to…
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Review: CRUCIBLE edited by Mercedes Lackey
Favorite story: “The Note” by Phaedra Weldon. While many of the stories in this anthology rated between 3 and 4 stars for me and were cute and enjoyable but not amazing, this penultimate tale punched me right in the feels. There are so many things about the life of a Herald that…
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Review: STEAMPUNK WORLD edited by Sarah Hans
DISCLAIMER: I share a publisher with one of the authors discussed below. However, I purchased my copy of the book at full price from the anthology’s editor, not the author, and I do not consider our relationship to have bearing on my review choices. I was not a contributor to…
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Review: CLOSER TO HOME by Mercedes Lackey
I think my biggest complaint about this book is probably the fact that the back cover text has very, very little to do with the actual plot of the novel. And if that’s my biggest complaint, I will definitely call this book a win. I’ve read every Valdemar book by…
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Review: MAGIC BREAKS by Ilona Andrews
Not only is this one of my favorite books series, it is also one of the major inspirations for my own writing. So it’s no surprise that I absolutely loved and devoured this set of the series.
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Review: ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE by Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger’s foray into young adult fiction is set in the familiar world of her Parasol Protectorate series, but with a bit more…everything. Which is funny, because her adult series is pretty awesomely extreme all on its own. This novel drew much more from the steampunk genre than on the…
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SF Signal hosts my blog post about vampires in popular fiction!
I took a film genre course in college, and wrote an entire research paper on the evolution of vampires in film. No knowledge is ever wasted, so with a little more work, I was able to write a (much shorter) essay on the evolution of vampires in popular fiction. SF…
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Review: KITTY SAVES THE WORLD by Carrie Vaughn
I had really high expectations for this book since it is the end of a 15-book saga by one of my favorite authors. Vaughn exceeded every single expectation. Bring together a bunch of old allies: Characters from every major adventure show up to help Kitty through this final battle. All…
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Interview with Samantha Holloway
The final book in Samantha Holloway‘s epic fantasy trilogy is coming out soon, and to celebrate, I’ve asked her here to pick her brain about the specifics of writing books in series format rather than one by one.
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Review: THE CURIOUS CASE by Gail Carriger
This is a short story, rather than a novel, so you’ll forgive me if my review of it is short and sweet as well. This story serves as a lovely taste of the shared world of Gail Carriger’s three series, the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Finishing School, in terms of both…
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Con Report: Confluence 2015
This weekend I attended Confluence, Pittsburgh’s science fiction/fantasy/horror literary convention, hosted by Parsec. I had a great time being on panels and meeting other writers and readers. I’m lucky enough to live close enough to other writer friends that I didn’t have to make the 4.5 hour drive to Mars,…