The stories of FitzChivalry Farseer were well documented by Robin Hobb in the Farseer Trilogy and the Tawny Man Trilogy. His actions even had consequences only seen in the Liveship Traders Trilogy and the Rainwild Chronicles. And for some time everyone thought Fitz, aka Tom Badgerlock, was going to live the happily ever after he […]
Book Review: THE QUANTUM THIEF and THE FRACTAL PRINCE by Hannu Rajaniemi
July 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The John Le Flambeur series, or at least the two books released so far, are stories for those who love stories. Linguaphiles in particular will be delighted by The Quantum Thief and The Fractal Prince from Hannu Rajaniemi, whose last name takes some practice to say if you’re not a native Finnish speaker. The third, […]
Graphic Novel Review: RED SONJA VOL. 1 QUEEN OF THE PLAGUES by Gail Simone and Walter Geovani
June 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Chainmail bikinis are a faux pas. Except they’re not when they’re worn by a barbarian woman wielding a bastard sword, then they become appropriate for all kinds of reasons. Such as, she looks badass. Or… actually I can’t think of a good reason for a woman or a man to wear so little armor, it […]
Book Review: HONOR AMONG THIEVES: STAR WARS (EMPIRE AND REBELLION) by James S.A. Corey
June 6, 2014 by 1 Comment
Star Wars was showing its cracks long before George Lucas sold the franchise and all its intellectual property to Disney. Many who have read the expanded universe will recognize the failings as the stories shifted from focused adventures to galaxy-threatening apocalypses with every book. The early books by Timothy Zahn or Michael A. Stackpole had […]
Book Review: BLACKDOG by K.V. Johansen
May 30, 2014 by 2 Comments
Silk Road fantasy is something special. It’s moving beyond the English-speaking world’s preoccupation with Anglo-Saxon mythological derivatives to show a broader spectrum of what is possible on this planet or one like it. That is why Blackdog by K.V. Johansen is such a treat, as it is a world steeped in lore ever as deep […]
Book Review: TALUS AND THE FROZEN KING by Graham Edwards
March 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The manic energy of modern day our modern Sherlock Holmes is a difficult thing to transpose to a book. To take such a character and place them in the Stone Age without the aid of modern technology runs the risk of creating a story so at odds with itself that any trunk it’s hidden in […]
Graphic Novel Review: FEDERAL BUREAU OF PHYSICS VOL. 1 by Simon Oliver and Robbi Rodriguez
March 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
One of the fundamental difficulties of reading Science Fiction that gets bandied about the internet is the inherent requirement for the reader to learn about new technology. Compared to fantasy, Sci-Fi is apparently asking a lot of readers. After all, swinging a sword and riding a horse are apparently skills we have all internalized and […]
Book Review: ANCILLARY JUSTICE by Ann Leckie
February 5, 2014 by 2 Comments
There are three reasons why Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie probably took first place on io9’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2013 and why it deserves to be at the top of such a list. Even if you don’t care for io9 and their selection, this is a book that you should give […]
Book Review: ROADSIDE PICNIC by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
January 7, 2014 by 1 Comment
A mark of great science fiction is when its effects on the world are so subtle and misconstrued that few can actively recognize its impact. Roadside Picnic, by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky, has done just that for the past forty years. The mere fact that the brothers Strugatsky coined the term stalker speaks to their […]
Book Review: THE GARDEN OF STONES by Mark T. Barnes
November 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The typical Chinese garden is designed to reflect the world in miniature whilst providing an idealized view of it as one passes through – it can be both ornate and sprawling. The Japanese rock garden on the other hand is an overly stylized representation that focuses on a minimalist approach to the story it tells […]
