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Review: Shadowed Souls by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes

Nov 092016
 

Cover for Shadowed Souls edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes.RT Book Reviews: Most times heroes/heroines are in the good-rather-than-evil camp, but what if behavior that is considered “good vs. evil” is in the eye of the beholder? Eleven of today’s most talented authors take on this theme and serve up a variety of intriguing, if sometimes dark, short stories. Most of the stories feature characters from the various author’s ongoing series, so readers will enjoy another glimpse into the worlds they have created. A must-read anthology for UF fans!

 November 9, 2016  Tagged with: ,

Review: Shadowed Souls by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes

Nov 072016
 

Cover for Shadowed Souls edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes.Locus: This anthology of 11 original stories explores the “idea that good and evil are just two aspects of a complicated and very human story.” The authors all bring their own notions of what that means, with rather varied results, though overall the stories are on the dark side. Among the standout stories is Butcher’s own “Cold Case”, which finds Harry Dresden’s former apprentice Molly Carpenter, now a Queen of Faerie as the Winter Lady, on a mission for Mab to Alaska ­ where her heroic efforts to help the local fae end up having an unexpected result that really mixes good and evil. […T]his is a solid selection for those who like their urban fantasy a little on the dark side.

 November 7, 2016  Tagged with: ,

Review: Wild Card by Jim Butcher

Nov 022016
 

Cover for Jim Butcher's Wild Card, a Dresden Files graphic novel.Kirkus: Packed with action and mystery, this is a good Dresden story with plenty for new and old fans alike. Molly’s power is growing, and if you’ve read the books, you know where that is heading, and it adds tension to those scenes. Murphy, too, is growing and we get to see a lot of her in this installment. The art is amazing, per usual – done by Carlos Gomez and Sean Izaakse.

Read Kirkus’ full review of Wild Card here.

 November 2, 2016  Tagged with: ,

Starred Review: At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson

Nov 012016
 

Cover for At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson.Kirkus: If your boyfriend is erased from history, is it because the universe is shrinking, or have you totally lost your mind?

During senior year in high school, college applications and prom dates are the stresses du jour. But Oswald “Ozzie” Pinkerton’s also include trying to convince anyone (family, friends, an alphabetical string of therapists) that his boyfriend, Tommy, ever existed. They theorize that Ozzie is obsessive and slightly touched; he theorizes that the universe is shrinking and that Tommy was a casualty of restricting astral girth. As Ozzie tracks the solar system’s diminishing waist size, his still-existing world unravels and conversely weaves new chapters. One of these chapters is Calvin, a once-golden, now-reclusive student. When the two are paired for a physics project, Ozzie weighs his loyalty to absent Tommy against his growing attraction to present Calvin. A varied cast of characters populates the pages: there’s a genderqueer girl who prefers masculine pronouns, a black boyfriend, an Asian/Jewish (by way of adoption) best friend, and a bevy of melting-pot surnames. Ozzie is a white male, and he is respectfully called out on underestimating the privilege he enjoys for being just that. Though Ozzie primarily narrates in the past tense (with sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll drifting through the background), intermittent flashbacks in the present tense unveil the tender, intimate history of Ozzie’s relationship with Tommy. An earthy, existential coming-of-age gem.

 November 1, 2016  Tagged with: ,

2016 Earphones Award

Oct 182016
 

Cover for Mary Robinette Kowal's Ghost Talkers.Congratulations to Mary Robinette Kowal on winning a 2016 Earphones Award for Ghost Talkers!

Imagine that the British military of the Great War utilized intelligence gleaned in their soldiers’ final moments by having the dead “report in” for debriefing with spiritualists. Kowal spins this idea into a thoroughly satisfying and believable novel blending fantasy, history, and suspense. The story is peopled with mediums, officers, servants, and gossips–some American, most English, and a few German–and with a plot that makes fine use of action as well as emotions. Kowal goes a giant step further with her narration, which is fully voiced, perfectly smooth, and paced with spot-on accuracy to invest every passage with compelling listening. With such a unique and thoroughly developed story, and a performance that brings it as fully to life, this is a must-listen for everyone.

 October 18, 2016  Tagged with: , ,

Review: The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

Sep 292016
 

Cover for Cherie Priest's The Family Plot.B&N: A ghost story lives or dies on its creep factor, and Priest absolutely nails it, spinning a Southern Gothic tale of family secrets and avenging spirits with just enough humor sprinkled throughout to break the tension before racheting the suspense back up to heart-pounding levels.

Read B&N’s full review of The Family Plot here.

 September 29, 2016  Tagged with: ,

Review: The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

Sep 272016
 

Cover for Cherie Priest's The Family Plot.Tor.com: Priest has a striking prose style–­she’s immensely readable­–and a chilling ability to write really unnerving scenes. […] The pace is tight the whole way through, with tension that rises peak on peak up to the climactic crisis. […] The house itself is an incredible character. Place matters, here: matters deeply. One of the most notable things about The Family Plot, as a southern Gothic haunted house horror novel, is the sense of ever-increasing claustrophobia. It’s about interiors, both literal and metaphorical: the interior of the house, and the inside of a person’s mind and/or emotions. The inside of the home turned strange and threatening: the inside of the self exposed and forced into the light.

Read Tor.com’s full review of The Family Plot here.

 September 27, 2016  Tagged with: ,

Review: The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

Sep 192016
 

Cover for Cherie Priest's The Family Plot.RT Book Reviews: Priest continues to cement her reputation as a master of modern gothic with a haunted house tale that’s a slow burn with an utterly addictive finale. Though it feels like more could be done with the ghosts of the Withrow house, the living characters do more than their fair share of lifting with interactions that are charming and funny. That said, fans and new readers should walk away satisfied and just a little bit worried when in the house alone.

Read RT Book Reviews’ full review of The Family Plot here.

 September 19, 2016  Tagged with: ,

Review: Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal

Sep 142016
 

Cover for Mary Robinette Kowal's Ghost Talkers.NPR: But it was that rare ability of Kowal’s to make what could have been a completely goofy add-on to the British war effort into something that felt completely wedded and solid that sold me ­ that spark of a great idea, well-executed. It is a story that just works. That lays out a presumption (ghosts are real), builds a plot architecture around it (they might be useful intelligence assets), and then grounds it with emotional weight (those forced to talk to the ghosts of the young and dead might not come out of it unscathed).

Read NPR’s full review of Ghost Talkers here.

 September 14, 2016  Tagged with: ,

Review: The Night Parade by Ronald Malfi

Sep 132016
 

Cover for Ronald Malfi's The Night Parade.Booklist: The destruction or ending of the world as we know it is a common backdrop for examining elements of humanity. The numerous ways in which humanity and our world are going to crash and burn are terrifying and fascinating. Malfi adds an interesting new angle to the mix by placing the story in a world infected by the Wanderer’s Folly, a disease that blurs the lines between dreams and reality. While the disease and its impact on the human race are interesting, moving, and effective, the story’s real drive is the relationship between a father, David, and his daughter, Ellie. Ellie is a special girl; she is able to calm her parents when they are angry and cause people pain by merely touching them. Ellie’s abilities and the fact that her mother was immune to the Folly draw unwanted attention to the pair. David’s drive to protect his daughter at all costs and Ellie’s developing skills make for an emotionally compelling and interesting read.

 September 13, 2016  Tagged with: ,
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