I wish I had enjoyed this more, but when a novel of just a smidgen over two hundred pages takes me more than a week to read, something’s definitely not working for me, and I think I know what it is. While the premise behind The Kind Folk is certainly compelling, and horror novelist Ramsey Campbell sure knows his stuff when it comes to creating dread and suspense, I nevertheless had a difficult time getting used to his writing style and technique, which ultimately affected my overall enjoyment of the story and its characters. Of course when it comes down to an author’s writing style, each individual reader’s mileage may vary, so you may still wish to give this book a try if the story sounds like something that would interest you. Imagine finding out you are not who you’ve always thought you were, and for the moment to play out on television in front of a nationwide audience. Luke is a 30-year-old standup comedian who along with his parents Maurice and Freda are called up to appear on Brittan’s Resolutions, a fictional Maury-like British daytime talk show which specializes in paternity tests. Maurice has long held suspicions that his…

For those of you too busy to read this whole post the ‘in brief’ version of this review is that I loved Nevernight. Its a book that I’ve been highly anticipating and we all know how wrong that can sometimes go and yet it lived up to my expectations completely. I really had a good time reading this. It’s a very entertaining and well thought out story with a very readable main protagonist and her sidekick set at it’s heart. A story of assassins with a murderer running amok in their midst. I’m going to set this review on it’s head in terms of my usual style by beginning with a few thoughts or maybe even criticisms. I’ve seen, comparisons being made of this book to the Harry Potter series and I can see where those comparisons are coming from. A sizeable chunk of this story is set in a school, the protagonists are teenagers and there are all sorts of fantasy elements blended into the school ranging from bookworms in the library to a labyrinth of tunnels and staircases that never seem to stay in the same place for very long. However, I would point out that Nevernight is…

Serving as a prequel to Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, the first book of The Song of Shattered Sands, Of Sand and Malice Made is a thoroughly entertaining story that adds another layer to the world that Bradley P. Beaulieu has created. Consisting of three interlinked tales, this is a book that goes beyond mere setting and culture to put a true Arabian Nights spin on epic fantasy. That fact surprised me almost as much as it delighted me, for it seems rather fitting that Çeda’s first chapter should have such a familiar, classic sort of feel to it. These aren’t quite fables or folk tales, but all of the elements are there, right from supernatural deities to charms and curses. Freed of the pacing issues and narrative flashbacks that were something of a challenge in Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, this is a story that all but races along as it gets the heart racing. What really excited me about it is that there is a feeling of genuine risk involved, which is hard to pull off in a prequel where you already know the fates of the main characters. In fact, there was several points where I had to glance…

As Star Trek novels (or, in this case, novellas) go, Time Lock was a very different sort of read. It’s set in the original timeline, within the extended universe that has continued beyond TNG, DS9, and Voyager, but aside from a few instances of name-dropping, it has nothing to do with the characters with which readers are most familiar. Instead, this is a sort of side series, dealing with the Department of Temporal Investigations. Christopher L. Bennett had his work cut out for him here, not only telling a story without the most famous characters or starships, but one that’s entirely dependent on the intricacies of time travel. In lesser hands, this could have been a confusing, convoluted mess. Not only do we have time travel, but there’s the paradox of viewing the present/future at the same time, and the added complication of time moving slower/faster for different characters. Even as a seasoned fan, I found it a bit challenging to maintain a sense of time inside and outside the facility, but that was part of the fun. The characters here really don’t get enough time to really develop or stand out as truly memorable, but they do a serviceable job of…

I started reading The Devourers with very little knowledge of the story, as I usually try to avoid re-reading the story synopsis when I start something new. And so I wasn’t quite prepared for such an unexpected combination of stunning writing and visceral imagery. This is a tale about werewolves, but they aren’t the sort you might be familiar with. Das’ beasts don’t simply kill humans for sport, they actually devour them down to the bones (hence the title), and then they take the smallest bones and weave them into their hair and skin as decorations. The actual transformation from human to “second self”—what the werewolves call their changed state—is told in vague descriptions that let each reader come to their own conclusions about exactly what these beasts look like. The Devourers is all about stories, and Das has constructed a fascinating story within a story. It takes a little time to figure out just what’s going on, so the beginning felt a little slow. But this should by no means turn you off this book. I’ve always enjoyed this method of storytelling, and Das is devilishly brilliant at it. The story begins in Kolkata, India, with a chance meeting…

Necessity is the final book in the Thessaly trilogy by Jo Walton. As the story continues generations from the start of the series, we find the citizens doing very well, integrating themselves into the interstellar world. There are alien residents and traders visiting the planet. The individual cities seem to be thriving, and people are free to move wherever they feel best fits their personal ideology. It is utopia, finally (or at least much closer than they had achieved previously). But there are complications caused by a sudden death and then a nearing spaceship that will be their first interactions with space humans which kick our story for this final chapter in the series. I have to say, my reading experience with this one was a little different than the first two. Both The Just City and Philosopher Kings seemed to create a more philosophical undertone to them that I just didn’t find in Necessity. The Just City really showed how rigid structure, even when it is with the best intentions, creates a new set of problems. It also explored what constitutes a thinking being, at what point does artificial intelligence become independent and an individual. Philosopher Kings took a strong look at forgiveness versus vengeance,…

Wolf’s Empire is a space opera with, as strange as it may sound, the Roman Empire set at it’s heart.  Imagine a world in which the Roman Empire continued to go from strength to strength dominating not only the known world but eventually branching out into space to eventually embrace an empire spanning the galaxy.  This story imagines a Rome set 7,000 years in the future and yet still brings to us an empire with conflict at it’s core.  The story is one of revenge and involves a young woman who goes to great length to avenge the deaths of her mother and brother and also to try and break free of the unwanted role placed upon her by society. I must say that I really did enjoy this read.  I had a few qualms here and there and I did wonder how a Roman theme would lend itself to such a futuristic story but on the whole I think the authors did a great job of bringing to us a sweeping story of revenge that actually evolves into so much more than I ever anticipated. Firstly, a little background.  Accala Viridian is a noblewoman, from House Viridian, one of the…

A departure from his Raven’s Shadow trilogy, Anthony Ryan’s latest novel The Waking Fire is the start of a new series featuring a compelling blend of fantasy, adventure, and intrigue. And if there was one thing I learned from reading Queen of Fire, it’s that Ryan has a talent for writing amazing scenes of battle on the high seas—which are also plentiful in this new book. Then, there are the dragons. Oh, we mustn’t forget the dragons. In this fascinating new world of The Draconis Memoria, no other commodity is prized above what the people call “product”, a deceptively innocuous term for something in fact truly magical and amazing: Dragon’s blood. By itself, product is unremarkable—volatile and dangerous, even—save for the powers it bestows to a very small slice of the population known as the blood-blessed, those rare men and women who are literally one in a thousand. Their abilities that manifest are so advantageous and formidable, that entire industries have been dedicated to the harvesting of dragon blood, either from hunting the creatures or taking it from those kept in captivity. Unfortunately though, over-exploitation has depleted their numbers in the wild, and those in the Ironship Syndicate who have…

Catalia Fisa is a powerful mage and clairvoyant hiding out from her murderous mother. What’s a girl to do when she runs away from home? Why, she joins the circus of course! Posing as a fraudulent soothsayer and going by the name of Cat the Great, Cat’s been able to stay off the radar for years. Too bad for her that mommy dearest isn’t the only person interested in dragging Cat back home, kicking and screaming … This really shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Cat’s more than just your average mage or clairvoyant (of course). She’s the Kingmaker, a type of clairvoyant born every few hundred years with the power to detect any lies or disloyalty, and thus she can make kings rise – or fall. And the brilliant strategist and former warlord Griffin, known as Beta Sinta, wants Cat to ensure that his family’s reign will be long-lasting. Griffin’s sister is Alpha Sinta, the supreme authority in the Sintan territory, and she needs Cat’s abilities. And Griffin’s not going to take no for an answer. We get to know Cat, Griffin, and Griffin’s most loyal men very well as the ragtag group makes their way – some more…

Red Right Hand is a book based in a world full of monsters.  A dark and frightening place that takes inspiration from the work of Lovecraft.  I must say that I didn’t love this book and this puzzles me to an extent.  Perhaps the fact that I haven’t read any Lovecraft didn’t help but for me it was a strange combination of brutal truths and flashbacks combined with gruesome horror.  I certainly wouldn’t try to dissuade anyone from reading as I’m sure Lovecraft fans will find a wealth of imagination here to capture their attention. The pacing is good.  We get off to an immediate start as we’re introduced to Charlie Tristan Moore as she returns home from a disastrous night out with her boyfriend to be confronted by three skinhounds (which are every bit as bad as they sound and seem to have designs on Charlie).  Charlie is rescued by an unlikely Man in Black (MiB), a strange character, foreboding, not totally trustworthy, with a ruined red right hand and a leather coat that seems to have a mind of it’s own.  I wouldn’t say that the MiB has any redeeming characters, in fact it feels a little like going…