Fantasy fiction that's out of the ordinary

Butcher, Jim: Storm Front

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:07:44 GMT

Storm Front
Writer: Jim Butcher
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 322

So I finally got around to reading the ever-infamous debut of The Dresden Files. It's a good read, but it didn't grab me, and I think it's more due to fact it's just been built up so much that it was almost impossible for me to really sit down and relax with this sucker. That said, the book (series) is a staple in the urban fantasy genre, and I'm glad I read it. It's worth reading, hyped up or not. :)

The premise: Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire. Only he lives in modern day Chicago, and no one takes him seriously. The ones who do are either crazy or simply don't trust him, even when they need his help. And he gets more than he can chew when the police call him in on a double-homicide, one committed with black magic. It wouldn't be so bad, if everyone around him didn't think he was the killer.

The full review, with spoilers, can be found in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Jim Butcher's STORM FRONT

Happy Reading! :)

Review: Margo Lanagan's Red Spikes

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:09:24 GMT

You might have heard of her: Margo Lanagan, young adult author, the celebrated writer of White Time and Black Juice, one of those rare, incredible story-tellers who can tug you into a another time and place, effortlessly as pulling a string while she spins out her story.

If you haven’t heard of Ms. Lanagan, consider Red Spikes an invitation, and an imperative to read a story or two. Her latest collection of short stories, Red Spikes features a myriad of worlds: each of them unique, alive, and utterly compelling. From stories about sky-gods, to faerie-folk and parakeets, Lanagan has an incredible capacity for world building.

Baby Jane: How many writers would think to explore childbirth through the perspective of a teenage boy? Not many: and Lanagan makes it work. An odd, sweet story about birth and a sort of coming-of-age as a teenage boy midwifes a baby from a medieval world.

Monkey’s Pasternoter: The first of the animal stories of this collection. When their patriarch falls ill, a monkey clan is beset by murderous bachelors at their borders.

A Good Heart: Following his sweetheart’s wedding party, a boy named Arlen Michaels discovers his darling is…less than the angel he thought she was, and what her new husband believes her to be.

Winkie: There’s a monster preying on children who don’t stay in their beds. Absolutely ghoulish.

Hero Vale: Near an academy ruled by Bully Raglan and his cronies, knights from other worlds wage epic battles against each other.

A Feather in the Breast of God: A pet bird returns to save the troubled daughter of its human family. Dedicated to the memory of several parakeets in Lanagan’s family’s keeping, this is a gentle and wonderful story.

Under Hell over Heaven: Lanagan’s deeply, deeply unsettling take on Catholic constructions of heaven, hell and purgatory. Four teammates traverse purgatory from the edge of heaven to the edge of hell, to bring a Miscreant soul to his proper destination.

Mouse Maker: When a witch is battered by a mob, her friend and neighbour deals with the aftermath on having failed to protect her.

Forever Upward: In a world ruled by the Churchmen, Curija and her mother set out to hook a sky-god to save their men, and their people. Lovely and haunting, and Lanagan creates this immense feeling of *awe* for this alien, unfamiliar thing.

Daughter of the Clay: A changeling girl seeks out her earthly counterpart to restore each of them to their rightful places.

Levitt, John: Dog Days

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:32:35 GMT

Dog Days
Writer: John Levitt
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 297

John Levitt's urban fantasy debut is a good read, and one of the more original UFs I've read in a long time. There's so much in the world-building that's just really cool or different (at least, based on the UF I've read, which pretty much centers on the holy trinity of fangs, fur, and fae), and the Ifrits--magical companions to those with talent, but not ALL of those with talent, and not always the most talented, for that matter--are a really cool touch, as well as the crux of the story. The first person POV didn't grab me, but in this case, I think it's a matter of taste. The book is good, but it's not addictive for me particularly, but that's me, not the book or the author.

The full review, which does contain spoilers, is at my LJ if anyone's interested. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: John Levitt's DOG DAYS

Happy Reading! :)

other LJ communities I run

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:26:31 GMT

I run lots of other LJ communities, aside from this one, so I’m going to plug some of them here.

sf_with_bite - For discussions of science fiction that gets away from cliches like space battles and laser cannons.

swordandsorcery - sword & sorcery fiction, including books, graphic novels. movies, TV.

vintage_crime - crime fiction written up to the end of the 1950s. Everything from Sherlock Holmes to Raymond Chandler to Agatha Christie. We also occasionally get into discussions of TV and movie adaptations, but we mainly focus on novels and short stories.

talkbooks - a community for general book discussions, focusing mainly on the stuff you won’t find on the bestseller shelves in your local chain bookstore.

mystery_novels - mystery and crime novels old and new

cult_movie - all kinds of cult movies, from juvenile delinquent movies to eurohorror, from art-house classics to Roger Corman, from Hammer horror to exploitation movies.

cult_tv_lounge - cult TV programs of the 1960s and 1970s

strange_tears - 19th century art and poetry, especially the Pre-Raphaelites, the Symbolists and the Decadents (but most definitey not the Impressionists). We also talk about 19th century culture and society in general.

movie_greats discussion of films from the beginning of movies up to the end of the 1970s

Fantasy Author of the Week - Megan Lindholm

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:13:34 GMT

The Fantasy Author of the Week for this week is Megan Lindholm.  Do you have a favourite fantasy novel or story by Megan Lindholm? What do you like most about her writing? And what do you like least about it?
Megan Lindholm of course also writes under the name Robin Hobb.

Win a free book!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:38:57 GMT

Just a note to say that genrereviews is having an awesome contest. It's reeeeally easy: clicky on the contest link, grab the book closest to you, flip to page 132, and give me the 7th line. (You probably want to give me the author and title, too, because I'm more than likely to ask.) Yes, that's really it. So go do it! Because the winner gets a free book of their choice from the list of books we've reviewed on the site.

Deadline's July 14, and you get an extra entry for every person you refer over. Tell 'em to say who sent them!

Cross-posted the contest announcement to a bunch of places, so my apologies if you get it more than once.

Morrow, James: Blameless in Abaddon

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:08:54 GMT

Blameless in Abaddon
Writer: James Morrow
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Satire
Pages: 404

I'd never heard of James Morrow until 2003, when I audited a "Modern Science Fiction and Fantasy" course at Maryville College. We ended the term with Morrow's Towing Jehovah, which was the first taste of modern fantasy I'd ever read, let alone religious satire of a modern sort. I loved the book, but every time I'd go to the bookstore, I could never find the subsequent volumes, and I was too lazy to go to Amazon.

Enter the 2005 Odyssey Fantasy Writer's Workshop. One of the "signs" that convinced me to apply was the fact that James Morrow was going to be one of the guest lecturers. When I got in, I wasn't able to score a private or even an in-class critique with him, but his Q&A session was great, and while I remember very little of his lecture in class, I do remember that my experience with the man left me THISCLOSE to buying ALL of his books on Amazon and having them shipped home. I didn't, because I didn't have the disposable income, and that's just as well, because otherwise, dwarvanamazon wouldn't have known what to get my for my SHU graduation.

I was thrilled to get my hands on this book. I'd always known the rather rough arc of Morrow's Godhead Trilogy, so it was really neat to see that arc played out. What's cool is that even though it's been five years since I read Towing Jehovah, it wasn't necessary to have that book fresh on the brain to thoroughly enjoy this one, the independent sequel.

As far as reviews go, I'll be honest, to truly "review" this book would require--for me--such an in-depth analysis that I'd never finish, so I'm not going to bother with a cut. Instead, I'll give you a brief summary, a couple of brief details, and be done with it.

Towing Jehovah centers on one basic premise: God is LITERALLY dead, and it's up to a small-group of people to tow His body to Its final resting place in the Arctic.

But in Blameless in Abaddon, God's body has been discovered and has made world-wide news. There's all kinds of theories revolving around the body, including whether or not God is REALLY dead or simply in a coma. Turns out the latter is true, and our protagonist, Judge Martin Candle, wants to hold God accountable for all the ills of the Earth.

At first glance, it seems a rather silly premise, but it's pulled off with magnificence and subtlety that makes for a very good, intellectual, and entertaining read. Martin's is actually a modern-day Job, a man who's lost everything. Prior to those losses, he was known as one of the most fair judges around Abaddon, Pennsylvania, which makes him a likely candidate for his Herculean task.

The book is divided into three parts: the first introduces us to Martin and his life and reveals how the shit hit the fan. Part two details Martin's journey into God's brain, and oh, what an entertaining journey that is. We meet the "Ideas of" -- essentially, the prototypes of everything of Earth, but living in God's comatose brain. Enter dinosaurs playing Scramble, a guilt-ridden Noah, a know-it-all Saint Augustine, and of course, Adam and Eve, whose appearance might make more traditional Christians flip out. Me, I grinned. The final part of the book is, of course, the trial, and what's more to be said about that?

There's a wealth of fascinating debate and perspective concerning the problem of evil in this book, and of course, it's all anchored to the fact that in this world, God DOES (or did, before for the coma) exist. It's a solid, satisfying read, though Morrow did have me wondering just how much of this book, if any of it, would be different had it been written post-9/11. Maybe I'll get a chance to ask the author myself sometime.

Oh, and one more detail: did I mention that the Devil himself helps narrate the book? He does, and trust me, this particular vision of Lucifer, aka Satan, aka Jonathan Sarkos (as he's named in this text) is more than worth a reader's while, especially by the end.

My Rating

Must Have: I'll always recommend reading books in order, so really, if you haven't yet read Towing Jehovah and you're interested in Blameless in Abaddon, you really should. However, you don't have to. It's a great read with lots of interesting, thought-provoking questions to chew on, worth reading no matter what your religious stance or lack there-of is. Me, I'm once more tempted to go on Amazon and buy the rest of Morrow's backlist. We'll see what happens. :)

ten fantasy short stories

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:57:46 GMT

Here are ten fantasy short stories that I particularly like for some reason. I’m not claiming them as the best fantasy short stories, I just happen to be fond of them. Are there any fantasy short stories that you have a great fondness for?

Greg Bear, Petra
Angela Carter, The Lady of the House of Love
Lord Dunsany, The Fall of Babbulkund
Mary Gentle, The Knot Garden
Colin Greenland, A Passion for Lord Pierrot
M. John Harrison, Isobel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring
C. L. Moore, The Black God's Kiss
Shepard, Lucius, The Jaguar Hunter
Clark Ashton Smith, Xeethra
Jeff VanderMeer, The Bone Carver's Tale

Lynch, Scott: The Lies of Locke Lamora

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:25:37 GMT

The Lies of Locke Lamora
Writer: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 719

I actually finished Scott Lynch's fantasy debut earlier in the week, but I'm busy at grad school residency, and this is the first chance I've had a chance to catch my breath and focus my thoughts enough to post a review. A hard review to write, too, since The Lies of Locke Lamora was our residency read this go around, and since I've already discussed the book in class, it's rather hard to drum up my thoughts all over again for a review. Oh well.

It's a pretty easy book to describe: Robin Hood meets Ocean's Eleven with a splash of fantasy. The world-building is particularly well-done, even if Lynch sometimes seems to get more wrapped up in the world than the story. The characters are fun and entertaining, though I never felt attached to any of them, and the distance therefore didn't compel me to buy the next book in the series. Still, I can see why so many people love it, and why it's made such a splash in the fantasy community. I'm going to keep my eye on Lynch's work on the future, even though I'm not in a tremendous hurry to read it.

The full review, which doesn't include spoilers, is in my journal. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Scott Lynch's THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA

BONUS!!! GIVEAWAY!!!

I'm offering this title as well as titles from Daniel Abraham, David Anthony Durham, Guy Gavriel Kay, Ellen Kushner, and C.E. Murphy in a giveaway at my LJ. If you're interested in a free book, I invite you to enter. Just click here.

Happy Reading! :)

altering your whole view of the genre

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:36:59 GMT

Name one fantasy novel (or you can name more than one if you wish) that changed your entire way of thinking about the genre.

How did this book alter your view of the fantasy genre?

Free Fantasy Web Serial

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:50:56 GMT

Please do let me know if this is an inappropriate post.

THE GAUNTLET THROWN

by Cheryl Dyson & Xina Marie Uhl

A Free Web Serial Beginning July 1, 2008

Brydon's quest was simple. Borrow the fabled Gauntlet of Ven-Kerrick, bring it home to prove his worth, marry the princess, and ascend the throne.

He had planned for the dangerous terrain and Redolian assassins, but he did not count on slavers and werewolves. He did not expect the Gauntlet to be missing, nor to find the Kerrick royal family murdered, and he definitely did not anticipate the distractions of a sultry thief and a rescued slave girl.

Luckily, his worst enemy was there to help him out.

To receive free chapters of the entire novel - one per week - friend us or join our newsletter here.

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:53:18 GMT

The Face in the Frost, by John Bellairs. MacMillan, 1969.

Bellairs is known mainly as a writer of young adult fiction, but this book was written before he started with that genre. While this fantasy/horror/humor novel could certainly be enjoyed by young adults, it was aimed at adults.

Wizards Prospero and Roger Bacon need to save the world from a Dire Evil. While a short book, it covers their epic quest over hundreds of miles. Reading it, it kept making me think of Tolkien; after reading it, I discovered that Bellairs had indeed been trying to write a LOTR inspired quest fantasy. But while he might have been inspired by JRR, his sense of humor and a touch of horror save it from being derivative. I found it a very enjoyable can’t-put-it-down piece, but I was saddened that I didn’t find it scary as some people have. Still worth seeking out.

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:15:29 GMT

Dingo, by Charles de Lint. Firebird, 2008.

De Lint’s latest, a slim young adult novel, is, as usual, a joy to read. This is a spare, bare bones book- we plunge right into the story and it never lets up. In it, seventeen year old Miguel meets the girl of his dreams and finds that he is able to believe- and do- the unbelievable where she is concerned. He learns some surprising things about himself along the way, too, and about the hidden depths of the town bully. Very good, compelling reading.

Abraham, Daniel: A Shadow in Summer

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:06:58 GMT

A Shadow in Summer
Writer: Daniel Abraham
Genre: Fantasy/Epic
Pages: 356

Finally got around to reading Daniel Abraham's fantasy debut, A Shadow in Summer, and it was quite enjoyable. The premise: there are "poets," magicians of sorts who can capture an idea, an "andat" and bind it into corporeal form. The bond between poet and andat is strong, and in many ways, the andat is a reflection of everything the poet is, wants, or isn't, and the powers of the andat (put to use by the poet) keeps the cities wealthy and safe. But all of that's about to change when an andat does everything in its power to break free of its bond to its poet, and it doesn't care who it uses to do so.

It's a quiet fantasy, and not really epic in an adventure/action sense. Abraham really, really focuses on character, and it's fascinating to watch the relationships play out. Also enjoyable in this was the Asian-influenced culture, obvious in the names (Otah, Maati, Liat, Amat), setting, and even gestures.

The prologue, I'll tell you right now, is the weakest part of the book, so when you give it a shot, get through the first chapter at least. :) The rest of it is solid, and I look forward to getting the rest of these books.

The full review, which does include spoilers, may be found in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Daniel Abraham's A SHADOW IN SUMMER

Happy Reading!

PS: if any of you are still interested in winning a book on writer's block/procrastination (your choice of book), be sure to enter by June 20th! Just go here for details.

Stephen Donaldson

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:16:14 GMT

Our Fantasy Author of the Week for this week is Stephen Donaldson. Which of his books or stories are your favourites, and why? What is it about his writing that impresses you? What is it about his writing that you like least?

Durham, David Anthony: Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:25:41 GMT

Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein
Writer: David Anthony Durham
Genre: Fantasy/Epic
Pages: 576

Finally got around to reading and finishing David Anthony Durham's fantasy debut, Acacia. It's a good, but slow, read, and the world-building is excellent. I love the fact that this fantasy world is painted with so many shades of grey, and the good guys do bad things, and that the bad guys do things you can't help but empathize with. I wish there hadn't been QUITE so many POV characters, because those chapters took away from the characters I was really interested in, but oh well. It's a good read, and I'm looking forward to the sequel, whenever that arrives.

The full review, which is chock-full of spoilers, is in my journal. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: David Anthony Durham's ACACIA

Happy Reading!

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:30:44 GMT

Hi, I'm new here, this is my first post, and I have a whooole crapload of stuff!

My first book for your consideration is actually one of my recent favorites: Forever by Pete Hamill. (This contains slight spoilers, but it's really all revealed Forever starts off in 18th century Ireland about a young Irish/Jewish man who ends up in New York City pursuing a blood fued for the sake of his teaching by a Gaelic priestess, granted immortality as long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan by an African priestess. The magic is more a tool for getting to the meat of the story-- his adventures in New York from the 18th century to 2001-- but this part is a fun adventure through history, and pretty poignant, too: ("That was the curse attached to the gift: You buried everyone you loved"). It's a great look at some really serious themes, both made possible and made more lighthearted partly by the presence of the magic, which itself is a fun blend of various cutlures and beliefs.

Also quite good is his book Snow in August, described by some people as magical realism. I read it only once, and a while ago, so don't remember all the details, but from the amazon description: "In 1940s Brooklyn, friendship between an 11-year-old Irish Catholic boy and an elderly Jewish rabbi might seem as unlikely as, well, snow in August. But the relationship between young Michael Devlin and Rabbi Judah Hirsch is only one of the many miracles large and small contained in Pete Hamill's novel." The magic mainly stems from Jewish beliefs, the Cabbala, and the legend of the Golem. I didn't like it quite as much as Forever, but it was a good read, and a really creative use of fantasy/mythology.

Now for something completely different: I'm not all that grown-up yet, but over the last few years I've stopped reading new fantasy and instead sticking to my childhood favorites or non-fantasy international lit. But I still absolutely adore and enjoy my childhood favorites and highly, highly, highly recommend them for anyone.

The Gammage Cup and The Whisper of Glocken by Carol Kendall. It's... hard for me to describe these. The main race of people are always called "the small ones" seem quite the normal size in the first book, in which they battle an evil race nicknamed the Mushrooms, their calm, staid, over-controlled society is thoroughly explored, and they get only (misunderstood) glimpses of the world outside their valley (our culture). In the second book, they venture out and discover a whole lot of new people, including finally big people (though there's still so much not explained to them.) They're heartwarming, quirky, hilarious, great characters, highly creative, and I love them as much now as when I was younger.

The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (which is very different than the rest of the series, and not as good IMO), Black Hearts in Battersea, Nightbirds on Nantucket, The Stolen Lake, Dangerous Games, The Whispering Mountain (only tangentially related to the rest of the series, but still good), The Cuckoo Tree, Dido and Pa, Is Underground, Cold Shoulder Road, Midwinter Nightingale, and The Witch of Clatteringshaws (which I haven't actually read yet). ) One of my favorite series ever.

The early ones are more fantastic than actually fantasy and don't really contain any "magic"; the plots are unabashedly ridiculous, and based on things that could never happen (example (spoiler, I guess): a cannon that can shoot the king in St. James Palace from Nantucket.) But later on in the series we have telepathy, a strange race of mountain-dwellers, a werewolf, pacific-island-esque magic (and an anticolonialism lesson), and, in my favorite book of the series, The Stolen Lake, a reincarnated King Arthur and a Guinevere who has kept herself alive for thousands of years... and who has been living in South America. And giant, carniverous birds, a society that still speaks Latin, legitimate witches, and volcanoes. And a literal stolen lake. Oh, yeah, all of the books are alternate-history. The magic isn't really explained at all (are there real demons, or is it due to the hallucinogenic peas?), and it doesn't need to be; these books are fun, exciting, witty, and frankly hysterical, with great (if outrageous) plots and some of my favorite characters ever.

And, since I found this community through an interest search on "King Arthur," and since I just discovered that one reviewer compared Joan Aiken positively to him, I have to include

Gerald Morris' King Arthur fantasy: The Squire's Tale, The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady, The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf, Parsifal's Page, The Ballad of Sir Dinadan (my personal favorite), The Princess, The Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight, The Lioness and her Knight, and The Quest of the Fair Unknown (and I think there might be one more I haven't read yet.) All the traditional magical Arthurian elements, and more; but more importanly, the characters are all wonderful, unique, suprisingly realistic considering the genre, and sympathetic, and the books are so. damn. funny. They're goofy and tongue-and-cheek and... just consider this scene, where Gawain meets Arthur for the first time:

"You say that Gawain was wearing no armor?" the king interrupted.
"No, sir, on account of being at dinner, I think," Terence said.
"Very proper," Arthur said, his lips twitching. He looked at Gawain. "And was Sir Hautubris wearing armor, nephew?"
"Yes, sire."
Arthur turned back to Terence. "Go on," he said.
"So he tried to kill milord, like I said, but he couldn't because milord kept hitting him with the stewpot."
"With the what?" Kai interrupted, a grin of delight spreading over his face.
"The stewpot, sir. Milord didn't have his sword, you see, so he hit Sir Hautubris in the head with the pot." (The Squire's Tale, p33, Laurel Leaf original edition)

And, finally, a question: if I enjoyed Guy Gavriel Kay's Last Light of the Sun, but didn't really care for The Fionavar Tapestry books (I know this is probably the reverse of most people,) and my favorite parts of LLotS were the Viking segments/characters/plotlines, which book of his should I try next?

Kay, Guy Gavriel: Ysabel

Thu, 29 May 2008 01:13:49 GMT

Ysabel
Writer: Guy Gavriel Kay
Genre: Fantasy/Modern
Pages: 416

I hadn't even heard of Guy Gavriel Kay until Odyssey 2005, but thanks to the glowing recommendations of a few of my classmates, I've been looking forward to reading him ever since. Why haven't I until now? Don't ask: my brain works in strange and mysterious ways sometimes, but I can say that by time I'd decided I would read Tigana first, I couldn't find a good copy in the store, and I was too lazy to order it from Amazon.

Ysabel had caught my eye from the start, mostly because it was a modern, contemporary fantasy. I waited for the trade to come out, and I had an additional incentive to read it because this book was another on the SHU fantasy ballot that the fantasy writers didn't pick.

The premise: Ned's spending the spring in Aix-en-Provence (France, for those of you not in the know) with his father, a famous photographer. During a shoot, Ned wanders into a cathedral and meets a cute, geeky girl who'll become his best friend, a scar-faced man who could become his enemy, and discovers a magic he never knew he had. He'll need it too, and he'll need all the help his family and friends can give him as he's drawn into a tale thousands of years old, when the past comes into the present to change and claim lives.

I'm not going to bother with a cut for this one, because frankly, I can't spoil the book even if I wanted to, and there's not a whole lot I can say without rambling like an idiot. I want to ramble like an idiot too. It's something I tend to do when I find books I fall in love with.

Despite the eyebrow-raising start of a prologue, the story that unfolds is simple but beautiful, and what makes it work is the uncanny ability to create real characters with real motivations and interactions with each other. I never once found myself disbelieving a character or his/her actions, that's how realistically drawn these people are. If not for the measured, organic feel of the plot, I might label this as a YA novel, as 95% of it is told through Ned's limited third person POV. Kay has no trouble simple letting things happen as they aught, and he doesn't provide easy answers. Even the most frequented question in the book, Who are you? is never fully answered directly, but there's beauty in that, and you still get the answer, if you're paying attention. Beauty, too, in Kay's refusal to tell the reader EVERYTHING, like what the white boar really is, and what really happened to Kim and Dave all those years ago (I want a prequel, damn it!).

This might frustrate some readers, but Kay handles it with finesse, revealing only what's necessary to the main plot and never purposefully withholding just to be coy. That's a hard thing to do, and I admire him for it. There's a real sense of atmosphere in this book, and I don't know if that's just the mastery of Kay's work or a particular kinship I felt with the setting, especially the Villa Sans Souci (the French spelling of my last name), which makes me want to visit Aix-en-Provence so badly it's not even funny. Whatever it is, I was sucked into this book pretty quickly, and it wove a beautiful tale that was both familiar but different. Comfortable, yet tense. In some ways, I was reminded of Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Charles de Lint, and even Elizabeth Bear's Blood and Iron, but never directly, if that makes a lick of sense.

Ysabel would've made a fine choice for the SHU readers. The slow, deliberate pace might have bored some people, but it would've taught EVERYONE, including fantasy writers, something about the genre, and I think it would've satisfied a good many people outside of the genre as well.

My Rating

Must Have: But it's really, really close to "Keeper Shelf." In time, I might bump it up, but for now, I'm happy with just having a read a very beautifully written book, and I can't wait to read more of Kay's work in the future.

Author of the Week - Jeff VanderMeer

Wed, 28 May 2008 11:40:38 GMT

Our Fantasy Author of the Week for this week is Jeff VanderMeer. Which of his books or stories are your favourites, and why? What is it about his writing that impresses you? What is it about her writing that you like least?

I must confess I’ve only read City of Saints and Madmen (which I loved) and a couple of short stories, including the superb The Bone Carver’s Tale.

Kushner, Ellen: The Privilege of the Sword

Mon, 26 May 2008 04:34:07 GMT

The Privilege of the Sword
Writer: Ellen Kushner
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 459

I would've probably been better off not reading this book, as I never really WANTED to, but it ended up being part of a list for a personal reading challenge I set for myself, so go figure. No, I wasn't enamored of even very much engaged by this novel, even though it has ingredients I should've sunk my teeth into (gender reversal, sexual freedoms, etc).

The premise: Katherine is a well-bred country girl hoping to live every girl's dream of marrying well and fitting into society. But her uncle is known as the Mad Duke, and the Mad Duke suddenly decides to giver her and her family the offer of a lifetime: he'll return to them the family fortune, if only Katherine will come to live with him for six months. Oh, and learn how to use a sword.

I can't help but suspect that my lack of reading Kushner's other books set in this world greatly diminished my enjoyment of this one, but I will warn potential readers that this book lacks recognizable fantasy conventions, and the only thing that makes this particular book worthy of the genre is the fact it's a fictional, secondary world.

The full review's in my journal, in anyone's interested. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Ellen Kushner's THE PRIVILEGE OF THE SWORD

Happy Reading! :)

Mon, 26 May 2008 03:31:11 GMT

Fragile Things, by Neil Gaiman. William Morrow, 2006

While some of the stories in this book have horror aspects to them, I hesitate to call them horror stories. Some-most- have fantasy aspects to them, but don’t always fall neatly into the fantasy category. I think they could best be called ‘weird tales’; they’d fit right into the old pulp magazines.

The book leads with a Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft mashup and ends with a novella starring Shadow from American Gods. In between are stories and poems that range in quality from uninspired to riveting. A good lot were written on spec- there is even one written for website for The Matrix before the movie was ever made, which made a hell of a lot more sense to me than the movie did. My favorite was the one about Shadow; Gaiman has a great deal of trouble fleshing out characters in his short stories and Shadow was already familiar to me, so I *cared* that he was obviously walking into a trap. The volume is worth definitely worth a read, but be prepared for the uneven quality.

Wed, 21 May 2008 23:21:45 GMT

Smoke and Mirrors, by Neil Gaiman. Harper, 1998

This collection of short stories and story poems spans Gaiman’s writing career. They range from Lovecraftian tales to fallen angels to science fiction about curing cancer. While all story collections are uneven in quality, all the offerings in this book are almost guaranteed to please; I’m not the biggest fan of short fiction, but I was not disappointed with a single tale. I think my favorite is “Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar”, one of the Lovecraft inspired stories, which manages to be both humorous and creepy. All the tales are dark; if they were films they’d be in black and white and mostly shadows. Highly recommended.

Briggs, Patricia: Moon Called

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:18:33 GMT

Moon Called
Writer: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 288

Took a break from my writer's block/procrastination books to curl up with an urban fantasy. Patricia Briggs's Moon Called had been highly recommended to me, and since I have a fetish for werewolves, I couldn't help but check it out. It's a good book. Fast, super-smooth read, and even though werewolves are beyond common in urban fantasy these days, I was pleased to see that Briggs's weres differed greatly (aside from the pack dynamics that dominate nearly EVERY werewolf book I've read) from Vaughn's and Armstrong's.

The main character, Mercy Thompson, isn't a werewolf. She's a walker (derived from skinwalker) and can shape-shift into coyote form. She's one of the last of her kind and she doesn't know what it means to be a walker and why she's seen as such a threat to the rest of the supernatural community. But she also doesn't care. She minds her own business until a newly-Changed werewolf comes to her shop for help, and by helping him, she finds herself in the middle of something much, much bigger.

And did I mention that Mercy's an auto-mechanic? Because she is, and that's beyond awesome.

Also note that there's .01% of paranormal romance in this book. The tale focuses on Mercy and her friends, and obviously, the plot itself and the mystery. Like I said, it's a good read.

The full review is in my LJ if anyone's interested. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Patricia Briggs's MOON CALLED

Happy Reading!

let’s talk about magic realism

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:16:44 GMT

This community is intended for discussions of not just fantasy books, but also books that are on the borderline of fantasy. Like magic realism. So, let’s talk about magic realism.

When you think of magic realism do you think solely of South American writers? What authors from other countries also qualify as magic realists? Is magic realism a branch of fantasy? Or is it different? Why?

What are your favourite book in this genre (or sub-genre)?

The Year of Our War review?

Fri, 02 May 2008 18:26:37 GMT

In March I read an in-depth review of Steph Swainston's The Year of Our War somewhere on LJ and went out and ordered the book from my library. I'm fairly confident it was in a book community I belong to but cannot recall which one. Last night I did a search through various LJ book communities archives but it yielded nothing and even carried over into my dreams (I found it there but alas not in waking life).

I should have added it to my memories so that I could revisit but forgot to. The reason I'm looking for it is I'm having a real struggle with the novel and thought if I reread the review that had made me want to rush out and read it, it might help.

Alternatively if others have read it - is it worth persevering with?

Cross-posted to epicfantasy and fantasywithbite.