Recent Reviews10 March 2010 As I sit down to write this piece I am close to, but not quite at, the end of a four month trek through 2009's genre short fiction. Selected short fiction from 2009 08 March 2010 Here's my perspective on six standout stories published in 2009. In Great Waters by Kit Whitfield 05 March 2010 I found myself pulled both ways throughout, but the novel was more than saved for me because of Whitfield's masterful way of dramatizing and communicating various registers of strangeness, alienation, and subjectivity. The Brain Thief by Alexander Jablokov 03 March 2010 Things get weird very quickly. Unfortunately the novel loses steam almost as quickly, making for a somewhat unsatisfying read. 01 March 2010 Red Claw is nothing short of a catastrophe. The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington 26 February 2010 After several days of arguing with myself over Jesse Bullington's debut novel The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, I'm forced to follow in the footsteps of many of the positive and even effusive reviews that The Brothers Grossbart has received, and hedge my criticism of the novel as those reviewers hedged their praise. 24 February 2010 Sarah Langan's third novel proves itself to be a worthwhile contribution to the history of haunted house stories. Heroes in the Wind by Robert E. Howard 22 February 2010 The rewards for the reader who successfully suspends disbelief in the hero and overlooks purple or melodramatic prose, are significant: vicarious excitement and entrée into a world of imaginary marvels. Howard becomes, as Clute says in his introduction, our "hypnopomp, " our guide into dreams, and we adventure among wonders. Chasing the Dragon by Justina Robson 19 February 2010 Chasing the Dragon is, as Malachi very nearly puts it at one point, about getting the band back together. 17 February 2010 On first read, Boneshaker is good. On a second, I found some nagging doubts just wouldn't go away. 15 February 2010 The novel's central preoccupation is whether its characters will surrender to narrative destiny, or break free of it. Eclipse Three, edited by Jonathan Strahan 12 February 2010 If it can take shelter under the broad umbrella of speculative fiction, it's fair game for Eclipse. 10 February 2010 Will all the stories devolve into cliché, with every person and dragon living happily ever after? Or is Hobb doing something different in this book? View older reviews in our Archive, thanks to the kindness of our authors who allow us to keep their material online. |