Phoenix Island
John Dixon’s PHOENIX ISLAND (Amazon) first came to my attention when I heard that a Young Adult novel has inspired a new CBS television series starring Josh Holloway (LOST) and Marg Helgenberger (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)– before the book had even released. It seems that with the recent success of the THE HUNGER GAMES series (Amazon), studios have been aggressively pursuing the next big YA property. Of all the YA novels that have been optioned PHOENIX ISLAND is the first I’ve heard of to get picked up for TV–and before it has had a chance to gain a fanbase no less! It’s enough to get a reader excited, that’s for sure.
Read the rest of this review »
Nebula Awards Showcase 2013
The nice thing about award anthologies is that–unlike some of the other short fiction anthologies I’ve read–all of the selections are well-written. It’s quite the variety, so let’s get to it (skip straight to the last one if you only want to know the one I liked best). In the order they appear in the NEBULA AWARDS SHOWCASE 2013 (Amazon):
Read the rest of this review »
Interview: Max Gladstone
I met Max Gladstone at WorldCon in San Antonio. We were both waiting to be taken through or rehearsal of the Hugo Awards Ceremony, and I struck up a conversation when I realized who he was (that’s why we wear name badges, folks!). We’d given a positive review of his first novel, THREE PARTS DEAD, here at EBR which made things much better, of course. As it turned out, we got along extraordinarily well. Max is, without a doubt, one of the most genuine authors I’ve ever met. And (thank goodness) he is a terrific author, too. Max was nominated for the Campbell Award for Best New Author this last year, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be nominated again this coming year for WorldCon in London.
So, without further ado, here is our interview with Max Gladstone; author, Eldredge Knot wearer, and all-around awesome guy.
Read the rest of this post »
Two Serpents Rise
Dresediel Lex–desert city of 16 million–is dependent on reservoirs to provide its citizens with water, so when a demon infests a crucial supply it’s Caleb who’s sent to solve the problem. While there Caleb stumbles across the wild Mal, a cliff runner in the wrong place at the wrong time who escapes before he can question her. Could she have witnessed the arrival of the demon or was her presence more nefarious?
Read the rest of this review »
The Hunter from the Woods
When I first read Robert McCammon’s THE WOLF’S HOUR (EBR Review), I was blown away. It was a Horror novel mixed with a Spy Thriller, and all I wanted was to read more about McCammon’s signature character, Michael Gallatin. In THE WOLF’S HOUR, we learned about his mission into Germany during the height of WWII, while at the same time learning how Gallatin became a werewolf. It was all fascinating stuff, but I knew there had to be more. It wasn’t unlike reading THE BOURNE IDENTITY (Amazon) and knowing that there were countless stories untold.
Read the rest of this review »
Swords of Exodus
Been a long time! Miss me? Of course you did, what a stupid question. Well a new Larry Correia book is out and you couldn’t expect me to pass up an opportunity to read/review it now could you? Another stupid question – I’m Correia’s biggest fan. But, of all Larry’s books DEAD SIX (EBR Review) has probably been the one I’ve liked the least. That’s not to say that DEAD SIX is a bad book, but I didn’t consider it up to Larry’s standards. It was fun and action-packed but the writing was a little rough around the edges, the collaboration between Correia and Kupari wasn’t seamless, I wasn’t sold on the characters, and I couldn’t find any merit in either of the romantic relationships. That said, I wasn’t discounting the series as the second half of the novel runs a whole lot smoother than the first. I’m quite pleased to say that SWORDS OF EXODUS by Larry Correia and Mike Kupari (Amazon) is infinitely better.
Read the rest of this review »
Neverland’s Library – Kickstarter
Update: Well, this project fell apart on Kickstarter, which is a huge bummer. I even offered to help out to keep it afloat, but I never got a response. The bright side is that everyone who contributed got their money back, and the project got saved by Ragnarok Publications. Those guys are awesome, and saved this amazing anthology from disappearing forever.
Pandemonium
There was a canyon where I lived in Utah with a species of flowers that grew on both sides of the canyon, and over time the ones on the south vs. the north sides diverged in their taxonomy. This happened over a matter of decades, the main culprit being how much light they got. PANDEMONIUM by Warren Fehy (Amazon) takes that concept to the depths of the Earth: completely separated from the surface and its influence for millions of years, how would subterranean species evolve?
Read the rest of this review »
The Lost Prince
Every so often I run through the list of books I’ve recently read and try to find follow-ups to those I liked. The sequel to Edward Lazellari’s debut novel, AWAKENINGS (EBR Review), was one that pestered me for what seemed a very long time. I kept looking for something but never saw any news about a sequel. And then Steve plopped it in my lap, and I was absolutely floored when I realized that it has been less than a year since the debut. In all fairness, having a newbie author get a 500+ page fantasy novel out within a year is actually, in my opinion, quite decent. I guess some part of me was just really looking forward to this one.
Read the rest of this review »
The Suprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet
I’m the mother of two boys: 10 and 9 years old. One is an avid reader and one isn’t, but I read as part of their bedtime ritual and search far and wide to find books all of us will enjoy.
Enter Tom Angleberger’s Origami Yoda series. The man is a genius: middle grade kids, a mystery, Star Wars, and origami? There’s something in there for everyone. Oh, and they’re hysterical.
Read the rest of this review »
