I’m calling it quits on The Guardsman by P.J. Beese and Todd Cameron Hamilton. There’s some reticence in this decision. I’m curious about where the story will go, but, I’m almost compulsively curious.
Demon Drums by Carol Severance
Demon Drums is my least favorite sort of reading experience because there’s so much I wanted to like, so much potential, but, with one exception, I don’t think it ever got there.
Nightpool by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Nightpool is an old school fantasy. This wasn’t a surprise. I mean, look at that cover. Look at it! It’s glorious beyond words, but also exceptionally old school.
Pandora's Genes
If I had first read a bullet-point list of all the concepts in Pandora’s Genes, I would have responded with “Nope, nope, nope, I’m out!” However, I would’ve regretted missing out on this story.
The Wave and the Flame by M Bradely Kellogg
I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like this book so much. I mean, look at that cover. It's fucking sweet. The palette alone is solid gold, and the back copy sounds so ... epic. Instead I quit on page 40.
The Wicked Enchantment by Margot Benary-Isbert
The Wicked Enchantment is a delight, and a perfect example of why I adore buying used books from local stores—I’m sure I’d never have found this gem otherwise. For one, it’s out of print, which is a shame. [...]
Tea with the Black Dragon by RA MacAvoy
“A most odd and engaging fantasy.” This is how Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine described Tea with the Black Dragon.
I feel like I was justified expecting Tea With The Black Dragon to be a fantasy novel.
Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly
Barbara Hambly is what started me down my Forgotten Female Fantasy path, so it only seems right that I read a book of hers that I didn’t know existed: a murder-mystery urban-fantasy set in Victorian London. [...]
Chance and Other Gestures of the Hand of Fate by Nancy Springer
Chance and Other Gestures of the Hand of Fate includes domestic violence, the murder of several horses, a surprising emphasis on phalluses, and other unpleasant and/or potentially uncomfortable topics. [...]
Star Gate by Andre Norton
Star Gate, by (Alice) Andre Norton, has nothing to do with the Stargate you’re familiar with—unless, of course, Star Gate by Andre Norton is the Star Gate you’re familiar with.
Found by June Oldham
As a child, there was little I looked forward to more than the Scholastic Book magazine. Even in my tiny, evangelical Christian school, somehow it remained uncensored even as amazing, though-provoking books were purged from the school’s own library.
Killer Pine by Lindsay Gutteridge
I’ve been snookered. Killer Pine is, in fact, faux-fem-fan. Lindsay Gutteridge—the author—is in reality Thomas Gordon Lindsay Gutteridge. He was a UK author, an art teacher, and most decidedly, a man.
The Incorporated Knight by L Sprague & Catherine Cook de Camp
The Incorporated Knight is … a book? It’s not a comedy, not in the traditional manner. I never really laughed, though I did occasionally reflect that it was funny. It’s not a serious book either. There’s too much absurdity and sheer bumbling for me to feel attached to the characters or have expectations for the plot.
Psion by Joan D Vinge
Imagine a hard-luck guy from your high-school. He’s the sort of fellow where his inherent bad luck is compounded by the bad decisions he bull-headedly makes and defends, even as his actions cause him more problems. Now imagine running into him at Wal*Mart[...]
Prince of the Godborn by Geraldine Harris
Seven Citadels, Part One: Prince of the Godborn is an unassuming little novel, and everything I did assume about it was unflattering.
I really need to stop being so judgmental
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
War for the Oaks is one of the harder books I’ve ever written a review for. It’s good—it’s dazzlingly good—but it’s also quite simple. Unlike other books that move at a breakneck speed and unfurl a dozen twists and turns by the third chapter, War for the Oaks is lyrical, methodical, and shines with an exquisite attention to detail.
The Wizard's Shadow by Susan Dexter
The Wizard’s Shadow is, both at its best and at its core, a story about a fantastical, medieval odd-couple. Except they have to share a lot more than living quarters.