One could summarize The Magicians as follows: it is a coming of age novel in which a boy discovers the magical lands he read about and longed for as a child are real. This assessment would certainly be true, but it would also do a grave injustice to this complex and compelling novel.
Is There Room for Positive Stories in Science Fiction and Fantasy?
November 12, 2011 by 17 Comments
I believe there’s room for stories that entertain first, teach second. All writers project our own worldviews and agendas on our work, through our characters and the situations in which we choose to place them. But all too often these days, I find myself finishing books with an emptiness and discouragement I’d hoped they’d help erase.
Books Received for October 2011
November 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment
New titles from Pyr SF, Tor Books, Orbit, Another Sky Press and a game from Wizards of the Coast
Guest Post: Why I Like Old Fashioned Heroes
October 29, 2011 by 6 Comments
Bryan Thomas Schmidt, author of THE WORKER PRINCE, joins us to discuss why he likes old fashioned heroes and what our heroes say about our society.
REVIEW: all these things i’ve done by Gabrielle Zevin
October 21, 2011 by 2 Comments
Set in a dystopian New York City, ALL THESE THINGS I’VE DONE tells the story of Anya Balanchine, the 16 year old daughter of the city’s most famous, deceased mob boss. In this future world, though, it isn’t booze or drugs that Anya’s Family runs, but another now-illegal commodity: chocolate.
REVIEW – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
October 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
In the future, the world is not a pleasant place. Overpopulation and lack of resources have made it a squalor and like many people, Wade Watts escapes his miserable life by logging into the OASIS – a virtual reality environment of unprecedented scale and utopia.
THE WORKER PRINCE Giveaway!
October 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Win a free copy of THE WORKER PRINCE, and have some fun in the process.
Books Received for September 2011
October 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
We neglected the Books section this past year, and we are committed to correcting that error. Now, here is a look at the books we looked at in September. To learn more about the books sent to use by publishers this past month, simply click on the image to open the Amazon page for that […]
REVIEW – Deathless by Catherynne Valente
September 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Based on Russian history and folktales, DEATHLESS plunges the reader into worlds sometimes beautiful, often horrific, and always grimly fantastic.
REVIEW – In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
September 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Though iced over with a veneer of Sci Fi, this story boils down to a romance – part Darcy and Elizabeth’s delicious verbal fencing and part steamy bodice-ripper, all shadowed over with the looming efforts of doomed Mary Tudor to re-Catholicize England.
