It is interesting to see the language Cadigan was using in this book, circa 1990 : war porn, food porn, etc., being used in exactly the same way now.
A cyberpunk ahead of her time, for sure. Apart from that, an interesting tale of what happens when things go bad in a network sense, especially if you are too closely connected, particularly organically.
While her books never blow you away, it seems, she is consistently good, and real.
4 out of 5
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Synners - Pat Cadigan
It is interesting to see the language Cadigan was using in this book, circa 1990 : war porn, food porn, etc., being used in exactly the same way now.
A cyberpunk ahead of her time, for sure. Apart from that, an interesting tale of what happens when things go bad in a network sense, especially if you are too closely connected, particularly organically.
While her books never blow you away, it seems, she is consistently good, and real.
4 out of 5
A cyberpunk ahead of her time, for sure. Apart from that, an interesting tale of what happens when things go bad in a network sense, especially if you are too closely connected, particularly organically.
While her books never blow you away, it seems, she is consistently good, and real.
4 out of 5
Use Of Weapons - Iain M. Banks
This book was really disappointing, compared to the rest of the Culture novels I have read. Disjointed, jumping all over the place, and enough to even be somewhat confusing at times, not a good thing. The book hasn't enough focus on the childhood issues that ended up being at the heart of the matter. Worst Culture novel by far. When the best character is a drone robot, perhaps a little bit of a problem.
2 out of 5
2 out of 5
Ivory - Mike Resnick
Ivory is a book about a pair of large elephant tasks, and through them, a look at what has happened to the people, environment, and civilisations that have surrounded them.
Taken from a very large species of elephant a man is tasked to procure them. This lends itself into delving into their history, given they come from 20000 years in the past.
2.5 out of 5
Taken from a very large species of elephant a man is tasked to procure them. This lends itself into delving into their history, given they come from 20000 years in the past.
2.5 out of 5
The Sea and Summer - George Turner
A really interesting look at our current society falling apart due to the weather, etc. For a pleasant change, not set in 'ho-hum, not New York again, who the hell cares about there for the nth time', but in Melbourne. The characters seem real.
After a woman loses her job, and her husband, she tries to get by. One honorable man tries to organise people to help each other out.
4 out of 5
After a woman loses her job, and her husband, she tries to get by. One honorable man tries to organise people to help each other out.
4 out of 5
The Sea and Summer - George Turner
A really interesting look at our current society falling apart due to the weather, etc. For a pleasant change, not set in 'ho-hum, not New York again, who the hell cares about there for the nth time', but in Melbourne. The characters seem real.
After a woman loses her job, and her husband, she tries to get by. One honorable man tries to organise people to help each other out.
4 out of 5
After a woman loses her job, and her husband, she tries to get by. One honorable man tries to organise people to help each other out.
4 out of 5
Eon - Greg Bear
Eon is about a cold war over an alien artifact, if you can call it that, of immense scope. The knowledge and power to be gained from such a device leads, of course, to one country wanting to hoard it, and not allow others to get to the 'terrible secret' at the heart of the information to be gained there.
Some mind-boggling technology to be found here.
5 out of 5
Some mind-boggling technology to be found here.
5 out of 5
Hallucigenia - Laird Barron
Things that are definitely not better than a kick in the head by an equine?
Being taken over by entities from the Outer Dark.
5 out of 5
Being taken over by entities from the Outer Dark.
5 out of 5
Invisible - Steve Rasnic Tem
http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/tem/
Spontaneous Human Invisibility.
3 out of 5
Spontaneous Human Invisibility.
3 out of 5
Hunting Meth Zombies in the Great Nebraska Wasteland - John Farris
Juju junkie junking junket.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Zora and the Zombie - Andy Duncan
http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/duncan2/
Jealous writer's Haitian zombie chat.
3.5 out of 5
Jealous writer's Haitian zombie chat.
3.5 out of 5
Zora and the Zombie - Andy Duncan
http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/originals/originals_archive/duncan2/
Jealous writer's Haitian zombie chat.
3.5 out of 5
Jealous writer's Haitian zombie chat.
3.5 out of 5
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Breed for me.
In a future world, there is a female fertility crisis, so those women that are fertile are strictly controlled by the rest of the society
Harsh punishments are meted out to rulebreakers, and being a dystopia those in charge adjust the rules and religions to their own ends.
A reasonable book.
3.5 out of 5
In a future world, there is a female fertility crisis, so those women that are fertile are strictly controlled by the rest of the society
Harsh punishments are meted out to rulebreakers, and being a dystopia those in charge adjust the rules and religions to their own ends.
A reasonable book.
3.5 out of 5
Silver Screen - Justina Robson
Smart kid AI defense.
Or smart young adults, really. In the beginning this book has a 'school for the gifted' in a future setting, but nowhere near as extreme as the X-Men, or the Battle School, or even the institution in Shiras' Children of the Atom. This one is more of a corporate competition type of place.
The book focuses on one of these children, there largely because she has perfect memory, being able to recall anything from her past. This makes lots of exams etc. rather easy.
The other important characters and a brother and sister, the former becoming a brilliant if unconventional and unstable AI researcher, and the other bailing. The last is the latest generation of the AI owned by the company they work for, known as 901, or Nine for short.
A slow starting book builds to a rather more surprising conclusion with a trial for the rights of an Artificial Intelligence these people work for, and the latter part of the book is certainly worth waiting for. It has biodroid power armour, too.
4 out of 5
Or smart young adults, really. In the beginning this book has a 'school for the gifted' in a future setting, but nowhere near as extreme as the X-Men, or the Battle School, or even the institution in Shiras' Children of the Atom. This one is more of a corporate competition type of place.
The book focuses on one of these children, there largely because she has perfect memory, being able to recall anything from her past. This makes lots of exams etc. rather easy.
The other important characters and a brother and sister, the former becoming a brilliant if unconventional and unstable AI researcher, and the other bailing. The last is the latest generation of the AI owned by the company they work for, known as 901, or Nine for short.
A slow starting book builds to a rather more surprising conclusion with a trial for the rights of an Artificial Intelligence these people work for, and the latter part of the book is certainly worth waiting for. It has biodroid power armour, too.
4 out of 5
Silver Screen - Justina Robson
Smart kid AI defense.
Or smart young adults, really. In the beginning this book has a 'school for the gifted' in a future setting, but nowhere near as extreme as the X-Men, or the Battle School, or even the institution in Shiras' Children of the Atom. This one is more of a corporate competition type of place.
The book focuses on one of these children, there largely because she has perfect memory, being able to recall anything from her past. This makes lots of exams etc. rather easy.
The other important characters and a brother and sister, the former becoming a brilliant if unconventional and unstable AI researcher, and the other bailing. The last is the latest generation of the AI owned by the company they work for, known as 901, or Nine for short.
A slow starting book builds to a rather more surprising conclusion with a trial for the rights of an Artificial Intelligence these people work for, and the latter part of the book is certainly worth waiting for. It has biodroid power armour, too.
4 out of 5
Or smart young adults, really. In the beginning this book has a 'school for the gifted' in a future setting, but nowhere near as extreme as the X-Men, or the Battle School, or even the institution in Shiras' Children of the Atom. This one is more of a corporate competition type of place.
The book focuses on one of these children, there largely because she has perfect memory, being able to recall anything from her past. This makes lots of exams etc. rather easy.
The other important characters and a brother and sister, the former becoming a brilliant if unconventional and unstable AI researcher, and the other bailing. The last is the latest generation of the AI owned by the company they work for, known as 901, or Nine for short.
A slow starting book builds to a rather more surprising conclusion with a trial for the rights of an Artificial Intelligence these people work for, and the latter part of the book is certainly worth waiting for. It has biodroid power armour, too.
4 out of 5
Spin State - Chris Moriarty
Too posthuman for you? Tough. All your Bose belong to us.
Firstly, imagine an equilateral triangle, with its base on a flat surface. The top vertex is labelled Greg Egan. The bottom left is Elizabeth Bear. The bottom right is Richard Morgan. Draw a straight line from the top Egan vertex to the base, bisecting it. Travel one third of the way up that line directly towards the top vertex, and that would be about where Chris Moriarty appears to fit in. Fans of that sort of thing should definitely give it a look.
In a situation that is a little similar to that in Dune, one planet is incredibly important to human communication and transportation, as an organic reef-life entity actually grows Bose-Einstein condensates. The Great Barrier Reef is mentioned in comparison in the novel. They are used for some of that handy really quick communication and travel, and are also a non-renewable resource.
The main character here gets in the middle of a lot of vicious competing interests, much like one of Richard Morgan's, and is an outsider woman looked at as a bit of a freak, because she has genetic modifications. Suspicious murders and AI on top of all this
The book is maybe a little long, but the end I think is enough to just scrape it in to 4 territory, especially given the interesting bibliography that she has put together on quantum theory, at the end.
Certainly a writer to keep an eye on if this is only a first book.
4 out of 5
Firstly, imagine an equilateral triangle, with its base on a flat surface. The top vertex is labelled Greg Egan. The bottom left is Elizabeth Bear. The bottom right is Richard Morgan. Draw a straight line from the top Egan vertex to the base, bisecting it. Travel one third of the way up that line directly towards the top vertex, and that would be about where Chris Moriarty appears to fit in. Fans of that sort of thing should definitely give it a look.
In a situation that is a little similar to that in Dune, one planet is incredibly important to human communication and transportation, as an organic reef-life entity actually grows Bose-Einstein condensates. The Great Barrier Reef is mentioned in comparison in the novel. They are used for some of that handy really quick communication and travel, and are also a non-renewable resource.
The main character here gets in the middle of a lot of vicious competing interests, much like one of Richard Morgan's, and is an outsider woman looked at as a bit of a freak, because she has genetic modifications. Suspicious murders and AI on top of all this
The book is maybe a little long, but the end I think is enough to just scrape it in to 4 territory, especially given the interesting bibliography that she has put together on quantum theory, at the end.
Certainly a writer to keep an eye on if this is only a first book.
4 out of 5
Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan
Brilliant stuff. He had me hooked and mesmerised from the first line, basically. Happy to read anything he writes, currently. I can still vividly recall the first scene from the book. An ex-mercenary with special 'psychological chameleon' type abilities to blend in locally, is now hired to find out why an incredibly wealthy functionally immortal man was killed. People have the ability to load their personalities into other bodies, or new bodies, and this is how people travel from planet to planet, at times.
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
The Scar - China Mieville
Take a peripheral character from Perdido Street Station. Throw her into a job that soon leads her into a fantastic floating city, that is on its own Moby Dick style quest.
War, crime, local politics, possibility swords, espionage and more combine in this epic.
4 out of 5
War, crime, local politics, possibility swords, espionage and more combine in this epic.
4 out of 5
Only Forward - Michael Marshall Smith
Stark is a troubleshooter/dick who has a specialty in recovery of things that people can't find. In this case he is tasked to find a scientist.
However, it is not that simple, really, the City he lives in is very bizarre, indeed, with different parts being completely different and having completely different rules. As in rules of reality, more Cynosure or Wonderland than just the bad neighborhood or slum type of thing.
Didn't quite work for me, but is not bad.
3 out of 5
However, it is not that simple, really, the City he lives in is very bizarre, indeed, with different parts being completely different and having completely different rules. As in rules of reality, more Cynosure or Wonderland than just the bad neighborhood or slum type of thing.
Didn't quite work for me, but is not bad.
3 out of 5
Permutation City - Greg Egan
Egan takes the Paul Durham character and scenario that he created in his story 'Dust' and takes it further, adding other characters and personalities to his exploration of looking at the simulation of people and running them, or living in, a virtual environment.
He explores what class differences will mean in such a world, while Durham works and schemes to continue his experiments with the help of others.
4 out of 5
He explores what class differences will mean in such a world, while Durham works and schemes to continue his experiments with the help of others.
4 out of 5
Permutation City - Greg Egan
Egan takes the Paul Durham character and scenario that he created in his story 'Dust' and takes it further, adding other characters and personalities to his exploration of looking at the simulation of people and running them, or living in, a virtual environment.
He explores what class differences will mean in such a world, while Durham works and schemes to continue his experiments with the help of others.
4 out of 5
He explores what class differences will mean in such a world, while Durham works and schemes to continue his experiments with the help of others.
4 out of 5
Emprise - Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Earth has pretty much run out of that fossil fuel stuff that people were so reliant on, and the technology level on the planet has dropped considerably.
The picking up of an alien signal along the lines of 'hi there, mind if we drop in for a visit sometime?' pretty much gets everyone to pull their fingers out and do something about it.
3 out of 5
The picking up of an alien signal along the lines of 'hi there, mind if we drop in for a visit sometime?' pretty much gets everyone to pull their fingers out and do something about it.
3 out of 5
Clarke County Space - Allen M. Steele
A sheriff in a space habitat has to stop a hitman. A few of his other problems include a whole passel of Elvis nuts, an AI that has its own ideas on what it wants to do with colony, and a time traveller.
Even though the name of this sounds like Nowheresville, USA, it is supposed to be named after Arthur C. Clarke, this settlement.
4 out of 5
Even though the name of this sounds like Nowheresville, USA, it is supposed to be named after Arthur C. Clarke, this settlement.
4 out of 5
On My Way To Paradise - Dave Wolverton
Today was a very good day. An ebay order of books arrived, complete with a copy of this. Something I have been looking to buy for around 15 years, and finally considered this method. Could not believe it. Still remember reading it, and the cover (Bantam edition with the green armored pair looking out a cockpit windscreen). A great story or the horrors of war, death and love, with something greater that has to be overcome.
It is basically criminal that this is out of print.
I'd be interested to know if Peter F. Hamilton and Richard Morgan have read this, and if it influenced them.
5 out of 5
It is basically criminal that this is out of print.
I'd be interested to know if Peter F. Hamilton and Richard Morgan have read this, and if it influenced them.
5 out of 5
Wetware - Rudy Rucker
Rucker's Robotos, or bops, have decided to go in for a bit of hybridisation, so they create organic clone bodies for themselves from human DNA.
Quite a bit of silliness in these books, robot moon bases and other explorations notwithstanding, it is a bit of a look at how weird sentient machines or AI could get.
3 out of 5
Quite a bit of silliness in these books, robot moon bases and other explorations notwithstanding, it is a bit of a look at how weird sentient machines or AI could get.
3 out of 5
Four Hundred Billion Stars - Paul J. McAuley
Dorothy Yoshida is a telepath, and really a rather good one, at that. A scientist on top of that she is sent to investigate a small planet that appears to be more than what it seems. They suspect it of being artificially altered, but they only life they know about on the surface is not that far advanced from the animal.
Mankind hopes to find something to help in the war
they are fighting against aliens.
When Dorothy arrives, she finds something very surprising indeed.
3 out of 5
Mankind hopes to find something to help in the war
they are fighting against aliens.
When Dorothy arrives, she finds something very surprising indeed.
3 out of 5
The Wild Shore - Kim Stanley Robinson
Russia and others have blown the crap out of the USA, nuclear style.
Now an isolated, broken down country, the United Nations enforces this situation, and Robinson looks at what it is like to live inside this boundary.
The main character is a young man finding his way.
There are some funny parts, such as the yarns their elders spin them at times about 'the old days', and the author has fun with that part.
2 out of 5
Now an isolated, broken down country, the United Nations enforces this situation, and Robinson looks at what it is like to live inside this boundary.
The main character is a young man finding his way.
There are some funny parts, such as the yarns their elders spin them at times about 'the old days', and the author has fun with that part.
2 out of 5
The Wild Shore - Kim Stanley Robinson
Russia and others have blown the crap out of the USA, nuclear style.
Now an isolated, broken down country, the United Nations enforces this situation, and Robinson looks at what it is like to live inside this boundary.
The main character is a young man finding his way.
There are some funny parts, such as the yarns their elders spin them at times about 'the old days', and the author has fun with that part.
2 out of 5
Now an isolated, broken down country, the United Nations enforces this situation, and Robinson looks at what it is like to live inside this boundary.
The main character is a young man finding his way.
There are some funny parts, such as the yarns their elders spin them at times about 'the old days', and the author has fun with that part.
2 out of 5
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Cyberpunk genius.
How do you tell a great book? One sign of such an animal to me is if it immediately makes you want to find everything else related and similar to that style or subject and read that as well. This is what happened to me after reading Neuromancer.
Case, a wannabe or wannabe better netcowboy gets involved in events way over his read to do with who really controls the virtual world and what is going on in space.
Stylish novel that makes it seems as though you can smell the mean streets of Japan or wherever it might take you.
A must read.
Also, anyone interested in the evolution of the science fiction genre really has to read this book.
5 out of 5
How do you tell a great book? One sign of such an animal to me is if it immediately makes you want to find everything else related and similar to that style or subject and read that as well. This is what happened to me after reading Neuromancer.
Case, a wannabe or wannabe better netcowboy gets involved in events way over his read to do with who really controls the virtual world and what is going on in space.
Stylish novel that makes it seems as though you can smell the mean streets of Japan or wherever it might take you.
A must read.
Also, anyone interested in the evolution of the science fiction genre really has to read this book.
5 out of 5
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Cyberpunk genius.
How do you tell a great book? One sign of such an animal to me is if it immediately makes you want to find everything else related and similar to that style or subject and read that as well. This is what happened to me after reading Neuromancer.
Case, a wannabe or wannabe better netcowboy gets involved in events way over his read to do with who really controls the virtual world and what is going on in space.
Stylish novel that makes it seems as though you can smell the mean streets of Japan or wherever it might take you.
A must read.
Also, anyone interested in the evolution of the science fiction genre really has to read this book.
5 out of 5
How do you tell a great book? One sign of such an animal to me is if it immediately makes you want to find everything else related and similar to that style or subject and read that as well. This is what happened to me after reading Neuromancer.
Case, a wannabe or wannabe better netcowboy gets involved in events way over his read to do with who really controls the virtual world and what is going on in space.
Stylish novel that makes it seems as though you can smell the mean streets of Japan or wherever it might take you.
A must read.
Also, anyone interested in the evolution of the science fiction genre really has to read this book.
5 out of 5
Neuromancer - John W Campbell
Cyberpunk genius.
How do you tell a great book? One sign of such an animal to me is if it immediately makes you want to find everything else related and similar to that style or subject and read that as well. This is what happened to me after reading Neuromancer.
Case, a wannabe or wannabe better netcowboy gets involved in events way over his read to do with who really controls the virtual world and what is going on in space.
Stylish novel that makes it seems as though you can smell the mean streets of Japan or wherever it might take you.
A must read.
Also, anyone interested in the evolution of the science fiction genre really has to read this book.
5 out of 5
How do you tell a great book? One sign of such an animal to me is if it immediately makes you want to find everything else related and similar to that style or subject and read that as well. This is what happened to me after reading Neuromancer.
Case, a wannabe or wannabe better netcowboy gets involved in events way over his read to do with who really controls the virtual world and what is going on in space.
Stylish novel that makes it seems as though you can smell the mean streets of Japan or wherever it might take you.
A must read.
Also, anyone interested in the evolution of the science fiction genre really has to read this book.
5 out of 5
Neuromancer - William Gisbon
Cyberpunk genius.
How do you tell a great book? One sign of such an animal to me is if it immediately makes you want to find everything else related and similar to that style or subject and read that as well. This is what happened to me after reading Neuromancer.
Case, a wannabe or wannabe better netcowboy gets involved in events way over his read to do with who really controls the virtual world and what is going on in space.
Stylish novel that makes it seems as though you can smell the mean streets of Japan or wherever it might take you.
A must read.
Also, anyone interested in the evolution of the science fiction genre really has to read this book.
5 out of 5
How do you tell a great book? One sign of such an animal to me is if it immediately makes you want to find everything else related and similar to that style or subject and read that as well. This is what happened to me after reading Neuromancer.
Case, a wannabe or wannabe better netcowboy gets involved in events way over his read to do with who really controls the virtual world and what is going on in space.
Stylish novel that makes it seems as though you can smell the mean streets of Japan or wherever it might take you.
A must read.
Also, anyone interested in the evolution of the science fiction genre really has to read this book.
5 out of 5
Millenium - John Varley
A book that has two viewpoints, the future, and the past. People from the future have need for more people, so they look to the past, in accident situations etc.
Some present day investigators get involved when the future types make an error, and have to come back to fix it.
4 out of 5
Some present day investigators get involved when the future types make an error, and have to come back to fix it.
4 out of 5
The Anubis Gates - Tim Powers
An entertaining adventure of time travel and magic. In the past, Egyptian sorcerors are plotting against the British, trying to destroy them in the future.
In the future/present, a wealthy man discovers the key to some time travel secrets, via the use of gates. Hiring an academic, he tests one out, but the guy is stuck in the past, and gets tied up in the whole Egyptian sorcery thing.
Plenty of other wild stuff in this book, too.
4 out of 5
In the future/present, a wealthy man discovers the key to some time travel secrets, via the use of gates. Hiring an academic, he tests one out, but the guy is stuck in the past, and gets tied up in the whole Egyptian sorcery thing.
Plenty of other wild stuff in this book, too.
4 out of 5
Software - Rudy Rucker
This is Rucker's short, whacky cyberpunk take. The protagonist is an aging genius, more interested in the beach and booze these days than anything else.
Robots basically now run the joint, and the bigger robots want to take over all the little robots. Get the picture? The little robots aren't a fan of this, and a metal acquaintance of our drunk dude offers to digitise him.
3 out of 5
Robots basically now run the joint, and the bigger robots want to take over all the little robots. Get the picture? The little robots aren't a fan of this, and a metal acquaintance of our drunk dude offers to digitise him.
3 out of 5
Adventure Vol 1 - Chris Roberson
This is a decent book (stories 3.47 average), but with an editorial flaw. Proclaiming, with a guns blazing cross between The Shadow and The Question on the cover to be pulp adventure, for some reason, several of the stories most definitely are not.
Without those, the book would be better as far as the theme goes, and the rating woul be half a point higher, or going from decent to good if you want to put it that way.
Di Filippo for example, is not someone I would think of as 'pulp', quirky, sure, and an exellent writer, but not pulp adventure. Resnick's is a maybe, and Pacing White Stallion more of a kid's fable, and Paris is Burning a mythological reminiscence. None of them in the style you might expect. You could also say Neal Asher and John Meaney's pieces were fairly standard SF, but a bit closer. Four hundred slaves is a garden variety English style mystery in a Roman setting, and while a good mystery story, no adventure to be seen.
None of those are bad, just out of place.
Whereas there are some fine adventures, 'Ghulistan Bust-Out' you could see Mack Bolan enjoying. Dogfight Donovan's Day Off, by Moorcock, played with a wonderfully straight bat, likewise would have probably brought a smile to Robert J. Hogan's lips. Johnny Come Lately is a good superhero story and Mark Finn possibly wrote his tale while sitting in his Conan undies.
Adventure Volume 1 : 01 Island of Annoyed Souls - Mike Resnick
Adventure Volume 1 : 02 Ghulistan Bust-out - Chris Nakashima-Brown
Adventure Volume 1 : 03 Lost Time - John Meaney
Adventure Volume 1 : 04 The Mad Lands Part 1: Death Wish - Lou Anders
Adventure Volume 1 : 05 The Unfortunate Gytt - Kage Baker
Adventure Volume 1 : 06 Pacing White Stallion - John Edward Ames
Adventure Volume 1 : 07 Eel Pie Stall - Paul Di Filippo
Adventure Volume 1 : 08 The Bridge of Teeth - Mark Finn
Adventure Volume 1 : 09 Richard Riddle Boy Detective in The Case of the French Spy - Kim Newman
Adventure Volume 1 : 10 Silence of the Sea - O'Neil De Noux
Adventure Volume 1 : 11 Four Hundred Slaves - Michael Kurland
Adventure Volume 1 : 12 Prowl Unceasing - Chris Roberson
Adventure Volume 1 : 13 Acephalous Dreams - Neal Asher
Adventure Volume 1 : 14 Ghosts of Christmas - Matthew Rossi
Adventure Volume 1 : 15 Dogfight Donovan's Day Off - Michael Moorcock
Adventure Volume 1 : 16 Johnny Come Lately - Marc Singer
Adventure Volume 1 : 17 Paris Is Burning - Barry Baldwin
Dr Mirbeau's Circe-Moreau circus.
3 out of 5
Tv producer's El Borakian unknowing necromantic raid's forward observing.
4 out of 5
Freezing flashback failure succoured by snuggly sea monster?
3 out of 5
Lucky bloke escapes the noose via mechanimals and metal men.
4 out of 5
Secret society seeks marvellous metal.
3 out of 5
Gait suited to riding, but boys decide no arses should ever be astride this legendary beast.
3.5 out of 5
Prefer beef.
3 out of 5
Bad tempered brujah and a boxing spirits session.
4 out of 5
Dodgy priest happens to have one of those really good swimmers from Arkham in an oubliette.
3.5 out of 5
Heroic dogs, raptors and Rexes.
3 out of 5
A Roman investigator looks into the death of an administrator in what looks like a frame-up of a slave involved.
4 out of 5
British imperialism bad for weretigers, as a young Van Helsing watches.
3 out of 5
Abused religious cult murderer's execution given AI exchange for hive mind implantation and multiplicitous disintegration.
4 out of 5
Spine serpent man's resurrections not what he wanted.
3 out of 5
WWI ace hero can't fly new plane straight enough to hit German bomber zeppelin. Throws himself at it instead
4 out of 5
An affectionate Green Lantern homage as the last of the time powered Silverglasses meets his fate in an heroic manner.
4 out of 5
Trojan travails.
3 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Without those, the book would be better as far as the theme goes, and the rating woul be half a point higher, or going from decent to good if you want to put it that way.
Di Filippo for example, is not someone I would think of as 'pulp', quirky, sure, and an exellent writer, but not pulp adventure. Resnick's is a maybe, and Pacing White Stallion more of a kid's fable, and Paris is Burning a mythological reminiscence. None of them in the style you might expect. You could also say Neal Asher and John Meaney's pieces were fairly standard SF, but a bit closer. Four hundred slaves is a garden variety English style mystery in a Roman setting, and while a good mystery story, no adventure to be seen.
None of those are bad, just out of place.
Whereas there are some fine adventures, 'Ghulistan Bust-Out' you could see Mack Bolan enjoying. Dogfight Donovan's Day Off, by Moorcock, played with a wonderfully straight bat, likewise would have probably brought a smile to Robert J. Hogan's lips. Johnny Come Lately is a good superhero story and Mark Finn possibly wrote his tale while sitting in his Conan undies.
Adventure Volume 1 : 01 Island of Annoyed Souls - Mike Resnick
Adventure Volume 1 : 02 Ghulistan Bust-out - Chris Nakashima-Brown
Adventure Volume 1 : 03 Lost Time - John Meaney
Adventure Volume 1 : 04 The Mad Lands Part 1: Death Wish - Lou Anders
Adventure Volume 1 : 05 The Unfortunate Gytt - Kage Baker
Adventure Volume 1 : 06 Pacing White Stallion - John Edward Ames
Adventure Volume 1 : 07 Eel Pie Stall - Paul Di Filippo
Adventure Volume 1 : 08 The Bridge of Teeth - Mark Finn
Adventure Volume 1 : 09 Richard Riddle Boy Detective in The Case of the French Spy - Kim Newman
Adventure Volume 1 : 10 Silence of the Sea - O'Neil De Noux
Adventure Volume 1 : 11 Four Hundred Slaves - Michael Kurland
Adventure Volume 1 : 12 Prowl Unceasing - Chris Roberson
Adventure Volume 1 : 13 Acephalous Dreams - Neal Asher
Adventure Volume 1 : 14 Ghosts of Christmas - Matthew Rossi
Adventure Volume 1 : 15 Dogfight Donovan's Day Off - Michael Moorcock
Adventure Volume 1 : 16 Johnny Come Lately - Marc Singer
Adventure Volume 1 : 17 Paris Is Burning - Barry Baldwin
Dr Mirbeau's Circe-Moreau circus.
3 out of 5
Tv producer's El Borakian unknowing necromantic raid's forward observing.
4 out of 5
Freezing flashback failure succoured by snuggly sea monster?
3 out of 5
Lucky bloke escapes the noose via mechanimals and metal men.
4 out of 5
Secret society seeks marvellous metal.
3 out of 5
Gait suited to riding, but boys decide no arses should ever be astride this legendary beast.
3.5 out of 5
Prefer beef.
3 out of 5
Bad tempered brujah and a boxing spirits session.
4 out of 5
Dodgy priest happens to have one of those really good swimmers from Arkham in an oubliette.
3.5 out of 5
Heroic dogs, raptors and Rexes.
3 out of 5
A Roman investigator looks into the death of an administrator in what looks like a frame-up of a slave involved.
4 out of 5
British imperialism bad for weretigers, as a young Van Helsing watches.
3 out of 5
Abused religious cult murderer's execution given AI exchange for hive mind implantation and multiplicitous disintegration.
4 out of 5
Spine serpent man's resurrections not what he wanted.
3 out of 5
WWI ace hero can't fly new plane straight enough to hit German bomber zeppelin. Throws himself at it instead
4 out of 5
An affectionate Green Lantern homage as the last of the time powered Silverglasses meets his fate in an heroic manner.
4 out of 5
Trojan travails.
3 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
The Faery Reel - Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
This is better than I thought it would be, as it is considerably less twee than I expected.
The story average is an ok 3.29, but the book has some added extras.
Windling produces a quite lengthy introduction in the form of an essay on the history of the Faerie in literature/art as a background to people.
At the end, a reading guide of books in this sub-genre is given for those with a further interest. This makes the publication definitely of interest for people looking to find books like this, so well done there.
Faery Reel : Catnyp - Delia Sherman
Faery Reel : Elvenbrood - Tanith Lee
Faery Reel : Your Garnet Eyes - Katherine Vaz
Faery Reel : Tengu Mountain - Gregory Frost
Faery Reel : The Faery Handbag - Kelly Link
Faery Reel : The Price of Glamour - Steve Berman
Faery Reel : The Night Market - Holly Black
Faery Reel : Never Never - Bruce Glassco
Faery Reel : Screaming for Faeries - Ellen Steiber
Faery Reel : Immersed in Matter - Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Faery Reel : Undine - Patricia A. McKillip
Faery Reel : The Oakthing - Gregory Maguire
Faery Reel : Foxwife - Hiromi Goto
Faery Reel : The Dream Eaters - A. M. Dellamonica
Faery Reel : The Shooter at the Heartrock Waterhole - Bill Congreve
Faery Reel : The Annals of Eelin-Ok - Jeffrey Ford
Faery Reel : De La Tierra - Emma Bull
Changer library danger.
3 out of 5
Sister swap.
3.5 out of 5
Sea loss.
3 out of 5
Skinny goblin relation lopping.
3 out of 5
Accessory home hunt.
4 out of 5
Retail magic.
2.5 out of 5
Elf boy gear.
3.5 out of 5
The reverse crocodile dork Hook.
3.5 out of 5
Stinky boy nookie.
4 out uof 5
Pat the horsey, monkeyish boy.
3 out of 5
Hubby nicking practice.
3.5 out of 5
Woodman and a lot of Jerry.
2.5 out of 5
Doglets and monsterspiders.
3 out of 5
Oneiroreavers.
3 out of 5
Dead swap.
4 out of 5
Mini sandkings.
3 out of 5
Resource allocation reality.
4 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
The story average is an ok 3.29, but the book has some added extras.
Windling produces a quite lengthy introduction in the form of an essay on the history of the Faerie in literature/art as a background to people.
At the end, a reading guide of books in this sub-genre is given for those with a further interest. This makes the publication definitely of interest for people looking to find books like this, so well done there.
Faery Reel : Catnyp - Delia Sherman
Faery Reel : Elvenbrood - Tanith Lee
Faery Reel : Your Garnet Eyes - Katherine Vaz
Faery Reel : Tengu Mountain - Gregory Frost
Faery Reel : The Faery Handbag - Kelly Link
Faery Reel : The Price of Glamour - Steve Berman
Faery Reel : The Night Market - Holly Black
Faery Reel : Never Never - Bruce Glassco
Faery Reel : Screaming for Faeries - Ellen Steiber
Faery Reel : Immersed in Matter - Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Faery Reel : Undine - Patricia A. McKillip
Faery Reel : The Oakthing - Gregory Maguire
Faery Reel : Foxwife - Hiromi Goto
Faery Reel : The Dream Eaters - A. M. Dellamonica
Faery Reel : The Shooter at the Heartrock Waterhole - Bill Congreve
Faery Reel : The Annals of Eelin-Ok - Jeffrey Ford
Faery Reel : De La Tierra - Emma Bull
Changer library danger.
3 out of 5
Sister swap.
3.5 out of 5
Sea loss.
3 out of 5
Skinny goblin relation lopping.
3 out of 5
Accessory home hunt.
4 out of 5
Retail magic.
2.5 out of 5
Elf boy gear.
3.5 out of 5
The reverse crocodile dork Hook.
3.5 out of 5
Stinky boy nookie.
4 out uof 5
Pat the horsey, monkeyish boy.
3 out of 5
Hubby nicking practice.
3.5 out of 5
Woodman and a lot of Jerry.
2.5 out of 5
Doglets and monsterspiders.
3 out of 5
Oneiroreavers.
3 out of 5
Dead swap.
4 out of 5
Mini sandkings.
3 out of 5
Resource allocation reality.
4 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
The Runes of the Earth - Stephen Donaldson
Yet another annoying differently sized paperback. This one is over-wide. So, annoying to hold and to read, with more sideways eye movement needed. Definitely detracts from the enjoyment. A large amount of italicising of names of other races, groups, clans, or whatever, that got to be a real pain, as it was done continually.
Before I started this I guessed 'ok, with thousands of pages written already, what else can he do? Oh, I know, make the Haruchai antagonists'.
Yep, that is what he did. Bah.
This feels a bit padded. Also had 2 words I had never seen before in the first 150 pages, so I think Donaldson has been playing with his thesaurus for a while. Donaldson is clearly a talented writer, but he may be over indulging a little, here.
One good point - a much needed recap of the other six books that I found very useful, and it seemed in the case of this book, the editing was very good, as far as a lack of typos, etc., compared to a lot of publications recently.
The plot throws Linden Avery back into The Land, after 10 years in the real world, running a psychiatric instutition that has Joan Covenant as a patient. Covenant's son turns up, violence ensues, and it is off they go back to fantasy land, so to speak.
The thing I didn't pick beforehand is that they start playing with time travel.
So, yet again, Lord Foul gets up off the mat, the Staff of Law is nowhere to be found, etc., etc. Throw in some new magical conditions, another group of humans, some magical horses and there you go.
Presumably there are two more, but Reader's Digest versions might do me.
3 out of 5
Before I started this I guessed 'ok, with thousands of pages written already, what else can he do? Oh, I know, make the Haruchai antagonists'.
Yep, that is what he did. Bah.
This feels a bit padded. Also had 2 words I had never seen before in the first 150 pages, so I think Donaldson has been playing with his thesaurus for a while. Donaldson is clearly a talented writer, but he may be over indulging a little, here.
One good point - a much needed recap of the other six books that I found very useful, and it seemed in the case of this book, the editing was very good, as far as a lack of typos, etc., compared to a lot of publications recently.
The plot throws Linden Avery back into The Land, after 10 years in the real world, running a psychiatric instutition that has Joan Covenant as a patient. Covenant's son turns up, violence ensues, and it is off they go back to fantasy land, so to speak.
The thing I didn't pick beforehand is that they start playing with time travel.
So, yet again, Lord Foul gets up off the mat, the Staff of Law is nowhere to be found, etc., etc. Throw in some new magical conditions, another group of humans, some magical horses and there you go.
Presumably there are two more, but Reader's Digest versions might do me.
3 out of 5
Iron Council - China Mieville
Not as good as the first two, not that that means it is bad. The whole golem thing is just not as interesting to me. Perhaps a little bit more overtly political, too. If you like trains and railroads, you may well enjoy this book a lot more, but if Mieville set out to make concentrated urban fantasy, it is odd that he took it to the bush.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Iron Council - China Mieville
Not as good as the first two, not that that means it is bad. The whole golem thing is just not as interesting to me. Perhaps a little bit more overtly political, too. If you like trains and railroads, you may well enjoy this book a lot more, but if Mieville set out to make concentrated urban fantasy, it is odd that he took it to the bush.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Iron Council - China Mieville
Not as good as the first two, not that that means it is bad. The whole golem thing is just not as interesting to me. Perhaps a little bit more overtly political, too. If you like trains and railroads, you may well enjoy this book a lot more, but if Mieville set out to make concentrated urban fantasy, it is odd that he took it to the bush.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
GRRM: A Rretrospective - George R. R. Martin
This is an exceptional collection. To start with, the story average is 3.80, which is pretty staggering for over 30 pieces from the same author. He also throws in a couple of screenplays, which look ok to me, but I know nothing about those, really.
It also has a cool orange cover. We need more orange books I think. John Wyndham's Wanderers of Time, the Legion of Space by Jack Williamson, etc. Also note the cute coat of arms, and its quartering to represent the genres that he loves and works in.
A fair bit of work has gone in to the book as far as introducing the material goes, and there is also quite a bit of autobiographical discussion, in the discussion sections that precede each of the nine sections that the book is broken down into, going from his childhood, right up until the later stories.
He talks about growing up, loving comics still 'bleeds four colour ink' he says, then discovering paperbacks, Heinlein, Howard, Tolkien, etc. He likes his football, and given all the mentions of SF convention parties, is probably not averse to a beer. My kind of guy. Science fiction, fantasy and horror, it is all good to him, and he is good at all of it.
There is also a complete bibliography up until the end of 2002. Although this came out now, apparently Subterranean published a collectable fancy version in 2003, hence the bibliography date. When this book started to appear he may not have had a lot more to report, either, working mostly on his fat fantasies and not short stories, or getting Wild Cards going again. All in all, I am really happy Gollancz has decided to bring this great book out for the rest of us normal mortal readers and made it accessible.
The Song and Ice of Fire books don't appeal to me at all, having tried one and couldn't get through it, so happily none of that sort of thing is here. He can write all of those he wants though, if he can keep Wild Cards ticking over.
However, there is a 'prequel' story of sorts from this world set a far while in the past, The Hedge Knight, which I thought was rather good. Apart from the brutally realistic type of violence, this has a much more T. H. White feel in some of it, rather than say, Nigel Tranter on crank.
He also picks Shell Games from Wild Cards, one of the best stories from that series of books, too.
Anyway, a brilliant collection. Five stars, no doubt about it.
Dreamsongs : Only Kids Are Afraid of the Dark - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Fortress - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : And Death His Legacy - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Hero - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Exit to San Breta - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Second Kind of Loneliness - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : With Morning Comes Mistfall - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : A Song for Lya - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : This Tower of Ashes - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : And Seven Times Never Kill Man - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Stone City - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Bitterblooms - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Way of Cross and Dragon - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Ice Dragon - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : In the Lost Lands - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Meathouse Man - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Remembering Melody - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Sandkings - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Nightflyers - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Monkey Treatment - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Pear-Shaped Man - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : A Beast for Norn - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Guardians - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Shell Games - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : From the Journal of Xavier Desmond - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Under Siege - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Skin Trade - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Unsound Variations - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Glass Flower - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Hedge Knight - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Portraits of His Children - George R. R. Martin
The Demon Lord Saagael learns you can't keep a good Golden Ghost down when he challenges Doctor Weird.
3 out of 5
Finnish patriotism vs cowardice.
4 out of 5
A political assassination has unpleasant results, as far as the assassin sees it.
3 out of 5
Army retirement plan not good.
4 out of 5
Ghost car.
3.5 out of 5
Waiting for spaceships can be crazy work.
4 out of 5
Do they have to come and wreck all the good spots?
4 out of 5
Post suicide Union Joining rejection.
4 out of 5
Saving old girlfriends and their new boyfriends is a stupid, painful experience.
4.5 out of 5
Space preacher cult gets pyramid power taste of their own prior killer solution.
3.5 out of 5
Guess I'll take gate travel over ship travel if that is all there is going. Less bloody fox wankers too.
4 out of 5
Tv is not a substitute for space travel you lecherous old bag.
4 out of 5
Judas Star Knights.
3.5 out of 5
Love guardian.
4 out of 5
I'm melting.
3 out of 5
Some services will leave you skint. Wered.
4 out of 5
Dead love handles.
4 out of 5
Bloody longtime parasite woman.
4 out of 5
Feed your pets properly, fool.
4 out of 5
Scary spaceship slaughter single.
4 out of 5
The little guy can sure put me away.
4 out of 5
Cheez doodles? Imagine if he used Cheesels!
4 out of 5
A spot of supply problems for an animal combat arena.
3 out of 5
Namor, Prince of the Deep is a kitten.
3.5 out of 5
Turtle power, Tachyon cower. Team-up!
5 out of 5
Joker leader WHO Tour account.
3.5 out of 5
Time to be chess champion, if I can save the world first.
3.5 out of 5
Mirror mirror on the wall, werewolf killer, blood will call.
4.5 out of 5
Joke victim's alternate timeline chessteam revenge.
4 out of 5
Game for a new life?
4.5 out of 5
Innocent defense seven-on-seven deathmatch disaster.
4.5 out of 5
Stop writing about me, you bastard.
3.5 out of 5
5 out of 5
It also has a cool orange cover. We need more orange books I think. John Wyndham's Wanderers of Time, the Legion of Space by Jack Williamson, etc. Also note the cute coat of arms, and its quartering to represent the genres that he loves and works in.
A fair bit of work has gone in to the book as far as introducing the material goes, and there is also quite a bit of autobiographical discussion, in the discussion sections that precede each of the nine sections that the book is broken down into, going from his childhood, right up until the later stories.
He talks about growing up, loving comics still 'bleeds four colour ink' he says, then discovering paperbacks, Heinlein, Howard, Tolkien, etc. He likes his football, and given all the mentions of SF convention parties, is probably not averse to a beer. My kind of guy. Science fiction, fantasy and horror, it is all good to him, and he is good at all of it.
There is also a complete bibliography up until the end of 2002. Although this came out now, apparently Subterranean published a collectable fancy version in 2003, hence the bibliography date. When this book started to appear he may not have had a lot more to report, either, working mostly on his fat fantasies and not short stories, or getting Wild Cards going again. All in all, I am really happy Gollancz has decided to bring this great book out for the rest of us normal mortal readers and made it accessible.
The Song and Ice of Fire books don't appeal to me at all, having tried one and couldn't get through it, so happily none of that sort of thing is here. He can write all of those he wants though, if he can keep Wild Cards ticking over.
However, there is a 'prequel' story of sorts from this world set a far while in the past, The Hedge Knight, which I thought was rather good. Apart from the brutally realistic type of violence, this has a much more T. H. White feel in some of it, rather than say, Nigel Tranter on crank.
He also picks Shell Games from Wild Cards, one of the best stories from that series of books, too.
Anyway, a brilliant collection. Five stars, no doubt about it.
Dreamsongs : Only Kids Are Afraid of the Dark - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Fortress - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : And Death His Legacy - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Hero - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Exit to San Breta - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Second Kind of Loneliness - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : With Morning Comes Mistfall - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : A Song for Lya - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : This Tower of Ashes - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : And Seven Times Never Kill Man - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Stone City - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Bitterblooms - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Way of Cross and Dragon - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Ice Dragon - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : In the Lost Lands - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Meathouse Man - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Remembering Melody - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Sandkings - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Nightflyers - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Monkey Treatment - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Pear-Shaped Man - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : A Beast for Norn - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Guardians - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Shell Games - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : From the Journal of Xavier Desmond - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Under Siege - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Skin Trade - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Unsound Variations - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Glass Flower - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : The Hedge Knight - George R. R. Martin
Dreamsongs : Portraits of His Children - George R. R. Martin
The Demon Lord Saagael learns you can't keep a good Golden Ghost down when he challenges Doctor Weird.
3 out of 5
Finnish patriotism vs cowardice.
4 out of 5
A political assassination has unpleasant results, as far as the assassin sees it.
3 out of 5
Army retirement plan not good.
4 out of 5
Ghost car.
3.5 out of 5
Waiting for spaceships can be crazy work.
4 out of 5
Do they have to come and wreck all the good spots?
4 out of 5
Post suicide Union Joining rejection.
4 out of 5
Saving old girlfriends and their new boyfriends is a stupid, painful experience.
4.5 out of 5
Space preacher cult gets pyramid power taste of their own prior killer solution.
3.5 out of 5
Guess I'll take gate travel over ship travel if that is all there is going. Less bloody fox wankers too.
4 out of 5
Tv is not a substitute for space travel you lecherous old bag.
4 out of 5
Judas Star Knights.
3.5 out of 5
Love guardian.
4 out of 5
I'm melting.
3 out of 5
Some services will leave you skint. Wered.
4 out of 5
Dead love handles.
4 out of 5
Bloody longtime parasite woman.
4 out of 5
Feed your pets properly, fool.
4 out of 5
Scary spaceship slaughter single.
4 out of 5
The little guy can sure put me away.
4 out of 5
Cheez doodles? Imagine if he used Cheesels!
4 out of 5
A spot of supply problems for an animal combat arena.
3 out of 5
Namor, Prince of the Deep is a kitten.
3.5 out of 5
Turtle power, Tachyon cower. Team-up!
5 out of 5
Joker leader WHO Tour account.
3.5 out of 5
Time to be chess champion, if I can save the world first.
3.5 out of 5
Mirror mirror on the wall, werewolf killer, blood will call.
4.5 out of 5
Joke victim's alternate timeline chessteam revenge.
4 out of 5
Game for a new life?
4.5 out of 5
Innocent defense seven-on-seven deathmatch disaster.
4.5 out of 5
Stop writing about me, you bastard.
3.5 out of 5
5 out of 5
The American Fantasy Tradition - Brian M. Thomsen
For a book this length that is looking at urban or rural American fantasy, there seems to be a couple of notable omissions - there is no example of Robert E. Howard, yet there are two stories by Ellison, King, Wellman, etc., and generally the second one is rather minor and not adding anything.
Given the more academic title or look to this is presumably what the editor is trying for, the introductory material is pretty short and limited.
Also, if you don't like a lot of stories lapsing into what I suppose you could call 'realistic' hillbilly jargon, or old-fashioned rough speech, this is definitely not for you.
That being said, the stories are reasonable, having a 3.36 average.
American Fantasy Tradition : Rip Van Winkle - Washington Irving
American Fantasy Tradition : Feathertop A Moralized Legend - Nathaniel Hawthorne
American Fantasy Tradition : Uncle Remus - Joel Chandler Harris
American Fantasy Tradition : The Saga of Pecos Bill - Edward O'Reilly
American Fantasy Tradition : Rosy's Journey - Louisa May Alcott
American Fantasy Tradition : The Yellow Sign - Robert W. Chambers
American Fantasy Tradition : The Shadow Over Innsmouth - H. P. Lovecraft
American Fantasy Tradition : O Ugly Bird! - Manly Wade Wellman
American Fantasy Tradition : The Fool - David Drake
American Fantasy Tradition : Narrow Valley - R. A. Lafferty
American Fantasy Tradition : Jackalope - Alan Dean Foster
American Fantasy Tradition : The Lottery - Shirley Jackson
American Fantasy Tradition : Children of the Corn - Stephen King
American Fantasy Tradition : Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight - Ursula K. LeGuin
American Fantasy Tradition : The Jolly Corner - Henry James
American Fantasy Tradition : A Ghost Story - Mark Twain
American Fantasy Tradition : The Other Lodgers - Ambrose Bierce
American Fantasy Tradition : Ma’ame Pelagie - Kate Chopin
American Fantasy Tradition : The Devil and Daniel Webster - Stephen Vincent Benet
American Fantasy Tradition : The Valley Was Still - Manly Wade Wellman
American Fantasy Tradition : The Howling Man - Charles Beaumont
American Fantasy Tradition : Twenty-Three - Avram Davidson
American Fantasy Tradition : We Are the Dead - Henry Kuttner
American Fantasy Tradition : Where the Summer Ends - Karl Edward Wagner
American Fantasy Tradition : Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa - W. P. Kinsella
American Fantasy Tradition : Hatrack River [short story] - Orson Scott Card
American Fantasy Tradition : The Hero of the Night - Bradley Denton
American Fantasy Tradition : The Whimper of Whipped Dogs - Harlan Ellison
American Fantasy Tradition : The Griffin and the Minor Canon - Frank Stockton
American Fantasy Tradition : The Enchanted Buffalo - L. Frank Baum
American Fantasy Tradition : The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Stetson
American Fantasy Tradition : The Moving Finger - Edith Wharton
American Fantasy Tradition : Slow Sculpture - Theodore Sturgeon
American Fantasy Tradition : The Coin Collector [“The Other Wife”] - Jack Finney
American Fantasy Tradition : Prey - Richard Matheson
American Fantasy Tradition : The Geezenstacks - Fredric Brown
American Fantasy Tradition : Paladin of the Lost Hour - Harlan Ellison
American Fantasy Tradition : The Black Ferris - Ray Bradbury
American Fantasy Tradition : Bed and Breakfast - Gene Wolfe
American Fantasy Tradition : Dead Run - Greg Bear
American Fantasy Tradition : Mrs. Todd's Shortcut - Stephen King
American Fantasy Tradition : Among the Handlers or The Mark 16 Hands on Assembly of Jesus Risen Formerly Snake-o-rama - Michael Bishop
So easy going...feel...sleepy.
4 out of 5
Scarecrow lives
3 out of 5
Whatchoo talkin' about, Rabbit?
3.5 out of 5
I made this!
4 out of 5
An animal thing.
2.5 out of 5
Serpentskin books - don't get 'em.
3.5 out of 5
Small town's Esoteric Order of Dagon proves more than a little fishy.
4 out of 5
A good whack from a silver string axe leaves your big turkey ghost just a cold casserole.
3.5 out of 5
Got to be careful with that spell bulldust.
3 out of 5
Ditch illusion psychic projection projectile fun.
3.5 out of 5
Imaginary hunting reality.
4.5 out of 5
Stone loser.
3.5 out of 5
Crucifixion row monster.
3.5 out of 5
Don't eat the salmon.
2.5 out of 5
Ghost me.
2 out of 5
Giant fake phantom fagged, furniture desired.
3.5 out of 5
Dead room.
3.5 out of 5
Room for the young.
2 out of 5
"For if two New Hampshiremen aren't a match for the devil, we might as well give the country back to the Indians.""
4 out of 5
Deal just not worth it.
3.5 out of 5
Captive devil.
3.5 out of 5
Bad inheritance, bad age.
3 out of 5
Unknown Soldier sympathy.
3.5 out of 5
Vineland devil flaying.
3.5 out of 5
"If you build it, he will come."
4 out of 5
Bloody Mary land.
2 out of 5
Martyr cycle.
3.5 out of 5
City god call.
3.5 out of 5
Be good townspeople or I'll eat you.
3.5 out of 5
Bovine evil overlords? Blimey.
3 out of 5
The decor around here needs serious work.
3.5 out of 5
Which wife?
2.5 out of 5
Charged cancer cure.
4 out of 5
Alternate wife pleasing.
4 out of 5
Doll hunted mummy dearest.
3.5 out of 5
Strange dolls.
4 out of 5
Watch passing.
3.5 out of 5
Skeleton ride.
3.5 out of 5
Demon guests.
3.5 out of 5
Trucking hell, man.
3.5 out of 5
Holey bits.
2.5 out of 5
Bad Assembly.
3 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Given the more academic title or look to this is presumably what the editor is trying for, the introductory material is pretty short and limited.
Also, if you don't like a lot of stories lapsing into what I suppose you could call 'realistic' hillbilly jargon, or old-fashioned rough speech, this is definitely not for you.
That being said, the stories are reasonable, having a 3.36 average.
American Fantasy Tradition : Rip Van Winkle - Washington Irving
American Fantasy Tradition : Feathertop A Moralized Legend - Nathaniel Hawthorne
American Fantasy Tradition : Uncle Remus - Joel Chandler Harris
American Fantasy Tradition : The Saga of Pecos Bill - Edward O'Reilly
American Fantasy Tradition : Rosy's Journey - Louisa May Alcott
American Fantasy Tradition : The Yellow Sign - Robert W. Chambers
American Fantasy Tradition : The Shadow Over Innsmouth - H. P. Lovecraft
American Fantasy Tradition : O Ugly Bird! - Manly Wade Wellman
American Fantasy Tradition : The Fool - David Drake
American Fantasy Tradition : Narrow Valley - R. A. Lafferty
American Fantasy Tradition : Jackalope - Alan Dean Foster
American Fantasy Tradition : The Lottery - Shirley Jackson
American Fantasy Tradition : Children of the Corn - Stephen King
American Fantasy Tradition : Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight - Ursula K. LeGuin
American Fantasy Tradition : The Jolly Corner - Henry James
American Fantasy Tradition : A Ghost Story - Mark Twain
American Fantasy Tradition : The Other Lodgers - Ambrose Bierce
American Fantasy Tradition : Ma’ame Pelagie - Kate Chopin
American Fantasy Tradition : The Devil and Daniel Webster - Stephen Vincent Benet
American Fantasy Tradition : The Valley Was Still - Manly Wade Wellman
American Fantasy Tradition : The Howling Man - Charles Beaumont
American Fantasy Tradition : Twenty-Three - Avram Davidson
American Fantasy Tradition : We Are the Dead - Henry Kuttner
American Fantasy Tradition : Where the Summer Ends - Karl Edward Wagner
American Fantasy Tradition : Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa - W. P. Kinsella
American Fantasy Tradition : Hatrack River [short story] - Orson Scott Card
American Fantasy Tradition : The Hero of the Night - Bradley Denton
American Fantasy Tradition : The Whimper of Whipped Dogs - Harlan Ellison
American Fantasy Tradition : The Griffin and the Minor Canon - Frank Stockton
American Fantasy Tradition : The Enchanted Buffalo - L. Frank Baum
American Fantasy Tradition : The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Stetson
American Fantasy Tradition : The Moving Finger - Edith Wharton
American Fantasy Tradition : Slow Sculpture - Theodore Sturgeon
American Fantasy Tradition : The Coin Collector [“The Other Wife”] - Jack Finney
American Fantasy Tradition : Prey - Richard Matheson
American Fantasy Tradition : The Geezenstacks - Fredric Brown
American Fantasy Tradition : Paladin of the Lost Hour - Harlan Ellison
American Fantasy Tradition : The Black Ferris - Ray Bradbury
American Fantasy Tradition : Bed and Breakfast - Gene Wolfe
American Fantasy Tradition : Dead Run - Greg Bear
American Fantasy Tradition : Mrs. Todd's Shortcut - Stephen King
American Fantasy Tradition : Among the Handlers or The Mark 16 Hands on Assembly of Jesus Risen Formerly Snake-o-rama - Michael Bishop
So easy going...feel...sleepy.
4 out of 5
Scarecrow lives
3 out of 5
Whatchoo talkin' about, Rabbit?
3.5 out of 5
I made this!
4 out of 5
An animal thing.
2.5 out of 5
Serpentskin books - don't get 'em.
3.5 out of 5
Small town's Esoteric Order of Dagon proves more than a little fishy.
4 out of 5
A good whack from a silver string axe leaves your big turkey ghost just a cold casserole.
3.5 out of 5
Got to be careful with that spell bulldust.
3 out of 5
Ditch illusion psychic projection projectile fun.
3.5 out of 5
Imaginary hunting reality.
4.5 out of 5
Stone loser.
3.5 out of 5
Crucifixion row monster.
3.5 out of 5
Don't eat the salmon.
2.5 out of 5
Ghost me.
2 out of 5
Giant fake phantom fagged, furniture desired.
3.5 out of 5
Dead room.
3.5 out of 5
Room for the young.
2 out of 5
"For if two New Hampshiremen aren't a match for the devil, we might as well give the country back to the Indians.""
4 out of 5
Deal just not worth it.
3.5 out of 5
Captive devil.
3.5 out of 5
Bad inheritance, bad age.
3 out of 5
Unknown Soldier sympathy.
3.5 out of 5
Vineland devil flaying.
3.5 out of 5
"If you build it, he will come."
4 out of 5
Bloody Mary land.
2 out of 5
Martyr cycle.
3.5 out of 5
City god call.
3.5 out of 5
Be good townspeople or I'll eat you.
3.5 out of 5
Bovine evil overlords? Blimey.
3 out of 5
The decor around here needs serious work.
3.5 out of 5
Which wife?
2.5 out of 5
Charged cancer cure.
4 out of 5
Alternate wife pleasing.
4 out of 5
Doll hunted mummy dearest.
3.5 out of 5
Strange dolls.
4 out of 5
Watch passing.
3.5 out of 5
Skeleton ride.
3.5 out of 5
Demon guests.
3.5 out of 5
Trucking hell, man.
3.5 out of 5
Holey bits.
2.5 out of 5
Bad Assembly.
3 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
The Scar - China Mieville
Take a peripheral character from Perdido Street Station. Throw her into a job that soon leads her into a fantastic floating city, that is on its own Moby Dick style quest.
War, crime, local politics, possibility swords, espionage and more combine in this epic.
4 out of 5
War, crime, local politics, possibility swords, espionage and more combine in this epic.
4 out of 5
The Scar - China Mieville
Take a peripheral character from Perdido Street Station. Throw her into a job that soon leads her into a fantastic floating city, that is on its own Moby Dick style quest.
War, crime, local politics, possibility swords, espionage and more combine in this epic.
4 out of 5
War, crime, local politics, possibility swords, espionage and more combine in this epic.
4 out of 5
The Scar - China Mieville
Take a peripheral character from Perdido Street Station. Throw her into a job that soon leads her into a fantastic floating city, that is on its own Moby Dick style quest.
War, crime, local politics, possibility swords, espionage and more combine in this epic.
4 out of 5
War, crime, local politics, possibility swords, espionage and more combine in this epic.
4 out of 5
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
A low level crim named Shadow, his adulterous girlfriend, now a zombie thanks to magic, and encounters with the decaying remnants of deities from many cultures.
This started ok, then went nowhere, fairly quickly. This is obviously of interest to some, but maybe people who hadn't read a ton of mythology or things like that, anyway. It is not bad, just ho-hum, dead rotting girlfriend, big deal, please finish already, book, this is all too obvious. A definite disappointment from the hype and all that other stuff.
It is not a bad book, as such, though.
3 out of 5
This started ok, then went nowhere, fairly quickly. This is obviously of interest to some, but maybe people who hadn't read a ton of mythology or things like that, anyway. It is not bad, just ho-hum, dead rotting girlfriend, big deal, please finish already, book, this is all too obvious. A definite disappointment from the hype and all that other stuff.
It is not a bad book, as such, though.
3 out of 5
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
A low level crim named Shadow, his adulterous girlfriend, now a zombie thanks to magic, and encounters with the decaying remnants of deities from many cultures.
This started ok, then went nowhere, fairly quickly. This is obviously of interest to some, but maybe people who hadn't read a ton of mythology or things like that, anyway. It is not bad, just ho-hum, dead rotting girlfriend, big deal, please finish already, book, this is all too obvious. A definite disappointment from the hype and all that other stuff.
It is not a bad book, as such, though.
3 out of 5
This started ok, then went nowhere, fairly quickly. This is obviously of interest to some, but maybe people who hadn't read a ton of mythology or things like that, anyway. It is not bad, just ho-hum, dead rotting girlfriend, big deal, please finish already, book, this is all too obvious. A definite disappointment from the hype and all that other stuff.
It is not a bad book, as such, though.
3 out of 5
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
A low level crim named Shadow, his adulterous girlfriend, now a zombie thanks to magic, and encounters with the decaying remnants of deities from many cultures.
This started ok, then went nowhere, fairly quickly. This is obviously of interest to some, but maybe people who hadn't read a ton of mythology or things like that, anyway. It is not bad, just ho-hum, dead rotting girlfriend, big deal, please finish already, book, this is all too obvious. A definite disappointment from the hype and all that other stuff.
It is not a bad book, as such, though.
3 out of 5
This started ok, then went nowhere, fairly quickly. This is obviously of interest to some, but maybe people who hadn't read a ton of mythology or things like that, anyway. It is not bad, just ho-hum, dead rotting girlfriend, big deal, please finish already, book, this is all too obvious. A definite disappointment from the hype and all that other stuff.
It is not a bad book, as such, though.
3 out of 5
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
What a wonderful surprise this book was, seemingly out of nowhere. Take a politically oppressive Victorian type setting. Populate it with multiple races including humans who have to try and get along and work together.
Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.
Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.
A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.
5 out of 5
Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.
Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.
A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.
5 out of 5
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
What a wonderful surprise this book was, seemingly out of nowhere. Take a politically oppressive Victorian type setting. Populate it with multiple races including humans who have to try and get along and work together.
Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.
Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.
A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.
5 out of 5
Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.
Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.
A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.
5 out of 5
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
What a wonderful surprise this book was, seemingly out of nowhere. Take a politically oppressive Victorian type setting. Populate it with multiple races including humans who have to try and get along and work together.
Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.
Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.
A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.
5 out of 5
Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.
Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.
A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.
5 out of 5
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
What a wonderful surprise this book was, seemingly out of nowhere. Take a politically oppressive Victorian type setting. Populate it with multiple races including humans who have to try and get along and work together.
Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.
Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.
A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.
5 out of 5
Throw in a steampunk-magic punishment system, for a start.
Then, an adventure and terrifying threat via demons, drugs, and monstrous beasts.
A fabulous world has been built here, with its own mythology.
5 out of 5
Declare - Tim Powers
Other things exist on Mount Ararat than the possibility of some rotting old boat. A complex web of spy organisations and agents have to work out what to do about the world's largest colony of djinn.
Mother Russia has a supernatural guardian that is holding the state together. Kim Philby, and our protagonist, Andrew Hale, are involved in both of these events, as is another agent, a woman named Elena, that both of them fancy, and have fancied.
The spycraft predominates.
3 out of 5
Mother Russia has a supernatural guardian that is holding the state together. Kim Philby, and our protagonist, Andrew Hale, are involved in both of these events, as is another agent, a woman named Elena, that both of them fancy, and have fancied.
The spycraft predominates.
3 out of 5
Declare - Tim Powers
Other things exist on Mount Ararat than the possibility of some rotting old boat. A complex web of spy organisations and agents have to work out what to do about the world's largest colony of djinn.
Mother Russia has a supernatural guardian that is holding the state together. Kim Philby, and our protagonist, Andrew Hale, are involved in both of these events, as is another agent, a woman named Elena, that both of them fancy, and have fancied.
The spycraft predominates.
3 out of 5
Mother Russia has a supernatural guardian that is holding the state together. Kim Philby, and our protagonist, Andrew Hale, are involved in both of these events, as is another agent, a woman named Elena, that both of them fancy, and have fancied.
The spycraft predominates.
3 out of 5
Reave the Just and Other Tales - Stephen Donaldson
A collection of fantasy stories, barring his take on the Berserker threat. As a whole, they generally suffer from one flaw : they are too long and tedious, as far as I am concerned, apart from the title story, which seems to work ok. Possibly a result of Donaldson not being a natural short story writer, perhaps, but this is who it seems to me. Some ok ideas that just go on and on at times.
Reave the Just : Reave the Just - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : The Djinn Who Watches Over the Accursed - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : The Killing Stroke - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : The Kings of Tarshish Shall Bring Gifts - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : Penance - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : The Woman Who Loved Pigs - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : What Makes Us Human [Berserker] - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : By Any Other Name - Stephen R. Donaldson
Alchemy usury incarcarceration skull exsanguination consequences.
3.5 out of 5
Gigolo guignol show.
3 out of 5
Martial arts vs mages.
2.5 out of 5
Caliph calumny.
2.5 out of 5
Vampire war feed.
3 out of 5
Helpless hog advice warlock woe.
2.5 out of 5
Berserker freeze out.
4 out of 5
Necromantic demystification.
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
Reave the Just : Reave the Just - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : The Djinn Who Watches Over the Accursed - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : The Killing Stroke - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : The Kings of Tarshish Shall Bring Gifts - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : Penance - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : The Woman Who Loved Pigs - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : What Makes Us Human [Berserker] - Stephen R. Donaldson
Reave the Just : By Any Other Name - Stephen R. Donaldson
Alchemy usury incarcarceration skull exsanguination consequences.
3.5 out of 5
Gigolo guignol show.
3 out of 5
Martial arts vs mages.
2.5 out of 5
Caliph calumny.
2.5 out of 5
Vampire war feed.
3 out of 5
Helpless hog advice warlock woe.
2.5 out of 5
Berserker freeze out.
4 out of 5
Necromantic demystification.
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
Thraxas - Martin Scott
Very funny. This one made me laugh out loud several times. Thraxas is a man you want at your side. Although maybe not when you are having pizza, or it is your shout and you are trying to keep up. :) Despite a lot of fondness for various narcotics, intoxicants and baked goods, Thraxas knows where his towel is. The half-orc with the pointy ears does cause him many problems, but is incredibly good at the slayage when he needs a hand.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Legends - Robert Silverberg
An interesting experiment with what seems to be a big money anthology of highly popular fantasy (or SF in the case of Pern and Majipoor) universes, and novellas. Good for me, as I had not read any of Stephen King's Dark Tower before, for example.
The stories range from George R. R. Martin's excellent Hedge Knight to one of the worst pieces of writing I have had the misfortune to read in a big money publication, that of Terry Goodkind.
All in all, an experiment that it is worth taking a look at.
Legends : The Little Sisters of Eluria [Roland Gunslinger] - Stephen King
Legends : The Sea and Little Fishes [Discworld] - Terry Pratchett
Legends : Debt of Bones [Sword of Truth] - Terry Goodkind
Legends : Grinning Man [Alvin Maker] - Orson Scott Card
Legends : The Seventh Shrine [Majipoor] - Robert Silverberg
Legends : Dragonfly [Earthsea] - Ursula K. Le Guin
Legends : The Burning Man [Memory Sorrow and Thorn] - Tad Williams
Legends : The Hedge Knight [Song of Ice and Fire] - George R. R. Martin
Legends : Runner of Pern [Pern] - Anne McCaffrey
Legends : The Wood Boy [Riftwar] - Raymond E. Feist
Legends : New Spring [Wheel of Time] - Robert Jordan
Witch bug tastes good to you, Rover?
3.5 out of 5
Witch competition.
3.5 out of 5
First wizard owes readers.
1 out of 5
Davy Crockett not eaten by a bear.
2.5 out of 5
Metamorph murder mystery sacrifice.
3.5 out of 5
Archmage political conflict.
3 out of 5
In-law or boyfriend, one of 'em has to go.
3 out of 5
Innocent defense seven-on-seven deathmatch disaster.
4.5 out of 5
What do you do when someone tries to run you down? Deck their brother, get them to buy you new shoes, and kiss them a lot.
4 out of 5
Kill killer, to prevent hanging around in the war.
3.5 out of 5
Black is the colour that's hard to discover.
4 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
The stories range from George R. R. Martin's excellent Hedge Knight to one of the worst pieces of writing I have had the misfortune to read in a big money publication, that of Terry Goodkind.
All in all, an experiment that it is worth taking a look at.
Legends : The Little Sisters of Eluria [Roland Gunslinger] - Stephen King
Legends : The Sea and Little Fishes [Discworld] - Terry Pratchett
Legends : Debt of Bones [Sword of Truth] - Terry Goodkind
Legends : Grinning Man [Alvin Maker] - Orson Scott Card
Legends : The Seventh Shrine [Majipoor] - Robert Silverberg
Legends : Dragonfly [Earthsea] - Ursula K. Le Guin
Legends : The Burning Man [Memory Sorrow and Thorn] - Tad Williams
Legends : The Hedge Knight [Song of Ice and Fire] - George R. R. Martin
Legends : Runner of Pern [Pern] - Anne McCaffrey
Legends : The Wood Boy [Riftwar] - Raymond E. Feist
Legends : New Spring [Wheel of Time] - Robert Jordan
Witch bug tastes good to you, Rover?
3.5 out of 5
Witch competition.
3.5 out of 5
First wizard owes readers.
1 out of 5
Davy Crockett not eaten by a bear.
2.5 out of 5
Metamorph murder mystery sacrifice.
3.5 out of 5
Archmage political conflict.
3 out of 5
In-law or boyfriend, one of 'em has to go.
3 out of 5
Innocent defense seven-on-seven deathmatch disaster.
4.5 out of 5
What do you do when someone tries to run you down? Deck their brother, get them to buy you new shoes, and kiss them a lot.
4 out of 5
Kill killer, to prevent hanging around in the war.
3.5 out of 5
Black is the colour that's hard to discover.
4 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Dark Terrors 4 - Stephen Jones and David Sutton
An original horror anthology series volume, it appears, and a pretty decent one at that, although if you like the vampires/werewolves/mummies sort of thing, you may be disappointed in this book.
The authors gives some info on writing the stories at the end of each piece.
Dark Terrors 4 : The Great Fall - Richard Christian Matheson
Dark Terrors 4 : Normal Life - Christopher Fowler
Dark Terrors 4 : The Wedding Present - Neil Gaiman
Dark Terrors 4 : Never to Be Heard - Ramsey Campbell
Dark Terrors 4 : Tumbleweeds - Donald R. Burleson
Dark Terrors 4 : Family History - Stephen Baxter
Dark Terrors 4 : The Incredible True Facts in the Case - David J. Schow
Dark Terrors 4 : Mr. Guidry's Head - Roberta Lannes
Dark Terrors 4 : Inside the Cackle Factory - Dennis Etchison
Dark Terrors 4 : Entertaining Mr. Orton - Poppy Z. Brite
Dark Terrors 4 : The Country of Glass - Joel Lane
Dark Terrors 4 : My Pathology - Lisa Tuttle
Dark Terrors 4 : Curing Hitler - Thomas Tessier
Dark Terrors 4 : Weak End - James Miller
Dark Terrors 4 : Sullivan's Travails [Marty Burns] - Jay Russell
Dark Terrors 4 : The Suicide Pit - Conrad Williams
Dark Terrors 4 : Making Monsters - Geoff Nicholson
Dark Terrors 4 : A Place to Stay - Michael Marshall Smith
Dark Terrors 4 : Suburban Blight - Terry Lamsley
Lounge lizard life is dead. Or dead is preferable.
3.5 out of 5
Selfish bloody murderer.
4 out of 5
Gift too personal.
3 out of 5
Choirboy voices, more than desired.
3 out of 5
Hoopsnakes would be one thing, but this is ridiculous.
3.5 out of 5
Mithraic bullshit likely. Although it might kill me first and I won't care about the mess.
4 out of 5
Ripper of a story.
3.5 out of 5
Halloween boof.
3.5 out of 5
Tv usually horrible.
3 out of 5
Dead sex shift.
3 out of 5
Drinking religion search.
4 out of 5
Philosopher Stone birth cancer.
3 ou tof 5
Blind recovery unfortunate.
3 out of 5
Dionysian disaster.
4 out of 5
A curse on Veronica Lake to be lifted.
4 out of 5
Station ghost situation.
3.5 out of 5
Doctor too ordinary for teratological servicing pro.
3.5 out of 5
Rita biter maid.
2.5 out of 5
This head is bugging me, dog.
4 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
The authors gives some info on writing the stories at the end of each piece.
Dark Terrors 4 : The Great Fall - Richard Christian Matheson
Dark Terrors 4 : Normal Life - Christopher Fowler
Dark Terrors 4 : The Wedding Present - Neil Gaiman
Dark Terrors 4 : Never to Be Heard - Ramsey Campbell
Dark Terrors 4 : Tumbleweeds - Donald R. Burleson
Dark Terrors 4 : Family History - Stephen Baxter
Dark Terrors 4 : The Incredible True Facts in the Case - David J. Schow
Dark Terrors 4 : Mr. Guidry's Head - Roberta Lannes
Dark Terrors 4 : Inside the Cackle Factory - Dennis Etchison
Dark Terrors 4 : Entertaining Mr. Orton - Poppy Z. Brite
Dark Terrors 4 : The Country of Glass - Joel Lane
Dark Terrors 4 : My Pathology - Lisa Tuttle
Dark Terrors 4 : Curing Hitler - Thomas Tessier
Dark Terrors 4 : Weak End - James Miller
Dark Terrors 4 : Sullivan's Travails [Marty Burns] - Jay Russell
Dark Terrors 4 : The Suicide Pit - Conrad Williams
Dark Terrors 4 : Making Monsters - Geoff Nicholson
Dark Terrors 4 : A Place to Stay - Michael Marshall Smith
Dark Terrors 4 : Suburban Blight - Terry Lamsley
Lounge lizard life is dead. Or dead is preferable.
3.5 out of 5
Selfish bloody murderer.
4 out of 5
Gift too personal.
3 out of 5
Choirboy voices, more than desired.
3 out of 5
Hoopsnakes would be one thing, but this is ridiculous.
3.5 out of 5
Mithraic bullshit likely. Although it might kill me first and I won't care about the mess.
4 out of 5
Ripper of a story.
3.5 out of 5
Halloween boof.
3.5 out of 5
Tv usually horrible.
3 out of 5
Dead sex shift.
3 out of 5
Drinking religion search.
4 out of 5
Philosopher Stone birth cancer.
3 ou tof 5
Blind recovery unfortunate.
3 out of 5
Dionysian disaster.
4 out of 5
A curse on Veronica Lake to be lifted.
4 out of 5
Station ghost situation.
3.5 out of 5
Doctor too ordinary for teratological servicing pro.
3.5 out of 5
Rita biter maid.
2.5 out of 5
This head is bugging me, dog.
4 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Dreaming Down Under - Jack Dann and Janeen Webb
An eclectic anthology I suppose you could say, with the second volume better than this, the first one. (3.87 average versus 3.56, or 3.71 for the lot, if you like), which places it ahead of the various McNamara offerings, by just a little. There is a useful introduction, with a bit of history there, although, for an Australian volume quite a bit of time wasted on Harlan Ellison worship, as far as the intro goes. Science fiction, fantasy and horror to be found here.
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Entre les Beaux Morts en Vie - Sean Williams
Dreaming Down Under 1 : A Walk-On Part in the War - Stephen Dedman
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Man Who Lost His Shadow - Isobelle Carmody
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Night of the Wandjina - Wynne Whiteford
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Dancing Floor - Cherry Wilder
Dreaming Down Under 1 : To Avalon - Jane Routley
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Ma Rung - Steven Paulsen
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Dream Until God Burns - Andrew Enstice
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Queen of Soulmates - Sean McMullen
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Doppelganger Effect - Dirk Strasser
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Marsh Runners - Paul Brandon
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Real Men - Rosaleen Love
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Womb - Damien Broderick
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Body Politic - Tess Williams
Dreaming Down Under 1 : With Clouds at Our Feet - Simon Brown
Really old people can be dull and boring, or, zombies and vampires, not such a great idea.
4 out of 5
Odysseus smart, forward thinking. Paris, not so much.
3.5 out of 5
Seeking and sex.
2.5 out of 5
Puppets should be made of wood, not flesh.
3.5 out of 5
Android archaeology.
4.5 out of 5
Rocksy Music.
4 out of 5
'Nam spirit patrol.
4 out of 5
Crispy. Ouch.
3.5 out of 5
Superweapon survival strategy.
4.5 out of 5
Hyperstress.
3 out of 5
Madhouse monsters.
3 out of 5
If Ghost Rider had an open-wheeler.
1.5 out of 5
Dream delving religion.
4 out of 5
Aliens like 'em really young.
3.5 out of 5
John Long Pig will do for the very hungry.
4.5 out of 5
Red moo juice.
3.5 out of 5
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Evil Within - Sara Douglass
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Soldier in the Machine - Russell Blackford
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies - Lucy Sussex
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Unborn Again - Chris Lawson
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Latest Dream I Ever Dreamed - Norman Talbot
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Truth About Weena - David J. Lake
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Two Recipes for Magic Beans - Rosaleen Love
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Wired Dreaming - Paul Collins
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Descent - Cecily Scutt
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Tamed - Robert Hood
Dreaming Down Under 2 : And Now Doth Time Waste Me - George Turner
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Jetsam - Kerry Greenwood
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Prelude to a Nocturne - Rowena Cory Lindquist
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Third Rail - Aaron Sterns
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Last Dance - Ian Nichols
Gargoyle evil slayers a bit stringent for priest's liking.
4 out of 5
Paracognitive reflex research enhanced by music and dance.
5 out of 5
Waltzing Bunyipa.
4.5 out of 5
Butchered baby brain bits disease treatment.
4 out of 5
Dream spooks steal secrets.
3.5 out of 5
Time Machine paradox.
4 out of 5
Precocious porker.
3.5 out of 5
Sex cop's transformed crusade.
3.5 out of 5
Family Hell.
3 out of 5
Monster people power.
3 out of 5
In truth, youth serum requires smarts.
4.5 out of 5
Godly old driftbloke.
4 out of 5
No puberty blues.
4 out of 5
Metropolitan lack of integrity, physical and mental.
3.5 out of 5
Rock and roll magic.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Entre les Beaux Morts en Vie - Sean Williams
Dreaming Down Under 1 : A Walk-On Part in the War - Stephen Dedman
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Man Who Lost His Shadow - Isobelle Carmody
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Night of the Wandjina - Wynne Whiteford
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Dancing Floor - Cherry Wilder
Dreaming Down Under 1 : To Avalon - Jane Routley
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Ma Rung - Steven Paulsen
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Dream Until God Burns - Andrew Enstice
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Queen of Soulmates - Sean McMullen
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Doppelganger Effect - Dirk Strasser
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Marsh Runners - Paul Brandon
Dreaming Down Under 1 : Real Men - Rosaleen Love
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Womb - Damien Broderick
Dreaming Down Under 1 : The Body Politic - Tess Williams
Dreaming Down Under 1 : With Clouds at Our Feet - Simon Brown
Really old people can be dull and boring, or, zombies and vampires, not such a great idea.
4 out of 5
Odysseus smart, forward thinking. Paris, not so much.
3.5 out of 5
Seeking and sex.
2.5 out of 5
Puppets should be made of wood, not flesh.
3.5 out of 5
Android archaeology.
4.5 out of 5
Rocksy Music.
4 out of 5
'Nam spirit patrol.
4 out of 5
Crispy. Ouch.
3.5 out of 5
Superweapon survival strategy.
4.5 out of 5
Hyperstress.
3 out of 5
Madhouse monsters.
3 out of 5
If Ghost Rider had an open-wheeler.
1.5 out of 5
Dream delving religion.
4 out of 5
Aliens like 'em really young.
3.5 out of 5
John Long Pig will do for the very hungry.
4.5 out of 5
Red moo juice.
3.5 out of 5
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Evil Within - Sara Douglass
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Soldier in the Machine - Russell Blackford
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies - Lucy Sussex
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Unborn Again - Chris Lawson
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Latest Dream I Ever Dreamed - Norman Talbot
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Truth About Weena - David J. Lake
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Two Recipes for Magic Beans - Rosaleen Love
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Wired Dreaming - Paul Collins
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Descent - Cecily Scutt
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Tamed - Robert Hood
Dreaming Down Under 2 : And Now Doth Time Waste Me - George Turner
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Jetsam - Kerry Greenwood
Dreaming Down Under 2 : Prelude to a Nocturne - Rowena Cory Lindquist
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Third Rail - Aaron Sterns
Dreaming Down Under 2 : The Last Dance - Ian Nichols
Gargoyle evil slayers a bit stringent for priest's liking.
4 out of 5
Paracognitive reflex research enhanced by music and dance.
5 out of 5
Waltzing Bunyipa.
4.5 out of 5
Butchered baby brain bits disease treatment.
4 out of 5
Dream spooks steal secrets.
3.5 out of 5
Time Machine paradox.
4 out of 5
Precocious porker.
3.5 out of 5
Sex cop's transformed crusade.
3.5 out of 5
Family Hell.
3 out of 5
Monster people power.
3 out of 5
In truth, youth serum requires smarts.
4.5 out of 5
Godly old driftbloke.
4 out of 5
No puberty blues.
4 out of 5
Metropolitan lack of integrity, physical and mental.
3.5 out of 5
Rock and roll magic.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
A Game Of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
I started this what appeared to be the start of a huge fantasy epic (much like Robert Jordan) with some interest, because I had enjoyed some other Martin projects.
To be interested, or stay interested in such a project I would have had to have found some interest in the characters. No such luck. This might work in one short book, but not in this might not ever even be finished at this rate story.
Very disappointing. The writing is ok, just lots of points off for no-one and no plot of interest, or at least one that I couldn't have gotten from a garden variety historical novel set in this sort of milieu.
1.5 out of 5
To be interested, or stay interested in such a project I would have had to have found some interest in the characters. No such luck. This might work in one short book, but not in this might not ever even be finished at this rate story.
Very disappointing. The writing is ok, just lots of points off for no-one and no plot of interest, or at least one that I couldn't have gotten from a garden variety historical novel set in this sort of milieu.
1.5 out of 5
A Game Of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
I started this what appeared to be the start of a huge fantasy epic (much like Robert Jordan) with some interest, because I had enjoyed some other Martin projects.
To be interested, or stay interested in such a project I would have had to have found some interest in the characters. No such luck. This might work in one short book, but not in this might not ever even be finished at this rate story.
Very disappointing. The writing is ok, just lots of points off for no-one and no plot of interest, or at least one that I couldn't have gotten from a garden variety historical novel set in this sort of milieu.
1.5 out of 5
To be interested, or stay interested in such a project I would have had to have found some interest in the characters. No such luck. This might work in one short book, but not in this might not ever even be finished at this rate story.
Very disappointing. The writing is ok, just lots of points off for no-one and no plot of interest, or at least one that I couldn't have gotten from a garden variety historical novel set in this sort of milieu.
1.5 out of 5
The Penguin Book Of Modern Fantasy by Women - A. Susan Williams and Richard Glyn Jones
Like other books of its type by general publishers like Oxford and Penguin, this book is a bit of a chronological overview.
The first story is from the arly 1940s, and Lucy Sussex's Kay and Phil ends the book in the 1990s, which is when it came out.
As far as I can see, it is not an attempt to pick the best stories, just a good collection from different times, as the average rating here is only 3.16. It does include some excellent examples though.
They define fantasy pretty broadly it seems, given that Oxford did Fantasy and Science Fiction collections, as there is a whole lot of science fiction in here, and horror stories, too.
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Demon Lover - Elizabeth Bowen
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Tooth - Shirley Jackson
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Lake of the Gone Forever - Leigh Brackett
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Old Man - Daphne du Maurier
Modern Fantasy by Women : My Flannel Knickers - Leonora Carrington
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Anything Box - Zenna Henderson
Modern Fantasy by Women : Miss Pinkerton's Apocalypse - Muriel Spark
Modern Fantasy by Women : A Bright Green Field - Anna Kavan
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Ship Who Sang [SS]] - Anne McCaffrey
Modern Fantasy by Women : Marmalade Wine - Joan Aiken
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Fall of Frenchy Steiner - Hilary Bailey
Modern Fantasy by Women : Cynosure - Kit Reed
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Wall - Josephine Saxton
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Foot - Christine Brooke-Rose
Modern Fantasy by Women : Baby You Were Great - Kate Wilhelm
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Second Inquisition [Alyx] - Joanna Russ
Modern Fantasy by Women : Murder 1986 - P. D. James
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Milk of Paradise - James TiptreeJr.
Modern Fantasy by Women : When it Happens - Margaret Atwood
Modern Fantasy by Women : Angel All Innocence - Fay Weldon
Modern Fantasy by Women : Night-Side - Joyce Carol Oates
Modern Fantasy by Women : Fireflood - Vonda N. McIntyre
Modern Fantasy by Women : Wives - Lisa Tuttle
Modern Fantasy by Women : Red as Blood - Tanith Lee
Modern Fantasy by Women : Sur - Ursula Le Guin
Modern Fantasy by Women : Peter and the Wolf - Angela Carter
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Pits Beneath the World - Mary Gentle
Modern Fantasy by Women : Two Sheep - Janet Frame
Modern Fantasy by Women : Relics - Zoë Fairbairns
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Evening and the Morning and the Night - Octavia E. Butler
Modern Fantasy by Women : [Learning About] Machine Sex - Candas Jane Dorsey
Modern Fantasy by Women : Prodigal Pudding - Suniti Namjoshi
Modern Fantasy by Women : Boobs - Suzy McKee Charnas
Modern Fantasy by Women : If the Word was to the Wise - Carol Emshwiller
Modern Fantasy by Women : Trial by Teaspoon - Lynda Rajan
Modern Fantasy by Women : In the Green Shade of a Bee-Loud Glade - L. A. Hall
Modern Fantasy by Women : Death in the Egg - Ann Oakley
Modern Fantasy by Women : Kay and Phil - Lucy Sussex
Taxi hell.
3 out of 5
Dental decay.
2.5 out of 5
Transuranic memories.
3.5 out of 5
Swanflict.
3.5 out of 5
Prison island procurement.
3 out of 5
Handy to have invisible tv stuff for boring school.
3 out of 5
Flying saucers, right brand.
3.5 out of 5
Paddock power mowers.
4 out of 5
Rogue rejection replacement return.
3.5 out of 5
Future stuff means houseguest ok.
3.5 out of 5
Oracle deflowering devastating for prolonged nazi power.
4.5 out of 5
A bit of mess and dirt can do you good.
3 out of 5
Driven home love.
3 out of 5
Ghost pain fight.
4 out of 5
Reality show acting job way too long.
4 out of 5
Trans-Temporal Time Authority temptation.
3.5 out of 5
Disease daughter letdown other's putdown showdown.
3.5 out of 5
Big grotty Crotties.
3 out of 5
Pickling is old fashioned. Shoot to kill, point blank.
2.5 out of 5
Ghost state.
2.5 out of 5
Going under medium.
3 out of 5
Hybrid distaste.
3.5 out of 5
Domestic role, breasts aplenty, no arguments woman.
3.5 out of 5
Witch Queen reflection.
3 out of 5
Antarctic women trip, even a really small one.
3.5 out of 5
Crying it, literally.
3 out of 5
Grow up or be eaten.
3.5 out of 5
Smart sheep look dumb.
3.5 out of 5
Female research.
3.5 out of 5
Concentration of disease.
4 out of 5
Chipboard, brainboard, shagboard.
4.5 out of 5
Like less cat is a bad thing.
1.5 out of 5
A well-built werewolf still has to eat Billy.
4.5 out of 5
Library pre-eminence rulebreaking.
3 out of 5
Ghost spoon surprise.
3.5 out of 5
Garden exile, temporary?
3 out of 5
Teenage girl just inhuman to deal with.
3.5 out of 5
Author's spectral nazi confab.
2.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
The first story is from the arly 1940s, and Lucy Sussex's Kay and Phil ends the book in the 1990s, which is when it came out.
As far as I can see, it is not an attempt to pick the best stories, just a good collection from different times, as the average rating here is only 3.16. It does include some excellent examples though.
They define fantasy pretty broadly it seems, given that Oxford did Fantasy and Science Fiction collections, as there is a whole lot of science fiction in here, and horror stories, too.
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Demon Lover - Elizabeth Bowen
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Tooth - Shirley Jackson
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Lake of the Gone Forever - Leigh Brackett
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Old Man - Daphne du Maurier
Modern Fantasy by Women : My Flannel Knickers - Leonora Carrington
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Anything Box - Zenna Henderson
Modern Fantasy by Women : Miss Pinkerton's Apocalypse - Muriel Spark
Modern Fantasy by Women : A Bright Green Field - Anna Kavan
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Ship Who Sang [SS]] - Anne McCaffrey
Modern Fantasy by Women : Marmalade Wine - Joan Aiken
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Fall of Frenchy Steiner - Hilary Bailey
Modern Fantasy by Women : Cynosure - Kit Reed
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Wall - Josephine Saxton
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Foot - Christine Brooke-Rose
Modern Fantasy by Women : Baby You Were Great - Kate Wilhelm
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Second Inquisition [Alyx] - Joanna Russ
Modern Fantasy by Women : Murder 1986 - P. D. James
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Milk of Paradise - James TiptreeJr.
Modern Fantasy by Women : When it Happens - Margaret Atwood
Modern Fantasy by Women : Angel All Innocence - Fay Weldon
Modern Fantasy by Women : Night-Side - Joyce Carol Oates
Modern Fantasy by Women : Fireflood - Vonda N. McIntyre
Modern Fantasy by Women : Wives - Lisa Tuttle
Modern Fantasy by Women : Red as Blood - Tanith Lee
Modern Fantasy by Women : Sur - Ursula Le Guin
Modern Fantasy by Women : Peter and the Wolf - Angela Carter
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Pits Beneath the World - Mary Gentle
Modern Fantasy by Women : Two Sheep - Janet Frame
Modern Fantasy by Women : Relics - Zoë Fairbairns
Modern Fantasy by Women : The Evening and the Morning and the Night - Octavia E. Butler
Modern Fantasy by Women : [Learning About] Machine Sex - Candas Jane Dorsey
Modern Fantasy by Women : Prodigal Pudding - Suniti Namjoshi
Modern Fantasy by Women : Boobs - Suzy McKee Charnas
Modern Fantasy by Women : If the Word was to the Wise - Carol Emshwiller
Modern Fantasy by Women : Trial by Teaspoon - Lynda Rajan
Modern Fantasy by Women : In the Green Shade of a Bee-Loud Glade - L. A. Hall
Modern Fantasy by Women : Death in the Egg - Ann Oakley
Modern Fantasy by Women : Kay and Phil - Lucy Sussex
Taxi hell.
3 out of 5
Dental decay.
2.5 out of 5
Transuranic memories.
3.5 out of 5
Swanflict.
3.5 out of 5
Prison island procurement.
3 out of 5
Handy to have invisible tv stuff for boring school.
3 out of 5
Flying saucers, right brand.
3.5 out of 5
Paddock power mowers.
4 out of 5
Rogue rejection replacement return.
3.5 out of 5
Future stuff means houseguest ok.
3.5 out of 5
Oracle deflowering devastating for prolonged nazi power.
4.5 out of 5
A bit of mess and dirt can do you good.
3 out of 5
Driven home love.
3 out of 5
Ghost pain fight.
4 out of 5
Reality show acting job way too long.
4 out of 5
Trans-Temporal Time Authority temptation.
3.5 out of 5
Disease daughter letdown other's putdown showdown.
3.5 out of 5
Big grotty Crotties.
3 out of 5
Pickling is old fashioned. Shoot to kill, point blank.
2.5 out of 5
Ghost state.
2.5 out of 5
Going under medium.
3 out of 5
Hybrid distaste.
3.5 out of 5
Domestic role, breasts aplenty, no arguments woman.
3.5 out of 5
Witch Queen reflection.
3 out of 5
Antarctic women trip, even a really small one.
3.5 out of 5
Crying it, literally.
3 out of 5
Grow up or be eaten.
3.5 out of 5
Smart sheep look dumb.
3.5 out of 5
Female research.
3.5 out of 5
Concentration of disease.
4 out of 5
Chipboard, brainboard, shagboard.
4.5 out of 5
Like less cat is a bad thing.
1.5 out of 5
A well-built werewolf still has to eat Billy.
4.5 out of 5
Library pre-eminence rulebreaking.
3 out of 5
Ghost spoon surprise.
3.5 out of 5
Garden exile, temporary?
3 out of 5
Teenage girl just inhuman to deal with.
3.5 out of 5
Author's spectral nazi confab.
2.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Anno Dracula - Kim Newman
An excellent book. Kim Newman puts his own spin on a turn around a Wold Newton style universe. He also has a bunch of sneaky 'now who was that' style cameos, a la John Myers Myers' Silverlock.
Dracula has found another way to be in charge in England, by marrying in to the royal family. To prevent problems, he has had the Great Detective thrown in a prison camp.
So when a serial killed called Silver Knife is killing vampire whores, it falls to the Diogenes Club to investigate. Vampires heal normal wounds, but not silver. The investigation uncovers a lot more than just a chain of killings.
5 out of 5
Dracula has found another way to be in charge in England, by marrying in to the royal family. To prevent problems, he has had the Great Detective thrown in a prison camp.
So when a serial killed called Silver Knife is killing vampire whores, it falls to the Diogenes Club to investigate. Vampires heal normal wounds, but not silver. The investigation uncovers a lot more than just a chain of killings.
5 out of 5
The Ends of the Earth - Lucius Shepard
More of Shepard's mix of the exotic and bizarre, from crazed sf jungle war, to demon summoning. Even a high fantasy with Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter, although even that has junkies and midget slaying.
Ends of the earth : The Ends of the Earth - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Delta Sly Honey - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Bound for Glory - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : The Exercise of Faith - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Nomans Land - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Life of Buddha - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Shades - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Aymara - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : A Wooden Tiger - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : The Black Clay Boy - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Fire Zone Emerald - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : On the Border - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Surrender - Lucius Shepard
Writer's Guatemalan getaway gains girl, but the local game proves a tad gruesome.
4 out of 5
Ghost patrol's gunnin' for body baggin' boy broadcaster.
4.5 out of 5
Shapeshifters need shootin' on the terror train.
4 out of 5
Rapist reverend's sermonised sexual secrets stab home.
3 out of 5
Come into my dream parlour said the undead spider-woman to the shipwrecked IRA bloke.
3.5 out of 5
Drug den death's transexual transformation.
3 out of 5
Ghost grunt.
3.5 out of 5
Honduran honey's time travel revolution.
4.5 out of 5
Spook settles up after goddess girl's demon defiance mentor death trap.
4 out of 5
Horny bloodnut's hooker moonlighting memories.
3 out of 5
Drug boosted maniac murderous soldiers seek Queen of the Jungle.
3.5 out of 5
Rich girl rescuer rudely repulsed.
3 out of 5
Rape escapee dragon prisoner junkie.
3.5 out of 5
Guatemalan mini-mutant massacre.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Ends of the earth : The Ends of the Earth - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Delta Sly Honey - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Bound for Glory - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : The Exercise of Faith - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Nomans Land - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Life of Buddha - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Shades - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Aymara - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : A Wooden Tiger - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : The Black Clay Boy - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Fire Zone Emerald - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : On the Border - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter - Lucius Shepard
Ends of the earth : Surrender - Lucius Shepard
Writer's Guatemalan getaway gains girl, but the local game proves a tad gruesome.
4 out of 5
Ghost patrol's gunnin' for body baggin' boy broadcaster.
4.5 out of 5
Shapeshifters need shootin' on the terror train.
4 out of 5
Rapist reverend's sermonised sexual secrets stab home.
3 out of 5
Come into my dream parlour said the undead spider-woman to the shipwrecked IRA bloke.
3.5 out of 5
Drug den death's transexual transformation.
3 out of 5
Ghost grunt.
3.5 out of 5
Honduran honey's time travel revolution.
4.5 out of 5
Spook settles up after goddess girl's demon defiance mentor death trap.
4 out of 5
Horny bloodnut's hooker moonlighting memories.
3 out of 5
Drug boosted maniac murderous soldiers seek Queen of the Jungle.
3.5 out of 5
Rich girl rescuer rudely repulsed.
3 out of 5
Rape escapee dragon prisoner junkie.
3.5 out of 5
Guatemalan mini-mutant massacre.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
A Whisper Of Blood - Ellen Datlow
Overall, this is just a pretty ordinary collection. Nothing in here is rubbish, though, so it has that going for it. There is a bit of commentary in the fact that vampires are tired and old and boring. So are police detectives, but people still seem to enjoy that sort of character in a lot of books. So is vampirism as metaphor, come to that, and a whole bunch of that here. If it is vampire stories you are after, definitely don't buy this unless its cheap.
Whisper of Blood : Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - Suzy McKee Charnas
Whisper of Blood : The Slug - Karl Edward Wagner
Whisper of Blood : Warm Man - Robert Silverberg
Whisper of Blood : Teratisms - Kathe Koja
Whisper of Blood : M Is for the Many Things - Elizabeth Massie
Whisper of Blood : Folly for Three - Barry N. Malzberg
Whisper of Blood : The Moose Church - Jonathan Carroll
Whisper of Blood : Mrs. Rinaldi's Angel - Thomas Ligotti
Whisper of Blood : The Pool People - Melissa Mia Hall
Whisper of Blood : A Week in the Unlife - David J. Schow
Whisper of Blood : Lifeblood - Jack Womack
Whisper of Blood : Requiem - Melinda M. Snodgrass
Whisper of Blood : Infidel - Thomas Tessier
Whisper of Blood : Do I Dare to Eat a Peach? - Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Whisper of Blood : True Love - K. W. Jeter
Whisper of Blood : Home by the Sea - Pat Cadigan
Whisper of Blood : The Ragthorn - Robert Holdstock and Garry Kilworth
Girl not that keen on the whole violent bloodsucking thing.
3 out of 5
Salt is the cure.
3 out of 5
Empathy overindulgence.
3.5 out of 5
Kid is a hassle.
3 out of 5
Weaning should be considerably earlier.
3 out of 5
Long time woman is draining.
3.5 out of 5
Holidays overrated, dreams can be quite nasty though.
2.5 out of 5
Dream sucker.
3 out of 5
Assault canceled.
3 out of 5
Deadly relationship.
3 out of 5
A good pro whacking helpful for performance.
3 out of 5
Religious issue.
3 out of 5
Institutionally bypassed.
3.5 out of 5
Little boy juice.
3.5 out of 5
Vampire longtime holiday.
3.5 out of 5
A spot of supernatural archaeology.
3.5 out of 5
3 out of 5
Whisper of Blood : Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - Suzy McKee Charnas
Whisper of Blood : The Slug - Karl Edward Wagner
Whisper of Blood : Warm Man - Robert Silverberg
Whisper of Blood : Teratisms - Kathe Koja
Whisper of Blood : M Is for the Many Things - Elizabeth Massie
Whisper of Blood : Folly for Three - Barry N. Malzberg
Whisper of Blood : The Moose Church - Jonathan Carroll
Whisper of Blood : Mrs. Rinaldi's Angel - Thomas Ligotti
Whisper of Blood : The Pool People - Melissa Mia Hall
Whisper of Blood : A Week in the Unlife - David J. Schow
Whisper of Blood : Lifeblood - Jack Womack
Whisper of Blood : Requiem - Melinda M. Snodgrass
Whisper of Blood : Infidel - Thomas Tessier
Whisper of Blood : Do I Dare to Eat a Peach? - Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Whisper of Blood : True Love - K. W. Jeter
Whisper of Blood : Home by the Sea - Pat Cadigan
Whisper of Blood : The Ragthorn - Robert Holdstock and Garry Kilworth
Girl not that keen on the whole violent bloodsucking thing.
3 out of 5
Salt is the cure.
3 out of 5
Empathy overindulgence.
3.5 out of 5
Kid is a hassle.
3 out of 5
Weaning should be considerably earlier.
3 out of 5
Long time woman is draining.
3.5 out of 5
Holidays overrated, dreams can be quite nasty though.
2.5 out of 5
Dream sucker.
3 out of 5
Assault canceled.
3 out of 5
Deadly relationship.
3 out of 5
A good pro whacking helpful for performance.
3 out of 5
Religious issue.
3 out of 5
Institutionally bypassed.
3.5 out of 5
Little boy juice.
3.5 out of 5
Vampire longtime holiday.
3.5 out of 5
A spot of supernatural archaeology.
3.5 out of 5
3 out of 5
Prayers To Broken Stones - Dan Simmons
A motley collection, with work from several genres. Some of the stories here are developed into longer works later, such as Carrion Comfort, and a couple that are used in some form or another in the Hyperion series.
So, a decent introduction to Simmons, with the wary story 'E-Ticket to Namland' a nice example of something a little different, and Remembering Siri an excellent slice of the Hyperion universe.
He gives an intro on how each story came to be, and Harlan Ellison describes how he discovered him in a story workshop, directly after someone that was completely and utterly incapable of writing a sentence.
Prayers to Broken Stones : The River Styx Runs Upstream - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Remembering Siri - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Metastasis - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : The Offering - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : E-Ticket to Namland - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Iversons Pits - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Shave and a Haircut Two Bites - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : The Death of the Centaur - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Carrion Comfort [SS] - Dan Simmons
Resurrection relations.
4 out of 5
Widower mindtouch memory recreation.
4 out of 5
Bolgia's televangelist transformation torment time.
3.5 out of 5
Santa vigil slaughter sacrifice.
3.5 out of 5
Hawking seduction's intermittent progress.
4.5 out of 5
Cancer monster suspicion.
3 out of 5
War tourism recreation.
4 out of 5
Officer's holey end.
3 out of 5
Bloody barber's bizarre basement bloke.
3.5 out of 5
Teaching problem.
2.5 out of 5
Space try failure fall.
3.5 out of 5
Mind vampire deathmatch.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
So, a decent introduction to Simmons, with the wary story 'E-Ticket to Namland' a nice example of something a little different, and Remembering Siri an excellent slice of the Hyperion universe.
He gives an intro on how each story came to be, and Harlan Ellison describes how he discovered him in a story workshop, directly after someone that was completely and utterly incapable of writing a sentence.
Prayers to Broken Stones : The River Styx Runs Upstream - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Vexed to Nightmare by a Rocking Cradle - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Remembering Siri - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Metastasis - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : The Offering - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : E-Ticket to Namland - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Iversons Pits - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Shave and a Haircut Two Bites - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : The Death of the Centaur - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds - Dan Simmons
Prayers to Broken Stones : Carrion Comfort [SS] - Dan Simmons
Resurrection relations.
4 out of 5
Widower mindtouch memory recreation.
4 out of 5
Bolgia's televangelist transformation torment time.
3.5 out of 5
Santa vigil slaughter sacrifice.
3.5 out of 5
Hawking seduction's intermittent progress.
4.5 out of 5
Cancer monster suspicion.
3 out of 5
War tourism recreation.
4 out of 5
Officer's holey end.
3 out of 5
Bloody barber's bizarre basement bloke.
3.5 out of 5
Teaching problem.
2.5 out of 5
Space try failure fall.
3.5 out of 5
Mind vampire deathmatch.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Dark Voices 2 - Stephen Jones and David Sutton
A short horror anthology of mostly short stories, nothing much longer, and more than one vignette, too, which is interesting.
Just an average collection, but by a lot of people you might have heard of.
Dark Voices 2 : Behind the Wheel - Brian M. Stableford
Dark Voices 2 : Gino's Bar and Grille - Tony J. Forder
Dark Voices 2 : The Pleasure of Her Company - Thomas F. Monteleone
Dark Voices 2 : The Invocation - Ramsey Campbell
Dark Voices 2 : Choose! - Norman P. Kaufman
Dark Voices 2 : Duty - Roy Clifford
Dark Voices 2 : Moths - John Brunner
Dark Voices 2 : The Baby - Guy N. Smith
Dark Voices 2 : The Man Who Drew Cats - Michael Marshall Smith
Dark Voices 2 : Face to Face - Adrian Cole
Dark Voices 2 : Southbound Interruption - Conrad Hill
Dark Voices 2 : The Vulture - Marcus Gold
Dark Voices 2 : The Halloween Man - William F. Nolan
Dark Voices 2 : Alive in Venice - Cherry Wilder
Dark Voices 2 : The Sun, the Sea, and the Silent Scream - Brian Lumley
Road rage.
3 out of 5
Where she might get eaten by a bear.
3.5 out of 5
Deadhead.
3.5 out of 5
Feeling a bit legless.
3 out of 5
Rat in a trap manoeuvre.
3 out of 5
Devil's must, you know.
4 out of 5
Shoddy clothing.
2.5 out of 5
I don't want to be born.
3 out of 5
Life art.
2.5 out of 5
Database blanked.
4 out of 5
Organic waste removal.
3.5 out of 5
Carrion discomfort.
3.5 out of 5
Soul snackin' daddy.
3.5 out of 5
Paper plain plea.
2 out of 5
Greek parasite possession escape.
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
Just an average collection, but by a lot of people you might have heard of.
Dark Voices 2 : Behind the Wheel - Brian M. Stableford
Dark Voices 2 : Gino's Bar and Grille - Tony J. Forder
Dark Voices 2 : The Pleasure of Her Company - Thomas F. Monteleone
Dark Voices 2 : The Invocation - Ramsey Campbell
Dark Voices 2 : Choose! - Norman P. Kaufman
Dark Voices 2 : Duty - Roy Clifford
Dark Voices 2 : Moths - John Brunner
Dark Voices 2 : The Baby - Guy N. Smith
Dark Voices 2 : The Man Who Drew Cats - Michael Marshall Smith
Dark Voices 2 : Face to Face - Adrian Cole
Dark Voices 2 : Southbound Interruption - Conrad Hill
Dark Voices 2 : The Vulture - Marcus Gold
Dark Voices 2 : The Halloween Man - William F. Nolan
Dark Voices 2 : Alive in Venice - Cherry Wilder
Dark Voices 2 : The Sun, the Sea, and the Silent Scream - Brian Lumley
Road rage.
3 out of 5
Where she might get eaten by a bear.
3.5 out of 5
Deadhead.
3.5 out of 5
Feeling a bit legless.
3 out of 5
Rat in a trap manoeuvre.
3 out of 5
Devil's must, you know.
4 out of 5
Shoddy clothing.
2.5 out of 5
I don't want to be born.
3 out of 5
Life art.
2.5 out of 5
Database blanked.
4 out of 5
Organic waste removal.
3.5 out of 5
Carrion discomfort.
3.5 out of 5
Soul snackin' daddy.
3.5 out of 5
Paper plain plea.
2 out of 5
Greek parasite possession escape.
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
One of the funniest starts to a book, ever. That is a good enough reason to read it. As far as I am concerned, this is Gaiman's best prose work, I suppose that fact that he had such talented help on the comedy front might discount that somewhat, if you do not know who actually did what. Anyway, this is often hilarious.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Carrion Comfort - Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons has produce a horror novel of the disturbing kind. The vampires in this book are of a different stripe, being mainly concerned with mental control and degradation, not your average bloodsucking.
A young man comes across them in a nazi concentration camp, and decades later is still hunting them down.
The are more than one of these mindsuckers, and they have an annual gathering to indulge their horrific appetites.
The protagonist of the piece wants to get in and put an end to it.
3.5 out of 5
A young man comes across them in a nazi concentration camp, and decades later is still hunting them down.
The are more than one of these mindsuckers, and they have an annual gathering to indulge their horrific appetites.
The protagonist of the piece wants to get in and put an end to it.
3.5 out of 5
The Knight and Knave of Swords - Fritz Leiber
For a Lankhmar book, The Knight and Knave of Swords is quite a weighty tome. Fahrd begins by learning to get along without a left hand, a problem yet again caused by those annoying god types. Hanging around leisurely should be peaceful, shouldn't it? Not when they have two women around, and others that would like a little payback coming.
Knight and Knave of Swords : 01 Sea Magic - Fritz Leiber
Knight and Knave of Swords : 02 The Mer She - Fritz Leiber
Knight and Knave of Swords : 03 The Curse of the Smalls and the Stars - Fritz Leiber
Knight and Knave of Swords : 04 The Mouser Goes Below - Fritz Leiber
Arrows magical and mundane, with a nasty fish woman on the end of one.
3 out of 5
Stowaway sea demon.
3 out of 5
Archimages decided they need their hero helpers back home, despite a couple of personal Death obstacles.
3.5 out of 5
Godly disagreement, unexpected underneath adventures, a fair bit of girl-on-girl action, and in the case of Sister Pain, running-away-from-girl action.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Knight and Knave of Swords : 01 Sea Magic - Fritz Leiber
Knight and Knave of Swords : 02 The Mer She - Fritz Leiber
Knight and Knave of Swords : 03 The Curse of the Smalls and the Stars - Fritz Leiber
Knight and Knave of Swords : 04 The Mouser Goes Below - Fritz Leiber
Arrows magical and mundane, with a nasty fish woman on the end of one.
3 out of 5
Stowaway sea demon.
3 out of 5
Archimages decided they need their hero helpers back home, despite a couple of personal Death obstacles.
3.5 out of 5
Godly disagreement, unexpected underneath adventures, a fair bit of girl-on-girl action, and in the case of Sister Pain, running-away-from-girl action.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
The Silence Of the Lambs - Thomas Harris
You really want to need help badly.
A young FBI agent has to work with 'Hannibal the Cannibal', a brilliant but obviously seriously twisted serial killer, when they cannot solve a case any other way.
A devious and dangerous game starts with the young agent way out of her depth to start with.
An interesting book, likely to squick a few.
3.5 out of 5
A young FBI agent has to work with 'Hannibal the Cannibal', a brilliant but obviously seriously twisted serial killer, when they cannot solve a case any other way.
A devious and dangerous game starts with the young agent way out of her depth to start with.
An interesting book, likely to squick a few.
3.5 out of 5
The Dark Descent [A Fabulous Formless Darkness] - David G. Hartwell
Part of a larger series that takes a look at various types of horror writing, with an introduction giving some detail and thoughts on the topic, as well as to each author and story.
This is a good collection, and is well to the ghost story end of the spectrum, in general.
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Smoke Ghost - Fritz Leiber
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Seven American Nights - Gene Wolfe
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Signal-Man - Charles Dickens
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Crouch End - Stephen King
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Night-Side - Joyce Carol Oates
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Seaton's Aunt - Walter de la Mare
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Clara Militch - Ivan Turgenev
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Repairer of Reputations - Robert W. Chambers
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Beckoning Fair One - Oliver Onions
Fabulous Formless Darkness : What Was It? - Fitz-James O'Brien
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Beautiful Stranger - Shirley Jackson
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Damned Thing - Ambrose Bierce
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Afterward - Edith Wharton
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Willows - Algernon Blackwood
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Asian Shore - Thomas M. Disch
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Hospice - Robert Aickman
Fabulous Formless Darkness : A Little Something for Us Tempunauts - Philip K. Dick
Spectral look.
3.5 out of 5
Play things.
3.5 out of 5
Danger light haunting.
4 out of 5
Mythos scoffer mortality.
4 out of 5
Seance surprise.
3.5 out of 5
Ghost house.
3.5 out of 5
Poisoned woman not all gone.
3.5 out of 5
PR work not nice, free euthanasia not popular.
4 out of 5
Loopy writer problems.
4 out of 5
Nightmare rather solid it appears.
4 out of 5
Our house got lost.
3 out of 5
Invisible monster.
4 out of 5
Ghost visit.
3 out of 5
Wind in the tree monsters.
4.5 out of 5
Turkish twists.
3 out of 5
Lodging lacks lager and fun.
3 out of 5
Time to avoid own deaths.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
This is a good collection, and is well to the ghost story end of the spectrum, in general.
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Smoke Ghost - Fritz Leiber
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Seven American Nights - Gene Wolfe
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Signal-Man - Charles Dickens
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Crouch End - Stephen King
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Night-Side - Joyce Carol Oates
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Seaton's Aunt - Walter de la Mare
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Clara Militch - Ivan Turgenev
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Repairer of Reputations - Robert W. Chambers
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Beckoning Fair One - Oliver Onions
Fabulous Formless Darkness : What Was It? - Fitz-James O'Brien
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Beautiful Stranger - Shirley Jackson
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Damned Thing - Ambrose Bierce
Fabulous Formless Darkness : Afterward - Edith Wharton
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Willows - Algernon Blackwood
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Asian Shore - Thomas M. Disch
Fabulous Formless Darkness : The Hospice - Robert Aickman
Fabulous Formless Darkness : A Little Something for Us Tempunauts - Philip K. Dick
Spectral look.
3.5 out of 5
Play things.
3.5 out of 5
Danger light haunting.
4 out of 5
Mythos scoffer mortality.
4 out of 5
Seance surprise.
3.5 out of 5
Ghost house.
3.5 out of 5
Poisoned woman not all gone.
3.5 out of 5
PR work not nice, free euthanasia not popular.
4 out of 5
Loopy writer problems.
4 out of 5
Nightmare rather solid it appears.
4 out of 5
Our house got lost.
3 out of 5
Invisible monster.
4 out of 5
Ghost visit.
3 out of 5
Wind in the tree monsters.
4.5 out of 5
Turkish twists.
3 out of 5
Lodging lacks lager and fun.
3 out of 5
Time to avoid own deaths.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Weaveworld - Clive Barker
Carpet world conflict.
This is a bit more fantasy, a bit less horror. A bunch of supernaturals decide to hide themselves away in a carpet, hence the title. This is looked after by a woman. All goes well, except for that annoying trait that humans have: they kick the bucket eventually.
The death of the rugminder leads to a conflict and chase for possession of this magic stuff, between our protagonist, and a human agent of the scary non-human woman Immacolata and her rather nasty agents. A bit on the dull side and not as good as that sounds, really.
3 out of 5
This is a bit more fantasy, a bit less horror. A bunch of supernaturals decide to hide themselves away in a carpet, hence the title. This is looked after by a woman. All goes well, except for that annoying trait that humans have: they kick the bucket eventually.
The death of the rugminder leads to a conflict and chase for possession of this magic stuff, between our protagonist, and a human agent of the scary non-human woman Immacolata and her rather nasty agents. A bit on the dull side and not as good as that sounds, really.
3 out of 5
Seventh Son - Orson Scott Card
Boring mormon wish-fulfillment fantasy. In this arena, David Gemmell he is not. If that is what you are after, then by all means get it, otherwise something like The Jerusalem Man will be much more appealing. You could, however, use them as a cure for insomnia, or severe lack of homey American pastoral romanticising. You will know pretty quickly whether this holds any interest at all.
1.5 out of 5
1.5 out of 5
Seventh Son - Orson Scott Card
Boring mormon wish-fulfillment fantasy. In this arena, David Gemmell he is not. If that is what you are after, then by all means get it, otherwise something like The Jerusalem Man will be much more appealing. You could, however, use them as a cure for insomnia, or severe lack of homey American pastoral romanticising. You will know pretty quickly whether this holds any interest at all.
1.5 out of 5
1.5 out of 5
Misery - Stephen King
The monster in this book is human, not supernatural. A crazed fan, obsessed with her favorite creator type, decides to keep him all to herself.
This involves imprisonment, physical and psychological abuse, shackles, weapons, and even a little bit more. Not a nice lady. A look at what can happen to famous people when they get an obsessed stalker.
3.5 out of 5
This involves imprisonment, physical and psychological abuse, shackles, weapons, and even a little bit more. Not a nice lady. A look at what can happen to famous people when they get an obsessed stalker.
3.5 out of 5
Song of Kali - Dan Simmons
Another horror novel of the disturbing sort. When a book publisher type discovers a heretofore unknown work by a dead author, he goes to India in search of it.
What he uncovers is a whole lot of nastiness associated with the worship of the goddess Kali, and publishing this work would make things even nastier.
Pretty much a story of unrelenting and likely unstoppable evil.
3 out of 5
What he uncovers is a whole lot of nastiness associated with the worship of the goddess Kali, and publishing this work would make things even nastier.
Pretty much a story of unrelenting and likely unstoppable evil.
3 out of 5
Mythago Wood - Robert Holdstock
The only good thing about this book was the title. A tedious creeping fantasy. A pity the Myth part didn't refer to an Asprin comedy. The fantasy wasn't too interesting, and it didn't go far enough in the Lovecraftian direction for anything else. Too roundabout for me, I think, even though it certainly sounded like something I would enjoy.
1.5 out of 5
1.5 out of 5
Red As Blood - Tanith Lee
Red As Blood contains a whole lot of fractured fairy tales, but not the Rocky and Bullwinkle kids' cartoon variety.
Instead, Lee takes them and makes them darker, or weirder, or more horrifying and strange. She is someone that quite likely has more than the odd weird dream it would seem.
3 out of 5
Instead, Lee takes them and makes them darker, or weirder, or more horrifying and strange. She is someone that quite likely has more than the odd weird dream it would seem.
3 out of 5
Pet Sematary - Stephen King
This is the creepiest horror novel that I have ever read. My wife tells me she heard an interview with him once that said he actually scared himself writing this. That has to be pretty hard to do if you are Stephen King.
I am not volunteering to read this book again, I think, as he just might have done too good a job with it.
4.5 out of 5
I am not volunteering to read this book again, I think, as he just might have done too good a job with it.
4.5 out of 5
The Claw of the Conciliator - Gene Wolfe
Severian, a member of the Guild of Torturers, is journeying. He again is involved in executions and violence, so this book may well be a bit strong for some, or creep people out.
A very non-romantic fantasy.
3 out of 5
A very non-romantic fantasy.
3 out of 5
The Claw of the Conciliator - Gene Wolfe
Severian, a member of the Guild of Torturers, is journeying. He again is involved in executions and violence, so this book may well be a bit strong for some, or creep people out.
A very non-romantic fantasy.
3 out of 5
A very non-romantic fantasy.
3 out of 5
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
The start of Wolfe's epic. This is a lot more baroque than a standard fantasy epic, which, given the covers and title you may think this is.
The main character, Severian, carries a reat big sword that is used, basically, for executing people. Not your standard good guy action hero, by any means. If that is what you are after you will likely find this obscure and really dull. There is no doubt it does drag a bit, at times.
4 out of 5
The main character, Severian, carries a reat big sword that is used, basically, for executing people. Not your standard good guy action hero, by any means. If that is what you are after you will likely find this obscure and really dull. There is no doubt it does drag a bit, at times.
4 out of 5
The Shadow of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
The start of Wolfe's epic. This is a lot more baroque than a standard fantasy epic, which, given the covers and title you may think this is.
The main character, Severian, carries a reat big sword that is used, basically, for executing people. Not your standard good guy action hero, by any means. If that is what you are after you will likely find this obscure and really dull. There is no doubt it does drag a bit, at times.
4 out of 5
The main character, Severian, carries a reat big sword that is used, basically, for executing people. Not your standard good guy action hero, by any means. If that is what you are after you will likely find this obscure and really dull. There is no doubt it does drag a bit, at times.
4 out of 5
The Sword Of the Lictor - Gene Wolfe
The title delineates a role that Severian, whose memoirs these books purport to be, must play. It is an office of duty. Being a torturer and executioner, he is called upon to kill yet another woman, He refuses one of these due to emotion, and has to leave.
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
The Sword of the Lictor - Gene Wolfe
The title delineates a role that Severian, whose memoirs these books purport to be, must play. It is an office of duty. Being a torturer and executioner, he is called upon to kill yet another woman, He refuses one of these due to emotion, and has to leave.
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
The Sword of the Lictor - Gene Wolfe
The title delineates a role that Severian, whose memoirs these books purport to be, must play. It is an office of duty. Being a torturer and executioner, he is called upon to kill yet another woman, He refuses one of these due to emotion, and has to leave.
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Fevre Dream - George R. R . Martin
A steamboat captain is having trouble competing and making ends meet. Then, along comes a client who can solve quite of few of these financial problems.
The passenger, however, has some very strange demands and requirements for his passage. Eventually, the captain finds out it just might have been better to be broke than house vampires.
3 out of 5
The passenger, however, has some very strange demands and requirements for his passage. Eventually, the captain finds out it just might have been better to be broke than house vampires.
3 out of 5
The War Hound and the World's Pain - Michael Moorcock
The Devil is really pretty sneaky. That will be no shock to anyone. Von Bek is a mercenary, and a very dangerous man and a bit of a lost soul, both figuratively and literally.
The Devil has a deal for him. If he can find him the Holy Grail, he can have his soul back.
3.5 out of 5
The Devil has a deal for him. If he can find him the Holy Grail, he can have his soul back.
3.5 out of 5
The Claw Of the Conciliator - Gene Wolfe
Severian, a member of the Guild of Torturers, is journeying. He again is involved in executions and violence, so this book may well be a bit strong for some, or creep people out.
A very non-romantic fantasy.
3 out of 5
A very non-romantic fantasy.
3 out of 5
Little Big - John Crowley
I started this, but absolutely not my thing. The writing would seem to be ok, but at several hundred pages of what was going on here, no thanks. This particular Fantasy Masterworks edition had the incredibly annoying and twee indentations of different scenes time after time. That destroys any reading flow, at all.
1.5 out of 5
1.5 out of 5
Shadowland - Peter Straub
Probably a little long, so a bit on the dull side at times and takes perseverance to get through this creepy and eerie story of two boys interested in magic.
An older magician relative has the boys stay with him for a while to teach them, but are his skills actually more to do with real magic than illusion is the question here.
3.5 out of 5
An older magician relative has the boys stay with him for a while to teach them, but are his skills actually more to do with real magic than illusion is the question here.
3.5 out of 5
The Shadow Of the Torturer - Gene Wolfe
The start of Wolfe's epic. This is a lot more baroque than a standard fantasy epic, which, given the covers and title you may think this is. The main character, Severian, carries a great big sword that is used, basically, for executing people. Not your standard good guy action hero, by any means. If that is what you are after you will likely find this obscure and really dull. There is no doubt it does drag a bit, at times.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Thieves' World - Robert Lynn Asprin
A shared world anthology to come out of a science fiction convention meeting between a group of established authors.
Thieves World : Sentences of Death - John Brunner
Thieves World : The Face of Chaos - Lynn Abbey
Thieves World : The Gate of the Flying Knives - Poul Anderson
Thieves World : Shadowspawn - Andrew J. Offutt
Thieves World : The Price of Doing Business - Robert Lynn Asprin
Thieves World : Blood Brothers - Joe W. Haldeman
Thieves World : Myrtis - Christine DeWees
Thieves World : The Secret of the Blue Star [Lythande] - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Reading, writing and spells.
3 out of 5
Card reading can be scary.
3.5 out of 5
Down and out godrobbery, and sikkintair swordplay.
3.5 out of 5
Wanding, women and whipping.
3 out of 5
Gladiator commerce is death.
4 out of 5
Dog racing dodginess and stabbing.
2.5 out of 5
Really old and really good looking is handy for running a brothel, but a bit off-putting for the average bloke.
3.5 out of 5
Master magician duel and horizontal mambo mojo inflicted.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
Thieves World : Sentences of Death - John Brunner
Thieves World : The Face of Chaos - Lynn Abbey
Thieves World : The Gate of the Flying Knives - Poul Anderson
Thieves World : Shadowspawn - Andrew J. Offutt
Thieves World : The Price of Doing Business - Robert Lynn Asprin
Thieves World : Blood Brothers - Joe W. Haldeman
Thieves World : Myrtis - Christine DeWees
Thieves World : The Secret of the Blue Star [Lythande] - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Reading, writing and spells.
3 out of 5
Card reading can be scary.
3.5 out of 5
Down and out godrobbery, and sikkintair swordplay.
3.5 out of 5
Wanding, women and whipping.
3 out of 5
Gladiator commerce is death.
4 out of 5
Dog racing dodginess and stabbing.
2.5 out of 5
Really old and really good looking is handy for running a brothel, but a bit off-putting for the average bloke.
3.5 out of 5
Master magician duel and horizontal mambo mojo inflicted.
3.5 out of 5
3.5 out of 5
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