Updates on Authors and the books they write!
A Chapter of Hats and Other Stories by Machado de Assis – Review
A Chapter of Hats and Other Stories by Machado de Assis
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, who died 100 years ago this month, is Brazil’s most famous writer. He has been less successful outside Brazil, possibly because his dry, laconic style does not chime with our perception of Latin American fiction.
Machado de Assis’s style is more closely related to that of Saki or Sterne than the magical realists of recent times. His humour is dark, verging on bleak. His acuity is second to none.
Review: A Chapter of Hats and Other Stories by Machado de Assis – Telegraph.
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Mr Monster by Dan Wells – Review
about 6 months ago - No comments
Mr Monster by Dan Wells Mr Monster is darker than the first book, less of Wells humour sprinkled through, the change in writing following the progression in John’s difficulties controlling his dark side. The story is more sinister and where the first sets out early we are are dealing with a demon this one offers
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest – Review
about 8 months ago - No comments
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest Boneshaker is Cherie Priest’s sixth novel and it is her best. With a keen eye for detail and description, Priest quickly draws readers into her alternate world. She conveys the danger of the Blight, the walking undead, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of underground Seattle with confidence. By using slightly formal dialogue
Blood of Ambrose by James Enge – Review
about 1 year ago - No comments
Blood of Ambrose by James Enge John from Grasping for the Wind described the plot as “Lathmar’s capture, rescue, recapture and rescue again”, which correctly describes the gist of it, but there’s more to the story than just the adventures of the little King. “Blood of Ambrose” is an action-packed fantasy, which, despite seeming to
Tides from the New Worlds by Tobias Buckell – Review
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
Tides From the New Worlds by Tobias Buckell In Tides from the New Worlds, Tobias Buckell does what the best SF/F writers do: tells stories that touch our minds with wonder and endow our hearts with perception. Reading this collection, for those of us culture-bound West or East, brings science fiction and fantasy to a
Midwinter by Matthew Sturges – Review
about 1 year ago - No comments
Midwinter by Matthew Sturges The opening scene shows us directly into a prison brawl, where we meet two of the main characters; a warrior called Mauritane and the mysterious Raieve. There is no introduction to the world in which the story takes place or to the events that lead to either one’s imprisonment, which is
Seeds of Earth by Michael Cobley – Review
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
The Seeds of Earth (Humanity’s Fire) by Michael Cobley There are many interesting ideas in Seeds of Earth – the idea that the dividing line between the sides clearly lining up for another galaxy-spanning ding-dong will be their attitudes towards Artifical Intelligences, and the clear implication that the AIs used by the Sendrukans and their
City of Thieves by David Benioff – Review
about 1 year ago - No comments
City of Thieves: A Novel by David Benioff The story is straightforward, but well-told, and the ending is as close to happy as it can realistically be, with a nasty but predictable twist hidden behind a more unexpected and gut-wrenching one. City of Thieves (****½) is a splendid, gripping read with a dark sense of
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams – Review
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams David Walliams, better known for dressing up as a laydee in Little Britain, has tucked the sadness at the heart of his story under layers of humour and self-parodying authorial interventions. ‘High heels do take a bit of getting used to. Not that I would know, reader.
World Without End by Ken Follett – Review
about 1 year ago - No comments
World Without End by Ken Follett A mysterious and deadly secret. A war that lasts 100 years. A book which goes on for over 1,200 pages. Follett’s latest medieval epic returns to Kingsbridge a couple of hundred years after The Pillars of the Earth told the story of the masons who built the town’s cathedral.
The White Mary by Kira Salak – Interview
about 1 year ago - No comments
The White Mary: A Novel by Kira Salak Returning to the United States after a nightmarish encounter while reporting on war in the Congo, Salak’s protagonist, Marika Vecera, is withdrawn and unable to reconnect with her supernaturally patient psychologist boyfriend, Seb. She’s obviously suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which happens to be the subject of