Past reviews added to the website

I took some time today to add in some old reviews that appeared in the Davis Enterprise. Here's the list:

Blade Dancer by S. L. Viehl
The Changeling Plague by Syne Mitchell
The Dragon Queen by Alice Borchardt
Exile's Honor by Mercedes Lackey
Ghostlight by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Guardian of the Promise by Irene Radford
Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer
Hyperthought by M. M. Buckner
Joust by Mercedes Lackey
The Little Country by Charles de Lint
The Meek by Scott Mackay
Northstar by Phil S. Benson
On Crusade edited by Katherine Kurtz
Paper Mage by Leah R. Cutter
The Pickup Artist by Terry Bisson
The Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop
Second Contact by J. D. Austin
The Serpent's Shadow by Mercedes Lackey
A Sorcerer's Treason by Sarah Zettel
Taken by Thomas Cook
Tangled Up In Blue by Joan D. Vinge
Star Wars: Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning
The Valdemar Companion edited by John Helfers and Denise Little
A Wizard Alone by Diane Duane

Comments

[Book review] Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Click image to purchase from Amazon This review contains minor spoilers. I have a love/hate relationship with steampunk. I never fell head-over-heels in love with the genre the way some people have. At best, I’ve tolerated its presence on the shelves. Recently, I’ve read some steampunk that I thought was good, but I still don’t consider myself to be an aficionado. Therefore, I tend to approach any novel with steampunk elements with a bit of trepidation. Phoenix Rising does indeed fit the bill of steampunk, but contains many other story elements as well. Wellington Books, Archivist for England’s Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, finds himself in a most uncomfortable position: captive by the House of Usher. But his salvation comes in the peculiar form of Eliza Braun, field agent for the Ministry and someone overly fond of explosives. As a result of the dramatic rescue, Braun is reassigned to the Archives with Books. Although initial...

[Book review] The Hammer by K. J. Parker

Click image to purchase from Amazon I suppose that one could say that fantasy novels are the fables for modern adults. They use magic and strange creatures to cloak the morality plays that typically only belong to children’s books. Whereas a small child might read “Hansel and Gretel” and absorb the “don’t talk to strangers” motto, novels for adults can’t be that blatant. Luckily, we have books like The Hammer , which not only explores the idea of vengeance, but it also digs into the issues of community and its responsibilities. Gignomai met’Oc is a younger son in an exiled noble family. Lording it over the community that sits at the foot of their plateau, they constantly look towards the day when they will be allowed Home and their exile will end. While not exactly approving of Gig’s forays into town to interact with “common folk”, the family nonetheless turns a blind eye to his visits. But one day the visits stop, and when they resume, Gig has obviou...

Burning Nation by Trent Reedy

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. (Description nicked from B&N.com.) “At the end of Divided We Fall , Danny Wright’s beloved Idaho had been invaded by the federal government, their electricity shut off, their rights suspended. Danny goes into hiding with his friends in order to remain free. But after the state declares itself a Republic, Idaho rises to fight in a second American Civil War, and Danny is right in the center of the action, running guerrilla missions with his fellow soldiers to break the Federal occupation. Yet what at first seems like a straightforward battle against governmental repression quickly grows more complicated, as more states secede, more people die, and Danny discovers the true nature of some of his new allies.” Continue reading...

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